The Gotham Penguin
Give me fish - and The Batman!
- Sep 26, 2019
- 408
- 1,191
- AFL Club
- Gold Coast
That's uncanny as I was doing the same thing last night!Checking around the league to see who may have a connection with VFL coach and previous Sandringham Dragons coach Jackson Kornberg.
There are a few very good players amongst this list.
And a few that aren't getting regular games.
You have to think that part of his appeal was having connection with a lot of these players.
Any that we might target for trade?
(Only included those <25 to match his tenure there)
Established Guns
Andrew Mcgrath
Andrew Brayshaw
Tim Taranto
Bailey Smith
Ollie Florent
Young stars on the rise
Archie Perkins
Jake Bowey
Finn Callghan
Good young, unproven players
Miles Bergman
Josh Sinn
Max Holmes
Borderline best 22 players at their clubs
Liam Stocker
Will Setterfield
Finn Maginess
Nathan Murphy
Joel Amartey
Unproven but highly rated juniors
Fisher McAsey
Josh Worrell
Being realistic (but still optimistic).. I wouldn't mind sounding out guys like
Mcgrath, Stocker, Amartey, McAsey, Worrell
The Adelaide key position players seem a long way off AFL, but they're only young and we know it can take some time..
The top 5 are no hope to come here.The rest - not sure on except Bergman.
I came up with a much shorter list based on:
I don't think our Premiership window will really be open until 2025. The teams that are winning flags have elite midfields. End of.
Bontempelli and Dunkley, Petracca and Oliver - the entire hawthorn midfield 2011 - 2015
You get the drift.
I don't know if it is because we have been starved of stability, starved of any sniff of success - but we do NOT have a midfield that is close to elite - even though some of us may think it.
Miller is elite - but just knows one way to play.
Rankine may become elite - I think he will, and we all hope Matty R will get there too.
But where are our 30+ possession 3 goal game mids?
We simply don't have them. We have all seen the elite players at other clubs above get 40 and kick 2. Oliver has been doing it for fun this year.
That's the level we need to get to, and we are nowhere near it.
Anderson,Bowes,Flanders,Swallow,Fiorini and Constable will never be elite. 4 of them can't even get a game.
Ellis Sharpe and Luko are competing for the wing. The last 2 have little appetite for the hard ball, and Ellis will be done by 2025
Luko is an Elite kick though - where to use him is the question.
Our defence is at least 1 KPD down. It's Collins - Graham - Nothing.
Our Forward line and Ruck is good - however by 2025 Levi and Day are done - but we will have Kingy, Chol and Andrew (possibly Wittsy still) so the talls are sorted.
We don't have a 3rd tall though - a 24 yr old Gunston or Membrey would be great - but there aren't many around!
If we want to win a flag, we need to be serious about where we are - and where we want to go.
We must:
Draft in another key backman in this years draft - gives them a couple of years to develop. Noah Balta, Grainger-Barrass types. Clubs won't lets these guys go so we need to draft.
Mids - trade.
We have the likes of Burgess and Corbett (good servants) who are now below standards required. McPherson and Atkins - just take any deal to get them off the books. That frees up $$$ and maybe even gets a 4th rounder or something.
Package picks up with (christ tin-hat time now) Anderson, Bowes, Fiorini and Flanders and TRADE for potentially A grade players.
I know there is a lot of love for Noah - and he's hard as a cats head, and never gives up - but his disposal is terrible. Absolutely terrible.
The only spot I see for him is a continual up and back wingman - just cruising at his 3rd gear top speed until his oppo is exhausted. And only one direction to kick into is a bonus!
If SD won't - trade him. He may thrive at Sydney or Geelong, but not here - just too many similar players.
The list of players is very short to go after - they need to be hitting their prime in 2025 on - be at a club willing to trade, or just want to go to a club on the up.
Or maybe just need a change.
I can only think of these as being realistic:
You - know - who
James Worpel (Hawks B+F just 2 years ago) - Mitchells game plan doesn't suit him
Tanner Bruhn - stuck behind a logjam of elite mids
I like Miles Bergman as well - I don't think he is gettable at all.
One other who is older - but has missed the last couple of years with injury - Toby McClean.
I think the top 3 can be genuine A graders, and McClean has proven it already. Fills an age gap.
Forward - the 3rd tall/midsize is obvious - young, aggressive, and won't sign a contract. Cam Zurharr.
In summation - National draft for key backs
Player + picks for the 3 above
Go hard at Zurharr with trade deal.
Pick the 'best available' at the draft with remaining picks.
We won't win a flag with what we have (sorry guys) - but add LDU , Worpel, Bruhn and Zurharr and we look a genuine contender.
Once we are a 'contender' - then free-agent top up time to fill a need - nobody did it better than Hawthorn (The go-to model for the big dance success - Lake,Hale,Guerra, Burgoyne etc etc and of course our own SD!)
We have the players to trade out, we have the picks - do we have the will?
I want us to succeed. I want us, not to make up numbers in finals, but to go to the very top - before Freo win one, before GWS win one, before St Kilda finally grab their second.
How goddamn sweet would that be
PS - I hope I haven't offended anyone - but if finishing 11th this year will be the highlight of our existence - then we have set a very low bar. It's time to change mindsets.