Earl Hood

Gee I love how this club bends over backwards for its supporters! I mean did the Club advertise this move, did I miss the email? I have a family holiday house at Anglesea, if I knew I could have organised to drop in for a look. Oh but I guess the nature of the ground at Lorne means that they can’t lock out fans, so best to not tell anyone.

Were supporters know this event was on? I must have missed the email.

You couldn’t get Scotty to transport you inside the ground?

Yes let’s hope so. Although my observations, admittedly from when I was a regular track watcher, say up to 2020, the training day game plan practised didn’t always resemble the game day plan executed! At practice at least when I was there, the ball movement is constant and players are taking every opportunity & risk to switch play to find the next target forward. It’s great to watch at practice and for a sublime period of time in the second half of 2021 it appeared in all its beauty on successive game days right up to the GF win! Since then it’s been long stretches in games of one dimensional down the line delivery, muscling it over the boundary then push slowly forward, bombing it in to a crowded forward line but I am sure they still move the ball sublimely at practice.

I think it means that as opposed to Gosch's Paddock because Casey is surrounded by a high fence that we can actually lock people out, we will! Was thinking of taking a cruise up to Cranbourne tomorrow but not now. They certainly don’t go out of their way to encourage the fans. Not sure why I mean they won’t be practicing secret plays this early in preseason.

WCW Do you know the training time at Casey for Wednesday and if you are allowed into the ground? Thinking I might take my car for a drive up that way tomorrow. Last few times I drove interstate from Fitzroy to Cranbourne during Covid they had the ground locked and had to look in from outside😕!

Except we showed them our cards in the finals with our non selection of Grundy. They know the relationship is toxic.

Of course you are correct there. I remember noting to myself when Petty went down that our Cup chances were likely gone, then when Melk did his knee that was the ball game. However once that happened we had to improvise and as it turned out we lost 2 close finals by little more or less than a f**king straight kick. And in both finals we refused to select Grundy to play the sort of role we just witnessed Cox/Cameron/Frampton play to win a Cup. Still Flabbergasted!

I disagree. Unfortunately it turned into a massive blunder for the club, that I suspect had a greater impact on our finals campaign than just a player not getting a game. The blame for that ****show sits ultimately with Goody and to some degree with Max. I suspect Max cracked it mid season as he wasn’t dominating up forward or in the ruck. Remember originally Max was going to be the forward target, not Grundy. By seasons end Max was numero uno, the alpha male, and Grundy was a player who was “not to be selected under any circumstances”.

Yes in other threads where we discuss which big power forward we need to bring in next year to take the next step I have been meaning to post that maybe a good sports psychologist might be our best recruit next season. I have noticed the demeanour of teams in the tunnel at the beginning of big finals and it’s interesting the difference. The Pies are all smiling, enjoying the moment, so too were Carlton. The mindset is to stay loose, go out & enjoy it, I believe Dimma started this at Richmond in their Premiership run. Let’s face it we were opposite, all grim determination, played tight and we choked in 2 close fought finals; under pressure team rules and cohesion broke down as senior players at crucial times, ignored better options, trying to win the game themselves. The selfless team oriented mindset of 2021 has dissolved over time. We need to reset the team’s attitude as well as find that big forward who I think is already on our list, but just got injured late in the season.

Ummm well no I don’t know the facts but he is the main man, the big kahuna, the big cheese, the guy who had the ultimate responsibility to make the big and controversial decision to bring in Grundy, work for the Club. He failed to make it work for whatever reason and I believe it cost us dearly in a final series where games were decided by a straight kick.

Yes that was my real point (not playing Grundy). It is still a sore point with me and I am blaming the head coach! It could have cost us a Premiership shot.

No it won’t work unless the backup ruck can mostly play forward and kick a bag every week. Max has to play 90% on ball and we can’t carry another ruck that can’t also lead, mark and goal, you see. I mean you won’t see a Grand Final team carrying 2 big rucks that don’t kick goals and barely take a mark forward of centre.

Cox, Cameron and also Frampton got barely 14 disposals between them but played their roles working over Oscar in the ruck and providing a defensive, spoiling target up forward to negate the Lions intercepting backs and rebound out of D50. And yet we could not make the Grundy, Gawn duo work? In a final series with no real stand out team, decided by a straight kick at goal here, a free kick given or not given there it is still doing my head in. Whatever happened behind closed doors in the last part of the season between Grundy, Max and the coach, it cost us big time. And I suspect the fiasco involves some very unprofessional, selfish behaviour somewhere but we will never know.

This time Tuesday I will be in Madrid! Good timing.

The Lions seem to be the ones running out of steam, not getting numbers to the contest.

Re Daicos, we had to listen to all the experts explaining why Toby Green didn’t get that head high free all week, you know he bent at the knees etc. Then in the first half we have watched Daicos picking up head high frees at will as he drops the knees and leans in to the tackle!

Don’t mind the Hunters & Collectors Guy!

My memory is BP left the club early 2012 and went to Carlton. Todd came in and was calling the shots at trade time late 2012. He has to wear the Wines non selection. He knew how good Wines was and knew Toumpas as well. I thought the reason given as to why we went for Toumpas was that we didn’t need 2 in and under bulls. To be fair all the experts were a big wrap for Toumpas but we never saw why that was.

These fantasy trades just aren’t going to happen. I think we are stuck with our existing list and if everyone is fit for 2024, can I just say if we can’t construct winning scores from a set up involving Petty, JVR, Fritsch, Smith, Kossie, McAdam, Chandler, ANB and Tracc, there is a serious coaching problem. Especially if with our great hand in the draft we could pull in a couple of mids who have elite kicking skills and also like to run forward and kick the odd goal.

Cripps might come home late. I thought he was average in the first half of the season but has been polling votes he will only get more in the last 8 rounds. Although Neale obviously just had to be selected to poll votes.

Listening to the Ch 7 commentary DeGoey is just carving them up, gee the Pies must be 5 goals up at half time, oh hold on the Giants are 10 pts up and let’s be fair they should be 20 up but, like Melbourne, are keeping the Pies in it.

Interesting and confronting to read that article. I had forgotten that Grundy was traded in with the idea that Max plays forward predominantly & Grundy takes up the major portion of the ruck duties. We know that didn’t work Grundy & Max weren’t kicking goals and they were OK in the ruck, but the output of 2 rucks at best equaled just one. OK it’s not working but in the second half of the season we have Goodwin announcing that Grundy is headed back to the VFL to learn forward craft! And that was about it for Grundy. If I read between the lines I find it highly likely our likeable “Alpha Male” Max has cracked it big time and made it clear to the coaches he has to be numero uno in the ruck. I suspect from there Grundy has fallen out with the Coaching staff and this has led to his non selection no matter who is injured and then the unforgivable Schache sub fiasco. And to be harsh although Max played his heart out in the finals he also cost us with his very selfish play, missed goals, kicking when he should be handballing to a midfielder and that truly bizarre spoil on our own goal line. Not all his fault by any means but he is the spiritual, on field leader. And does that explain some of the similar, rushed, selfish play, (ignoring handball options, leads, players in a better position) in our forward half by so many others? An absolute train wreck at season end. I didn’t think we could win it once we lost Petty, then Melksham and then Brayshaw but then I watched us squander 2 very winnable finals. Ultimately the consequences of failure sit with the Coach and his staff. Would love to know the full explanation for our failures but we will never get the full story. But let’s hope we can learn from them.

Just confirming did you see less emphasis on the goal kicking drills in the second half of the season, Kev? I thought we had finally fixed the set shot problem in the first 7 games this year. I think we were the most accurate in the first half of the year, only to end up near the worst. It’s a crucial part of the equation for us as we usually generate more inside 50’s and more shots on goal than our opposition. Convert and that’s a win! And the coaches should be all over Petracca. For a guy with his ability it is just ridiculous that he misses so many. I am not talking so much about his set shots, it’s his shots on the run that infuriate, so often too rushed when he needs to steady and does have the time & space. If he gets that part of his game right he becomes truly elite.

I hope there is an objective analysis and report on the season and especially the finals campaign. That would be the responsibility of Pert and Richardson hopefully using an objective, knowledgeable outsider. The postmortems in the media have been scathing as we know, from inexplicable team selection, indiscipline, selfish play to poor execution and poor on-field leadership at critical moments and add the accusations that the coach was rattled and add my thought that the captain seemed to decide he had to do it all himself. We need to understand what happened and what we need to do to improve.