Player Watch #?: Jack Darling - has officially requested to be traded to NM on a two-year deal. Pick 64 is expected to be tabled.

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WE HAVE LANDED THE BIG FISH
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Your view is more than fair and both sides have good arguments with the fear of adding another spud vs experience.
Not sure if it's the right move, we'll see what happens in a year or two, but I've accepted it as he's an AFL footballer compared to Pink, CCJ and Teakle and can actually bring the ball to ground.
I'm sure Larkey will be happy to have more support and to see us bringing someone in that can help him now.
I'm more concerned about drafting a key forward(s) for once and then the pressure we have around whoever the key forwards are. I hope we can get a small forward in via trade and a few across the drafts.

You can walk and chew gum at the same time in terms of adding experience and drafting kids.
I thought Gunston was put a fork in cooked at the Lions and 12 months later he's still playing at the Hawks and teaching Calsher Dear the forward craft along with Breust that has helped speed up Dear's development.
I thought the Hawks were crazy and wasting a list spot but shows how little I know about what their group needed.
I'm sure Clarko would see no leadership in the forward group capable of directing the others as a big problem.

It's unlikely more preferred targets to us fans like Gruzewski, Ricciardi, Membrey or Lord want to come to us.
Darling's addition may be similar to WCE adding Petrie the same year they drafted Oscar Allen in 2017.
Hopefully he gives some benefit to Larkey, Chom, Teakle, Maley and Will Dawson even from just training, learning and/or playing alongside him at AFL/VFL level given his strength and experience.

We can take key forwards in the draft late if we want with what is left of pick 58 or 64 after trades.
It buys them a bit more time to develop for a few years or takes a stronger defender off them.
I don't rate Hipwood at all but Logan Morris benefits from having him, Daniher and Rayner up there taking better defenders.
The same I think can be seen with Dear with others in the forward mix getting better defenders.
Those list cloggers will be gone either this year (Sellers) or next year (CCJ, Biggie, Pink, Teakle?).
I don't think a massive cull of 14 in one year is required, 8-10 across a few years will be fine.
All fair, and it looks like I will have to begrudgingly accept it. Yes, you can add experience and kids at the same time, but you need to open up the list spots to do this. I'm big on a solid cull this year, say twelve or thirteen. Only two drafts until Tassie come in, when it will be harder to replace the dead wood. I fear that if we only cut eight or nine this year, next draft we could leave ourselves snookered. This year other teams are starting to cut anyone borderline as they think there is quality late in the draft. We could do the same, or even pick-up some useful delisted players to fill holes, what I don't think we can do is let another chance to fix our list balance drift by. All the signs are that is what will happen.
 

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I don't think that's realistic.
Well why else would we "...give West Coast a leg up so they can wriggle out of paying overs for a declining player on the wrong side of 30, while giving them cap space to lock in high end talent.."

Just for fun?

Maybe the $450Kpa for two with easy triggers for a third year thing is accurate and its not so much a salary dump as an attempt to fix our biggest issue this year - the dysfunctional forward line.
 
Can you invest in "someone mentioned Jarrad Waite" NFTs?
 
Similar to picking up Jarrad Waite isn't it?

Waite was 31y 7m 29d when he signed a two year deal with North, went on to kick 125 goals.

Jack Darling is 32y 3m 2d today.

A big body to wear the blows in the pack and drag a big opponent away from a younger, skinner player so they can develop with a chance to get their hands on the ball more.
W80 had significantly better stats in his last year at carlton than Darling had at WC this year.
 
Well why else would we "...give West Coast a leg up so they can wriggle out of paying overs for a declining player on the wrong side of 30, while giving them cap space to lock in high end talent.."

Just for fun?

Maybe the $450Kpa for two with easy triggers for a third year thing is accurate and its not so much a salary dump as an attempt to fix our biggest issue this year - the dysfunctional forward line.
I don't think it is a salary dump.
 

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Player Watch #?: Jack Darling - has officially requested to be traded to NM on a two-year deal. Pick 64 is expected to be tabled.

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