Lucifers Hero

There is a report this morning that we have offered a 2 - 3 year contract so the ball in his Toby's court. He had been a rookie and last year signed only a one year contract as a senior player so the latest offer reflects his work this year and the clubs faith in him.

My guess is longer terms is what other clubs are offering to lure them away so we need to meet it. Also, a longer term gives us a chance to spread their contract cost while they get security. However, I would be quite surprised if there aren't caveats in the contracts for both parties.

There is nothing more to acknowledge. I've said plenty of times that I agree about loading programs. I've outlined already this morning the other factors the club has worked on this week. We will win tomorrow night and it will be a function of fitness (loading if you insist on me saying it) and those other factors. Not one, not the other.

Good to hear. Humble pie for all the posters that stuck the boots into Gus. Way OOT.

With great delight this is the update for Gus' six year extension.💗

Well done! Right on in every respect. Now with great delight I will update the 'Contracts' thread.

Haha. Now it is @binmanin the red corner and @Lucifers Heroin the blue corner🙃? Good colours. We will win Friday night but it won't mean either position is more correct as the result will be an interplay of both as all games are.. His reputation is safe.

Good points; Re the last sentence: I think there have been deeper issues in recent times. Interviews this week have been telling: Brayshaw (SEN) said it really isn't a sort of arrogance but more not doing team things. Goodwin (press conf) several times said we need to get back to everyone buying-in. Big reference to the need to be more ruthless. Petracca (AFL360) several times referred to complacency creeping in and players leaving (pressure) work to a team mate. Petracca said coaches have been telling them to not look at this time last year and expect the wins to the finals to be repeated. Something like: Forget last year, they need to make it happen this year. However, I think the 'deeper issues' they mention have been addressed particularly in the last week. Some soul searching has been happening. On the positive side, each talked with conviction that we know the issues and we can fix them. Looking forward to a good win on Friday night. Will the reasons be the end of loading or players changing the things in the interviews? We will never know really know. Probably both.

Thank you. That is because the advocates of loading in this thread rarely discuss in depth, other factors that may affect performance/reasons for intense training, and for some their 'go to' position is loading when our performance is lacking. So it comes across as the only/dominant factor.

I've acknowledge many many times I believe in loading progrmas. My issue is and always has been that loading is the go-to reason why we don't perform in games or fail to run them out. Again, I'll say fatigue has many causes. Training standards covers more than loading. I'm not thick. I understand loading and deloading. I get the natural rythyms of a training program and I have no doubt it influences behaviours. No convincing required on that front. There is no reason to be condescending. If you put me in the anit-loading-propaganda-merchants I am seriously offended.

I agree the inability to run out games can be the result of fatigue but there are many causes of fatigue not just 'loading'. Other than Brisbane we haven't run out games since before the Freo game. Even our wins since have found us wanting in the last quarter. Some on here have said we started loading a few weeks before the Freo game. Since then, others have often said we are loading as do the most recent posts above. And based on Chandler's interview the view is we are still loading... That is a long time to be loading especially if it is as you say, two months of 'heavy' loading. I also saw that vision. iirc that vision didn't involve Max, per se. It compared our defending the transition form the opps d50 last week to the the equivalent game last year. Up and about last year, but not last week. I agree with you about complacency and discipline being a factor. And that it is up to the players and their execution of the game plan. I'm with you that we haven't been worked out. Most teams have tried something new, some have worked some haven't. All clubs know each other team's game plans, strengths and weaknesses. As you say we need to get our focus back to where it was last year.

Who are the posters 'fuelling the anti loading propaganda machine'?

Why is it that people immediately go to 'loading' as the cause/reason behind performance change or training level without giving due weight to other factors. And why is one heavy training session per Chandler considered 'loading'. It makes sense that training levels will wax and wane from week to week depending on travel, days between games etc. That doesn't mean we are loading when there is an intense training session. Nor that it means the whole team is doing the intense training session. There are lots of variables. Listen to the various interviews this week and folks will see what hasn't been working and why training standards needed to lift. Based on this thread we have been loading since round 7 or 8.

Rather than JVR, I'd prefer we increase ground time for Weideman and Jackson from 72% and 69% respectively to combat the tall Freo defenders and to free up Max behind the ball. Max had to do too much last week.

It is a good plan. Might just mention Freo don't have a round 2 or round 3 pick this year to trade with Brisbane. They will have once they trade out players. But the result you suggest can still be achieved by Freo giving us their 2023 first round pick as well as this year's. And throw in Meek!

Read the article referred to below and see the problems with the ground. Freo were smashed in wet/boggy conditions by GCS and Coll earlier in the season; kicked 4 and 6 goals. Hence why they want to train there this week. They have learnt so I expect them to do better. So it is wet weather football time: forget long kicks or pin point passes, just get the ball forward deep i50! We will still win.

Good luck with Max. He is contracted to 2026.

big-docker-on-standby-to-combat-dees-dynamic-ruck-duo Meek might play. An audition? An interesting discussion about the state of Optus Oval surface. It looks like Freo have been given special permission to train at Optus because of the rain and state of the ground. They don't play well in the wet. It looks they could go in fairly tall at both ends of the ground which is odd as they know Brown won't be playing.

Those comments from Hamish are getting lost in the discussion: Hamish thinks if we win another flag Gus will consider moving on. If we don't win the flag his 'chip on the block' ie his ego, will want to make stay for another go. So we aren't likely to get an answer until our season is over. It also indicates he will do his all to win us another flag. This question isn't for you BBP but does anyone really doubt his commitment? Two flags then a chance to set himself up for life financially. I wouldn't begrudge him that. Before folks go too hard on Gus, remember Viney didn't renew his contract, after considering other offers until our season was over. No one doubts Jack's leadership or commitment, altho if I went back to the threads of the day the dialogue would be much like this thread. We are second on the ladder with finals around the corner, lets enjoy it.

They might be brothers but why is Hamish who is still involved with an AFL club, even commenting on the contract intentions of a key player at another club, especially when their other brother's club is trying to poach him.

A very ugly side of Rex Hunt: you-want-to-die-football-legend-rex-hunt-in-alleged-road-rage-incident

In what way might Freo's form have caused a change in the discussed contract terms: better? worse?

There may be quite some truth in that. Looking back at the start of this thread, in early Oct that he was ready to sign was reported by some well credentialed posters. Jackson spent the post GF time training in Perth due to covid travel restrictions in WA. Plenty of time for Freo to interfere with his contract negotiations with the dees. It seems they succeeded: in early December it was reported in this thread that contract talks went on hold.

It probably wasn't Jackson's doing. The trade period was barely a few weeks after the GF so not a good time to approach him nor would they want to pay the price of an in contract player, effectively lose 2021 pick 6 for Cerra plus whatever else we may have wanted. If @Ethan Tremblayinfo is correct, it would make sense for Freo to wait to plant the seed in the preseason. That way Freo get pick 6 and get Jackson. Methinks you are pointing the finger at the wrong party.

Therein is the issue - other teams bring their best game against us. We don't bring our best. We get away with it vs lesser teams as their best isn't good enough but the better teams beat us when we haven't brought our best which is those 5 losses. There have been other contributors to our losses but the pattern of not bringing our best is undeniable.