Redleg

In hindsight you are right.

Sounds like ANB is gone then.

Petty will be a good player for us.

Dusty gets 2 but back for us ANZAC eve.

Wise you are an optimist. Look at the list below and tell me what you disagree with: Injuries to key players. Operations and compromised pre season to key players. Lack of pace on the list, despite what some on here say. Poor skills throughout the list, with a few exceptions. Lack of quality small goal kicking forwards. A very risky game plan that requires 100% commitment/awareness and supreme fitness. Poor form of several players. Improving opposition teams, making it more difficult to get wins. Lack of a fit, quality second ruckman. Lack of replacement key forward if Tom or Weid injured. Lack of depth, currently available at Casey. 0-3 start which could blow out even worse in the next few games. Wise, the above are some of the reasons I think you are optimistic. That said I hope you are correct, or we even fluke/manage a higher spot in the 8.

As I said which ones, we don't really have any good crumbers.

Which crumbers ?

Not to mention McEvoy, Gunston and usually for 10 years Burgoyne.

Of course it was, the 2 Captains wanted out.

He will get 2 with 1 for a guilty plea. Should be 3 with 2 as off the ball.

Don’t know about his stats but agree I thought Hore looked ordinary and not AFL standard.

Chandler showed a bit. Bedford is very slight but has talent and may need some time.

We would have if we had kicked another 11 unanswered goals.

Only highlighted the 4 I used as an example. The thrust of my point is there are other types of players than the slow contested beast type.

I have watched nearly all games so far this year and IMO we are the slowest side in the AFL.

By the end of the season the FD agreed with him.

Thanks.

I suppose the aim was to stop more goals than Jesse kicked. May will be ok.

And we knew that for a few years and what did we do about a possible replacement or extra Insurance for the inevitable, him leaving?

Clearly we don't. Why was Wagner the Josh one, flying every time 2 other Dees went up? Where was the bloody message to stay down and watch his man or the loose man at the contest?

Agree. My point was that there was Insurance there for the taking, but all we concentrated on was the contested beast. Schache and Finlayson were gettable cheap options and would have us with a better balanced list. Hogan was always a chance to go home and realistically more than just a chance. What did we do about it by way of replacement? We all knew Jeffy was probably past his best and Spargo was limited in pace, height, kicking distance etc, yet the only one of that type in the last few years I think, has been Bedford. Someone said Lockhart but I think he is another contested player foremost, but looking likely at least. Look at how many small forwards at the Cats and Lions for example.The Lions also have more and better talls than us as well. They also have 2 of our former ruckmen. They are going places and are on the way to finals most likely this year.

Agreed and who comes in if they are injured?

Well done, you picked out one player from our list, who incidentally is my favourite player and our best draft pick of many years.

Not that I think they are great players, but rather they are filling needs and came cheaply. Rohan is nothing like ANB,. he can kick straight, run, take a mark, not fumble, stay on his feet and is a footballer.

First let me say that I have confidence in our FD in this area. The only major blunder recently was Toumpas and there is no need to go into that again. We clearly have identified the contested beast as our main target and have done well in that respect. What I am concerned about is that type still appears our main aim. Many on here acknowledge our lack of pace, skill and small goal kicking forwards. Also another tall forward. I posted at the time that we should chase Schache and Finlayson, who were tall mobile players, who while not stars, would come cheaply and would be great Insurance for Hogan leaving and injuries or loss of form to the Mac’s or Frost/Weid.They incidentally kicked 9 goals between them in their latest game. They also were gettable cheaply, even though Finlayson stayed at the Giants. i am not posting this to blow my own trumpet as they still may fail long term but rather to highlight a somewhat blinkered approach to our needs. IMO we always needed pace, skill and small goal kicking forwards. Yes we took Bedford, but he is the only one that I can see we have and he is some time off, if he even makes it. Guys like McCarthy, Dahlhaus Lyons and Rohan, just as examples of recycled pacy skilful players are doing well at their new clubs . They are not champions but filled needs and didn't cost a lot. Shiel’s pace from the contest killed us on Friday. I just think we have erred in only targeting the contested beast at the expense of other types. I think the group we got in this season only has Bedford with real pace. I still maintain we are a slow, poorly skilled side and contested footy can’t be our only trick, though I acknowledge it’s importance. I just think we have an unbalanced list and it is hurting us.