Brenno

Kozzy is taking the absolute [censored]

Hard to say mate as I haven't seen Trelly yet, but from all reports he is looking solid for R1 debut. I think Mentha is still long odds to make it personally but track watchers and a few of the clubs highlight reels show he has improved. Personally, I find the concept of Pickett x 2 and Tom Matthews super exciting! Unfortunately not mate, just ran today. decent pace though so hopefully not far off. From todays players that were actually available I think we will line up something like this: But I also assume a bunch of the "light rehab" blokes should be back before round 1 and makes us a bit stronger on paper. I would love to see a 23 like this at some point in the season: Played most of the match sim I believe. Hard to tell in the last qrt as the play was mostly up the far end of the ground. I would be shocked if he isnt playing round 1

I popped in this morning to observe the Match Sim/Intra club. Might be some double up to my notes and it's hard to be completely accurate when the play is on the far side of the ground. But here's what I took away from today. Both Picketts and Ricky Mentha were absent…..Gutted. I was really looking forward to seeing Trelly play in the flesh for the first time! From the blokes who were there but didn't play in match sim; Salem, CJ, Laurie Petty, Luka didn't look too bad to my uninformed and uneducated eye. They all ran laps or sprints at stages and none of them looked far off it. Mcadam also ran laps but sadly, he just doesn't look anywhere near it to me. Doesn't look fit and dare I say interested. I could be wrong but that's the vibe I got. Poor bloke. Didn't see much activity from Melky, Bowser, Hendo & Kalani. Not sure what the issue with Kalani is but he was in thongs when he walked past me on the boundary. The 1st “quarter” started off with what looked like the 1st choice 22 (BLUE) vs the rest (GREY). This may have excluded the mids who chopped and changed throughout the day. Gawny was also in the “others” group. I suppose this was to give Moose the chance to be the main man for a while and let Max gradually get into match conditioning. The starting key Backs (Blue Team) looked like Tmac, Lever and Disco with XL XT and Howes as the small defenders. They really were not troubled very much unless Gawn floated down and clunked it inside 50. Gawny had one of his trademark shank kicks at goal in the second quarter. Vintage Gawn. The front 6 for blue looked like JVR, Checkers, Fritch, Jeffo Sharp and I think Chandler. And I must say, they were looking quite connected and worked well together as a group, especially the talls (admittedly against weaker opponents). The mids rotated quite often and it was hard to tell who was in the guts at times but all of Windsor, Culley, Sparrow, Riv, Steele, Kolt, Chandler had cracks in there throughout the day. It's going to be really interesting who the starting mids will be this year, but if I had to guess ... .Rivers, Steele, Koz, Windsor will be the main 4 until Viney is back. As you can imagine the Blues dominated the first 2 (out of 3) “quarters” and were 50 odd points ahead at half time. It was very noticeable how much faster we were moving the ball when in offense compared to previous seasons. The overlap handball was on whenever possible and the movement ahead of the ball was worlds apart from our stagnant forward lines of the Goodwin era. Mistakes were made but they just kept having a crack which was nice to see. In the second half/third quarter, the first choice defense and forwards played against each other and the contest became much more even. Unfortunately Culley came off hurt and stopped the play for a while. The boys were clearly getting fatigued by this point and the pace of the game had reduced noticeably. Wrapped up the 3 qtr and it looked like there were back to running drills so I headed to work. My main concern today was just how many VFL top up players were out there and how many of our squad were on the sidelines. Hopefully no more injuries to come and we can get a few back before round 1. Overall it looked like a solid hit out and I am excited for what season might bring. I am not sure how we will go this year as it's hard to know how this style and the list will measure up against real opponents. But either way we are going to be much more exciting to watch in 2026! Individual Notes: Just a summary of a few notes I took during the day: Harvey Langford – Looked strong and composed, although It looked to me like he played majority on the wing today and drifted forward and only occasionally went inside. Might not be a starting mid just yet, but I am convinced he will be our best-player at some stage. Xavier Lindsey – Seems to have Bowser's job for now and at times showed he has very similar class. Took most of the kick ins for the Blues and offered great distribution out of defensive 50. Looks very comfortable back there, though he did shank one straight to the opposing Jeffo at one point though which was horrid. Xavier Taylor - looks so sure of himself out there. Full of confidence and personality, at one point he jokingly told Jared Rivers to call him either “Redge or Daddy.” Looks like a Round 1 lock to me. Super exciting addition, Gave me Vlasutin vibes. Jed Adams – I was very impressed by his foot skills for a big man. He was on the seconds team but had some nice moments. Closed a large distance at full pace for a desperate last minute spoil on the wing that was very nice. Got a bunch of cheers from the lads. Tommy Mathews – very impressive given limited preseason and last year’s injury. I feel he will play senior footy at some point this year. Hard to describe what it was about him but he just has that AFL gun small forward look to him. Something about the way he pumps those legs. Dare I say “Nick Watson like”. Could be an absolute steal for the pick we used. Koltyn Tholstrup – busy and impactful for both teams. Definitely not one to write off. Did some great stuff both offensively and defensively. He probably isn't in the same talent category as XL, XT Windsor and Langford but he is coming along nicely in my view. Also love the energy and spirit that he plays with. Caleb Windsor – looking very sharp and using his pace well. Not sure he is a first possession guy, but he was used a few times as second position and no one could catch him. He is going to be so fun to watch this year. Kicked a nice long bomb from a CBA and looks ready to take his game to the next level. I don't think he will ever be an elite user of the ball but with that leg speed he probably doesn't need to. Impressive today, hope he can bring that output into the season consistently. Oscar Berry – far better than expected for someone just coming into the system. Keeping a lid on it for now but he looked like the best Category B rookie I've seen in red and blue by some margin. Took kick ins for Grey and got involved in general play. used the ball quite well too. One to watch. Moose Heath – Looked very strong in the air and was involved in general play quite consistently. I am normally against playing 2 rucks but from what I saw today I feel like gawn playing ruck/def and Moose playing Ruck/fwd would be worth a trial. Huge man. Trent Rivers – Probably BOG for me, worked his [censored] off to find space and provide the next link all day. Used the ball well and must have kicked 3-4 goals by my count. Ready to be one of the main men this year. Make him VC! Blake Howes – started down back with the blue squad but later in the sim he was played on the wing vs Onley. I must say he looked really comfortable and at home there. Looked like a completely different player. I overheard some of the coaches and players chatting about it and they were also impressed. I wouldn't mind him staying there and developing his game to be a tall running wingman as we have enough mid/tall defender depth and I don't think there's a spot for him back there. Promising signs. Jai Culley - This dude is massive. Really looks like he belongs with the key position players at his height. Thought he was solid in the guts without being a standout today. Come off after a solid tackle holding what looked like his wrist. Didn't look good but hopefully it's not too bad. JVR - Looks super fit, He was covering the ground much smoother and at one point had a big hard run down the wings taking a few bounces. I had to double take as I had not seen that from him before. Disco, Tmac, Lever - Solid as a rock these 3. I expect Petty will take the Tmac’s spot at some point but the loss of May won't hurt us at all. These blokes have it covered and all 3 are real leaders out there. Lots of “F*%K Yeahs” coming from Rick today as he encourages the young lads. He is by far the most vocal out there and he himself is looking fit and rejuvenated. Gawn - Just cruising. Still kicked the ball too much for my liking and needs to use the overlap hands more often but what can you say about Gawny. In second gear all day and still looking great. GOAT! Jack Steele – So reliable and efficient. Looks and plays like a bloke who has mastered his craft. His experience and leadership will be huge for the kids moving forward. Great pickup and stopgap to reduce the impact of losing Clarry and Trac. Mat t Jefferson - I should start by saying I have never been a Jeffo fan boy and had mentally moved on from the thought that he had much to offer us moving forward……However! I must admit he looked very good and impressed me in patches today. He is starting to look like he believes he can play the level and I saw a desperation in his game today that I had not seen before. Don't get me wrong he is never going to be the bloke who drops in front of a pack or put his head over the ball and busts through an opponent but he convinced me today that he definitely has something to offer us. I can try answer some questions if anyone has any! GO Dees!

Gives me huge Joel Freijah vibes. Hopefully he can have the same level of growth!

I've heard enough..... Round 1 locked in for XT. 🤣

LETS GOOOOO!!!!!

I think his "decline" is very overstated. the reduction in his raw numbers are mainly due to his reduction of time on ground. And his TOG being reduced is more about blooding young mids and bringing in the next generation at the Saints more than a drop in his production/ability. I know AFL Fantasy points are not the most advanced way to measure a players value, but it does highlight a players general output overall. As you can see he is actually still running pretty much at the level of his whole career excluding 2021 , when he was 4th is the coaches award and was playing at a very elite level. Even saying all that, its his leadership and professionalism that we will value the most. hard to measure that impact but I for one am very happy with his addition.

Ban worthy post 😜

I wonder if the hawks would be interested in trading 8 and 37 to for 10 and 22. Then we can get Dove and Pickett.

What do people think of: 7, F1 (GC), F1 (Dees 2027) & 37 For 2, 13 & F2 On points it is relatively even, depending on where Dees and GC finish in the next 2 years of course. Gives us 2,8,13 for 2025 Draft and gives us back a 2nd rounder next year. Robey 8. Grlj /Lindsey 13. Dovaston

If we have absolutely zero chance of getting BH, which sadly know I think is the case. it would be great to see something like this: Trac, 24, 35 (Oliver) & 42 (Worth about 1161 points) for 7, 8, 15. (pick 15 is worth 973 Points) Gives us 7, 8, 15 and 27 to take to the draft. Not Ideal considering the draft quality, but at least we clear the list of drama/distraction & large restrictive contracts. That draft hand could potentially land us: Josh Lindsey 8. Sam Grlj 15. Lachie Dovaston 27. Latrelle Picket. Replacing the butchery via foot of Oliver and Trac with the elite usage of Lindsey and Grlj would be a massive step towards improving under Kingy. Adding The two small forwards will also greatly improve our forward pressure and scoring power. Might line up something like this: This is the most skilled 22 the Dees have seen in a long time. Also loads of pace in this side which is required in modern footy. A very young side but it would be super exciting to watch! Stage 2 is continuously reaching out to BH and making it clear we will be coming for him again next year.

Have to make it worth while to GC though. This would be a huge result for us.

To be fair, he was sub effected in 50% of his games this year. He can play, but he is no Humphrey alternative.

Well.. If it was up to me I trade him to the Dees for a future 4th. And throw in Ben King! 🤣 I agree though, it makes the most sense to trade to us, but its BH that's decides.

To who though?! 🤣

Yeah I get ya, my comment was just a tongue in cheek dig at the "Nepo Babies"

There's is absolutely nothing "natural" about the way they built that list. Or the club as a whole 🤣

The issue with uncontracted players is that they have the leverage to walk to the draft. In this instance they don't have that leverage due to WC and us both being ahead of Freo in the draft order. like you said, 12 is probably a little overs for Judd, but we should be ruthless here and demand pick 12 ends up with us if they Freo want him. Judd is screwing us here, there is no other way to look at it. Id rather make an example of him and ruin his plans then buckle on this one.

Yeah I know mate, we got an end of second round pick for him. Send that pick with Judd to Freo for 12.

Give them Judd and the Spargo pick for 12.

We should tell them immediately that its 12 or nothing..... We are ahead of them in the PSD, so we can just draft him again and he can play for Casey for a few years.

GC don't want or need picks. They want players and we have the best one available. Having said that, this is a Baileys decision and unfortunately we are probably the least attractive to him at the moment.

Trac for Bailey straight swap is a win for us IMO. Look at it like this.... In 2014 we draft Petracca at pick 2. 👍 Trac goes on to be a 4 time AA and play 212 quality games.👍 Trac helps win the drought breaking flag and wins a Norm Smith Medal. 👍 As Trac is about to turn 30 (and past his prime) we trade him for a 21 version of him self. 👍 Bailey potentially plays 10-12 years (200-250 games) for the Dees with an enormous ceiling. (hopefully some silverware) 👍 In essence, that original pick 2 gets us Trac and Bailey, both in there primes and gives us 25 odd years of high end midfield talent. 👍👍 We also have the benefit of clearing space on the our cap, getting rid of a player who doesn't want to be at our club, and setting up our midfield for the next decade with Koz, Humphrey and Langford, XL, Windsor etc . Getting another early pick back in the trade would be awesome but its a pipedream. The only way that happens is if we offer future firsts in return. If we are lucky enough to get Bailey to choose us.....Take and run!

I disagree on Clarry, he has value IMO. And if other clubs don't agree then Id rather keep him then give him up for nothing. Either way that's just 1 of the options I listed. if we get the other to we are laughing :)

Here are the stat comparisons at the same age. Very similar. The reason Bailey isn't getting full time mid minutes is due to the surplus of mids they have on the GC list. Anderson, Rowell, Miller, Flanders, Fiorini, Swallow, Ainsworth have all been sharing midfield time over the past few years. Bailey just happens to be the best of the lot up forward. He is on track to stardom.