D Rev

Jefferson is a very different player being trained to play a very different role. Really hope he (MJ) gets a go in the ones this year - we desperately needed someone who could lead out of the square in the way BBB did, it really gives us so much more structure and headaches for the opposition. I really don't mind that Fullarton hasn't worked out so far. Not every roll of the dice is going to produce Shane Woewoeden and he still has time.

"The Brand". Me like.

Good shout, I was just wondering how we could work with his talent for the benefit of the team. None of the players you mentioned are really shut down defenders, apart from possibly Brown, which is one of the things (I think) we are missing. I'd also prefer to see McVee spend more time further up the ground given his skills

I wonder if there is an appetite to turn him into a small defender? It's a lot easier to do than turning someone into a gun midfielder. We have really missed a lock-down defender since Jets left and small forwards seem to have a great time against us. To have someone with lateral movement and pace that can also dispose of the ball would be awesome.

AMW and Pup will both develop greater smarts with time. They do have pace, but disposal is questionable. Good kicking skills are difficult to develop once you are already in the system. The comment about not hitting the scoreboard enough is a bit erroneous in the modern game for mine. Every team has a spread of goal kickers, just because you are listed on the HFF or FP it doesn't mean you will kick goals.

Honestly, I am a terrible person to come to for AFL stats.

Can't wait to hear what Nathan Carrol has been up to

He was a class pressure player before his mysterious injury. Also a good kick into the forward 50, of which we have few. Very much a different player to Chin, more similar to Nibbler when he is at his best. Wish him all the best and really hope we can get the best out of him this season. Go Dees!

I still remember that great night in 2018 when we beat them in the QF. I was genuinely astonished by what an absolute grub Selwood was. I almost - ALMOST - agreed with my Hawthorn mates for once.

I watched the 2021 GF (again) last night. He really was next level.

I like this. I'm actually quite happy with where we are at with our group, particularly with the restrictions of a salary cap. Starting 3 of Petty, JVR and Turner is good, and all have upside. I still believe Petty will move down back when May steps away to pursue a full-time career in customer service, but happy to be proven wrong. We also have Jefferson to come in, which may still take a couple of years to be completely realised, but is exciting. Relying on big forwards to kick a massive score isn't the go-to that it used to be, you need talls to compete, smalls to gather and everyone to contribute. I think we really have this with the talls mentioned, Fritta and Milkshake (Im quite excited about him this season), Kozzy, Spargo (remember him!), plus contributions from those up the ground (Trac, Langers, Windsor etc).

Jackson is really not very easy to replace.

It's great to get a thread on here about hope. It's a very powerful thing and has led to great outcomes in the past. This season was super close, the competition is very even now. I don't think we will see back-to-back Premiers again for a long time. This season was tough for the Dees, we lost Gus before it started with no compensation, had a tough draw and a bucket load of injuries. Despite all this, we only finished outside the 8 by a couple of games (and we had more than a couple decided by less than a goal!). For mine, the evenness of the league means that being able to develop players & depth are more important than ever. We all saw what the injury to key players can mean. We blooded lots of youth this season and will bring in another raft of good young players in this draft. We will also get an easier draw, so hopefully less travel and longer breaks (you could lock me in for 1:30 each Sunday at the 'G and I'd be quite happy!). I fully expect us to improve on last season and make the finals. Brisbane has just shown that finishing top 4 isn't necessary to win it all if you are fit enough and know how to play at the MCG. Go Dees!

OK, this is a stupid question - is salary related to the pick they get in exchange? Honest question. If so, isn't it odd that a club that is paying too much for a player gets rewarded for it?

I'm dumb struck that we get pick 28 for ANB. Perryman and Battle (free agents) went for picks in the teens, he's worth at least that. Maybe both picks. Unbelievable and disrespectful. Go Dees

Every club would love to have him. Lots of "in theory" and hypotheticals going on here. Would it be good for us? Maybe. Would it be good for him? Maybe. What is certain is that I can't see Melbourne letting him go while the window is open. We have pick 5 this year and blooded a bunch of kids last season. Let's not get dragged into Sam McLures BoM-level of predictions. Go Dees.

Do you need a waaaambulance?

OK, hear me out here. A bit left field. If Trac is sick of the club and concerned about his brand, trade him to Richmond for Yze, Punt Road Oval and all their draft picks. I'm not actually that concerned about the draft picks. Punt Road is well located (at least *literally* miles better than Casey) and will serve the team well for generations. Richmond can go and train at Kevin Bartlett oval or some [censored]. Don't care.

Absolutely not. Why should the club reward the efforts he has contributed this season? Sends a terrible message. The club is bigger than the player. Let him play his 300th for Tassie.

My question is on the pod itself. Each week you say "thanks to our very loyal listeners" or something similar. What I'd like to know is, what are the listener numbers like? Do you have stats on average listeners / downloads, as well as variances for losses v wins? Are there any podcasts that were really popular v others? And the real elephant in the room; how big was the drop off in listenership (sp?) when Andy was away??! Thanks again team - love the pod

I think it is wiser to trust the results than it is to trust the media. The media are motivated by creating outrage to get eyeballs on them.

Firstly, it's great that you have obviously taken so much time to consider your thoughts for sharing. Everyone here cares about the Dees, which is why we are here. I absolutely agree that a review needs to be done of the club every year, and Pert has indicated this is what will be done. If the board deems it necessary, the review will be external (which I believe it is?). If the AFL believes we are too much of a basket case, which they did in 13/14, they will remove the board and bring in some pros (ala. Peter Jackson). We are clearly not in the basket case territory. We won the flag after 57 years in 2021 in a year when we only had 1 real injury (Tommo, who was superfluous) and were clearly the fittest team in the comp. Since then we have finished top 4 twice, but come into the finals absolutely battered. I would take a top 4 finish every day of the week. List management is an issue, but it is for every club. I think you have missed the point on Grundy, there is no way we could have kept him and it hasn't cost us anything. Would we have let Jordan go if we knew Brayshaw was going to be forced into retirement? Probably not. The point is that these things are more complex than you are representing. My main issues with list management relate to the lack of recruitment of a back up ruck, though am not sure what was available. We have the same salary cap issues as they other clubs and need to balance immediate and future needs. Not easy. Similarly, this season has been ridiculously close and unpredictable. That we almost beat the team that are now 2nd last weekend, sending us to 13th, shows that. Have we under-performed THIS season? I think we have actually done well given the injuries / availability's we have had, particularly to our top 6 players. Is this finish what we want? No. Is it understandable? Yes. The review will highlight areas of improvement and I am 100% confident that our Premiership winning coach and leaders will be able to identify the issues and respond.

I'd really hope that Sparrow would be happy to take any role assigned to him that will help the team, as I would any player. This match is a good chance for a lot of players to prove they have the desire to play on next season. Just checked our injury list and saw it includes May, Oliver, Petracca, Windsor and Spargo. You just can't replace those sorts of players, but it's a great opportunity for the likes of Hore, Howes, Kolt & Disco (at least) to learn and smash in. You'd hope some of the older players that have drifted towards the end of the season, or throughout it to really come home with a wet sail too. Go Dees!

Really appreciate all your work WCW!

Watched him train and was amazed by the size of him, particularly given his age. He will not get any smaller over the coming years, but will get faster and more confident. Give the poor lad time and give him a chance.