Bring-Back-Powell

His 4 or 5 games with us were very uninspiring, even factoring in his lack of proper AFL preparation.

Jake Lever: - good player ✅ - media performer ✅ - on field leadership ✅ - age profile ✅ - would represent the club well to media and corporates ✅ Petracca ticks all these boxes as well but Lever just seems like he was born to be a captain. I wouldn’t think May would be considered due to his age and incidents.

Unless Grundy’s physically cooked for good and we’ve bought an absolute lemon, then I’m not concerned in the slightest despite today’s disappointing training reports. It was only Anzac Day 2022 when he kicked the sealer from 50 metres out on a seriously injured knee and never played again for the year. The bloke has talent and I refuse to believe that we didn’t do our due diligence.

I’ll be really disappointed if Salem falls into that category you’ve listed below re: players that may end up being Casey regulars. Salem’s too good a player and has too good a skill set to not be automatic best 22 as opposed to your Tomlinson’s, Harmes’s, Hibberds, Rivers’s etc…

Jackson was garbage against Freo last year averaging all of 1 mark in both games for someone that’s probably taller than 85-90% of the league. If Kozzie has a stinker against Port in round 10, I’m panicking.

One of my favourite wins of all time that I have attended live, as well as the 2015 game where we given even less of a chance down there. Very rare that a trip back up the Princess HWy to Melbourne was an enjoyable one. Clearly we would’ve missed the finals after being in the top 2 mid season, had we lost that game and not arrested a 7 game losing streak.

I'd much rather keep Kozzie due to the point of difference he provides as an AFL player and the joy he brings to the fans. However, Rozee and Butters are some seriously talented players who would be brilliant pick ups. Rozee polled 14 brownlow votes in the last 10 games of the season and won an All Australian and B&F honours. Butters didn't have as great a year but is thought to have even more upside than Rozee. If there was any truth to the Kane Cornes rumour, I'm assuming we asked for Butters or Rozee in return and Port said "no way" and all bets were off. Unfortunately we won't have that luxury at the end of the year as Kozzie will be uncontracted (if he doesn't re-sign with us)

I can see Jackson kicking off his Freo debut with a 2022 esque performance of 8 possessions/1 mark/0 goals against St Kilda prompting a 40 page discussion on the Freo Bigfooty forum on whether they over paid. Then all will be well in the world when he takes North to the cleaners in a round 2 Optus Stadium soft kill. Freo to start the season 1-1.

Probably. If I were an AFL player and I knew I wouldn't be able to play a game the following season due to a degenerate knee, I'd be seeking a settlement from the club on the last year of the contract and then try to make up the balance of income forgone in another line of work, because I know that a perk of being an AFL player is the connections I've developed. In the past, players have retired before their contracts have expired.

Seems like an outstanding fella that would put the club before himself if his knee can’t withstand another year. With that being said, we’ll be a far better side next year if we get the late 2021 Ben Brown edition, so here’s hoping.

If BBB has another poor year from a form and injury perspective, then I reckon he'll retire and forgo his final year.

Me too. T Mac always plays a solid game down back, even the round 1 game last year where he was summonsed into defence after Salem went down. And we all saw what Petty was capable of in a cameo appearance in the Brisbane final. Petty will be one of the best contested markers in league footy so I'd like to see him play some minutes in the forward line this year. Thought our defence was stale, tired, injured, uncharacteristic (May and Lever arguing with each other) and out of sorts come finals last year. As you stated above, some flexibility might be in order next year.

If it comes down to those two, then it's a no brainer to go with Burgoyne. I'm assuming Burgoyne is at the very least a competent VFL standard player who will provide depth for Casey while keeping Kozzie in a good space.

Love the idea of plonking Gawn in our defensive 50 for much of the game to make the opposition think twice about their inside 50 entries. If T Mac, BBB and JVR are all available then I don't see the need for Gawn to spend much time as a forward this year.

Do elaborate, please. As I posted, I’m more than happy to hear reasons as to why Griffiths should not cop some criticism for our fade-outs.

Burgess was a massive loss and everyone here acknowledged it as being a potential major setback for the 2022 season. Blowing 6 games whereby the club had at least a 4 goal lead in all of them is not a stat that could possibly reflect well on Griffith's commencement at the club. Happy for someone to dispute this.

We have an SSP pick available for Burgoyne or Kye Turner who are training with us. Assuming he's a sufficient SANFL/VFL standard player with potential upside, I'd happily pick Burgoyne up for some Casey depth if it helps Kozzie feel more comfortable and happy at the MFC.

Absolutely spot on. To beat Freo and Brisbane away in such comprehensive fashion gives us hope that we can rebound back to our 2021 form in which we were almost unbeatable against the best sides.

Or is he referring to the game in 2020 (at Metricon V Lions) where they had that stupid video goal review instead of allowing Lever to quickly take the kick in from full back with less than a minute left, and we had open players down the ground??

Unless we win the next two flags and Grundy is a key reason behind those flags, I'm sure Goodwin and Co first choice was to have kept Jackson (rather than trade in Grundy) due to the long term proposition of taking over Gawn. I thought Jackson was largely poor last year, but it was only his third year, and I still expect him to be a consistent top 30-50 player in the AFL in the peak of his career.

Can't get around the paywall but the Herald Sun alluded to the fact that it would be utter stupidity if Gawn plays primarily as a forward this year with Grundy in the side. One of the key advantages of this ruck duo is the ability to rest Gawn (who's no spring chicken) throughout the season and have him absolutely cherry ripe for September. I hate using injuries as an excuse as it discredits the opposition but after re-watching the Brisbane final, the big man could hardly jog and was so far below his best that night (and got no help from the other bloke who's no longer with us). We have a WA into SA game in rounds 4-5. We have a Monday into Saturday game in rounds 6 and 7, and some ostensibly easier late season games against Adeaide, North and Hawthorn where Gawn could be rested and Grundy can shoulder more of the ruck load. I want to this ruck duo working to perfection in September.

Salem or Petracca?

Quite a negative/sobering post but I agree with the JVR point.

He may not be our best player, but he's arguably out most irreplaceable player. I can't think of a small forward that would be on the market that kicks 45 goals a season with the tricks and defensive pressure that Kozzie provides. At least with Jackson departing we got a readily replaceable player with a chip on his shoulder and hopefully a point to prove. It will be a set back for 2024 if he does end up departing.