Adam The God

You reckon? GWS scare me because they've been handed access to such depth and admittedly recruited well. But their coach shouldn't fill their 16 supporters with much confidence. I don't see an identifiable brand that they play. Their midfield should be dominating clearances, but it's their half backs that have traditionally carved teams up. Their forward set up is still the big problem. They don't bring enough frontal pressure and are mostly downhill skiers. Very athletic downhill skiers. Having said all that, they will probably win the flag this year. And should. However, coaches like Beveridge are innovators and I think it's unfair to say the Bulldogs didn't have a clear plan today. I liked what I saw of them against a run of the mill Hawthorn. I don't think they've got enough stars to make finals, but I would have said the same of Richmond last year. So who knows? Their rotating forward set up against Hawthorn was relatively unique and it'll be interesting to see what else Luke and his coaching team bring to the season proper. They certainly looked to play on at all costs. Their brand was more Bulldogs of 2016, but with tweaks to their forward set up. Whereas, GWS, their brand has never been evident to me.

9 wins are very possible here. If we've taken even a few steps forward on last year, we'll turn at 8 or 9 wins at the half way mark. 12 weeks doesn't make a season, but I'll be filthy if we start slowly this year. Particularly, off the back of the end to 2017.

Ah yes. Of course.

I'm a little confused by the Sydney stat. If 2010 was our last victory against them (Roos' biggest loss at the helm of Sydney), how come we've only lost 6 in a row? It'd be 7 wouldn't it? Providing, that is, that we've played them once each season since. 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017.

Bucks has this squad going nowhere. Also think they've got a bog ordinary list too. Could be a blessing in disguise allowing Bucks to get a two year deal in Round 23 last year. Haha. I'll get smashed for that. As Roosy says, they've got no brand. Okay, GWS are defending well, but they're still playing the boundary hugging style Malthouse was playing almost a decade ago.

So is Treloar injured? Where's he? Have I been under a rock? They look ordinary without his line breaking.

Yeah... reading this, I don't agree on the outside midfielder, unless he's referring to Salem, who is playing mainly on the inside... However, an exciting article. We can all dream.

It's that sort of recruiting that puts you in contention pretty quickly. We've basically recruited 5 best 22 players in one off season. It's comparable to the recruiting (and probably development) of the Geelong and Hawthorn glory teams of the late 2000s. If Billy comes on, that'll make 6. He certainly has the pedigree and some tools.

Yep, agreed. I'm another who will put their hand up and say I called him incorrectly. If guys like ANB, Harmes and even Manyard can continue to show improvement, our midfield will be able to withstand potential injuries and become less reliant on one or two players. Gotta say, ANB's improvement (and even Harmes' improved disposal) another tick for the recruitment and development teams. Bugg is the one that still bothers me. IMO, he's shown little improvement with his disposal, but if he becomes our biggest problem, we'll be streets ahead of many teams.

I rate Essendon, but I agree with the bolded statement. This is why I like how unpredictable we've become, because Essendon aren't the only team to rely heavily on too few. Geelong and Richmond are similar sides that spring to mind. Richmond without Martin are a significantly more ordinary team - his x-factor took them all the way last year. Their 18 man pressure game is great when combined with a match winner like him. Their injury-free run is also somewhat incredible, but surely couldn't last two seasons in a row. I'd liken our even team performances to a team like Sydney. Lots of contributors, which has enabled them to stay up the top of the ladder for multiple years. I just hope the likes of Hogan, Oliver and Petracca come on to prove they are week in, week out match winners like Kennedy and Franklin have. If they are, we're set for a dynasty of success if we can stay relatively injury free. Adelaide are another pretty even team, but IMO they don't possess the potential game breakers that will enable them to win multiple flags. Fingers crossed we do.

Yep, absolutely no way our list management team were blackmailed by the McDonald brothers. Laughable really. Metal does bend steel. I hope we re-sign Tom for 3 years on reasonable coin, but not top dollar. I'd be giving that top coin to Oliver, Hogan and in two years time Petracca, Viney and possibly Gawn. We'll still have to pay Salem, Brayshaw, Tyson, Hibberd, Jetta, Hunt and maybe even someone like Weideman (all being well) reasonable coin by this stage too. Hopefully Hibberd and Jetta will be vet status by then, but we're going to have trouble fitting a few guys in you would think. Take less to stay together and build something special has to be the motto. Tom and Oscar either take it or we bring in someone else. I think Tom will remain a one club player for what it's worth. Looking forward to seeing him lay forward this year. His goal kicking is nothing short of incredible. A guy who couldn't hit the side of a barn for all those years, now has a simple and highly efficient goal kicking technique. Amazing. Tom is a very durable player as well and if Jesse can stay on the park this year, we're going to kick some big scores.

Very glad the club failed to listen to me at the end of 2016 and trade an injury riddled Salem. Despite suffering injury setbacks in 2017 as well, I've always loved Salem's attributes as a player. He posseses that perfect blend of skill, decision making and toughness, which affords him one of the highest ceilings at our club. Our medical staff seem to have handled his body well over this pre season and like many others here, I reckon he's on the cusp of finally taking his game to the level it deserves. Think about a midfield of Oliver, Salem, Viney and Petracca. If Salem and Brayshaw both come on, we're going to have an insanely talented and scary midfield.

Disagree. Give them two years and their midfield will be one of the best. It's the key positions and backline that is their problem. I could make the argument that their young gun mids are a fraction short too (McGrath, Parish and Merrett) and they're one gun mid short. But if that muppet Stringer turns a corner and Devon Smith steps up, their midfield will trouble a lot of teams. And I've said for a few years that Daniher will be the best forward in the league in the not too distant future. 2018 may well be his year.

You'll flipflop on it soon enough, so no point in debating it. ? Gaz is a horrible commentator IMO. Absolutely no insight whatsoever. Huddo has held some disdain towards us for the last few years. I find Johnson to be quite complimentary.

Felt it was a very even team performance. If there were standouts, I'd say Melksham, Gawn, ANB and probably Harmes were up there. But Oliver grew into the game, exhibiting unusually sloppy ballhandling early on, but as the pressure dropped off, his hands became really important. Our transition from back to front was impressive despite the lack of pressure at times. Jones looked a little rusty too. And I'm still not convinced we can play both Vince and Lewis in the same team. Teams will look to exploit their lack of pace at every opportunity. But we'll see. Really looking forward to the season ahead, although the Kangaroos should finish in the bottom 4.

The older Lever gets, the more he'll bulk up too. I see him following a similar trajectory to Rance, except without the years of rubbish and turnovers. Completely agree with this post and Lever's composure with ball in hand adds to the stabilisation of our defensive line too.

Yeah, there's a difference between having an opinion and pedalling hysteria based on no facts whatsoever.

That's absolute twaddle. You've no idea of the inner workings of the medical team.

I wonder if Lewis will be in the leadership group this year. He probably will be, but given his indiscretions last year that undoubtedly cost us, I wouldn't be surprised to see him miss this year. That doesn't mean he can't still provide leadership where required.

Unless Wines is willing to come back to Victoria for less money, there's no way he'll come here. Our list strategy has been pretty clear for the past 4 years. Draft and develop from within, trade for needs. As much as Wines would walk into our midfield, we can do without him and we have more pressing needs, such as securing a plethora of young guns to long term deals.

I was speaking to a mate whose cousin is an up and comer at one of the big Melbourne based clubs and apparently many of the year 1 to 4 players are on between $150-250k, even with the new CBA. So I reckon our figures are all out of whack here. It's not as high as we'v always thought.

And I've heard are in debt to the tune of $80mill. I can't see them going further into debt with a proposal like this, although living in the council, I like the idea (even if my rates go up a little ).

Love this thread. Am currently developing a doc series on youth mental health. Obviously, a massive issue. We need to talk about mental health and too much is left unsaid.

I'm not so sure about this. If the AFL run this at a loss for a decade or more and there's a leadership change at AFL HQ, I could see them pulling the pin.

I also rate their list. Their midfield might not be as deep as ours, but it is chock full of elite talent. Reckon Daniher will win the Coleman in 2018 too.