DeeSpencer

FF: Pickett JVR Tracc HF: Chandler ????? ANB C; Langdon ????? Windsor HB: McVee ???? Lever FB: ???? May ??? Foll: Gawn Rivers ???? Int: Viney Tholstrup Bowey ???? Probables: Oliver, Fritsch, Salem, Petty Possibles: Jefferson, Disco, Sparrow, Spargo, Woewodin, Melk? T Mc? Need to sort the talls out and recruit ready to go tall depth, 1 at each end. Need a back pocket to free McVee up the field. Need a high quality on baller so Viney and Petrraca can both play forward more. Get most of that sorted and the team will be back in contention if they put in a huge amount of work and stay healthy in summer.

Is there a different Peter Wright?

We won a flag after trading Watts and Hogan. You got evolve the list and give talent to get talent.

If we put Chandler, JVR, Pickett, Tracc, Melksham and hopefully from next year Jefferson in the Fritsch role they’d kick 80% of the goals he kicks. And we’d more than make up the other 20% because we’d have someone who competes on the deck, can lead up and crash a pack and we can mix and match based on match ups. He’s a one dimensional player in a side that’s crying out for different options. The time is right to cash in now before he has no value left.

Tracc’s lack of pace and tank around the ground have been issues the last 2 years. Not to mention some of his horrendous turnovers. I don’t think the move forward this year was purely for forward line bite. A good part of it was to remove his weaknesses from the midfield (especially when Oliver and even Gawn were having the same weaknesses). So it kind of depends what kind of physique he has coming back from injury. If he’s lost muscle and can build his fitness base quickly he might play more mid. The injury could have a silver lining. But if he struggles to build that base then he was heading towards a forward role anyway. It’s a scary thought but I think we are looking at almost a complete on ball rebuild over the next few years.

I’m not going to speculate on Oliver but the footy he’s currently serving up is horrendous. Petracca, Pickett and ANB are better overall forwards than Fritsch. JVR should be soon. Heck I wouldn’t be surprised if Chandler finishes higher in the B+F. We are playing with 17 on the field when one guy constantly tries to get out the back, never chases, tackles with no intent or technique so consistently gives away free kicks and can’t play in any other role.

Of course he’s not Cameron but the point is the 3 first rounds Geelong gave up turned out to be next to nothing when they got 2 early 2nds back. If we gave up 2 late firsts and got at least 1 early second back it would be a similar kind of result where the price isn’t really the price. We aren’t getting value for Oliver but if we pay a bit of the contract I still think a team takes the risk for an early 2nd. Geelong, Adelaide they aren’t going to get an A grade midfielder in his prime age any other way. Net result, Oliver out, Houston in and we’ve shuffled back in the draft from late firsts to early seconds. Doesn’t read well on paper but could be really good for the team. But we’ll see if Port are willing to accept that deal and it relies upon us bouncing back next year and the year after. So it’s still less likely than likely.

There’s 2 firsts and then there’s ‘2 firsts’. If it’s picks in the mid to late teens and in return we get one or more 2nd or 3rd rounders then that could be a heist. The cats gave 3 for Jezza Cameron and got pretty much the same picks back with 2nd rounders as valuable some of the firsts would’ve been. There’s also a question of what else we do with the list. I’d have Oliver and Fritsch sold to the highest bidder assuming the reserve prices are met. And if that happens then it would almost be imperative that we bring in some experience and quality in the Houston age range. Our first rounder this year should be off the table (aside from splitting it back a few picks). Anything else should be available.

I’d say more like 70% of games and even in others there’s rotations, I just think he drifts a little at half back. Defensive positioning and attacking work rate both still developing. I’d train him for both but if Rivers builds his tank he’s the defender who moves permanently on ball first. Maybe there’s some benefit to a look at him now but I still think he’s learning by the week how to do more at half back.

To the list, we’ve relied on super raw kids to come in down back and forward (and man a wing all year with no break).

Their list has some big age concerns and Carlton could’ve ended their season last night but I appreciate the way they’ve done their absolute best to support an ageing midfield group in season. We’ve done nothing to add fresh legs to a team that looked dangerously short of running depth all year.

I agree, and maybe because they are in their window and we haven’t been this year but the Pies reacted to midfield injuries by signing Sullivan and Bytel over summer and Long (from their vfl team) in the mid season draft. Even if there wasn’t more to be done with JJ and Bedford to get them to stay we’ve been down on personnel all year and only added a kid tall forward fresh out of the WAFL reserves.

Have you watched us this year? We’ve re-invented the game plan, so much more run and risk taking from the backline, especially the young players who aren’t set in their ways. We’ve added speed and skill to the midfield from very limited choices (Rivers, ANB, Kossie).

JJ’s just a role player but he’s exactly what we are missing now, and we took him out of the side for 1 year of Hunter being no better. Short term - no gain, for long term negative. Tomlinson took it for a while but Petty was always coming to take that job. He was the same player after the injury, he just had a run of games that he was never going to live up to. He pretends to try. Runs hard, but protects himself in contests, rarely leaves his man to cover, doesn’t crash packs, doesn’t break tackles or even hold up under pressure with his ball use.

He’s in the De Goey, Dusty, Tracc, Rayner mold, hasn’t put a full season together this year so the midfield stuff is more potential, kind of much like Rayner now I guess. Not sure you can pick him over a sure fire gun midfielder, but then again I’m not 100% convinced by any of the mids in this draft just yet. Lots of really good ones, not sure how many are high level difference makers.

Hunter taking up a spot in the team alienated JJ, took Gus away from his wing role, lowered our team speed, lowered our overall hardness level. The league was only getting faster and we decided to get a guy who sat way outside and chipped it 30m. And that’s without even the impact he might’ve had on our off field culture. Tomlinson played a bunch of decent games when we had the best team defence you’ll ever see and dominated field position. In a role that he was never recruited to play because he failed miserably as a winger. It was a panic move after 2019 to try to find a second winger. 5 years when he was dropped from the giants first finals team because he was too slow even then.

Forward: JVR, Jeffo/Melk 11 games each, trade for a good forward or forward/ruck, Tracc 80% forward post centre bounce. Back: May, Petty, Lever. Disco depth. A good mature back up (Edwards from West Coast?) Trade Fritsch - his zero forward pressure impairs our ability to play a second ruck or a young key tall like Jeffo. It also doesn’t let us play those talls (or anyone else like Tracc and Kossie) as the deepest forward. Let T Mc walk to a rebuilding side or be depth elsewhere. In terms of who we bring in it has to either be Waterman or a mobile ruck/forward who can stay out of the way whilst forward and contributing in the ruck. If the trade plans fail that’s when you keep Tommy and swing Disco or Petty forward.

Rivers tries to do too much at times especially early in games, but he gets stronger the longer games go - at least down back. In the midfield he’s clearly tired in second halves. But with so little chemistry and class in our midfield and no trust in the forward line it’s not easy to make decisions. Tracc and Oliver refined their combination. Who is Rivers meant to combine with right now? Gawn can’t move, Oliver is a mess and Viney doesn’t have his burst. As long as Rivers builds his tank I have no concerns about his midfield quality.

List management: No back up ruck, no midfield depth, wasted list spots on Billings, McAdam, Hunter, Tomlinson’s 1000 year deal, Schache’s second year, Schache’s first year. Fitness: Petty and Oliver never fit and never got a chance to freshen up. Tracc done at mid year. Lever rushed back. Gawn playing very injury. Availability: Started the year effectively -3 prime age players with Spargo, Gus and J Smith all out and not replaced. BBB a zero after the first month too. You can argue the coach is to blame for some of it but any coach is reliant on fit and quality players and we’ve quickly run out of both. If anything we started the year better than I imagined and raised expectations but this is exactly the year the summer and list management set us up for. If we get things right it should be a combination of 2019/2020 rolled in to one year and we can bounce back.

Rivers has played midfield every week since the North game, we’ve got proof on concept that he’s good in there, just needs a bigger tank. I almost wonder if he’d be better off finishing the year at half back to stiffen up the backline or at least rotating between them. I don’t mind a look at Judd especially later in games but he was an ordinary VFL player in 2022, a back pocket last year and is only now getting chances at half back and as good as he looks in parts of his game I think he floats without the starting point of a defender to play on. He also has a light frame and he likes to paddle the ball and evade contact. That can work in the midfield but it’s also a recipe for disaster. I don’t see the rush purely because he’s a good ball user down back. For now he should stay back and use those skills more from half back.

Disco in for May, not too worried about which end he or Petty plays. The big guns won't take a rest whilst we are still mathematically alive. Hore for Moniz-Wakefield please, we need some experience and steadiness down back. No interest in Jeffo this year unless really needed. He still doesn't have the body for AFL footy and won't touch it with no supply at all. Round 1 next year has to be the target.

Tom controlled Hogan for the best part of 3/4's before a couple of good efforts by Jesse after a flood of supply. Had a shocker tonight but also got some of the roughest umpiring you'll ever see. Honestly, a few dropped marks paid and laughable frees against. He'll finish very highly in the B+F. If he's keen to play on someone will nab him. If we move him on it will only be because we've found another option and we want to stagger the McDonald/May coming off the list. Why would he be dropped for Tomlinson who would've given up just as many if not more contests tonight given the flood of supply.

So much dumb footy, after the slow play finally worked we went back to max speed stuff. We’ve got a young backline and a midfield that can’t run. Slow down and play some tempo.

I don’t think that money and contract is getting near anyone better, in fact it’s probably unlikely to get anyone at all because key forwards any better than C graders so rarely become available. We’ve been looking for most of the last 5 years and we landed broken down Ben Brown and nothing else. I don’t think we can hold out for better, we can only evaluate if the trade and contract are worth it and if he plays to this years level he will be.

The real move for the eagles is to keep him for another year and sell him off as a free agent for another top 5 pick. But with his injury issues he’s probably not going to happy sitting back and playing out the year for 400k