The heart beats true

So… ‘Please don’t irrationally speculate about what’s going through a players head. Instead restrict all irrational speculation to what’s going through Tim Lamb’s head’?

In regards to his mum posting on Facebook I think 2 things: - Players and families are specifically told to avoid commenting on social media for obvious reasons. Did that conversation need to be public, when she would have been able to contact people directly? I don’t want to come down too hard but all that did was put her into a public conversation she’d be well advised to stay out of - for her, and her sons sake. Let’s not forget that this is her child effectively resigning from a job. How would you feel if your mum did that to you at work? - Her use of the phrase ‘coming home’ was interesting. I was raised to go and live my own life. 5 years ago Luke was aiming to play in the NBA. What did she think was going to happen then? I’m starting to buy into the theory that his mum had a lot of influence, and was quite vocal about it.

I’ll be barracking for the Swans. Geelong are always my least favourite team because they get such an arm chair ride to the finals, and every year I pray for them to finally fall off the cliff. Collingwood. No. Obviously. Brisbane have some players and a coach I like, but they are offset by Zorko and his pathetic attempts to manage his reputation after he clearly did the wrong thing. Go Swannies.

Which one you thinking? I haven’t heard a single quality forward is available? McStay is a third tall, and half the player Fritsch is in the same role. I’m open to hearing options for forwards, but I doubt there’s anyone good available. Jackson wasn’t a forward. He was a ruckman and around the ground spare ruck rover. Interestingly the best comparison is the guy we are bringing in - except the guy we are bringing in is also a 2 time All Australian, and a much better, and more experienced, footy player. Oh yeah, and he’ll cost us 250k a year less than the bloke who left will get. Swap Grundy for Jackson and we are instantly a much better side the next 2-3 years. And if Max goes down what do we do then? Spargo in the ruck? Pinch hitting with Bowey?

Save it for Zorko.

Grundy’s been a great ruckman for a long time, and he’s 28. The club has built its list around 2 ruckman - so much so they picked a ruckman at pick 3 in the draft 3 yeas ago, which at the time seemed insane. Grundy isn’t being brought in to solve the problem of what we didn’t have this year. Instead he’s coming on to solve the issue of what we just lost (Jackson). In losing Luke we might further gain the ability to ALSO trade in a key forward. We don’t know yet. May wasn’t coming until the last moment when we convinced him too. Let’s just see whose out there, but let’s also consciously plug the holes we know we can fill now.

We won’t give up a first rounder for him. We will give up a second rounder, and the higher the number the more Collingwood has to pay of his salary.

Yeah, I agree. It’s not the reason. I posted this specifically in the context of reports that Koz loves the Demons, but not Melbourne as a place. 👍

Only during the season, and even then under extreme guidelines. Folks in WA in particular lived a very free life in comparison. His mates there would have been into him about it. My friends in WA where. It was annoying.

Come on down 2 time All Australian. The bloke doesn’t get as much credit as he deserves around here - but it’s only because his competition for best in the league is our once in a generation Ruckman.

Just because you don’t like the answer to the question you asked doesn’t mean it hasn’t been a factor Dazzle. Remember they are 20 year olds. 2 years of lockdown is 75% of their entire adult life to date.

Any chance we can overturn it on appeal?

I said this a while back in the Jackson thread, but I’ll spare you the pain of having to trawl through 200 pages… Dont underestimate the impact of COVID on these young guys from interstate. Their mates at home were partying and seeing family while we were in lock down and scared to go to Coles. It tainted Melbourne significantly.

I’d take Pick 2 for him. Partly because a player at that number in the draft is going to be good, potentially great, but also because that means he’s going to the Eagles and Freo have gutted their list for nothing 🤣

Can I completely agree with this statement and still boo him if he starts to play well against us? Don’t take all the fun out of it!

Grundy’s phone will be blowing up today.

We’re not going to get that hard a draw again. Ever. It’s statistically impossible. Our last 14 games included 10 against the other top 5 teams. We can’t play finals for 3 months, when everyone else only has to play them for a month. A lot of things worked against us.

Just for context 12 of those 14 were against teams in the 8, and an incredible 10 of those 14 games were against the other top 5 teams. Brisbane x 3, Sydney, Freo and Collingwood x 2, Geelong x 1. I doubt that’s ever happened, or will ever happen again.

Not to come across all @Demonstone but ‘finished’ means completed, or ended. We didn’t ‘finish’ second. We finished 5th. I’m all about optimism, but facts are important. 👍

Did we not finish 5th?

I’d add to that consistency of having to play quality opponents. I wrote this in the loading thread but we played 12 of our last 14 games against top 8 sides, and 10 of those games were against the other top 5 teams! That will never happen again in an 18 side competition. We got very unlucky with our draw.

I firmly believe we tried to replicate what we did in 2021, which we had the right to do given where it got us. But I think the biggest factor in play for our season in 2022 was that we played 12 out of our last 14 games against teams in the 8, including 10 games against the top 5 sides! Our draw ended up being insanely difficult and we couldn’t maintain it every week. In the same 14 week period Geelong haven’t had to play 2 finals sides back to back at all (and because of the week off still haven’t). They played the Eagles twice, North, Suns, and Saints. Their ONLY games against finalists from round 11 to finals - us, Richmond and The Bulldogs twice (5th, 7th and 8th). I honestly believe we will never get a draw that hard again. We have played 3 months of finals. I doubt anyone could maintain that.

Someone won the New Balance run against a player thing at the Collingwood game I believe (could have been Carlton). I was legitimately shocked.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

They put out a line of merchandise, and built a custom finals website. I think the club has done a pretty good job with marketing. The promotion, merchandise and work done around Naarm was the strongest, most relevant, marketing initiative in the AFL all season (and I’d suggest across all Australian sport in 2022). Our game day experience is unique to us, and I think Robbo does a good job on ground. We have a very diverse supporter base and I think the club is trying to straddle a difficult line, which in general they do well. It can be better, but this year, after 2 years off, was not the time to tinker too much. They’ll sharpen it up in the years to come.