Review 2024 Season

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I definitely hope we get Himmelberg, he'll fit a need and it's not like Riccardi has cemented himself in the team.

Other than that I'd love to see Aliir clinch a spot, Gothard and Leake come into the team, Rowston continue to develop, and another infusion of three first round picks on to the list.

I'd be ok going into the season with Madden as the backup ruckman given some of the reserves performances he's put together.
 
This shows that the players are hurting and are devastated after our loss - especially given the 44 point lead we had. This pain will hopefully motivate them during the off season to play all 4 quarters and be resilient when the opposition has momentum. My only concern is that after the close loss to Sydney last week, you would have thought that the team would have learnt from that and not repeated the same mistakes in this game. Indeed Kingsley at his post game interview said he thought that they had addressed the issues from the Sydney game.

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Giants’ heartbreak laid bare in brutal moment behind live interview

‘Shattered’ players were on the brink of tears on the field before the emotions spilled over in the rooms.
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It was a pretty inconsistent year, to be honest.

A few soft wins early on, followed by a troubling drop-off in form that ultimately cost us a top two spot (in particular, the loss to Hawthorn in Launceston). We were very lucky with some of the narrow wins late in the season.

At first glance, top 4 seemed an improvement on last year, but not a reflection of our true position, which was exposed by the straight-sets exit. While our best is very good, we are yet to sustain it with confidence for four quarters.

We're not a bad team by any means, but as Kingsley said last night, we're not the finished product.

A positive was the genuine progress made with some of the younger players. Cadman, Jones, Peatling, McMullin and Thomas will all be much better for the run, with Cadman having moments of brilliance and looking like a genuine future champion.

Briggs needs support in the ruck. Preuss is retiring and Keeffe can't go on forever. I saw Nick Madden in tears after the final siren. He'll probably debut at some stage next year. I agree there are lingering questions over Riccardi and I hope we don't lose Peatling.

For us to take the next step, this will be an important off-season for list management.
 
Something that could be concerning is that in finals we have lost all the close finals games under Kingsley: 1 point vs Collingwood in last year’s PF, and then the 6 points and 5 points loss vs Sydney and Brisbane respectively. Under Leon Cameron we won 3 of the 4 close final games decided by at least a goal (only “losing” the 2016 Bulldogs PF in 2016).

Whilst Kingsley and our team has a great 4-1 winning record for the 5 home and away games decided by a goal during the 2024 season (only losing the hawthorn match in Launceston), this self belief, resilience and composure has not transferred well to close final games. We are now also on our longest consecutive losing finals streak in our history (3), and the coach and the leadership team need to ensure that we are not scarred by these close defeats and regress in 2025.
 
CoreyJoel said:
Interested to know who you think may be available that will help?
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Well we've seen guys with talent go to Sydney after doing nothing in their careers and have some great years, I couldn't believe they picked up Hogan now he's the best forward in the comp. There are also some old stars that could squeeze a couple more years out and help win them a flag.

I feel the holes are an extra good smaller lock down defender, some size in the middle to help out Tom Green and some goal kicking class to assist Jesse. A few names floating around at the moment off the top of my head.

Jack McRae (this guy is a star and a great finals player)
Caleb Daniel (Good disposal out of defence, surely an upgrade on ash)
Luke Parker (big bodied, seasoned, can also kick goals, the team lacks goal kicking mids)
Jake Stringer ( 40 goal season and can be a match winner, a defensive liability though)
Nick Hind (90 percent of Essendon fans were livid he got delisted, has pace and spark, plays all positions on the field and has a good first year at clubs)
Jack Martin (the most talented yet most injury prone player in the comp, a great finals player though and could have a season out of the box)
Braeden Campbell (always in and out of the swans side, a small move across town?)

They are just a few names I can think of, I haven't seen all the names delisted, or looking for trades yet.

The comp is so close these days you have to get better every year and not rely on the same old names and kids (who often struggle in finals) to push you over the line to a flag. It was an error from Kingsley not topping up. It also creates pressure on positions in the side so helps players perform better knowing their spot in the side isn't completely secure.
 
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Bjo187 said:
Jack McRae (this guy is a star and a great finals player)
Caleb Daniel (Good disposal out of defence, surely an upgrade on ash)
Luke Parker (big bodied, seasoned, can also kick goals, the team lacks goal kicking mids)
Jake Stringer ( 40 goal season and can be a match winner, a defensive liability though)
Nick Hind (90 percent of Essendon fans were livid he got delisted, has pace and spark, plays all positions on the field and has a good first year at clubs)
Jack Martin (the most talented yet most injury prone player in the comp, a great finals player though and could have a season out of the box)
Braeden Campbell (always in and out of the swans side, a small move across town?)
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Jesus christ I'd rather go through a rebuild than take most of this bunch, how many of these guys actually improve our best 23?
 
Not really a footy observation, just a reflection on our home crowds (not including Canberra because I didn't attend any).
I think we have shown growth in an extremely difficult market.

I was fortunate enough to attend every home game and finals this year and it feels like we have more rusted-on fans now.
The early years crowds were less confident, perhaps self-conscious, and took a while to warm up.
Now we have our voice right from the first bounce. We really carry on and no longer meekly accept bad umpiring and poor oppo behaviour. We truly support our boys.

Others have noted the increase in orange and supporters in their Giants gear. Flags wave all around the ground after a goal.

Our supporters show all the emotion of any long-established supporter base. I saw several adults openly bawling after the siren. We have put our hearts into this team. The result burned me. I was angry last night and woke up angry.
I guess I love this club. I can't wait to do it again next year.
 
PMBangers said:
Jesus christ I'd rather go through a rebuild than take most of this bunch, how many of these guys actually improve our best 23?
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I'm sure you said that about Hogan too. When you're contending it's about plugging holes with mature talent. The contested ball was an issue, ball use outta the back line became an issue, somebody to be dangerous and help Jesse kick goals was an issue. A lot of those guys mentioned have been A graders or top picks, a move to Sydney away from the fishbowl could see a return to those heights.

You simply cannot go into a premiership campaign with 'natural growth' from the list and expect to win a flag. Particularly when you've already been contending for a couple of years.
 
Kingsley only used 34 players this season - the lowest number of players used in our history. Our highest was in our first two years when Sheedy used 46 players, and our lowest number of players used prior to this year was in 2016 when Cameron had 35 players.

Not sure if it would have made a difference if he Kingsley had debuted Derksen, Madden, Phoenix or Leake.

Also a shoutout to Whitfield, Tom Green, Jesse, Himmelberg and Idun - these 5 players played all 25 games this season.
 
PMBangers said:
Jesus christ I'd rather go through a rebuild than take most of this bunch, how many of these guys actually improve our best 23?
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I'd love Caleb Daniel in our 22, was pissed we didn't draft him, and Bevo is an idiot for not using him properly, beyond that I agree on the rest :)
 
Bjo187 said:
I'm sure you said that about Hogan too. When you're contending it's about plugging holes with mature talent. The contested ball was an issue, ball use outta the back line became an issue, somebody to be dangerous and help Jesse kick goals was an issue. A lot of those guys mentioned have been A graders or top picks, a move to Sydney away from the fishbowl could see a return to those heights.

You simply cannot go into a premiership campaign with 'natural growth' from the list and expect to win a flag. Particularly when you've already been contending for a couple of years.
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Jack McRae - too slow for midfield in the modern game, ball use not good enough to play elsewhere
Caleb Daniel - good user out of the backline but would be competing with Whitfield for role, unless Whitters goes to a wing which id be in favour of
Luke Parker - Unrealistic that we'll get a former Swans skipper
Jake Stringer - Directly competeing with Greene for role, not an upgrade
Nick Hind - Ball butcher, Aldi version of Ash
Jack Martin - with our history of injury management?
Braeden Campbell - Would like, but like Parker I don't think any modern day swans are making that move

Hogan was a free swing as a Cameron replacement, that one was understandable and was an urgent need, bit different to a couple of straight shit or old players that are OOC/ seeking a trade. If we're trading, we need certified B+ graders or genuine Bedford value picks, most of your suggestions would land us in St Kildas no man's land
 
PMBangers said:
Jack McRae - too slow for midfield in the modern game, ball use not good enough to play elsewhere
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I agree he isn't quick or a long kick, but a poor kick? He is superb with his little hit up passes.
PMBangers said:
Caleb Daniel - good user out of the backline but would be competing with Whitfield for role, unless Whitters goes to a wing which id be in favour of
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So this is a yes?
PMBangers said:
Luke Parker - Unrealistic that we'll get a former Swans skipper
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Why, he might wanna stay in Sydney being settled and in his 30s. Could do with another ward type and the midfield depth. Also a leader.
PMBangers said:
Jake Stringer - Directly competeing with Greene for role, not an upgrade
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It could give Toby a lesser defender, take some pressure off Hogan and Toby might recapture some form.
PMBangers said:
Nick Hind - Ball butcher, Aldi version of Ash
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You rate Ash that highly?

PMBangers said:
Jack Martin - with our history of injury management?
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As you said on Hogan, a free hit, if he can get his body right.

PMBangers said:
Braeden Campbell - Would like, but like Parker I don't think any modern day swans are making that move
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For opportunity and to stay in his home city, worth asking the question. I think he was even from pennant hills, like Briggs and peatling.

PMBangers said:
Hogan was a free swing as a Cameron replacement, that one was understandable and was an urgent need, bit different to a couple of straight shit or old players that are OOC/ seeking a trade. If we're trading, we need certified B+ graders or genuine Bedford value picks, most of your suggestions would land us in St Kildas no man's land
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I'm no way suggesting all of them, but one or two are worth the punt as they are low risk, high reward. Some of them I see similar to a Stevie J type acquisition.

You've gotta be realistic, the club hasn't ever attracted an A grader or B+ player in their prime.

I agree a Bedford type is ideal, but he was a C grader at Melbourne not getting games. I haven't looked at the lists for those potential types yet, so was throwing out some mature names.

Interested if you have any names in that mould that you believe would be keen to come to the club?
 

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I don't have the time now to do a full review, but briefly ...

It was stated by many commentators last year that we'd overachieved on the bounce from the new coach, and would go backwards this year. (Yes, others had us down as flag favourites - proof that everyone has different views.) We didn't go backwards, we went forwards - albeit inconsistently - but fell short of a flag. However, we had our chances to win both of those finals games, so overall you have to say it was a decent year, while falling unsatisfyingly short of our desired achievement.

So, we need to focus on what we can do to improve.

We are still a young team, have a decent backline (with some flaws - as do all teams), a decent forward line too, with midfield where we have the biggest gap to improve our overall play (IMHO).

Forwards: Hogan clearly a huge tick this year - but can he repeat that performance next year? Who makes up the shortfall of goals if not? Greene was clearly down this year - was it him nearing 30, or due to a new baby; and can he bounce back? Aaron Cadman made forward strides, Riccardi is thereabouts. Gru is a fair way back, Keeffe plugged a gap, but can certainly be improved upon. In the smalls, Darcy Jones showed he'll be superb going forward, but will take a couple of years to become consistent. Daniels had an excellent year, and Bedford declined, but found a new role in mdifield. Toby McMullin and Harvey Thomas were very good at times, with Phoenix Gothard waiting in the wings.

I dare suggest that the only need we really have is a relief ruck/forward. I still reckon that we would have Elliott Himmelberg in our sights. Better goalkicker than Keeffe, can play as full ruck in an emergency, and also down back. Would have to battle Riccardi for that third KPF spot, but that should be what he expects. Personally, I like one of the draft class in Kayle Gerryn as a longer term prospect for that role ... it depends on what our final picks become (presuming Pez & Cumming depart) and what our priorities are.

Defenders: In Taylor-Buckley-Idun we have a superb tall/intermediate set-up. Himmelberg is for me (and clearly others too) a weak link. He has great disposal, but his actual defending is hit and miss. Leek Aleer is an option, who showed some good flashes during the season, although his disposal is worse than HH's. But will the coaches even try an alternative? If we lose Pez and Cumming, we still have our counter-attackers (Whitfield & Ash), but need that steady hand at the back. I'm not sure that Fahey can be that player, can Fonti? He's a good counter-attacker, but is he defensively minded enough? Can Leake possibly fill that role, which he did play at times during his Tasmanian and Allies Under 18 games? Connor Stone the other option, who played there second half of the VFL season. I'd definitely like to go to the draft to get someone like Harrison Oliver to fill that role longer term - but is there anyone that we could prise out of another club to fill that role temporarily?

Ruck. Briggs is solid, albeit I doubt he ever becomes the best ruckman in the AFL. Presuming Preuss retires as per the rumour, that leaves second-year Maddern as our primary back-up (but who showed excellent development), and likely draftee Logan Smith from our academy. If we grab EH, then he would effectively be our experienced ruck back-up.

Midfield. For me, this is where our weakness lies. We didn't see Rowston or Leake this year, but Peatling stood up, and needs to be retained. Ward moved to a new role on the wing, which was unexpected, but OK. Cogs had a down year blighted by injury; Kelly was better but similarly not at his best due injuries. We definitely need more support for Green and Callaghan. Is that from the existing players (McMullin, Rowston, Leake), or from the draft, or can we grab someone looking to move for opportunity? I doubt that Jack Macrae moves interstate, but would he provide an experienced head to assist our midfield? What about Luke Parker? We often look at players and blithely declare that they're washed up, but would he provide some hard-headed experience to our midfield (and be happy not to move interstate)?

So, positive territory for me, but like all seasons that finish without a flag, there's the initial bitter taste to wash out before we can look at how we move forward for next season.
 
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I do like the idea of pursuing Luke Parker.
 
Giant Strides said:
So, positive territory for me, but like all seasons that finish without a flag, there's the initial bitter taste to wash out before we can look at how we move forward for next season.
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Agree with your analysis of the gaps in our list. What makes this season so bitter and devastating is that we could have realistically won the premiership.

Last year I think we overachieved, with the market not predicting us to make the finals in Kingsley’s inaugural year. However, the team learnt Kingsley’s system and were in superb form during the latter half of 2023 - and we ended up losing by just 1 point to the eventual Premiers in the Preliminary Final. Given the expectations, I think most supporters would have been happy with our 2023 season, and very optimistic for 2024.

This year, various media and markets had us finishing as premiers or at least in the top 4. From our club record start to this season (5 consecutive wins) to the (equal) club record 7 consecutive wins at the latter part of this season, we showed that we were always in premiership contention - despite our mid season slump, Toby not playing at 2023 All Australian form, and us not maintaining consistency of effort across all 4 quarters. In the end a couple of bad decisions in a couple of games cost us a top 2 spot, but finishing in the top 4 was still a fantastic achievement for our team - it was only just the 3rd time in our history that we had finished the home and away season in the top 4.

Whilst there were some danger signs from the home & away season, it was the manner of our finals losses which leaves the bitter taste of defeat. I am still perplexed how we gave up our 28 points lead against Sydney, and then the very next week gave up our 44 ****ing points lead in our home ground against Brisbane. In both the final games, we made so many simple mistakes, bad decisions and inaccurate goal kicking - if a couple of them were not made, we would all be talking about our Preliminary Final against Geelong next week. And whilst no one knows what would have happened, given how we beat Geelong in Geelong this year, I think we had a very strong chance of being in the Grand Final.

The Brisbane loss was so devastating as it was the second biggest finals comeback in the ENTIRE VFL/ AFL HISTORY - showing how stupendously and bewilderingly bad our last quarter was. Our coaching staff, the leadership team and the players should not have lost that match with a 44 point lead in a final against a team that we had beaten in both our H&A matches this season.
 
Giant Strides said:
I don't have the time now to do a full review, but briefly ...

It was stated by many commentators last year that we'd overachieved on the bounce from the new coach, and would go backwards this year. (Yes, others had us down as flag favourites - proof that everyone has different views.) We didn't go backwards, we went forwards - albeit inconsistently - but fell short of a flag. However, we had our chances to win both of those finals games, so overall you have to say it was a decent year, while falling unsatisfyingly short of our desired achievement.

So, we need to focus on what we can do to improve.

We are still a young team, have a decent backline (with some flaws - as do all teams), a decent forward line too, with midfield where we have the biggest gap to improve our overall play (IMHO).

Forwards: Hogan clearly a huge tick this year - but can he repeat that performance next year? Who makes up the shortfall of goals if not? Greene was clearly down this year - was it him nearing 30, or due to a new baby; and can he bounce back? Aaron Cadman made forward strides, Riccardi is thereabouts. Gru is a fair way back, Keeffe plugged a gap, but can certainly be improved upon. In the smalls, Darcy Jones showed he'll be superb going forward, but will take a couple of years to become consistent. Daniels had an excellent year, and Bedford declined, but found a new role in mdifield. Toby McMullin and Harvey Thomas were very good at times, with Phoenix Gothard waiting in the wings.

I dare suggest that the only need we really have is a relief ruck/forward. I still reckon that we would have Elliott Himmelberg in our sights. Better goalkicker than Keeffe, can play as full ruck in an emergency, and also down back. Would have to battle Riccardi for that third KPF spot, but that should be what he expects. Personally, I like one of the draft class in Kayle Gerryn as a longer term prospect for that role ... it depends on what our final picks become (presuming Pez & Cumming depart) and what our priorities are.

Defenders: In Taylor-Buckley-Idun we have a superb tall/intermediate set-up. Himmelberg is for me (and clearly others too) a weak link. He has great disposal, but his actual defending is hit and miss. Leek Aleer is an option, who showed some good flashes during the season, although his disposal is worse than HH's. But will the coaches even try an alternative? If we lose Pez and Cumming, we still have our counter-attackers (Whitfield & Ash), but need that steady hand at the back. I'm not sure that Fahey can be that player, can Fonti? He's a good counter-attacker, but is he defensively minded enough? Can Leake possibly fill that role, which he did play at times during his Tasmanian and Allies Under 18 games? I'd definitely like to go to the draft to get someone like Harrison Oliver to fill that role longer term - but is there anyone that we could prise out of another club to fill that role temporarily?

Ruck. Briggs is solid, albeit I doubt he ever becomes the best ruckman in the AFL. Presuming Preuss retires as per the rumour, that leaves second-year Maddern as our primary back-up (but who showed excellent development), and likely draftee Logan Smith from our academy. If we grab EH, then he would effectively be our experienced ruck back-up.

Midfield. For me, this is where our weakness lies. We didn't see Rowston or Leake this year, but Peatling stood up, and needs to be retained. Ward moved to a new role on the wing, which was unexpected, but OK. Cogs had a down year blighted by injury; Kelly was better but similarly not at his best due injuries. We definitely need more support for Green and Callaghan. Is that from the existing players (McMullin, Rowston, Leake), or from the draft, or can we grab someone looking to move for opportunity? I doubt that Jack Macrae moves interstate, but would he provide an experienced head to assist our midfield? What about Luke Parker? We often look at players and blithely declare that they're washed up, but would he provide some hard-headed experience to our midfield (and be happy not to move interstate)?

So, positive territory for me, but like all seasons that finish without a flag, there's the initial bitter taste to wash out before we can look at how we move forward for next season.
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Could we trade Himmelberg to Swans for somebody?
I don't know who though. Hayden McLean?
I know wouldn't happen.
 
I think we performed very well this season. There was definitely a change in the gameplan this year and I reckon we weren't fully on top of it for a lot of the season. I think with another preseason with the new gameplan we can really get it consistent and patch up some of the mistakes that we regularly made.

One big problem that kept happening with our gameplan was that we would charge forward, make a mistake/get intercepted then it would be really too easy for the opposition to get a counterattack. It didn't help that our defence was quite shaky for a lot of the year, but it's definitely something that we need to ensure gets fixed.

I don't think looking for someone >28 years old is what we need to patch some holes. I'd rather we go for Bedford-style trades, going for players like Alex Davies. I know a lot of people want us to go for the now and a lot of talk around the older guys on the list, but frankly, I really don't think we should be aiming for a top-up of mature players and an all in push for the premiership. Whilst we could do this, it would harm us in the longer run (especially if we don't win) with Tasmania coming in. A lot of our key players are quite young and only six players who were best 22 this year are going to be above 30 next year, and of those six, Hogan and Whitfield were all Australian this year, Cogs was harbouring a shoulder injury that should hopefully be better next year, Greene had some poor form that could be attributed to being a new dad, Ward who was reinvigorated on the wing (although I'd rather we play younger players over him next year) and Kelly who played some great games for us when he wasn't out with his calf injury. Most of these guys can still play their best footy in the coming years so I reckon it's fine to try and pick up some younger blokes and put experience in them.

Bit of a ramble but I guess what I'm trying to say is we don't need to go all in for a premiership, and we also don't need to go for a rebuild. We have a few years of decent football from our older blokes and have lots of younger talent coming through.
 
Bjo187 said:
I agree he isn't quick or a long kick, but a poor kick? He is superb with his little hit up passes.

So this is a yes?

Why, he might wanna stay in Sydney being settled and in his 30s. Could do with another ward type and the midfield depth. Also a leader.

It could give Toby a lesser defender, take some pressure off Hogan and Toby might recapture some form.

You rate Ash that highly?


As you said on Hogan, a free hit, if he can get his body right.


For opportunity and to stay in his home city, worth asking the question. I think he was even from pennant hills, like Briggs and peatling.



I'm no way suggesting all of them, but one or two are worth the punt as they are low risk, high reward. Some of them I see similar to a Stevie J type acquisition.

You've gotta be realistic, the club hasn't ever attracted an A grader or B+ player in their prime.

I agree a Bedford type is ideal, but he was a C grader at Melbourne not getting games. I haven't looked at the lists for those potential types yet, so was throwing out some mature names.

Interested if you have any names in that mould that you believe would be keen to come to the club?
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Macrae isn't poor by foot, but he's not good enough/ expansive enough to warrant selection above any of our other players currently, if he was being brought in as a pure depth solution it'd be fine, but he's not moving for that.

Daniel is a yes if possible

Maybe Parker won't have the level of sentiment I assume he has, if it was possible then it's a yes

Stringer is still a no even if he took a better defender than Toby every week, unless our forward line structure changed significantly (either going with just 2 talls, or asking Toby to play a pressure role) it just doesn't fit. Potentially as a midfield option, but then you'd be relying on contract year Stringer fitness to be a consistent thing

I don't necessarily rate Ash highly, which should make it obvious how much I don't rate Hind

If list spots weren't a concern I'd be happy to see Jack Martin given an opportunity at low cost, don't think that's feasible though

Campbell yes I'd like, think he'd be a good long term wing option for us


And look I'm not saying 'wah don't trade people in wah', but historically our trading has been fairly specific to our game plan and I don't think that many of those suggestions fit that, Bedford was a fringe player at the Dees but had consistently displayed his ability to be a reliable pressure forward, we benefitted from Melbourne not valuing that at the time,. Unfortunately we don't seem to have the pull that Brisbane or Gold Coast have had as of late, or Sydney have had in the past, but I can't think of any oppo depth players, off the top of my head, that would improve us significantly enough to go from 'there abouts' to premiers, we actually need a guy like what Bruhn and Caldwell have become at their new clubs, not stars but guys that give you the same each week and operate well without being a main man.

I think that's what we should be looking for personally if we're going the trade route, yes lets look at other clubs depth for a winger replacement if Cumming goes, because I don't think Wingers are vital to our game plan and really just need to be strong runners and passable kicks, but if we're trading to improve, then it should be a Dunkley or a Rioli sort. I'd say in revision as well, we should've put our hat in the ring for Taylor Adams last year when it was clear he was happy moving to NSW
 
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sydney_gws said:
Could we trade Himmelberg to Swans for somebody?
I don't know who though. Hayden McLean?
I know wouldn't happen.
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Realistically, it's not going to happen. We re-signed him for a long contract, and they will use him in the team, and won't trade him out. But that shouldn't give him (or anyone else, such as Cogs) a free ticket if playing poorly.

I like the earlier suggestion about trying him on a wing. He is mobile, a good mark - except not necessarily in the F50 contest, so wing would suit him fine - and a good kick, so can we make use of that into our F50. Just unsure of his endurance to be able to keep that up for a whole game.

If you look at it this way by positions that are not settled ... in our opinion ... there's not too many there, although we can always look to upgrade in terms of experience or quality.

KPF: Hogan, Cadman, ?
Sml/med fwd: Greene, Jones, Daniels, ? (internal options: McMullin, Thomas, Gothard, Bedford)

KPD: Taylor, Buckley, ?, Idun (internal options: HH, Aleer)
Sml/med defs: Whitfield, Ash, ? (internal options: Stone, Fonti, Fahey, Leake, Kennedy)

Mids: Green, Coniglio, Kelly, Callaghan, Peatling, Ward, ? (internal options: Rowston, Leake, McMullin, Bedford)
 
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PMBangers said:
Macrae isn't poor by foot, but he's not good enough/ expansive enough to warrant selection above any of our other players currently, if he was being brought in as a pure depth solution it'd be fine, but he's not moving for that.

Daniel is a yes if possible

Maybe Parker won't have the level of sentiment I assume he has, if it was possible then it's a yes

Stringer is still a no even if he took a better defender than Toby every week, unless our forward line structure changed significantly (either going with just 2 talls, or asking Toby to play a pressure role) it just doesn't fit. Potentially as a midfield option, but then you'd be relying on contract year Stringer fitness to be a consistent thing

I don't necessarily rate Ash highly, which should make it obvious how much I don't rate Hind

If list spots weren't a concern I'd be happy to see Jack Martin given an opportunity at low cost, don't think that's feasible though

Campbell yes I'd like, think he'd be a good long term wing option for us


And look I'm not saying 'wah don't trade people in wah', but historically our trading has been fairly specific to our game plan and I don't think that many of those suggestions fit that, Bedford was a fringe player at the Dees but had consistently displayed his ability to be a reliable pressure forward, we benefitted from Melbourne not valuing that at the time,. Unfortunately we don't seem to have the pull that Brisbane or Gold Coast have had as of late, or Sydney have had in the past, but I can't think of any oppo depth players, off the top of my head, that would improve us significantly enough to go from 'there abouts' to premiers, we actually need a guy like what Bruhn and Caldwell have become at their new clubs, not stars but guys that give you the same each week and operate well without being a main man.

I think that's what we should be looking for personally if we're going the trade route, yes lets look at other clubs depth for a winger replacement if Cumming goes, because I don't think Wingers are vital to our game plan and really just need to be strong runners and passable kicks, but if we're trading to improve, then it should be a Dunkley or a Rioli sort. I'd say in revision as well, we should've put our hat in the ring for Taylor Adams last year when it was clear he was happy moving to NSW
Click to expand...

I think Rowston could be that Caldwell or bruhn type option, I saw a lot of him at Calder and liked what I saw, I haven't watched the vfl to see how he's tracking though. I also liked Leake at under 18 level, he can play just about anywhere and isn't too light to step in next year. Fonti could hopefully step in to overtake Ash, as he looks good, however in finals he'd still be a bit light.

I did actually think of Adams as a possibility, I don't rate him that highly, but he might be squeezed out at the swans and I can't see a Melbourne club going after him again.

if nobody from the two's starts creating midfield pressure, you end up having to play guys like coniglio who clearly wasn't up to it, that's why senior depth is good too, competition for spots and you can find the right mix throughout the year.

I also don't think you're killing your future by bringing in said experience, because they are coming cheap and the club is still retaining it's high picks anyway. Yes it takes a spot off a young guy, but when you have a few experienced players you can pace their run to peak in finals, like Geelong do with their oldies every year. They are actually the model the giants should be trying to emulate. I actually think the giants list is stronger, particularly if they add an extra experienced body on each line.
 
Giant Strides said:
I like the earlier suggestion about trying him on a wing. He is mobile, a good mark - except not necessarily in the F50 contest, so wing would suit him fine - and a good kick, so can we make use of that into our F50. Just unsure of his endurance to be able to keep that up for a whole game.
Click to expand...
I reckon he could just slot right into Cumming's role on the wing (if he leaves). Both similar build, goods marks, good kicks, etc. Let someone like Aleer or Leake (if he's not playing mid) take his role in defence.
PMBangers said:
I don't necessarily rate Ash highly, which should make it obvious how much I don't rate Hind
Click to expand...
What to do with Ash? Just hope he fixes his ball use/decision making over the preseason? Or a positional change maybe. If we bring Fonti in for more game time is there a chance we move Ash on-ball to help out our midfield
 
Bjo187

I like your suggestions but prefer Caleb Daniel out of that bunch. He is an ultimate utility and I can see Kingsley making him a tagger - tag team of Bedford and Daniel. Another similar sounding name to confuse fans 😁

I mentioned last night but I think Cog may be on the trading table. Him and McCrae may be attractive depth for young sides like Kangas.
 
Do our players have a Mad Monday?
I guess exit interviews are Monday, Tuesday this week.
At least we get a 1 week longer pre season, I doubt this comforts players though.
 
Mors said:
I reckon he could just slot right into Cumming's role on the wing (if he leaves). Both similar build, goods marks, good kicks, etc. Let someone like Aleer or Leake (if he's not playing mid) take his role in defence.

What to do with Ash? Just hope he fixes his ball use/decision making over the preseason? Or a positional change maybe. If we bring Fonti in for more game time is there a chance we move Ash on-ball to help out our midfield
Click to expand...
I think Ash to midfield is worth a look.
The game he was suspended in, he was hitting up the forwards with sharp kicks and looking quite dangerous.
 

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