Player Watch Lachie Schultz

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That's the debate there. I think Mihocek is already in decline a little. Crisp too. Just 5-10% down. Pendles, Howe, Sidebottom -- alll obviously not what they were. De Goey and Moore both have histories with injury.

Zorko is also an outlier.
We also have to consider the Zorko is a small player and ours are tall. I seriously doubt we're getting another 3 years out of Checkers.
 

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You're right Geelong have done it. Sydney too.

They're the outliers though. Really hard to duplicate I think.
The point is we don't need to duplicate it. Cats added 9. Before 2026 season, we'll have the same amount of time - two trade and draft periods, plus a season and 2 preseasons of development to maybe add 3-4 senior players to replace those likely to retire at the end of 2025 - and those oldies are no longer the stars that they once were - we're not replacing peak Sidebottom. We could do it just in the trade weeks without having to rely on any youngsters coming through, but hopefully a couple of kids come through in that time as well.
 
That's the debate there. I think Mihocek is already in decline a little. Crisp too. Just 5-10% down. Pendles, Howe, Sidebottom -- alll obviously not what they were. De Goey and Moore both have histories with injury.

Zorko is also an outlier.
And Daicos, Daicos, Hill, IQ, McCreery, Schultz are all still likely to improve a little - or even more than a little in some cases.

It goes without saying that we'll need to add players to replace those who've past their used by date, but all teams do and it's not as hard as you seem to think - just because they're not here yet doesn't mean they won't be in 18 months time when you are saying the demise will hit..
 
And Daicos, Daicos, Hill, IQ, McCreery, Schultz are all still likely to improve a little - or even more than a little in some cases.

It goes without saying that we'll need to add players to replace those who've past their used by date, but all teams do.
Fly is a huge reason why there’s no need for panic. He was decimated by injury but by the end of the season, we would have been as much chance as anyone of winning this year's flag
 
We also have to consider the Zorko is a small player and ours are tall. I seriously doubt we're getting another 3 years out of Checkers.

He should make a complete recovery from that pec injury. I wouldn’t write him off.
 
And Daicos, Daicos, Hill, IQ, McCreery, Schultz are all still likely to improve a little - or even more than a little in some cases.

It goes without saying that we'll need to add players to replace those who've past their used by date, but all teams do and it's not as hard as you seem to think - just because they're not here yet doesn't mean they won't be in 18 months time when you are saying the demise will hit..

yeh its easy....all teams replace older players and make the finals the next year
 
yeh its easy....all teams replace older players and make the finals the next year
We'll have a strong top end and a solid middle group for a few years still. We should be able to replace some retirements. I just don't see a major obstacle that should stop us putting a good team on the park until Jordy, Moore, Maynard and Crisp go. It will be an issue then if we haven't added to the top end in the meantime - but that's too far away to be stressing. **** knows what the next 4 trade/draft periods and 3 years of development brings.
 
We'll have a strong top end and a solid middle group for a few years still. We should be able to replace some retirements. I just don't see a major obstacle that should stop us putting a good team on the park until Jordy, Moore, Maynard and Crisp go. It will be an issue then if we haven't added to the top end in the meantime - but that's too far away to be stressing. **** knows what the next 4 trade/draft periods and 3 years of development brings.

I think we should have a good team in the next 3 years...I dont see us falling any further during that time, although you never know. Fremantle is a good team. Essendon is a good team. Gold Coast is a good team at home. Melb was a good team but things might change. Adelaide was a good team last year and fell a little but they might return to being a good team. I just had a look at a couple of richmond teams during the year and each line had at least one premiership player...but there was a noticeable soft underbelly. They're not a good team. Even the eagles could name quite a few premiership players each week but they're not a good team. So yes, we are a good team even with pendles, side and howe gone...

But you have confidence...
 
He should make a complete recovery from that pec injury. I wouldn’t write him off.

Didak was never the same after his but I’ve got a feeling he may well have been hit by complacency as much as anything. Doubt Checkers leaves any stone unturned in striving to get back to his best.
 

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Didak was never the same after his but I’ve got a feeling he may well have been hit by complacency as much as anything. Doubt Checkers leaves any stone unturned in striving to get back to his best.

15 years is a long time in the evolution of medical science, too.
 
We'll have a strong top end and a solid middle group for a few years still. We should be able to replace some retirements. I just don't see a major obstacle that should stop us putting a good team on the park until Jordy, Moore, Maynard and Crisp go. It will be an issue then if we haven't added to the top end in the meantime - but that's too far away to be stressing. **** knows what the next 4 trade/draft periods and 3 years of development brings.

I just am not that interested in having a "good team" that makes 9th, like we did this year. i want to get back into top 4. To do that, we'll have to compete with teams like:

Lions
Swans,
GWS
Carlton
a rising Gold Coast
maybe Geelong.
Maybe bulldogs.

Look at the talent on those lists and then compare with ours -- it's just not going to be comparable in a year and a half.

Then battling for the 8, which is the bracket we're in:

Fremantle
Melbourne (who we are resembling a fair bit)
Port
Adelaide....

These are the teams we're more aligned with, talent-wise, now.
 
I just am not that interested in having a "good team" that makes 9th, like we did this year. i want to get back into top 4. To do that, we'll have to compete with teams like:

Lions
Swans,
GWS
Carlton
a rising Gold Coast
maybe Geelong.
Maybe bulldogs.

Look at the talent on those lists and then compare with ours -- it's just not going to be comparable in a year and a half.

Then battling for the 8, which is the bracket we're in:

Fremantle
Melbourne (who we are resembling a fair bit)
Port
Adelaide....

These are the teams we're more aligned with, talent-wise, now.
What did you think of our list at the end of 2021?
 
He should make a complete recovery from that pec injury. I wouldn’t write him off.
I’m hoping the injury gives him time on the end of his career, looked a little beaten up. Looking forward to seeing how he comes back after an extended break. Have a similar feeling about Mitchell but Peckers I’m more hopeful for.
 
I just am not that interested in having a "good team" that makes 9th, like we did this year. i want to get back into top 4. To do that, we'll have to compete with teams like:

Lions
Swans,
GWS
Carlton
a rising Gold Coast
maybe Geelong.
Maybe bulldogs.

Look at the talent on those lists and then compare with ours -- it's just not going to be comparable in a year and a half.

Then battling for the 8, which is the bracket we're in:

Fremantle
Melbourne (who we are resembling a fair bit)
Port
Adelaide....

These are the teams we're more aligned with, talent-wise, now.
I think you're just looking at the current ladder. I'm not seeing these 2026 brackets that you're seeing, just as I didn't see the dramatic rise of Heeney and Warner. I don't think Sydney did either considering they recruited Taylor Adams to bolster their midfield - that shift occurred in one off season. Of course we're a chance to be ordinary in 2026. But all those teams you've listed are a chance to be ordinary or good.
 
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I think you're just looking at the current ladder. I'm not seeing these 2026 brackets that you're seeing, just as I didn't see the dramatic rise of Heeney and Warner. I don't think Sydney did either considering they recruited Taylor Adams to bolster their midfield - that shift occurred in one off season. Of course we're a chance to be ordinary in 2026. But all those teams you've listed are a chance to be ordinary or good.

Appreciate the different perspective. Time will tell, you're right. Just remember me in 2026 and we'll see how things are going.
 
What did you think of our list at the end of 2021?

Not great, I admit. But I was also not sure given Buckley's slow-chip game plan which was already well out of date by then. So it was hard to judge. 2020 I thought the game plan was bad, then we cut talented players who would have thrived under the more attacking plan. As we saw with Fly coming in. But I was definitely unsure and 2022 definitely took me by surprise.
 
Why do people bring up Brisbane, Sydney, GWS and GC. Of course they are going to be near the 8 and 4 every year. They get gifted Academy players and it's only going to get worse. Just watch the game yesterday where most of the best players in the u17's game were Academy players.
 
Why do people bring up Brisbane, Sydney, GWS and GC. Of course they are going to be near the 8 and 4 every year. They get gifted Academy players and it's only going to get worse. Just watch the game yesterday where most of the best players in the u17's game were Academy players.

I think you just answered your own question. Why do they bring those teams up? Because they are going to be really good for the foreseeable future. So we have to challenge them....

As a side, I find Kane Cornes a bit painful, but he's been clearly reading my posts because:

 

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