BW511

Another good reminder that success (flags) isn't the most important thing to players. It's not like Harmes walks into Essendon's midfield and becomes a frontline mid - he'd still be behind Merrett, Shiel and Parish in the pecking order with Caldwell and others on his level too.

Harmes has always struck me as a bit of a prima donna, even if he did grow up supporting the dees. Interesting period coming up if we lose Tomlinson, Hunt, Bedford & Harmes. That’s 4 blokes from the top 24. Decent hit to depth

Agree. At the end of the day, if there was nothing to the story it would all disappear and Clarkson/Fagan/Burt/HFC would have nothing to worry about. Their combined reactions and wording suggest otherwise, in my opinion

If we had JVR, Georgiades and Fritta we’d have a very dynamic trio. All similar height but each a very different style of player. Paired with either of BB & T-Mac, that would be a quality setup. Would also help to keep all of the above honest and put pressure on for game time

I like the idea of throwing some magnets around, although this seems a little top heavy for me. Turner, Smith, May & Lever in particular. I'd play Bowey on the wing over Salem, my feeling is Salem is a little lacking for leg speed. I'm just really hopeful that JVR has a ripping pre-season and we can stop wondering about whether he should be picked. Also think Grundy will be instrumental around clearances, he can shift bodies at will and Trac and Clarry should have a field day getting out of stoppages.

A Stevie J type would be absolutely perfect for us, if that's who he is being compared to, let's get it done.

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2022/09/29/de-goey-poised-to-make-big-decision-in-coming-days-as-st-kilda-confirms/ This says he isn't signed yet - posted 3 hours ago

Can culture hit targets by foot?

Daniher, Hipwood, Gunston, Cameron, Rayner, McCarthy & Bailey are all very capable goal kickers, plus Zorko will be parked there too. There's a bit to manage in that forward line from an opposition point of view

Think a few people are underselling the 2023 version of Brisbane here. Gunston has averaged 2 goals a game this year coming off an entire year off. (32 from 16) Dunkley has just won the dogs BnF. He's also very capable defensively. Ashcroft has been the number 1 pick from miles out, he's been getting it done in every game he has played, including VFL against bigger bodies. Adding 3 best 10-15 players over one off season is enormous, particularly when two of them would comfortably be between 1-5 on the list.

Reckon this is how the Geelong dream is sold. They have a lot of positions which will be vacant through age, we have positions which will be vacant only through form. Work harder or work smarter?

I am not sure it's as simple as Bowey or Hunt fighting for one spot. I would have banked on Hunt and Bowza both being in the round 1 side, more likely at the expense of Hibbo. I would think our future is better served by having Hunt available to play 20 games a year than Joel Smith being well rounded but injured.

I can see why Smith is more beneficial for the list but I'd take Hunt's 40 actual games over Smith's flexibility

I like him and think he is valuable when he is allowed to play to his strengths. Unfortunately, our coaching team/system don't allow that kind of flair so he'll always be a square peg in a round hole. Hope he can be released if he goes West.

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2022/09/28/saint-weighing-up-kangaroos-backflip-amid-clarkson-uncertainty/ Think there is more to come in this space. You’d have to think all the blokes on the move to North are having second thoughts right now. It’s a nasty situation

So this is the part where the process becomes the issue, rather than the actions?

Absolutely, a 198cm defensive mid is very hard to out-body and no one in the AFL will outrun him. He's an absolute weapon (Blicavs)

Missing Isaac Smith was a real sliding doors moment, he is exactly the player we needed at the time and still need.

Apart from the obvious KPF, I think a mid with pace & skill is a priority. Someone who maybe gets left out because they can't win their own ball but would not need to in our setup, where we have 4 blokes who fight over it and no one who can kick, when we do get it. Understand this is a little over critical but it is so frustrating to fight so hard to win the ball and then just give it back on disposal. I'd also like an attacking HFF, I think we are too defensively minded in the forward half. ANB & Spargs kicked about 20 goals between them as full time HFF's, we need that position to be a lot more productive than a goal every second week

Straight over my head!

If ‘their story’ is only half true, it’s still a horrible situation. I’m sure Clarkson and Fagan have access to very, very good lawyers who could create any narrative they like around the indigenous families. It won’t be fair

Interesting. I was speaking to someone who had family connections with McStay and he was apparently signed and sealed from March this year

If the AFL manage to sweep this under a rug, I’ll be furious. I can understand completely if the families involved don’t want to go into the courts as they will not win, regardless of the outcome. I do believe there is a genuine chance for the AFL to make a statement and influence a huge audience for future generations. Like it or not, we all need to be better with how we treat people and culturally we could improve immensely as a population. This should not happen to anyone, from any background, yet the fact it may have been happening, in a very formal manner, just a few years ago, is truly horrifying.

I don’t want to start a loading argument again, however if you can’t get the loading in, fitness will drop off. Perhaps we went with the loading mid season and then when we went to have a second go at it we could not get enough work into the players due to injuries, hence the drop off in fitness/running power

Saw Rendell mentioned Cam Rayner as a possible trade, in my opinion he’s a type of player we lack. I love Spargo as much as anyone but Rayner on his flank would be a serious upgrade I also acknowledge it won’t happen