2025 Whipping boy

[beema limapep]

Young and Miller have been too good as inexperienced KPDs in a shit team to be whipping boys.

Short should turn it around if he moves into his B&F position at half back.

It would be hard for Hopper to be the whipping boy because I doubt he plays a whole season. If he does, he probably plays well enough to not be our whipping boy.

For me the below 4 players are our whipping boys until they prove us wrong.

1. Ryan has no excuses now; old enough and experienced enough to have a genuine impact.

2. Kozi has been a genuine under achiever. He’s shown signs but that’s it. Has experience and maturity so no excuses for kicking ~ a goal a game and barely touching the ball.

3. Dow has had his chance to prove his midfield worth and he didn’t. If he could improve a bit he might be decent but his brother didn’t. This handball happy light weight is going to have the whips on him as hard as anyone.

4. Sonsie the soft. For a player rated top 5 in U16s he’s nothing more than an outside pretend elite user. I hope they play him inside mid and force him to harden up, or it’s career over.

Devils advocate - so Young and Miller (72 games between them) too inexperienced but Dow and Ryan (57 games between them) experienced enough/had enough chances?

 

[G String]

A bigger version of Jack Ross would probably be a gun.

definitely at u18 level - not sure how that will translate to afl

 

[docko911]

Devils advocate - so Young and Miller (72 games between them) too inexperienced but Dow and Ryan (57 games between them) experienced enough/had enough chances?

You missed the part acknowledging their performance at AFL level. Both Young and Miller have played really good football at AFL level but are inconsistent. Factor in how bad our midfield/team has been in recent years and it’s hard to put them down given their lack of experience.

Big Sammy Ryan has barely shown anything at AFL level and was very disappointing this year. There’s nothing to suggest he can make the level so the pressure is truly on him to perform or we’ll be whipping him for 3 years. 5 games in a row might not help this bloke.

Dow got his big chance this year with consistent AFL football but was very bad. He would have to be the worst midfielder in the AFL that played 15+ games this year. There’s a reason he was the last player re-signed even though he’s young, inexperienced and played most of the season. The big problem is he doesn’t have anything that makes you think he’ll improve enough to be a good AFL player regardless of experience.

I’d love all our players to succeed but the writing appears to be on the wall for these two. Ryan is lucky he is tall or he’d be in the same contract boat as Dow.

 

[docko911]

definitely at u18 level - not sure how that will translate to afl

Ross shows really good signs at times but his lack of size/pace seems to hold him back. Smillie to me has the potential to be a really strong midfielder like Cripps.

 

[shaky]

Hopper was our best mid while fit, cant be a whipping boy because you're injured all the time. Whipping boy's have to be in genuinely shit form and bafflingly getting games. If Short doesn't cut out the short steps and start directing kicks to targets instead of for distance he's number one in the gun.

Hopper get elevated as some are upset with what he cost in trade value so it increases exponentially any bad form or turnovers he has.

 

[shaky]

Blinded by your disdain for the trade we made getting him here, not on your lonesome there.
He was very very good for a patch there mid year when he came back from long term injury. Tapered off a bit towards the end but by no means "putrid". His year was ****ed by injury.

And 2 post later......

 

[shaky]

Groupie should be

Groupie_ enjoys a good whipping though.

 

[baazzaa]

Balta. On big money, 7 year contract, and we'll probably play him forward again where he'll average like one contested mark and well under a goal a game. Kosi is a spud but at least we got him cheap.

 

[Vassp]

A reminder Hopp-errors will turn 28 in February. And he averages 11 games per season over the past 3 seasons.

At 11 games per season on 800k per year, availability wise he is on as much as a player who plays 22 games on 1.6 million a year.

And he has 5 more years left on his contract.

love it, awaken the masses!!

 

[THE THIN MAN]

got to be 'trampoline hands' Ryan...
Would love for him to prove me wrong and shove it up me, but just can't see it.

Latest Training Aid

 

[THE THIN MAN]

Has to be Delilah the human statue

 

[sabso]

Got to be the camel

 

["The Roar Is Back"]

You missed the part acknowledging their performance at AFL level. Both Young and Miller have played really good football at AFL level but are inconsistent. Factor in how bad our midfield/team has been in recent years and it’s hard to put them down given their lack of experience.

Big Sammy Ryan has barely shown anything at AFL level and was very disappointing this year. There’s nothing to suggest he can make the level so the pressure is truly on him to perform or we’ll be whipping him for 3 years. 5 games in a row might not help this bloke.

Dow got his big chance this year with consistent AFL football but was very bad. He would have to be the worst midfielder in the AFL that played 15+ games this year. There’s a reason he was the last player re-signed even though he’s young, inexperienced and played most of the season. The big problem is he doesn’t have anything that makes you think he’ll improve enough to be a good AFL player regardless of experience.

I’d love all our players to succeed but the writing appears to be on the wall for these two. Ryan is lucky he is tall or he’d be in the same contract boat as Dow.

Young shouldn't play AFL again and if he does he’ll rightfully be heavily critiqued .
Dimma and Mini gifted him games .

 

[DickieKnee]

Balta. On big money, 7 year contract, and we'll probably play him forward again where he'll average like one contested mark and well under a goal a game. Kosi is a spud but at least we got him cheap.

Baltas contract would be heavily front loaded I'd say. We will struggle meeting the minimum salary cap the next couple of years.

 

[Jedwards]

Pretty crappy post. I thought we moved on from this nonsense since the flags…





Anywho, I’ve got Ryan, Short, Sonsie and Kozzie as my leading candidates

 

[Lord of the Wings]

1. Miller
2. Sonsie
3. Ryan
4. Ralphshit
5. Kosi
6. Young

We have a lot of spuds

 

[sabso]

1. Miller
2. Sonsie
3. Ryan
4. Ralphshit
5. Kosi
6. Young

We have a lot of spuds

Hugo is a gun and young is Harris Andrews with smaller ears. Otherwise agree.

 

[Punt Road Feral]

Hopper has to have a big year & get on the park more than 50% of the season or the spotlight will really hone in on him.
He's on big money and if he isn't performing and protecting our draftees, the trade for him will look like a huge bust.

Short is similar in that he is getting paid good money and being one of our more 'senior' players he needs to be far more competitive than some of the shit he served up in the back half of 2024.

Realistically players like Dow & Ryan will get lots of scrutiny and some of it may be fair enough but they would be on peanuts salary wise compared to Hopper & Short.

 

[chriso11]

Shorty next captain

Remember when Jack Graham was bandied about as next captain… maybe captain of East Perth in 2026

 

[SplintWhisky]

Going in early with Lalor and Jagga. This is all on the back that we get pick 2.

Lalor will get injured with his history and ours and will be whipped as the club should of known better and Jagga will be whipped if FOS, Smille or any of the other top 5 talents play a more damaging style of football.

 

[tiger_tough]

Muddiemoose for me, certainly the spud of the mod team.

Only because Morro retired.

 

[Morro]

Only because Morro retired.

I went out on my shield, best I could hope for.

 

[Wavvey]

Ben Serpell as soon as we have 1 injury

 

[prodigy1311]

Sonz - nothing surer

 

[The_Kraken]

Going in early with Lalor and Jagga. This is all on the back that we get pick 2.

Lalor will get injured with his history and ours and will be whipped as the club should of known better and Jagga will be whipped if FOS, Smille or any of the other top 5 talents play a more damaging style of football.

Dude knows BF.