titan_uranus

I have learnt from previous years to trust the club on these pick swaps, but this one is hard to get around, it feels like it is costing us heaps just to move 3 spots up. But I will wait and see what it all looks like at the end.

We’re about $1.5M per year in the black after Grundy, Harmes, Jordon, Hibberd and Dunstan. Surely we can find whatever cash we need.

No it doesn’t. It means, at most, we have no locked in trade. If we’re exploring other forwards but nothing locked in, and then we hear Hawkins might want a phone call, it’s not surprising that we called. If the other options don’t come off, it’s worth having tried. Imagine if he was interested, we didn’t ask, and then the big fish we are seeking fell through. Plus no doubt someone on here in 2024 will say “did we even pick up the phone and ask Hawkins?”.

The theory behind this is (as Kane Cornes is gleefully enjoying on trade radio) that Adelaide will sell him the number 1 defender spot. If that interests Petty at all, then we’ve failed him with all the forward-back flip flopping. I’m hopeful he’s happy with the prospect of being a forward and/or a swing man, so that the sell from Adelaide isn’t persuasive.

I sure as [censored] hope not. I bang on about this every year - make your own history in your own number. I wish we’d do away with the whole “lower numbers are more desirable” thing.

Vikings, 49ers, Eagles

A future 3rd feels ok. Not amazing, not awful. We are seriously light on in the midfield with him, Jordon and Dunstan gone. They can’t all be replaced by draftees so we are going to have to find someone.

The Age reporting we’ve rejected Sydney’s first offer, although doesn’t say what the offer was.

I’m with DeeSpencer, players in the AFL don’t make enough money to warrant being traded within contract. What we need to see more of is clubs holding players to their contracts and backing themselves in to keep them, or at least achieve success while they’re still on the list.

I suspect I’m in the minority here but I don’t like May’s comments. I’d rather hear him acknowledge that we’re not as good as them. That we need to find another level, or go to work on our weaknesses, etc. Yes he’d had a few and it was the B&F and I’m all for positivity and motivation, but if we were better than them we’d have won the flag. We didn’t, so we weren’t.

Did you watch this season? One of our major issues is that our midfield is neither better nor deeper than Brisbane’s…nor Collingwood’s, Carlton’s, GWS’, or Port’s.

Ravens, Eagles, Packers

You’ve got to let this go. The pick we got for Frawley was 15-odd better than what Hawthorn got for Buddy. It’s what happens when one club is at the bottom of the ladder and the other is near the top. Plus no matter how much you rate Jordon he was fringe this year (12 games in the 22, 6 more as sub), he will be on a moderate contract because we weren’t rushing to throw him one, and midfielders are of higher supply than key defenders. How you can so clearly say McKay is “worse” than Jordon despite them playing vastly different positions for vastly different clubs is beyond me, too. Pick 39 is pretty reasonable for a midfielder we clearly weren’t all in for.

Pick 39 is IMO fair. Good luck to JJ.

If one game is enough, we’re sweet with Ben Brown after his brownlow vote from Round 1. One game is not nearly enough. Lobb has a persistent career pattern of inconsistency and poor effort. He’s no more a “goal kicking back up to Max” or “cover for Petty” than Schache, but triple the cost.

Does anything ever please you?

I don’t care how bad a year Oliver had. Absent destructive cultural problems, he remains a top 10 competition player. Trading him ends our premiership window instantaneously (yes, that’s a hill I’m prepared to die on).

Yes, hindsight is 20/20. With 20/20 vision, I have no idea why you would want to take Rory Lobb. He’s horrendously inconsistent, doesn’t work hard enough and isn’t tough enough.

It’s the MCG’s capacity.

Jay Clark suggesting we should trade in Lobb because the Dogs don’t want/need him and we need a forward.

It seems I’m in a minority here. I enjoyed season 2023 more than many other season (2021 the obvious exception). IMO the quality of the game is trending upwards and equalisation is working (has there ever been a better bottom 4 side than 2023 Gold Coast?). Combined with great crowds for great at-stadium atmosphere, and I’ve loved it. I completely agree that the MRO system is broken. I don’t subscribe to the corruption guff many on here believe from the Maynard incident - the rules are murky and there has been inconsistency as to classification of bumps for years - but the entire system is stuffed and needs an overhaul. I also agree that umpiring is at historic low levels of performance. But for whatever reason, I can get past that and enjoy the sport. I’m super excited for 2024.

Things I’d like to see: 1. No trip to Geelong or, in the alternative, Collingwood, Carlton, Richmond or Hawthorn also going down there 2. A proper bye - no more Thursday night game after KB 3. More travel pre-bye than post-bye 4. A few more afternoon games 5. West Coast in Melbourne 6. Port Adelaide in Melbourne I expect we may get some of these but not all. I also expect to see a tonne of Collingwood and Carlton in prime time, and too many Thursday night games.

I said this last night and will double down today. IMO this is your anti-Collingwood bias speaking. There were a handful of goal of the year contenders in the first quarter alone. The first half was a great blend of high scoring but high pressure - it never felt like a defence-less shoot out. The second half was lower scoring but still intense. I hate Collingwood, and Nick Daicos more, and Howe possibly more again, but the game was fantastic and they are wholly deserving winners after the season they’ve had.

I did. I was there. It was fantastic. Put your MFC-disappointment and your hatred of Collingwood out of your mind.

I reckon the only part of this that is correct is that Collingwood should have won by more. How you reached the rest of your conclusions is beyond me. It was fast, skillful, aggressive and exciting.