It’s that time of the year to list the players to get the axe or be traded,
AXE unless someone wants, merret, long, looney, green, goddard, bags, dea, hartley, colyer,
laverde.
We have hurls, hooker, saad, mckenna francis, redman, zerk/t, mcniece, guelfi, ridley, gleeson as backs. hoping guelfi becomes a mid.
Require 1 big angry back, May Gold Coast. 1 small forward, 2 mids, 1 ruck man.
There is little chance we chop 10 players.
It’s also the time of year when we start suggesting that posters look up contract status before recommending players get chopped for fear of looking foolish; and that maybe they should consider who has been pretty solidly in the best 22 before putting them on the chopping board as well.
And that maybe, suggesting we spend the coin (both salary cap and trade value) to get the in contract May out of Gold Coast may also be pretty stupid.
Yes the famous July list lodgement date, just ahead of the August trade period and the draft on brownlow night.
Two years for McKernan?! I thought one might have been overly generous. Would rather keep Brown if I had to choose.
I’m with people saying we need to add quality small forwards and obviously midfielders.
One year overly generous… have you had your eyes shut the last 2 months?
The bloke has been helpful but I wouldn’t be locking up a spot for two years before we’ve seen what else is out there.
Given our previous record of keeping players around till they ask to leave I expect a new four year deal to be announced tomorrow.
Luenberg is done and Draper is not ready so Mckernan gives us an option if TBell is injured (without drafting another mature ruck) - tick. Gives us a big marking forward target similar to Hooker in 17 and allows Hooker to play defence - tick.
Gives us a strong second ruck option to spell TBell during games - tick.
In the best form of his career - tick.
At 27 with opposition clubs sniffing around 2 years is a no brainer.
But I do love the man.
How about we change our list strategy to have a best 22 and the remainder can be 18 year olds 
Inside mid
Ruck
Another gun small forward
Point 3.
I know this means absolutely nothing. They love Harry Taylor down at Geelong. But if their KPP stocks really are superfluous, I could see him fitting in at Essendon.
Another swingman. Certainly not on the top of our list of priorities, but imagine Joey and Hooksy forward with Hurls and Harry in defence. I realise we have more than enough ‘solid’ AFL level players with Browny, Stewart, Francis, Hartley, Ambrose, etc. Just tell me if this is ludicrous.
Our biggest priority should be a big bull inside midfielder. We need to fill the hole that Watson left. A clearance king. I would love to see Langford become just that, sporting Jobe’s old number, but he is young in his development.
Harry is cooked. Getting repeat injuries now too.
He’s 32.
Nup.
And moves worse than Goddard…
Yeah - list management and developing young players have been great the last ten years, let’s just keep doing what we’re doing.
I didn’t even realise he was that old. Thought he was 28.
Point on the second ruckman is fair, but then Richmond are dominating with Grigg as their second ruck and we were obviously too big earlier in the year and have only come good since we addressed our balance of talls to smalls later in the season, so do you need to play two rucks?
Yeah I don’t know, but I think it’s worked pretty well lately.
At the very least, he gives us someone who can provide depth forward and through the ruck, whilst we develop Draper, Lavender and anyone else we draft.
I happen to think that what he has shown as the No1 Forward is enough to suggest that he is a best 22 lock. Now picture what he could do as the 2nd forward behind Joe. He is also a genuine 2nd ruckman, that should beat most other clubs 2nd and perform well against the primary ruckman.
I haven’t read any previous posts which will probably conspire to show my ignorance, but do we need a rebuild? We’ve got the third oldest list in the league, good kpps, a few gun mids established or on the way up and some irritating little small forward types that can pinch hit through the middle. One more awesome midfielder would probably top us off. If the mindset and the game plan (whatever that is, not taking the piss but I’m not savvy enough to understand it) is sound then next year should be fun to watch.
My only concern is the saga crap just still seems to linger. Even that bloke that’s taking AFL to court brings it to the surface again just when you thought it was buried, and it must still be pretty traumatic for those left on the list involved. But that’s the pessimistic and psychologicaly broken side of me.
I just want us to be good at footballing again.