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Prior to the start of last season I predicted freo as the bolter, and possible top 4 chance. They looked rhe goods too before falling away. Part of my confidence was based on a sense Longmuire was following goody's template in terms of development and game plan (with some tweaks eg switch and outside run) - and he also has a similar temperament and approach I still think they are on the right track. They should make the 8 - they have an ok draw, and have a pretty easy opening 6 or so games, which gives them a chance of banking critical early wins. But one divergence from the goody template is the recruitment or Jackson. The golden rule is you draft for premierships - and only add star recruits to address a specific gap in order to go to the next level. Lynch to tbe tigers is a good example. Our equivalent is Lever and May. We were no chance of winning a flag without sorting our defence, which meant their recruitment made perfect sense and would have ruffled zero feathers within the team - and only minor ruffling with fans. What rarely happens however, is a team building towards being a genuine contender adding a really high priced recruit part way through the development phase who doesn't fill a a specific, and obvious gap that needs to be filled to win a flag. Doing so risks team cohesion as a new superstar salary impacts every other player on the list come contract negotiation time. And also plays havoc with tbe overall balancing of the salary cap. Recruiting a star also raises fan expectations - and if they are not met pressure builds. I wonder if Jackson is just such a recruit. I really don't see him being a massive game changer for them this season. Don't get me wrong, I think he will be a star. And may end up being a big factor in a premiership win. But freo aren't desperate for a ruck. To win a flag tbey need at least one elite big forward and at least one big bodied mid. Jackson's contract is going to make it hard to trade any such players. And if freo lose early games, his teammates and freo fans might start questioning the decision to put so many eggs in the Jackson basket. And if that happens angst can infect the club and Jackson risks becoming the loci of that angst. Which heaps note pressure on him. And grumbles about how much he is being paid and his performance start feeding in creating a mutant version of tbe virtuos cycle - the dreaded angst cycle. Jackson is now in the ultimate footy fiah bowl. If the wheels start wobbling the pressure on him will be immense. Bring it round one sainters.

My pre season intensity went up a few notch’s last night. My wife booked plane tickets to Melbourne for rd 3 Swans rd 6 Tigers rd 12 Pies Can’t wait!

With you all the way with this one @binman! Freo has some serious young talent, which needed to be complemented to get them to the next stage. Have they done that or have they just been star struck by the prospect of the young talented Jackson? What does he add when they have a lot of negatives from their trade period? While they have an excellent ruck in Darcy, they gave away Meek, a 24 year old 203cm ruckman, and Lobb another 207cm ruck, who was their leading goalkicker(36) for the season. So is Jackson an upgrade on what these two already offered? They lost Mundy to retirement, who despite his age, was a genuine contributor in the middle. Will O'Meara be an upgrade on him? Not by a lot, at the very best. Fyfe was unable to get on the park last year with multiple hamstrings and a shoulder injury. That's what happens too often over 30...Tabener their other main forward also turns 30 this year, after playing only 5 games. To get to the big dance you need your absolute best on the park. You need to inject talent which will fill the gaps and push you to the next level. The danger for Freo is that they may have achieved neither.

Fremantle have a very strong developing list but the biggest dangers that they face are cultural/above the shoulders. Are they a young team, who made a big leap last year, who think that it will ‘just happen’ for them in 2023? (See MFC 2001, 2003, 2005,2019 and Carlton seemingly every year) To afford their big signing, have they lost too many solid role players? How does the group feel about the players they let go to accommodate a high priced recruit? How does the group feel about their own pay cheques with a largely unproven new teammate?

Imagine the meltdown on here if we were to lose to Woodville-West Torrens

Happy with a preseason practice match against the Tigers. We last took them on in a preseason game in 2021 (albeit that it was an unofficial game at Casey Fields) when they were the reigning premiers and we won narrowly to set the scene for our premiership. Encore!

It's pretty obvious that we recruited him because we were confident he was over his personal issues and that we were recruiting an historically very good player. Afterall, he's only just turned 28 and is smack bang in the middle of his prime. I've watched plenty of Hunter over the years and his ''normal'' is one of the best wingman in the league. An A-grade wingman. It's hardly a stretch to think he plays to his normal in a new environment where he feels refreshed. Having seen the last 2 training sessions he's been the standout along with Pickett and Viney. My eyes are confirming what commonsense tells me.

Maybe using the term "Death riding" in the Title should be changed. I am not woke, but it's a pretty heavy and poor word choice imo. I am sure there are plenty of alternative words like " failure" or "wooden spoon" or just "poor year" or whatever. The Eagles have just lost a player's mother in an accident and their are killings everywhere, so maybe I am being overly sensitive, but surely another word could be used.

A lot of people made mistakes with the hubs. Harvey was not the lone ranger. A VFL list is not an AFL list anyway. Good luck to him if he wants to take his life in this direction

This is one of those little background worries for me. Thankfully not one I expect to see intensify for years. I feel like we have some of the best vice-captains and leaders from within the group which any club could hope for. On a level with peak Geelong or Hawthorn. Standards are set, communicated, demonstrated and enforced right through the team. Light shines into every corner. So, with all that, why am I worried? I just get this feeling like no specific individual after Gawn is quite the full match for a captaincy. All these great leaders we have, their styles and personalities support each other and that may be disturbed if one is made Captain. If I had to pick one, I'd say Brayshaw is most likely to be able to consciously reshape his behaviour to suit the role. That's the key feature; that conscious choice to change, the humility and will to become what is needed is what made Gawn the outstanding captain he is. And, pardon my misty eyes here, it is explicitly the legacy of Jim Stynes and the practises of the Reach foundation

As mentioned previously, rehab consisted of Max Gawn, J Smith, AMW (looks laboured in his running) and Jake Lever. Max put in about 45 mins of light running and short passes without any venom in the kicking action and then disappeared into the rooms. I overheard Caitlin Nobes telling Tom Brown that Gawn’s hammy isn’t too bad. She also politely asked the CH 7 cameraman to not broadcast any of the recordings he’d done prior to her coming over. Adams and Verall doing some conditioning work and skills/positioning activities but did not join main group. All coaches in attendance apart from Choco Williams. Chaplin particularly vocal and demonstrative. Warm ups consisted of handball keeping’s off drills and then some end-to-end full ground overlap drills. Skills were okay in this but without any pressure I wasn’t expecting to see so many missed kicks and ordinary handballs. Main offender was Bailey Laurie in my opinion but there were several others. Match SIM then started with blues and whites. I couldn’t discern who was the first and second string groups were and they eventually switched it up anyway. Highlights - Jefferson has great hands and a well timed leap. He received praise from teammates and coaches on a few occasions. Pickett OMG he is sublime. Just cruises effortlessly when he has the ball and then cranks up his attack on the opponent when he doesn’t. Viney is in for a career best year based on what I saw today. In everything. Chandler will play plenty of footy this year if he can translate his training form into the heat of a game. Tomlinson was terrific down back and fair ripping it into anyone who was not doing what was required. Hibberd also very creative and was the main architect with switching the play across half back. BBB also performed strongly this morning and moved well. Howes looks a player. Lowlights - Laurie I thought was poor. Mainly handballs at teammates feet. Harmes lacked involvement in the match sim. Melky pulled out of match sim and ran a few 200m and was in discussions with staff about some niggle. Oliver was in real discomfort with that hand. He was point to the top part of his hand just below the wrist. I was thinking the worst given the carry on he was animating. Once he returned to the field he went straight back into match sim and got nicely winded but the hand seemed to be okay. Watch this space. Summary: Overall I was relatively impressed with the session. Grundy was moving well and the forward entry looked sharper with an obvious focus on neat entry into the 30m hotspot. There was a few Joe the Goose goals during the sim so it may be something in planning to create more of those opportunities. Melbourne traffic sucks. If I was a player I would quickly start to loathe the drive to Casey. No snakes seen. Any questions let me know and I’ll try to provide insight. Cheers 🍻

Good news everyone, I found my crystal ball and you can take out a second mortgage and put the house on my predictions. No seriously I was reading the Death Riding thread, and I thought it would be fun to predict other teams likely to fall from the 8. (This also supposes teams below them improve, not a given). For mine, the top 4 will all be in the 8 next year, I genuinely believe we have recruited well and our forward craft will improve. We survived our 'tall poppy' year of media sniping the coach and board room shenanigans (thanks so much ex prez). Geelong from the top 4 is closest to dropping out of top 4, but not going to hold my breath, I think they rely on Tom Stewart, the same way Salem is integral for the Dee's distribution off HB. I think we can now cover Salem going down better than they can cope with the loss of Stewart, I just don't think the Cats bat as deep as we do, and will be susceptible to injuries after such a brilliant '22 campaign (yes I feel dirty typing that), but they are brilliantly coached (Scott demonstrated his willingness to throw away his game plan and change everything in a single off season (and did what we did with the wings) and have a beautiful game, MFC v GFC will be one the heavy weight games next season. People picking Collingwood to fall because they 'tin ar$ed' some close finishes are dreaming, brilliant run, unified team, the Daicos's play like they have a PS5 cheat code, excellent defense and transition, smart coach, and on the other side of that salary cap debacle. They do need Sidebottom to have a good season though now Pendlebury and Grundy have left. I do think however that Grawny will monster them and we'll do them over with better conversion. Swans are not going anywhere unless the sky falls on Horse (and I hope it doesn't). Anyway this is about who is going to fall from Heaven... Richmond to fall like Lucifer, the media narrative around Dusty is not sustained by facts, he has had some devastating injuries, Messi, who just had the world's best Indian summer has never had the damage Dusty has, he might be fit, but he has a catalogue of soft tissue injuries that are going to cruel him the way Wayne Carey fell off, the instincts/skill will be there but the execution will fail. And even with adding Hopper and Taranto (they recruit well) I see defensive gaps, Grimes is not properly fit and nothing in Grimes pre season suggests he is going to come back as the gun defender he has been. I don't see the defensive ability that they had during their premiership years. Also teams that are not in contention for the 8 or on the border of it will all take more games from the top 8 teams this year, much shorter gap between the haves and have nots. Fremantle my second tip to drop from the 8, though they don't really inspire great emotion in anyone except in their supporters do they? As @Binman wrote in the death riding thread, Jackson just doesn't seem to make the sense he would to other sides with what they (Freo) had already, and what he brings, he's not kicking 50. They have the worst attack and I think are undersized for repeat finals campaigns. They rely on the brilliant, brave, Brayshaw too much, he's become a bit of Cripps, everyone jumps on his back. Fyfe who I adore, is not going to become a 40 goal player either, If I take my rose-coloured glasses off, I don't see the explosiveness into space that he will need with the leg injuries he has had. Would love to be wrong about Fyfe, through no fault of his own he has not had the career I had hoped he would have. I expect early wins from Freo but by the bye falling away. Lions despite their really good attack, I think this club has a leadership vacuum on field that will affect 2023, not just because Zorko is a nong I don't like, but because I don't get the impression that his team mates like him that much either. When I look at the last 20 years of premiers, the Captains really stand out, would you put Zorko next to a Gawn, Cotchin, Hurn, Mitchell, Hodge, Maxwell, Voss, even Murphy, you get my drift. Of those to replace Zorko, Harris's record as a clutch player is not there, Lachie is a gun without a doubt, but not a leader and when he's tagged out of a game, doesn't compensate. Dunkley might be a good choice for 2024 though. Anyway 2023 is their '2019', I am predicting Brissey to have one down year, with some pressure on the coach but I think 2024 will be a much better year for them. They have recruited really well and will 'surprise' everyone with a 2024 when Ashcroft and Fletcher have a big impact. They are 3rd team i see as a good chance to miss. The Dogs ... I know some folks think Beveridge has lost the plot, about to lose the plot or is otherwise NQR, but I see a team that has addressed some structural deficiencies very well with it's recruiting. Liam Jones will do wonders for the Dogs, If I was a Carlton fan I would be bleeding. Jones more than covers for Easton Woods. They have experience coping with the departure of key players, they recruit well, the big unknown is which Libba turns up, he needs to be on, if his mindset is not right they won't match the other gun midfields, but on balance I see the dogs more likely to stay up than the other 3 teams highlighted. The contenders I am bullish on the Suns if they get a fair crack with injury. Power, a good draw, some good recruits, not too many injuries like last year, they are not as bad a team as the form of 2022 suggests. I think Hinkley has good support although his game day stuff could improve. Never going to be premiers but 8-5 is their natural range. I suppose I have to say Carlton is a prospect, on paper they look good and I think Voss will fix the stuff between the ears. Not really interested in writing why they are good they just annoy me so much. My top 8 - (not attached to finishing position) Melbourne Geelong Cats Sydney Swans Collingwood Western Bulldogs Carlton Port Adelaide Gold Coast Suns The Ladder - Bold are my locks for the 8, italics are the sliders. 1 Geelong Cats 22 72 144.2 18 4 0 2146 1488 2 Melbourne 22 64 130.5 16 6 0 1936 1483 3 Sydney Swans 22 64 127.9 16 6 0 2067 1616 4 Collingwood 22 64 104.3 16 6 0 1839 1763 5 Fremantle 22 62 117 15 6 1 1739 1486 6 Brisbane Lions 22 60 119.3 15 7 0 2147 1799 7 Richmond 22 54 121.6 13 8 1 2165 1780 8 Western Bulldogs 22 48 108.9 12 10 0 1973 1812 9 Carlton 22 48 108.3 12 10 0 1857 1714 10 St Kilda 22 44 99.3 11 11 0 1703 1715 11 Port Adelaide 22 40 110.3 10 12 0 1806 1638 12 Gold Coast Suns 22 40 102.8 10 12 0 1871 1820 13 Hawthorn 22 32 89.8 8 14 0 1787 1991 14 Adelaide Crows 22 32 86.7 8 14 0 1721 1986 15 Essendon 22 28 83.2 7 15 0 1737 2087 16 GWS Giants 22 24 84.6 6 16 0 1631 1927 17 WC Eagles 22 8 59.8 2 20 0 1429 2389 18 Nth Melbourne 22 8 55.8 2 20 0 1337 2397 2397

Last time we had a praccy against Richmond THEY requested Casey, to be able to play on MCG sized oval.

Not sure if full time professional athletes going up against part time athletes who work full time is appropriate preparation.... I'd prefer the solid hitout against an AFL club. 1 game only.

according to Sportsbet Freo are around even money to make the 8 with 8 teams shorter odds. Port and Carlton could well displace them this could be a beautiful draft hand we have this year. and coming off winning our second flag, who can stop us?!

Or, as they're saying in MCC circles, "Harley unlikely".

I'm in this camp as well, I was so excited to have him at the club and felt like he was getting to a good place. He was always going to be in the last gasp saloon, I did think Goodwin's comments about his fitness/endurance was the most damning thing, not the breach of covid curfew. He was never going to be a guy that handled lockdown well. I truly wish him well.

Well, I am woke and I was one of the first Death Riders… I think it’s fine. And I can come up with worse too…

You should be able to get a park easily on Alexandra Ave near Punt Rd if you arrive by 9am. Then walk over Morell pedestrian Bridge to Goschs. That's where I parked on Wed of last week

Normally wingers that stay on a fixed wing get to spend two quarters close to the interchange bench. But due to Langdon's elite fitness he would always be furthest from the bench. That meant he got to play two quarters on the side that allowed him to kick more naturally into the corridor (when we were kicking to the left of screen) and he seemed to hit more targets and make better decisions. I noticed when we were kicking to the right of screen, when Ed couldn't cut in to use his right foot more expansively, he would use either a banana/check-side, or a dinky chip with the outside of his foot. I haven't gone back and studied the tapes, but anecdotally it seems like he was caught holding the ball or turned it over more frequently when we kicked to the right. Anyway, I remember an article or video that mentioned Langdon would get to play on the right side now, as Hunter as great endurance too and given he is a left footer there wouldn't be an issue for him being on the far side when we kick to the right of screen.

I think there is too much wishful thinking about Freo declining this year. Unfortunately, I think they will be around top 4-6, which will spoil our draft hand a bit. I think anything below 6 will be a bonus for our draft chances. And worse, I also think Jacko will have a pretty good year.

Who'd've Happy pedant?

Great analysis. I wouldn't have Salem as a lock. Bowey, Brayshaw and Rivers are all stiff competition as high half backs. Hunter is likely but not a lock IMO. He is an upgrade if he can be his best, but his games played and numbers were down last year. Let's see how he fits before calling him a lock. ANB is not a lock for mine. He needs to be better in front of goal. Sparrow is likely given he has greater versatility than others to play midfield and forward. Harmes is also probably likely also, although the addition of Hunter makes it harder for Jordon and Harmes this year. Howes still looks to slight for me to be truly contending. I'm a fan of his potential, but round 1 seems unlikely. I see Laurie as a real longshot. Of the Could Elevate grouping, I think Turner is the most likely and if he takes a step, it could see Petty pushed forward. Fat Tony's Groupings Locks (12): May, Petracca, Grundy, Viney, Lever, Brayshaw, Gawn, Oliver, Langdon, Fritsch, Petty, Pickett Likely (4): Salem, Hunter, ANB, Sparrow Contending (11): JVR, Harmes, Spargo, Hibberd, Bowey, Jordon, Rivers, TMac, J.Smith, , Chandler, Brown Could elevate (4): Woewodin, McVee, D.Turner, Howes Break Glass (4): Melksham, Schache, Tomlinson, Dunstan Developing (8): Laurie, Jefferson, Adams, Verrall, D.Smith, Sestan, Faris-White, AMW

It's not the 2018-19 Hunter we have. He has trailed off a fair bit in recent years. Was dropped by the dogs last year No question on his ability but let's see if he has the mentality, focus and drive to earn a spot and keep it

Longmuir needs to change up their game plan. He followed our template last year but as we know by the end of last season teams had it worked out. Will be interesting to see how they will change it up. He’s a smart coach so I reckon he’ll adapt his approach. A loss to St Kilda round 1, Lyon will be eager to get one over on them. Some injuries, loss of confidence. Seasons can turn peear-shaped quite easily with a bit of bad luck. Hoping Freo don’t have the rub of the green at all this year. Do we have any practitioner of the dark voodoo arts on DL. Some witchcraft maybe. We should investigate a collective hex of some description for the dockers.

What a great day. Watched the boys go around at Casey. Caught up with an old girlfriend at the Botanical Hotel (had a chat with Gil there too) and slipped back to her place in South Yarra for some dessert. Reckon I’ll sleep well tonight. 😊💪

I think Jamie is a bit old for a comeback now...

Interesting hearing him talk about his love for the tactical side of the game and then mentioning the the way Melbourne go about it which he wasn't use to. I'm really starting to look forward to him and Langdon as a weapon. Teams last year put a lot of work into negating EL, I can see oppo coaches being faced with a dilemma if Hunter returns to his best on the other wing.

I think Tommo is the classic almost footballer 'dazz' Hasn't been able to nail down a position but been in the system coming up 11 seasons. Turning 30 later in the season, I guess it's now or never for him.

I went down and it was locked out for first hour but could see through fence then allowed in. Max Gawn ran laps — it looks like a 3 to 4 week injury. Andy Moniz-Wakefield ran laps. Blake Howes was taken off late as was on restricted minutes. Adam Tomlinson loudest on track and a leader - surprised me but won't be in best 25. Jake Lever on bike and walking up n down stairs, yelling out as he does. Melky copped a niggle so ran laps but is in amazing nick. Think he and Hibbo play Rd 1, Hibbo always surprises how well he still goes. Grundy and Brown need to go for marks and not just tap to mids at times. Gawn a lot better than Grundy, significant but last 3yrs tells you that. Clarry went off with a hand injury and came back on. Hope it's not related to last year Our mids look fit, Viney, Trac & Harmes. They will dominate again Bayley Fristch will have another great year, just reads it so well Trent Burgoyne didn't do a lot to notice Kozzie Pickett will play a lot of midfield, goody push him along, he looks amazing and training in there Tom McDonald in full training and forward, Petty back. Not many injuries and we are fit so lots of positivity to be had. U just want to be fit this time of year Matt Jefferson will be a player, took some nice grabs. Think Fritter and Jeremy Cameron for who he is like. Two years away. We are so mature and train well and physically strong, no doubt a Top 8 team when you watch them. Good voice n leadership Angus Brayshaw looks good but doesn't stand out. He is a match day gun though Lachie Hunter will be handy, he cheats out to space well Questions remain - can Kozzie give midfield more creativity but at what expense up forward Tom McDonald always important to us so if he plays does JvR miss? I don't think Goody knows who plays yet in key forward roles, I like JvR and McDonald and a bit of Gawn - no Brown. Will give good movement and contests and defensive work, plus Fritta Can u play Brown, Grundy and Gawn? I don't think so. Are Laurie and Spargo, Nibbler & Melky good enough to allow Kozzie to play mid or good enough anyhow to create a better mid forward connection on last year? Not sold on it We need a fit Lever. Can Rivers and Bowey step up? Hard to see Jordan playing if Hunter plays Can't see Woey getting a game as mids and wings bat deep Goin to see alot of same players, hopefully JvR plays but hard to see many other youngsters stepping up so can goody find the players motivation and some strategy improvements as with TMac (Brown or Grundy misses) that same team should win another flag in talent but also went 6-6 on way home and lost 2 finals. Fingers crossed, go dee's. well worth trying to get to training, it's good to see our elite athletes, everything is timed to the second and micro analysed with cameras drones etc

I have a bit of a different take on Lever - love his work but I get the impression some players may not take him seriously - he is a bit of a different cat I reckon. Viney is obvious but reckon he has found his niche as the perfect VC Now he has a long term contract I think Gus would be a good heir apparent- he portrays as mature, articulate and I think would handle the additional pressure that Trac may not. All guesswork really.

The above highlights that we have better depth going into 2023. Grundy as extra ruck. Tall forwards with JVR close last year and now another pre season of improvement and Schache better back up than Weid. Hunter coming in gives greater flexibility around usage of Brayshaw & Jordan. Looking at backline options, it looks rock solid. Tomlinson will be much better this year, so if one of May, Lever or Petty unavailable he will provide better coverage. Smaller backs look well and truly covered with Brayshaw and JJ available if multiple unavailable. The challenge is for two of ANB, Spargo, Sparrow, Harmes, Chandler, maybe JJ to find 10 goals more a season, so basically a goal a week combined to boost the forward line. Our midfield, wings, ruck also need to be adding a goal or two a week, you look at the talent - Gawn, Grundy, Oliver, Petracca, Viney, Brayshaw, Hunter & Langdon is the best in the league and they need to also step up their influence going forward. Trac kicks straighter and there is 10 plus to start! Across the team find 2-3 extra goals per week, defence maybe a goal tighter and percentage is up 20~25%, and we won’t be losing too many matches in that scenario! 17-5 or better season, top 4 likely 2 finish and a red hot crack at the flag in September!

Dustin’ off the cobwebs …

I think I just heard Dwayne Russell on SEN say all "official" practice games like this one will be on Foxtel/Kayo. I expect any unoffical games we play against other AFL clubs will be streamed on the AFL site.

Fantastic post Biman and great coomet on Freo developing,, and esp the second half Jackson observations. But....My thought on a Freo slide is less thought out and based mainly on the old story of the Aust cricket team. If a new player comes in - who do you drop? If Freo stays in, I can't envision any of Cats, Dees Lions, Pies, Swans, Tiges slipping out.

Hope he gets his life back together, but he burnt us so he’s not going to have anything to do with us again.

Question for those that understand the role/s of modern wingers and terminology such as fat side wing / defensive wing etc. My understanding was that: 1. We took the ball from defence (eg a kick in) on the defensive side (Brayshaw / Jordon side). We were setup so that we may not move the ball quickly but it would be harder for teams to win the ball and generate repeat attacks (as predictable as it became). 2. Langdon always played on the far side wing due to his elite endurance. This allowed for additional midfield rotations but meant that we didn't take into account the preferred kicking foot of him or the other winger/s. If Hunter is in the team and able to perform close to his ability / potential, does that mean it won't be so clear cut in terms of the attacking side? Will neither of them be a defensive winger? Will Langdon still always be on the far side wing?

Am I the only one that would prefer that there were no pre-season practice matches against other AFL sides? I like the idea of going into Round 1 with every team's supporters having their hopes sky high because none have been disappointed by practice match results. I'm happy for AFL teams to play practice matches against VFL (or SANFL, etc) teams. I expect that teams might be a bit rustier come Round 1, but everyone is in the same boat so I don't see that particular issue being a problem. And I'm not sure one formal practice match does much to condition players anyway.

My guess was pretty ordinary.

I'd take 3 with this list and probably pull even with our arch enemies Collingwood on 15, 1 behind Carlton and Essendon. Love it. Let's hope so.

“Max was closely monitored over the weekend, and we were really pleased with how his hamstring settled.” — Melbourne head of medical Dr Laura Lallenec.

I think we’ll see T Mc back as a pretty classic lead up CHF. With Schache purely for depth, he doesn’t have the speed or smarts to be Cameron. But with the resting ruck and likely one of JVR/BBB also up forward I’d be looking at Fritsch maturing and diversifying his game and moving from his stay at home role to mixing in a lot more high half forward. He’s the closest thing we’ve got to Cameron and someone who should have 15-20 touches a game far more often.

If you want to spend the next few years viewing each game as a contest of sorts for the captaincy and viewing each game as a rehearsal for captaincy behaviours, then do. The overexcited media will do it anyway so we can relax. I, for one, will not participate in this wasteful ritual and I will just enjoy the footy. I am confident that, when the time comes, the next captain will announce himself at the right time.

Training reports suggest we have been practicing a set up similar to the Cats model of leaving space inside 50 with the ball kicked over the head of forwards who run back into that space to mark and have a shot on goal. In that set up Cameron essentially plays as a high half forward, not the KPP role he has played for most his career. That leaves Hawkins inside 50 - and any other tall marking target, such as Blicavs who might have pushed forward. Cameron suits the role super well because he is athletic, moves well, marks well on the lead out into space (which is the critical link up kick we employ too - ie long leads from players like Tmac from the half forward flank into space on the wing) and is a penetrating and accurate field kick who creates scoring opportunities. And importantly he can still compete, for example in pack marking situations, as a key position forward, when necessary (though that is clearly not a strength). Cameron is critical for the Cats in terms of how they transition the ball from their back half and enter their 50. That is the role i suspect they have Schache in mind for. He has the athletic profile and skill set for the role - and like Cameron, marks well on the lead, likes to have space and is a beautiful left foot kick. And i hope for Schache's sake i'm right. Otherwise, his chances of cementing a spot in the ones are minimal, as as you point out he is competing with TMac, Brown, JVR and the resting ruck for a spot as a key forward. He could certainly slot into Fritter's role as a medium leading forward, but would only ever do so as a fill in. And really, he'll never be a one on one key position forward (like JVR so obviously is for example), so it doesn't make much sense that they would have traded him to play a role he is, one, unlikely to get many opportunities to play and two is no good at.

I don't think Tomlinson is AFL standard at any role other than dour lockdown key defender, and even that's debatable post knee

Would really liked to see Tomlinson trial as a tall high half forward. His endurance levels and work rate would easily blow up a lot of defenders which would be a huge strength to team structure.

And so it should be, with the list in better shape than 2021. Possibly the best Melbourne team we will see in our lifetime. Hawks 3 in a row, Cats 3 in 5 years, Tigers 3 out of 4. We need more premierships to truly be considered a champion team.