DeeSpencer

There’s a few out there choices but we aren’t going to get anywhere keeping the same best 22 as the last couple of years. This is also before adding anyone aside from Derksen and Mihocek.

FB: Turner Adams W. Lual* HB: Rivers Petty McVee* C; Bowie Langford Lindsay HF: Henderson Mihocek Pickett FF: Fritsch Kentfield Chandler Foll: Gawn Oliver WIndsor Int: Salem, Viney, Tholstrup, Culley, Derksen Backline: Lever, McDonald, AMW, Howes Mids: Langdon, Laurie, Sparrow, Woey* Forward: JVR, Jeffo, AJ, Mentha, Melksham, Sharp, McAdam Rucks: Heath, Campbell Lual is kind of a stand in for a tall back pocket with defensive versatility. I think we need that kind of player just a matter of who it is. Derksen is picked as the 5th bench spot who covers forward, back and in the ruck. Viney is pretty purely a midfield rotation, where as the rest of guys on the bench - Salem, Kolt, Culley are used in a variety or roles and wings and half backs should all be used in a variety of roles.

Fair enough, just the one report but I’ll assume it has some merit. He probably signed an upgraded new contract after 2021 but he was out of contract now so they could’ve negotiated a lower offer. The fact there’s no one linked to him so far shows he’s hardly in high demand.

Is there any evidence Chocco was highly paid? He was coaching Ajax in the VAFA and Werribee before we gave him another go in the afl system. I think it’s time for a fresh approach to our development and also a realignment between Casey’s goals and development. Hopefully our young guys keep playing in key roles and playing the right brand of footy as they did in the back end of this season.

Obviously it’s not a guarantee but if we can nail a couple more draft picks this year and get the development of Langford, Lindsay, Windsor, Tholstrup right suddenly it’s not looking a dive right to the bottom rebuild. Not suggesting we’ll nab a Lever or May any time soon but might be able to grab a Hibberd/Melksham type to start pushing things forward.

I suspect it will be a fair deal that leaves a lot of us disappointed but is clearly more than a firesale. I'd also suggest that we pay a chunk of Tracc's wage for the year to improve the draft compensation. And likely pick up the tab on a chunk of May's deal too. Anything left over should go to frontloading Gawn, Viney, Oliver, Lever and getting our cap in great order so we can make a move to bring in some quality ourselves.

I don't agree with that. Aside from our overall trajectory/talent level no longer lining up with his timeline I think the balance of our midfield is a key reason why Tracc would like to move and why the club would consider it. The best sides have at most 2 predominantly inside players and usually one of them is defensively oriented. Neale (attack) and Dunkley (defence) for Brisbane. Danger and Atkins for Geelong. Newcombe and Nash at Hawthorn once Worpel gets offloaded soon. DeGoey and Ned Long at Collingwood. Then it's runners. McCluggage, Will Ashcroft, Z Bailey, B Smith, Holmes, Ward, Day (maybe Merrett), Daicos x 2. Viney can play the Atkins defensive role. But Oliver is untradeable in any realistic deal and can't play anywhere else. If things go to plan we'll also see Langford taking over as the fulcrum of our midfield sooner than later too. To avoid being top heavy in the midfield Tracc has to play forward. Whilst we clearly aren't stacked with forwards Tracc's limitations as a forward - shoddy inside 50 kicking, awful goal kicking, poor defensive pressure make him expendable if the price is right.

This is after winning the B+F in 2020, his first year as a full time mid: Adapting to a new role this season, Petracca dominated the Demons’ midfield, recording the second-most contested possessions in the competition (216) and averaging 23.5 disposals a game. He also managed 108 score involvements and 15 goals of his own – proof that he can be just as damaging all around the ground. “I think the coaching group have allowed me to play to my talents and play to my strengths,” Petracca said. “I feel like as a midfielder, I’m good around the contest, but when that’s not going well, I feel like I can go down forward and play a vital role as a forward as well. I agree our forwards lack of system is a wider problem but it’s hard to change that system with players who naturally don’t lead at the ball. Melk and Fritsch have shown there’s room for leading players at Melbourne

Claz was way off the rails. Key forwards I guess there was hope but nothing like a prime Ben Brown. I guess you could say there was promise of another top 8 finish but we weren’t tipped to win the flag after the 23 finals.

We haven’t had a strong enough list to have a surplus of picks, it’s easy to say you don’t have list spots if you junk up the list. Of our delistings only Sestan and perhaps Verrall should’ve been on the list to begin with.

Aside from the 17 premiership players developed by Goodwin (23-4 trade ins and Gawn and T Mc). Sestan won't be anywhere near an afl list unless he gets himself super fit and given there was never any sign of that happening I'd be surprised if it does now.

They were enough warning signs with our finish to 23 - straight sets for the second year, Clarry off the rails, key forwards a mess that our future second rounder should’ve been valued as a middle of the ladder or possibly worse pick. Regardless of draft quality or how butchered it is by academies that’s not a pick you should give for McAdam. Thats a pick that’s part of building the cake of a team for a player who was only ever going to be the cream! We even gave up actual picks (even if 3rd rounders) for Hunter, Billings and Fullarton and two picks for Sharp! Why? Tim Lamb seems desperate to be the most liked list manager. He’ll be on the way to the most liked unemployed list manager. Heath and Derksen. 4th round picks at best.

I'd say pick 10-15 in a normal year, in this years draft I'd want pick 5 for him! I imagine any deal really is based around the Crows future first as the core piece of the deal. I couldn't disagree more with that. The academy and father son plays absolutely count even if you won't ever get them as they indicate just how strong your pick is once it has shuffled back. In what is already a weak pool it's entirely reasonable to recognise that you're sliding even deeper. He played forward until 2020 and quite a fair bit over the last few years especially when our forward line has struggled. There's more than just a lack of goals/inaccuracy as to why I don't love his forward play. He rarely leads at the ball, he prefers to just stand and point. And he's poor defensively which is the big difference between him and Danger who flies in for tackles.

Reports say Spargo expected to fetch us end of 2nd round. Mihocek at his age would not fetch any meaningful compo, but I don't know if the money from Mihocek cancels the money out from Spargo.

You need to be realistic. Tracc is 29 and had enough giving maximum effort for us. A package that has his value around pick 10-15 is probably fair for both sides and even then we'd probably pay a chunk of his contract to help the Crows squeeze him in. If the Crows offer up the 2 firsts we'll have to send picks back the other way I'd guess. As good as he's been for us we don't have a supporting cast around him that can challenge over the next few years. He doesn't impact the game like Dangerfield does as a forward. Never has. He's a midfielder but we've got 2 other clearance dominant midfielders who have no trade value and desperately need to rebalance and regenerate our midfield around skilled running players as the best sides have.

Turns out you can make tiktoks in Adelaide, they do have the internet. Even if it's only 3G. And playing in a top 4 side and maybe winning some finals is bigger for your profile than a 15th place Melbourne Demons copping the Sunday games.

I suspect that's how most trades of contracted players go down unless the player goes scorch earth like Merrett. But it does rely on list managers sticking to their word and not getting cute.

Crows pick 14 probably becomes 20 by the time of the draft. I suspect we need another first rounder to go with that and I doubt the Crows will offer it. Adelaide love to drag it down to the deadline and pay the bare minimum. Not a good result for us if Tracc aims to go there.

Do we trade for Mihocek if he does come to us? Have to imagine we don't want to dilute the Spargo free agency compensation. Or is Mihocek old enough that it won't be impacted?

Jamie Elliott, the one Pies forward who routinely kicks goals

Laurie isn’t an afl athlete, doesn’t dominate contested ball to be an in and under player and doesn’t have the skills to make up for it on the outside. He’s positionless at AFL level. The Eagle are also going all in on speed and pressure, trying to build a Richmond style team, Laurie has no place there.

I’m not sure he really will, certainly no key backs will be sweating the Mihocek match up, but what he does do is: Run hard and to the right spots, giving the other tall/s space to work Busts his tail defensively and is a great tackler I think as a mentor/competition for JVR and Jeffo there’s merit to it. Doesn’t solve our need for a real main guy to. Or possibly our need for the kind of quality role playing tall - Shannon Neale at Geelong is amazing to watch - so little disposals and talent but makes a big impact.

One of these things is covered by a court suppression order and anyone that interested in footy should know that by now. I imagine Demonland will remove any references to it and rightly should. It’s not for debate. The other is covered by the Geelong media suppression order! Kenny got a 20k fine for pretending to be an aeroplane. Imagine if Scott’s abuse to a young staffer was filmed?

Things that King had to deal with last night: Stewart going off, meaning Clark came on and they had to decide where to use him Weddle going forward to stretch the Cats backline. O’Connor follows him back spitting Logan Humphries to a wing Ginnivan moves to the wing to add more skill Dangerfield has to just about play full time mid to give the Cats the grunt after getting smacked in there early Holmes isn’t getting a kick on ball, so he moves to the wing and plays a wing/back role to get involved in the game Wizard is suddenly on ball and whether Hoisin Mullin tags him or stays back? A chain reaction of how they manage Impey forward and looking super dangerous. Then Sicily forward late. Weddle in the ruck etc The balancing act to save the game vs kick another goal and end it when the Hawks made their late charge in the last quarter

Think you’re in the minority. It’s an imperfect system but the real answer is to not appoint coaches prior to the end of the year. King’s worked for 12 months to get Geelong to a grand final, let him see it out. Remember it’s a 2 way street. Geelong likely gave us their blessing for their best 2 assistants to present in lengthy interviews on Monday. King also was introduced on Friday, went to Brisbane for the weekend rather than Adelaide to watch the Hawks (likely family related) and came back for the presser and full day with the footy department. I kind of disagree on this tho. The best coaches lean in to the members support and healthy traditions of a club. When King is fully on board as of Monday next week I expect he’ll embrace red and blue. It’s not a regular work place