Absolutely, I’ve been saying it all year, but Duz and Caldwell make us better than Shiel, Parish (and also Setterfield) in the midfield. They play a better modern team game, the other guys do well solo but the team suffers when they are in there. Maybe Shiel and Parish aren’t defensive enough. I’d be looking to trade Shiel and Parish out, personally.
3 Likes
Setterfield does the defensive things, feel he gets hard done by. If he didnt get injured against Carlton assume he stayed in.
9 Likes
Why can other clubs implement a new strategy in one off season, and we haven’t been able to implement one in multiple years with multiple coaches?
2 Likes
I think he is very average and probably should be be moved on
5 Likes
Define defensive liability ?
because he got beaten once in the saints game where higgins kicked 4 (higgins is a decent player and mas isn’t the only one he’s beaten)
Redmans a defensive liability and he got 6 years and 800 odd k a year deal, ditto parish.
Half the club is a “defensive liability”.
yet somehow mas gets singled out for it, we had 3 of the top 5 worst defenders this year did we not (at some stage anyway).
yet somehow Mas was the poster boy for this cos of one slightly poor game in that area, while racking up almost 30 himself, so it’s not as if he was doing nothing.
5 Likes
Nothing to do with list management and the players…
It’s harsh but fair.
Can’t play any other position well (Wing, HF, HB) which is evidenced from his time at Car & Ess.
Not overly quick, neat footskills at best.
Decent run with player, okay clearance player.
Has some size which we desperately need, but is it enough ???..probably not.
Would keep as depth for 1 year if we trade Hobbs & Shiel.
3 Likes
If he’s such a good defender then why is Whorethorn playing him off the wing?
because they value elite kicks.
you realise you still have to defend from the wing though right ?
Not as bad as that looks when you also see we are top 4 for clearances against - as in, fourth least in 2024. So not great for clearances, but conversely great in preventing clearances against.
Probably more case that the midfield is the area we are probably ‘least weak’ especially when you consider Durham and Caldwell should still improve, Parish barely played this year, Bryan will just get better in the ruck and we all still hope that Tsatas improves and becomes an AFL regular.
We are asking a lot of Durham to bash and Crash against the best mid. If Setterfield does that it allows Durham to be more aggressive and is more explosive from stoppage.
But yeah cant fit Merrett, Durham, Caldwell, Parish, Shiel, Tsatas, Hobbs, Setterfield all in 3 onball spots.
Setterfield at VFL level does improve the side a bit, so good for development if thats where he is as backup.
4 Likes
I’m big on Bryan and Tsatas. Don’t think we should have resigned Parish, especially when he had calf injuries before we handed him a massive extension.
I think our mix looked better this year, but we need to move on from these small mids.
So if Laverde, Stringer, Shiel and Hobbs leave, they will add to Kelly, Heppell, Hind, Baldwin, Wanganeen and Hunter (albeit rookie) who’ve already left. Baldwin may get chance to train and get back on a rookie spot over the off-season, but that will still give us 9 spots to fill. Question is if they all get traded is it for draft picks or players because that is a LOT of spots to fill
2 Likes
At his best Parish will definitely make us a better team, but point taken with injury concerns.
Setterfield and when played there Stringer were really the only ‘point of difference’ midfielders in our team given every other one is in the 179 - 183cm range and probably 80 - 85kg
1 Like
We have made similar numbers of list changes the past few offseasons.
9 spots,
1st rd draft pick Armstorng/Shanahan/Lindsay
Kako
half back /trade Cumming / Daniel
small forward - Rosas Jnr
2 more picks at draft
1 rookie
1 SSP spot
Baldwin
Cat B Nguyen
Rubbish in the backline and forward line.
Killing it in the centre
Note our disposal efficiency as well
We also do well for i50 and have good DE%
The issue is our forwards
1 Like
That inside 50 figure is absolutely damning and why everyone who barracks for the club is so ■■■■■■ off. We regularly give ourselves chances to win the game by pumping the ball inside 50, but either the kicks are shallow and rebounded too easily or dumped onto the head of forwards who couldn’t catch covid on a cruise ship
4 Likes
More at draft if we get decent picks for trading, otherwise I reckon we’ll have more pre-season signings