Player Watch Reef McInnes

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You had me until the last line.

AJ isn't solid depth for any role.
Elliott plays as medium forward for us. It's Schultz's best role. WHE too. JDG will probably start spending more time there if he needs managing.

We don't need either AJ or Reef as medium forward depth.

Elliot and WHE will retire in the next couple of years. So we need Reef. AJ in his best form could work but there has to be doubt he can ever capture that again.

I know you hate Reef SR, but I reckon you need to balance up all factors -- youth, team aging toward the cliff, the fact that players mature at different rates, Reef's injuries, the fact he can play multiple positions, the fact he has excellent skills.
 
This is said a lot, but who are these players?

Some would say Joe Richards, but I think we'll be waiting a while to see him have a best on ground 6 goal game in the AFL.

Heath Shaw was one. Didn't have a stellar VFL career before he was brought into the team at the last minute to cover an injury and starred.

There are many.
 
Elliot and WHE will retire in the next couple of years. So we need Reef. AJ in his best form could work but there has to be doubt he can ever capture that again.

I know you hate Reef SR, but I reckon you need to balance up all factors -- youth, team aging toward the cliff, the fact that players mature at different rates, Reef's injuries, the fact he can play multiple positions, the fact he has excellent skills.
Yeah I hate his guts and want to punch him in the face. FFS.

And yes he does have some good traits and thus I think he'll be a rare player who gets a 5th year either with us or somewhere else whilst still being well off the pace.
 

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Heath Shaw was one. Didn't have a stellar VFL career before he was brought into the team at the last minute to cover an injury and starred.

There are many.
Yeah Heath would have spudded it up in the VFL. He was lucky he could play AFL.
 
I’d be happy for them to let him if he’d had a decent chunk game time over an 8 week block. He’s always looked likely.

IMO, We will regret letting him go, if it gets to that.
Again I take the opposite view. He’s only ever looked likely in moments compared to say Allan who looked likely across the whole match v the Dees. When we lost Henry he had looked likely. Richards looks likely. It could be role, but Reef is realistically in this position because he hasn’t done enough to earn a contract. That’s not me talking that’s the club.
 
Again I take the opposite view. He’s only ever looked likely in moments compared to say Allan who looked likely across the whole match v the Dees. When we lost Henry he had looked likely. Richards looks likely. It could be role, but Reef is realistically in this position because he hasn’t done enough to earn a contract. That’s not me talking that’s the club.


I can’t disagree with any of that.
I still believe we’ll rue the day we decided not to keep him on, though.
 
I’m on the fence with him.
I would probably just give him 1 more year just to try him further up the field.
If we think he is a deep forward, well he is a bust.

I would have told him in the end of season interview that he needs to have massive offseason and do the extra things required to play further up the field. There are little things he can do which makes me think he could play as a running half back or at least a half forward playing further up the ground.
 
Again I take the opposite view. He’s only ever looked likely in moments compared to say Allan who looked likely across the whole match v the Dees. When we lost Henry he had looked likely. Richards looks likely. It could be role, but Reef is realistically in this position because he hasn’t done enough to earn a contract. That’s not me talking that’s the club.
.
Whilst I get your point I think comparing him to Allan based off a dead rubber game against witches hats isnt a great comparison.
 
Whilst I get your point I think comparing him to Allan based off a dead rubber game against witches hats isnt a great comparison.
Yep, but if in two years time, after having been on the list for 4 years, Allan is in a position where he hasn't actually played any good AFL games - just a few moments here and there - his list spot will be in jeopardy. That's the industry.
 
Yep, but if in two years time, after having been on the list for 4 years, Allan is in a position where he hasn't actually played any good AFL games - just a few moments here and there - his list spot will be in jeopardy. That's the industry.

Yes that would make his one good dead rubber game in 2024 against a broken and divided Melbourne even more irrelevant
 

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I’d be happy for them to let him if he’d had a decent chunk game time over an 8 week block. He’s always looked likely.

IMO, We will regret letting him go, if it gets to that.

The posters stating that Reef hasn't shown enough to cement his place in the best 22 are correct but...

I want him to stay.

If the club needs to create list space then they should look elsewhere. He has a (much) higher ceiling than Sullivan, Bytel, & Fin.
 
Whilst I get your point I think comparing him to Allan based off a dead rubber game against witches hats isnt a great comparison.
It was still a much higher intensity game than most VFL games and he put in a consistent 4 quarter effort, which Reef struggles with even at lower levels. It was a fair comparison.
 
The posters stating that Reef hasn't shown enough to cement his place in the best 22 are correct but...

I want him to stay.

If the club needs to create list space then they should look elsewhere. He has a (much) higher ceiling than Sullivan, Bytel, & Fin.
I agree with that and think he'll probably get a year if no other club comes knocking.

We do need to create main list space though, so possibly delist and rookie if no other teams are interested in him.
 
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The posters stating that Reef hasn't shown enough to cement his place in the best 22 are correct but...

I want him to stay.

If the club needs to create list space then they should look elsewhere. He has a (much) higher ceiling than Sullivan, Bytel, & Fin.
That’s a reasonable point. As someone that doesn’t see him ever cementing himself as a senior player if you asked who I’d rather keep for a further 12 months between our glut of list clogging rookies or Reef it would absolutely be Reef. I expect we’ll still have an SSP or two joining ahead of 2025 which again feels unlikely to be someone that is definitely covering Reef next year.

Sr is probably right it may very well depend on external interest because I would encourage him to try and get a 2 year deal elsewhere.
 
That’s a reasonable point. As someone that doesn’t see him ever cementing himself as a senior player if you asked who I’d rather keep for a further 12 months between our glut of list clogging rookies or Reef it would absolutely be Reef. I expect we’ll still have an SSP or two joining ahead of 2025 which again feels unlikely to be someone that is definitely covering Reef next year.

Sr is probably right it may very well depend on external interest because I would encourage him to try and get a 2 year deal elsewhere.

If he can find a club that's a better fit, it might make sense for both parties.

As unrealistic as it may seem I would like to see Reef shine. Hopefully, that's for us.
 
Need to be keeping McInnes on the list unless we are bringing in better young prospects. He's well ahead of most of our under 24 non regulars.

Undoubtedly has the tools to be an AFL player. The major concern would be around his tank. It seems to be the number one priority for us and if he's substandard there then he might struggle to make it with us. If that's the case, then moving on would make sense, but we must be bringing in better suited young talent to replace him, cannot afford to be going backwards.
 
Whilst I get your point I think comparing him to Allan based off a dead rubber game against witches hats isnt a great comparison.
Why not? He was one of the highest rated players on the ground. You can only play who is in front of you, and as a midfielder he tackled, chased, had quite a number of score involvements, while playing against some experienced and in form midfielders from Melbourne.
 
The Reefer was picked in the 2020 draft...which means the end of 2020. So it's getting to 4 years since he was selected by the Pies.

If you do a search on how to increase aerobic fitness, there's a lot of links on google that will say 8 to 12 weeks. Now I also vaguely know from watching the olympics that some people are just naturally suited to long distance activities.... You can delve into the slow and fast twitch muscles if you like .....

So where did this story come from about the Reefer acquiring a tank??? Or stealing a tank...or somehow scamming someone for a tank....or some other crap.

I've seen these tank references in these threads for 4 years and I'd just like to find out who was the guy who made it all up...
 
Again I take the opposite view. He’s only ever looked likely in moments compared to say Allan who looked likely across the whole match v the Dees. When we lost Henry he had looked likely. Richards looks likely. It could be role, but Reef is realistically in this position because he hasn’t done enough to earn a contract. That’s not me talking that’s the club.
Reefs moments are pretty good. They display an obvious talent. I think it's role.
We have tried to make something out of him that he's just not suited to.

So far I don't think he's been set up to succeed.
It's not like we have a great draft hand we need to make list space for.
1 more year for mine.
 
If/when Noble goes and if Reef stays I’d like to see him tried at half back.

Quick, tall - he’d be a pain in the rear end for other teams as he could go small/medium on a matchup.
 

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Player Watch Reef McInnes

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