Tough Kent

100% happy to move on from Darwin for a number of reasons. But the club decided it was worth the investment of time and resources, and to have it yanked from under us like that is absurd. You’d think the AFL would’ve discussed the proposal with Pert and brainstormed ways that we could make up the shortfall in revenue?

So we lose a game that we've put a lot of time and effort into developing over the years, and the AFL are also going to give the Suns our pick 2. That seems fair

Yes! Fills a definite need. It's a no brainer. Collingwood are well served for small backs with Quaynor, Murphy and Noble. He must've been superfluous to needs. Unless there is more at play here???

https://www.3aw.com.au/jamie-elliott-quizzed-about-his-playing-future-on-3aw/

I wonder why the club has chosen to re-sign players but not announce it yet??? I know that Alex Neal-Bullen has signed a two year deal but it has not yet been announced by the club. I wonder why?

Thanks for the feedback on this kid, Davos. In time, can you seeing him being capable of moving up the ground for stints or is he a small forward specialist?

My thoughts on the list and what they need to achieve over the pre-season. 1. May needs to get his body ready for the rigors of professional footy. 2. Jones needs to learn to hit targets going inside 50 and demonstrate some defensive intensity. Otherwise he won’t get anywhere near 300 games as he will be at Casey. 3. Salem needs to show more urgency in defense. 4. Harmes needs to continue working on his versatility. He’s our one mid who can play in other spots. 5. Petracca needs to work on his goal kicking. And his gut running if he’s going to play mid. 7. Viney needs a pre-season (sounds like a broken record) and a role in 2020. (Either run with player or defensive forward role) 8. Lever needs to work on his touch and tidy his kicking up. 9. Spargo needs to work on his physicality. If a defensive forward can’t stick a tackle he is useless to us. Speed and kicking penetration should also be areas of focus for Charlie. 10. Brayshaw needs to continue working on his two way running. If he wants to take his game to the next level he needs to work on his ability to hit targets by foot. 11. Gawn needs to work on his goal kicking. I’m a believer that the Gawn/Preuss experiment can work with a fitter Preuss. I’d love to see Max play more forward. 12. Bedford needs to insert himself into games more. He needs to find a way to get involved more, either through his tackling or by playing higher up the ground. 13. Oliver needs to learn to put the ball under his arm and break the lines. You be responsible for ball movement. Be the man instead of giving off the dinky 2 meter handball to a teammate in trouble. Only then will he take his game to a Cripps/Bont level. 14. Hibberd needs to be better defensively, and find that yard of pace he had in 2017. This game passes you by very quickly. 15. Stretch needs to learn to be a momentum driver, not a momentum killer. When Billy gets it, he stops, he props, he moves sidewards, he looks behind him. He needs to get it, use his speed and take more risks. 16. KK needs to play. We can’t afford to carry 3-4 blokes who play 2 games between them in 2020. Our depth isn’t good enough to cover it. 17. Frosty needs to do some meditation. If he can show some calmness and composure when he has the footy in hand he can become a top notch defender. 18. Melksham needs to work on his tank so that he can spend more time going through the middle. He was a real impact player in there in a couple of games mid-year. 19. Hannan needs to re-gain confidence and start jumping at his marks again. He can be a rare commodity in our team in that he is a threat in the air, on the ground and he can apply defensive pressure inside 50. 21. Preuss needs to get super fit and work on his hands. Stop dropping marks you get your hands to, you big lug! 22. vandenBerg needs to get on the park. As I mentioned in another thread, avB was a barometer for us late last year in that his aggression set the tone for the rest of the boys. He’s not the classiest but he was sadly missed in 2019. 23. Jordon needs to put on some size. This kid showed a bit when played as an inside mid in the second half of the year with his left foot penetration and ability to win the footy. He just needs to develop a body that can compete at the next level. 25. T-Mac needs to find his elite running capabilities. I’m sure he played with something this year and it impacted his ability to blow his opponent up by running up and down the ground. I’d love to see him smashing marking contests again. 26. Weideman needs to work on his hands and mark those balls he gets his hands to. I also think he needs to impose himself on contests more by throwing his weight around and having a real belief that he can impact marking contests. These things come down to self-belief. 27. Nietschke needs to enjoy his pre-season. He is effectively starting his AFL career at base camp and can’t fall into the trap of trying to fast track things too quickly. 29. Hunt needs to work on his small forward craft. If he is not traded this period this is the only position I can see him playing long term in our team. 30. ANB needs to work towards becoming a one touch player. I know he is often fatigued when he approaches a footy due to his gut running but he just has to be cleaner. 31. Fritsch needs to work on doing the simple things well. This kid will make the AA Squad of 40 next year if he plays the whole year as a forward, but only if he kicks 45 - 20, and not 30 – 35. 32. Sparrow needs to work on his delivery by foot. He is tough, wins the footy, and has good breakaway speed. The thing that may hold him back is his kicking. 33. Oskar needs to work on his game craft. As a wingman, a position we sadly lack options in, he needs to work out how he can become involved in games for longer periods and not just drift in and out of matches. And he needs a tank. Burgess is going to be busy. 34. Hore needs to work on his decision making. Can he become a player we can rely on when he has the footy? As that third tall/intercept player, he needs to differentiate himself from Lever through his superior ball use. He is far from at that point yet. More to follow.

Tim Smith has retired. ANB has signed a two year deal. The whole club is on notice, although this won’t be publisized to avoid media hype.

Sad. I’m not sure what you’d earn as a sparky but would it be far off what you earn on a rookie list?

Tim Smith has hung up the boots. Will be announced in the next day or two. Injuries got the better of him.

Why would you back your club into getting the best out of a prodigious talent like Bennell when you could keep that list spot open for a Josh Wagner or an Oscar McDonald???

Richmond have the following small pressure forwards on their list: Castagna, Rioli, Baker, Buttler, Bolton, Higgins. Not all of them are stars but they can’t all fit into their 22 and all would be an upgrade on what we have. One of these would be a good start.

Does it improve our list? Is he a better option than who we’ve been playing in a wing? See Billy Stretch, JKH, his brother. If so, get him in at the right price.

ANB ruled out for Saturday. Anyone hear that Hore calf might prevent him from playing on the weekend?

ANB got a knock to the head whilst training down at Casey this morning. He won’t play on Sunday.

Viney in for Neal-Bullen. Nibbla bloody stiff if you ask me.

Tom is a very good player and a something that we lack, a quality crumbed. He was recruited from Casey so he knows a lot of the boys on our list. Very gettable.

Changes: -Tim Smith for Weideman. Weid struggling and a liability when the ball hits the ground. Smith gives you a contest. -Garlett for Spargo. Jeffy ready. Let Spargo play in the guts for Casey over an extended period. - Stretch for Corey Wagner. Billy deserves an extended run. Corey was lost and just had the 6 touches. - Keilty for Josh Wagner. Josh was not disgraced, but we were clearly a tall short in defence. Hore was good - 13 marks for the game. Let’s see if Keilty is up to it. - Baker for Lewis. Jordan won’t get up 4 days after returning from a hamstring injury. Let’s see if Oskar brings some enthusiasm into the team. - Lockhart for Viney/Jetta. Get Lockhart’s run in. One of these sore boys is bound to miss. Six changes not ideal, but given the 4 day turnaround and our form it’s to be expected. I think the ins cover the ground better than the outs. Two debutantes to bring the excitement factor.

Oh dear.

Stretch, Garlett not back out after half time. They're obviously in the selectors' minds for Wednesday night.

Wing/half back

I was on put on hold for over 20 minutes when making a membership inquiry late last year. It was the middle of November, hardly peak season for them. It was pretty poor I thought.

Nibbla's instructions from the coaches for this game - "Tackle, tackle, tackle". He's on the right path.

Jeff Garlett kicked 3, assisted two others & had 18 disposals and 5 tackles