Smartt doesn’t really count as an OUT as he cancels himself out as he wasn’t an official IN (mid season injury replacement)
Edwards was an IN at the start of last season
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I feel a lot better about the inclusions than I do about those omissions.
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Hard to find though. Not a lot of guys can live up to being a pure outside ball winner doing that much high speed running and have both speed and endurance.
Rampe!
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Nice.
From @unieeq articles -
His talent was obvious from an early age as he developed into the type of midfielder that Offaly has been crying out for. A physically strong player, he can field the ball, has a terrific engine and is always hungry for goals and points. He got a super goal in Tullamore’s recent Leinster club win over The Downs and is always trying to both create for others and manufacture scores for others. He possesses fierce drive, playing with an edge and doing everything he can to win games.
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I could have sworn he signed for the cats last year, but that of course is the entirely different Cillian Burke.
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The guest on the latest Lunchtime Catch Up patreon show (Tommy Wolfe) mentioned drawing a line at Duursma and looking at the list below that as being quite balanced. Made me look at it and put together side from those players. Looks something like:
FB: Kondogiannis - Hayes - Nguyen
HB: Clarke - Reid - Roberts
C: Durrsma - Farrow - Cox
R: Bryan - Sharp - Martin
HF: Robey - Caddy - Durham
FF: Gerreyn - May - Kako
I/C: El-Achkar - Perkins - Tsatas - Caldwell - Johnson
If you think about adding Justice and Bewick, plust maybe another first round pick and maybe some free agents (of course considering that all of McGrath, Merrett, Ridley, Parish, Langford and McKay are solid footballers when fit / in form), then it actually looks pretty well put together.
Obviously relies on the draftees actually reaching their potential.
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I agree that the 2000 and later birth dates are the right group to be planning around, to allow the guys we’ve drafted in recent years to develop into the leading players in the team (fingers crossed). We have McGrath signed to 2030 and you’d expect him to be getting around for a while as the captain, then we have Parish, Ridley and McKay signed to 2029 – will be interesting to see how much they’re playing by that point.
Overall, I tend to agree that it looks ok:
Tall defenders: Reid, Hayes, Gerreyn
Reid and Hayes have the ability if their bodies allow. Gerreyn’s move to defence will be interesting to watch – he’s a complementary physical profile to Reid/Hayes and on paper looks like good competition for McKay. Next year should give us a sense of whether Reid/Hayes will be able to get on the park and whether Gerreyn looks good enough, and further investment can be determined from there.
Small/medium defenders: Roberts, Farrow, Johnson, Prior, Kondogiannis, Nguyen
In Johnson and Farrow we have two elite kicking options off half back, so we’re well set up in that respect. We then Roberts who’s a great option as a more attacking defender, a small defender or further up the field. Nguyen’s good competition for McGrath as a small defensive option. The weakness here is the lack of intercepting ability. You looks like at sides like Geelong who have Guthrie and Stewart playing alongside 3 tall defenders. Kondogiannis makes a lot of sense as a selection in that context, but doesn’t arrive as a top tier prospect. Prior has the size and improved as this year went on, but probably isn’t strong enough overhead to be an ideal long-term option. Clarke may be an option, but I like him on the wing. I’d hope they’re working on Zak Johnson’s intercepting game over preseason – he’s seemed solid overhead, and would be great to get him in the side without needing to be the first choice rebounder.
Rucks: Bryan, Visentini
An area of concern for me – Bryan hasn’t looked more than serviceable, and Visentini seemed very raw this year. Neither are strong endurance runners, which is a quality I like in a ruck. There’s plenty of opportunity for them to show that they’re up to it next year though, and we can assess the need to draft or trade next year. Harry Van Hattum looks a likely type in next year’s draft.
Midfield: Martin, Durham, Caldwell, Robey, Sharp, Tsatas, Bewick (2027)
With Bewick likely on the way as well, this group is starting to look strong – Martin and Bewick as creative distributors (and Farrow another potential option there), Robey as the big attacking beast, and then Durham, Caldwell and Sharp as two-way competitors. At this point, anything that Tsatas becomes is a bonus. The big issue is that we desperately need 1-2 of these guys to become stars, and we don’t have anything to go off at AFL level to feel confident there.
Wingers: Duursma, Clarke, Cox, El-Hawli
Duursma and Clarke make this group look solid for the time being, and if Cox can get fit, he’s a nice wildcard. If we’re in a position to draft more elite endurance types with some size and overhead ability, I’d still be taking them – I don’t think you can have enough of that type in today’s game.
Tall forwards: Caddy, May, Jones, McMahon, Edwards
We have a clear center piece in Caddy. The other key profile we need is the big contested beast that can take a turn in the ruck – Archie May fits that profile, but it remains to be seen if he’s good enough. It’ll be interesting to see if he can challenge Peter Wright for a spot next year. Lewis Houndsome (from the same Yarrambat/Parade pathway as Caddy) might be an interesting option in next year’s draft for us. Jones, McMahon and Edwards are all options as the third tall key forward if we choose to play one, but I’m not counting on any of them (it’s not a popular call here, but I haven’t written off Harry Jones completely yet – still has some nice attributes).
Small/medium forwards: Perkins, Day-Wicks, Kako, El Achkar, Unwin
We need investment here. Perkins cops a lot of flak but has looked serviceable when settled as a medium forward option – had some groin issues last year and I think he could surprise a few if he can get some power back in his game next year. Kako showed plenty in a tough year last year – I think he’ll end up playing a little further up the ground as a last kick inside 50 type. We then look very short for a role that’s so critical in the modern game. I’d be looking for a deep small forward type that excels as a crumber – El Achkar fits that profile, but the lack of speed and finishing ability concerns me, and having more than one option would be beneficial too. Marlon Neocleous looks very exciting in next year’s draft for that role. I’d also be looking for a more defensive type small forward with elite endurance – an Alex Neal-Bullen type. I know a lot of people were disappointed to miss Dovaston this year, but I’m not convinced he’s the ideal complement to Kako.
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I’m not convinced Gerryn stays down back and it was a) due to a rush of injuries to key backs, b) prioritising Vigo for minutes as VFL ruck and c) for a well rounded development (refer previous East Freo ruck we drafted who ended up okay).
I’m hopeful on Vigo/Gerryn as forward rucks, but even moreso on Bryan as our main ruck. He’s one preseason/tank away from becoming a 20+ possession-a-game ruckman linking up around the ground. A lot of people writing him off for lack of grunt/output, he was 23 when he did his knee and barely had a body. Big steps next season.
Small forwards aplenty at the point end of the draft next year, draft an elite small with Kako and target King (FA) or Walter (future capital) for a ready-made pairing with Caddy.
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This is obviously the key element (plus them staying fit and at EFC) to these kinds of lists. And a number of those players are very late picks, very unproven and/or have struggled to stay on the park. So, lots to play out. Kondo at 190cm may also be a touch short for our third tallest back. That could of course be Gerreyn, who knows where he plays if he makes it.
You’ve also missed Visentini, ADW and Unwin from that group. Was that deliberate, or an oversight? Visintini at least should be in that best 23 I would think, and the others could have been listed as emergencies.
100% - the chances of them all becoming solid enough AFL players to become our actual best 23 is unlikely.
The three you mentioned - I’ve got them just outside this ‘on potential’ side. But they certainly have the ability to usurp others ahead of them.
Visentini in particular. For me though I like a main ruck and then a deep forward that shares the ruck minutes. In the side I posted that’s Gerreyn. So Vigo would need to become a better deep forward that him or a better all round ruck than Bryan.
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Such as what?
Allegedly he has good social media skills and is a good bloke.
It’s just the footy stuff that’s not so good.
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Ben King and Bailey, should be at top of the list.
Getting them via FA allows us to bolster senior level talent whilst still having plenty of time left to make an impact.
It also allows us to prioritise Speed in the forward half of the ground via the draft, I think we need a genuinely fast small forward with some aerial presence and some classy speed through the middle
If Merrett requests to leave again this year, I think hawthorn will have enough this year and next year to get it done.
This will allow us one or two players before Justice for more outside class to go with the inside power of Justice - and will assist with the Bewick, Rodan, Darwish conundrum in 2027.
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Good overhead and below his knees, neat foot skills in general play, has speed off the mark and endurance, and willing to do the defensive running without reward – he finished top 10 the 2024 B&F for that reason. I fully concede that the wing’s not his go, but in the right set up I think he works as a third tall forward who can work over an opponent with repeat leads and plays a selfless role pulling an opponent away from the contest.
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Looks like Gerreyn’s going to start preseason down back, but I could see him going back forward if that’s not working out / Archie May is looking likely.
On Bryan, fingers crossed. His tank started a long way back and I question whether he’ll ever have the aerobic capacity to be able to work over an opponent with his running. My general view is that you can build a tank to good enough, but you need the genetics to get beyond “good enough”. Of course, you don’t have to be great runner to be a great ruckman, but it feels like a big advantage not to have to rotate your first choice so much – you either don’t have to play two rucks, or you have less time with an inferior ruck trying to compete.
Would be amazing if we could land a King or a Walter, but I’m not optimistic unless we massively outperform expectations on the field next year – King in particular would surely only go to a contender. With Walter, it might be difficult to get a deal done without using the 2027 first rounder we need for Bewick, but maybe a Merrett trade shifts that.
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So not getting the ball is one of his greatest strengths?
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Just on the innate ability to run, I don’t think Gawn was a natural runner (pack of smokes aside), nor was Jobe as a mid.
I think above all else work ethic/committment will get you most of the way there with fitness. It’s whether Big Boi Brad, Innes and the wider team can install that mindset to get there or not.