Well for what it’s worth Pickett rarely if ever abuses another poster which some do and will never go on my ignore list because I like opposing views even if I disagree strongly and on the Oliver situation I do.

My first reason is Clarrie didn’t seem to put any effort into staying but I accept that could be because he was summarily dismissed. But I doubt that. I doubt someone with Clarrie’s skill and age would have been sacked without an attempt by King to get to know him. I’m thinking Clarrie didn’t like the change from the safety of Goodwin and wasn’t much interested in staying and found it easier to run than fight.

Secondly I think Clarrie lost the playing group and as FandT said, they were happy to have him out.

Thirdly, and most instructively, there was no bidding war by other clubs for Clarrie. A future third rounder for someone of his pedigree? You don’t have to be Einstein to spot an issue particularly when you add the salary subsidy going to GWS. Whatever the reason for the outcome it is team first and I think we forgot this when Clarrie was allowed to stay as long as he did and sadly for no real return.

20 minutes ago, Slartibartfast said:

Well for what it’s worth Pickett rarely if ever abuses another poster which some do and will never go on my ignore list because I like opposing views even if I disagree strongly and on the Oliver situation I do.

My first reason is Clarrie didn’t seem to put any effort into staying but I accept that could be because he was summarily dismissed. But I doubt that. I doubt someone with Clarrie’s skill and age would have been sacked without an attempt by King to get to know him. I’m thinking Clarrie didn’t like the change from the safety of Goodwin and wasn’t much interested in staying and found it easier to run than fight.

Secondly I think Clarrie lost the playing group and as FandT said, they were happy to have him out.

Thirdly, and most instructively, there was no bidding war by other clubs for Clarrie. A future third rounder for someone of his pedigree? You don’t have to be Einstein to spot an issue particularly when you add the salary subsidy going to GWS. Whatever the reason for the outcome it is team first and I think we forgot this when Clarrie was allowed to stay as long as he did and sadly for no real return.

Agree.

Too many seem to forget that with Clarry and CP we finished 14th the last two years and had an unhappy locker room.

There just had to be change, or 14th or worse was staring us in the face again.

"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results"

I'd like to think our leaders are not insane.

PS: Yes the last two posts probably belong on the Farewell Clarry thread, so back to AJ.

Edited December 30, 2025Dec 30 by Redleg

22 minutes ago, Slartibartfast said:

Well for what it’s worth Pickett rarely if ever abuses another poster which some do and will never go on my ignore list because I like opposing views even if I disagree strongly and on the Oliver situation I do.

Exactly. PF is completely harmless.

Yes, he bags the hell out of certain players and coaches and yes, he types in capitals way too much, but he doesn’t insult other posters. He plays the ball, not the man, even if he oftentimes butchers the ball 😅

There are some on here who are deserving of criticism for stooping to personal insults. PF’s not one of them. Again… he’s harmless.

2 hours ago, Roost it far said:

He’s comparable to Kamdyn Macintosh at Richmond. A big strong body who is happy to be a bit player and follow coaches instructions for the benefit of the team. As others have said he won’t die wondering. We’ll wait and see if he’s good enough.

Sorry but that's a silly comparison.

5 senior games v 200+ games & 2 premierships

1 hour ago, Slartibartfast said:

Well for what it’s worth Pickett rarely if ever abuses another poster which some do and will never go on my ignore list because I like opposing views even if I disagree strongly and on the Oliver situation I do.

My first reason is Clarrie didn’t seem to put any effort into staying but I accept that could be because he was summarily dismissed. But I doubt that. I doubt someone with Clarrie’s skill and age would have been sacked without an attempt by King to get to know him. I’m thinking Clarrie didn’t like the change from the safety of Goodwin and wasn’t much interested in staying and found it easier to run than fight.

Secondly I think Clarrie lost the playing group and as FandT said, they were happy to have him out.

Thirdly, and most instructively, there was no bidding war by other clubs for Clarrie. A future third rounder for someone of his pedigree? You don’t have to be Einstein to spot an issue particularly when you add the salary subsidy going to GWS. Whatever the reason for the outcome it is team first and I think we forgot this when Clarrie was allowed to stay as long as he did and sadly for no real return.

Interesting observation!

1 hour ago, Ghostwriter said:

Exactly. PF is completely harmless.

Yes, he bags the hell out of certain players and coaches and yes, he types in capitals way too much, but he doesn’t insult other posters. He plays the ball, not the man, even if he oftentimes butchers the ball 😅

There are some on here who are deserving of criticism for stooping to personal insults. PF’s not one of them. Again… he’s harmless.

Do you want to be my press agent/ manager Ghosty? I pay in Red Bulls, Ciggies and high end Perfume!😂

The brute is not afraid of physical contact, that’s a big yes from me.

1 hour ago, picket fence said:

Do you want to be my press agent/ manager Ghosty? I pay in Red Bulls, Ciggies and high end Perfume!😂

Still too soon 😭

But the whole Judd thing is a perfect example of how benign you are. When it was first announced that Judd was leaving, a poster tagged you and said “Over to you, Picket Fence” as in, “have at her.” To this poster’s (likely) dismay (and that of a few others) you didn’t go down the “I told you so path.” You were kind and respectful and I appreciate that.

Back on-topic…

52 minutes ago, bluey said:

The brute is not afraid of physical contact, that’s a big yes from me.

I agree wholeheartedly with this. AJ isn’t a thug, but he’s definitely a brute. His on-field presence will be felt.

5 hours ago, Roost it far said:

He’s comparable to Kamdyn Macintosh at Richmond. A big strong body who is happy to be a bit player and follow coaches instructions for the benefit of the team. As others have said he won’t die wondering. We’ll wait and see if he’s good enough.

213 games played, two x premiership player and best first year player (at Richmond) Kamdyn McIntosh? Take the red and blue glasses off. Perhaps one of the more wilder comparisons I’ve had the pleasure of reading.

Edited December 31, 2025Dec 31 by Ethan Tremblay

We had a list that should have won more than one premiership. If AJ gets regular games (obviously, good on him), but we’re heading back to 2013 playing list days where the list had a bit of a scrap heap challenge flair to it.

2 hours ago, bluey said:

The brute is not afraid of physical contact, that’s a big yes from me.

King's Birthday 2026

Our new on- ball tag team V "The Filth"

Jack Little said WOW!

Edited December 31, 2025Dec 31 by Tarax Club

5 hours ago, Cranky Franky said:

Sorry but that's a silly comparison.

5 senior games v 200+ games & 2 premierships

Give him time 😀

On 28/12/2025 at 12:33, Rodney (Balls) Grinter said:

I actually agree with you on all accounts PF. I totally rate Tom Campbell as well, but you could take the view that as a 34 yo who's not going to develop for the future and didn't play an AFL game last year he is more of a clogger than AJ, who potentially has something like 5-8+ years ahead of him as a useful AFL player and who did contribute meaningfully to the on-field performance of the team at an AFL level when he got his chance last season. That was the point I was making with Tom.

Asides from just the 'insurance for Max' factor, I also believe Tom Campbell was of significant development value to the team last year.

Can't wait to see what The Moose can do over the next few years. Hopefully he'll really grab the opportunity with both hands and take his game to the next level, because as much as I see great potential, I'm also worried it could also go the other way and he could end up being an average VFL ruckman who didn't quite make it if things don't click.

So basically, if we have JvR and checkers locked in, it is Jeff V Moose V AJ V TC for the supporting role in the forward line.

I like the way that AJ plays and the physicality he delivers, but he did leave a few goals hanging by not having sufficient skills when it counted.

In my view, I believe that a stronger and fitter Jeff could find the right stuff this year. His forward movement/craft and skills are at the required level – he really just needs some belief.

As far as moose V TC goes, I think a few people have noted that TC is dominating the Ruck duels this preseason – knock me over with a feather! TC would dominate most AFL rucks in wrestling. I just don’t think he has a lot of other strings to his bow.

I MV they should’ve kept TC on as another coach, and retained Verrall to compete with moose as I don’t believe believe rucks develop their strength before the age of 25.

Edited December 31, 2025Dec 31 by DiscoStu17

12 hours ago, DiscoStu17 said:

So basically, if we have JvR and checkers locked in, it is Jeff V Moose V AJ V TC for the supporting role in the forward line.

I like the way that AJ plays and the physicality he delivers, but he did leave a few goals hanging by not having sufficient skills when it counted.

In my view, I believe that a stronger and fitter Jeff could find the right stuff this year. His forward movement/craft and skills are at the required level – he really just needs some belief.

As far as moose V TC goes, I think a few people have noted that TC is dominating the Ruck duels this preseason – knock me over with a feather! TC would dominate most AFL rucks in wrestling. I just don’t think he has a lot of other strings to his bow.

I MV they should’ve kept TC on as another coach, and retained Verrall to compete with moose as I don’t believe believe rucks develop their strength before the age of 25.

Moose and Jeffo will play round 1 if fit, A.J at Casey, lock it in! Kentfield the smokey!

Edited December 31, 2025Dec 31 by picket fence

13 hours ago, DiscoStu17 said:

So basically, if we have JvR and checkers locked in, it is Jeff V Moose V AJ V TC for the supporting role in the forward line.

I like the way that AJ plays and the physicality he delivers, but he did leave a few goals hanging by not having sufficient skills when it counted.

In my view, I believe that a stronger and fitter Jeff could find the right stuff this year. His forward movement/craft and skills are at the required level – he really just needs some belief.

As far as moose V TC goes, I think a few people have noted that TC is dominating the Ruck duels this preseason – knock me over with a feather! TC would dominate most AFL rucks in wrestling. I just don’t think he has a lot of other strings to his bow.

I MV they should’ve kept TC on as another coach, and retained Verrall to compete with moose as I don’t believe believe rucks develop their strength before the age of 25.

Agree there is competition for that spot, which is great. I'm going off a small sample size, but from what I saw of marking contest work between AJ and Jeffo, AJ won a fair few. I actually thought he is considerably shorter than Jeffo, but 193cm Vs 195cm isn't much of a difference really.

The other thing I'd add into the mix is form and injuries. Having AJ in the mix gives us another reason not to throw Petty forward for extended periods, which I think we need. Which could spawn another question about competition for our key defensive posts, with all of May, Lever, T Mac, Disco, Adams and Petty to pick from, but that's another discussion again. Bring on the practice matches to give us a better glimpse of how things might line up I say.

On another point you raised, given we have a guy in TC capable of adequately competing in the ruck, do we get more proactive with the management of Gawn throughout the season? P.S. I haven't seen that much of TC in recent times to know what his around the ground type presence and maybe that's where the calculation has been made previously.

Edited December 31, 2025Dec 31 by Rodney (Balls) Grinter

19 hours ago, Tarax Club said:

King's Birthday 2026

Our new on- ball tag team V "The Filth"

Jack Little said WOW!

Which one is A.J?

1 hour ago, Rodney (Balls) Grinter said:

Agree there is competition for that spot, which is great. I'm going off a small sample size, but from what I saw of marking contest work between AJ and Jeffo, AJ won a fair few. I actually thought he is considerably shorter than Jeffo, but 193cm Vs 195cm isn't much of a difference really.

The other thing I'd add into the mix is form and injuries. Having AJ in the mix gives us another reason not to throw Petty forward for extended periods, which I think we need. Which could spawn another question about competition for our key defensive posts, with all of May, Lever, T Mac, Disco, Adams and Petty to pick from, but that's another discussion again. Bring on the practice matches to give us a better glimpse of how things might line up I say.

On another point you raised, given we have a guy in TC capable of adequately competing in the ruck, do we get more proactive with the management of Gawn throughout the season? P.S. I haven't seen that much of TC in recent times to know what his around the ground type presence and maybe that's where the calculation has been made previously.

Agree R(B)G, that backline coverage of talls is very strong for ‘26 and with JvR & Mihocek Plus Heath, Jefferson, Kentfield and AJ all pushing for that 3rd tall spot it is going to be a very exciting time for us Dee supporters, if 2-3 really light it up it will get the supporters back through the gates.

58 minutes ago, picket fence said:

Which one is A.J?

To find the answer for that question Picket you may need commune with the Demon Spirit at the Casey Fields Reservation. Feathers might fly with Jai 'Cochise' Culley searching for a breakthrough, Captain 'Jefferson' Parmenter leading the young forwards forward and Kentfield the smokey!

16 hours ago, DiscoStu17 said:

So basically, if we have JvR and checkers locked in, it is Jeff V Moose V AJ V TC for the supporting role in the forward line.

I like the way that AJ plays and the physicality he delivers, but he did leave a few goals hanging by not having sufficient skills when it counted.

In my view, I believe that a stronger and fitter Jeff could find the right stuff this year. His forward movement/craft and skills are at the required level – he really just needs some belief.

As far as moose V TC goes, I think a few people have noted that TC is dominating the Ruck duels this preseason – knock me over with a feather! TC would dominate most AFL rucks in wrestling. I just don’t think he has a lot of other strings to his bow.

I MV they should’ve kept TC on as another coach, and retained Verrall to compete with moose as I don’t believe believe rucks develop their strength before the age of 25.

If they don't play a second ruck as the 5th player on the bench (probably only on some games depending on conditions and opponents), that means that another on field player has to do the relief ruck role. Jeffo couldn't do it and I don't want JVR, Petty or Turner to do it so you either go for someone like Johnson or play a losing ruck and get Culley, Langford or Steele to compete, with an extra on baller.

A good depth player (one you'd realistically hope doesn't play much, as it means the younger guys are taking their chances)

Good value for pick 60 odd really. Most in that draft range never even play 1 game.

On 31/12/2025 at 11:58, Cranky Franky said:

Sorry but that's a silly comparison.

5 senior games v 200+ games & 2 premierships

22 hours ago, Ethan Tremblay said:

213 games played, two x premiership player and best first year player (at Richmond) Kamdyn McIntosh? Take the red and blue glasses off. Perhaps one of the more wilder comparisons I’ve had the pleasure of reading.

Macintosh was a role player who worked his butt off and sacrificed for the team. That’s the comparable player we have in size, strength and likely role in Johnson. As I said in my initial post…..if he’s good enough. Nowhere am I comparing games played as a marker but I’m glad you could find something to ping at…..keep up the good work chaps.

21 minutes ago, Roost it far said:

Macintosh was a role player who worked his butt off and sacrificed for the team. That’s the comparable player we have in size, strength and likely role in Johnson. As I said in my initial post…..if he’s good enough. Nowhere am I comparing games played as a marker but I’m glad you could find something to ping at…..keep up the good work chaps.

If you can't take criticism then don't post.

There is no logic to "a role player who worked his butt off & sacrificed for the team" covers most players & you are comparing a virtually untried forward ruckman to a veteran defender/wingman.

Only similarity is their baldness.

You may as well have compared Bill Laurie to Harris Andrews.

12 minutes ago, Cranky Franky said:

If you can't take criticism then don't post.

There is no logic to "a role player who worked his butt off & sacrificed for the team" covers most players & you are comparing a virtually untried forward ruckman to a veteran defender/wingman.

Only similarity is their baldness.

You may as well have compared Bill Laurie to Harris Andrews.

Bill Laurie ( Lawry) is a better bat than Harris Andrews though!

2 hours ago, picket fence said:

Bill Laurie ( Lawry) is a better bat than Harris Andrews though!

Yes but Andrews is the better bowler.

3 hours ago, Roost it far said:

Macintosh was a role player who worked his butt off and sacrificed for the team. That’s the comparable player we have in size, strength and likely role in Johnson. As I said in my initial post…..if he’s good enough. Nowhere am I comparing games played as a marker but I’m glad you could find something to ping at…..keep up the good work chaps.

Most players outside of your very best are role players. The word has become a bit cliched in AFL circles.

McIntosh finished top 5 in the B&F in a premiership year. A great finish for a wingman.

Johnson is a VFL player who may get a few AFL games. 32+ players get to pull on the guernsey.