Strategy Trade and List Management Thread Part 7 (opposition supporters - READ posting rules before posting)

[dogwatch]

Darcy has everything in his kit to be the most unstoppable forward in the league

There would be 17 teams in the league hoping we move him to first ruck. He should never spend less than 70% of the time up front

Agree but there would also be 17 teams hoping English remains our #1 ruck.

We have to work out where we will get the best net result over the next 3-5 years, not just this year. If swapping Tim and Sam precipitates a tanty/crisis in the English camp maybe we’ll get ourselves a more competitive first ruck sooner than expected and Darcy can go back to being a 70 goal FF.

But if Timmy stays and becomes a 40 goal FF while Darcy dominates ruck duels and around the ground we will still be better off than we were last night.

I’m hoping I’m wrong about English and he plays a blinder next week. I was in his corner while he was being criticised as a young ruckman but he simply hasn’t changed or fixed his shortcomings.

 

[iambrilliant]

Tim would currently have to be in the bottom 4 rucks in the comp possibly even lower

 

[seaweed]

To paraphrase from The Sound of Music: How do you solve a problem like Tim English?

The fact he was All Australian in 2023 is absolutely mind boggling to me.

I’ll play devils advocate here…is he coasting, completely aware that there’s quite literally no one else to replace him at the highest level so he knows he won’t get dropped? Because we’d be so unwilling to throw Darcy in there full time, Gardner is supposedly rubbish, Smith is undersized and not ready and we binned the idea of Crossley. Is he acutely aware of this and knows he won’t or simply can’t get dropped and is using it to his advantage?

Surely the coaching/selection panel can’t be blind to his performances. Are our other options simply not up to scratch so he gets a free pass? You would think that anything else is better than him at this point.

 

[doggie dog]

To paraphrase from The Sound of Music: How do you solve a problem like Tim English?

The fact he was All Australian in 2023 is absolutely mind boggling to me.

I’ll play devils advocate here…is he coasting, completely aware that there’s quite literally no one else to replace him at the highest level so he knows he won’t get dropped? Because we’d be so unwilling to throw Darcy in there full time, Gardner is supposedly rubbish, Smith is undersized and not ready and we binned the idea of Crossley. Is he acutely aware of this and knows he won’t or simply can’t get dropped and is using it to his advantage?

Surely the coaching/selection panel can’t be blind to his performances. Are our other options simply not up to scratch so he gets a free pass? You would think that anything else is better than him at this point.

He's just really timid, not the mental attributes to be a ruck.
I think you have to have that conversation of going the Roughead option, by moving him down back when LJones retires, he can still be an asset but not as a 1st choice ruck.
Don't like it, we'll trade you to WA for picks to be used to get a 1st choice ruck.

 

[dergert]

Honestly don't get all the shit Lachie Smith cops on here. Imo he's developing nicely and ahead of schedule.

 

[Struggle]

Honestly don't get all the shit Lachie Smith cops on here. Imo he's developing nicely and ahead of schedule.

Yep, a bit undersized but he put out so much more at VFL level than you'd expect from a 1st year player going against bigger guys

 

[seaweed]

Honestly don't get all the shit Lachie Smith cops on here. Imo he's developing nicely and ahead of schedule.

In all the photos I’ve seen he genuinely does look very strong and I suppose for a ruckman who is on the smaller size he would need to be, in the mold of Nankervis (correct me if I’m wrong here) who is also not the tallest so strikes the balance by being a beast

 

[Zeno The Great]

Honestly don't get all the shit Lachie Smith cops on here. Imo he's developing nicely and ahead of schedule.

Are people really giving him shit? I would have thought 99% of dogs fans would be very happy with how he is tracking. Played some really good games in the vfl last year.

 

[Contador]

We should've taken Thilthorpe at pick 1. Big miss.

 

[JohnnySteel]

We should've taken Thilthorpe at pick 1. Big miss.

We didn’t have pick #1.

 

[Sentinel]

We should've taken Thilthorpe at pick 1. Big miss.

Wait till you hear we passed on Nick Daicos the following year

 

[Mofra]

God I wish we had a mid season trade period.
I'd look at Ned Reeves who is now being Meek at the Hawks.
I've been ok with Timmy for a while but even outside of ruck contests, Xerri beat him around the ground and in transition.

Higher TOG and DE too.

Timmy needs a rocket to get him competitive.

 

[lachy]

Yep, a bit undersized but he put out so much more at VFL level than you'd expect from a 1st year player going against bigger guys

And significantly stronger

On SM-S926B using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[threenewpadlocks]

One bad game (against the incumbent All-Australian ruck who will make other good rucks seem poor through the season, as well) and the pitchforks are out, the claims that he's not an AFL standard player, which is utterly ridiculous.

 

[Dogsman16]

One bad game (against the incumbent All-Australian ruck who will make other good rucks seem poor through the season, as well) and the pitchforks are out, the claims that he's not an AFL standard player, which is utterly ridiculous.

One bad game? Rewatch his efforts against hawthorn in the elim, and Adelaide in rd 22 last season. He was horrendous.

He also got destroyed in hitouts against GWS in rd 24 and Briggs had a busted shoulder.

 

[weltschmerz]

One bad game (against the incumbent All-Australian ruck who will make other good rucks seem poor through the season, as well) and the pitchforks are out, the claims that he's not an AFL standard player, which is utterly ridiculous.

Xerri has never been AA.

 

[CarnTheScray]

One bad game (against the incumbent All-Australian ruck who will make other good rucks seem poor through the season, as well) and the pitchforks are out, the claims that he's not an AFL standard player, which is utterly ridiculous.

One bad game? I have referred to him as Timid Tim for 6 seasons for good reason.

Xerri wasn’t AA either. Gawn was.

 

[glenashley]

Can Croft ruck?

 

[dergert]

I agree with the move for the long term but gee Macrae would've been handy to have in our decimated midfield right now.

Missing Peatling is frustrating, he is exactly what we need.

 

[doggie dog]

Can Croft ruck?

Physically not ready, but he could run around at CHF, Astro as the deep Fwd and Darcy to ruck.
But that's robbing Peter to pay Pall.

Only my opinion....Timid Timmy to FB, Lobb to interceptor and chuck Gardner to ruck.
At least Gardner would compete.

 

[lachy]

Physically not ready, but he could run around at CHF, Astro as the deep Fwd and Darcy to ruck.
But that's robbing Peter to pay Pall.

Only my opinion....Timid Timmy to FB, Lobb to interceptor and chuck Gardner to ruck.
At least Gardner would compete.

Why would we ruck Gardner when he is second ruck to a ruckman in the VFL? Wouldn't you play the developing ruckman?

On SM-S926B using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Anja_Nees]

Can Croft ruck?

If Freijah, Jong and Dunkley can then Croft sure as hell can

 

[Unorth]

To paraphrase from The Sound of Music: How do you solve a problem like Tim English?

The fact he was All Australian in 2023 is absolutely mind boggling to me.

I’ll play devils advocate here…is he coasting, completely aware that there’s quite literally no one else to replace him at the highest level so he knows he won’t get dropped? Because we’d be so unwilling to throw Darcy in there full time, Gardner is supposedly rubbish, Smith is undersized and not ready and we binned the idea of Crossley. Is he acutely aware of this and knows he won’t or simply can’t get dropped and is using it to his advantage?

Surely the coaching/selection panel can’t be blind to his performances. Are our other options simply not up to scratch so he gets a free pass? You would think that anything else is better than him at this point.

Concussions. He was always soft in 1:1 contests but you'd get him flying around for contested marks, being a good link up player. Now he won't put himself in the same positions he used to.

I don't blame him for preserving his health, it was our mistake to keep him and hitch our next few years to the English wagon despite the 2020, 2022, 2024 finals, the last game in 2023 which was must win and he got pantsed by a first gamer...and so on.

The AA was pretty mickey mouse - Gawn was hurt. His competition that year was sparse. Not all AAs are equal.

Unfortunately it's basically sunk cost at this point, we've invested too much time and money, it won't change as long as Bevo is around.

What we needed to see after an up 2023 and a down 2024 was that the trajectory would bounce back up. To get trounced the way he did - Xerri almost won that game for North - was incredibly disappointing.

He's not totally useless as a player, he's just not a ruck.

 

[doggie dog]

Why would we ruck Gardner when he is second ruck to a ruckman in the VFL? Wouldn't you play the developing ruckman?

On SM-S926B using BigFooty.com mobile app

Neither LSmith or Gardner are adequate as an AFL 1st choice ruck.
But clearly, neither is Timmy

 

[Ash1337]

English had a leg injury and was rushed back for finals. Xerri is a freak of nature of a ruck too. Anyways I think he wont be the ruck we want until late in his career. Like Stanley.