Looking ahead to 2024

[twhowler]

It is still 6 weeks as far as i know.
Usually, clubs don't rush to place injured players on the LTI list.
Different circumstances for different situations and clubs.
If the Cat B players are ready to play at AFL level, the club will consider the move.
No point in doing it if they are 3 back of the starting 23 in their positions.
It is quick enough to implement with the AFL should the club think they are ready to debut.

Where the Cat B player actually plays in relation to the injuries in the whole side would be important.

They don't necessarily need to fill in the role of our two LTI players being a midfield and a 3rd KPF.

The other consideration is if say Doedee is placed on the LTI list Doedee can't play for 6 weeks.

That's true re not just automatically upgrading.

On the flipside though there is also merit in putting someone on the LTI early enough. If you wait until Brain is knocking down the door and it's round 12, and Doedee is coming back in round 15, it's too late. So the club might not do it round 1, but if Brain is starting to inch close by say round 3 they could pull the trigger then, even if he is a few week away from a debut

 

[Squizz89]

Depends how you view the term "selfish" I suppose. It doesn't always mean a bad thing.

The outcome of the act generally defines whether it was 'selfish' or 'team lifting'. If he misses those goals, everyone asks could he have handed it off to a teammate/ found someone in a better position etc. Nails them and its a 'team lifter' due to the difficulty of it. Different outcome defines how it ultimately gets viewed, I guess.

 

[Section 5]

That's true re not just automatically upgrading.

On the flipside though there is also merit in putting someone on the LTI early enough. If you wait until Brain is knocking down the door and it's round 12, and Doedee is coming back in round 15, it's too late. So the club might not do it round 1, but if Brain is starting to inch close by say round 3 they could pull the trigger then, even if he is a few week away from a debut

The club could do that as they would be well aware of the timeframe involved.
If either of those two really impress in preseason games, the club might consider the upgrade.

However, it is hard to see either of Brain or Reville debuting for the club in the early rounds in a team that just lost a GF by a few points.

 

[Grasshopper17]

Agree on Bailey as goal kicking is part of his game style.
I wish Neal was more confident in kicking goals when he is withing scoring distance.
Luckily Orla decided to have a 5% shot on goal against Adelaide week 1 of the AFLW finals.
Difference being the ladies got a 2-point win.
Then there are players like Akermanis.

Commentators and most likely fans too, always have an opinion after the event.
If someone kicks a difficult goal everyone is happy.

It is only after they miss that some talk will turn towards "not team oriented play".
Clearly so and so was sitting unattended, and it should have been passed to them.

There are defiantly times that a pass is needed instead of a shot on goal on the run.
However, i don't think it is in general an issue throughout the AFL, Lions or with Bailey.

I have always been of the opinion you may as well stuff up a kick on goal then stuff up a pass to a teammate in the vicinity of goal.

Zorko's "pass" to a Collingwood player at the top of the goal square in the third quarter of the Grand Final case in point.

 

[Grasshopper17]

I dont think he said that...maybe your interpretation of what was spoken.

He absolutely said that.

 

[martinson]

He absolutely said that.

He did.

One can only hope it wasn't his decision to put himself in the backline at the end of the first and 2nd quarters in the GF.

 

[rye]

Zorko's "pass" to a Collingwood player at the top of the goal square in the third quarter of the Grand Final case in point.

slightly tangential, but i think football analysis is consistently awkward about the result vindicating otherwise bad decisions

there are collingwood supporters who will argue until they are blue in the face that frampton played an important role in negating andrews in the grand final. in reality andrews had an above average game statistically on his 2023 level, and frampton at one point in the third quarter was the most targetted player inside f50 for either team with 0 marks to show for it

if collingwood had have lost i think the frampton selection would have been one that was heavily criticised by both their fans and the media. instead it is weirdly revised to be a good coaching decision

 

[Grasshopper17]

slightly tangential, but i think football analysis is consistently awkward about the result vindicating otherwise bad decisions

there are collingwood supporters who will argue until they are blue in the face that frampton played an important role in negating andrews in the grand final. in reality andrews had an above average game statistically on his 2023 level, and frampton at one point in the third quarter was the most targetted player inside f50 for either team with 0 marks to show for it

if collingwood had have lost i think the frampton selection would have been one that was heavily criticised by both their fans and the media. instead it is weirdly revised to be a good coaching decision

Thought Frampton was excellent myself. We managed only 49 intercepts for the whole game, our lowest tally for the entire season, and I think a big part of that was taking away our ability to take intercept marks.

I've posted this elsewhere but I think we will see a lot more forwards playing similar roles this year.

 

[dlanod]

Thought Frampton was excellent myself. We managed only 49 intercepts for the whole game, our lowest tally for the entire season, and I think a big part of that was taking away our ability to take intercept marks.

I've posted this elsewhere but I think we will see a lot more forwards playing similar roles this year.

I wouldn't give Frampton much (or any) credit for that. Collingwood did a job preventing that intercept marking game, but have a look at their scoring - the reason there wasn't much in the way of intercept marking was because they were spotting up midfielders or very high forwards (Hill) coming back into the forward 50, or having a ping themselves running forward. There's nothing Andrews can do about either of those.

 

[martinson]

Kills me that bog average players and thugs the likes of Frampton, Cox, Ginnivan and Maynard are premiership players. No doubt the full arrogance of the last three will be on full display forever more and something that I’ll always struggle with.

That's footy McIvor.

They executed their gameplan particularly well . We were very sloppy at the end of the first and second quarters and didn't take enough of our chances in the last quarter.

That was the game.

No complaints from me.

 

[twhowler]

T

That's footy McIvor.

They executed their gameplan particularly well . We were very sloppy at the end of the first and second quarters and didn't take enough of our chances in the last quarter.

That was the game.

No complaints from me.

There are almost ordinary players in flag sides, but usually easier to see in hindsight. At the time they are members of very good sides so role-players at best. Of those players Frampton is the trivia type question. The others are all decent at least or capable of very good.

But yes we only have ourselves to blame re hard running and end of quarter approach. We failed to figure out a good strategy to neutralise the game all year. Cost us the dees game, nearly cost us the crows game, came back to bite us in the grand final

 

[Viceregal]

But yes we only have ourselves to blame re hard running and end of quarter approach. We failed to figure out a good strategy to neutralise the game all year. Cost us the dees game, nearly cost us the crows game, came back to bite us in the grand final

Yes I suppose 'I hope no one has noticed the game style we suck at containing and that no one will use it against us in a final' as a management approach to a tactical weakness does have its flaws ...

 

[KissKiss]

Yes I suppose 'I hope no one has noticed the game style we suck at containing and that no one will use it against us in a final' as a management approach to a tactical weakness does have its flaws ...

I reckon every premiership side has a weakness that could be exploited including our threepeat. But you have to be good enough to pull it off. I'd say every club knows how to beat our current Lions, but very few teams can actually pull it off

 

[Viceregal]

I reckon every premiership side has a weakness that could be exploited including our threepeat. But you have to be good enough to pull it off. I'd say every club knows how to beat our current Lions, but very few teams can actually pull it off

nods - to beat Scottie Scheffler all I have to do with get a lower score over the 18 holes ... I just have to lift more than Lasha Talakhadze ... run a bit faster than Usain Bolt etc

iirc during the Hawks threepeat people said that they knew exactly what they were going to do they just couldn't stop them doing it

 

[briztoon]

T

There are almost ordinary players in flag sides, but usually easier to see in hindsight. At the time they are members of very good sides so role-players at best. Of those players Frampton is the trivia type question. The others are all decent at least or capable of very good.

But yes we only have ourselves to blame re hard running and end of quarter approach. We failed to figure out a good strategy to neutralise the game all year. Cost us the dees game, nearly cost us the crows game, came back to bite us in the grand final

Get fitter as a team, able to run with opposition teams who rely on running the whole game.

Prime example, the Lions women’s team.

 

[twhowler]

Get fitter as a team, able to run with opposition teams who rely on running the whole game.

Prime example, the Lions women’s team.

Absolutely that helps and i agree we should be. Also think our slow down the line strategy was terrible and baffling. Especially in the gf vs 2 ruckmen.

 

[martinson]

Get fitter as a team, able to run with opposition teams who rely on running the whole game.

Prime example, the Lions women’s team.

The sloppy kicks out of defence at the end of the first and second quarter are what cost us the game. 2 after the siren goals is a killer.

Maybe fitness was a prime factor. A couple of those instances were just plain careless but not executed by our usual defenders.

Overall fitness should be a dominant focus in our pre season just the same.

 

[martinson]

The sloppy kicks out of defence at the end of the first and second quarter are what cost us the game. 2 after the siren goals is a killer.

Maybe fitness was a prime factor. A couple of those instances were just plain careless but not executed by our usual defenders.

Overall fitness should be a dominant focus in our pre season just the same.

What's so funny Mighty Lions ?

Just tell me so I can get the full extent of your wisdom.

 

[Lace Out]

I think our confidence will be pretty high next season and we will bully a lot of teams.It just depends if we can extend that somewhat to the other 3 or 4 sides in contention.

 

[Toffee Lion]

I honestly think we'll win the flag and do so quite comfortably. The team is at the sweet spot in terms of maturity, we have hardened finals experience and know what is required to win the thing. Ashcroft/Doedee/Payne are massive inclusions to a Grand Final side as well.

To play devils advocate to myself, it's also entirely possible we have a flat year (Bottom of the eight or even miss finals) due to giving everything in 2023 and maybe not having the petrol tickets to go full tilt back to back.

Time will tell but I'm far too convinced on the first option.

 

[M Malice]

I honestly think we'll win the flag and do so quite comfortably. The team is at the sweet spot in terms of maturity, we have hardened finals experience and know what is required to win the thing. Ashcroft/Doedee/Payne are massive inclusions to a Grand Final side as well.

To play devils advocate to myself, it's also entirely possible we have a flat year (Bottom of the eight or even miss finals) due to giving everything in 2023 and maybe not having the petrol tickets to go full tilt back to back.

Time will tell but I'm far too convinced on the first option.

I'm also very confident that barring a few vital injuries we are a home Prelim side at the very least and then anything can happen from there.

 

[twhowler]

I'm also very confident that barring a few vital injuries we are a home Prelim side at the very least and then anything can happen from there.

We are definitely at a sweet spot in terms of experience vs age.

We are not a young side but the only player likely to drop-off in 2024 would be Zorko and he has become a fringe player already.

Rich and Gunston go who could not get a game by the end of the year.

The rest of the best 22 should at worst be capable of playing as well as they did in 2023.

And some players could have major improvement - Fletcher, Wilmot, Robertson, Lohman are the obvious ones. If Rayner and or Bailey can take the next step that would be a huge bonus.

The big downsides are injury (always) because we have had a good run.

The big question mark on that front is Ashcroft and Doedee - if they come back and in good form then we have a pretty packed squad.

 

[BRAB]

I think other teams are going to get better next year.

The big one is Melbourne. I just don’t think they’ll shit the bed for a third year in a row and they are such a dangerous team that have hurt us in the past.

We have to keep getting better to match everyone.

 

[Dom PC]

It's going to be tough watching Ashcroft (and Doedee) return and holding my breath that they don't go down again.

I reckon it won't be until 2025 that I stop worrying for those two. A big reason for the nerves is because I think Ashcroft is vital to our chances to win a GF in the next two years.

Also excited to see what sort of player Fletcher develops into. I can't really picture him in a specific position but he's going to be a gun too.

 

[MSB ROYS]

I think other teams are going to get better next year.

The big one is Melbourne. I just don’t think they’ll s**t the bed for a third year in a row and they are such a dangerous team that have hurt us in the past.

We have to keep getting better to match everyone.

Won the premiership in both the AFL and AFLW, then lost the next 6/6 finals. Long may it continue.