Oppo Camp Non-Lions Discussion 2025

[Elixuh]

something ive been contemplating

the best teams build lists with a clear strategy in mind. we are pretty clearly a kicking team and prioritise having good field kicks on all lines with mobile forwards to take advantage of this. try take the corridor and spread opposition defence through taking ball movement. geelong have a fairly similar model.

even teams that are still rebuilding like saints you can see the priority is on the outside runners and defence. ross will look to build something where they defend heavily in the front half and then likely slingshot it through guys like wanganeen-milera, sinclair, wilson and travaglia.

is fremantle just a collection of players that look good on paper with no coherent strategy towards list management? the coach clearly wants to play something resembling ross lyon ball but it inevitably just ends up with their defenders playing kick to kick in the backline. they can win games through sheer talent in the midfield but as soon as this collapses they generally look woeful. i couldnt tell you what the fremantle 'brand' is aside from flooding the backline. i concede this could also be attributed to coaching but i think both are at play here.

I think you hit the nail on the head with Freo - its a mixture of their list looking good on paper but on gameday not so much + Longmuir is clearly not much chop as a coach. One of their big problems yesterday was their defence, which looked awful. Unskilled, slow etc.

 

[Tom14]

I think you hit the nail on the head with Freo - its a mixture of their list looking good on paper but on gameday not so much + Longmuir is clearly not much chop as a coach. One of their big problems yesterday was their defence, which looked awful. Unskilled, slow etc.

Pearce is decent but a bit awkward, likewise Brennan cox. Luke Ryan way overrated because he gets fantasy points. Jordan Clark is quick but makes moronic decisions.

Think they should just embrace chaos because of what they have in the midfield and forward line but longmuir coached under bucks, one of the most conservative coaches outside Ross Lyon.

 

[Elixuh]

Pearce is decent but a bit awkward, likewise Brennan cox. Luke Ryan way overrated because he gets fantasy points. Jordan Clark is quick but makes moronic decisions.

Think they should just embrace chaos because of what they have in the midfield and forward line but longmuir coached under bucks, one of the most conservative coaches outside Ross Lyon.

Their back 6 looked like they’d never played together yesterday. So much confusion.

I mean it didn’t help their midfield was getting trounced, but still.

 

[morsie]

Very disappointing from Port but they seem to have a tendency to lose really badly sometimes. I've seen people say they'll be bottom 4 this season and I think that's an overreaction.

The gap between their best and worst is bigger than any other team

 

[Hollow Knight]

St Kilda playing their traditional boring game style and still find themselves down by 44 points before half time.

Grim.

 

[Elixuh]

St Kilda playing their traditional boring game style and still find themselves down by 44 points before half time.

Grim.

Steele and Sinclair are both 30.

NWM is their only A grade player in the context of their next build to the top 8.

 

[Tom14]

Steele and Sinclair are both 30.

NWM is their only A grade player in the context of their next build to the top 8.

Another year for Ross it is!

 

[lionshine]

Steele and Sinclair are both 30.

NWM is their only A grade player in the context of their next build to the top 8.

Not A graders yet but I really like what I’ve seen from Phillipou and Darcy Wilson so far. I rate their top 10 draft selections from last year highly as well in Travaglia and Tauru. They need to hit the draft hard for another couple of years though I think.

 

[Elixuh]

Not A graders yet but I really like what I’ve seen from Phillipou and Darcy Wilson so far. I rate their top 10 draft selections from last year highly as well in Travaglia and Tauru. They need to hit the draft hard for another couple of years though I think.

I rate Wilson as well. He will get there but isn’t A grade quite yet, as you said.

 

[Nunez]

I rate Wilson as well. He will get there but isn’t A grade quite yet, as you said.

I reckon the Poo could be an a grader.

 

[Elixuh]

I reckon the Poo could be an a grader.

The only reason I didn’t comment on that player is because, I genuinely have nfi who he is

 

[Nunez]

The only reason I didn’t comment on that player is because, I genuinely have nfi who he is

He's prone to a stinker but find his game is rather fibrous.

 

[Hollow Knight]

He's prone to a stinker but find his game is rather fibrous.

Will suit Ross Lyon’s highly constipated game style.

 

[Elixuh]

We shouldn’t have let Keays go

 

[martinson]

The gap between their best and worst is bigger than any other team

Like Collingwood I'm not writing off Freo or Port after one game.

Port probably has bigger issues but if everything clicked for Freo and they made the most of what they had they'd be a formidable unit. The talk was that if Brayshaw didn't re sign then Longmuir was gone so it's not going to take much for him to be in trouble. This is a make or break year.

 

[lionshine]

They’re playing an average side which is undermanned but I rated the Crows off season recruiting highly. They have some great top end talent but their bottom 6/depth wasn’t great. Adding three solid, best 22 calibre role players and a top 5 pick was bound to improve that and they look good. I have them in my 8 this year finishing above Port.

 

[Darren Downunder]

They’re playing an average side which is undermanned but I rated the Crows off season recruiting highly. They have some great top end talent but their bottom 6/depth wasn’t great. Adding three solid, best 22 calibre role players and a top 5 pick was bound to improve that and they look good. I have them in my 8 this year finishing above Port.

Yeah…. They are looking bloody scary today!

I’d love to see Ben Keays and Mitch Hinge play finals.

 

[martinson]

Yeah…. They are looking bloody scary today!

I’d love to see Ben Keays and Mitch Hinge play finals.

Also looking to see how Harry Sharp goes today.

 

[Hollow Knight]

I honestly don’t have enough emotional capital to meaningfully care anymore about how former minor-contributors to our club are going elsewhere. No-judgement from me, I just don’t know how people find the energy!

In fact, I am now at the point where I literally forget that some players played for us. I saw the names Jack Frost and Luke McGuane on a stats sheet this week and had to laugh at the realisation that my brain hadn’t saved them to long term memory.

 

[Elixuh]

I honestly don’t have enough emotional capital to meaningfully care anymore about how former minor-contributors to our club are going elsewhere. No-judgement from me, I just don’t know how people find the energy!

In fact, I am now at the point where I literally forget that some players played for us. I saw the names Jack Frost and Luke McGuane on a stats sheet this week and had to laugh at the realisation that my brain hadn’t saved them to long term memory.

Just say it mate, we shouldn’t have let Keays go

 

[martinson]

I honestly don’t have enough emotional capital to meaningfully care anymore about how former minor-contributors to our club are going elsewhere. No-judgement from me, I just don’t know how people find the energy!

In fact, I am now at the point where I literally forget that some players played for us. I saw the names Jack Frost and Luke McGuane on a stats sheet this week and had to laugh at the realisation that my brain hadn’t saved them to long term memory.

I get that. I've got a soft spot for Ben and Mitch because they almost made it at the Lions and no doubt would've had they been there 5 years prior. I never rated Harry so it's more to just see how he goes.

When Paul Roos went to Sydney I still regarded him as a Fitzroy player and was desperate for him to win the flag when they played in a GF. Dunno why , mentally I still loved him. I guess in those days when he left that was basically the end of Fitzroy.

 

[Elixuh]

We have a Nick Daicos reference in the Saints Adelaide beat down match

 

[martinson]

We have a Nick Daicos reference in the Saints Adelaide beat down match

Comparing him to Ben Keays ??

 

[BrainOfMorbius]

Grim crowd for the Dees-Giants game

 

[Tom14]

Grim crowd for the Dees-Giants game

Dreadful weather in fairness.