DeeSpencer

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

He’s been the best forward in the comp at stages this year and the trickiest match up May’s played on. Its a dangerously small sample size but there’s a reason Geelong and us are both opening the cheque book. And when big Sav gets 700+ on vfl form, there’s a genuine contest to sign Josh Battle and so on the value of anyone tall and even remotely good is a lot of money.

From what I’ve seen he’s more of a CHB than a full back. But the right age for a fresh start. Probably the Tomlinson replacement rather anything substantial long term.

Ahh of course, ignore that then. That said, if they aren’t using it in a trade Freo might take our future first for Port’s current pick. It’s a good but even draft, I’m not sure Freo will want 3 picks in the first round back to back.

I think Port have Perryman on the hook, and so are willing to except a fair deal or even unders for Houston who's keen to get home for personal reasons, knowing that Perryman for free and Houston for picks leaves them ahead long term. I'm very nervous it's a Chad Wingard or even worse a Jared Polec situation. But... we also need an A grade ball user through the middle of the ground (be that high half back or ideally on ball) and those players aren't the kind of half backs you can just find anywhere. And we need it now. We can't evolve the game plan if there's no one in the midfield who can hit precise targets. So I'd be willing to offer our 2025 first and some decent steak knives. I'd also be willing to consider a swap of our first for Port's first depending where they finish.

I’m far from a Hunter fan but selection integrity in picking anyone over Billings, Sparrow (especially on the wing where he’s poor) or experimenting with half backs or half forwards on the wing doesn’t really bother me. Id go Woey but I don’t say that with any confidence. If Hunter genuinely has been working hard to overcome nagging calf injuries and is covering the ground at an acceptable rate he’ll probably get picked.

Versatile depth players are handy, that goes for both Taj and AMW. But AMW badly needs to get through a full preseason and build an afl body and work rate. Taj might play out the year due to lack of other options. The move down back has been good to get him some full game time. Not sure he’s got the tricks for that to be his long term role though. I’d actually like to see him just settle at Casey at the start of next year and have an 8 week block dominating in the midfield before getting more AFL chances. He needs the footy in his hands 25-30 times a week for a while.

I don’t think there’s much value in obsessing over height but I do think there’s something to Jeffo’s rangy long arms and overall bag of tricks that would pair well with an aggressive big body guy like JVR. But more importantly I had almost seen enough of Jeffo 10 weeks ago, now he’s performing more often than not despite wintry conditions, an oversized forward line and poor midfield supply. Even though it’s just VFL for now he’s been a bright spot on the season.

Doesn’t have the tank, work ethic and discipline but at this stage I’d rather give that a go forward than down back

Laurie yes, Woey maybe, AMW gosh no. If he is to stay in the side they should chuck him forward, he’s a mile off down back.

I disagree. We are 2 wins and 10% (which really is just lowering the volume on some beltings when our midfield were deplorable and a goal here or there) from 4th. And the biggest issue is still when our midfield gets smacked it gets ugly. Yet when our midfield win the contest everything else largely falls in to place. And Oliver has been about 3/10 when his best is 9/10 and just one guy elevating that much changes the entire dynamic of the midfield. But…even if we were 4th we’d be a lot closer to making up the numbers than a flag contender. Which is exactly what I think of Carlton, GWS, Geelong and Port. They are all pretenders unless they solve a lot of issues in a hurry. We’ve beaten 2 of them, lost to 2 of them by narrow margins. With Clarry anywhere near his best we’d be comfortably in that group of sides.

Same ump that paid the Greene dive and missed a lot of easy calls. The big name umps love getting their egos in the game but they usually pay the simple stuff correctly. This guy looked fresh out of VAFA c grade and needs to be send back there.

Way too many ‘contests’ like this. Is it physical or mental? Stance way too high, no power in the legs, on his wrong side to begin with too I guess (Viney would do better digging in to Green with his left but Oliver would then have to cover Bedford’s speed), then painfully slow to react to the hit out and beat out the front of the stoppage. Does a preseason fix this or is this an undisciplined player who abandons basic technique and stoppage responsibilities?

I’m nervous because our list management has been dreadful but I’m actually excited by the opportunity we have to drastically improve the list purely by bringing in fresh legs Gus, J Smith, BBB, Schache were all zeroes before the bounce of the ball and Melk was out for half a year, Spargo the full year apparently. Hunter the same. McAdam not afl fit. Oliver clearly no preseason and Fullarton and Verrell weren’t ready to ruck, so either one of them or someone else should be next year. Our talls are clearly in rebuild mode but Lever, Petty, JVR, Disco and hopefully Jeffo gives us a chance to keep things rolling. Midfield seems as bad as it should get right now. Oliver, Tracc, a preseason in to Rivers, adding some depth should all improve us. Just finding a few useful fit and energetic role players would do wonders for the state of the list.

I feel pretty confident saying it’s his fitness and his mindset not his hand. It’s been weeks since the hand surgery and there’s been plenty of good pick ups and handballs in those weeks and probably 100+ tackles. What there hasn’t been is clear decision making at times - although that’s never been his greatest strength. And more than anything there hasn’t been the usual and sustained explosive burst and repeated change of directions, nor is he linking up away from the contest. Not to mention being completely spent by 3/4 time.

Should we just give Gawn another week off? Honestly I’d be happy to use JVR and Petty against Tim English and go with either Disco or Jeffo forward. Max doesn’t need to keep playing with a literal broken leg.

Clarry was somewhat good for 3/4’s then totally spent in the last. Gawn barely lasted a half and we looked better with JVR in the middle who at least provided follow up. Max and the mids haven’t been on the same page all year.