ignition.

I've been away for a while and thought of posting a 'Deven Robertson' thread for quite some time, better late than never with this post. I genuinely find it astounding that he's not more regularly spoken about as a Top-5 prospect. The two games I saw him play he was an absolute jet. He literally ticks all the boxes: He's a massive accumulator of the ball. He's hard at it, both in and under as well tackling. He's got a good build and great athleticism, e.g. dash out of packs. He's got a great footy brain and knows where to run (he could easily start his career on the wing). And finally, he's a leader and by all reports a quality person that's an absolute professional. The one knock on him that comes up is that sometimes his kicking is 'inconsistent', but how does this differ from Serong or Ash. Additionally, I find it far easier to get a kid in the AFL system with the right attitude to improve their kicking skills (e.g. by 10-20%) as opposed to many of the other fundamentals (e.g. going in hard, sprinting from a pack, and natural running patterns) mentioned above. Keep in mind, this kid won the Larke Medal ahead of both Rowell and Anderson. While his sensational carnival was not a once off. He's been averaging the same stats for two years, ~30 disposals and 6 tackles per game, in the WA Colts. I'm not saying select him with pick #3, all I ask is that Taylor and his team genuinely consider him there. Take that little extra time when comparing him to the other options at that point, because if he doesn't make it to us at #8 we've missed a star in a making.

Too slow off the mark, too slow between the ears, out muscled in marking contests, and can't kick. Not even VFL standard. Love how the club offload Frost for peanuts and then serve us up this tripe.

The idiocy of this club to move Frost on is beyond me. You keep good players, even if you see them as depth. It's not like he's asking for the farm. He's locked down opposition forwards time and time again. He's better than May, while Lever fits best as the third intercept tall (e.g. behind Talia and Hartigan). That's IF they're all fit. Then we have the medium- and small-sized defenders such as Hibberd, Hore, Jetta, and Salem. With that said Hibberd and Jetta only have a few years left anyway. It simply baffles me. Over the last few years we've re-signed sub-par, depth-at-best players like ANB, Stretch, O. McDonald (he's not even VFL standard), Hannan, JKH, Spargo and Wagner (#1 & #2, don't get me started). Sounds like Mahoney's at it again. Will bend over week one. Then get pushed around by Freo's Bell and who knows who else. Then spin some PR nonsense that they wen't well "overall' / looking at the whole trade period. When yet these list management hypocrites (Goodwin included) challenge the players on every single action they do. [censored] this club sometimes, or at least the morons in it.

Disagree completely. Frost is better as a lock-down defender than May. Lever is best as a third tall who can leave his man to roam. The three of them together make a high-quality combination "if" they stay fit. As for Oscar, he's slow off the mark and weak one-on-one, precisely the opposite of Frost. Oscar isn't even VFL standard, I'd happily see his off the list just to see a spot freed up for someone else.

Losing Frost would be an enormous mistake. He continually locked down high-quality opposition forwards, he played his role and did it well. If Frost goes, key forwards will bury next year. If we need to remove a tall, start with Oscar McDonald.

This is an absolute disgrace. I'll be more infuriated if our club let this happen. There will be a big difference between pick 2 and 3 this year, the club just fight this. If the AFL want to support GC, offer them a minidraft for players of next year's crop. Take two out of the system early provides two other kids spots. Then GC trade in for both picks and experienced players. Everyone wins.

They're elite athletes, not SAS or Commando units. Subjection to the likes of sleep and food deprivation as well as hyperthermic conditions will not improve the "mental resilience" of a collective group. These tasks are designed by special forces to ween people out of their courses so they are left with the top 1% of soldiers capable of performing near-impossible tasks. I'd rather see them work on their relationships and skills, which they so desperately lack.

Going from 4th (post finals) to 17th in less than a year, it can't be half the club. But something has changed, something/someone has created tension and friction which has caused a flow-on effect. This needs to be properly identified by an unbiased third-party. From there things can get fixed. Knee-jerk reactions to make heads roll so it looks like the club is doing something may damage things further.

Throughout the season many of us have asked where has it gone so wrong? Who is and should be held accountable? We've pointed the finger at the coach, assistant coaches, captains, and players alike. One thing is for sure, we cannot have a repeat next year or we'll be soon seeing an exodus of quality talent and yet another rebuild. I'll admit I've requested certain heads to roll, but in fairness I've based this on only my observations and theories (like many of us). What I do request from the board is a thorough third-party and unbiased club-wide review. As there is clearly something or multiple things wrong, they need to be fixed and amended immediately. I truly don't think we can point the finger at "lazy" "unskilled" players, as they showed us what they were capable of one season prior. Likewise, the "injury" excuse is just that, an excuse. These are the things that come to mind: - The new CEO and how he works needs to be evaluated. - The coach, his game plan, adaptability on match day, and his weekly roster (e.g. are there too many meetings and not enough skill sessions, e.g. B.Bolton) needs to be evaluated. - The assistant coaches, are they leaders, are they knowledgeable, do they fill players with confidence, are they approachable, are they good communicators or simply ex-players etc.? - List management, many of us have criticized Josh Mahoney's ability to negotiate at the trade table. Furthermore, is there friction from him regarding the rejection of Jackson's CEO succession plan? - The captains, are they actually leading on the field. Are they constantly moving and placing their troops in the right positions around the field, or are they just trying to lead by example (playing)? - The players, are there any particular one generating a toxicity and disdain towards others within the group? - Are there any tensions between sectors and groups above. Why? With that said, I think the players at least for now should be spared (unless if there is a bully). I hope each player gets the opportunity to privately and confidently inform a third-party as to what they think is wrong because I guarantee you the answer lies within the opinions of the collective playing group. Once the pain points are identified, the best way to get back on track is to amend relationships over the preseason. If we fix what's wrong between the player's ears, other things such as skill and ability to execute will follow. The worst thing that comes to mind is yet another push for a special forces training camp. Instead, do something like a 9-day trek along the Kokoda track, with a skills session each evening in the rural villages along the way. Hawthorn have done it multiple times, one of which at the end of 2011 prior to their 4 consecutive grand final appearances. I also did it when I was 21 and it was one of the best experiences of my life. I couldn't think of any better relationship building excise.

It looks like Jones said something as well. I think it epitomizes our idiot, self-congested game plan. Lovely work by Fritsch.

If a new game plan is on the menu, start by going back to watching St.K in 2009-10. Watch how they spread, provided options, and hit targets both short and especially long. If it wasn't for the inception of Collingwood's forward press, every other club would have copied it in 2011-12. Now with the addition of the latest rules, which attempt to reduce congestion and the impact of forward pressing, many lessons can be learnt from it.

O.Mc, both Wagners, ANB, Lewis, and Goodwin please just leave!

Sack Goodwin, and delist Oscar McDonald and the Wagers and things will look up.

Wagner misses a tackle, no surprise there. Oscar yet again 10m behind his man, no surprise there.

What's that Oscar McDonald another 10m off his opponent.

Lewis just got legged, ffs

It will take Goodwin until the 25th minute of the fourth quarter to figure out McDonald should be moved or taken off.

Oscar McDonald may as well put a Saints jumper on.

Owe what was that, Oscar McDonald playing 10m off his man again.

Apologies mate, I haven't been on top of the footy news as much this year.

just seen this advertised on LinkedIn. Looks like Misson well and truly on the way out.

You've been harping on this one. Brayshaw and Petracca were top 3, Viney arguably top top 5 (F/S in 20s). All three have developed where they ought of, at least. McDonald a selection from the 60s but a fine one at that. Now each with a few years in the system. What do you honestly expect to get from 5-6 top 20 picks? How many of those do you think will succeed and how many do you think will flop? On top of that, how do you think they'll develop when you take away those mentioned? Add Lewis and Jones to the list of departures over the next few years.

Carlton's list of first-rounders waves back. No point bringing in top-tier talent when they go into a system that can't support them. Fixing the internal workings of the club should be our highest priority. By all means, go to the draft with our current selections, but a complete overhaul is ludicrous.

Petty again

The only players worthy of today's paycheck. Salem and Fristch because of their use he foot, and May and Frost down back. Jones also did some good things. The rest rubbish, skills and decisions.