middleagedemon

Probably true.

Thanks for the welcome, I must admit it has been comical to see that the username has stuck for this long! As per the norm, I'm happy to disagree about Houston's kicking so I'll leave it there. I'd like to see McVee have a crack on ball but I just don't see it happening because Goody. And as for Trac and Rivers, I think we'll see a split again with forward and mid. He's too valuable around the ball to be mainly playing forward. But I guess we'll see. Either way, I think this off-season will be remembered as one of the most important for us given the state of our ageing stars and I'm intrigued to know what kind of moves we pull to ensure their longevity. Especially Max's.

Second-rounder at best. His body has continued to let him down which has seen him underperform since '21. I still think he'd be a game changer for us if he was able to bullet-proof his body and have consecutive uninterrupted full seasons.

Top 6 pick here we come. The way we're playing, I can't see a win coming from our last four games. I would have hoped against a depleted Collingwood, but we seem to have nightmares thinking about playing them and the game is over in our heads before we even take to the field. A good thing long-term, with some welcome changes on the horizon. Would love for us to work our way into obtaining two picks inside 10 this year.

I miss him too.

I understand the need for foot skills through our midfield, but foot skills is not Houston, I can assure you. Houston is a long and penetrative kick, like Rivers. He is not in the McVee mould of kicking or vision. He has really average speed and agility and has had one year considered elite where he finished AA as a half back, not midfielder. I genuinely sense that posters have confused us going for him as a mid as opposed to a half back replacement for Rivers. If Riv replacement scenario was true, it'd make more sense, but I'm still ultimately confused at the link. Houston's traits do not give us anything we don't have in our midfield. I implore posters to watch even some highlights videos of him to get a glimpse. The link is bizarro. And as for the two first rounders to get it done hahaha. That's Sam Landsberg (whatever his name is), on yet another pointless footy show talking hypotheticals and thinks that's what it'd take to get him out. Which it probably would given he's under contract for something like four yearssss!! The whole thing is just so typical of AFL media. Pick something up that is more than likely utter nonsense, run with it, talk hypotheticals. Next thing you know, dee's are giving up two first rounders for a half back that has had one elite year in the position. Hilarious! As for who I am. That remains a secret... (yes, it's me. I'll play nice this time).

Been a shining light in a rocky year, the player I'm most excited about going forward. Put him on ice, forget round 24. He's been enormous for us. Give Windsor and Kolt a pre-season under Trac's wing and they'll have a big say in what our season could look like next year.

The Houston links I just can't understand. He's on a 3-4 year deal isn't he? And we're thinking we'll prize him out by offering what kind of draft capital? It just screams like a desperate Essendon or Carlton move a few years back when they were convinced they were flag fancies. Isaac Cumming I completely understand, he's a RFA. But honestly, does anyone in their right mind believe we are going to make a big play to 2.0 version of Christian Salem who is under contract? It would murder our list management. I liked @BScotti's post and thought they identified some key areas that have hit us really hard and we've still not worked it out. The Jackson role replacement is paramount for an ageing Max I'm and I hate the idea of using any of JVR, Disco or Petty in that secondary role. I think it's lunacy throwing Van Rooyen into the ruck given the risks involved and what it takes away from our forwardline. Ben Brown's absence from our forwardline takes so much away from us also. Not necessarily on output, but he was a master of forwardcraft, his leading patterns were so good and that allowed for everyone's roles to be easier. We've not looked the same in that space since his demise. Who we find as a Jackson replacement is another thing altogether given the lack of options. But if we're going to prize anyone out under contract, it should be a Jackson replacement. Rowan Marshall for instance. Not a half-back flanker who has had one elite year. Christ. It's an issue for sure, especially with Max ageing. I still think we absolutely fluffed the Grundy expiriment and were far too quick to throw it out. I'd have thought it would take a bit longer than a handful of games together to build some synergy and for each to impact in different ways. If only Goody was as stubborn on sticking with it as he is on so many other things. I find it so interesting that Goody has been happy to persist with two key defenders playing as key forwards for more than a season but threw out the Grundy/Gawn pairing after a handful of games. It's just wild. Is it any wonder why we've continued to have forwardline functioning and innacuracy issues whilst having Turner and Petty play forward? No. At least the Gawn/Grundy situation gave us ascendency in other areas, even if one of them struggled up forward. And who knows what could have happened after more than a season of them playing together. So bizarre. Our midfield is clearly lacking one more creative speedy distributor. And given the talk of how strong this draft is regarding midfield talent, I think it'd be an opportunity missed if we weren't to trade a future first and nail two top mids of this draft. (this is if an opportunity doesn't present itself to prize out a forward/ruck from a club using a pick). We can correct over the off-season and I hope we do. Because of the coaching staff believe that we will be challenging again next year without addressing a forward/ruck, addressing our forwardline in general and our midfield, we will be left behind very quickly.

We miss him so much more than I thought we would.. Gaping hole, spiritually as well as his on-field stuff.

You said the difference between winning and losing came down to GWS's best players ability to perform across four quarters didn't you? Insinuating that we didn't. And then you proceeded to explain why. Which was fatigue and inexperience to Gawn, Oliver and Rivers.

As always, incredibly insightful Drysdale. Do you actually have an opinion on anything? Or are you incapable of having one? Sure seems like the latter.

Well observed, I was similarly in disbelief in that last quarter at how many clearances they won. Can't all be fatigue given we've been repeat offenders in that space this year. With Gawn in the side as well as Petracca and Oliver we've had games we're we've been comprehensively beaten at clearance. It's an issue that needs serious work in the off-season. Personally I think we need to become far more creative in how we utilise Gawn's strengths going forward and I think seeing him in less centre-bounces will be a good thing. We just need to find the right forward/ruck who can play in tandem with him and they need to stick at it.

Christ almighty the excusing around here is gold to listen to. Do you think that every year we don't win a game of footy it's because of injury/umpires/the wind suddenly changed direction?

Well said. To be clear, I think it's an important factor, clearly not the only one. And I appreciate the complexities involved within a coaching group and their relationship with a list. I can't help but feel the group needs another McCartney type of figurehead at the club. And one more brainiac/strategist to take our forwardline. But what do I know.

Of course we should have a look and I think we're at a stage where our list is crying out for some fresh voices, faces and ideas. New coaches in an AFL environment breathe new energy and are generally a catalyst for renewed notivation and individual growth across a playing list. I think it's one of the most important factors going into next year for us and I think that is absolutely clear from looking at our performances this year.

It's not tanking. Tanking has a specific definition. I'm saying I'd rather finish outside the 8 and I think we'd be better off for it.

Didn't seem to bother us in 21? And it certainly hasn't helped us make the 8 this year! So which is it? The hawk's comparison is nonsensical given they're playing arguably the best football in the league right now and have been doing so consistently, have the vibrancy and drive of youth and are hungry. They're in a completely different spot to us as a list and don't need a top up of talent. We are middling, are no flag threat, need another strong draft hand and most definitely need a mental rest.

Haha. Jeez Louise, from the poster who consistently talks down those who 'play the man'. I would have thought demonland's favourite son might be better than that! As far as this season goes and the weekly commentary you provide on the state of our side, list, game-plan etc, it's fair to say that you're happy to move the goal posts depending on the result! Which of course keeps most happy on this site, as nobody wants to believe in a cup half empty. But if I may, whilst I agree Goody and co may want to fight nail and tooth to make the 8, I'm not sure the positives outweigh the negatives given the importance of bringing in quality high-end picks especially before the Tassie draft concessions hit. Do people think we'd have won the 21 flag without the help of our bumper draft of Jackson, Pickett and Rivers? Do you? The thing about being glass half full all the time is that you end up painting over cracks, constantly. And a big part of why your views are so popular around here is because they make like-minded supporters 'feel good'. But hopefully reality has set in a bit and supporters can see with their own eyes that we do have fundemental flaws in our game plan, list, method and that coaches are open to criticism. And that losing in straight sets is not just down to inmacuracy on the night and/or injuries, umpires, blah blah blah. And that our team isn't actually as great as many think? And that Van Rooyen might not me 'the' best young key forward in the game. He might be a good one though? Btw, do you still think we're "tracking exactly as we should be"? There are those on here who do say some outlandishly negative [censored] on gameday threads etc, but those of us who have had strong views on club when we've dished up some absolute rubbish have been scoffed at from you and your merry brigade. But now, it looks like we were right all along. These cracks keep getting bigger, but your goal posts keep moving. Which is interesting. For the sake of longevity at the top whilst we have Gawn, May, Lever, Viney for the next couple of years, I think it'd bode well for us to finish outside the 8 this year to have another big crack at the draft and whilst making sure we absolutely nail FA/trade period and bring some a couple of fresh and highly respected assistant coaches to challenge this group that at times look completely uninspired and uninterested in following Godwin's message.

Haven't watched the game due to being overseas, what's happened to Salem? Says he's injured, AGAIN?!

Don't be scared to have an opinion SPC haha. Your observations are completely valid, it's alarming that you feel the need to devalue your observations and make it known you're not potting anyone to please the rose-coloured facepalming nuffs that seem to dominate this forum these days!

Full time midfield rotation is what I should have said. I think he needs to reinvent and rejuvenate his career. Id much rather see him at half forward and through the midfiled next year.

Agree there was a necessity to play him given the lack of options we have as well as the hope that he'd work his way into the seasonm, but neither of those statements you make are true. On output this year, he's not our best mid. And he's current level is not above that of 80% of mids playing the game. That's just rosey-coloured glasses kinda stuff.

Happy to give him next year to see how he fares over pre-season. Something tells me he'll want to have the biggest pre-season of his life, prove the doubters wrong and get back to being one of the top contested mids in the comp. Along with Salem, if they can both have a 'Trac-like' pre-season next year, it will go a long way to getting us back up the pointy end of the ladder.

I'm assuming our interest in him was before our youth explosion post the Collingwood game? Now that we've unearthed Moniz the Wiz, McVee has exploded and Salem has slid back into a half back role. Unless we plan on turning Salem into a full-time mid going forward next year, which I wouldn't mind. Just seems a strange thing that we'd be into him to me?

@WalkingCivilWaranything to actually add to a post that is not in any way criticising/'bagging' a player? Care to give an actual view on the issue? Or just continue on giving nothing with your childish emojies?