Season 2019 and beyond

Smith won’t like it but he needs to concentrate more on being a forward than mid unless we target small forwards in the off season.
Deep down he wants to be Sam Mitchell 40+ possession player but premierships are not win like that. We need 4 permanent small forwards as none of our mids have shown a match winning performance when swung forward.

We need pressure and two way running in the guts as well.

Smith provides more value to us as a mid. We would need others to seriously come in to provide us the luxury of playing him forward.

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Goddard will be needed as your always going to play at least 30 players through the course of the year and experience is underrated. I’d prefer more speed but I understand he has the fitness and experience and will name him in the best 22.

Gleeson Hooker Saad
Francis Hurley McKenna

TBC Langford Zerrett
Zaka Heppell McGrath

Smith Daniher Fantasia
Walla Mckernan Stringer

Goddard Parish Guelfi (small fwd)
Myers Begley Mutch Clarke Ridley Redman Baguley Ambrose Brown Stewart

Definitely rotate through there. I think our strength is how many of our players can rotate through the middle. But he shouldn’t be used as much as Zaka Heppell and Merrett.

Gotta think that over the next couple of years we’ll lose a player or two due to lack of opportunities.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing for us.

No point having too many AFL ready players sitting around in the VFL. You do need some depth, but you also get benefit from refreshing the list.

A few pick upgrades or extra picks doesn’t hurt that process. As long as you avoid callously shopping all your players around, it’s a good thing I think.

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You need a best 30, at least.

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Did this exercise last night and struggling to find 3 players to delist. Guys are either developing, contracted or performing really well. Think this is a year to trade out fringe players in areas of depth.

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You do, but we also need to improve our best 22 and best 18. It’s the players 17th to 23rd that win the premierships for the team, not the top 5.

I like Dea and McNeice but if we are to be a top team those players need to be our 28th best player, not 18 (in Dea’s case)

Jackson Merrett will probably go, maybe Goddard retires so that’s 2. Might have a bloke delisted and re-rookied (which I hate)

Definitely gone
Jackson Merrett

50/50 gone
Brendon Goddard
Jayden Laverde
Jake Long
Mark Baguley
Matt Dea

Wut?
He’s far from a stat chaser.

Jackson Merrett has his bags packed already, that’s one. I’d say Leunberger surely knows his time is up with him playing second fiddle to Draper, he even said so at VFL interviews, so that’s two. I also think if Green is struggling to find a spot with the forwardline how it is he’ll be struggling when more spots become available next year, he’s OK for depth but I think he’ll find himself done at years end unless the club needs him just for depth.

From then I reckon you’d probably delist:
Jake Long
Ben McNiece

Whilst Brendan Goddard I’d prefer to stay around but if he decides to retire it could save one of the following, and you 100% keep Baguley who is in the best form of his career. Myers and Colyer are contracted so they’re both staying. Guys like Dea/Mynott/Hartley are probably on thin ice but you’d expect to survive unless we get some free agents.

At this stage only Jerrett & Leuey gone, although ideally we need Leuey for 1yr more.

BJ will go around again as per Bags

Long and McNeice will be retained, they’ve shown enough this year at AFL level.

Others traded/delisted to free up list spots IMO

I look at our list and have trouble finding enough players to delist. I’d chop Jacko and Long, quite possibly Houlihan. Maybe even Clarke, as I reckon Mynott is going past him a rate of knots. But most others are probably needed, at least for another year, as depth. There is a chance that Loony may call it quits, but I’d rather he didn’t. It’s not an easy prune I don’t think.

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I think there’s going to be some delistments that will be shocks. Players that are solid, but aren’t in our future plans.

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They would be traded then you’d expect, … not delisted as such.

You’re just saying that to be Mr. Popularity around here.

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l’d prefer to delist Leuey and pick up another player to replace him. At this stage l have no idea of who is available, but The Berger just didn’t offer enough last year, and he won’t have improved since then.

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Here’s my preference:

2019 Belly>Leuey>Smack>Draper
2020 Belly>Draper>Smack>?Lav2.0?

Draper will develop faster with the on field coaching in the VFL that Leuey can provide. He’s also a better option than anyone else as backup for Bellchambers in 2019. After that Draper should be ready. I can’t see us bringing in an AFL experienced ruck and don’t want to risk bringing in a random state level ruck and hope they are good enough.

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