#35 Matt Guelfi - now til 2024!

Personally I think it’s mainly because we played too many big slow guys who were useless when the opposition got first hands on the ball.
This should be less of a problem in 2018, unless they inexplicably decide to have Myers and Goddard both spending a lot of time at stoppages

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Totally agree

Bit of a mental thing, probably a bit to do with set ups, and a lot to do with the pace of guys we had in there - our top 6 clearance winners included Watson, Hep, Myers and Goddard. All slow.

I think our midfield work will actually improve next season. Whatever happens to the raw numbers.

This entire conversation is why il never understand why we didn’t throw the house at Rockliff.

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Rockliff is a 3-4 year player, we wanted 7-8 year players. Aiming for long term success. Port are after 2 year window.

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Aiming at long term success is a thing of the past but I think we’re setup well regardless, we can win a flag in the next 4 Year’s definitely. Who would of picked the dogs and tigers as the last two premiers?

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Yep, we are pretty much all just hoping and praying the decision makers at the club are right regarding whatever their plan is.

It’s not obvious anyway.

I agree HM but Jake Stringer was a midfielder, before he was drafted to the Doggies from the Bendigo Bombers. The Doggies put him into the forward line. So, perhaps, we’re hoping its like riding a bike you haven’t ridden in awhile, once you get the hang of it, muscle memory kicks in, it just becomes automatic.

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I find this statement incredible

All season - “why isnt (slow clearance guy with poor footskills) playing!”
After Jobe’s retirement - “(slow clearance guy with poor footskills) will fill that gap nicely”

Start of off-season - “ZOMG! (slow clearance guy with poor footskills) got delisted!”
Rockliff comes up as a FA - “ZOMG! Why arent we going after (slow clearance guy with poor footskills)??”
Trade week - “we should get (slow clearance guy with poor footskills)“
Draft - “we need to pick up (slow clearance guy with poor footskills)!!”

You really can’t see a common theme here?
I don’t know how much more obvious it can get!!

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I think it is obvious. They want a faster, better kicking, better defensive team. They are clearly confident they have the players to do the grunt work. We’re not short on them like people think. There is just doubt over the quality and/or readiness.

I would think in a perfect world the club would be hoping that Stringer gets fit enough to play regular midfield minutes and Langford steps up enough this season to take over the Jobe role.

If those things both happen, Myers won’t be in the team, so the big body midfield depth will be Myers, Mutch, Clarke, Begley.
Plus there is Goddard who could be thrown in there at a pinch.

A combination of Heppell, Stringer, Langford, blended with Zerrett, Zaka, Parish, McGrath and Smith gives us plenty of options in midfield and there is enough size and clearance winning ability in it, plus it’s far quicker and theoretically far more capable of applying defensive pressure.

If Stringer and/or Langford don’t come on as midfielders like hoped, then we’ll have to turn to Myers, possibly Goddard, or preferably, Begley, Mutch, Clarke.
I really doubt any 18 year old picked from pick 48 onwards would be jumping ahead of Begley, Mutch and Clarke in the next year or two.

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But using that definition we’ve recruited McGrath, Guelfi, Smith, Parish, Begley, Clarke, Mutch and Zerrett in the last few draft and trade periods. That’s a lot of draft capital spent on midfielders. Several in Guelfi and Clarke have primarily been clearance mids at U18, and McGrath and Parish not being primarily clearance players but racking up clearances.

And we’ve of course added a number of the types you are worried about in Langford, Laverde, Stringer, Fantasia, Houlihan and Redman. They may or may not add to the midfield. But they have a chance.

I don’t think things are so bad, as our 2016 draftees especially come through. I also think saying we don’t take inside mids when we picked up Clarke and Guelfi seems weird.

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Yep.

We have had slow midfields for decades.

I’m with you, can’t understand why we keep throwing up names like Mathieson and Kennedy and the like.

Jobe has been one of the best big bodied mids of the last 20 years and we already had him. Why would we expect replacing him with a player that is most likely going to inferior is going to improve us.

Skilful players that can cover ground is what we need and we have been drafting them for the last 5 years.

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So much this. I’m still absolutely stunned we didn’t go for him.

Because he doesn’t fit the profile of what the club is setting us up for. I thought it was so obvious that a kindergarten kid could understand it.

When your so self righteous, it makes you look like a di*k. Does it really upset you when someone’s opinion differs against yours or the clubs?

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I reckon if Guelfi had turned out his 2017 performance as an 18yr old he would have been talked about as a potential first rounder. The numbers and the physical attributes all line up to suggest he’ll have an excellent career.

I’m looking forward to seeing how he takes to the professional environment. Missing out on 2 drafts will likely mean that he’ll value the chance he’s been given. I really hope that we’ve got a starting on baller on our hands with this one.

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Sing it brother

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I’ll expand why I think Rockliff was a good fit. The club may have a direction that It’s heading in, and I for one believe we are on the right track.

But, as HM said, there’s one big, glaring hole in our list and that’s contested ball players and clearance players. You could say its that obvious of a deficiency, that a kindergarten kid could realise it. So when a elite clearance player comes on the market, one of the best around, for a club who can’t win a clearance to save their lives, you’d think we would be interested. It’s not rocket science

I don’t buy for a second we weren’t interested for the sole reason “he doesn’t fit where we’re going” that’s just utter sh*t. Your completely naive if you think that’s the reason we didn’t get him. Salary cap is probably one of the reasons and a big one I’d say, but if you don’t think he’d be a good fit for us right now you’ve got no understanding of how bad our clearance issue is. He’s also 27. Is that now deemed too old and cooked? Jesus

Why couldn’t we win the flag next year? Or within the next 4 while Rockliff is a damn good player? Like I said, who would have picked the dogs and tigers for premiers the last two years. Flags can be won a LOT easier these days and apart from the bottom 6 or so clubs, the other 12 should be thinking short term as it can be done. It’s been proved. It doesn’t mean you can’t have a long term plan in place but there also needs to be a short term view all the time too. I would have liked to see us REALLY have a red hot crack at him, he’ll be good at port and make a big difference

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Really like this pick, I often think that it can be an advantage in many ways to pick a more mature age player. He looks to have all the tools, plus is another in the correct age demographic for our list. He has also had a taste of what its like in the real world, and has played senior footy against men. I wouldn’t be surprised if he starts plays 1 next year.

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And as for Guelfi, you’ll all fkn love him. Can play. I’m off to watch the cricket

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