Gawndy the Great

TMac not coming back this year. He'd have to make his return during finals.. we'd have to be desperate for that to happen. Also great to see 1 week already subtracted from Gawn's return and that most of the players have passed the daunting 4-6 timeframe.

Yep spot on. However you overlooked the 3 years they'll play at MFC first in order to qualify for the minimum age requirement at the cattery.

Jack Darling (30) + Jeremy McGovern (30) + Pick 1/2.

And the footy public love defining the future worth based on a handful of performances. I get that he wiped the floor against an average ruckman in English during a quarter in a GF when we were loosing. It is an amazing feat and will never be forgotten for its significance to the MFC. But as i have said previously, he hasn't been busting the door down that would warrant that kind of money so we would be foolish to try and match until we are convinced that he's the real deal, which wont become apparent until he his at least 23-25 yo. So if he is offered what Freo are indicating, then the trade price for them will need to be considerable. 2 first rounders and an established first 22 player.

I didn't see the presser so not sure if he actually said that. I think we definitely showed what getting it right looks like by steamrolling teams in the finals. So don't disagree with the sentiment. But top 4 gives you the double chance and a potential weeks reset for any niggles to get right. That is a huge advantage.

Well, the most valuable insight the Ch 7 broadcast has ever give me was "Bang, Bang, Bang".

History will tell you that finishing outside of the top 4 is an incredible disadvantage. Only Dog in 2016 have bucked that trend in the last 20+ years. If we finish outside of the top 4, you can pretty much kiss the 22 premiership good-bye. Its hard to back-up 4 weeks of back-to-back intense finals games.

I dont think his fitness was ever in doubt. LJ looks to be more the one that is suffering.

That’s a real possibility. I don’t think they can stand another team in the west doing so well when WC are rock bottom.

I’m in the same camp. He’s had a fine few games and showed us some brilliance on the big dance, but has he grabbed a game by the scruff of the neck this year? Has he even come close? He is going to be good. But he’s got a long way to go to be a superstar, which is what that money is suggesting (if true of course)

Last I checked forward connection is between midfield and forwards - our mids are just as much to blame. Yes pressure in f50 is bad , but it’s bad all over the ground. Id trial Gus in the HF - in ANB or Harmes role.

We couldn’t send him to Norf. That would be such a bad thing to do.

Pick #3 on paper is worth more than 2 of Freos first rounders likely to be 2 x 14-18. Now LJ on what we have seen is probably more like #2 and almost nudging Rowell out so that makes him worth even more. I would say Freos 1st round picks in 2022 and 2023 and Lobb for LJ and our 3rd round pick in 2023 if they are offering that sort of coin. They can also cover 30-40 % of Lobbs contract. Will also mean they will struggle to get Gus onto their list so that’s a bonus.

And where are most of the 10-0 teams on the ladder?

One thing which will come apparent in the later stages will be team fitness. Younger teams like the Swans , Pies will eventually fall away as they haven’t had the years to build that base. We will also be playing other top 4 at various stages of their fitness program so I’d be interested to see how other teams will approach the finals. I’ve listened to a number of different pod casts and one (will not mention the name) said it was undeniable we are loading giving how out of puff we have been in the last month and mentioned several times that teams just don’t lose fitness as quickly as we have shown. Kind of makes sense. Nevertheless I am little more optimistic now and would probably be surprised if we fall out of the top 4. Top 2 will probably boil down to beating Lions at the Gabba. Which reminds me to give the AFL a big F U for fixturing the reigning premiers an away game against the prime contender for the final game of the season. Seriously wouldn’t be surprised if Bartlett had organised that little parting gift.

I can’t stand the Cats but boy I really love their f50 connection. They move it as slow as we do but they just find the space for Hawkins all the time. His not terribly quick but he plays the role perfectly. If We could build connection like that, then BBB, Fritt and even Weid will be able to kick bags. The bomb and hope has to be eliminated from our game style.

Port can’t afford to reload this season and will ultimately fall away towards the tail end. That’s whAt 0-5 does to you. But FMD where was this Swans outfit 2 weeks ago. Even with our poor form we would have beaten them by 6 goals. Just [censored] me how every round a side brings their utmost best against us especially when we needed a break. Suppose the boys wouldn’t want it any other way.

Norf need to finish last to give us some protection from LJ just nominating the draft - although I really doubt it will come to that.

I agree. Brayshaw, Trac and Harmes should rotate through HF and midfield with Sparrow to come out of the side. Brayshaw is just too valuable to waste on the defensive wing. JJ has proved he can play that role. Qn is whether Brayshaw can play a high HF role to improve connection into the forward line.

There are a few decent PF and Ruck prospects in the June power rankings for the upcoming draft some of them even from WA. I would expect the Eagles to split their 1st pick and grab a few top end talent to start their rebuild while they have some leaders in the place. Would be silly of them to go after LJ.

Listening to some callers talk about the video just shows how much society falls short in understanding how much of an issue we have regarding violence in general and sexual harassment. Im gobsmacked that the average Joe find De Goey's behavior tolerable and that 'boys will be boys' or 'leave him alone - he's only human' or 'he's on holiday' or 'do we expect him to be a robot'. I'm also gob-smacked at how easy the media is going on him this time given his track record in comparison to a punch up between two team mates and even more surprising was the non-event of Bailey taking Cocaine. For what its worth they are equal in my view. The only difference was one team was on top of the ladder, faultless all year and then a speckle of blood hits the water and the sharks came a circling.

Not saying they will. Just saying that is probably what we can expect - possibly even less.

I 100% get where you are coming from, but Hogan is a perfect example how potential can be overplayed. Im 50/50 right now about what to do with LJ but probably leaning on wanting to keep him. If we evaluate LJ based on current performance, then the above is probably overs for him. However its when you factor in growth and potential that it becomes anyones guess as to what is an equitable trade. Whatever the scenario, we don't really gain from a trade when there are just picks involved. We are in the window right now and we need a like-for-like player. I think Lobb is decent enough and gives us a solid target in the forward line that will be a hard matchup, particularly once we have BBB and TMac in there. We can then use the picks received to offer other clubs for a younger KPF or goto the draft and develop from scratch. Either scenario.

Freos most realistic offer for LJ would be the 2022 and 2023 first rounders plus Rory Lobb inc 40% of his salary. Most likely being 2 picks in 14-18. Feels a bit short of the mark. But gives us what we need right now plus time to scout for a new ruck beyond Gawn.

The Eagles will have the upper hand so it wont be a good position to be in if they do finish last so hopefully Norf take the wooden spoon. The Dockers are not in a great position to deal with given they have very little trade currency and i suspect some salary cap challenges. I know LJ has huge potential, but i cannot understand some of the suggestions for trade here. Right now, its a top 5 pick and an early 2nd rounder at best. its about time we got on the front foot and started targetting some established talls as well. Who knows maybe we are. McStay, Ben King, Darling (on the cheap), Georgiadies ... we cant afford to draft and develop a tall.