DeeSpencer

If we kept Harris we'd probably lose Georgia Gall and right now I think the time is right to keep Gall with the offer of a good contract and more game time and let Tayla walk. She'll do well for the Hawks for a year or two before probably falling away. We've still got Zanker and Bannan for experienced talls (or at least experienced for AFLW) as well as Gall, Georgia Campbell and I hope Aimee Mackin is back in 2025 for another quality medium forward. Tayla has poor discipline as she so often gives away cheap free kicks and poor commitment. She continues to prioritise boxing and other interests over her footy preparation. We got the best out of her and a flag, but I'm not disappointed at all that we are moving on even if it signals the list is in a rebuild.

That’s overly optimistic, he mixed some very good games in with some quiet ones. I suspect he would’ve struggled in any senior games aside from the Gold Coast win where we moved the ball far better then any other game in the back end of the year. He should debut early in 2025 if he has a full preseason but he won’t do well at AFL level unless the team sorts out their ball movement and forward structure. We can’t keep playing footy that makes the key forward role in to a heavyweight UFC fight every week.

The big questions with Petty down back are does he have the speed off the mark to really go to the next level as a defensive force? May and Lever provided him a lot of protection in 21/22 and he had a very simple role. Is he willing to provide us more rebound and attack than when he last played down back? Tommy Mc was our best rebounding defender at times last year because he always has a go despite his faults. Petty has the skills and athleticism to be a really strong rebounder but he needs the right mindset. His default setting is playing it very safe. He has skills to use the footy and marking to be a target for kick outs and switches. It’s good to out him back to his preferred spot for summer but if he’s going to be at his best he needs to go to a new level. Otherwise if May, McDonald and Lever are all healthy he might end up in the forwards again just on form.

That's a lot of cash but the same deal will likely be available in 2 more years when he can move as a free agent and thus strengthen their team without costing them the farm. Plus he'll be joining early peak Harley Reid and a bunch of other good draft picks who have 2-4 years under their belt. I'd still bet that he signs for 2 more to get him to free agency.

I think it's more that train on players have to be approved by the league and you either have to have a list spot that guys are working towards earning or you can have your state league club guys filling in for extra experience. He'd still be able to sign as an SPP for another club but clubs aren't going to just sign him out of the blue at this time of the year, they'll invite him for training if they want him. Up until the deadline where in recent years clubs have been a little poachy. Oleg Markov for instance was training with and probably about to sign with Carlton when the Pies nabbed him.

Rookies replacing LTI’s is how it worked in the 90’s/00’s. These days you can just put someone on your list if you get a LTI. They go on the Inactive List and you get an extra spot. The deadline is about a week before the season (as SSP). With an opportunity to do the same via the mid season draft. Sign him to Casey which then allows him to train with the AFL side, then see if there’s an injury/retirement before March. It never made sense that George would have Cat B rights for us given he’s never been in our academy. We’d have needed some kind of super special exemption.

I took it as first for the Jason Taylor/Tim Lamb crew in the national draft. Keilty is on that list but he was drafted from Casey. Kyle Dunkley played for Gippsland as an overager after playing for Oakleigh in his draft year but I think it was his VFL footy got Footscray that got him drafted in the mid season draft.

Good content? There wasn't one single new or interesting thing in there. I know many of us are draft nerds and there might still be some appeal to the more casual dees fan but a few comments from JT on each of the draft picks and that's it? Then the footage we've already seen from draft night? Would it kill them to provide just even a little morsel of something interesting?

Haven’t seen Sharp have a lot of pace. He’s got a high cruising speed but not sure he’s really fast. Not sold on his skills either. But it’s nice to see the endurance is as advertised!

He was omitted in round 20. Played at Casey. Came back for 2 games and played a bit better before the injury. He was our only fit midfielder for large chunks of last year and is an excellent defensive runner. If our big midfield guns are right and our kids come on he'll be in trouble if he doesn't improve. But I also think they won't try to make him a predominantly midfield player like they did last year. He'll be a role player who has to be in at least ok form to keep his spot but as long as he doesn't that he'll be fine.

The original report (sorry forgot who it was) said permission to train, nothing about him actually getting a spot. If the afl are serious about increasing indigenous numbers they should allow it regardless of spot. Anyway, hope he can train, but even if we did have a spot I wouldn’t imagine he’s a lock. Looked super classy with the ball at Casey but didn’t do much without it.

Sparrow’s been a disaster on the wing when tried, not sure a slightly better tank and lighter frame will suddenly change the fact he gets all out of position. Eagles game in Perth they tried it again, rough. There’s rumours of Bowser and I like that as an in game switch with Windsor to alternate where the skill/speed is coming from. No one wants to hear it but Billings looks proper fit and like he might want to fight for his career. Forward is a disaster but some of his wing stuff was fine. Also reckon Langford could have a crack at it. He’s a smart runner and his tanks probably better than Windsor’s last year, doesn’t have the pace but that height on a wing would be nice.

T Mc was in a different group, probably put 20 seconds on Laurie, Woey, Melk, Petty. Sharp perhaps 10-20 seconds on Kynan Brown who would’ve been 10-15 seconds to Chandler, Sparrow with the others like McVee in that group not far behind. The biggest unknown is just where the Billings, Viney, Salem, Rivers, Petracca, Clarry, JVR group fit in. But judging to the gaps between the other groups running at the same time I don’t think the leaders of that group were far behind the Sparrow mark.

Nothing too special in the drills after the time trial. Choco with some point to point kicking that didn’t go all that smoothly but wasn’t a disaster either and a few other smaller drills. Chappy took a big forwards group (both in height and numbers) for some work on kicking inside 50. A focus on how to legally block for both the high kick to the hot spot and the flatter kick to the lead in to the pocket. Backs and mids were doing a 2/3rds ground ball movement drill to get the ball out from the backline. Focus seemed to be on short accurate kicks to leads. I tried to watch the new guys. Langford - looks very comfortable in main training. Not the most pure kicking action and I think he’ll miss targets with depth control. His strengths look like really fast accurate hands and he just know where to run to get the ball. Plus Size (XL20) - a lot of lap running. Did some basic kicking drills and the ball comes off his boot fast and low with good accuracy. AJ - missed a few kicks in the drill immediately post the time trial but generally looks comfortable out there. In a drill moving the ball from a contest under pressure in backline he looked comfortable bending down to get it and evading pressure. Dished out on a long lefty handball and generally when he marks he extends his long arms nicely. Jeff Junior kicks the ball like the son of Jeff/academy player, he can spin it for a ruck. Natural mover. Tall. Thought he fumbled a couple of marks but just naturally he’s marking way up high. There’s some tools there for sure! The other kid Toby has some go and a nice left foot, hide him away for a year please! Watched a bit of Kentfield, he did a decent time trial given he’s a huge lad. Skills are nice and he moves pretty well. Not blown away but if Casey aren’t hopeless he’ll do more than his 4 touches a game this year.

Jeffo seems to have gone MIA after the time trial. PickettFence the main suspect

Time trials in groups. Big lumps: Luker, Jeffo May Flankers: Pickett, Howes etc as above. Sestan a fair way off. The better running players are having a go now. T Mc is dominating his group ahead of Petty, Melk, Woey, Laurie Sharp is gapping to Brown, then a similar gap to Langdon, Chandler, Sparrow, McVee with Windsor a fraction off the back Billings gap to Viney gap to Rivers, Tracc, Kolt, Salem gap JVR group with Clarry off the back. Wait..Clarry has overtaken JVR.

So less than 5 years as a footy GM at a club with a proven coach, proven list management team, proven culture before he got there, no other footy administration experience, no other business executive experience aside from a year in a job they created for him when he’s bailed back to Melbourne. Hired out of a law career by his good mate Tom Harley. I’d like to know a lot more about what he’s actually done at Sydney than being impressed purely because it’s on his resume. Unless he’s totally brilliant he can go be the Pies head of footy.

Texans, Rams, Bucs

I dream of footballers not wingers. Langdon is a really good winger. Caleb could do that and more. Go Caleb? Go Dees?

If he has a full summer I expect him to be around the mark but there’s a lot of unknowns and options. I think he has to bring defensive pressure and/or the ability to find the footy leading up to the wings to really establish himself as a lock. Could easily happen. But the sample size is still low. I saw enough to be positive but I’m not quite convinced yet.

Jeffo 3rd in the B+F in an ordinary Casey team. AJ 7th in a premiership team where the top 4 probably all would’ve won Casey’s B+F. Jeffo less consistent because of his role and age. I’d say both are probably around a similar mark going in to preseason. Jeffo has the advantage of more time in the system, the potential quicker development of youth but is still a few years away from his physical prime. AJ has the advantage of becoming professional for the first time and a mature body. Probably hard to split it but I favour the guy who will have the mature body and might be set for a defined role.

The MCC is about the cushiest gig in the world. Grand final locked in for 50 years. Waiting list for decades. State government providing support for mega concerts in the offseason. And if you’re happy to jack fees, jack prices, tolerate a decline in behaviour and standards across the actual club you’re rolling. No way you’d leave that to take on the MFC unless you don’t have the appetite for the Shane Warne stand rebuild. In which case I’d ask why do you have the appetite for Caulfield and grinding away as a club CEO.

We’re doing ourselves a disservice if Caleb is limited to the wing. For instance if a team has tight defensive wingers and sags a half back off he should be straight to half forward and fed the ball. Disco was a fun story in the back half of 2024 but I think there’s a bit of overrating if people expect him to be a walk up start. Jeffo’s probably still a ‘26 candidate after a handful of games in ‘25 but he could surprise. I don’t think they drafted AJ purely for depth, his mid year vfl form would’ve had him in the team! Heck, they picked Disco off a quarter of Casey v Frankston. We’ll see how that plays out. I suspect Lindsay starts back but it McVee, Salem and Bowey have those spots locked they might look to use him elsewhere. Petty is training back, although there’s a question of what happens if Lever, May and McDonald actually out play him!

Get ready to see Riv playing on ball because some of his footy down back last year was gross where as his midfield stuff was really good, he needs the challenge as is ready for it. Any evidence Pickett is good in the middle? Averaged 1 centre clearance a game. He’ll keep getting chances in there but I expect he’ll rotate forward after the clearance as usual. Langford’s strengths should be overhead marking, clever running and footy smarts. He’ll help in transition running but hurt in pressure. He’s a competitor so should contribute but a 190cm+ teenage who tests slow just isn’t going to be a good pressure player.

Nibbler played a lot of midfield in 2024 and Chandler and Kolt took over more of the high half forward duties. I’d have those 2 and Viney spending more time forward as the main defensive two way running guys. And hopefully Spargo in contention too. I still think Lindsay starts at half back competing for a game but if they are confident he can play wing from the get go that opens up opportunities to use Windsor as a half forward with spurts on ball. Or forward/wing with Langdon rotating forward. C; Langdon Rivers Lindsay HF: Viney JVR Windsor FF: Pickett AJ/Disco/Jeffo Fritsch Foll: Gawn Tracc Oliver Int: Langford Chandler Kolt That’s a team that can create damage if they get the ball moved in quickly to space. Midfield rotations and depth to run and power a more spread out attacking game with more switching and dare off half back is the crucial factor tho. We packed in the more attacking plan last year because it was clear our midfield didn’t have the legs for it.