Go Ds

Umm, so if West Coast(?) agree to swap #1 for picks 7 and 8 could we still laugh at PG's comment? I get it: if there's no takers, short of overspending , 7&8 wont become 1 (or vice versa) But the point still stands that getting 2 likely high-class youngsters at once can change everything - we got quite a bit for someone who no longer was part of the team, possibly was causing problems and may be a shadow of his former self (taking a big chunk out of the salary cap).

Yep, lots of spin. So much will always be hidden. The club don't want Tracc, Oliver or any past player to hate us. But it could be if we knew all the stats and stories from recent years we'd agree the club would have been crazy to persist with them.

True. But even in the best team a forward cannot stop a miskick to a defender in space nor do anything with a shot at goal that's out of reach and off target.

Thanks Tarax I was wondering about all this. Jack Viney really was the only one in decades I could think of as a son who's had an impact. Fingers crossed Kalani White will emulate his dad. I don't think we've had much luck with our sons. We seem to have done better with sons of opposition players via Bowey and Spargo. Oh, and Im assuming we've only had sons of two former Brownlow medallists - Woewodin and Paul Couch

Thank you. I was wondering about all this. Jack Viney really was the only one in decades I could think of as a son who's had an impact. Fingers crossed Kalani White will emulate his dad. I don't think we've had much luck with our sons. We seem to have done better with sons of opposition players via Bowey and Spargo. Oh, and Im assuming we've only had sons of two former Brownlow medallists - Woewodin and Paul Couch

Umm, so was Tracc a bit / a lot encouraged to move on?

I'm also sick of hearing "in hindsight we should have" and really these lists of 'lost' players are irrelevant. Plenty of them of will be fondly remembered as 2025 gets smaller and smaller in the rear view mirror and our fortunes finally improve again. But really, apart from watching 2021 replays, it's time to move on and look forward to next year.

Many teams' top ten picks will turn out to be pretty good. Certainly some will be established in the side by year's end. It could be that even by April a newbie has already gone ahead of someone in these lists.

BTW it's going to be hilarious next year if Oliver or Tracc are still butchering the ball or blazing away at goal and the new teams are surprised even though this has all been hidden in plain sight. 😂

Melbourne didn't want him. The 17 other clubs didnt. In recent years he's probably better known for non-footy stuff - comments towards Melksham, Gawn and how we should have beaten Collingwood in 23. I'm sure he knows he's on notice. Maybe he'll pull his head in and sees what he can do with his second chance.

I also don't think it's complete coincidence that we got a forward, a backman and a midfielder. Even on the field and in training drills the new blood helps with the theme of "under new management". There'll be players amazed how despite being almost the same everything that the feel round the club and in matches will be so different. Oh, and clearly it made sense to add to the ruck stocks too.

19 was the number of the player with the second-most goals ever in Dunstall. Of course 23 is another higher number with a legacy. And how about our #31? If in alternative world Tracc retired after another 7 years with Melbourne and more flags and a Brownlow I could how handing #5 to the heir apparent would make sense. But, yeah, let Langford forge a legacy for #19.

Wow! It's like Oliver being pestered at the bottom of an escalator by a journo. 😂

It almost feels like the wonderful family dog got rabies and now we had to shoot them. I must say even if our drop off the cliff was 80% on them they deserve our respect and our gratitude. It's a great idea to rest their numbers for a while - Im not sure it'd even feel right watching even Langford with 5 or 13 on his back so soon. There are plenty of numbers out there (and I hope that both these former heroes don't make the 2031 Premiership Reunion be awkward or that Tracc or Clarry jnr would happy to wear the red and bluein 2 or 3 decades time.

My, Max Heath has been at the club less than a week and we're already s'posed to know his nickname is Moose?! 😂

Umm, let's see..... Who's we? The Bailey 'we'? Or Neeld's? Roos's? Goody's? Who exactly? Certainly we can't know if King loves finishing down the bottom. As for loving this maybe after 4 years of not wanting low finishes standards slipped. But even if for whatever reason things hadn't fallen apart for Oliver in 2023 and Petracca hadn't almost died maybe we would been top 10 the last 2 seasons (,and in 8 of yhe last 9). So, no, we probably don't like finishing near last. As for next year we do lose a lot of experience. It's certainly possible we go backwards. Then again we have a new coach, there could well ne more motivation and well, maybe Clarry or Tracc were causing tension and affecting team morale and now we gain more than we lose. Plus we have added a new forward, a new defender, a new midfielder and a new ruckman. Any or all of them may well help improve things on their part of the ground or subgroup. Anyway we should wait and be optimistic for next year. Surely there's no point fretting over summer.

What should we make of this list? Hibberd retired. Some were ruined by injuries. Some wanted to move interstate and some wanted better opportunities. Do we complain about bad luck? Do we blame the club for being the reason we lost two (former) superstars today? Or were they bad luck too? Even if there is incompetence in our coaches and staff we're going through a reset anyway - some can't be righted in a month. (BTW I reckon we've had a lot more bad luck post-flag than many care to admit.)

It really is the glass half empty/half full thing. We might as well have faith in King. He cant change everything all at once. But I'm happy to just wait and see whether he did right with Tracc, Clarry and May and what he does over summer with next year's gameplan. He probably won't be but the exciting thing is he could be an exceptional coach - Christ, he could be the best coach in decades. (No one can argue that it's not technically possible.) So far we have every reason to be excited about King and 2026 ( even if it's sad to lose premiership heroes). Roll on March.

#7,8 with field, field in a First Four in the next in Melbourne?(!)

The first rule of Tongue Club is we don't talk about Tongue Club. 🙄 (What did you mean to say?)

The draft is the most likely way to equalise. Of course some teams develop and recruit talent better but teams are still more likely to improve getting top 5 picks rather than pick 15-19 each year. Give the long-term non- premiers priority picks; so something like after the first 6 picks (and the early priority ones) give St Kilda #7, Freo 8, Carlton 9, North 10. Try it once. I doubt suddenly any of these teams would win the following flag just cos one of these picks. But the AFL could test the water slowly. Maybe in the following draft instead have the 4 teams longest outside of the finals (and maybe the year after the 4 longest without a prelim appearance.) The thing is we can see all sorts of things give teams an advantage. Whatever it is in time as it turns into flags and finals the teams in a holding pattern keep getting a leg up. (And at the same time players can benefit still from free agency and teams and fans can be excited about Kalani White etc.) It wont happen. But it could work.

Come on , guys. Every young man is a Phil Collins fan..🤣

I think our fans are sick of us splashing (,and the slide)