DeeSpencer

A coach has to provide the vision and direction for the list. Goodwin has always been aligned with JT about bringing in competitors and a focus on contested ball. Every new mature recruits speaks to Goodwin’s plans for their role. Sam Mitchell right now at Hawthorn is putting his stamp on that club and being completely frank about his desire not just to sneak in to finals. That’s the job. The head coach always gets the blame. They have to demand what they need

He torched the list but isn’t going all in to win one absolutely justifiable when you’ve won 1 flag in 100 years? At Freo he pulled up stumps and invested in draft picks and rebuilt once the era was over. Now they’re looking healthy again. I don’t know about his off field stuff or his man management but players are generally happy when you’re winning and unhappy when you’re losing. After the Adelaide camp, the Essendon saga, the Hawthorn alleged reports with Fages and Clarko, maybe Ross being a bit demanding on players isn’t all that bad.

I’m expressing my views. Ratten, ok coach, bad circumstances, treated poorly but was his demise was probably inevitable is hardly a unique view. You are wasting my time, your own time and the time everyone who has to read your post and this post.

Let me guess, he could replace Spargo?

They also listed Noble as being too hard on players as reason for his sacking. Then Noble is part of the review that says Ratten wasn’t hard enough on his players. Ratten would say - well of course I wasn’t, I didn’t want to be you!

11 and 31 are great but I’d argue 2 is our most special number. It’s certainly our most special open number. Robbie and Jones, two of only a small number of legends from our last 50 years. Whilst overall I’d say numbers are overrated I think if we want to emphasise our history and culture we should give them weight. We ask players to cherish and honour the jumper, the number is part of that. Ideally I’d start every young player in a high number and let them earn promotions, because I’d like to see someone special earn number 2

12: Grundy 19: Hunter 26: Schache 6: pick 13 28+ draft picks/recruits Hold number 2 for at least another year. Needs a special player to take that number

Ratten was a good coach at Carlton who got nowhere because their recruiting was awful and their list just ran out of improvement. I think he did ok at St Kilda but someone has to take the fall for their lack of list strategy apart from load up on players other teams didn’t want. It probably wasn’t Ratten’s idea, but a coach has to give direction to their football department and if it’s the wrong direction they need to get out. Its a shame for Brett because he’s 100-1 to get a 3rd shot at it but it’s hard to argue it was either sack him now or sack him in June.

The widening off Gosch’s hopefully makes an impact here. The game plan has to change to be prepared to switch the ball, use the corridor and not be so afraid of turning the ball over.

So JVR, a bunch of players who play a different positions, Tommy facing a long rehab and here’s a look at Ben Brown (little banged up)

It's actually Shadeau Brain if that helps

Ratten back to finish what he started in 2004

Nothing in my original post was pessimistic but I’m highly optimistic that you’re an [censored].

We have plenty of list spots to save one for summer and/or midseason. Most years teams will have a long term injury too. Ash Johnson or Newcombe will be rare in the midseason and generally go in the top 3, but it is a useful draft to find talent. Hopefully Disco shows why this year.

I don’t mean this as a bad thing but he looks the perfect Southport recruit based on their grand final team

The key backs will be on our radar I’m sure. I can’t see a 3rd tall who’s mostly traits like Gruzewski being a need. Ed Allan made it on to Twomey’s radar which probably means recruiters were talking, then he went and blew up the combine. He might even go to the Eagles second pick. That combination of size and speed is rare

Brisbane have Shadow Brain. Adelaide have a father son.

I agree. The draft pools each year are shrinking due to lack of players who have the right dedication (huge) and physical traits (also huge). Even as skills training is better List flexibility and with preseason and midseason pick ups help, but clubs aren’t funded well enough or allowed to train a bunch of VFL players up to afl standard over summer or mid season.

Stack, RCD and Martin all worth considering. Stack has the talent but I’d be a hard no if Richmond can’t get him switched on RCD would be good midfield depth. Could take over from Dunstan in 2024 as our best VFL mid and would like to see him tagging at AFL level if given a chance. Martyn’s not a bad little flanker at either end if we went elsewhere in the draft

Essendon will either trade 22 up ahead of a Davey bid or out to picks in the 30/40’s is my guess. But yes, 37 won’t move far if at all

That’s fair. I’d say Geelong (unachievable for everyone else), Coll, Rich, Port and Brisbane probably go in to next year with a stronger best 30 to pick from. Of course Rich, Port and Bris are now in debt a first rounder, whilst we are 2 picks in the positive. How much does a best 30 matter? Our top 7 are still very good. I like our middle 7. And our bottom 7 can all play and many of them are young. Plus who knows with the next guys after that, I didn’t predict ANB, Spargo, Sparrows impact in 2021 but they were physically ready, and certainly not Bowey (who wasn’t but was good enough) The state of our tall forwards, the lack of polish of our flankers (2 areas we made peripheral moves to help fix btw), the lack of action to turn the list over and the reality that all our good young players who were on the list to start 2021 played in the 2021 flag are the things that concern me list wise. None of it can’t be overcome. They won it in 2021 with a similar list they can win it again. But we haven’t gone chips in for the trade period.

One day you’ll understand there’s a difference between feelings and analysis. I am optimistic. There’s a lot of reasons to believe our best 25 +/- some surprise improvements can achieve success. As it currently sits my analysis of the list is we’ve got a solid core, we’ve got some areas of concern that we didn’t do too much to fix, we’ve got a bunch of development prospects most of which probably need at least 12 more months but our mature depth options are a bit lacking. Improving our draft hand, making a couple of improvements that might be really good but didn’t cost the earth and staying in contention seemed to have been the aim. Overall that’s better than last year and I’m ok with staying around the mark list wise with some bigger moves next year (draft and trade).

They refused Port’s request for an exemption due to AFL bylaw: 16.6b) Will this move help the Geelong football club

Freo trade Logue for North’s future 2nd. Freo then had 2, so could send us one. Many clubs have done so previously. In 2019 we traded Frost and a F4 for a F2. Then traded a F2 for Langdon and a F4. As we were neutral on future picks we could then trade our F1 to North for the Pickett pick.

T Mc and BB are now injured by default until proven otherwise. I’ll believe they aren’t when I see reports of them training fully. Turner should nudge down the door. But if he gets injured or loses form we’ll have to rely on guys I don’t want to rely on. In 12 months time our talls could be looking far healthier. Even more so if we trade or draft one this year or next which I’m sure we will. But we went for Grundy to replace LJ and now have to rely on things going right this year.