Wells 11

Premier: Western Bulldogs Runner-up: Richmond Wooden spoon: North Melbourne Moving up: Western Bulldogs Set to fall: Collingwood Brownlow Medal: Bontempelli Coleman Medal: Lynch NAB AFL Rising Star: Rowell ( Rivers 2nd place) Best new Demon: Ben Brown Demon All Australian: Petracca, May, Gawn, Oliver Demon B&F: Petracca Big call: Buckley sacked or resigns near the end of the year Ladder prediction: 1. Western Bulldogs 2. Richmond 3. Brisbane 4.Port Adelaide 5. Melbourne 6.Westcoast 7.StKilda 8. Geelong

yep. I agree with you here.

50 odd goals AND he missed the first 4 weeks of the season from memory. Tmac was a genuine forward force in 2018.

Awesome work Picket, perhaps you've found your own "directional oath" here? Not just a training report but a work of art. memories of 87 tugging at my heart sigh. That remains THE footballing ride of my life. I don't think theres any better footballing memories for me than the lead up to, and the first 2 and 3/4 finals. And yes, Im sure Casey felt a long way from there. I think only winning a GF could better that....hope I live to see it. Maybe 2021?

score anyone?

?

Thanks Picket great reading. Also great news re Oliver. Sounds ridiculous to talk of him "breaking out" as he broke out in his first few games lol. But I just get the sense that he may be about to take another step up into some rarefied air in 2021. Good also to hear your thoughts on Majak as I think he may have an important role early this season if fit. I really want Harmes back to his best, so I was glad to read your thoughts there also.

I remember when I was excited when we had ONE in the top 50. Re Oliver, when he's BOG in a winning final watch everyones eyes open. Belongs more in the top 20 atm and soon to be top 5- 10.

“ Gawn is the anti Scully” love it.

I think I may have had a frikn anurism if they'd agreed to a swap for money.

Appreciated Picket, great to hear news.

Wow. I know people lived to hate him in recent years, but he was a true gentleman of the game and a colossus in his commentating role. I’m may well be alone in this but I’ll miss him.

Jackson, Kozzie and Gawn? :-)

Tricky question as I never saw Barassi either. Stynes has to be up there in this conversation somewhere surely. Also if you ignore the number of games played and just talk about " best players" Then Schwartz at his peak and even Jakovich come into my thinking. So I think it has to be best players who played over 150 games? As others have mentioned its difficult to rate players like Flower, Barassi, Lyon, Stynes and Gawny against each other, but in terms of what Ive actually seen Flower was just a class ahead of anyone else. Its probably enough to note that Gawn now has a place in this conversation.

honestly thought we were being crushed reading this. so much negativity!

This a moment i absolutely never sick of watching.

I generally agree with your sentiments, so it’s just nitpicking , but I do remember he kicked 3 in a drawn game in 2018 sometime.

Great report thank you! Im not sure if you noticed but did Tmac kick his goals while May was playing on him? because if so thats no small feat.

perfectly said. Eddie made that ugly, shameful chapter in our game worse.... and then didn’t learn anything.

well yes and no. Yes for a few of us that would respond well to the honesty. However others would say he's weak and "making excuses" . Somehow saying this would be seen as having a lack of drive/ heart/ ferocity/ care etc etc etc Others would say "once he's on the field he's either 100% fit or dont play him". Its a no win game blaming injuries as a coach or as a player. So while I, like you BAMF, would prefer to know I can fully see why they dont come out with it.

He’s got some hype now doesn’t he. Hope we at least see him in the pre season game /s to get a sense of him at this level.

It’s interesting that Hunt is back training with the backs and Harmes is with the midfielders isn’t it. Perhaps the coaching panel was trying to be overly clever in moving them, but these two owned those positions a cpl years back. Sometimes you have to stick with your strengths.

With injuries, sadly no. But then just to add salt to the wounds there has probably never been a better number 3 either. As good as Judd was, I think Martin is incomparable.

He did that in 2018 and came 3rd in the brownlow. Obviously different circumstances and it wasn’t a fitness issue keeping him out bk then, but hey it’s pre season and i’m looking for omens!

Yep...point taken. That was the worst in living memory. Amazingly many of us still walked into 2019 thinking we might win a flag.