The Chazz

So clearly the Hawks managed to find a way to cover Franklin's loss, as well as increasing their total goals scored. Isn't that what we are discussing - the level in which Weid can cover the loss of Hogan, as well as where our further improvement will come from? How did Hawthorn do it? Did their KPFs kick more? Did the small forwards? Midfielders? We won't know the level of success of both (Weid's contribution and the team as a whole) until the end of the 2019 season. But it's good to be proactive about it now, rather than scratching our heads at the end of the season wondering why we didn't cover the loss of Hogan better.

I think you will find the point being with Hogan gone, that some, myself included, are looking to see where the 47 goals could or would come from. With Weed playing more games, then naturally you would hope/expect that a bulk amount of those goals would come from him. From what I can see, the argument is wether or not Weid could provide the same output as what Hogan has. I think he might just struggle this year, so if he can kick 30 (for example), then we're going to be short of what Hogan would've brought us, so we need to find other avenues. The Buddy comparison is great, and thanks for bringing it up. Hawthorn needed to find different avenues to cover the loss of Franklin. They did it successfully, which is the point we are trying to discuss on here.

Let's not forget you were the one that thought because the Geelong players didn't remonstrate with Weid after the Danger dumping = he has a presence. You talk about presence on field for a KPF, Hogan had/has it, Franklin has it, Ben Brown has it, both Jack and Nick Riewoldt have/had it. Weid doesn't...yet. Ok then?

He needs to do it consistently now. He knows what he's capable of, and he should now have continuity in the seniors, so it should be a great case of planets aligning. But, until he shows it regularly, he will continue to go under the radar. Just took at the below post from Dee Zephyr (which was one post above yours)... I'm also in the camp that doesn't think he will win it, but surely as a key forward, and especially as he will be our number 2 KF (behind TMc), he should be in the market somewhere. That said, if he can start the year like he played in the finals series, he will be well on the radar after about Round 5 or 6.

I don't think so, DD. I think it was more a case of the Geelong players realising that the Weid/Danger moment summed up their night. They were rooted and they knew it. Possibly further to that, it also shows that they are a team of individuals at the moment. Weid doesn't need to have a presence, he just needs to get the job done. He has the opportunity to really fly under the radar for another 12 months or so, which will be great for him.

I don't think that's what people are saying, Moonie. 47 goals is what he kicked for us in 2018, so by him leaving, then that's 47 goals we are losing. But just because he is taking 47 goals with him, doesn't necessarily mean that he will make use of all of them at his new destination.

Uncle, if you are going to say that there will be a league-wide increase in scoring of 5%, then all teams will be in the same boat. But it would then also be fair to presume that our current forwards should also see an increase in their goal kicking tally by the same amount. Given that we won't be kicking many bombs to a demanding Hogan, and are actually lowering our eyes more going forward, I think it's a fair expectation that TMc, Melksham, Petracca, et al will see their yearly totals surpass that 5% increase that you speak of. It's fact that we play better football when Hogan isn't in the team. We are less predictable going forward, and seem to hit the best target more often. Even though, as you say, Hogan is taking 47 goals with him to Freo, I would actually expect our scoring to increase anyway (even if there weren't any rule changes).

If Petracca is, as advertised, at 96kg, dropping 5kg to get to 91kg will see him have a very similar body shape of the likes of Dangerfield and Martin. While I don't claim to be an expert on the matter, I'd also imagine Petracca at 91kg would mean he has worked a lot more on his tank, rather than bicep curls, meaning he should be able to start as a mid, then drift forward like the said players you mentioned. Hard part is, we all have no idea. He might be exactly where the club wants his body to be at. They might be frustrated that his body isn't changing to where they want him to be, or his body may not be able to change so they will work with what his strengths are. I think it's an ok conversation to have on here, but it's going to be one where we will never know the answer to, so maybe stick to having a civilised discussion about it. As long as he plays top quality footy, I won't care at all. At the moment, I think he has higher levels to get to, and would like to think we will see the next of those in 2019. If not, then I'll be back on here looking at reasons why he isn't.

I'm one of the people that have been saying that he looks like he could drop 5kgs. Over the past 12-18 months, I feel that he just looks too heavy. I'm definitely not saying he is fat. Hopefully you realise that there can be a difference between being too heavy (often because of muscle mass) and being too fat. To be honest, I think most of the "critics" of Petracca on here are of the same view. That said, I found your last sentence to be quite amusing. You say he is in ripping nick, which "shows how hard he has been working..." So do you agree that he needed to get in better shape, hence why he needed to work harder?

Wise move OD. Moonie has a reputation for being the resident Master Baiter, so you've done well to avoid a potential, er, situation.

I really struggle with any player using the homesick card to get out of a club. If the day comes where a senior coach is lured by the "go home" factor, then the AFL world might as well shut up shop.

I always felt that a footy club needed a good Hore involved in some capacity...

When will the annual "nicknames for the new draftees" thread be up and running? Hope mods will have their censor fingers ready, especially when the likes of uncle @Bitter but optimistic gets amongst it.

Get him to move in with Hibberd all summer.

This is the key, DJ. We need more than 12 months of work to base our argument on, because if you have a look at the 5-10 years prior to that, we consistently drew poor numbers to those types of games. The other key is to know what contractual arrangements we have. You are wasting your breath about flicking the NT games if we have committed to two of them until 2020 (for example). I don't know when the current contract is up, but hopefully it gives us time to show we are maintaining that crowd-drawing ability.

First and foremost, we're not a big club. Yes, we had quite a successful year on and off the field in 2018, but we now need to maintain/sustain that momentum in consecutive years. The NT agreement had a significant financial benefit in our dark years, which has helped contribute to where we currently stand. But at this stage, we still have much to achieve. Is the club taking away anther two games from fans? Maybe, maybe not. Yes, it's difficult for most fans to travel to the NT, so we do miss out on those games. That said, the reciprocal games that we are given means that I probably go to two games that I may not have done so previously. There could be an argument, especially this year, that us playing two games in the NT helped provide us with the opportunity to play two extra games after the season finished. We won both games in the NT this year, which helped us make the finals and play 2 extra games at the MCG. Would we have beaten both Adelaide and Freo if those games were played at the MCG? While likely, it is irrelevant, because it can't be proven. If we win both games in 2019 in the NT, then all of a sudden we are starting to prove difficult to play against up there. Time will tell on that point. With regards to the travel for the players. Most players and coaches comment about how they enjoy the break in routine, especially getting away interstate where they can create a different bond within the group. While it could be just media speak, I could (and do) believe them when they say this. My last point (which was your first point) about the bottom line is an unknown, and I'd doubt we would find exact information on this. What can be said with great confidence is that five years ago, if we played West Coast/Freo/Adelaide at the MCG, we'd get 20-25k people at best. From all reports, those sort of figures would see us lose money, so the NT deal was a no brainer. Given our 2018 performance, I'd imagine our crowds for those games would draw more around the 30-40k mark if played at the MCG in 2019, so we would be making money on these. That said, and as I referred to in my opening paragraph, we've had one good season. Let's see us do it for two or three seasons in a row, then we could look at selling one game out instead of the two. My main concern with this is that we'd want to be very careful how we ended the relationship with the NT, mainly because if our onfield performances turn to poo, we will then see a drop off in members, crowds, and profit, meaning we'll need to go back to the well to stay afloat.

So give up the Anzac Eve game then. And don't give me the "We play Thursday night, Richmond play Friday" argument that @Demon Spofforth floated - it would mean one ot the two teams would have an extra day break. You want marquee games like this, you have to be willing to give something up for them.

We won 14 this year (exc finals). I see this draw getting us 15-16 wins.

If we're to be a serious Top 2 team, we'll be 5-0. Top 4 team should see us 4-1 at worst. Anything less than that and we will be in the middle tier again. I can see us being 10-2 or 9-3 going into the bye, then winning 5 of the first 6 after the bye.

Luckily we play St Kilda the week before so that we can rest our "A Team"...

The consequence of finishing higher on the ladder. I know it will take some getting used to that sort of thing.

Great draw. But alas, there will be some that will complain.

McGuire raised the alternating of the QBD game earlier this year, I'm amazed some are surprised by the decision. That said, I would've preferred it to start next year given the Anzac Eve game is our away game in 2019.

Yeah, because Pert was responsible for us alternating the hosting rights of the QBD game, and for us having to play in Geelong. ?‍♂️

I did this one a couple of years ago...