7 hours ago, Rodney (Balls) Grinter said:

If Sharp can mature and develop into the ANB mold, then I think we've done well out of trading ANB to the Crows.  Although I always saw early glimpses of potential in ANB, he didn't really start hitting his straps as an AFL footballer consistently until he had around 4 or 5 seasons under his belt.  Alot of that development work has been done with Sharp and if he can make the grade, then I like that we're continuing to rejuvenate the age profile of our list, without bottoming out and/or ending up with a glut of aging starts that would set us up for a big fall in the future.

In 2020 the club told ANB to look around.  He was a hard worker and well liked but was fumbly work the ball and unreliable

He turned his game around and became a huge mainstay of the team.

Sharp has a blueprint of how ANB plays and along with Langdon as a mentor and some'hurt' at missing  a GF could well hit his best in the next few years

12 hours ago, Big Col said:

What a cutting comment! Can you be more blunt than that?

That was a bit pointed!

12 hours ago, Adam The God said:

I'd love to try Caleb at half back too. In a quarterback role.

Are we starting a grid iron team?

Sharp is too good for Casey.  Competent on both sides of his body, clean hands, quick.  He has to be in our best 23 surely?  A very astute pick up indeed I feel.

9 hours ago, DubDee said:

So he can run a 2K with a split of 2:45

i didn’t know that was physically possible 

Wait until you see the guys who can do it for 2 hours, that will knock your socks off.

13 hours ago, Adam The God said:

I'd love to try Caleb at half back too. In a quarterback role.

I hope not - his best attribute is his speed and that may build into midfielder-like ‘drive from stoppage’ that makes it palatable to lose CP5 or CO13.

If he was ‘QB’ that puts him behind the stoppage and behind the ball with little room to run and move into. Bowey and Salem are perfectly able to do that and get the ball out of May’s ‘Hands of Molasses and Long Kicks to the Left’…

Sharp is more likely to play half forward and replace ANB as a hard working up and back type role.  His endurance and good pace should allow him to slot in for round 1 2025.  

2 minutes ago, spirit of norm smith said:

Sharp is more likely to play half forward and replace ANB as a hard working up and back type role.  His endurance and good pace should allow him to slot in for round 1 2025.  

His highlights suggest he spends more time in the forward line and running between the arcs, you are right. Looks like a very suitable ANB replacement and I wouldn't be surprised if he slots in round 1.

 

Worst case fills the spot left by Hunter.

Medium case fills the ANB role.

Best case becomes a gun running machine who breaks the lines with his ability. 

1 hour ago, rpfc said:

I hope not - his best attribute is his speed and that may build into midfielder-like ‘drive from stoppage’ that makes it palatable to lose CP5 or CO13.

If he was ‘QB’ that puts him behind the stoppage and behind the ball with little room to run and move into. Bowey and Salem are perfectly able to do that and get the ball out of May’s ‘Hands of Molasses and Long Kicks to the Left’…

Geelong have done very well with Holmes at half back just sprinting to space, it’s a valid use of speed to break forward presses and zones.

But I’d rather get form and fitness in to the 2 you named and Juddy. Maybe Howes and AMW too.

Speed from the stoppage is the dream, might be a couple of years before Caleb has the body for that though. I like trialling some of the half forward option to begin with and breaking zones open there.

Either way I hope there’s more than the wing for him. The wing is a great start but it means he’s getting the ball on the boundary half the time and there’s only so much value to that. 

36 minutes ago, layzie said:

Worst case fills the spot left by Hunter.

Medium case fills the ANB role.

Best case becomes a gun running machine who breaks the lines with his ability. 

If he fills Hunter's spot, that's a fail. Hunter was disinterested this year.

I think he has more upside than ANB, who was inconsistent from year to year.

4 minutes ago, mo64 said:

If he fills Hunter's spot, that's a fail. Hunter was disinterested this year.

I think he has more upside than ANB, who was inconsistent from year to year.

Well, he played 24 games last year so the club saw something in him. Or they were lying. 

6 minutes ago, layzie said:

Well, he played 24 games last year so the club saw something in him. Or they were lying. 

The acquisition and playing of Hunter in 2023 was a fail by the club. He was playing in the VFL for the Dogs in 2022 for a reason. And in 2024 he was a list clogger for us.

I see more of a future with Harry Sharp.

Harry Sharp is one of our MOST ASTUTE pick ups in a LOOOOOOOOOONG TIME. Will flourish in 2025!

24 minutes ago, mo64 said:

The acquisition and playing of Hunter in 2023 was a fail by the club. He was playing in the VFL for the Dogs in 2022 for a reason.

Not really true, he was dropped round 1 then came in late and was in the team until injury then came back via the VFL, but was there for their final rounds and final series when over injury. 2023 he played every game for us and was very good in our final against the blues. It didn't work out this year, but cost virtually nothing and filled a gap we had. 

Hopefully Sharp is the longer term option, and I think he'll be better long term, and I'm hopeful it'll allow Windsor to develop more inside than if he is seen as more of a pure wingman

1 hour ago, DeeSpencer said:

Geelong have done very well with Holmes at half back just sprinting to space, it’s a valid use of speed to break forward presses and zones.

But I’d rather get form and fitness in to the 2 you named and Juddy. Maybe Howes and AMW too.

Speed from the stoppage is the dream, might be a couple of years before Caleb has the body for that though. I like trialling some of the half forward option to begin with and breaking zones open there.

Either way I hope there’s more than the wing for him. The wing is a great start but it means he’s getting the ball on the boundary half the time and there’s only so much value to that. 

I think thinking positionally is a bit of carry over from a bygone era. We should look to ensure he is in space to receive and go at stoppage and at contest - if that means he is ‘wing’ or ‘HBF’ then whatever.

5 hours ago, jnrmac said:

In 2020 the club told ANB to look around.  He was a hard worker and well liked but was fumbly work the ball and unreliable

He turned his game around and became a huge mainstay of the team.

Sharp has a blueprint of how ANB plays and along with Langdon as a mentor and some'hurt' at missing  a GF could well hit his best in the next few years

2020 was an interesting season for ANB and the club as a whole.  Seem to remember him being cruelled by the AFL with what I regard as an excessive suspension for a sling takle early in the season, just as he'd worked his way into the side.  Vividly recall his last game in 2020 against Essendon at Carrara stadium - he played a ripper, which was a bit of a preview of his potential in seasons to come IMHO.

Will be interesting to see if Sharp can now step up and grab the opportunity that we will now provide him.  I know Brisbane have a feast of brilliant on ballers, but I think they also have some aging stars amoung that group, so part of me is a little surprised that they let him go for peanuts in some respects.  Guess there is a bit of a come home factor for Sharp as well, although from experience Brisbane is a great place to live and you'd think he'd be pretty happy up there.  Anyways I'm not complaining with the outcome for the MFC at this point.

50 minutes ago, mo64 said:

The acquisition and playing of Hunter in 2023 was a fail by the club. He was playing in the VFL for the Dogs in 2022 for a reason. And in 2024 he was a list clogger for us.

I see more of a future with Harry Sharp.

Fair enough, I see your point. 

56 minutes ago, mo64 said:

I think he has more upside than ANB, who was inconsistent from year to year.

Most players have some inconsistency to their performance year to year.

ANB was brilliant in 2021, 2024 (third B&F) and I don't recall him being horrible in 2022 or 2023, just maybe not smashing it every game.  His role also tends to go un-noticed.

I felt Fritsch was down a bit this season, as have been other acknowledged quality players like Bowey and Salem at points, but I don't think we'd be branding them as fickle.

To my mind that was the strength of ANB   He not only had the endurance to be able to do it, but also the will to run back and assist defensively.   Does Sharp run both ways?

3 hours ago, BW511 said:

Wait until you see the guys who can do it for 2 hours, that will knock your socks off.

Pfft, I can easily run 2k in 2hrs, with ot without socks.

It's interesting observing the fickleness of fans, whereby he is not rated by some (fine to have an opinion) and for those it's not enough that he was an emergency in the eventual premiers.

A little while ago, that would have been seen as progress!

Re: Sharp - My Brisbane supporting mate said the following;

I think he’s an AFL standard player who is probably 23rd-28th in line for a spot in our line up.  Lions rate him massively, best runner at the club.  Think you’re getting a good one tbh.  Sharp played a handful of games and was emergency for just about every other one in the last 2-3 years. Consistently just about our best VFL player.  Just victim of our list. He’s a winger for sure, but can play inside. Surprisingly tough. Query is on his kicking but it isn’t terrible.

 

1 hour ago, Red and Blue realist said:

Not really true, he was dropped round 1 then came in late and was in the team until injury then came back via the VFL, but was there for their final rounds and final series when over injury. 2023 he played every game for us and was very good in our final against the blues. It didn't work out this year, but cost virtually nothing and filled a gap we had. 

Hopefully Sharp is the longer term option, and I think he'll be better long term, and I'm hopeful it'll allow Windsor to develop more inside than if he is seen as more of a pure wingman

It's refreshing to read someone who bases opinion on facts rather than makes sweeping statements about a player's worth.