The heart beats true

I actually don’t think we’ve got the best list in the comp. I think we have a lack of marking forwards, and elite distance kicking. It’s probably 3 players, but with them we would have an amazing list. I’d also say Hibbo might not go around again and we are lacking a shutdown defender with him gone.

Fitness. I know it’s wildly unpopular to talk about it but we have been crushed after half time. We’ve won 4 of our last 15 second halves. We got our fitness horribly wrong.

Salem is the answer. He’s been operating at 20%. Get him fit and he makes us a lot better.

Dare I say you’re more optimistic than me with your 90 percent estimate.

It’s genuinely infuriating to watch us lose the same way every week. To sit there at the G and have opposition fans give us a bake when we are beaten so convincingly after half time is just utter garbage. We realistically haven’t been a top 6 since since midseason. It’s a lot to digest as a supporter but we fell in a massive hole mid year and never pulled ourselves far enough out of it. I dunno. I’m super flat.

Still not convinced you’re a Melbourne supporter. Week in, week out.

At the ground it’s a sea of red and blue. If you are at the G I need unrelenting noise. Let’s show the competition how much we love our team.

He’s more Derry Girls - so more swearing and calling everything ‘wee’. I only understand about half of it. It’s the key to the success of our relationship.

You’re Irish! I knew I liked you. My grandfather was from Athlone, and my partner was born in Belfast and all his family still live there. I lived in Dublin for a few years, but I left became it was filled with Dubliners 😉 (I actually love the place).

Taking public holidays off people is literally political suicide. I have a long held theory that if we proposed changing Australia Day to the last Monday in January (therefore guaranteeing a long weekend every year) 90% of people would be onboard with it. Just needs a bit of PR work to get over the line.

What an unusual life she lived. So much authority, but almost no agency over her own life. Go here, do this, smile, wave, don’t offend. Famously the royal family policy is ‘don’t complain, don’t explain’. If we implemented that policy around here Demonland would be out of business in 2 days.

The far more interesting part of this story was what Sanderson said about defensive transition, and the sides that do it well blocking lanes for us.

You make very valid points Nev. For me if this thread has taught me anything it’s that it’s better to watch what’s happening on the ground, than assume we know more. I personally think it’s a lot to assume we’ve had injuries, and that the selection committee are aware of all of it - but just kept running players into the ground. It wouldn’t surprise me if this is true (because I’m critical of how our game plan relies very heavily on 5 players), but i can’t know it. I’m basing my opinion purely on what I can see on the ground, and what the scoreboard has told us since mid year. We looked absolutely out on our legs at 3/4 time last week (when we should be peaking). Very flat, no energy across the team. That tells me we haven’t got something right with our fitness. Interestingly no one’s really arguing we aren’t fit enough, instead they are just speculating on what’s responsible for it. I bet Greg Stafford wishes he got that much grace around here. 👍

My mail says the opposite is true. Mrs Grundy appreciates full disclosure.

If your job is to make sure we are running out games, particularly the games that matter most, and instead we are ranked 15th in the comp for it, then you have to be feeling heat. I find it really interesting how little criticism our fitness is getting.

This. I find it mesmerising that anyone wants to defend our fitness department given what we’ve dished up since Round 11. I honestly think Griffith will be under extreme pressure inside the club. We are nowhere near it.

Way ahead of you Layzie.

GWS going well.

My mail says this is a done deal. Club made the final presentation to Grundy’s mum this week to make sure she doesn’t change his mind. From all reports both Alan Richardson and Perty had training shorts on at the meeting to sweeten the deal for Mrs Grundy. She’s on board. Perty has lovely pins.

Those critical of the list not being turned over prior to the 22 season would be wise to remember that season 20 and 21 were effectively wiped out at a lot of levels. It was a much more considered decision to work with what you’ve got rather than bring in what hasn’t had consistent games for 2 years. Things return to normal this year, so we will see more informed decisions made.

I like that Collingwood have put their pre-Bali contract to De Goey back on the table - because men who treat women terribly are awful, but a lot less awful If they play well in finals. #dobetter

Boy oh boy wowee do I hope they use this time to invest in commentators that don’t want to be ‘personalities’.

Casboult is the one player in the entire competition that best suits our forward half game plan in my opinion. He was fantastic this year for the Suns. He would take 2-3 contested marks a game that cause teams to panic in the air, and therefore bring Koz into the game more. I’ve thought all season he’d make us a 2 goal a game better side.

Jackson to stay, Grundy to come over. We will be the kings of the long bomb to the forward pocket for the next decade!

Just saw this 🤣