Exciting Times

I’m not attacking your character WOb. I don’t know you.

I’m just stating my observation of the words you type in this forum.

I said that I do care, not that I didn’t care.
I was pointing out that even if it sometimes seems that the ‘happy clappers’ as you called them, don’t really give a damn, it’s not necessarily true. Some, like myself, are very passionate, and care a lot. We just get over it quickly.

Playing ones automatically lets us know if they will make it. In there first year? I don’t buy that. They are progressing nicely in the 2nds where they should be. Anyone actually consider they are probably better off staying there for the year rather then through them in the deep end. They will be more ready for AFL and have a better chance straight of the bat. Playing AFL in your first year is not the be all and end all in development, and in many cases may actually be a detriment.

If they get a chance through seniors players been injured then so be it. None have them have been knocking the door down , and I wouldn’t expect them too.

Mutch for example is likely to be starting 22 next year after another full preseason and after playing a full season against men in the VFL. I don’t think a game or 2 this year in the ones makes much difference.

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I think the most obvious thing is that we should all be like DKP. He’s a genius and sees everything that no-one else notices. Then when we’re all geniuses we could vote some of us into the board and then select DKP as our next coach and then we’d win all the flags

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My apologies, I misread your post.
I haven’t been awake long.

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This thread is going to be entertaining when rock up to round 1 in 2018 with the exact same midfield, minus Jobe who is replaced with our first pick in the draft.

Our forwardline is at the level that we need and still has a lot of scope for improvement.

Our backline needs a clean out with the likes of Baguley needing to be moved on and possibly Hartley as well (he is handy depth and could get to a good level, but he has been given multiple baths this year and it’s as if he and Gleeson somehow switched brains and they both think that they’re in the other players body) however, he is still young and does possess a lot of tools required to become an AFL level defender and key position players usually tend to take longer to develop so he is worth persisting with for now IMO. Kelly I would give another year to but only if someone taps Disco on the shoulder and says “pull ya farking digit out and do whatever it takes to get some elite level players onto the list” because if we aren’t going to be serious about contending and addressing our deficiencies then there is no point giving another year to Kelly and we should blood a kid in his position instead.

Now, as stated a million times above, our midfield is the worst area of our team where the biggest issues lie. Watson, Stanton, Howlett and Hocking all have to be moved on and that’s a non-negotiable, however, the club won’t get rid of them all so realistically I can see Howlett and Hocking playing another year but ideally we shouldn’t be giving Howlett a new contract at all.

We have some good talent in the midfield with Heppell, Merrett, Zaharakis and Parish and then it falls off a cliff and that is being generous. So we currently have 4 AFL standard midfielders when we need about 8-10 who aren’t all glacier types of slow.

For years I have heard the phrase “midfielders are a dime a dozen” and it is implied that they are easier to find and develop than key position players unless it seems, you are Essendon who haven’t addressed this ever in Disco’s reign other than getting Goddard as a Free Agent who you could argue is a utility and not a midfielder anyway.

This year there is Dustin Martin, Josh Kelly and Tom Rockliff on the open market that would instantly go a long way to addressing our midfield problems. If I were the CEO or the board, I’d be tapping Disco on the shoulder and saying that as good as he has been draft-wise he will be either moved on or demoted if he fails to get at least one of those names listed above or at least a player of a similar quality to those listed above because you aren’t going to win a grand final in the AFL solely built around the draft. It. Does. Not. Happen.

Our best 22 IMO looks like this:

FB: McGrath, Hurley, Gleeson
HB: Kelly, Hartley, McKenna
C: Parish, --------, Zaharakis
HF: Stewart, Hooker, McDonald-Tipungwuti
FF: Fantasia, Daniher, Green
FOL: Bellchambers, Heppell, Z.Merrett

Bench: Colyer, Laverde, Goddard, -------

So we need at least a minimum of two new midfielders for our starting 22 who are nothing short of Elite.

So the positive:

  • Best forwardline we’ve had in 17 years who can kick big scores week in, week out.

  • Some really young and exciting prospects already entrenched in the 22 who still have a lot of room to improve ie McGrath, Parish, McKenna and Merrett.

  • A backline that is perhaps only missing more games into the likes of Gleeson, McKenna, Hartley, McGrath until it becomes very dependable.

  • Elite level key position players in Hurley, Hooker and Daniher.

  • Getting good value for players lost since 2012 due to the saga with Crameri getting us Zach Merrett, Carlisle getting us Parish/Francis, Ryder getting us Langford (if he gets to where we expect him to get to).

  • Plenty of salary cap room to offer to FA/Trades and retain our own players.

  • Great training facilities to help entice players to the club.

  • Record membership numbers.

The negatives:

  • A few players who are/were vital who are passed their best or retiring this year or in the near future ie Watson, Goddard and Kelly.

  • Deadwood that needs to be moved on ie Howlett, Hocking, McKernan, Baguley and J.Merrett to name a few.

  • A prior history of our list manager being unable to attract elite level talent to the club via trades or FA.

  • Losing key players over the past few years that would be in our starting 22 if it weren’t for the saga ie Ryder, Crameri, Carlisle, Hibberd, Melksham (wasn’t a key player but has had a really good year for Melbourne and seems to have improved a fair bit).

  • Debt from the saga.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this off-season will shape the club for the next 5 years, whether that be good or bad and it solely rests on the shoulders of Adrian Dodoro.

There is a reason why so many people fail to see a heap of positives and I get it and we still have a long way to go and if anything, this club needs to become ruthless on and off the field again and catch up to other teams in terms of player recruitment and trading/free agency.

There is a lot to be positive about IMO but we have to continue to add to it and hopefully Woosha is going to do just that this off-season.

I apologise for the obscenely long post.

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You may be impervious to the usual cycle of human emotions, so good on you. For most people though, if you have a positive outlook on things and for a sustained period this positivity is continually not met with reality then eventually you reach a point where your outlook waivers. It’s human nature.

Clearly if you haven’t won a final for this long there are a range of things within the club that need serious examination, which I trust is happening.

For what it’s worth, I think we have the nucleus of a very good team and if we bolster our midfield we could do some serious damage in the next few years while Hooker and Hurley are still around.

That whole midfield bolstering is a big if though. Let’s hope we can trade soneone in and that Lav and Lang can make it as midfield contributors.

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That’s is a long post.
I disagree re Watson, Howlett, Stanton, Hocking. You say the club won’t get rid of them all. I think it’s certain that they will.

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Hocking we gave a multi year deal to didn’t we?

We have a history of having players play out their contracts and not cutting them and taking a hit.

I hope for the clubs sake that you are right though, they all need to be moved on.

I live and breathe this football club, its my life. As much as I say I don’t believe are going to be as good as some of you think we will be, I sure as hell watch every week hoping that it all changes one day after. And I will, until the day I die.

But something needs to significantly change to make me believe we could be a top 4 team again. Like HD said, I no joke used to never speak a bad word about the club. I used to be super optimistic every week, every year. I created “lid off” back in the day, now I don’t even LOOK in the thread

One day all them years of mediocrity, being average, the saga, going through coaches like undies, everything…just hit me like a ton of fkn bricks and sapped my optimistic side out of me. It’s like I’m afraid to get my hopes up again because I don’t want to be let down again

For what it’s worth, I do think we are heading in the right direction but we seriously need to address the midfield via trade. If we had a competitive midfield, it’d go a LONG way to solving our issues. This is why I go absolutely fkn spare when we continue to play blokes like Myers and howlett who will not be a part of our next top 4 push

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No, just a one year contract. They’re all off contract

They may keep Howlett on purely for depth and development, would also be surprised if Kelly goes on, and I that that may be best for both partys. Would love to keep him on in a development role though.

All what you said makes sense buddy.

BUT

If I am ■■■■■■ off at the game I try not to project this on others, nothing good comes of it. Above was post 2 in response to the OP.

It’s unproductive, rude and yet 23 people like it. Added 0 value other than to belittle another poster who was NOT projecting Armageddon level panic.

If you were as optimistic as advertised you would atleast not poopoo those who were being optimistic…

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Poopoo

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23 people liked it? Woohoo

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We’ll probably finish 8th and il go to wherever we play week one, we’ll win, il get drunk, and il go storming into the lid off thread, put my crown back on and say load up on us for the flag

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That’s all fair WOB. And balanced. But I just don’t think you are always balanced.

But that doesn’t matter so much anyway. You can be who you want, we all can, just be prepared to be called out when you are unreasonable like we can all sometimes be.

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That’s good news.

The more I think about it, the more I think our midfield issues could be solved quite quickly for next season.

Plonk McGrath and McKenna on the wings for starters.
Main centre square mids would be Hepp, Zerrett and Parish. Zaka in the next string.
That’s a pretty good 6 to start with. Need one or two bullocking guys. I’d still give Myers some games next year. He’d be less of a liability when the only other slow broke is Hepp. If Goddard plays on, then only one of him and Myers should play each week and Goddard should help out with this role like he did earlier in the year.
But ideally guys like Begley are ready to start doing a bit of this and hopefully Langford and Laverde start to progress

Fair enough buddy