Rumour GFC 2023 Player Trading, Drafting FA, Rumours and Wish lists Pt1

[cats_09]

As we are now getting into the season and we are starting to get a bit more serious with discussion, seems a suitable time to post the following as it's repeatedly shown itself to be a value reference tool in trade & draft discussion

And as per normal, thanks to Lore for putting this together - always a fantastic reference tool



And yes this post is now stickied - makes it easy to keep track of (can easily reverse this though if needed)

 

[TheCatStevensExperience]

Are you saying that this phantom coaching arrangement has been in place all season? That makes absolutely no sense at all.

So apparently at the start of the season Port had a coach that they didn’t trust to coach the team, plus he was despised by the fans, and their solution to this problem was to let him stay as a figurehead while having someone else actually coach the team? Wouldn’t it have been way easier and effective to just sack Ken at the start of the season?

This story gets more ludicrous by the second.

Nobody's claiming it's god's own truth, but it's not that unbelievable. It's effectively a succession plan that hasn't been announced publicly. Less pressure on all parties etc.

I guess we'll find out soon enough anyway.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

I am glad you didn’t put the year… hehe
As we have plenty.
Next year will be a transitional year.
Plenty of older blokes gonna see less games and younger blokes getting a few.

It will be a transitional year for the midfield but if we make it a transitional year for the backline things have a way of becoming a transitional 3-5 years quickly

 

[Bevoman]

Perhaps. I can see it being a 'soft' succession plan sort of deal though. Ken sees out the contract and offers assistance to the up and coming Carr - Ken's the face while Josh works out what he's going to do. Makes it so there's less disruption when Ken leaves.

If he left abruptly, the chaos in the supporterbase (and SA media) would be absolutely wild - could really destabilise a club especially if they were otherwise going well.

I mean, it's probably a conspiracy, but it's not that crazy.

Carr is not coaching and Ken is not leaving

 

[CatToTheFuture]

Are you saying that this phantom coaching arrangement has been in place all season? That makes absolutely no sense at all.

So apparently at the start of the season Port had a coach that they didn’t trust to coach the team, plus he was despised by the fans, and their solution to this problem was to let him stay as a figurehead while having someone else actually coach the team? Wouldn’t it have been way easier and effective to just sack Ken at the start of the season?

This story gets more ludicrous by the second.

Plenty of teams have tried this badly. Collingwood, Hawthorn.

This one would only be different in that they've kept it quiet, specifically because of the way it turns out when the media know.

It'd also be different because the transition is also kens best career move, whereas the others had runs on the board for a next gig and didn't have to gamble on it working

 

[And_ROOS]

This part of the thread is going to get a wild bump at the end of the season

 

[CatToTheFuture]

This part of the thread is going to get a wild bump at the end of the season

Look I could be proven wrong very quickly if they sign Ken. Reasonable chance the port fans I know have just infected me with a weird conspiracy theory and they're about to start telling me they got messages from their friend Q in the Whitehouse.

I also can't really be proven right so I'm on a hiding to nothing here. It still makes sense to me though and the people I know watch port much more closely than I

 

[cats_09]

It will be a transitional year for the midfield but if we make it a transitional year for the backline things have a way of becoming a transitional 3-5 years quickly

I'm also trying to work out which of these KPD options are we transitioning out from our backline - seems a bit premature to be retiring Kolodjashnij or Henry:


Kolodjashnij is the oldest having turned 28 yesterday
Ratugolea turned 25 late last month
Henry isn’t 25 until later this month
SDK will turn 23 about a month out from next season

 

[Gee Class Loco]

It will be a transitional year for the midfield but if we make it a transitional year for the backline things have a way of becoming a transitional 3-5 years quickly

You’re forgetting the forward line.
There’s another transition year or 3.
FWIW we are in for a 2-3 years span in the wilderness without a decent injection of quality free agents. Preferably an elite mid to get things rolling.

 

[Mr Meow]

I'm also trying to work out which of these KPD options are we transitioning out from our backline - seems a bit premature to be retiring Kolodjashnij or Henry:


Kolodjashnij is the oldest having turned 28 yesterday
Ratugolea turned 25 late last month
Henry isn’t 25 until later this month
SDK will turn 23 about a month out from next season

J.Henry and Kolo have played as mediums for chunks of their career and J.Henry's dodgy foot remains a ticking time bomb, as serious foot issues often are.

Three of them are really athletic and mobile.

There is potential to release SDK up the field in the future as other players are managed or retire.

Geelong have played with many groups of 4 slower tall defenders as well and had strong defensive records. Besides Kolo none of these 4 are even slow.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

I'm also trying to work out which of these KPD options are we transitioning out from our backline - seems a bit premature to be retiring Kolodjashnij or Henry:


Kolodjashnij is the oldest having turned 28 yesterday
Ratugolea turned 25 late last month
Henry isn’t 25 until later this month
SDK will turn 23 about a month out from next season

Having a settled line up there is a strength in and of itself. You don't trade out a strength on the idea you could break even again on it in 2 years

 

[Oisin_the_Goat]

Thanks, like I said there's probably no reason it couldn't work long term with them taking time to learn and adapt the role. We just don't have time for that so if we want to be effective in rebuilding the midfield quickly we can't create a problem elsewhere where none exists currently, so of my 3 points I think we need to choose 2

Regarding midfield 2024.

Should have Guthrie back which will make a big difference.
Jhye Clark 10 mins in the AFL was insane.
Bruhns killed it this year and will get his hands on the ball more next year.
Holmes will get more consistent.
Knevvit will get bigger and his asset is he can take a mark so could be a gun midfielder.
Blitz is still elite and should be good for another 2 years.
Tom Atkins is consistently gritty.

PDF is his way out but its not all doom and gloom. Add potential of Parish into the mix and Parf getting back to form then we may have formidable midfield depth.

Seems like we need a replacement for Bews and Tuohy and need to hang on to Rat for key back depth. Oisin doesn't seem quite ready yet.

Happy to back in Stanley + Conway ruck combo in 2024. We have others who can play ruck if they're both injured.

I think Dempsey can be the Isaac Smith replacement.

The futures bright for the GFC to me.

 

[cats_09]

Having a settled line up there is a strength in and of itself. You don't trade out a strength on the idea you could break even again on it in 2 years

And especially when there's other areas of the ground/team that will be going through more significant transitions over the next couple of years - surely it's good to have one area somewhat settled

One name that keeps getting thrown around as being the flexible puzzle piece is Henry and I don't get it:

• Runner-up in our B&F in 2021 playing as a KPD
• Currently ranked 5th amongst all KPDs for lowest percentage of defensive 1-vs-1 loosed

I get he's had the odd cameo up forward, but he looks so much better in defence and our defence looks so much better, especially when he's playing on the oppositions mobile KPF


I know JK is an UFA next year, but I see him as least likely to move, though I can see other teams approaching Henry's or SDKs management to enquire about their availability if things keep looking unsettled

 

[CatRiot]

Forward line isn't an issue, but if we want to throw Dempsey to the Wing (given the retirements), do we want depth coverage with our last rookie pick with a guy like this... Especially given Hawks age going into next year, along with the age of Rohan and even Cameron. And if J Henry becomes an injury issue, I wouldn't be surprised if we need to throw O Henry down back from time to time, even though I do not want that.

He didn't do much at North, but I don't think many Forwards get a look with their mid supply.

Still think we need work on our Mids and Rucks as a priority.

Glenelg - SANFL

sanfl.com.au

 

[CatToTheFuture]

You’re forgetting the forward line.
There’s another transition year or 3.
FWIW we are in for a 2-3 years span in the wilderness without a decent injection of quality free agents. Preferably an elite mid to get things rolling.

There are wildly different versions of wilderness.

The forward line transition is in the future but with Ollie Henry and potentially Ollie Dempsey coming through it's a soft transition and the river won't hit the road on it until Cameron is done.

We don't have to think about or put any significant coaching resources into the forward or backline for years. Creating a need to do so where is currently none just takes away the resources we have to solve our midfield problem. Those resources are the ones we see like draft picks for use or trade, cap for free agents but also the ones we don't see, like time spent with development coaches.

Game plans also are determined by picking your point of weakness and managing our covering for it. Our slow ball movement in 2018-19 covered an inexperienced backline. Richmond's defend first at stoppage mantra generated turnovers while hiding their relative weakness in generating clearances. But if you have more than one weakness you can't strategise a way around it. One of them will get exposed.

Basically I'm saying that if you want to rebuild the list then just rebuild the midfield because if you choose more than one problem to have you're not renovating the house, your doing a full knock down rebuild.

I'm not saying Sav is the difference between a 2 year rebuild and a 5 year rebuild. I'm just saying that choosing to restructure the backline right now would be unwise

 

[CatToTheFuture]

Regarding midfield 2024.

Should have Guthrie back which will make a big difference.
Jhye Clark 10 mins in the AFL was insane.
Bruhns killed it this year and will get his hands on the ball more next year.
Holmes will get more consistent.
Knevvit will get bigger and his asset is he can take a mark so could be a gun midfielder.
Blitz is still elite and should be good for another 2 years.
Tom Atkins is consistently gritty.

PDF is his way out but its not all doom and gloom. Add potential of Parish into the mix and Parf getting back to form then we may have formidable midfield depth.

Seems like we need a replacement for Bews and Tuohy and need to hang on to Rat for key back depth. Oisin doesn't seem quite ready yet.

Happy to back in Stanley + Conway ruck combo in 2024. We have others who can play ruck if they're both injured.

I think Dempsey can be the Isaac Smith replacement.

The futures bright for the GFC to me.

You're right, the pieces are starting to get there. I think we're basically half way through, but we're not all the way through yet and we need to bring in one or two decent 25 year olds.

We should draft a kpd I think, but not develop one in the seniors

 

[Johnny Cattery]

Agree only way it works is via free agency. Only issue I see is how we can assure Parish to nominate us if he knows we won't do the trade should Essendon match the offer. He won't want to ask for a trade to Geelong and then remain at Essendon with his tail between his legs should they match us. Be a sure way to make Essendon fans dislike him and possibly putting his teammates and coaches offside.

Danger and Cameron were also in this situation however Geelong would of given them their word that we will do a trade for them should the free agency offer be matched. Which we know is what eventuated in the end for them both.

I don't think we will be in a position to give Parish our word, we simply don't have the draft picks and he and his manager will know that.

This is all assuming he actually wants to come to Geelong.

I don't see the huge attraction of Parish, but this is the first thing I've read that makes sense of why we cleaned out so many picks to get Ollie Henry - so that trading for Parish was not remotely attractive. It would also make sense that the club learned its lesson from the Cameron trade: if you have serious draft capital available, then only a mug will let their free agent walk for compo.

To be clear: I think Henry has been terrific, and looks a player ... but at the time, there was a slight sense that it was all a bit more complicated than met the eye.

 

[Kobe Gryant]

You're right, the pieces are starting to get there. I think we're basically half way through, but we're not all the way through yet and we need to bring in one or two decent 25 year olds.

We should draft a kpd I think, but not develop one in the seniors

Reckon we'll be doing that out of force with our first round pick.

Makes Parish as a FA even more crucial.

Keep the first as it's a really tall draft year, and add to our midfield via FA.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

Reckon we'll be doing that out of force with our first round pick.

Makes Parish as a FA even more crucial.

Keep the first as it's a really tall draft year, and add to our midfield via FA.

Might have to add a kp just because of the draft we're in you're right. Useful for the future but not helping us now.

If someone offers to trade their future first I'd strongly consider. Given the relative scarcity of KP players we could probably get a premium for the pick, and given the failure rate on drafted talls we would probably make out like bandits

 

[CatRiot]

Regarding midfield 2024.

Should have Guthrie back which will make a big difference.
Jhye Clark 10 mins in the AFL was insane.
Bruhns killed it this year and will get his hands on the ball more next year.
Holmes will get more consistent.
Knevvit will get bigger and his asset is he can take a mark so could be a gun midfielder.
Blitz is still elite and should be good for another 2 years.
Tom Atkins is consistently gritty.

PDF is his way out but its not all doom and gloom. Add potential of Parish into the mix and Parf getting back to form then we may have formidable midfield depth.

Seems like we need a replacement for Bews and Tuohy and need to hang on to Rat for key back depth. Oisin doesn't seem quite ready yet.

Happy to back in Stanley + Conway ruck combo in 2024. We have others who can play ruck if they're both injured.

I think Dempsey can be the Isaac Smith replacement.

The futures bright for the GFC to me.

I wouldn't say Bruhn has killed it, but he's playing decent footy if you consider it's his first season of consistent midfield time. I do think he has upside and will be good for us. He put away the game for us against the Crows and Demons games, and was very solid against the Dogs. I like that he has hit the scoreboard at times, and his tackle counts have increased which adds to our pressure and rebound style of play, so he is doing his bit is what I'm trying to say.

Not sure I share the same optimism about formidable depth, but its a decent group with upside for sure. Adding a ball hunter like Parish will help a lot with midfield craft development for the smaller mids like Bruhn, Clark, etc. I say this as there is slight nuances with body positioning and ball hunting craft when you don't have the size or speed of a Dangerfield for example.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

I wouldn't say Bruhn has killed it, but he's playing decent footy if you consider it's his first season of consistent midfield time. I do think he has upside and will be good for us. He put away the game for us against the Crows and Demons games, and was very solid against the Dogs. I like that he has hit the scoreboard at times, and his tackle counts have increased which adds to our pressure and rebound style of play, so he is doing his bit is what I'm trying to say.

Not sure I share the same optimism about formidable depth, but its a decent group with upside for sure. Adding a ball hunter like Parish will help a lot with midfield craft development for the smaller mids like Bruhn, Clark, etc. I say this as there is slight nuances with body positioning and ball hunting craft when you don't have the size or speed of a Dangerfield for example.

It certainly feels like formidable depth to us. I don't think we've had a young group of mids with this much talent and upside under Scott.

It is objectively a few players short of a rebuild though

 

[cats_09]

 

[Strange Cat]

Would also blow their cap out of the water again

 

[CatToTheFuture]

Would also blow their cap out of the water again

And if they chuck him on the wing as Bryn was suggesting then they'll get not much benefit that equation.

 

[Warhorse]

Regarding midfield 2024.

Should have Guthrie back which will make a big difference.
Jhye Clark 10 mins in the AFL was insane.
Bruhns killed it this year and will get his hands on the ball more next year.
Holmes will get more consistent.
Knevvit will get bigger and his asset is he can take a mark so could be a gun midfielder.
Blitz is still elite and should be good for another 2 years.
Tom Atkins is consistently gritty.

PDF is his way out but its not all doom and gloom. Add potential of Parish into the mix and Parf getting back to form then we may have formidable midfield depth.

Seems like we need a replacement for Bews and Tuohy and need to hang on to Rat for key back depth. Oisin doesn't seem quite ready yet.

Happy to back in Stanley + Conway ruck combo in 2024. We have others who can play ruck if they're both injured.

I think Dempsey can be the Isaac Smith replacement.

The futures bright for the GFC to me.

Parish and Bruhn are both one position players who can only play midfield. Getting Parish could potentially push Bruhn to the VFL. Jhye Clark will fly past Bruhn next year as well

 

[Kobe Gryant]

Parish and Bruhn are both one position players who can only play midfield. Getting Parish could potentially push Bruhn to the VFL. Jhye Clark will fly past Bruhn next year as well

This vendetta against a 21 year old is getting a little sad and even a little weird.

In a year where we've had one player outperform their 2022 selves, it's very strange that you've decided to single out one of our youngest.

There's a list a mile of long of senior players to be disappointed with, but keep targeting the kid if it makes you feel better.

He'll play 200+ games for our club, we've got a good one.