Wells 11

Its not finished til April next year. Will we be training at Goschs once it starts until then? I thought we were doing our pre season out there due to covid etc ? Anyone know how the logistics of this will work? We just cant afford a substandard pre season this year.

I wonder how open Goody will be to getting input from him? 2 good footy brains have walked into the building.

100% agree. annoying thread title.

I think it may be a reflection on doubts about whether Tmac ever plays at AFL standard again tbh.

So trying to " put more time and space" into the game, as Hocking put it, is surely going to favour the faster teams. Of which we are not one. Goodys heavily contested brand may be not looking like its the way forward . Hope Im wrong...as I also thought the 666 rule would work in our favour!

Agreed. I think if / when we ever were to announce a definite home base it would actually almost like winning a flag.

Im not sure this helps us though does it? We're still a team that does well in the clinches but gets beaten on the outside. If the game opens up more it could hurt us. Thoughts anyone?

So, if i’ve read all this right. BB waa injured last year, a floating bone in his knee. He also lost a child and while dealing w that ordeal was stuck in a hub w a coach who was losing more of his [censored] by the day and a club that was internally imploding. So one way or other, as the club descended and the emergency grew down there , his massive form loss was perhaps taken personally by coach or those around him. Relationships seem to have been broken and they also obviously must have had some doubts about his capacity to recover physically. All in all a perfect time to buy the BB stock ... at its lowest ebb. But not without a degree of risk..... mitigated in a massive way by having burgess on our side. here’s hoping the arrival of BB lifts us up to the next level . out of the 6-10 range and into 3-6 range. fingers crossed.

do we package up 18 and 19 for a pick in the top 10 maybe?

JM gets a lot of hate here but he's a smart operator I reckon and doing brilliantly this year.

It was Nudge, on another thread, and his sources are usually excellent. But he also said that its all dependent on offloading Tmac ..which isnt looking great.

Given the circumstances I think its actually about right.

absolutely should have. 71 was my first year going to the games. Ian Ridley Coach. Huge start to the season. Won 8 out of the first 9. Memory sketchy now but as I recall we did a massive, early, pre season in Adelaide which was a new thing back then. But, as it was so much more amateur only the top 20 or so went ...and I think paid for themselves. Once we got injuries we came right back to the field. finsihed with 11 wins for the season and a draw. Strangely that disappointment still hurts after all these years.

We dont know what the salary cap limits are M94. We dont know what the restrictions are and we cant seem to move Tmac. I agree its a no brainer if we could afford him.

Great you have those memories, thanks for sharing them. It’s seems so hard to believe we were ever strong, so I’m def jealous. i went to my first game in 71! It hasn’t been all dark though. The first 2 finals in 87 were like living in a dream and the 88 prelim was prob my happiest memory as a dee. May we all live to see another flag!

IF they can somehow make it happen without really stuffing up our salary cap, in exactly the same way as the pies did, it could be a premiership defining move. Would lift our potency enormously. Bringing in brown and Treleor would get the memberships rolling in too. Im sure there’s quite a few clubs sitting around tables deep into the night trying to figure out how to get it done. We can only hope.

In terms of a player I reckon he's a lot of what we need and would make us a way better side. But he's got a salary of 900 k for the next 5 years! unless the pies were willing to pay 300 k or so for the duration of his contract how does it get done? Do you know if we can renegotiate that contract with him or if we have to take it over?

Grea news...reckon thats a big get. now about that winger?

IF he's coming then its time he came out and said so. Otherwise we're start to look like second choice depending on how other things go. Time to pull the frikn trigger already.

I think the Smith experience will tell us that nothing is 100% until it is reported as contract signed.

it’s so so wrong isn’t it. why frikn even bother anymore. Feel like i want to stop following the afl altogether.

If I’m Smith I honestly can’t see the need to join the cats and try to win a 4th flag. If he came to us and we won it he’d be part of demon folklore and afl history. He’d be in a mentoring / leadership role as well and be extending himself in other ways as well. I def wanted him but there’s more time left in the trade period, let’s see what plan b looks like.

Agreed. They named what has been said on here for a while ie We seem to have fallen into being a team of champions , especially in the middle. Let’s hope this can be turned around.

Im happy. This is the type of decision that builds clubs internally. My guess is he's well loved and is an important source of social glue in the trying times of Covid as well as being a great guide and teacher to the younger players. No one expects more than a handful of games from him but I think what he brings is worth the invest. I hope he gets to 300, it would lift the whole club.