demoncat

So who do you suggest? Who is on the market this off season? Who are we going to draft that will make an impact next year? And before you say one of next years RFA like McKay or Curnow, there is no guarantee they would leave their clubs and it would be bad list management not to try and improve our list in other areas while holding out hope that they’ll join us. People need to stop throwing out this tired line that we need a KPF but then not giving any realistic proposals of how we are going to get one in the short to medium term. Our list management team are clearly aware that we need one, but they would be just as aware that there may not be one available to us - that is why we’re looking at players like Grundy who may fill other needs and make us better. Obviously everyone has their opinion of whether we should go after Grundy specifically, but please, let’s stop talking about this magical KPF who is going to fall in our laps.

Irrespective of whether or not we make a play for Grundy, I think people need to put aside the notion that we are going to be in a position to get a ready-made KPF during this off season. There are no KPFs who are coming out of contract at the end of this year that would be worth making a play for. Our only option would be to use any first round picks we receive from the Jackson trade to try and draft Aaron Cadman. Obviously I am all for that and I actually think that will be our aim, but like any key position player he will take a few years to develop and I don't think he would make an immediate impact next year. I've also seen some people say that we should save our cap room and trade forward our picks to try and lure a KPF like McKay or Curnow for the following year. As much as I'd love to snag one of them - or any of the other up and coming KPFs like Naughton and the King brothers - we can't bank on players deciding to leave their clubs, especially because those clubs are going to put a premium on retaining them. That's not to say that it won't happen - for all we know there could be discussions going on behind the scenes that the media isn't privy to - but to bank on that without trying to improve our list in other areas would be poor list management. At the end of the day, I have full faith in Tim Lamb, JT and Alan Richardson to make the right call on any trade or draftee. If we are looking at Grundy, its because we genuinely believe he would make our list better and that he wouldn't risk our ability to recruit a KPF. In other words, if we end up recruiting Grundy, it won't be because we didn't identify a KPF as our #1 need - it will be because we did so but didn't have any viable options to fill that position in the short to medium term. I actually think we could be in a position to recruit Grundy AND a tall from the draft. If the Pies are desperate to offload him and Grundy nominates us as his club of choice, there is no way we're giving up any of the first round picks we get for Jackson for him. If we're only giving up picks from the second round or later, we could potentially be in a position where we would still have one or two first round picks that we could use to either trade higher up the draft and get Aaron Cadman, or draft one of the taller prospects from the middle-end of the first round. All hypothetical, but it could end up being a very productive off season for us.

I think we forget just how hard our draw has been this year. First Crack did a segment on Sunday where they analysed quarters won against top eight sides across the season. We ranked somewhere in the top four alongside Geelong, Collingwood and Sydney. But the difference was that we had played significantly more games against the top eight than any of these other sides. I cannot remember the exact number but I remember being shocked at just how many more quarters they said we had played. As much as I can’t stand him, David King actually used this as evidence as to why he believed we were still a contender. Anyway, that isn’t an excuse for our losses - there are plenty of other reasons for them - but still, it does offer some perspective.

Great analysis @JimmyGadson. The foundations of our game - contest and defence - are in great shape and will set us up for multiple shots at the flag. Regardless of what happens this year, Dees fans should be excited for what this club can do over the next five years. Having said that, every great team needs to continually evolve their game-plan and upgrade their personnel - particularly when you’re the reigning premiers and other teams are so focused on picking you apart. Clearly the biggest chinks in our armour are a lack of a pack crashing key forward who can take a contested mark and bring the ball to ground, and classy ball users who can deliver the ball inside 50. Obviously if we dominate general play to the extent that we did in last years finals series and the Brisbane and Freo games, we can put on large scores without those personnel. But as we’re finding out this year, that isn’t always going to be the case. That is why regardless of what happens this year, this off season could be so exciting presuming that Jackson leaves. We would be in good stead to bring in players who could address these needs - like Richmond in 2018 - and re-prime ourselves for more tilts at the flag. Obviously this is all easier said than done, and we don’t know what the trade landscape will look like at seasons end, but there is still enormous upside with this group!

I could live with that

Freo’s pursuit of Jackson seems incredibly short-sighted to me. Freo are a young team with huge upside for the next few years. They’ve already shown that they can compete with the best teams and, personally, I see them as one of our biggest rivals over the next few years. Why you would want to jeopardise this - by forcing out players and forcing them onto smaller contracts - just to land one player in the infancy of their career is beyond me. Jackson doesn’t even fulfil a list need for them. Could be a culture killer if guys like Darcy feel like they’ve been taken for granted. As of right now this is all hypothetical, but geez it makes you glad to have Tim Lamb and Jason Taylor at the head of our list management!

I'd love to see Joel Smith in the forward line. He's athletic, makes a contest and can take a good grab. It won't be this week - and it might not be this season - but I think he could be a really handy forward for us, especially with a full pre-season under his belt. If Jackson stays, we likely won't be in a position to draft or trade for a KPF for 2023. And even if he goes, we may have to wait another year to go after a tall draft prospect or RFA's like Curnow or McKay. In the meantime, we could utilise Smith as a forward, particularly as we're so well covered for defensive depth.

I would love to see it but it relies on us having a good enough replacement for him in the backline. I rate Tomlinson and would love for him to have a permanent spot in our best 22, but I don't know if we've seen enough from him this year to have him fill that role in the last four weeks and in a finals series. I am also excited to see what Turner can do over the next couple of years but I doubt we'll see him again until next year and he will benefit from another preseason under his belt. The other consideration is how many goals we are saving + scoring from rebound with Petty in the backline as opposed to the amount we would gain from moving him forward. If our defence and contest are working and we are getting a lot of inside 50s then Petty up forward could be a huge advantage and a difference maker. But if we're under the pump and are conceding a lot of inside 50s, then his absence could be the difference between conceding multiple goals or absorbing the opposition's pressure and keeping them to a low score. If the past is any indicator, we'll keep Petty in defence and persevere with our increasingly makeshift forward line. We know that Goody values defence and contest above everything, and if those two aspects of our game are in check, we're still able to score heavily. But jeez there is still a part of me that would love to role the dice and see what happens

For an article titled “How Freo can land unicorn”, the author spent very little time explaining how Freo can in fact land the unicorn.

And just a week ago he was “sticking fat” with us as his number one seed because he believed our best could beat anyone God he’s a joke - but hey, at least he always has his laptop with him so he can get his facts straight, right?

Thanks for another great pod and for taking the time to discuss our questions!

Following on from @Deeoldfart’s question - do we think that our experiment with a smaller forward line has run its course? As much as I love having Bedford in the team, I think there were still times yesterday when we were crying out for another tall forward 50 target (even though our entries got better throughout the game). Personally I think that we should bring back the two talls structure for the rest of the season and give one of Weid or JVR a run at the last four or five games. That way, they either have had preparation for a finals campaign or - if fit - TMac can slot right back into his usual role without reintroducing a structure that hasn’t been utilised for two months. As always, looking forward to the pod and curious to hear you thoughts. Go Dees!

Ideal scenario. But this is far more likely

Fair point. Perhaps I was being a bit simplistic about it. Obviously if they are the best players for a particular role, they should be in regardless of their playing futures (as you point out). I guess my thinking came more down to these two players in particular - in that I think for the roles that they would be bought in to play, that there are players that would bring just as much but have a longer term future at the club and would benefit from a good run at it. Having said that it is easy for me to sit here and presume that other players would deliver more. Clearly if Goody and co choose to play one or both of them, they believe that they are the best players to come in.

Oh god I can see it already I think we really need to commit to using players who at the very least are going to be on our list next year. Whether that is Weid and Dunstan or LVR and Laurie. Far be it from me to criticise Goody and co's selections, but I think I speak for most people when I say the time for selecting M. Brown and Melksham over players with longer term futures at the club is just about over. No disrespect to those two however - they've been great servants of the club and in their own ways have contributed to the success we are seeing now.

I understand your point @DemonWA, but I think you can still explain the W/L record against top 8 sides while applying the theory than @binman and others have argued for. First, it is a fact that we have versed more top 8 sides during this period than we did during this time last year. It may well be the case that had we versed Fremantle, Sydney, Collingwood or Geelong earlier in the year that we would have beaten them. Obviously this is hypothetical, but I don't think it is a factor that can be dismissed if you believe that we are/have been loading through the middle part of the season. Second, one key difference between this year and last year that can explain why we have lost to more top 8 sides is injuries. And not just injuries in general, but injuries to key position players within games. This was a significant factor in both the Fremantle and Collingwood games. It is very difficult for any team to adjust to injuries in game, particularly if they all come from one part of the ground - as was the case with our defence in those games. I think that had injuries not been a factor, we would have been in good stead to win both the Sydney and Collingwood games - despite our obvious flaws re: pressure and inside 50 entries. And then all of a sudden you're looking at a 4-2 record rather than 2-4. As a fan, I 100% agree and would love to see us claim some scalps on the run home. And, given our draw, we'll have to to guarantee a top four position. But there are specific reasons that can be pointed to that explain why we have performed worse against the top sides than we did last year.

100% agree on this part. JVR looks like an exciting long term prospect but people shouldn't underestimate the jump between AFL and VFL, and I'd be more inclined to give him as long as he needs to develop before bringing him in. At the very least Weid has the size and strength to attract the second defender and compete (although I'm sure some will disagree with that last part).

Apologies mate, it's been a slow start to the morning You're right to point out his poor performance in one-on-one situations.

I understand this @Lord Nev but to me this is a result of what I said earlier. It is as much about Brown not receiving support from another tall as it is us bombing it long inside 50 to a pack. How many times this year have you seen us genuinely hit Brown on a lead rather than dumping it on his head? Sure he still needs to improve his individual performance, but don't underestimate the impact that these other factors are having on those statistics ^

All that said, I really like Weid and hope for both his and our sake that he can come in and finally grab his opportunity. And to be fair to him, I think he needs to come in for the rest of the HA season to really show what he can produce, especially if we start kicking into gear and sharpening up our forward 50 entries like we did towards the end of last season.

It is still beyond me why people are calling for Brown to be dropped. Yes he has underperformed over the past month or so - but this is largely due to the fact that he has been missing the vital blocking and support that TMac provides. This is especially the case when our strategy of bombing it down the line results in our talls getting double and triple teamed by opposition defenders. Brown played his best footy in weeks in the first half against Geelong and he is too important to our structure to drop. Regarding Weid or JVR, for me it really comes down to how Goody and co. are viewing Weid and his position at the club. If they have faith that he can still become a best 22 forward - whether it is this year or next - they play him. However, if he still hasn't shown enough to warrant selection - especially when we were so exposed for height last week - we go JVR and I think that all but spells the end for Weid's time at the club, at least as anything more than a depth VFL player.

Couldn't have said it better myself @Vipercrunch. No one is saying that the players or coaches should be immune to criticism, but after what we saw last year they have 100% earned my trust. After 57 years without a flag, surely we ought to show Goody and co. some faith.

Good point and the rest of this year will be a real test of our 'system at all costs' strategy. We've all seen what our system can accomplish when all players are fit and firing - and I'm still firmly of the belief that should we play that way come finals that there is no team that can stop us. Having said that, we have to make the top four first, and the risk of this strategy is that we cost ourselves too many games during the home and away season. I'm still backing us in, but we're going to have to show our class and hopefully time our run in the last three or four games like we did last year. If we crash and burn, we'll have to reconsider how we approach both individual games and the entire season in 2023. But until that happens, we do what we did so well in the first place.

My thoughts too. So much of our gameplan is based around the playing percentages. We clearly value kicking to the pack and backing our mids and smalls to win any groundballs rather than risk kicking to one-on-ones and having it marked by an opposition player who can then begin to counter attack through the corridor. Same when we kick to the pocket - we would rather have it spill out of bounds than risk allowing the opposition an easy mark in the centre of the ground. This works when we are fit and firing, but when we can't lock the ball in our forward 50 and aren't applying pressure around the ground, it can be frustrating to watch.

I love how JVR is progressing and I'm pumped to see how he develops long term. My gut instinct says that he won't be playing this year and that we'll persevere with Weid if we bring back another tall - but you never know, we bought Bowey into the team as late as Round 20 and he slotted in perfectly. Having said that, Bowey had the luxury of playing in the best backline in the league with a lot of direction from players like May. I have a feeling that JVR would be asked to fill bigger shoes in a struggling forward line!