poita

I find it incredible, and highly concerning, that we have so many fringe players coming out of contract next year (Balic, Bugg, Filipovic, Keilty, JKH, Kent, King, Johnstone, McKenna, Smith, Vandenberg, Wagner). Add in potential retirees and there is a good 12 - 15 players who may need to be replaced this time next year. Hopefully a few of those guys step up and earn a new contract, but surely best practice would be to spread these types of contracts out and to have delisted a few more players this year so that we could have had some rookie picks.

Wow, 12 months of work by the recruiters results in us reading out the name of a midget with bad shoulders with our first pick. This ought to end well.

I buy an 11 game reserved seat membership each year. The money I have saved over the past 17 years of no forking out for a higher membership level far outweighs the cost of buying a GF ticket on the black market. Why anybody would pay for a guaranteed GF ticket for a club that hasn't played finals for 11 years is beyond me, but each to their own. I really dislike the idea of the club bleeding loyal supporters dry when it keeps on wasting money on boneheaded decisions such as paying players to pay for other clubs (Watts), or to not even play at all (Garland, Lumumba).

Trade for pick 66 is fair. A one year contract is also fair. Well done to the club for at least getting one deal right this year.

This will make three years in a row that we've traded out of the first round. Those are the actions of a team that is premiership contention, not one that can't even finish top 8. We have a below average midfield, with terrible depth across the board. Pick 35 in a weak draft is basically worthless, I'm not sure why we bothered asking for it. So why the hell have we given up two first round picks, both of which could be in the top 10, for a defender? I'm sure he'll be a good player for the club, but we need to stop the ball getting down there, not worry about what happens when it gets there. Every year it seems as though we talk tough and end up capitulating as time ticks away. Other teams must [censored] themselves laughing when they see us coming. I'm bitterly disappointed that we've given up any chance of landing a top quality midfielder either this year or next.

Barely played at any level for GWS for 2 years, missed another full year for us. He'd want to be something special when he finally gets on the field for all the chances he has been given. Given how little junior football he supposedly played, you would imagine he is coming from a long way back.

Its astonishing that you can get 9 years on a senior list and never once be your club's number one ruckman. I thought Jake was okay depth for a while there, but he really fell away over the last year or two. His inability to put pressure on a flailing Gawn late this season really hurt us. I would be gobsmacked if he was at another club next season, and he really only has himself to blame if old dee's post above is accurate.

Fringe player at best. Would much prefer to see him being a pain in the midfield, rather than playing faux-tough guy in the forward line and spraying shots at goal. He can claim that his hit on Mills was out of character, but it was a weak and pathetic act which significantly hurt the team. He has a lot of work to do to regain respect from inside and outside the club. Maybe this will end up being the making of him.

Viv Michie, Ben Newton, Ben Kennedy, Aiden Riley, and countless others. Not sure why this club keeps thinking it can make AFL players from other teams' state league players. We've proven time and again that we're not up to the task. Good luck to Balic if he comes on board, but the odds are well and truly against him.

Kennedy gone, excellent. Average player with below average workrate. I'm just thankful we only gave him a two year contract. Hopefully there are still more delistings to come - there are plenty of suitable candidates.

I sure hope he was back to running and kicking footballs before we gave him a new deal, because spots on the list are too valuable to waste on (soon to be) 26 years old VFL-standard players with poor injury histories.

I hope Adelaide dig their feet in and demand two first round picks. Surely Melbourne aren't stupid enough to give in (although we have been known to agree to some horrific trades), and turn their attention elsewhere. Our midfield is a much bigger problem than our backline, and Lever showed on Saturday that he is not up to the task of leading the defence. I'm sure he'll be a great player if he can play as a loose man forever, but he's not the big bodied "gorilla minder" that we need.

His first two months were absymal, and he was rightfully (and belatedly) dropped. Whether his poor form was due to his year off, or being played out of position, thankfully he was able to turn things around from QB onwards and be a consistently solid player. The most impressive thing for me was his ability to kick goals from 50 off a couple of steps, whilst most of his teammates were stuffing around with handpasses and sideways kicks from the same position. That said, I doubt that we gave up a second round pick for a HFF. The challenge for Jake now is to get super fit so that he can spend more time in the midfield next season. He has shown a good balance of attack & defense when given a run-with role, and his willingness to kick more than handball should be encouraged.

We did waste a few years looking in New Zealand. Are the odds of plucking a player from Ireland any better than looking at other sports (eg basketball or athletics)?

Totally agree with this. There is a big difference between making list changes that actually improve your list, and making changes so it looks like you are actually doing something. I'm not sold on Lever as being the type of player we desperately need, and certainly not if we get sucked into a ridiculous bidding war / pissing contest with Adelaide and / or other clubs. I'm more than happy to hit the draft hard over the next few years and ensure that we keep our list together in the meantime.

No issues with taking him with a rookie pick or very late draft pick if he is still available, but there is no way we should be using high draft picks on mid-sized forwards. You take genuine midfielders and key position players in the first two rounds of the draft, especially as a developing team.

Just a tip for everyone trying to trade out our VFL players for draft picks - it's not going to happen. Players like Vandenberg, Kent, Kennedy, Spencer & Bugg have zero value. We might let them walk for pick 100 just to get them a new home, but that would be it. If you want quality, you have to give up quality. Frost may have some value. Salem may have some value. I can't see too many others being considered expendable unless the deal of the century comes along.

16 wins would have had us first on this ladder this season, so it is absolutely ludicrous to have that as the benchmark for next year. 14 wins gets you in the conversation for top 4, and that is what we should be aspiring to. We won 12 this year and let slip opportunities in half a dozen others, so 14 is doable.

I wouldn't lose any sleep if any of the following are not at the club next year: Lumumba, Kent, Garland, Vandenberg, Vince, JKH, Hulett, Bugg, Spencer, King, Kennedy, T.Smith, McKenna, White, Wagner. Trengove is another, but at least he tries. Sadly we can't get rid of them all, but hopefully at least half are moved on. We need to seriously prioritise midfielders this year, and stop drafting flankers and utilities.

Any team that is second to the football is going to concede more free kicks than it receives, ie Melbourne yesterday, and especially in the first quarter. Don't blame the umpires for the players poor efforts.

Totally agree with this. Most of the posters in this thread remind me of five year old kids complaining that their sister got three jelly beans with their ice cream but they only got two. I'm not an umpire, nor do I know any. But it is an incredibly difficult job, they are human and they make mistakes from time to time (as well all do). Anybody who thinks it is easy should put their hand up and do it themselves. As an aside, the average player makes more mistakes than the average umpire each week - do we claim a AFL conspiracy every time Jeff Garlett or Dean Kent misses from 20 metres out directly in front?

I think Lewis's form has generally been trending upwards over the past month (from a fairly low base), but his biggest shortcoming in his refusal to take the hit occasionally. Instead he'll fire out a hospital handball or short pass and let one of his teammates get clobbered (Hogan being just one of many examples). I shudder to think what he and Vince could concoct together over the next month.

The biggest problem with our defence is Sam Frost. We all admire the way he takes the game on, but he turns the ball over far too often and consequently is 50 metres out of position when the ball is kicked back over his head. It happened on numerous occasions on Saturday and either Brown was left on his own or Jetta was forced to cover. If you are playing on the opposition's best forward, you have to sacrifice your game and stay close. Oscar, on the other hand, is the sort of player you can build a defence around because he is (almost) always where he is supposed to be. Yes, he needs to get stronger and tougher in the contest so he can take the number 1 forward each week, but that will happen over time. Jetta is similarly dependable, but unfortunately he isn't another four inches taller. That said, we certainly didn't lose because of the back line. We lost because our midfield collectively gave it up in the last quarter.

Lewis has had a very poor month in a side that had been playing good footy until Friday. If he steps up and leads the team to a win on Sunday, all will be forgiven. If not, it is increasingly difficult to see how he can be considered to be a best 22 player. My first request is that he puts his head down and picks up the footy at first attempt occasionally, rather than constantly fumbling because he is worried about what is happening around him. Second request is to follow an opponent rather than just standing in space pointing.

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