Sydee

Our guys seemed to go alright two weeks ago against a very parochial Brisbane crowd - a team that it all to play for yet we’re monstered from start to finish

I think you will find that this happens to ensure the ball hits the ground rather than an intercept mark By contrast May took numerous intercept marks primarily because he was well on top of Franklin but also because there was no other Swans tall competing in the air

Could not agree more good summary of the real issue

Not saying our F50 work is perfect but envious of how other finalists are so much better ?? Geelong scored 9 more points Collingwood 3 points more Freo 4 points more Dogs less We missed some very easy goals Sydney are very well drilled and structured defensively we lost the game by handing back momentum in the second quarter - that came on the back of others not in our F50 structure

Yes it was a chance to atone BUT if you actually review the last two games against the Swans we were in a winning position - same with the pies We are not far off winning those games and if we play our best footy and don’t have major brain fades we can beat any of the remaining teams including Collingwood and Swans I don’t really rate Brisbane or Dockers but there is next to nothing between the other four and they all have a real chance this year Our form at the MCG has been a worry but there is no reason why they can’t change quickly - it was fine in 2018 when we last had finals there Friday night we looked terribly flat from the first bounce and still looked in control until Buddy flopped to get a 50m penalty and goal (one of three goals from 50m penalties btw) and then Max tried a ridiculous pass that led to another gift and just like that momentum shifted and they got their tails up

At least when Charlie gets the ball he can deliver to a teammate - if you haven’t noticed one of greatest flaws when we play poorly is an inability to connect with our forwards - Spargo is one of the few that can do this well consistently He isn’t perfect and I would love to see more penetration in his kicking but he will continue to play until we find others that are better at finding teammates in F50

His game last night was one of the poorest he has played but he certainly wasn’t on his own some of our most reliable players put in shockers - not sure why He was perfectly fine just two weeks ago in Brisbane Judging the value of LJ on last nights game or even a handful of games is ridiculous - please remember he is a 20 yo and last night for whatever reason we he had plenty of mates who performed well below their capability

Not playing well and we have lots of guys that are way down on form - Trac, Viney, Melk , Kozzie, Gus … and a goal down - we need a big lift from these guys asap May has been good but honestly to get sucked into Franklin is just so dumb

Stupid May FFS

Personally think that's being overly generous - a very big NO

Shhh don't say that to Max

Except winning finals - may that continue forever

If Weid is our second or heaven forbid first ruck next year we are really going backwards big time

To compare Weid with LJ is absurd. Is Weid a bit more mobile than a lot of taller ruck men - yep That’s about where the comparison ends He has no physical presence when rucking and gets pushed away from most contests - LJ doesn’t He can’t take marks around the ground particularly contested marks - LJ does He doesn’t scrap for the ball on the ground - LJ does He doesn’t sprint ahead of his teammates to provide a link up - LJ does Do I really need to go on I’m not having a go at Sam and I think he tried hard this week in a position that may suit more than KP but to say he is anything other than a faint shadow of LJ in a rucking sense is a big stretch

I'd be guessing but Caseys Miles Shepherd perhaps

The problem with all that is we have no idea what would be coming back our way - at this stage what I've heard mooted is peanuts

I've always believed he would not leave given the bond with the playing group and the unique opportunity that is in front of him at MFC - however watching that interview has me doubting him If he does want to run home hopefully we get fair compensation which must be two picks inside 10 if you ask me - anything less and we've been stitched up I hope Luke isn't underestimating the scrutiny that he will get in the small bubble of Perth - it want be the seemingly happy go lucky lifestyle he seems to enjoy currently

Agree with this he should be trained to play forward - he has played as a back with success and now needs to add the forward skills to round out his versatility He certainly has all the physical capabilities to be a weapon in the F50 just needs to learn the craft and stay fit (which has been his big challenge to date)

Melk has certainly exceeded my expectations by a considerable margin. He is the epitome of a guy who knows this could be his best/only chance to taste the ultimate success and is absolutely hell bent on not letting that opportunity slip with anything less than 100% effort Jayden Hunt is another - although I'd say he has more footy ahead than Melk he missed out cruelly last year and seems very focused to retain his spot for which there is huge competition This extreme competition for spots is what helps drive elite training and performance - got to be a good thing

Try and find a playing field out west of Sydney that isn't a rectangle - needle in a haystack Time and a new generation of kids alone will not deliver a heightened level of interest in AFL in those communities - just my opinion but I do live here and I do get out there fairly regularly

Bulldog karma

Would pair nicely with the Tribunal

I think that's obvious - recruitment is always about team needs That's why assessing a players relative value only makes sense using the hypothetical I mentioned The question was which is the better / more valuable footballer - IMO it's LJ by a big margin. I don't really care if others disagree

If I was building a list from scratch I would put significantly more value on LJ than Rankine - so no, one is better than the other in my view and that one is LJ

Really ? I've watched a fair bit of Casey this season and while he has shown a bit - physically looks a fair way off AFL ready to me