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Thought I may start this thread to open the discussion into the players some people think may not be at the club for any number of reasons next year. Having looked through our list, I came up with 14 that I think fall into this category. Not to say I don't think all 14 wont be there, but that they're the 14 most in danger so to speak and anywhere from half to 10 of them may not be there. So thought I'd lay them out and see what other people thought or if there were other players people also thought would fall into this bracket. RETIREMENTS: Harley Balic (already retired) Cameron Pedersen & Bernie Vince: Now these two may retire off their own bat, or they may get delisted. But I highly doubt either of these two will be there next year. Pedersen is probably playing well enough at VFL level to be picked up by another club as a good depth player. Bernie is on the record as saying in the media he wants to play for as long as he can. If no other club is interested, maybe he'd be happy to sign on at Casey to help develop the young guys? POTENTIAL TRADE BAIT: Sam Frost: He's contracted and I think he'll likely stay, but with Lever to return next year and both Harrison Petty & Declan Keilty on the list, will Sam or the club see the writting on the wall on look to explore their options? Personally I think he's more likely to stay then leave unless we get an offer to good to refuse. Dean Kent: Out of contract and out of favor, Dean may look to explore his options at years end. With Jeffy not getting any younger, I think think there's a potential role in our best 22 for Dean, however a combination of form and injuries haven't allowed him to cement a spot. WA boy, however I think he's either about to or has just recently become a father, so not sure if his partner is a WA or VIC girl? 50/50 on whether Dean stays or goes for me. Dom Tyson: Similar to Frost, Dom is contracted and at his best we know that he's a very good player. However, with a midfield of Oliver, Brayshaw, Viney hopefully being injury free and Jones I think still having 2 years left in him beyond this year, is there a spot for Dom in our best team? He's also too good a player to be a depth player, spending half the year in the VFL IMO. We may use Dom to try and improve our draft hand, given we have no first round pick, or he may come to us and request a trade himself if he wants to further his opportunities. Either way, as he's contracted, it will need to be a good trade. Think Dom may be more likely to leave then stay, but that's just a gut feel. POTENTIAL DELISTINGS: Tom Bugg: I'm going to be honest and admitt that I like Tommy Bugg. I see value in a depth player like Bugg and was actually surprised when Vandenberg came in for Melksham the other week, as I see that as a role that Bugg would perform well in. Having said that, I'm a realist and the lack of matches Bugg has played this year, especially in the 2nd half of the year says it all. I expect him to be delisted, but hope another team picks him up as a DFA. Lachie Filipovic: Pretty sure it was 4 or 5 out of his first 6 games in the VFL D-League last year, Lachie was named in the best, and I was thinking to myself we could have a good one here! However to say this year has been disapointing from a supporters point of view would be a huge understatement. He looks athletic and agile enough, but from the half dozen games I've watched Flip this year, he just isn't competative enough in the ruck, doesn't get involved enough in the play, and can't seem to take a mark to save himself. I know rucks take time, but Lachie looks a long, long way off. This was most evident on the weekend when Mitch King injured his knee and instead of Flip going into the ruck, Tim Smith & Weideman were asked to share those responsibilities. Will be shocked if he's still there come next year. Dion Johnston: Quite bizzare is the Dion Johnston story so far. Recruited as a small forward and was talked up heavily in his first pre-season by Nathan Jones as someone to watch out for. And although Plapp regularly sung his praises re: his forward pressure and doing the team things at Casey throughout his first season, the main thing that stood out was Dion's inability to hit the score board or get much of the ball. Things seemed to be following a similar trend early this year, until Rawlings moved Dion into a small defenders role and it was reported Dion had also been teamed up with Nev as a mentor. Now since the move Dion certainly hasn't dominated, but he's looked a lot more at home in defence and there could well be something there to work with. He's no certainty to be on the list next year, however I wouldn't be surprised if he received a 1 year extension to push his case further, and personally I'd be more then happy with that. Declan Keilty: When we recruited Declan at the end of 2016 I was wrapped that we got him as I saw a huge amount of upside in this guy. Good CHB with the ability to play forward and pinch hit in the ruck. I then thought his 2017 was a little underwhelming and was a little surprised when he was given another year for 2018. However I'm glad the coaches did as I think he has been sensational down at Casey this year. Played mainly back with a couple of stints forward, Declan's aerial game especially has gone to another level this year. Now the club may consider delisting him given Lever & Oscar seem to be the prefered options, Petty is coming through and the fact Frost is also contracted. However given Declan's versatility and the fact Pedersen will likely be moved on, I think the club will see Declan as our new Pedersen with the ability to fill holes where required. I hope & expect Declan to be given a 3rd year on the rookie list. Jay Kennedy-Harris: Like many on here, about 6 weeks ago I thought JKH was an automatic delist come years end, however he's grasped this opportunity that has come his way thanks to good form in the VFL prior and an unfortunate injury to Stretch. I conceed JKH lacks certain tricks, however he does the team things well and there's nothing wrong with retaining certain foot soldiers. I'd imagine he's played his way into a new 1 year deal if he wants it. Mitch King: Of the two young ruckman on our list, Mitch King is the more promising. He does show a willingness to compete and drift forward to take a mark and goal. He's also had injury issues in his three years at the club including doing an ACL on his VFL debut back in 2016. However despite these admirable traits, King gets monstered on a regular basis at VFL level, meaning I'd hate to see what would happen if Max got injured and Mitch came in for him in the AFL. Mitch could well make it at AFL level, however I suspect that may well be up to 5 years away, which is a big investment to make with no guarentees. I'd imagine the club is more likely then not to delist and encourage him to join a VFL, SANFL, WAFL or NEAFL team and follow his progress. Pat McKenna: Was best on ground in the 2016 NEAFL Grand Final the smooth moving midfielder/half back with good kicking skills. The talented junior cricket star has been crueled by hamstring injuries since joining the club, but in the last few weeks he's finally been able to get out on the park for Casey. Baring any major hamstring injury in the last few weeks of this season, I expect the club will give him a further 1 year deal in the same manner they gave Hunt 1 year after his initial 2 years that were hampered by back issues. Tim Smith: Has been in & out of the team this year and been not to bad when given the opportunity. Has shown that he is a very good and mobile forward at VFL level, and his aerobic capacity makes him an ideal call up for either of Hogan or Tommy Mc, should injury or suspension strike. Given the clubs eagerness to play him and name him as an emergency on a regular basis, I expect that he will also be given a 3rd year on the rookie list. Finally I thought I should briefly touch on four other players who could fall into the above category, however I suspect there's next to no chance of them leaving/being delsited/traded. These players being Jayden Hunt, Billy Stretch, Aaron Vandenberg & Sam Weideman. Apart from the fact that 3 of these 4 are contracted, I feel as though the club rates all these players far to highly and/or have invested too much for them to consider parting ways with, even if they requested a trade. Interested to hear if other people agree, or if there's others you feel may be in danger or ones that I listed above who I think will stay, but you think will leave?