Earl Hood

NO!!! Please.

Due diligence says to me the Club has to explore all possibilities. If a club is able to provide a great Players/picks compensation package, I say go for it. And surely the Club gets to pick the best deal?

Getting nervous that it might be the Hawks that could go all the way. They are coming into the finals with a full head of steam having demolished a succession of teams and lost a close one to GWS. They haven’t been on TV much so I haven’t seen a lot of what their doing but they appear to be moving the ball rapidly and through the corridor at all costs. Their recruiting has concentrated on leg speed, kicking skills and quick small forwards. Reminds me of the Dee’s campaigns in 87, 98 and 2000, the difference is we ran into genuine quality, inform sides at the pointy end of the finals. This season would be a great year to get into the finals as every side in the 8 has deficiencies and a lot have patchy form. It’s wide open for a young team in form.

We have deficiencies but so does every other side. What we do need is a well drilled game plan that is competitive. At present we aren’t competitive against sides that run, hog possessions, share the ball around, utilising the whole ground. Freo, Pies, Lions have humiliated us every game this year. Our game plan and players can’t cope with constant ball movement. And it only works when everyone understands their roll and they practice it over and over. I think this year our game plan kept changing by the month with Goody tweaking things when we werent winning to the point the players aren’t playing freely.

Yes we do but what does that entail? For me it would be, given we could have 7 spots to fill, at least 2 young midfielder draftees with leg speed & foot skills & add a mature, big bodied, inside possession accumulator. Then we need a 200 cm forward ruck to run cover for Max. If there is an opportunity, let’s find a big marking forward, but that’s second tier stuff. In the end the only sure thing is to go to the draft, get some kids who can run.

I think there is a general consensus on DL that we trust JT to identify young talent, it’s Tim Lamb & Co that are the worry. If the thinking is that the P window is wide open and we need mature top ups, JT may not be getting the early picks.

I hope you are right but I can’t agree on our list management performance. It hasn’t been up to standard for some time. JT’s hit rate in the drafts has been good but his ability to identify young talent has been seriously limited by Lamb’s games swapping multiple picks to get up the order and coughing up picks for recycled NQR players that have added little to our list in ability or leadership. let’s go to the draft and get some young talent, we need midfield leg speed and foot skills.

We know who the umpires want to win.

A couple of mids with kicking skills and some leg speed please.

I keep hearing the phrase he “elected to bump”. The ball was in dispute, so couldn’t square up to tackle, he had to make contact with the Moore to then get to the football. If Kossie instead dives in front of Moore to grab the ball he risks a dangerous below the knees act. Only legal action now it seems, is to slow down and let Moore grab the ball!

Agree except for change to systems. What system? Watching Collingwood tonight, they were operating like a well oiled machine, rapid and constant ball movement, they instinctively know where to run, where to put the ball to their team’s advantage. Anyone know what we are trying to do? If you do know, please tell the players.

Free kicks 12 to 2???

Hi WCW is training on tomorrow at Gosch’s? I thought I saw a post last week saying there would be but I can’t find the post or anything on the club site.

This is all starting to resemble a slow motion train wreck! Was the all very obvious, inclusive camaraderie and celebrations after our great win up at the Suns aimed as much at Petracca as the footy public and media? Just wish Christian would tell the public what his issues are with the club. All we know is he is disgruntled with the direction of the club but not the coach?

Looks like a Maynard-esq so called “football act”. Actually Houston had much less time to pull out.

That’s not how I am seeing it. Freo are on 50, Pies are on 48 with a game to play. Am I reading the ladder wrong?

The deafening silence from Christian on this controversy is telling. After Pert sent out the club letter, not putting words in Petracca’s mouth but just stating that he is valued, contracted and going nowhere, the obvious confirming response should have come next day from Petracca. Then we could all move on. But no there has been nothing, just crickets, so Pert finds himself fronting the media again to explain what’s going on. That was this morning and still nothing from Tracc but a huge statement gameday by Viney, the kids and Max. Everyone is up north for the club song except Tracc. Not a great look for him and I reckon Pert & Co aren’t too happy.

I think it’s Freo that is vulnerable. They have to play Port next week, a loss leaves them on 50 pts. Pies win against us they go to 52.

Cameron Schwab always spoke well too.

Bailey Laurie must be well down the pecking order!

Don’t call us, we will call you.

Looks like the Club is going to go into an involuntary list rebuild in 2025. Brayshaw out, Smith delisted, now ANB traded, end of the road for BBB, Hunter, Schache, Tomlinson likely wanting out? Then there are plenty questioning Oliver’s future at the club and Tracc’s future, which I think is a beat up. That’s 7 and more assuming TMac and Melk want to go on, Spargo physically can go on and that there won’t be a few other fringe players like Sestan and FHW delisted. That looks like a rebuild. Of course this situation could be a fantastic opportunity for renewal, if we give JT maximum opportunity to draft in young talent through the Main and the Rookie drafts and minimise Lamb’s ability to trade away draft picks to get up the order or to bring in recycled, NQR players!

Yep I noticed Melbourne Storm are wallowing in ineptitude with their training facilities.

If we had managed to get Meek into the deal that would have solved our ruck problems.

Their recruiting of cheap, “not really wanted” players from other clubs has been amazing. Ginnivin, Choll, D’Ambrosio, Meek, Amon. And they have got most of their early draft picks right and still have some veterans, Bruest,Gunston playing their roles perfectly and importantly coaching the young brigade. MFC has mostly struck out on the cheap, recycled recruiting in the last 3 years. As a cohort they have added little in terms of improving our list, playing a role or providing on field leadership.