Yes. Last few posts in this thread were discussing whether Bice/Paton were drafted to play straight away. I feel the club prefers to have defensive depth. And we just don't know in which area we will have injury issues.
I hope that the non-regulars who make an impression in those games will be Edwards, Snell, Bice, Paton, Campbell, Mitchell, Warner, Sheldrick, Cleary, Hanily and Buller. Not concerned about Francis, Hamling, Ladhams, Green, Kirk or the other newbies. That group though could demonstrate us to have good depth and push for game time. Francis and Ladhams are proven fill-ins.
Ladhams clearly has been gifted the physique and skills to be a very good ruck, just not the temperament (?yet). He is reaching the age that many rucks peak and is in the final of his contract. 2025 is the year he either makes it or has his papers stamped.
He takes no contested marks, can't even go the punch in a contest he knows he is late to, he can't possibly be a defender. Didn't it take him till like round 14 to take ONE contested mark last year?
Hard grounds in and around the SCG. Sandy compact soils that seem the norm in the Eastern suburbs?
The whole eastern suburbs is built on sand for quite a way inland excluding the hilly sections like Coogee and Randwick.Hard grounds in and around the SCG. Sandy compact soils that seem the norm in the Eastern suburbs?
If it was caused by hard grounds, the West Coast would have 42 players with the same injury.Hard grounds in and around the SCG. Sandy compact soils that seem the norm in the Eastern suburbs?
1 punch will be enough
Playing their best footy in a GF is fairly rare (Dusty a notable exception) but if you think back to 2012 a lot of what you remember is stuff like Hanneberry's brave mark, Mattner's gut run, Morton's win of the ball leading to KJ's goal and so on. The best goal IMO was the one that started with AJ and finished with Reid. Spine tingler but not individually brilliant.
Big chance he will be offered one more year to cover the gap between Grundy and Green as long as he doesn't make a complete goose of himself.
I have grave doubts about McCartin playing as a forward.
This is a real concern. Tom is a better mark and is much better at ground level than all three of the current tall forwards but also it might be too much robbing Peter. I still like the idea of Edwards (or Snell but see that as less likely) progressing and allowing Tom to play the interceptor role and Blakey to play loose.
Agreed.
I think what makes players dip in grand finals is veering away from basic footy. The magnitude of the game makes you do things you wouldn't normally do - and as counter intuitive as it sounds, one of those things is players being too tense and wasting energy in the contest in an effort to not lose it. Some might think that is exactly what we needed, but it's a fine line, it can create a bees to a honey pot effect and completely throws off team structure. Add the desperation of not wanting to lose, go a few goals down and it all starts to unravel - players start hoping their teammates lift whilst shying away from their own tasks because it feels hopeless, and the final result ends up being a soulless performance.
This is a perfect example of how a grand final can change your performance. As weird as it may sound, you might think you did really well by raising tackle count (and you may have very well played a ripper game), but it can also be a canary in the coal mine. If everyone plays at an abnormal intensity it can completely throw the team off. Especially in todays game where it's more about executing skills rather than rough and tumble 90's footy. If you can play your normal game and the team is able to flow, the teams normal standard of contested footy will naturally come to where it needs to be. If every player had the mindset of just laying 50 tackles rather than playing your usual game, then you're more than likely going to get done. What stood out for me was Brisbane's efficiency and decision making, not their contested work, that was just a flow on affect. There's not a more hopeless feeling in footy when you feel like you're busting your backside whilst the opposition pick you off in such a clean and effortless manner.
