Lord Travis

Agree it was a strange decision on his part to come to us. He was never going to get gametime ahead of the best ruckman in the league. He must've been banking on becoming a solid tall forward option to get games? Not surprising he wants out now so he can actually get a game somewhere! If what you say about Jackson is true, then either we're in a lot of trouble or the coaches have rocks in their heads. Jacko showed glimpses of promise, but on output he should've been nowhere near our top 5 this year (if playing every game). Exciting prospect sure, but jeez that's poor stuff from the coaches. Maybe Jacko is a new favorite of Goody? Could take Melkshams place when he winds up? ?

Sad that it ended this way, but it's for the best. Harley clearly struggled both mentally and physically this year. Though he was able to get back playing, he was still a shell of his former self on-field. It's a credit to our fitness staff that they got him back fit enough to get through AFL matches without breaking down. No other club was able to get him to the level we did. Combine that with a brilliant injury run this season and the fitness and medical staff get a massive tick for 2020. Looks like it was your mail that was wrong unfortunately, not mine. Sounds like your your post hasn't worked out.. ?

Time for the return of the riddler??

ANB is depth. He’s not best 22, but he’s better depth than most in the 22-30 bracket on our list. He at least covers ground well and makes the most of his opportunities up forward. Though his ceiling is lower, he’s more reliable than say Hannan, Vanders, Spargo IMO. Average cruising speed and amount of repeat sprints is important. No point being able to run a million miles an hour if you can only do it once and then you’re gassed. It’s where we should see real improvement from Kozzie in the next year or two as he becomes able to repeat his efforts and get to more contests.

Single event, which shows these players are capable but don’t utilize their speed often. Basically Vanders got up to 34kms in a chase, but otherwise stood around with his hands on his hips. Average cruising speed is the important stat. It would show players like Langdon excelling as they constantly move at speed to adjust position with hard two way running.

Why is the forward line half full of midfielders who weren't good enough to make the midfield? Why aren't there actual forwards? Dusty and Dangerfield are great footballers, but neither was worthy of All Australian selection this year. Naming them as forwards when both averaged less than a goal a game is a joke. THey're clearly in due to their names. Same goes for Gawn. I love him, but he wasn't worthy this year either. He missed games injured, and when he played he wasn't dominant. The team has always has some iffy selections, but you can usually justify their rationale. This year seems worse than usual in that regard.

The trade was fine. Yes Serong looks a gun, but we got multiple players who have shown they can play their required roles for us long term.

He’s probably copped more scrutiny from the media and footy watchers than any player in history. From day one he was billed as a messiah and could never live up to the external pressures placed on him. He was a beautiful kick and won matches for us. He stuck with us during [censored] times for the club when he would’ve bad bugger all support. He was always friendly when I met him and though it was probably the right move to trade him, I was still sad to see him go. All the best Jack.

Would sign in a heartbeat. Hill is a first round talent who can't solidify his spot due to GWS embarrassing riches of talent in their midfield and forward half. It'd solve our small issues for the next 10 years to have Pickett and Hill harassing and crumbing. Both have midfield potential too.

Ruckmen are now proven to be the least important player in the modern game. Clubs have shown you can win without even playing a designated ruckman anymore. This year the Bulldogs played 189cm midfielder Josh Dunkley in the ruck against Max Gawn for long stretches of the match and not only broke even in clearances, they actually scored more from stoppages than we did! Pruess coming to Melbourne made sense for our club, as we had no ruck backup for Max. It was baffling decision for him as a player though to go to a club where he'd never get a game in his desired position unless bad injury struck. At a club like GWS or Sydney, he'd be first ruck and play every game barring injury. If we can trade Pruess for a second round pick or a best 22 player then we should absolutely trade him. We have others now like Jackson, Weid, Tomlinson etc who can provide ruck backup when required.

Heard the same thing, but different length deal - 4 years. Either way he's red and blue for the remainder of his career now. Be interesting to see which players are shuffled out over the off-season!

If that's the case, get him in ASAP. Anyone who does the opposite of what Goodwin tells them will win a Brownlow!

I was told he was unlikely to get another contract, and that was before this latest event transpired. I’d say his fate is sealed now. The club did a good job to get him fit and back playing, but it hasn’t worked out.

Agreed.

Best of luck to the three of them. The Wagners worked hard and got the most out of themselves IMO. Dunkley didn't get much of a chance due to COVID, but I never felt he had the attributes to make it regardless.

Definitely worth a shot as a cheap recruit. He was a rookie pick up who hasn't solidified a place in a team that's finished bottom four two years running. He'd come cheap with a token fourth round pick or the like. Has kicked a few bags so if he can keep developing and thrive in a new system then he could play a small forward role at AFL level IMO.

Geelong Richmond Bulldogs West Coast I'll be supporting the Lions. I have next to no interest though since we failed yet again.

May not making the squad is a bit silly. Didn't expect him to make the final 22, but to not make the squad is wrong. I can pick out 5-10 players in that squad he's had a better season than. I expect Petracca be our only player in the final AA 22. Oliver not good enough. Gawn borderline but missed a few games with injury.

Cameron is the most proven, but would come with a massive price tag. Brown is the next most proven. He and the club have had a falling out that is unrelated to football. His ability is still there. He struggled this year after tragically losing one of his unborn twins. That combined with a new baby and the COVID situation meant he was not mentally present. He is not happy with how North treated him, pressuring him to join a hub and potentially leave his wife to deal with losing a baby and raising a new one at the same time. He scored 60+ goals for the three years running before this season. IMO with time to heal mentally and pre-season to be in shape physically again, he's capable of 50-60 goals again for years to come. If we could get him cheap due to Norths mismanagement of him, we could get a bargain and solve our short-medium term tall forward issues. Daniher is cooked. Physically and mentally he's cooked. If we got him for nothing then sure take the punt, but I wouldn't invest heavily into him as he's unlikely to consistently deliver again. Mckay from Carlton isn't going anywhere and would cost a first rounder. Mihocek isn't the type we need. He's a decent player, but not a tall marking target to build around. Ben Brown is clearly the best realistic option.

Have heard Viney is likely to stay, but other players such as TMac may be on the move. TMac unhappy with the way the club has handled his body the past few years, both from injury management and changing body shape to add bulk which caused further issues.

To be fair, you'd be trading for an All Australian full back, an All Australian midfielder, and a borderline All Australian half back flanker. It'd be the equivalent of us losing May, Oliver and Salem. They'd have every right to demand the world. I can't even imagine losing multiple players of that calibre in one hit!

Haven't heard anything about this, but Merrett is the exact type of midfielder we're looking for. He's balanced both inside and outside with good kicking skills. We'd need to give up a 1st round pick minimum or a good player plus something else. Brayshaw or TMac plus a pick would work for us...

Or our problem as a club. We've struggled with development for decades now and still appear mentally weak from a culture perspective. Kossi Pickett is just as talented as Ryan, so let's hope we can develop him into a player of similar output.!

In 2020 Jack Martin was on slightly over $1m and was the 6th highest paid player in the league ahead of stars like Bontempelli, Dangerfield, Gawn etc. In future years his salary will be much lower as it was a front-loaded deal. Even front-loaded, it's still a poor deal IMO. He wouldn't be in the top 100 players in the league and is worth nowhere near what the Blues pay him now or in future. As for Williams, he'd be a good get if the price was right. He had a good 2019 when he got more midfield time, but otherwise his career output has been hit and miss. He's likely not worth what he's going to get paid either. He's a 500-600k type player.

Happy to put my hand up and say I got this one wrong. Seeing him play in the WAFL I was convinced he'd never make it as he was such a lazy footballer. Shows what a strong AFL club environment can do for natural talent!