Lord Travis

It’s weird that Trac is classified as a forward. While he spends some time forward, he’s clearly a midfielder. He averages nearly 30 touches a game, approx 7 clearances a game, spends most of his game time around the ball and averages less than a goal a game. We’d love to have the flexibility to play him more forward at times, and we’d love for him to improve his scoring accuracy (28% and worst in the league!), but fact is he’s a midfielder and shouldn’t be part of these rankings. On another note, these rankings are dog****. I’ll eat my hat if Mitch Lewis is better than Jeremy Cameron, Tex Walker, Hawkins, Finlayson etc. Larkey being down the bottom of the list statistically equal with Hipwood is also a laugh. Credibility of these rankings is zero. There’s gathering data, then there’s analyzing data. Champion data can perhaps gather data fine, but their analysis is as accurate as a blind 4 year old [censored] themselves while watching Teletubbies and ranking things based off color.

Stats back up the eye test. He’s plateaued. Five seasons in with a mature body and midfield opportunity and he’s still below AFL average. If he doesn’t improve over the next 12 months he’ll be out of the best 22 permanently you’d think.

Loved him in his draft year and he’s obviously talented. He’s struggled at afl level so far, but he was very good off half back on the weekend. Out of contract and hasn’t performed so shouldn’t cost much in a trade. I’d be all for getting him in as we need more players with pace and skill to compliment our one paced overly inside midfield.

Sadly Rivers is the only bonafide best 22 player from last year that's improved. Everyone else has gone backwards or plateaued and is not performing to expectation with the exception of Petracca. Viney and Lever are having decent seasons, but not their best. Chandler started the year well but has been ineffective the past 6 weeks or so. McVee has been good for debut season. JVR has had a good debut season too considering his role as a tall forward target. Without tall support around him he is struggling to impact games though. Biggest disappointments with form drops this year considering potential and previous output have been Gawn, Kozzie, Petty, Langdon, Brayshaw. I would've put May in here too, but he's had some decent patches of form. Brown and TMac I wouldn't bother rating as they're injured and cooked now. The Gawn and Grundy combo hasn't worked and as a result Gawn has gone from a top 5 player in the league to a below average player. Statistically he's having his worst season since 2014 and I'd say the stats line up to his lack of impact as either a forward or ruckman. It's a weird season. We're still top 4 and could potentially contend, but it feels like we're going backwards and all players are down on form. Given our good injury run heading into the season compared to last year, this season has been more disappointing than last IMO. It feels like we're wasting a big opportunity to claim another flag as this is probably the weakest season in living memory. There isn't a single team I'd consider a strong team when compared to previous years. Whoever wins the flag this year will be remembered as a weak team IMO.

It’s a very even year because most teams are 💩. Pies are top of the ladder and if you put them against most premiers they’d rate as very weak and a forgettable lucky team like the Bulldogs of 2016. Whoever wins this year will be a weak premier IMO. We could definitely steal another flag.

Agreed. There’s first round picks and then there’s first round picks. Early first rounders are much greater opportunity to get a club changing superstar like Trac or Clarry. Late first rounders and you hope for a Bowey type who could have a good career but far less likely to be a superstar and change a clubs fortunes. We tried trading three first rounders in the teens for pick 6 last year and got knocked back. We’d need a top 5 pick out of Freo to have any chance to move up the draft board for Reid or an elite talent. Talk of chasing Oscar Allen is misplaced also. Contracted for another two years. West Australian local lad. Already on $800,000-$850,000. His next contract will be a million plus that we likely don’t have and we’d be convincing him to move away from home too. More chance of landing a King brother or basically anyone else in the league!

That's not even including the missed shots! The past 4-5 matches our accuracy has tanked to become worst in the league again. The whole forward line needs an overhaul but unfortunately we just don't have the players on the list to fix it.

He’s having a great year and should be top 5 in our BnF. He’s one of our only players who’s improved this season. Most others have gone backwards. Would love to see him in at more centre bounced but that would require Goodwin to try something different and he won’t.

I assume Jefferson is still a few years off? We desperately need a quality marking forward who hits the scoreboard. It’s a real shame Larkey re-signed at North as he would’ve been perfect. Are there any other realistic options out there? Himmelberg is not worth 900k so he’s out.

Sad part is most of his team mates are the same and he wasn’t our worst tonight. Petty, Jordon, Chandler, Gawn and others had absolute shockers and would get dropped if the selection committee selected based on form and output.

Choco Williams needs to get stuck into the kicking training again. Our accuracy has been horrible the last 5 matches and is basically the difference now.

32 years old next year. He’s has knee recos and the back of his head has been caved in with the constant punches over the last few years. He’s near the end and isn’t going to have much of a meaningful impact onfield going forward.

This pathetic capitulation is now effecting our percentage and could cost us too 4. WAKE THE [censored] UP YOU WEAK DOGS

Lever has been strong too. Max has cracked the [censored] and thrown in the towel this year.

What an embarrassing final quarter. Outscored 5 goals to zip when the games on the line. Coach needs a rocket. Team selection wrong. Team balance wrong. No changes made even when getting belted around the ball and on turnover.

Aaaaaand they’ve broken us. Hate to think what hey would’ve done to us with their bad injury list. What a disgrace. One step forward two steps back.

He was obviously underdone and it was an obvious error by the club to drop Tomlinson for him. Everyone called it before the ball was bounced and it’s played out that way. Petty’s 2023 as a whole has been a major disappointment. Was poor up forward but then struggled in defense where he’s previously excelled.

Probably game over now. We can’t score. How were the third highest scoring team is beyond me with this abysmal forward line.

Career worst game from Langdon tonight and easily his worst season as a Demon. He’s been soft, fumbly and shanking every kick. Need him to lift and get stuck in like his opposite winger mate Hunter

Hunters been good again tonight and surprisingly hard at it for a winger.

Viney is carrying our midfield this past few weeks. Such a workhorse and getting back to his damaging best. Gawny is really struggling. The balance with him and Grundy just isn’t working and it’s effected Gawns form badly now. Need to rethink how we use him and have a word to the umpires about how often he’s blocked or belted off the ball!

Rubbish quarter. Bombing high to smalls in the wet will never work. Smalls not locking ball in either. It’s gonna be a long night.

6 weeks for Rohan there

Not a good start. Our forward setup is rubbish for a top four team.

I really want to see a good game from Kozzie tonight. He's been poor for the past two months, averaging less than a goal a game and a touch under 9 disposals. If he were being judged on performance and not potential, he'd be dropped. He needs to stop flying for marks and stay down ready to crumb. He hasn't marked a single one of those silly attempts, but rather has cost the team 20+ scoring opportunities across the season I'd wager. He's such a great talent and a proven match winner. He needs to get back into form if we're to challenge at the pointy end of the year.