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AFLW 2024 - Round 4 - Chat, game threads, injury lists, team lineups and more.
Happy for us to recruit someone purely for depth. Hope it's not another Fullarton situation.But you need someone to come in for Gawn when he’s injured. Doesn’t need to play every week, just needs to be in the list
If you find a ruck happy to do this they are a shit footballer. No footballer with skill or ambitions to be a #1 ruck would be happy to do this.But you need someone to come in for Gawn when he’s injured. Doesn’t need to play every week, just needs to be in the list
You and I both know that Goodwin will just lie to them.If you find a ruck happy to do this they are a shit footballer. No footballer with skill or ambitions to be a #1 ruck would be happy to do this.
Yeah happy to find someone to give Max a chop out but if they can't play forward it's just going to be Grundy all over again.
Jackson "my home is contest and defense. I want to be traded back to the strongest culture I have ever seen"That's nothing to celebrate unless it's a ruck who can play forward. Come on spill the name. Waiting for it to be Sean Darcy. Our big cap splurge of the offseason.
They don’t need to be great, they just need to be able to at least half the contest in the ruck to give your mids a better chance. A lot better than playing no ruck and conceding 14 clearances in a row before getting your firstIf you find a ruck happy to do this they are a shit footballer. No footballer with skill or ambitions to be a #1 ruck would be happy to do this.
I think thats absolute nonsense. Teams rove to Gawn every week and we get smoked in clearances, coach better/have more disciplined mids, waste of a list spot if you ask me. Would much rather a forward who can play ruck like a Peter Wright.They don’t need to be great, they just need to be able to at least half the contest in the ruck to give your mids a better chance. A lot better than playing no ruck and conceding 14 clearances in a row before getting your first
Well I can only go off the games I’ve seen you guys play without a ruck. I just think getting a Soldo or someone is a no lose scenario.I think thats absolute nonsense. Teams rove to Gawn every week and we get smoked in clearances, coach better/have more disciplined mids, waste of a list spot if you ask me. Would much rather a forward who can play ruck like a Peter Wright.
If you watched our games vs you you'd have noticed useless fat campaigner Oliver ball watching and letting Young run out the front of clearance. It so easy to say ruck was the issue. Nup, you only get destroyed like that if you have undisciplined mids.Well I can only go off the games I’ve seen you guys play without a ruck. I just think getting a Soldo or someone is a no lose scenario.
Don't agree with this. IIRC Gawn was super keen on the Grundy acquisition. Goodwin was the one who failed to make it work and it was obvious from very early on he had no real idea for how it was supposed to work.Maybe, just maybe Max needs to park his ego for once and start favouring a transition in place for life after Gawn.
To hear Gawn say that he set out to hold the number 1 ruck mantle this year sums up why the Grundy experiment failed and why we will struggle to bring in a back up ruckman. He's refusal in being open to having another ruckman play in the team alongside him is detrimental to the side.
Why on earth would an opposition ruckman come to the Dees from another team only to play VFL all year as a ruckman knowing that Gawn will refuse to share the duties.
We'll never know if Will Varrell is capable at AFL level because for the next 3-4 years now it'll always be about Gawn and Gawn only.
Could incoming ruck help be someone like Dante Visentini from Port Adelaide? Vic lad, 21yr old, 202cm, more of a fwd who can play ruck.
Broke through for a couple of games this year. Contracted to end of next year but behind Soldo and Sweet who they brought in last year and are both contracted to 2026.
He's not the best tap ruckman going around. If he was we wouldn't be getting smashed in clearence with the midfield we've had the past couple of years.Don't agree with this. IIRC Gawn was super keen on the Grundy acquisition. Goodwin was the one who failed to make it work and it was obvious from very early on he had no real idea for how it was supposed to work.
Ultimately you can't play two pure ruckmen in the modern game. One of them has to be mostly playing another role. Gawn is the best pure ruckman of the past ten years, it's pointless for him to sacrifice his game to fit some other plodder in.
Yes Gawn get's sharked but so does any dominant tap ruckman. It's hardly unique to him and it doesn't change the fact that having another pure ruckman on the field is a waste of a selection. Most ruck contests are just about evening things out and being a strong body to give your mids a shot at winning it. Was pretty obvious what we were missing in the Freo and Dogs games when he wasn't out there.He's not the best tap ruckman going around. If he was we wouldn't be getting smashed in clearence with the midfield we've had the past couple of years.
The issue I have with Gawn is how incredibly predictable we are at stoppage set up to the point where opposition opponents know exactly where he is going to tap it. Opposition coaches are putting time and effort into the way we set up and they've worked us out now. It's repetitive and predictable.
Whilst I do agree with you regarding Goodwin re Grundy I think Max has to take some responsibility for that also. If he could sense it wasn't working then why didn't he voice his thoughts around changing up the structure at all. Gawn was always the starting ruck in each game they played together. Not once did we see Grundy at least start the game as a starting ruck and Gawn up forward to then drift down to play as a spare down back.
Agree with the ruck craft and predictability. The reason we were so dynamic in 2021 is Jackson would go in and do completely different things to Gawn. Made it harder for opposition to defend our mids. Max would get a rest and be able to cover the ground defensively better. Gave us 2 modes of attack and defence. Now we are just defense and park the bus defense.He's not the best tap ruckman going around. If he was we wouldn't be getting smashed in clearence with the midfield we've had the past couple of years.
The issue I have with Gawn is how incredibly predictable we are at stoppage set up to the point where opposition opponents know exactly where he is going to tap it. Opposition coaches are putting time and effort into the way we set up and they've worked us out now. It's repetitive and predictable.
Whilst I do agree with you regarding Goodwin re Grundy I think Max has to take some responsibility for that also. If he could sense it wasn't working then why didn't he voice his thoughts around changing up the structure at all. Gawn was always the starting ruck in each game they played together. Not once did we see Grundy at least start the game as a starting ruck and Gawn up forward to then drift down to play as a spare down back.
Jackson could also play okay as a forward.Agree with the ruck craft and predictability. The reason we were so dynamic in 2021 is Jackson would go in and do completely different things to Gawn. Made it harder for opposition to defend our mids. Max would get a rest and be able to cover the ground defensively better. Gave us 2 modes of attack and defence. Now we are just defense and park the bus defense.
We have a young developing guy called Verral. We don't need anyone else right now.But you need someone to come in for Gawn when he’s injured. Doesn’t need to play every week, just needs to be in the list
Verrall isn't that good, i'd be looking for other options.We have a young developing guy called Verral. We don't need anyone else right now.
I wasn’t given a name sorry. I have no idea who it is. I like the look of Lachlan Blakiston at East Fremantle though. 24 years old and 204cm, having a really good year.That's nothing to celebrate unless it's a ruck who can play forward. Come on spill the name. Waiting for it to be Sean Darcy. Our big cap splurge of the offseason.
I might not have worded my post very well, but to be clear, the way I took the comment was that it is a back up ruck. So someone who can play if Gawn isn’t available. We aren’t looking at the 2 ruck combo again as far as I understand.Yeah happy to find someone to give Max a chop out but if they can't play forward it's just going to be Grundy all over again.
Only Melbourne could be "very happy" with a backup ruck. Sounds like we have a massive trade period ahead if thats a headline.I wasn’t given a name sorry. I have no idea who it is. I like the look of Lachlan Blakiston at East Fremantle though. 24 years old and 204cm, having a really good year.
I might not have worded my post very well, but to be clear, the way I took the comment was that it is a back up ruck. So someone who can play if Gawn isn’t available. We aren’t looking at the 2 ruck combo again as far as I understand.