Game Day Crows V Doctors pre-season

[Geoffa32]

You are wrong!

Nicks is predictable picking his teams leading into round 1.

Given I am wrong more times than correct here, the odds are good the proper decision is made.....

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Given I am wrong more times than correct here, the odds are good the proper decision is made.....

VB just talked up McAndrew, so it's pretty clear he now sees him as our #1 ruckman.

 

[Geoffa32]

VB just talked up McAndrew, so it's pretty clear he now sees him as our #1 ruckman.

Good to hear.

I liked the combo last week. Macca and TMurray.

Would like to see how Finbarr Maley would go though in the second Ruck/Forward role.

 

[Velvet George]

VB just talked up McAndrew, so it's pretty clear he now sees him as our #1 ruckman.

Mind blowing we’ve just signed a bloke for 3 years and he starts the year in the SANFL, shocking decision

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Mind blowing we’ve just signed a bloke for 3 years and he starts the year in the SANFL, shocking decision

2 years should have been plenty.

Particularly as eveyone except AFC knew the impact of the new ruck rules.

ROB has a gun agent.

 

[MrBarry]

Mind blowing we’ve just signed a bloke for 3 years and he starts the year in the SANFL, shocking decision

Depends on the size of the deal, probably doesn't move the needle much in the bigger picture and you do need some sort of half decent back up ruckman.

 

[Velvet George]

Depends on the size of the deal, probably doesn't move the needle much in the bigger picture and you do need some sort of half decent back up ruckman.

You think given this maybe his last contract, he is playing for unders?

He’d be paid a no 1 ruck wage given he was our no 1 ruck and the understudy had played 2 games.

We panicked as we couldn’t secure another ruck.

 

[Eagleboy2011]

Mind blowing we’ve just signed a bloke for 3 years and he starts the year in the SANFL, shocking decision

Let's give credit to McAndrew for stepping up. Thats what its all about. Need some of the others to do the same.

 

[Peter Doherty]

You think given this maybe his last contract, he is playing for unders?

He’d be paid a no 1 ruck wage given he was our no 1 ruck and the understudy had played 2 games.

We panicked as we couldn’t secure another ruck.

Yes, we had very limited options. It didn't appear to be a straightforward negotiation though.

Were there serious offers from other clubs?

Did the club want 2 years? 3 likely gives a bigger package, but lower per year rate.

 

[Golumless]

Depends on the size of the deal, probably doesn't move the needle much in the bigger picture and you do need some sort of half decent back up ruckman.

Plus we do have another CBA negotiation in 2027, and can probably assume we'll have another set of increases to the salary cap.

 

[Velvet George]

Let's give credit to McAndrew for stepping up. Thats what its all about. Need some of the others to do the same.

If ROB could jump he’d still be no 1

 

[Velvet George]

Yes, we had very limited options. It didn't appear to be a straightforward negotiation though.

Were there serious offers from other clubs?

Did the club want 2 years? 3 likely gives a bigger package, but lower per year rate.

So he got more out of us than we wanted

 

[Scorpus]

If ROB could jump he’d still be no 1

When you put it like that it's pretty wild they didn't see anything wrong with his uncoordinated disposal, inability to mark and mediocre ruck work... but the lack of a jump is what does him in

 

[Peter Doherty]

So he got more out of us than we wanted

I don't think we wanted 3 years. These sort of compromises are not that uncommon in the league.

A lot is riding on a guy who has played 2 AFL games, because he is contracted for next year too.

If neither ROB or McAndrew are any good this year, we have them both contracted for next year and we are looking for a replacement at the end of the year

 

[Velvet George]

I don't think we wanted 3 years. These sort of compromises are not that uncommon in the league.

A lot is riding on a guy who has played 2 AFL games, because he is contracted for next year too.

If neither ROB or McAndrew are any good this year, we have them both contracted for next year and we are looking for a replacement at the end of the year

And ROB would have 2 more years, who is going to want him?

 

[Peter Doherty]

And ROB would have 2 more years, who is going to want him?

Well in that scenario we're pretty ****ed.

 

[Cromulant]

Don’t tempt, next minute McAndrew gets a concussion getting on the plane.

Injury seems to be the only way

 

[Mr MysteryGuest]

It’s just Nicksy playing four dimensional chess.

1) Rob plays the first 6 weeks in the SANFL

2) Half the ruckmen in the AFL suffer PCLs

3) The AFL wets it’s pants and reverses the ruck rules.

4) A fit and fresh Rob returns to dominate the remaining high leaping stick insects left in the AFL ruck brigade.

This would be Nicks pulling a Homer

 

[AFC979810]

Nope, barring injury or playing with 2 genuine rucks, he’s no hope now. Very pleasantly surprised, it’s very much not like us. Looks like the Balme influence is starting to take effect. Selection integrity, we’ve said the words, we’ve rarely practised it when a decision was required.

Ha ha ha. Here we go.

In 2025 it was anything good - Murray. Anything bad the old guard (Nicks).

In 2026 it's gonna be anything good - Balme. Anything bad the old guard.

Balme has an influence over ROB being dropped, but what about his contract extension you dislike so much? Was Balme on annual leave that week?

 

[1970crow]

You think given this maybe his last contract, he is playing for unders?

He’d be paid a no 1 ruck wage given he was our no 1 ruck and the understudy had played 2 games.

We panicked as we couldn’t secure another ruck.

That and we didn’t want our flag push derailed. We were top of the ladder and we still had Nicks’ brilliant tweaks to the game plan to come. We were destined for the flag, couldn’t let TOB sulking about an extra year come between us and it.

 

[1970crow]

Let's give credit to McAndrew for stepping up. Thats what its all about. Need some of the others to do the same.

Reports last preseason was that McAndrew routinely outplayed ROB. This mightn’t be McAndrew stepping up, perhaps it’s ROB stepping down. Which was 100% predicted because it’s what he does with a fat contract ahead of him.

 

[Cromulant]

Reports last preseason was that McAndrew routinely outplayed ROB. This mightn’t be McAndrew stepping up, perhaps it’s ROB stepping down. Which was 100% predicted because it’s what he does with a fat contract ahead of him.

I reckon that extra pre season for McAndrew plus the rule change has done wonders.

Watching him at SANFL level last year he was gassed early in quarters, and ROBs strength is his running ability.

Lachy looks to have improved that during the summer.

 

[1970crow]

Ha ha ha. Here we go.

In 2025 it was anything good - Murray. Anything bad the old guard (Nicks).

In 2026 it's gonna be anything good - Balme. Anything bad the old guard.

Balme has an influence over ROB being dropped, but what about his contract extension you dislike so much? Was Balme on annual leave that week?

I don’t think we had any choice but to extend ROB. We had tried and failed to secure another first ruck and we were on the doorstep of playing finals from a top 2 position. Our list strategy regarding rucks made ROB’s extension a necessity.

That said, list management and selection are separate issues. And largely, you will struggle to find posts of mine that criticise list management. Obviously we need a better midfield, and I reckon we’ve had a crack at every high end mid that might be tempted.

And seeing you’re a gun on the search button, you’ll know that I post an awful lot on selection. Particularly the choosing of injured or out of form senior players when there’s less experienced guys in good enough form in the 2s to warrant a game or 2 whilst the injured senior recovers fitness or form. Culturally, we have pretty much always done what we did last year when choosing to go with Smith or Murphy instead of less experienced guys. For a leader of the club with a 3 year contract ahead of him to be overtaken by a subordinate is unheard of at our club.

Whether that is Balme or Davis, you can argue, but it’s a massive shift and they’re the only new guys that could have any influence.

You need to separate list management from selection, they’re not the same thing.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Nathan Van Berlo

Nathan Van Berlo

Age

39

Ht

184cm

Wt

83kg

Pos.

D/M

Career

Season

Last 5

D

18.2

5star

K

9.7

4star

HB

8.5

5star

M

4.3

4star

T

3.3

5star

MG

250.5

4star

No current season stats available

D

6.4

2star

K

5.0

2star

HB

1.4

2star

M

1.8

2star

T

0.6

3star

said that Charlie Edwards and Billy Dowling will get plenty of midfield time vs the Dockers. Hopefully they take their chance

 

[whattagun07]

I think we all know how this works.
McAndrew plays the first 2 games,
ROB dominates SANFL, and comparitively, his stats look superior to McAndrew (a sign he's in better form...right?)
McAndrew dropped and ROB gets back in for R3, with McAndrew playing out the season in the twos.
I hope i'm wrong. McAndrew could be a good p.o.d with his height.