Hobbs needs more chances on ball.
That’s my biggest gripe. Yes we have Merrett, Durham, Shiel, Caldwell, Parish, Tsatas etc but how do we expect him to get to AFL level if he is always in the VFL or playing out of position.
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FRED
Better to go somewhere else?
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He needs to outperform them in the presesson scratch matches, if he does that he then can jump up the rankings.
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No doubt there would be a standout top 3 and the best of the next group would be academy tied
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Huge stat stuffing performance from one of the elite tall prospects in the 2025 pool. CDT displayed his typical Brodie Grundy impersonation in the ruck with his elite ground level impact and ability to find the ball on the spread, getting involved in attacking ball movement. He wasn’t always a dominant aerialist in his bottom age season, but in this game he showed that he’s capable of taking a strong contested grab.
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Many here wanted Jobe Shanahan last year for our forward line, Eagles have made him a defender, seems that’s where they see him. @noobermensch do you like him back?
We didn’t see enough of him as a defender to get excited about his potential back there really.
He played a couple of games for the Pioneers as a defender between that period post champs and before he started his VFL run with us. The Pioneers were on a losing streak at the time and just tried switching things up, Shanahan back, Travaglia mid/fwd among other moves. But it was just a brief glimpse really although he did play pretty well in those games.
Terms of whether his traits suit playing in defense… I guess so? He has the pace to stick with a forward on the lead or closing speed to impact third up. His kicking skills out of defense should be an asset. I think you’d have to pick your matchups though, I think he’d get monstered if he was playing on a big gorilla like Hogan.
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Funny, I didn’t even realise you’d asked a question months ago in the OP.
If I put myself in Rosa’s shoes, I’d be casting a broad scouting net early and then choosing a direction based on how our season progresses. I was a fan of us pushing picks into this draft because I’ve been feeling like this season is make or break for this current group. A sliding doors season.
If we have another poor season I think Brad will come under huge pressure, and we should look to do a reset/rebuild trading away higher value guys in their late 20s. The extra picks this year put us in a great position to launch a rebuild… and in that scenario I imagine we’d just pick up best available with the picks we have.
If our season goes well, we make finals and god forbid even win one, then we should look to fill in gaps and weaknesses. In that scenario I’d like us to look closely at one of the three top end key position talents in Curtin, Emmett and Duff-Tytler. There should also be a few dynamic mid/fwd types which I think is an area we’re lacking right now. Oli Greeves, Noah Hibbins-Hargreaves and Riley Onley all fit that mould. We probably don’t need another pure midfielder, but Fred Rodriguez is super classy and elite by foot which is a skill set we’re not exactly stacked with.
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Cheers for the response mate!
Love your work.
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There is a bit to work with there. It is good that he is training with us, so Rosa gets to have a real close look at him.
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Thrillem Duursma put together a strong performance here for the Power. Having been tried in a variety of roles thoughout the year he looked to have settled into to playing a combo mid/fwd role late in the season which fits his dynamic and versatile skill set. If he can find more consistency with his disposal by foot he could prove to be a serious contender for the first pick in the 2025 draft.
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I’m not sure i agree with this. I still think we don’t have the right talent and/or mix in the midfield. Parish and Shiel are unreliable, Hobbs seems limited as a player, Tsatas unproven, Perkins doesn’t have the footy brain for it and Merrett is getting older.
We still need to inject talent in there until we can find some out and out guns. Some guys that can contest and turn games for us rather than relying on getting clean first touches.
duursma training with the hawks 
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I was thinking about the list as it stands now, and reckon we have more pressing needs. Durham, Caldwell, Merrett and Parish as a rotating 4 is strong with Tsatas and Hobbs pressing their case and others as depth. Compared to how skinny we are for tall forwards or quality smalls at either end the midfield is positively stacked.
By the end of the season that picture might have changed significantly. Hobbs might be out the door, Parish asking for a trade and Setters and Shiel off the list, which would mean taking a midfielder early in the draft is completely justified.
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So much for a best case scenario…
@noobermensch have you seen much of Lachlan Hogan? Saw that he’s just signed with our VFL side and played U18 champs last year with Allies.
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I don’t remember him super well, I guess I wasn’t watching him closely given he wasn’t a big draft fancy. I remember him more for the Pioneers than the Allies. Very small, dashing defender type, might have played some up on the wing and maybe a few stints on ball but I think mostly as a small defender.
Edit: I noticed it says on the image small def, so that tracks. Reckon he was quite diminutive from memory, sub 180cm for sure.
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Cooper Duff Tytler reminds me a little of Simon Madden
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Emmett was everywhere in this game, competing at a high level in the ruck to set up his teammates with deft tap work, roaming the ground to take marks and link up possession chains, and when resting forward providing a strong marking target and hitting the scoreboard. His kicking technique can look awkward at times, but the rest of the package is undeniable.
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