Red and Blue realist

There's lots of crows fans who've been hating our rise into the top 4 because of the impact on the Lever pick! But it has been nice having a season to think about the next game, not the next lot of draft prospects.

I disagree with this, what those other sides had was a well organised back-line and a very good intercepting player - Rance, McGovern, Howe, Sicily etc. We have Lever for that role, he did struggle early in the season with the organisation side of things but you expect that coming into a new team and once that was sorted we went on that great run of wins, unfortunately he then did his knee. I don't think May is a very high priority, and would be happy to wait until next year and try and get him for free (free agency), because even with him in the team it won't solve our biggest issues down back. Lever coming in will, or a player similar to Lever anyway.

Really, i've loved been invested in the finals to waste too much time on the draft!!! Luckily the FD will have been doing all sorts of scouting just in case a situation came up like this. It's too hard to really think about what might be available until we know what the draft pick/s are though. Who knows we could turn around and offload them for other players and not use any?

Been offered 3 years, whereas we probably only offered 1 or maybe a second with a trigger (not get injured all the time!!). I really like what he brought when he was out there, but in reality he's fighting with Melky, Trac, Spargo, ANB, Fritsch and then jeffy and JHK for 3 or4 spots in the team each week.

He's not a free agent next year, so they'll still have to trade or he'll have to chance the draft. Lever had also gone overseas following his injury, so had time to adjust to not playing out the season. Hogan only injured himself late season, so it might have been more beneficial to hang around for his rehab etc. I'm sure the club would have been very involved in his movements, and probably only had a limited number of flights/tickets they could use.

Sure you do, when people have discussed Jessie's very obvious strength's you've ignored them all just because you see a weeknessds that you've banged on and on about.

I think he's just trying to put 2 and 2 together and coming up with banana, he's thoughts would be that they could only let Neale go if they had plans for the pick they received. Last year they used the 2 picks they had and realistically they should use picks again because unless a player wants to go back west, why would you join a team that clearly needs to continue to bottom out and get some quality in the younger guys, Cerra and Brayshaw were a great start but they haven't got much more good young talent.

I think Jones will be doing more running than anyone else in the league this pre-season, clearly he's no longer the go to guy on the inside (but thanks for holding the place together for years), but I can see him doing what Lewis did years ago at the Hawks. After one of the pre-seasons he came back much smaller and lighter than ever and then he's role shifted from the inside to outside/half back. I can see Jones doing the same, he's not super fast but not slow either, we'll need him to just will himself to each contest but to stay on the outside now. If he can do that he'll be a more than handy wingman. Hopefully Lewis comes out like Bernie did last year and says he's happy to fight for his spot and knows there's a good chance he'll end up at Casey, he played a shocker in the prelim, but he was still more than handy over the year but I don't want him to play more than 15 games next year, I want the younger guys to completely force him out, not be handed games.

We got Lever last year, have picked up Hibberd and Melksham the years before that and Lewis chose us while he could have gone anywhere. We don't have a heap of spare salary cap (like Nth/StK) to be linked with everyone, and I'm happy we pick up guys with a lot of scope to improve and have time left (excluding Lewis - a free kick really).

Wouldn't be surprised if we are talking to him with the view of getting him at the end of next year (if needed then), through free agency. I can't see GC taking draft picks this year, they could wait until next year and get a near guaranteed top 2 or 3 pick for him like Lynch this year. If they traded now GC would want proven players but I don't know who'd we put up they'd actually be interested in (talking about players we'd happily give up).

There's already talk that Collingwood want a round 1 match up (on the Friday night too), so queens birthday remains our home game. I imagine that'd do very good things for exposure/sponsorship etc. The draw next season means there's not going to be any lapses, such as the 2 geelong games or the saints, we'll have to be good all year, something I hope our guys are looking forward too.

Lucky that in no way is it up to the fans to make this decision, if he did leave these factors would have zero impact on that decision. It'd be purely either Jessie wants to go home or the footy department gets an irrefutable god-father offer.

Those calling for Tyson to go need to watch the game again, he was clearly playing a defensive role, on the mid the Hawks send forward. He didn't get a lot of it but more than did his role. No changes needed unless there's an injury

I think he was a victim of the poor defensive cohesion we had at the start of the year, everyone seemed a little off down back when Lever first came in. It seemed like some where in some way confused about their role, and once we sorted it out we went on that winning streak and since then even if someone's gone down injured the next player has come in to play a role. Hunt got injured not long after we sorted this out, and by the time he got back in he got injured again. He's one who'll have a massive job over the preseason not only to stay fit but learn some different roles. I think he'll be fine though and will be a massive inclusion next year.

It only takes 1 game to change the thought patterns of coaches, left footers, precise movement, run off half back and then small pressure players have all been in vogue over the last 5 or so years, as soon as a team wins using talls most will jump back on the big man bandwagon. Best bet is to have a very balanced side and then play to our strengths and if that includes 2 rucks so be it. At the moment I agree Weid is a great option playing that role and I think we'll be able to use him TMac and Hogan in the same team, which on current trends is a no-go.

I assume you mean Sam Mayes from the Lions? Sam Hayes is a ruck for Port who did his ACL - I thought we should have taken him in last years draft and he slipped down to pick 47 (after some believed him to be a top 20 pick), but we went with Fritsch and Petty with our picks before that. There was some talk of being interested in Cutler last off-season but he's best 22 for the Lions and is still contracted for another 12 months, so they'll want more than JHK.

It would, because they then slot him into the draft position he was bid on. For instance we put a bid in on Callum Mills with our first rounder back in 2015 and he's seen as the 3rd pick while we got Clarry at pick 4. Don't think Bedford has been talked up in the first round though.

Any word on his contact, I thought this was nearly done a couple of months ago??

Yes but their not limited to a set number of each and clearly we've been after players who are flexible enough to go into other roles throughout the game. Saying how does our forward set up look would mean ignoring TMac starting on the wing or Hogan going into the center square occasionally, it evolves during the game and is a great tactic if done right.

The top 22 or the bottom? It's a combination of the very best playing at their very best and role players playing their roles. No point having the best 6 playing great games and everyone else letting them do it, and no point the bottom 6 having great games but not having support from the more senior guys (generally the better players are more senior).

Given TMac started on the wing for a number of games, there's every chance either him of Hogan would start there then go forward or even back as the need presents. Unless they introduce the 6-6-6 format then putting positions on paper is really useless. For mine Weid stays as the deepest forward (and goes into the ruck), then Hoges and TMac swap between around the half forward (around 35 - 60 meters from goal) and roaming anywhere in-between the 2 50 meter lines, pushing hard forward when they get the mismatch.

I think it's either the 1st or the end of October, most clubs obviously let their players know well before that. With the trade period starting mid Oct, any unsigned players technically become de-listed free agents and can be picked up in that time.

I'm sure they'll be working on it over the summer, I'm sure there's something else they'll be focusing on this September!

Don't think he will be a free agent at the end of next year? And even then he'd be a restricted free agent so we'd have some say in matching then forcing a trade. Can all Hogan talk be contained in the thread on him, as the talk around him is all hypothetical rather than anything realistic as the club have said he'll stay and his manager made it even more clear.

Who knows, if they have a replacement lined up they might accept something like that (2nd plus player) now rather than know he'll be gone in 2 years anyway and will get nothing then. They've made it clear they don't expect him to stay beyond his current contract. He's also turns 29 before the start of next season, so will only really have 3 years left in him. I read it that he'd approached Freo about it, rather than Brisbane approaching them, suggests to me he's more than just open to the idea.