Wow. A journalist who has real inside information. That’s rare.
Mmmmm for me:
Ashby, Ambrose and Kommer - definite outs barring any huge unexpected spikes in form.
Then you have the older guys Cooney, Dempsey and Gwilt who we all know can play good roles for us on the list but are we better off refreshing with younger draft talent.
Ridiculous if we only took 2 picks into the draft.
I’m taking the view that with all of the saga behind us next year for good, and with Hooker, Hurley, Heppell, Colyer, Hibberd, Watson and Myers slotting straight into the 22. I’d also slot Stanton and Hocking in but I’d wait and see, as i think we’ll become too slow as none of our senior inside mids are pacey at all. With these players coming in, i think we can make the eight next year and would expect us to. However I’d like us to still play a lot of young guys, and would hope that next year Laverde, Langford, Fantasia, Parish and Francis are all playing regular games or have established themselves in the team. Fantasia and Parish already locks in my opinion from what they’ve shown. Redman and Long would hopefully be good enough for regular games as well, and that’s highly likely from what they’ve shown.
I’d then be aiming for the next 2-3 years be building towards a flag tilt as we hopefully get a lot of improvement from those aforementioned young guns.
With this in mind, there are a few players who I don’t think will be around for that tilt and shouldn’t be apart of the team next year and f the season ended right now I’d be delisting the following:
Edwards - Loved him last year and really thought he’d be great for us, but I just highly highly doubt that now. At his age should be getting regular games for us this year, but now even some of the youngsters have gone past him. Has x factor but doesn’t do enough at all.
Kommer - Just don’t think he’ll ever make it, would not persist. He wouldn’t be missed on field.
Cooney - Think he does better than people give him credit for and I’ve thought he’s been good this year. However wouldn’t give him another contract next year, would rather persist with the younger guys.
Ambrose: Just can’t see a role for him long term.
Then, depending on how the year goes I’d also be looking at Dempsey, Gwilt, and maybe even Jerret and Ashby.
Next year, I’d be thinking a best 22 might look like this:
FB: Baguley, Hartley, Gleeson
HB: Tippa, Hurley, Hibberd
C: Colyer, Heppell, Z. Merret
HF: Laverde, Daniher, Langford
FF: Raz, Hooker, Redman/Hocking/Long/Stanton
FOL: Leuenberger, Watson, Zaharakis
INT: Goddard, Myers, Parish, Francis
I’ve probably forgotten someone in there. Also got the no 1/2 draft pick to get games into etc.
Edwards, Ambrose, Kommer, Gwilt, Cooney, Ashby gone this year.
Upgrade Tippa and Long.
4 live picks in draft (last pick possibly our favourite top up player?).
Well that’s just what I’d do.
No to Patton for me. Not mobile enough, and two knees already doesn’t inspire confidence. And I don’t really see the need for him.
The development of Hartley means - I think - that we can now slot Hooker in up forward, where he’s an ideal foil for Daniher. To a degree that presumes that Hurley signs on, but assuming that’s the case where does Patton fit in?
As others have said, Hooker forward while we pick up a young tall to develop. Would rather chase a small like Martin, Kelly or whoever that can find the goals or add midfield polish.
have more interest in Martin. Fills more of a need seeing that Hooker will play forward.I’d rather wait one or two years to get Kelly from GWS.
I’d have Martin over almost anyone, but I can’t even imagine what GCs list management people would ask for him.
Wait, what?
Can you elaborate?
have more interest in Martin. Fills more of a need seeing that Hooker will play forward.I’d rather wait one or two years to get Kelly from GWS.
I’d have Martin over almost anyone, but I can’t even imagine what GCs list management people would ask for him.
Wait, what?
Can you elaborate?
jack martin is class.
If we’re only taking 2 live picks to the draft we aren’t trying hard enough. That would be appalling list management.
Especially when we will be picking very early in each round.
Edwards, Cooney, Ambrose, Dempsey, Kommer, Ashby would all have to play some very very good footy for the remainder of the year to be considered indispensable and even Gwilt, despite playing his role admirably, should probably make way to allow our list to move forward given Hartley, Brown and Francis will join Hooker and Hurley as guys who can play as tall defenders for us.
I’m not sure taking say 4 or 5 picks to the draft will be all that difficult to achieve.
have more interest in Martin. Fills more of a need seeing that Hooker will play forward.I’d rather wait one or two years to get Kelly from GWS.
I’d have Martin over almost anyone, but I can’t even imagine what GCs list management people would ask for him.
Wait, what?
Can you elaborate?
jack martin is class.
Yup, this. Extraordinary player, can do almost anything. Has had a bit of a slow start to his career due to injury, an interstate shift, and being drafted very skinny, but he’s looking like he’ll be starting to properly find his feet soon. I rate him on talent above almost any draftee I’ve seen over the past few years, including petracca, Whitfield, etc. has the rare ability to carry a team, bit like a more forward-oriented Heppell. It’s a cliche and I don’t say it often, but Martin is a kid who really COULD be anything.
have more interest in Martin. Fills more of a need seeing that Hooker will play forward.I’d rather wait one or two years to get Kelly from GWS.
I’d have Martin over almost anyone, but I can’t even imagine what GCs list management people would ask for him.
Wait, what?
Can you elaborate?
jack martin is class.
Yup, this. Extraordinary player, can do almost anything. Has had a bit of a slow start to his career due to injury, an interstate shift, and being drafted very skinny, but he’s looking like he’ll be starting to properly find his feet soon. I rate him on talent above almost any draftee I’ve seen over the past few years, including petracca, Whitfield, etc. has the rare ability to carry a team, bit like a more forward-oriented Heppell. It’s a cliche and I don’t say it often, but Martin is a kid who really COULD be anything.
he’s way stronger than he looks too, constantly outbodies opponents.
have more interest in Martin. Fills more of a need seeing that Hooker will play forward.I’d rather wait one or two years to get Kelly from GWS.
I’d have Martin over almost anyone, but I can’t even imagine what GCs list management people would ask for him.
Wait, what?
Can you elaborate?
jack martin is class.
Yup, this. Extraordinary player, can do almost anything. Has had a bit of a slow start to his career due to injury, an interstate shift, and being drafted very skinny, but he’s looking like he’ll be starting to properly find his feet soon. I rate him on talent above almost any draftee I’ve seen over the past few years, including petracca, Whitfield, etc. has the rare ability to carry a team, bit like a more forward-oriented Heppell. It’s a cliche and I don’t say it often, but Martin is a kid who really COULD be anything.
Good enough for me.
BRING HIM IN!
would you trade our early pick for him HM?
have more interest in Martin. Fills more of a need seeing that Hooker will play forward.I’d rather wait one or two years to get Kelly from GWS.
I’d have Martin over almost anyone, but I can’t even imagine what GCs list management people would ask for him.
Wait, what?
Can you elaborate?
jack martin is class.
Yup, this. Extraordinary player, can do almost anything. Has had a bit of a slow start to his career due to injury, an interstate shift, and being drafted very skinny, but he’s looking like he’ll be starting to properly find his feet soon. I rate him on talent above almost any draftee I’ve seen over the past few years, including petracca, Whitfield, etc. has the rare ability to carry a team, bit like a more forward-oriented Heppell. It’s a cliche and I don’t say it often, but Martin is a kid who really COULD be anything.
Good enough for me.
BRING HIM IN!
would you trade our early pick for him HM?
Depends on where the pick is and what this year’s talent pool ends up looking like.
But I’d strongly, strongly consider it.
As others have said, Hooker forward while we pick up a young tall to develop. Would rather chase a small like Martin Kelly or whoever that can find the goals or add midfield polish.
Wasn’t that the character name of the disgraced robert hughes from “Hey Dad!”?
You have to take into consideration we will only have one or two picks in the draft next year.First we need to find the mandatory three players to delist (guessing Gwilt, Kommer and possibly Ashby).
Then we may upgrade Tippa onto the main list.
Leaving us two picks for the draft.
On a side note, rookie upgrades no longer count towards the mandatory 3 draftees. I would hope Long and McKenna would also both be pushing for promotion after two years each on the rookie list. Not many make it after spending three years as rookies.
I’d be content with just 2 ND picks if we’ve already attained Patton. Given we’ve seen high draft picks a few years in leave for a lot less than they were originally worth (Aish, Bennell, Polec), I think it’s in the realms of possibility that we could get Patton for our second pick (pick 20ish). Especially given his injury history. Buy obviously a lot depends on his output for the rest of the year.
Pick 2, Patton, Pick 40ish.
Does Martin want to leave?
One thing about trading with GWS is that it may be easier under the points system. A pick 19 that is involved in the trade may be worth more than its usual value if they’re trying to bank some points for academy kids.
If the price was right (eg. our second round pick), I’d say yes please.
Jeez, writing speculative trade articles for the Hun must be a pretty sweet gig. Pick a couple of high-value young players with vague EFC connections, mention in passing that they're contracted but completely disregard it, decide we should trade for them, utterly neglect to mention what we'd trade FOR them or what the impact of these trades would be on our difficult list management situation, then prepare to bag us after our first loss next year for not pursuing their their ridiculously improbably scenario. Pick up paycheque, rinse, repeat.Dunno why I bother working for a living, I could churn out that stuff in my sleep.
So we start to see positive media and some are still happy to have a whinge. Go read a few pages on Blitz and you’ll see Patton mentioned as a trade target well before this story.
I’m happy with the positive way the media is coming round.