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The last time I watched a game, it was played over 4 quarters. Losing by a point after conceding the first 6 goals and with us having all the momentum for the next 3 quarters, it never crossed your mind that we had a realistic chance to win this? In the GWS game, when we were 6 goals up, were you saying to yourself, we are not going to win this? If true, it won't matter how we play; you will always think we will lose. That is sad.

Yes. I think this is the reason.

My comment was not an opinion, but a fact. There wasn't any thinking about it. I was stating what is true.

Our "horrible brand of football" almost beat the 2nd and 3rd placed teams over the past 3 weeks. And this is with a banged-up team made up of youngsters.

So you base that broad statement on a sample of one and a bit games? Gee, you're good Nostradamus.

Gee didn't GWS beat us by only 2 points? And that's our banged-up side. Imagine when we have a full list again and a fit Trac and Clarry. We are not done yet.

But ...227 chose to be critical of the club when he/she is clueless as to what was said/done within the club walls. ...227 had a choice, and he/she chose to bag.

If you go to WheeloRatings/Team Stats/2021/Difference/Score Sources/Turnover you will find that we were #1 in 2021, #4 in 2022 and #3 in 2023. Yes I read that article and it was quite compelling.

We were ranked #1 for Score from Turnover Differential in 2021. We were #4 in 2022 and #3 in 2023. This season, we have plummeted to #15, just ahead of North, Richmond and WC. Do you have any ideas as to why, in relation to this stat, we have fallen off the cliff this season? I think this stat fairly depicts our ladder position.

I recall that they have form in this area. Didn't they fail to show up in a GF a few years ago? Who was the coach?

They were going to sack Thompson years before after a bad year but decided not to and he went on to coach them to 2 premierships. Same with Hardwick. Richmond had a couple of bad years and they were going to sack him but did not. He did pretty well. Clarkson's performance in the early years was heavily questioned by the club, and they were also on the verge of making a change but did not. He did pretty well himself after that as well. There are many more examples. With your logic, you would have sacked Chris Scott after Geelong failed to make the eight after their premiership year, and it looks like you would be dropping the hammer on Craig McRae shortly. So what does that all say? We can go down the path of a St. Kilda or Essendon and change coaches every 5 minutes, panic, throw out everything that has been set up, and start again because we have had a bad year, or stick with the process that has been maturing and successful since 2019. There will be reviews and changes post-season. More than likely, there will be changes in the support coaching personnel and possibly in the football department as well. But don't expect a review that will have a scorched-earth outcome. Successful clubs don't do that.

Err Trac says hello. Lever missed 5 weeks. May had broken ribs. Spargo, and Bowey missed a heap of weeks. Salem also. Clarry missed a preseason and has played with a broken hand. Petty also had no preseason. Turner missed weeks. Oh, and also Smith for the year, and now Windsor. Besides these, what else have the Romans done for us.

True, but getting the muscle back is what is going to take months.

Not as bad as what I thought . Has lost muscle over the shoulder/arms but his thighs look ok.

Really? Please expand. Who would replace who?

Petty was rated 5th in pressure acts/points, ahead of Viney and Oliver. That's why he was selected and will continue to be selected.

Well said, but I believe you understand what I mean.

I think its time to introduce a male impact protection vest, similar to the vest already used in the AFLW to great effect. Link https://zenasport.com.au/. If Trac wore a male version of one of these vests it might have absorbed a lot of the impact. Instead making rule changes, make it compulsory for all players to wear these vests.

Tried? He was tripped. Therefore, was it a free to ANB? Probably not. Legs got tangled up.

I thought you weren't going to post anymore? You can't help yourself from writing [censored] post after post. You have a problem for every solution.

I totally agree. It is so sad to lose a player / teammate of that calibre in the prime of his career. As you have said, he was an integral part of not only our midfield but also our overall game plan. I feel certain that Gus would have been earmarked for that key midfield defensive role that Max spoke about.

Good explanation. It also highlights how much we miss Gus and his role.

And what would we have to give up to make it a win win? 2 first rounds, which at present we don't have, plus Clarry, which we will not trade. Maybe we get a first round if we are lucky for Petty. That's a hell of a lot to give up for a 30 yo culture-challenged player.

So you wanted the club to turn our skipper, arguably the best ruckman of all time next to Dean Cox and Simon Madden, into a part time player who would only play occasionally? That makes sense. I love the mayonnaise you heap on just to reinforce your point. There goes an hour, maybe two, of your life spent writing this nonsense that you will never get back.

If you loathe the club that much, then give us all a break, leave, and follow another club. No one will miss you.