43 minutes ago, small but forward said:

Don’t disagree SWYL, I’m just tarred with the MFCSS brush. Good points raised on recruiting strategies - I remember on 2015 draft night looking at Clarrys highlight reel thinking WTF?? I now implicitly trust the recruiting team (agree we did well with the Lever trade, got what we needed quickly), and the current playing group also appear settled and focussed. No reason why we can’t get more aggressive (carefully)

Oliver was recruited Ready To Go. I watched the same Youtube clip and just went “Yes” He HUNTS the ball, that is his job  hunt the ball and give it to a team mate who is clear...

That’s how to do it. You must also recruit attitude, for so long we got that so wrong

Edited March 22, 20187 yr by Sir Why You Little

4 hours ago, Sir Why You Little said:

Got to keep upgrading the list every year. 

If Sloane is available, then we should be on the front foot, if we don’t land him, another club will. 

Midfielders get injured, they are in the guts and frenzy. 

Sloane would be great right now as Viney is out for a long time

Never think static

The thing with Sloane is, he is ready right now, for the type of footy we want to play in finals. 

He has about 4 Yrs left on career +/-,,,  so accounting wise that's a good thing IMO, for our other young guns coming through, as when Sloane is cooling off his career, we will have dollars unlocked for others rising within our list.

 

The key is to draft another young running mid at the same time, who will develop over the next 3-4Yrs whilst Sloane is flying.

This is my wish for the club.

Edited March 22, 20187 yr by DV8

3 minutes ago, DV8 said:

The thing with Sloane is, he is ready right now, for the type of footy we want to play in finals. 

He has about 4 Yrs left on career +/-,,,  so accounting wise that's a good think IMO, for our other young guns coming through, as when Sloane is cooling off his career, we will have dollars unlocked for others rising within our list.

 

The key is to draft another young running mid at the same time, who will develop over the next 3-4Yrs whilst Sloane is flying.

This is my wish for the club.

Yep. That’s how Jeelong have done it for 10 years. Recruit what you need and the rest is good kids who want to learn

33 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

Oliver was recruited Ready To Go. I watched the same Youtube clip and just went “Yes” He HUNTS the ball, that is his job  hunt the ball and give it to a team mate who is clear...

That’s how to do it. You must also recruit attitude, for so long we got that so wrong

Better to recruit attitude/hunger than to try to invent it into some like a bennell, morton, cook, gysberts. onanonanonanon.....

15 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

Yep. That’s how Jeelong have done it for 10 years. Recruit what you need and the rest is good kids who want to learn

Yes but the key is the kids then learn from great players, within a winning competative culture/environment. from the masters.

This creates are strong culture that can last for some time.

 

We have struggled for such a long time, the culture of kindness is the only thing that has survived since the 60's, and that is counter to being hard-arzed tough ruthless team.

 

This has to change if we want the club/team to become what we desire. winners & ruthless at the game.

1 minute ago, DV8 said:

Yes but the key is the kids then learn from great players, within a winning competative culture/environment. from the masters.

This creates are strong culture that can last for some time.

 

We have struggled for such a long time, the culture of kindness is the only thing that has survived since the 60's, and that is counter to being hard-arzed tough ruthless team.

 

This has to change if we want the club/team to become what we desire. winners & ruthless at the game.

Good players mentor the young. 

We had none so no one learnt

 

13 hours ago, PaulRB said:

With GWS about to bloom into a full blown dynasty team, adding Sloan would improve our chances of matching them, with the addition of a top 3 midfielder in his prime. 

Having watched us lose two GFs in my life to superpower teams, we need to throw everything at improving this team to ensure we get the silverware this time.

Do it!

I'd rather nick a GWS mid from them. That'll certainly bring us closer to them.

Shiel, Coniglio, Whitfield or Kelly.

That said, priority one for us should be ensuring we hold onto what we've got.

8 hours ago, Ungarie boy said:

We keep banding names about as a given, but in reality, on current output, I'm not sure that midfield would scare a lot of teams.

Oliver is very good, Viney would struggle to be a top two midfielder in any of the top half teams.  Petracca, Salem and Brayshaw are not even regular midfielders let alone serviceable midfield component. Tyson would just be a good midfield component in top team (but not crucial).  Jones may be a starting midfielder in most teams, but is ageing.

Yes there is a lot of potential, but those words have existed since Daniher left. 

What we really have is a dominant third year player as our maquee midfielder, a couple of warriors in Viney and Jones; with Tyson as support.  So Sloane would be a very handy addition (he would be part of most teams top bracket midfielders).

Still top midfields tend to grow quickly and from nowhere,  it's not often they are bought; so there is hope for optimism.  Our likely growth is just as likely to result from an ANB, Harmes, Hannan or Spargo improving rapidly.

Yeah, I'm confident that by the end of 2018, if injury free, Petracca, Salem and Brayshaw will be a feared group, lead by Oliver and eventually Viney.

Didn't Rory tell Bernie "I am not your mate, Bernie"? Why would he want to join him then?

20 minutes ago, ickey_11 said:

Didn't Rory tell Bernie "I am not your mate, Bernie"? Why would he want to join him then?

Money, and a chance to win the flag.  Before he's done.

Also comes home to Vic.

 

He misses his long lost sister?

Mountain Air ?

On 3/21/2018 at 9:14 AM, A F said:

What does he provide that most of our mids don't already? Apart from an inability to break a tag...

He's meat and potatoes. That's it.

What does he provide we don't already have? A-Grade midfield depth. If he's getting tagged no one tags Viney, Oliver, Petracca etc. Or they tag one of them and he's able to roam free.

Meat and potato's? Yeah right. I'd have him in a heartbeat.

3 hours ago, Pates said:

What does he provide we don't already have? A-Grade midfield depth. If he's getting tagged no one tags Viney, Oliver, Petracca etc. Or they tag one of them and he's able to roam free.

Meat and potato's? Yeah right. I'd have him in a heartbeat.

Can’t have enough Midfield Depth

Viney is out long term. Someone else will go down at some stage. It’s red hot in the middle

4 hours ago, Pates said:

What does he provide we don't already have? A-Grade midfield depth. If he's getting tagged no one tags Viney, Oliver, Petracca etc. Or they tag one of them and he's able to roam free.

Meat and potato's? Yeah right. I'd have him in a heartbeat.

So you'd be prepared to pay top dollar for someone you call depth?

Okay. I wouldn't. That's not how you build a premiership list.

Edited March 24, 20187 yr by A F

On 21/03/2018 at 8:14 PM, A F said:

What does he provide that most of our mids don't already? Apart from an inability to break a tag...

He's meat and potatoes. That's it.

 

On 22/03/2018 at 7:38 AM, small but forward said:

Yep, don’t disagree. If we as a club want our boys to band together as a team for the common goal of a near term dynasty, a la Hawthorn, then Jake Lever was the high price gap filler - we’ll struggle to bring in another one (esp. a midfielder) without potentially losing the core players you’ve articulated because they’re payed unders as a result.

Lots of players have issues being tagged in the past, he isn’t the first and won’t be the last.

I just struggle to fathom why we wouldn’t have a serious crack. He’s in the top 5 mids in the comp playing at a level we can only hope our young mids can get too. 

Over paying for a B grader might cause conflict amongst the group. However I think our boys are cluey enough to realise Sloane is a gun.

Two B and F’s, all-Aus v/c, the players MVP for the first month last year ending fourth. Polled over 20 votes in the Brownlow for the last two years.

Get him

 

10 hours ago, A F said:

So you'd be prepared to pay top dollar for someone you call depth?

Okay. I wouldn't. That's not how you build a premiership list.

Sloane is not a depth player

On 23/03/2018 at 11:23 PM, A F said:

So you'd be prepared to pay top dollar for someone you call depth?

Okay. I wouldn't. That's not how you build a premiership list.

Did I say depth? No I said A-grade depth, meaning our midfield bats deeper with quality. I would pay top dollar to see our midfield have an extra A-grader (borderline star). 

OK Bernie,

You got his sister Shae - now get Rory.

 

Even if we did get Rory, i fear Bernie might not be around to play with him next year.

Hopefully we go hard at Sloane. As far as FA's go he is the pick of the bunch for us (fits our needs big time).

Yeah! well as much as I like Weekend at He can replace him next year!!

It’s worth getting him purely for Walker’s reaction. 

Definitely should be attempting to get him, hopeful we are at the point where someone like him will come for success rather than money. Much like danger to Geelong 

   Hes a great player and we need someone of his age profile (28)  with Lewis , Vince and to a lesser extent, Pedersen,  almost done. We will lose a ton of experience soon.

   I think getting his sister is a sign hes already committed to us.   It seems to obvious but with the talk that we have the cash to lure another big fish, the planets are aligning.

Maybe the best news breaker in the business,  @Ethan Tremblay knows more.

49 minutes ago, Petraccattack said:

   Hes a great player and we need someone of his age profile (28)  with Lewis , Vince and to a lesser extent, Pedersen,  almost done. We will lose a ton of experience soon.

   I think getting his sister is a sign hes already committed to us.   It seems to obvious but with the talk that we have the cash to lure another big fish, the planets are aligning.

Maybe the best news breaker in the business,  @Ethan Tremblay knows more.

I can reveal he has indicated he is willing to sign a contract and continue playing football. If he nominates the Dees as a free agent and Adelaide don’t match the offer, then the contract he signs will mean he plays for us. Stay tuned. 

Edited June 19, 20186 yr by Ethan Tremblay

1 hour ago, Ethan Tremblay said:

It’s worth getting him purely for Walker’s reaction. 

 

1 minute ago, Robot Devil said:

 

Delicious salty tears.