binman

Following the dees is a near death experience.

I'm confused, what are you saying here?

Hello, Brendan speaking. G'day Windy it's Bucks Nathan Buckley? Um, yes Hello Nathan, i prefer Brendan, how can i help? Oh, ok Brendan - um, nothing big, i just happened to see some news about the stadium in Tassie and, um, some possible planning issues and, no biggie, but was just wondering if there's any risk it won't be built? Nathan, are you asking in your capacity as a media representative? Hah, hah, hah Silence Oh, you are not joking. No Brendan I'm asking in my capacity, um is this line secure? Sorry? Nothing, nothing - no I'm just asking as a private citizen, and you know in my capacity as the inaugural coach of the Tassie Devils In your capacity as the inaugural coach of the Tassie Devils? Well, Nathan i don't know what you are referring to on that front but i can let you know we most certainly have a Plan B in the unlikely event a purpose-built stadium with a retractable roof is not build in Hobart in the next 18 months Oh, ok. Thats sounds good. So, all systems go for the Devils to have their first AFL game in 2027? Well Nathan, I'm not at liberty to discuss such sensitive matters with any Tom, Dick or Nathan but what i can tell you is that the Tasmania Football Club will field teams in the Victorian Football League and Victorian Football League Women’s in 2026 and those plans intersect with our Plan B, which will most certainly see us start in 2027 Oh, ok great Brendan. Sooooo Plan B is? Well Nathan you might have read on our website that the Devils VFL and VFLW teams will play their home matches in Hobart and Launceston, with the possibility of also playing games in Penguin, in 2026. If yes, disregard that - this a fluid environment and, keep this under your hat for now, we will now be playing all our home games at Casey Sorry Brendan, i think i might have misheard you. Where will we, sorry you, be playing our, sorry, your home VFL games next season? Casey I thought that's what you said. Where in Tasmania is Casey? Did i mention Tasmania Nathan? Casey is out Cranbourne way, a lovely part of the world by all accounts, and our new ground is where the Melbourne Football Club sometimes train - perhaps you know it? Um, yes. I've never been there but it's........ um, ah, Brendan what does that have to do with Plan B? Well, Nathan, the AFL have advised us that we must meet their timelines and be ready to go round one of the 2027 season so until the stadium situation is sorted the Devils will train and play at Casey They will do what now? Train and play at Casey until a stadium us built in Tasmania.............Nathan are you ok? .................................................um, yes, fine Brendan. Look, i have to go, good luck with everything. Hello, Brad Green speaking Greeny, old mate its Bucks Click.

I think the answer to that is dependent on whether Tracc can get back to his very best. He's never been a great kick, but his radar was miles off this year - particularly his goal kicking (set shot and on the run). That significantly reduced his impact on games this season. And i think he, understandably, was still carrying the mental scars of his horrific injury last season. I actually think the two things (his kicking and the injury) are interrelated as he is an emotional bloke who plays his best footy when feeling powerful. Hopefully he's in a better place next season mentally in terms of his injury and if so there's every reason to believe he will gte back to his impactful best.

That's total bollocks.

When we win the flag next year I'm gonna enjoy watching Buckley's post game analysis.

I don't want him anywhere near me.

Your source is a family member of a board member? Bwaaaaaaaaa! 🤣

Oh please.

My point really is that in footy these days whilst of course it's important to have good forwards the days of needing multiple gun key forwards are gone. As evidence of that, on paper, it would be hard to argue against the proposition the Crows and Dogs have the best forward lines in terms of big key forwards. No surprise both are one and two for most points scored in the home and away seasons. Neither team will win the flag this season. By contrast the four remaining teams have decent forward lines but only the Cats and the Lions have what would be considered a traditional big key forward, and in both cases only one. The hawks have Chol (and Gunston who is more medium) the Cats have Neale and Cameron (but Cameron is really a flanker), the Pies Mihochek and the Lions Morris. As you note we have JVR who yes had an average year, though was in much better form in the last few games. Yes, he only averaged a goal a game this year, but he averaged 1.4 a game in his first two seasons (for a career average of 1,3) which is super impressive. I think JVR, who turned 22 in April, is a gun and will fulfil his potential. And we have Kentfield waiting in the wings who I'm pretty bullish about. Which is not to say we shouldn't consider trading in another key forward just that we shouldn't bother with trying to land a gun like say Mckay and commit too much of our salary cap for a key forward. I'd rather we target a player like Mihochek. In addition, not being stacked with KPFs the remaining four teams have another thing in common - they ARE stacked with gun kicks with wheels who can play as an outside mid/forward and/or half back flanker. Thinks Mccluggae, Bailey, Daicos, Amon, Hardwick and Holmes. We most definitely are not stacked with such players, which is one reason why keeping McVee is a priority and i expect them to focus on trying to land such players in the upcoming draft and trade periods.

Of the four teams still in the hunt for a flag which has a forward line stacked full of gun key forwards?

Tracc's contract tapers down from the current annual salary of $1.7 million to $1.2 million and doesn't go below $1.2 million a season.

Cover 400k of tracc's salary every season until 2029? Play a bloke 1.2 million dollars to play for another team. I don't think so.

Do you really think we'd give up Tracc for pick six and flanders AND pay 400K of his salary (would have to be multiple years)? The only possible world in which we would do so is we desperately wanted him gone because of Baliey Smith level behavioral issues - and no one is suggesting tracc is in that boat.

A key factor, and i think likely a deal breaker, in any potential tracc trade is his salary. The article posted above says it's currently 1.7 million a year and going forward doesn't drop below 1.2 million a year. Tracc is still star and had a good season as evidenced by his bluey result and CD player rating. But even the biggest tracc fan would concede that his 2025 form was still miles from his very best form and there were few, if any, examples of his ability to turn a game on his head and win it off his own boot. And I don't think it's unfair to say his injury is still a factor psychologically, which is totally understandable by the way. À club paying a player 1.2 million a season want AA level output. Tracc wasn't close to that this season. Sure, he might get back to that level but does a club want to take 1.2 million a year punt on a bloke pushing 30? Perhaps a gold coast might for the star factor, but even if one of the current top 4 clubs wanted to take that punt one of the reasons those teams are successful is they already have stars on big contracts. How is say the crows going to fit 1.2 million in their salary cap when they are shelling out big coin for Rankin et al. I guess walker might retire and that would free up some salary cap space, but young guns like Philthorpe are gonna want a big pay rise at some point. All a long way of saying that realistically if tracc wants to go to a team with a genuine chance of winning a premiership next season he is very likely going to have to take a sizable haircut salary wise. At this point in his career does he really want to do that?

Agree on clarry but not tracc - and that's not a knock on tracc. If we put clarry on the trade table we have no chance of getting anything in return that is a net positive even on this seasons form (which was serviceable) and certainly not on what we might expect next season (he was getting over to his best in the last third of the season and not coincidentally looking in better nick). But we could get a good return for tracc, whether that's draft picks a player or a combination of the two. As good as tracc is, with clarry, viney and Langford (who will eventually surely go into the middle) we have too many midfield bulls. And we have too few outside mids/half back flankers/utilities that are elite kicks and good wheels. That is our single biggest need. Id support trading tracc if it helped us fill that need.

Article says "King takes the helm at Casey". I'm guessing that might come as a surprise to King

To quote John McEnroe, you cant be serious. Fogarty is way too one dimensional and just not that good. Maybe straight swap for Philthorpe, but even then our real need is gun kicks with wheels not forwards

That's an excellent point. Seven years of zero time at an AFL club in any role is a very long time to be out of the game even if involved in footy media.

Good. He never got the scrutiny he deserved for how poor our defensive system was this season.

Yes, it 100% has - kudos. And yep, all batters have shot they can't put away (mine was the hoik across the line to cow corner) and every decent bowler knows how to put a ball in exactly the right spot to make the batter play at it.

Hopefully he's sorted his stutter.