News Maddy Prespakis and Georgia Gee request trade to Essendon & other possible player movements

[Jimmae]

What do you disagree with?

#42 for Wilson
#28 for Stevens
Velardo and #38 for Brazzale and an upgrade.

Dispensing with both Stevens and Wilson in a compromised draft.

Brazzale is 28, slow for a winger and fell out of our best side last season. Velardo is 20, a #25 2 years ago and can play multiple positions.

Not slow, but clearly not the greatest in her preparation either as the body shape never shifted. Velardo isn't quick, just strong and decent with the ball in hand.

Stevens is 29 and not part of our long term future. That's a good pick in a compromised draft. It's currently Pick 10 in the Victorian pool, 9 if Geelong still have their own pool.

It was OK, but the key point is that we are shedding players at a time when we are already forced to shed players, and the draft is compromised. Do I need to give examples of how often such moves go badly for a football club?

Some will think that Wilson had all the potential in the world but she was overtaken by Trudgeon who is a close checking tall, who can recover the ground ball, which Wilson hasn't demonstrated. She left because she saw she was going to be behind Trudgeon.

There was room for Wilson in a system where Harrington was sent to midfield, an area that is in the process of being decimated. It's infuriating that we might have another year of O'Dea, Dal Pos and Plane being automatic selections.

 

[Jimmae]

Let's leave Dal Pos, Schaap, O'Dea and Plane out of the mix right now, assumed Egan and Jones are gone, and see what our 21 looks like:

FB: Lee Trudgeon
HB: Pound Laloifi D.Walker
C: Guerin McEvoy Hill
HF: Vescio Velardo Hammans
FF: Milford Gibbs

R: Moody Harrington McKay

Int: Sherar, Good, B.Walker, Vernon, Vickers

Well as it turns out, that's the rest of the list, and that no matter what we'll probably be relying on last year's draftees to kick on in terms of output, particularly Lee, Sherar, and Good.

The return of Gibbs helps, but we're thin on the ground if we're calling in Vickers and she hasn't improved her mobility. Perhaps we'll swing Plane to defence, and only use O'Dea out of the names I initially excluded.

 

[Coona Blues]

Let's leave Dal Pos, Schaap, O'Dea and Plane out of the mix right now, assumed Egan and Jones are gone, and see what our 21 looks like:

FB: Lee Trudgeon
HB: Pound Laloifi D.Walker
C: Guerin McEvoy Hill
HF: Vescio Velardo Hammans
FF: Milford Gibbs

R: Moody Harrington McKay

Int: Sherar, Good, B.Walker, Vernon, Vickers

Well as it turns out, that's the rest of the list, and that no matter what we'll probably be relying on last year's draftees to kick on in terms of output, particularly Lee, Sherar, and Good.

The return of Gibbs helps, but we're thin on the ground if we're calling in Vickers and she hasn't improved her mobility. Perhaps we'll swing Plane to defence, and only use O'Dea out of the names I initially excluded.

Not sure why you are leaving four decent players out of the mix?

While not agreeing with some of your positional stuff, this team will be largely competitive with all but the top couple. The greatest stinger is the lack of compensation for top level players.

We have some real good kids on the up and there is still improvement in Jess Good who I can see becoming an integral part of the team. The defence coped well without Kez on occasion last year, you have her redeployed in the midfield, don’t rule out her becoming a focal point in attack if the youngsters can step up in the engine room.

It is impossible to put a truely positive spin on the exodus, but we have enough developing players to ensure it is not the absolute crisis many think it is. We will come out the other side, and it is not likely we will experience this sort of carnage again with all teams now entering the competition.

 

[The Old Dark Navy's]

We need to remember that lists are only around 30 or so anyway, so naturally if you lose a few players, you have barely a full side left.

I'll back in our recruiters with the likes of Annie Lee developing into players. They've made some very good calls of late and we have seen a few 2-3 year players start to come on strongly.

I feel like this is our 2015 draft, albeit compromised. The timing of all this is not of our doing, but I feel like there is less of a gap between the top picks and the late first rounders in the AFLW. It's not as precise a science as the AFL has become.

 

[blueboy25]

Grace Egan has now been traded for pick 25 (13 in Victoria)

 

[The Old Dark Navy's]

Grace Egan has now been traded for pick 25 (13 in Victoria)

Another good pick.

The thing about Egan is she never improved beyond her original ball getting skills. She can get it in tight, but her disposal is generally awful.

So often I was frustrated by her calling for the ball down the left flank, then putting the brakes on and running backwards in a circular run to get on to her preferred foot. It killed any attacking momentum.

She wasn't committed. We go in with a strong draft hand. Abbie McKay gets more time in the trenches and McEvoy comes in from being the jack of all trades.

 

[Coona Blues]

Grace Egan has now been traded for pick 25 (13 in Victoria)

I find her the most aggravating departure. Prespakis and her Velcro mate left us at the mercy of the AFL simplistic and unbalanced expansion. Egan was underwhelming early last season which may have suggested some dissatisfaction, but finished the season well. Think the development of McKay, Guerin, Sherar and Vickers combined with Mimi Hill who is better than any of the departures will see us in better shape than most think. Velardo, McEvoy and O’Dea with possibly Kez give us plenty of decent options and a variety of “types” to form an effective group.

Not happy with Wilson departure, but in fairness the more rounded Trudgeon went straight past her last season. Kez a defensive rock if she stays down there and Mua is ultra dependable to potentially partner Paige if we are more creative with the skipper.

Forward will be a mystery, hopefully Gibbs does the job she was drafted for, allowing D.V. and the rucks to form a dangerous group. Walker will be back a couple of games in to give us some of the dash we need to make up with Gee departing. As I have intimated earlier I am expecting much more from Jess Good allowing her and Moods to have more impact forward. Velardo and potentially Kez could impact considerably forward, and it is yet to be seen where Lucy McEvoy will settle. Is McWilliams coming as reported earlier?

Please no more left field departures. Who knows, maybe we can poach a couple of significant pieces.

 

[The Old Dark Navy's]

I find her the most aggravating departure. Prespakis and her Velcro mate left us at the mercy of the AFL simplistic and unbalanced expansion. Egan was underwhelming early last season which may have suggested some dissatisfaction, but finished the season well. Think the development of McKay, Guerin, Sherar and Vickers combined with Mimi Hill who is better than any of the departures will see us in better shape than most think. Velardo, McEvoy and O’Dea with possibly Kez give us plenty of decent options and a variety of “types” to form an effective group.

Not happy with Wilson departure, but in fairness the more rounded Trudgeon went straight past her last season. Kez a defensive rock if she stays down there and Mua is ultra dependable to potentially partner Paige if we are more creative with the skipper.

Forward will be a mystery, hopefully Gibbs does the job she was drafted for, allowing D.V. and the rucks to form a dangerous group. Walker will be back a couple of games in to give us some of the dash we need to make up with Gee departing. As I have intimated earlier I am expecting much more from Jess Good allowing her and Moods to have more impact forward. Velardo and potentially Kez could impact considerably forward, and it is yet to be seen where Lucy McEvoy will settle. Is McWilliams coming as reported earlier?

Please no more left field departures. Who knows, maybe we can poach a couple of significant pieces.

We still have the Courtney Jones trade to be done, but that doesn't seem as certain as some of the others have been. If it happens, that has to earn us another good pick considering the picks that Gold Coast have available.

All I know is that the mix we had wasn't working and some players had already checked out knowing they were going. I want them all on board and going in the same direction, and I am happy we will have some height up forward again, and Darcy can be the one touch ground ball player we know she is capable of being. Just need to get some speed and nous around Gibbs, Good, Milford and Vescio. Let's see what the draft coughs up.

We are set to have 3 picks inside the 15 in the Victorian pool. We will get something good.

 

[Jeremias]

I find her the most aggravating departure. Prespakis and her Velcro mate left us at the mercy of the AFL simplistic and unbalanced expansion. Egan was underwhelming early last season which may have suggested some dissatisfaction, but finished the season well.

Probably a little harsh on Egan there. Suffered a shocking injury in the first game of the year, however made a speedy recovery and had a good season.

She's a very decent player, but my take on her is that she's limited on the field and immature off it.

Not happy with Wilson departure, but in fairness the more rounded Trudgeon went straight past her last season. Kez a defensive rock if she stays down there and Mua is ultra dependable to potentially partner Paige if we are more creative with the skipper.

Wilson's departure is the trade that has upset me most. Had a bad year but I think she'll bounce back and prove to be a very good footballer for the Demons.

Forward will be a mystery, hopefully Gibbs does the job she was drafted for, allowing D.V. and the rucks to form a dangerous group. Walker will be back a couple of games in to give us some of the dash we need to make up with Gee departing. As I have intimated earlier I am expecting much more from Jess Good allowing her and Moods to have more impact forward. Velardo and potentially Kez could impact considerably forward, and it is yet to be seen where Lucy McEvoy will settle. Is McWilliams coming as reported earlier?

Please no more left field departures. Who knows, maybe we can poach a couple of significant pieces.

McWilliams sounds like it is still in the works, though I think she's expected to come as a delisted free agent rather than via trade.

She doesn't get much of the ball, but she'd be a very good addition for a year or two in the forward line.

 

[Jimmae]

Not sure why you are leaving four decent players out of the mix?

While not agreeing with some of your positional stuff, this team will be largely competitive with all but the top couple. The greatest stinger is the lack of compensation for top level players.

We have some real good kids on the up and there is still improvement in Jess Good who I can see becoming an integral part of the team. The defence coped well without Kez on occasion last year, you have her redeployed in the midfield, don’t rule out her becoming a focal point in attack if the youngsters can step up in the engine room.

It is impossible to put a truely positive spin on the exodus, but we have enough developing players to ensure it is not the absolute crisis many think it is. We will come out the other side, and it is not likely we will experience this sort of carnage again with all teams now entering the competition.

I think it's solid, but we need run. I'm excluding Schaap because she's probably a decent chance to be discarded, Dal Pos because I think she's now too slow for the level, O'Dea because she's a very spent force, and Plane because she can't get lean and it seriously hurts her mobility (an issue I see Prespakis suffering in the years ahead).

Unless Dal Pos is about to get about 20% quicker due to fixing up some sort of musculoskeletal issue, Plane is the only one I would back to come in, but only as a defender unless she improves her endurance base. Back there she can play in impactful bursts and move the ball onto better runners.

The only problem with that is in that line-up we've got 3 key defenders, and 3 small-to-medium sized general defenders. If Plane can genuinely play as a small defender, that's a boon for us, but otherwise we'll just be too slow and get completely torched by small forwards and quicker midfield types pushing forward on the overlap.

The entire line-up lacks genuine outside runners, and we'll always be trying to turn the game into a bottled-up scrap when the opposition break into space.

Grace Egan has now been traded for pick 25 (13 in Victoria)

That's a massive undervaluation, and us really dropping the ball on managing basic character issues. All this talk about comradery and having the right community and inclusivity focus, and that's gone up in smoke over the last two off-seasons.

Whoever's driving this has taken a few wrong turns, as we should have never lost Tayla the way we did. I think the overall staff/player mix here is too emotionally immature overwhelmed to steer this in the right direction, so now they're bailing out water from the ship in the hopes the bare minimum reduced stress will naturally turn things around.

Often though, once you've formed a habit, the habit can prove hard to kick. Lumping cultural problems onto the backs of individuals is usually a toxic and nasty road.

 

[RedFury]

The entire line-up lacks genuine outside runners, and we'll always be trying to turn the game into a bottled-up scrap when the opposition break into space.

I feel like this has been us every year, except for the 1 year we had both Dalton and Walker available and in good form. That year things looked noticeably different imo.

It just shows that you really don't need that many to turn the balance, but you do definitely need a couple that we're lacking.

 

[branedotorg]

Pheobe McWilliams trade seems odd - why give up anything for a 36 yo? I know there a pic upgrade in our favour but surely we aren't in a position to take less 'first' rounders

 

[Bfevola]

Pheobe McWilliams trade seems odd - why give up anything for a 36 yo? I know there a pic upgrade in our favour but surely we aren't in a position to take less 'first' rounders

We didnt give up a first rounder, we upgraded to 8 from 10. We gave up a second round though.

 

[Jimmae]

Pheobe McWilliams trade seems odd - why give up anything for a 36 yo? I know there a pic upgrade in our favour but surely we aren't in a position to take less 'first' rounders

I think it needs to be viewed as her as steak knives, and that was the price of moving up further in the order.

 

[lily of laguna]

Not too fussed with Egan moving on, disposal was pretty average although she did find enough of the sherrin, particularly against the lesser sides. one paced and dare I say a bit vanilla for a mid.

Wilson seemed like a aerial beast a few years ago but lacked the ground ball skills to stay out of pressure when the ball hit the deck. Think she may have improved as she is only young, but sometimes injury and form work against a player (Sam Durdin

38

Sam Durdin

Age

28

Ht

199cm

Wt

100kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

9.7

2star

K

6.2

2star

HB

3.5

3star

M

3.3

3star

T

1.7

4star

No current season stats available

D

11.2

3star

K

7.4

3star

HB

3.8

3star

M

4.0

4star

T

1.6

4star

for e.g.) time will tell if we made a good decision here, however, we also don't know the reasons for the move, it seems that Charlotte was keen on a change of clubs.

Phoebe is old so must be very stop gap, doesnt get much of the ball, but hopefully can clunk a few each time she plays, good set shot and has nous.

My biggest disappointments are Gee and Jones, young players with plenty of improvement in them, both give their all and defend and attack well, seems a shame to have them leave and will not enjoy watching them in other colours.

Hope we can get some good players in the draft.

 

[Michael Jezz]

Does anyone know the root cause of these mass departures. Is it culture or cash we can not match?
What do these women dislike about the Carlton Football Club?

 

[The Old Dark Navy's]

Does anyone know the root cause of these mass departures. Is it culture or cash we can not match?
What do these women dislike about the Carlton Football Club?

Plenty of other teams are having similar amounts of departures.

Gold Coast lost 3 to expansion clubs, then traded another 4 to Port for relative peanuts.

 

[Jimmae]

I'll take that for Jones.

Not as keen on the trade we executed, really hoping our talent ID has correctly identified the pool, but I doubt it.

Last year's draft was a shit show.

 

[forever blue 1]

Does anyone know the root cause of these mass departures. Is it culture or cash we can not match?
What do these women dislike about the Carlton Football Club?

Apparently people don’t drink beer these days
Ive seen the ads
Oh wait
Yea that’s right
Rubbish

 

[RedFury]

Laloifi signed for 2 more which is great!

 

[Coona Blues]

Can we adjust the tag “Game Changers” to Left Overs or perhaps “Remainder”.

Having said that, I firmly believe we will it go backwards from last season. If there is any sense of fairness in the AFL, they would give us a nice draw, particularly against the expansion mobs that have raided us.

 

[blueboy25]

Can we adjust the tag “Game Changers” to Left Overs or perhaps “Remainder”.

Having said that, I firmly believe we will it go backwards from last season. If there is any sense of fairness in the AFL, they would give us a nice draw, particularly against the expansion mobs that have raided us.

So our fixture will be
Melbourne
Freo Away
Footscray
Crows away
North
Brisbane away

 

[GalaxyBlue]

So our fixture will be
Melbourne
Freo Away
Footscray
Crows away
North
Brisbane away

With a couple of notable exceptions, we do seem to match up well against the Doggies. For real punishment, I’d replace them with the Pies who have had our measure lately.

…and probably still won’t play West Coast yet too. Sigh.

 

[RedFury]

So our fixture will be
Melbourne
Freo Away
Footscray
Crows away
North
Brisbane away

Wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if the AFL gave us a fixture like this after being decimated the most by the expansion/trade period.

 

[drunkill]

They'll make us play Essendon round 1 (their home game but at Princes Park under lights) and we will lose it, followed by the collingwood matchup