Player Watch #4 Brodie Grundy

[Ticky009]

Player Profile:

Experienced ruckman Brodie Grundy

4

Brodie Grundy

Age

30

Ht

202cm

Wt

105kg

Pos.

Ruck

Career

Season

Last 5

D

17.5

4star

K

8.0

3star

HB

9.6

5star

CL

4.1

5star

HO

32.0

5star

D

16.4

4star

K

6.8

3star

HB

9.6

5star

CL

4.0

5star

HO

34.6

5star

D

13.8

4star

K

5.2

2star

HB

8.6

5star

CL

2.6

5star

HO

20.6

5star

joined the red and white after selection in the 2023 AFL Draft Trade Period. The two-time All Australian arrives having played 194 games across Collingwood and Melbourne and after debuting for Magpies in 2013 has gone on to feature in four finals campaigns, including the 2018 Grand Final. The 29-year-old, who cites Dean Cox

Dean Cox

Age

43

Ht

203cm

Wt

107kg

Pos.

F/R

Career

Season

Last 5

D

15.9

4star

K

8.9

3star

HB

6.9

4star

M

5.3

5star

T

1.5

3star

G

0.6

4star

No current season stats available

D

13.0

4star

K

5.8

3star

HB

7.2

5star

M

4.8

5star

T

1.4

4star

G

0.0

1star

as his football icon, will bolster a young side of ruckman in Lachlan McAndrew and Will Green.

DOB: 15/04/1994
Draft: 2012
Recruited From: Melbourne FC

 

[Kiama Chris]

I'm not an astute enough judge of the game (and I've never played) to expatiate on the importance of a ruck and how you can counter when you lack a dominant ruck.

But I do think it's the easiest thing in the world to bag the coach and clearly John Longmire knows VASTLY more about the game than pretty much any of us do. He would be all across the pros and cons of rucks and how to play without a dominant ruck and so forth. He's also surrounded by other people who know a lot more about the game than we do. And he has a track record of working with and inviting in strong voices who can challenge his opinions (I'm thinking people like Andrew Ireland, Tom Harley, Don Pyke, Leon Cameron, Mark McVeigh, Jarrad McVeigh etc). He also has a small army of people who drill into stats and vision etc - like we try to but on a much deeper and more thorough level - who help him and his other coaches.

There may be other coaches who are technically better but it seems impossible for us to judge. I find myself having to rely on his peers (who have twice voted him coach of the year and who are universally very respectful).

It might be easier for us to comment on his character or attitude. Is he too soft? Is he too emotional and not calm and dispassionate enough? We can also comment on stylistic issues: once upon a time we thought Horse's game plan was too defensive. Now we seem to think he's swung too far the other way. These criticisms I think are easier to make.

But in terms of saying he doesn't know what he's talking about, or he doesn't understand tactics and strategy (with and without a dominant ruck), I just don't buy it. Even if it were true, we wouldn't know. And even if we judge based on results, his results are absolute top echelon (whether you look at us making so many GFs, or his career winning % or whatever) despite our poor record in Grand Finals (which is the only criticism that can be made of Horse's results).

So, in short, you are entitled to all your opinions and criticisms (and disappointment in the functioning in our midfield is one I share) but some of them I just think are really unsound and I don't agree with at all. I prefer people to say "I'm sick of Horse and losing grand finals over and over and I want a new coach" [which is probably what they really mean] than to say "our coach isn't very good and he doesn't understand what he's doing properly".

The voice of reason. Totally correct I imagine. Some of us will have played at some level, may have coached a bit, but nothing like this.
The disappointment is still flowing around and poisoning people's feelings towards the club, players and coaches.
It comes out in all these ways and in how people frame things.
My membership is ongoing and my first new payment gets made shortly. I'll be at the SCG for the first game next year. I'm not happy about everything but I'll stick it out.

 

[Callipygian]

I feel ya Calli. I think the frustration of all of us not being able to do anything can lead to us drawing our own conclusions as to what's gone on, which isn't always the most productive.

I know you said you haven't ventured into the Sack Horse thread, which is more than fair enough. In there I did leave a pretty lengthy comment as to my thoughts on Horse and his coaching, the general gist of it being that he's a very good coach not without mistakes, and those mistakes have simply caught up to us a bit.

Roast - Sack Horse

I am not authorised to conduct a coaching search 🤣. I just know doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is madness. Also trying to redefine success when there is a clear prize (premiership) to justify keeping someone is bonkers . Recent history has shown that coaches...

www.bigfooty.com

(Not saying my opinion is so important that you must go over to that thread and read it, but your comment above did feel like it was aimed a little towards my earlier comment re the ruck and midfield. So I felt compelled to respond and since I said all I would want to say in the linked comment, I thought it better to just link it here than repeat myself!)

I have delved into that thread just to the extent of replying to the post you have directed me to. I didn't see the part about him being a very good coach (maybe there was something in my eye or fireworks at that moment or something). And I don't think there are any very good coaches without mistakes.