DeeSpencer

Played for the Eagles on Monday, a 5 day back up including travel, meeting new team mates, uprooting his life is probably a lot to ask for.

He turns like the queen Mary, will fly in the air for intercepts which goes from a good thing to a problem when 4 guys are doing it and whilst his ball use was mostly good last year (with brief dashes of very bad) he isn’t going to give the run and carry like a flanker. I feel sorry for Tom if he misses out and you’re right he was our best key back last year, but unless Petty is moved forward I just don’t see it. I’m not a big Howes fan, he has to lock down a spot this year. But I’m willing to give him first go. 4 talls isn’t totally crazy and GWS have Stringer and Toby who both provide tricky match ups - arguably you could use Petty on Stringer and May on Toby. But they’ll also have 3 quick little guys buzzing around sweating on ageing defenders.

No confidence in Fullarton, Campbell or Verrall. AJ has the practice games to earn his spot. But I don’t believe the ruck hurts JVR. I’m more keen to play 3 talls to take the load off Max, but I’m ok to go with 2 for fast paced March footy.

Done every session post Christmas. Can see him playing and being limited to say 65% game time. That said, Henderson’s addition means Sharp can move to the wing. We’ll see how the practice games go.

I like the deadline before finals for the reasons I specified earlier. I'd be more flexible in removing the pre the start of the season deadline but I do think there's something to having clubs make sure they're carrying enough depth of mature players in various roles before round 1 and that it gives state league clubs some confidence entering the year. Then the mid year draft lets you top back up and given it's a draft form it doesn't see guys camping out to join the contenders. Honestly I'd like to get back to a main list of say 40 and a supplemental list or say 10 guys who play at Casey, make more than VFL but less than full time AFL wages and are all able to be called up for medium and long term injuries. I'd be totally fine if our Supp list was our Rookies - Verrall, Hore, Sestan, AMW, Kynan Brown, Kenterfield, Mentha and Henderson, Culley, Roy George and maybe a few others too!

28, on the short side, on the slow side, doesn't hit the score board, not a dynamic athlete or good ball user. He's a great story and great club man but you look at the quality of midfielder who struggles to get a game at most clubs every week and you'll see that excellent VFL performances don't mean much. Last year the Dogs fringe mids were James Harmes, Jack Macrae and Ryley Sanders. Our midfield depth was far shakier but even if he's less consistent Bailey Laurie's best VFL games were absolutely dominant and the one game Sparrow was dropped for he completely tore up.

The clubs get $10,000. And I don't think any agent worth his accreditation allows state league clubs to ban guys going up to AFL level in the contract. Not sure a club would want the backlash either. It's unfortunate for them but mostly the mid season and SSP has been younger guys with the exception of a ruckman every now and then which is a trickier situation for those clubs to replace.

I prefer the current set up of preseason and midseason deadlines. Certainly I'd want a deadline well before finals because I think part of AFL/VFL footy has been that your squad is your squad and too much topping up can create a gap between the good and the bad sides. I like that it's in ladder order too so you don't have the best teams adding the best top ups. I'm more open to the preseason deadline being removed but at a minimum it should be after both rounds of practice matches have been concluded. And I'd be in favour of bringing back the LTI list rather than the inactive list. It seems silly that an ACL can be replaced but someone with say a shoulder reco early in the year can't be covered for at the start of the season. If someone is a certain out for 12 weeks and teams are willing to replace them then let them be replaced. I also think each team should have the ability to add 1 midseason draft pick even if they have no longer term injuries, because again, it's silly that you can replace an ACL but if you have guys who are borderline to be back in round 23 you can't add a player.

At Essendon they’ve had an open list spot, it’s a player who’s been training with them for weeks and kicked 4 on the weekend which was probably when they made the decision and started to get the contract ready. At Melbourne we are confirming McAdam is out for the year and placed on the Inactive List (ticked off by AFL head office), giving him due credit with an injury update, whilst flying Henderson back from Perth, hopefully doing a brief update on basic medical screening and getting the contract ironed out. If we’re smart we might even line up a bit of actual content - have AJ give him a lift from the airport or to training - for the announcement. I suspect it’s mostly about letting the McAdam story be sorted before we fill his list spot and that’s what a club that cares for their players does. This has nothing to do with the clubs otherwise too often poor communication.

Laurie has no pace, you can’t pressure if you can never catch anyone. Bowey is so well suited to half back. Can’t say he’d be terrible forward but we’re hardly flush for half backs either. Kynan Brown is second year rookie who’s fumbly and has a lot of work to do with his skills and decision making. This place is way too high on him. AMW is the one I’m shocked who hasn’t been moved forward again but historically he’s had a poor tank which makes him unsuitable for the role. I assume they’re

You’re short a 7th defender there, unless Riv is really only doing cameos on ball or Bowey is playing back from the forward flank. I don’t think Spargo will be rushed this year, they painfully learned that lesson last year. There’s a bunch of players who are playing to win their spot in the preseason games - AJ, Jeffo, the new kids, the new men (Sharp and Henderson). Not having a go at you in particular but I think fans have to come to grips with the idea that Billings is playing to not lose his spot on the wing. If he’s adequate he’ll get the job in round 1.

I’m still thinking 2 talls, but we’ll know more about the practice games. Im also worried Rivers will have to play back due to needs with McVee out. I’m just not sure we can trust Windsor, Salem, Bowey and Howes as a defensive group. But let’s wait and see if Caleb is even fit and how they go in preseason. Wings are also a huge watch. Henderson could come in to the team and slide Sharp to Lindsay’s wing if the kid isn’t ready. FB: Petty May Howes HB: Windsor Lever Salem C; Billings Rivers Lindsay HF: Langdon JVR Sharp FF: Chandler Turner Fritsch Foll: Gawn Oliver Viney Int: Bowey, Tracc, Sparrow, Langford S: Henderson

He’s only been there for a week

Small forward/mid with good goal sense, smarts and tackling. Lacks stand out attributes to be a big difference maker but can come in and do a role from day 1 if he’s had a good summer VFL training at a high enough level. With Pickett’s suspension, Spargo still injured and Kolt injured there’s going to be opportunity.

You’d expect that to be the case but if he decides he just wants to be playing local footy I doubt Casey can force him to play up a level. Similarly if he suddenly decides SANFL or WAFL are in his best interests would Casey block him? I’m not convinced state league contracts are rock solid. And it’s a hard rejection to bounce back from when at least if Jon Ralph is to be believed (and he shouldn’t really be) he was very close to the list spot.

Didn’t really stand out against Richmond but can’t say I was watching him or the match that closely (or could even see in to the sun). At the end of the day the needs outweighed others potential ceilings. Kind of much like when AJ was chosen over Jack in November when making sure we had some tall forwards was the number 1 priority. I hope Culley sticks with us at Casey.

C; Lindsay Rivers Billings HF: Langdon JvR Sharp FF: Chandler Turner Fritsch Foll: Gawn Oliver Viney Int: Tracc, Sparrow, Langford I’d say that line up has just enough pace and pressure with the 3 guys off bench rotating mid and forward especially with Viney adding some forward tackling bite at times. But it’s just the 2 talls and doesn’t let us get Langdon on ball or Sharp on the wing for more than rotations. And the depth is very thin. If Pickett, Kolt and Spargo are all back within the first month or so of the season we might look silly for adding another small who sits at Casey. It’s a tricky decision.

He’s had soft tissue issues for a while even before the acl which always increases hamstring risk. 2023 was probably the window for Jake to be a difference maker and the knee injury robbed that from him and us. Sub and deputy forward line coach seems the most likely role for him unless we are in contention in August and he can have an 8 week run.

Have to assume OP lived in a cave in 2022 and 2023. We might have to chuck Tom forward again at some stage but it would be utter madness to do it as a plan at the start of the year.

Tom Edwards looking like a handy 3rd tall for Essendon. Kicked 3 already. Someone go sneak a contract offer down to him after the game

If he was quick as a 194cm midfield ball winner he wouldn’t have been delisted! From what I’ve seen he looks sharp enough around the contest and a good tackler. Looks like he’s getting mobility back that he didn’t have last year. Not so sure how his pace holds up in space. I know I want to make everyone a winger but I’d love to try to develop him on a wing if he has the tank so he can use that height as an extra marking target

It's first in best dressed though. You don't really owe loyalty to a train on spot. In fact the great story was Oleg Markov cut from the Pies train on, rocked up to train at Carlton for a go there, Collingwood called him back and said we've got a list spot and he signed right away. Unless the Eagles slap the contract down right away for him I'd imagine Henderson would love the idea of staying home and not having to completely uproot his life. That said, I do think Culley is rightly the favourite and has more upside (and I agree he's likely now or never if he starts dominating the VFL), he's just less of a need right now.

I wish we got Dudley, he looks so fun. Freo are being very annoying.

We've potentially added Oliver, Rivers, Tracc, Langdon and Langford to a midfield that lost ANB last year, I'm not sure midfield is a huge need. Although more depth would help us if Rivers and Langdon are needed elsewhere. And I agree a 21 nearly 22 year old would be a nice age range to supplement the older guys. I'd say our ruck plan is grab a 25 year old when we need them. It's just a matter of getting that timing right. If we do land White I suspect he'll start at CHB or forward/ruck and not be in any AFL conversations for a few years.

The players are about to play games on weekends for at least 25 of the next 28 weeks. It should've started at 4 or 4:30 not 3 but it was a training session, it's ok to have it on during the week when players generally train before they start sacrificing their weeks for half the year. Similarly they need to have trainings on the big ground at Casey, they can't disrupt preparation by having everything at Goschs. Is there anyone who got there after a school pick up at 4 or 4:30 who was overly disappointed? Or did it fit the bill and people just weren't all that keen regardless of start time? With games about to start and some actual coverage and footy of training this year I think most of our fans just weren't all that interested and that's ok. I stuff up that it didn't start at least an hour later but hardly the end of the world.