Adam The God

This view has to be challenged. It could be argued that Geelong’s list strategy is precisely why they've struggled to win a flag having been at the top for all this time. We've won the same number of flags since 2012. And we built through the draft and then topped up strategically with Lever, May and Langdon, plus the 2019 draft. Geelong don't have enough quality. This is down to list management.

Agree with all of this mate. But the one thing I hope list management and King don't do is overcorrect on back half way transition versus the contest. King's mids on GF day were pounded by a stronger contested ball unit, that could also run and carry and finish their work from the stoppages. Clarry definitely needs to be in there as our extractor, but if Viney goes anywhere near the midfield, he should be tasked with the Dunkley defensive role, which then frees up Kozzy or Windsor, Langford or Lindsay, that other mid, to great on the move, get creative and damaging and hit the scoreboard. I saw than a story on the AFL socials talking abiut goals from midfield for the Lions. Kozzy and Langford are both goal kicking mids. We need Clarry contributing there too, and ideally someone like Bowey or Salem, if we're playing them through the middle or higher up the ground.

I don't really care what anyone else thinks. I'm a Tim Lamb fan.

Not happy with Trac, but nothing can take away what he contributed to the club, and as @Jaded No More wrote, I think the club has given him the space to achieve the ultimate success. I hope in time Trac will come back to the club and be celebrated as one of our legends.

I hated it in '96 and I hate it now. It's taken me 18 years to convert my Hawthorn-supporting wife to Melbourne. I didn't do all that hard work for us to merge.

Except Hawthorn are obsessed with kicking skills and not enough with guys that can actually win the pill. All well and good to be a great kick, but if you need others to get it for you...

Rachele is a gun and exactly the sort of player we'd want to target with a top 10 pick this year - an x factor forward who knows where the goals are. We've wanted (see our pursuit of Nick Watson in his draft year and Rachele last year) and needed his type for years.

Dog.

Might make his manager think twice next time if he manages one of our guys. We won't be strong-armed.

Bell left Freo last year. This is the second trade period without his ridiculous influence.

@Engorged Onion , I think SK has already signalled some Geelong pages. He wants to play a back half transition game, which is decidedly Geelong. I guess it remains to be seen what other Geelong IP he brings, but no doubt he'll have his own philosophy as well.

Can we have as many as 10 list changes? I wonder if McVee going means May stays? That's a lot of list changes if Trac goes as well.

I'm going on his 2023-2024, non-injury exposed for. He's a gun and people can downplay it as much as they like, but he's a loss. Not to say we can't replace him though. Let's hope so.

I'd probably agree. Judd is the closest thing we have to Quaynor IMO.

Not really. None of those guys are lockdown defenders. Judd had the ability to win 1v1s and then slingshot. Bowey and Salem maybe, but it'd be nice to have the option of playing Bowey or Salem at half forward. That's much harder now.

Surely, King pitched him an attacking half back role though? That's my point. And because we've no exposed form for a King-coached team, the sell is potentially harder. Don't get me wrong though. I'm excited for King.

Not suggesting Judd is dictating to King, because surely Judd doesn't get midfield time at Freo. Anyway, we move on.

So I hope my faith in AMW comes to fruition, because he has to be the next cab in line to play the McVee role or is that Howes' now? Not a glowing endorsement of King either.

Probably, but having a bit of a dream isn't rhw worst thing.

We plucked him out of nowhere. Does it open a Jackson door?

This general sentiment is why it concerns me if we throw out our contested game. We have to be able to play the back half transition game, but then revert to beast mode contest in finals and big matches where the pressure level goes through the roof, and scoring through pure ball movement is much harder.

The thing is we've historically beaten them up around the ball. They score against us in transition. I do wonder if @Ted Lasso is right and we should be keeping our competitive beasts in the contest with a more attacking game style... It will be interesting. Again, there was no real standout team this year. Despite it looking like Lions and Suns dynasties, and the Lions going back to back, they arent unbeatable.

I'm not in the industry so I wouldn't have a clue, but I spent 20 years at Caulfield, so I know the standard is really not that high.

Sorry, why do you think Jimmy Bartel would be a good list manager? I think it's telling he went to Caulfield Grammar last year and not an AFL club personally...

That's not my understanding.