jnrmac

I'm hopeful Lever gets fit and becomes a solid backman once again. His best is great and he was missed in 2025. Has a few brainfades which isn't great but hopefully time off has rejuvenated him

The proof of that pudding is that we have played that way for 7 seasons - 21 was an outlier in that regard. Constantly winning clearance, contest and i50 count yet turning the ball over And if Oliver and Tracc turned over half their possessions then maintaining possession with a new midfield can potentially be a sizeable improvement in 2026

Not sure if it's already been said but Kozzie kicked 40 goals this year. That's the third time he's kicked 40 or more goals in his career and he's only 24yo Cyril Rioll in 11 seasons only kicked 40g twice Just sayin...

Its interesting because Tracc and Oliver won so much ball but turned it over so much we could win half the amount of ball but maintain possession and perhaps be ahead. The majority of scoring in the AFL is off turnover so minimising that changes that dial for us in a lot of ways. And winning clearance is not the panacea it once was ... the post clearance possession is perhaps more important

I'm sure by the time its done the beers will sell for $75 a schooner Someone has to pay for the stand!

Highlights are always a bit intriguing. Not a contest winner, mainly loose ball gets and on leads. Seems assured ball in hand. No right foot that we have seen. Operates in time and space but that seems normal for that level. Reckon they have to be a bit exceptional to take WA boys at a sub-10 pick

Join the MCC and wait 27 years.....

Yeah agree its not the best measure just that it was a place to start if you want to see how he plays. I watched the first quarter of the rd 24 Bris v haw game and his positioning for a defender was terrible. was beaten a few times simply because he was standing in the wrong place. He might develop and I can see why they want backup for an athletic running defender (keep in mind we lost Joel Smith as well from back there) but I will wait to watch him more closely before firming any judgement

Just checking the stats in Rd 24 v Brisbane he had 13 disposals and 5 clangers. Might be a place to start if you are interested....

Mainly going on Hawk supporter commentary about him

Think it started earlier than that with Oliver's mysterious hamstring/tendon injury in mid-23 and him going off the rails The son of Sean Smith was symptomatic of the disfunction among some of the playing group as well

Early starters have already been training. there were some social postings yesterday..

He's like Jayden Hunt in many ways but has a better high leap and grab The knock is disposal but he'll be welcome at the Dees!

Clarry said thanks yet to all his supporters at the club? Haven't seen anything....

well sort of.... May might well not have been there either had there been other suitors but I agree overall with your point

I am looking forlornly at my poster of the 21 flag with Gus, Clarrie and Tracc front and centre. sigh

I'm hopeful Sparrow will get more midfield time. He cops a lot on here but I am looking forward to seeing him move away from his run with roles and cutting loose a bit more. He's a great mark for his size and can kick so I am hoping a new coach with free him up a bit more.

Clayton is a child who happens to be very good at football when he puts his mind to it. You can't escape the fact we haven fallen apart since the 21 flag. It's not all Clayton's fault but it appears he was at the centre of the problem. The selfless footy of 21 was replaced with team mates wondering why he was afforded special treatment. Tracc's relationship with other players and the club is a little more complex but those that surround him have encouraged his me/my/brand attitude. The heirarchy of the club was flighting itself and the coach was unable/ill-equipped to deal with it. It's a sad story that puts a full stop to an era that promised so much. The flag was great but man, we have cocked it up bigtime since

We'll have a lot of list spots and a good chunk of cap space. Hopefully a big free agency player next year The list management team have a rolling 3 to 5 year horizon to balance against short term needs

It all went pear shaped mid 2023 when he did his hammy/tendon or whatever. Wet game went back on did more damage, was out for what, 10 weeks? Lost the plot, social life derailed. Tracc's issues seem to be sheeted home to his medical treatment as well. Something went wrong in 2023 and the club under Pert/Roffey and Goodwin were ill equipped to manage it.

We all feel your pain. It's been excruciating to be back in this position

I think you're missing the point. We've finished 14th 2 years running with key players wanting to leave and/ or creating locker room tension Do nothing and we may well have finished lower or the same in 26. Doing nothing was not an option and by clearing out fragile players or troublemakers and replenishing the list with top 12 picks places us in a stronger position Time will tell but it's a strong message to the group

Waiting for the day when someone writes the real story about our shambolic club post the 2021 flag. For all the Goodwin supporters its clear that there was a schism in the dressing room that he was unable to control or perhaps even facilitated. And the leaders on field failed big time Sad for the Dees. Let's hope we're on the right track.

Aim higher!

And Jeremy Howe is gonna play forward..........one day