jnrmac

The Lorne camp where Oliver left after a day or so? Sounds like he was a disruptive influence

Good question. I suspect it had a bit to do with Grundy's fitness. When he first played he was coming back off a longer term injury and was way too unfit for the time of running that Max does. Then it was clear that Grundy was not a forward and he couldn't. play anywhere else. As it turns out neither could Max The relationship looked like it soured and that became blindingly obvious when Grundy was not selected to play after round 17 in 2023. Shocking that he didn't play against the pies or carlton in the finals Not sure how much is was Max's demands vs the coaches but it all went south. I guess its a credit that the reasons have never leaked and each party speaks highly of the other.

Max is a lead by example on field leader but leadership is so much more than that. Viney is the same. 'watch me do it' A good Captain example would be Luke Hodge that led by example as a player but also marshalled his players and directed them on field, etc. AS well he directed his leadership group what to do so that they could impart that on to their forwards, midfield defence etc. Our on field leadership has been wanting in many big games and the St Kilda game was a shining example of how bad it was.

The last thing we want is a bunch of randoms on the Board. They never work. You need a united team with a core skills across a range of areas. We're all passionate supporters but adding value in a variety of areas is key. It sounds wonderful to have 6 passionate members elected to the Board but without experience, drive, initiative, skills and co-ordination it quickly becomes a mess with competing agendas and egos. Let the cobblers cobble.

Someone threw a tanty.... 'I'm not playing forward....'

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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