Sydee

You may be confusing him with big Ben Holland who came from the tigers. Ben Hollands didn't play for MFC

Happily take the first of those but would love to see the Freoflogs sink like a big anchor

I think the legend of LJ and the 3rd qtr of the grand final is well and truly overstated I’m not suggesting he isn’t a talent - he is but the 3rd qtr was all about our midfield he did handball to Clarry for one goal but having watched it several times it was all about Trac , Clarry and Viney imo

I understand people liking the idea of Petty staying back as I for one think he is arguably our best defender - however I can't say that your or JG's arguments for leaving him back are that compelling Your logic for not wanting to try Petty forward is 1. We don't have any decent forwards, or they are always injured - ok so isn't that precisely the reason to try someone else? 2. It's a structural problem - not sure what that means exactly other than the fact that our delivery into the F50 is predictable and often poor. In any event if we have no decent forwards as you've suggested then surely it makes sense to try and find a forward that can deliver a greater return. In Petty we have someone that we know can actually take a contested mark BBB can't and Schache has never shown he can do that either. TMac maybe but he has a very big challenge ahead to get fit enough to play a whole season. Petty is also far more capable of contesting if the ball hits the ground than any of those guys As far as Max being our main tall forward target that is a very high-risk strategy as it leaves us very vulnerable in the ruck should one of Max or Grundy get an injury. Max is a great player, but his set shot goal kicking is poor and I really struggle to see how that can change, he is also not great when the ball is on the ground which is understandable for a bloke of his size. Schache is certainly worth a try but tbh he's had plenty of chances (just like Weid) and never managed to hold down a spot as a key forward - the likelihood of that miraculously changing is very low Just because we won a flag with Petty back doesn't mean that it makes more sense to leave him back - teams evolve, they change personnel, they play to their strengths. having a mindset where everything stays the same is doomed to failure. WE are lucky to have a couple of capable replacements in the back six should Petty be tried in the F50. Premiership teams and those in the window for ultimate success have always changed personnel in subsequent seasons and tweaked their game plans to try and improve (aka Geelong). If you were looking at our premiership win as the litmus test for player positions/performance, then TMac may never play forward again - he didn't fire a shot that day until the game was well and truly over Anyway, you both may be right, personally I'd be trialing him as a forward as I see a lot of upside in the team's performance - ultimately our coaching staff will be making the call and in them we must trust

AMW has talent but he needs to find a way to get involved in the game on a more consistent basis - this is obviously a challenge for many young players - hope he takes the next step in 2023 and really pushes for senior selection My dream is that he becomes our version of Shai Bolton (no pressure Andy 😀)

One of the first I would be selecting each week - love to see a contract extension Very important player for the club going forward

All interesting points - not sure this thread is the best placed to discuss though 🙂 Agree there is a lot that can and should be improved - not sure there is any single reason why our I50 efficiency is NQR This year I believe we were ranked 3rd for average I50 count (last year 2nd) - however our average goals per game rank dropped from 4th to 6th - not that bad but obviously worse One of the biggest shifts in team stats was average tackles per game where we led the comp last year and this year dropped to 13th - fitness / mindset? who knows but it looked like that watching from the sidelines some games I'm not a fan of the predictable kick-in to the left hand wing every time either - I'd love to see a bit more variation in that as well - maybe a Bowey or Salem taking the kick ins as I think their kicking is vastly superior to May's

Love the way this bloke goes about it - pretty under rated IMO - hopefully his body allows him to have a good pre-season and full 2023. Important player to control dangerous opposition smalls

Agree that Keeler is far from perfect but there is a bit to like and in the right environment with the right attitude he has the potential to be very very good. Just like your comparison with LJ he is probably a better mark and kick than Jackson was at the same age - does he have the desire and will to be a top-grade AFL footballer? Thats the big question our recruiters need to ask and answer However, given our list profile and lack of good mobile talls I'd be surprised if he wasn't in the conversation for pick 13

It's hard to be creative when the go to option is consistently bomb the ball to the left-hand pocket - ok maybe a slight over exaggeration but our system of efficiently moving the ball to our forwards certainly needs some work - we get far too many inside 50's that result in zero score conversion

Correct - @DeelightfulPlay supporter of many long years - still have my footy records from the 70s 😀

Easier said than done it seems - had plenty of time and chances but yet to deliver on that front Similar to Weid - early draft pick, skills seems ok , passion/heart/aggression seem to be missing For both this trade period probably represents their last chance - it’s make or break time - big summer and hopefully comes out firing on all cylinders

I’m not writing anyone off simply saying I’m not convinced he will make it as an AFL footballer There are hundreds of guys that a good footballers but never quite reach the level required Howes is neat in his ball handling and disposal but I he doesn’t get it enough at VFL level to suggest to me he can impact at AFL level Does he have any significant stand out qualities ? Pace , evasion, disposal , marking , physical presence? If he has they have been shown in cameos only hence - so I’m not convinced - as I said very happy to be proven wrong and we won’t know until the end of next season or the one after that (assuming he has no more injury concerns)

Before we try out anyone they have to earn it Laurie, Howes and Woewodin haven’t yet ticked that box IMO If Laurie can improve his fitness he might get a look next year - he does have skill just not convinced he is currently an upgrade on anyone in the 1s Howes I’m not convinced will make it - I know he has plenty of people here that think he’s going to - very happy to be proved wrong Woey is a good honest footballer - good enough to be a regular AFL player ? - next year will tell us a lot more I think

Hustwaite reminds me a little of Pendlebury

My concern is that we have spent the same time trying to get Weid to the level required and failed - not saying it can't happen and both might surprise all their doubters - let's hope Josh can Like Weid, he looks like he lacks real vigor and aggression or confidence - does have some ability clearly but sometimes that is just simply not enough

Tomlinson might be ok as a May replacement (if needed), but I don't think he has the tools to offer what Petty has (ability to play on the really tall forwards) or Lever (intercept marking and elite reading of the play). Not writing Tomlinson off but he would need to really improve his mobility and reaction time to get a regular game in the 1s Lots of people have made a case for Petty forward through necessity just like Neitz. Fact is we don't have a tall forward who can take contested marks, kick reliably, and compete strongly if the ball is on the ground - Petty can do all those things as he has shown. No doubt we lose something if we take him away from the back six - I think he is our best defender in fact I think he is massively under rated and he would be one of the first 5 or 6 picked if I was a selector I think BBB is pretty much cooked - Goodwin has openly admitted his knee will never be 100% and just gets managed. JVR may help next year providing another tall target (probably in the Melksham role) but we need to temper our expectations of what he can deliver in what will be his first year in an AFL team. If we can't get Petty out of a KPD role, then I think we are back to trialing J Smith as a forward option - obviously they tried this at the end of the season with limited success however Joel had just returned from a long period on the sidelines with injury (again 😒) in a role that he was unfamiliar with - I'm still hopeful he can make the transition to the forward line and stay on the park

Yes, we do - but none of that is relevant when he has stated clearly, he wants to go to Geelong if he is going anywhere And yes, I do watch lots of games and many Collingwood games actually

And a very very good, contested mark - loved his aggression

Grundy has nowhere near the leap of Jackson - nor does he have the same ability or leg speed I'd say he is a better ruck in most situations other than centre bounces an area where his lack of leaping capacity is a disadvantage Grundy has Jackson covered in most statistical areas other than goals per game (Jackson has probably spent more time in F50) and disposal efficiency (I think most people underestimate how skilled he is by both hand and foot) I have no idea how this will pan out over the next 2 to 3 years but my preference would have been to keep LJ but that was obviously not possible

Maybe statistically he stacks up similar or slightly better than Weideman - it's a pretty low bar though tbh Every time I've watched Schache play my impression is that he is slow and lacks any real intensity I was astonished to see he is listed at 201cm as he certainly doesn't play that tall - his inability to physically compete is worse than Sam IMO who has at least shown some level of vigor when thrust into the ruck Maybe I'm just a bit underwhelmed generally about what has happened during this trade period - at this point my assessment is that we haven't improved our list nor (apart from Grundy as another ruck to replace LJ) addressed our most pressing needs. Obviously, we still have pick 13 and may deliver a future gun but whoever it is we know will take tile before they make a meaningful contribution

Hope not he is a downgrade on Sam Weideman - can't see why we would even entertain this

He is wanting to leave to play with his brother at Geelong - don't think he is what we need anyway

If true I'm personally very disappointed - we will get SFA in return and they should have tried him done back as a last resort We have a relatively short list and can ill afford to lose another player above 195cm - he has the skills - there are plenty that don't