Preview Shuffling of the deckchairs on a doomed, dying ship - men, to the violins. Changes & prematch discussion vs Port Adelaide

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Come on mate, he has been predictably a major major disappointment thus far. It’s a hope cast now whether he makes it all.

Look at what Ashcroft is already doing in the VFL as a 17 year old.

The Phillips and Powell draft is looking more and more like a bust by the day.
Powell softish of mind, Phillips too small and not good enough to be an inside mid… combined with reaching for that mega cat Mahony the previous year, it’s little wonder we are a shambles.

3 picks in top 30 in 2 years, none of whom have made a position slightly their own in 18 months is profoundly concerning.

Well I’m hardly one who pumps up our players tyres. As you’d know I think most of them ain’t much chop .

Now Wil has played about 15 odd games amd has a few fairly good ones . He’s a machine similar to Ablett in that sense amd will work all day accumulating disposals .

He isn’t the fastest or tallest but he’s smart. Knows where to be, has had two major setbacks so give him another 20 odd games before you write him off is my suggestion.

I’ve other early picks that actually concern me more.

According to Cunners Powell is our best inside mid. I hope we give him opportunity to show that .
Not sure we would try and makes someone into something theyre not . Never ends well .
 
Come on mate, he has been predictably a major major disappointment thus far. It’s a hope cast now whether he makes it all.

Bloke had COVID then glandular fever, if he’s not meeting your expectations right now adjust them.

He has a shitload of time before a line is put through his name.

Look at what Ashcroft is already doing in the VFL as a 17 year old.
Being able to play consistently in your draft year because games are happening clearly helps hey.
Also Ashcroft is not comparable to Phillips, compare him to JHF, the other clear Number 1.

The Phillips and Powell draft is looking more and more like a bust by the day.
Powell softish of mind, Phillips too small and not good enough to be an inside mid… combined with reaching for that mega cat Mahony the previous year, it’s little wonder we are a shambles.

Injury interruption, second year blues, this is some early writing off, unless you’re taking the piss.

On Mahony, he might be slow and a bit one dimensional, but has taken decent hits and played through them so I wouldn’t be calling him a cat.
 

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Come on mate, he has been predictably a major major disappointment thus far. It’s a hope cast now whether he makes it all.

Look at what Ashcroft is already doing in the VFL as a 17 year old.

The Phillips and Powell draft is looking more and more like a bust by the day.
Powell softish of mind, Phillips too small and not good enough to be an inside mid… combined with reaching for that mega cat Mahony the previous year, it’s little wonder we are a shambles.

3 picks in top 30 in 2 years, none of whom have made a position slightly their own in 18 months is profoundly concerning.
I agree that it’s a definite concern Phillips - He is not nor will be the player we were putting all our hopes on . (Even gave him Boomers number) . Too small , too slow ,can’t kick more than 40 meters. Hey … but put your money on that he will be an excellent coach one day !
I still think Powell given the right coaching , support & opportunities by being played in his remote nearby position. He will make it . I hate to say it but He would be playing regular senior footy in most AFL clubs by now 100% . We just have a knack of farking up young talent. Do you think Powell & JHF are not talking or noticing all this & getting pissed ? That’s why I have no doubt that by 2024 both Powell & JHF will be playing somewhere else . Yes we will be somewhere compensated with low draft picks but then we will eventually heck them up too and we do it all again… wash rinse repeat … NMFC
 
Not sure we would try and makes someone into something theyre not . Never ends well .
There are exceptions like Tarrant but basically, if we are recruiting players with attributes we don't want then try to make them something that they aren't then that's a problem.

All well and good to discover a hidden talent. But to recreate a teenaged recruit or to play them out of position creates a setback from the get-go.
 
Not sure we would try and makes someone into something theyre not .

Yeah I don’t know why we do this.

People are going to point to flexibility ect but sometimes we deprive ourselves of assets that could be quite helpful.

It also appears that we alter someone’s role, pigeonhole them in that role and forget they can do anything else.

It is a bizarre situation sometimes.
 
He is not nor will be the player we were putting all our hopes on .
There is one, maybe 2 players that I would be pinning hope to like that. One is the most exciting prospect we've had in 30 years. The other was the bloke who was close enough to averaging 20-2 last year in the back end.

Let's check back in with Phillips once he's been able to play 70 or so senior games. So that is another 55 so at some point in 2025?
That’s why I have no doubt that by 2024 both Powell & JHF will be playing somewhere else .
No doubt.

I am willing to take that as a wager if you are.

There appears to be little beyond media beat up and pile on when clicks would be at their optimum in the JHF story. As for Powell, we finished last last year and he signed an extension, probably fair to say he knows where we are at. He is contracted until the end of 2024, so there is a lot of water that would need to go under the bridge to a) make him leave and b) break contract to do so.
 
Come on mate, he has been predictably a major major disappointment thus far. It’s a hope cast now whether he makes it all.

Look at what Ashcroft is already doing in the VFL as a 17 year old.

The Phillips and Powell draft is looking more and more like a bust by the day.
Powell softish of mind, Phillips too small and not good enough to be an inside mid… combined with reaching for that mega cat Mahony the previous year, it’s little wonder we are a shambles.

3 picks in top 30 in 2 years, none of whom have made a position slightly their own in 18 months is profoundly concerning.
Come on UG, Phillips had a stinker of a run at it. You're a harsh critic. He is a consumate professional so the numbers will come
 
Yeah I don’t know why we do this.

People are going to point to flexibility ect but sometimes we deprive ourselves of assets that could be quite helpful.

It also appears that we alter someone’s role, pigeonhole them in that role and forget they can do anything else.

It is a bizarre situation sometimes.
There are exceptions like Tarrant but basically, if we are recruiting players with attributes we don't want then try to make them something that they aren't then that's a problem.

All well and good to discover a hidden talent. But to recreate a teenaged recruit or to play them out of position creates a setback from the get-go.
Yep agree and that’s why I’ve never understood the much vaunted first round draft picks ‘go for best available and then go for needs later on..”

As an example, if a club has already got a plethora of inside mids but has a glaring hole at a running defender position why recruit another inside mid because he gets it 30 times a game, is media-hyped predicted to go top 2 but has slipped to say pick 5, when you could probably get the best running defender in the country at pick 5?..

Two things - the gaping hole at running defender is instantly filled with the best option at that position (not a hit-n-hope later pick) and just as importantly, you don’t have another inside mid waiting in the que for game time (who then eventually gets pissed off at the lack of opportunity or is ‘developed’ to play the running defender - a position they’ve never friggin played!).

Much like our CHB position last year, not filling that gap was insanity!
 

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Six weeks but that was without sewage initially then they realised shit stinks and sorted that out . Didn’t even get a PP back in those days .

The Lions were very popular back then fyi. Use to pack out the stadium .
Horace will like that I reckon.

But even so, what have the Romans ever done for us?
 
Gonna be around North Melbourne around midday today. Am I any chance to catch a training sesh if I head to Arden St at that time?
 
Gonna be around North Melbourne around midday today. Am I any chance to catch a training sesh if I head to Arden St at that time?

No not without a time machine. And if you happen to build one soonish, please head to Archers house and hang round the shithouse. Trust me on that, will be a game changer. Butterfly effect type stuff.
 

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Preview Shuffling of the deckchairs on a doomed, dying ship - men, to the violins. Changes & prematch discussion vs Port Adelaide

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