demoncat

To answer the question of this thread - yes, it is time to start a rebuild The only problem is we should have started moving on players a year or two ago - instead we’ve felt the need to keep our senior players at all costs like it’s a PR exercise to cover up how poorly the club has been tracking Don’t get me wrong - I love all of our 2021 champions - but this group has gone as far as it can and 2026 is going to be even worse if tough decisions aren’t made

Can I be both depression and acceptance? 🤣

Take notes Dees

He’s definitely one I’d be getting in the ear of Wasted on the half forward flank while Rioli and Noble take his half back minutes and the Suns prioritise their young mids

Reckon you must be pretty flexible with the mental gymnastics you’re doing there Bing Saying that we have a group capable of playing finals after conducting an internal review during the most tumultuous off season we’ve had in a decade wasn’t just a PR exercise If they genuinely thought it was a good idea to announce this while conceding internally it was unlikely we would play finals, then that’s a damning lack of judgement from the current admin But hey I guess the promise of finals sold so many memberships this year right? Oh wait…

The club clearly misjudged where this playing group is at They set returning to finals as a pass mark so by their own metric this has been a failed season Clearly the messaging has changed now that finals are out of the question and it has become clear that our core group of players aren’t the ones who will lead our next flag tilt The club either lied to supporters in their comms or showed poor judgement in assessing this list and what it was capable of this year - why some posters can’t admit this is beyond me FWIW I’m at peace with this being a development year and am really confident in our younger players and believe some of our senior players can contribute at a high level for years to come, but let’s not rewrite history

Thanks for the write up I’m very curious how they’re going to square the circle of seemingly wanting to retain players like Clarry and Fritsch but then being on the hunt for midfield and forward half talent Obviously Goody can’t come out and say that anyone is going to be traded but it’s difficult to get a read on just what the club is prepared to do to stay active this off season

You’ve got to give something to get something, and I don’t think we can afford to go into 2026 with largely the same list as 2024/2025 It might not be Fritsch but it’s the kind of conversation I hope the club is open to having if the right offers present themselves

He’s the perfect cherry on top player for a contending club It might be an obvious thing to say but it’s no surprise his best goal kicking returns game when we were contending across 2021-23 (minus his injury effected back half of 23)

While I tend to agree I’m not sure what other avenues we have to improve our list from both an draft pick and cap space point of view If we don’t bring in a number of new players this off season we’re essentially running back the same list as 2024/25, and it’s safe to say supporters won’t tolerate another bottom six finish from a group that has so many senior/highly paid players It might not be Clarry but something has to give, lest we just back in the same group to naturally improve

Closest I’ve seen in style to the Bont since the great man was drafted A bit of Dawson about him too Reckon we got him for an absolute bargain at pick 6

I remember this being the game that made me think we have something with Kolt Think he had 20 or so disposals and would have had two goals if they didn’t rob one from him in the goal square Reckon his lack of preseason is really effecting him but also think we need to bed down what his role is Is he a mid? A fwd? A bit of both? I don’t think he’s destined to be a high half forward in the Nibbler mould but seems to be playing in a similar role now

Hits targets all day 🤣

Curtin giving him a run for his money but to be fair he’s a second year player in a top 4 team You’d have to think Langford is polling the best out of the 2024 draftees - having an absolutely stellar debut season 🐂

Best draftee we’ve brought into the club since Clarry

The game looks like it’s gone past Lever Can’t play man on man, is a poor kick and decision maker with ball in hand and not particularly quick He’s still a gun interceptor but I think the modern game demands tall defenders to be a key part of your transition - not just a brick wall that intercepts, stops and props and slows the play down The contrast with Turner is stark at the moment

I mean seeing as we gave him an assistant coaching gig with no experience, he should be ready to be a head coach in no time!

Bill’s been our best performer at VFL level for two years now Regardless of whether he makes it he should have been given a sustained run at it a long time ago - and not as sub

Daicos is actually pretty well built for his size - reckon Judd is a fair bit more rangy Regardless I take your point - if you’re good enough it doesn’t matter what size you are

I mean when you’ve lost 5 in a row I suppose you don’t really need to change it up…

I hope the intel is true and that Judd stays - he’s an important part of that next young core coming through On his position - I can see it both ways He was extremely poor in the last round of 2024 when he went into the middle and I don’t think he has the frame to be a CBA midfielder But equally he’s wasted locking down small and medium forwards each week I think the coaches need to be flexible with him and try to find the balance between letting him use his kicking skills up the ground, but still making sure he’s getting the ball and impacting (and not getting caught in no man’s land like in that game last year)

I’m a subscriber to the DeeBrief but their content can be very reactionary And sometimes it’s just hard to get through because they won’t stay on topic for more than a minute before someone else jumps in Regardless they’re just Dees fans going through it at the moment like we all are - and FWIW I agree with the overall sentiment on the need for change But if your answer is Nathan Buckley then it’s a good thing you’re not at the club making these decisions 🤣

I also rate Worpel but you’d think we’d need to move out one of our inside players to bring him in He’d essentially give the same or better output as Oliver or Viney this year but likely at half the coin (in Oliver’s case anyway)

I’m big on Flanders Showed that he could play midfield to a high level last year before a back injury ruined his preseason He’s since been stuck at HFF while Bailey Humphrey and Will Graham take his minutes If we could pry him loose he’d bring a different (and much needed) dynamic to our midfield And he can actually kick! Imagine that

Mitch Lewis left out of the Hawks side this week in favour of Calsher Dear Get in his ears Dees - would be our number 1 forward every week if his body holds up