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AFLW 2024 - Round 6 - Chat, game threads, injury lists, team lineups and more.
I think the answer is probably to keep Baker if we can convince him to stay on, and give him the captaincy. The issue is that he's the one without the contract.Short and Broad won't last more than 1 or 2 more season due to form and age respectfully. Nank is also starting to tire and will have to be used less and less.
Rioli and Baker both offer major leadership values that are hard to come by. Rioli took it upon himself to set up that competition at training with Shai in 2022 and look what it did? Bolton got a jacket. Baker is a great example of the "look at my actions" leader. He is being misused at the moment (still think he is best in the backline) but he also has the experience of having to work and struggle to make the AFL grade. The other thing they both have is multiple medals. That is as important as anything because they know what is required to get to the promised land multiple times.
From what I have seen of Ross, he speaks well enough to show that he is not a moron but there have yet to be stories of his leadership yet. Balta in the panel shows I have seen has given me a feeling that he is not a leader.
Arguably best players in their position don't have 2 month form slumps and don't make stupid mistakes. Or if they do make stupid mistakes, they are very very rare.Disagree, early season he was averaging close to 20/2. He’s dropped off a bit but so has most of the team. We also haven’t had a consistent forward line all year.
Sure he makes stupid mistakes but he also creates opportunities like few others.
Here is my thing as I was looking at our list a while ago. If we had all players fit and played on form and not name we could be a lot better as a side.My worry is that I don't think Yze got th job selling the vision of a rebuild. He still thought we could contend.
I hope him and Blair aren't stubborn and understand that that's probably what is required.
They are still pretty bad. 2 best KP forwards not playing makes it bloody hard.They also need to sell memberships and get people through the door at games. If that drops then so do the sponsor $$$
The injuries are not that bad atm... and we still get hammered.
That is still a bottom four midfield imo. We need to rebuild.Here is my thing as I was looking at our list a while ago. If we had all players fit and played on form and not name we could be a lot better as a side.
Think about what a side that looked like could do if playing together
Backs: Miller Balta Gibcus
HB: Rioli Broad Vlastuin
C: McIntosh Ross Ralphsmith
HF: MRJ Kosi Bolton
F: Dusty Lynch Lefau
Fol: Nank Taranto Hopper
Bench: Brown Sonsie Baker Campbell
Sub: Banks
You would find rotations between Dusty, Mansell and McAulife (push Sonsie more on ball when Mansell is in and then have him more hybrid with McAulife). If Kosi of Lefau need that rest or a few confidence boosters then Balta can be thrown forward and we develop Blight or Young more depending on the side we play.
I think it is actually 1 or 2 players off. Hopper could go for someone who is a powerful burst player and then a fast endurance king would almost complete the side.That is still a bottom four midfield imo. We need to rebuild.
Our premiership midfield had Dusty, Cotch, Prestia, Edwards and Lambert as its prime movers.I think it is actually 1 or 2 players off. Hopper could go for someone who is a powerful burst player and then a fast endurance king would almost complete the side.
In this side I would also have Miller and Gibcus playing the more shut-down roles on the tall forwards. I have a feeling that allowing Balta to use his competitive aggression and speed could be a real asset trying to get the ball out of our backline. He could also use his speed to go third man up in contests.
Here is the thing though, our flags and the flag of Collingwood were all built on Midfields not having to win the ball at the contest. Sure when finals came around our Midfield would rise to the occasion and start to get that ball but we relied on quick movement and winning the ball back around the ground.Our premiership midfield had Dusty, Cotch, Prestia, Edwards and Lambert as its prime movers.
We're one superstar and another two A graders away from matching that, and the only realistic way we're going to find them is with picks at the pointy end of the draft.
Yze saying he wasn't putting a ceiling on what we could achieve was based on us having our best players on the park for most of the season as well as a bit of PR spin to get the undecided supporters onside thinking that we'd be back in the hunt again.My worry is that I don't think Yze got th job selling the vision of a rebuild. He still thought we could contend.
I hope him and Blair aren't stubborn and understand that that's probably what is required.
I say blow it up and get max value for the players we have that won't be in the next window.
I would rather be a trash bottom 4 team for the next 2-3 three years than a mid table team like freo and the saints for 10
Short is expendable because he is too old to be around when we next contend and plays a position we actually have kids coming through in. However, I don't think he'd have enough trade currency to be worth offloading.
Bolton is an icing on the cake type player, but we have no cake.
He only plays 3 or 4 good games a year yet he is perceived as being absolutely elite. For these reasons he is overvalued and will command 2 first rounders.
It's exactly the sort of trade that makes sense for where we are at.
nothing to show for it?
there youth will run rings around the lot we currently have.
they got rising stars - we got ?? who Dow
Roo's have got holes in there list, but they have got quality youth who are growing each and every round.
Good point. Maybe he will stay in Melb and play away games only .But they don't seem to have much trouble winning games at home? It's playing away they struggle.
maybe we need to follow suite
Good point. Maybe he will stay in Melb and play away games only .
I don’t believe there is any chance Dusty will play for anyone else.
Take that to the bank. My opinion is equal to Schwarz’s headline grabbing BS.
We just have to prey some team actually has an interest in graham as a free agentFor someone to be so strong … 100%… take the interest … blah blah … they have to be absolutely certain they are correct. So Schwarz right now has information from a trusted source that Martin will sign with GC for 2-years. It does make a lot of sense to me based on everything that has happened in 2024 thus far.
I’d be very surprised if Martin to GC doesn’t happen. The combo of Graham and Martin out as free agents should net us a fairly tasty compo pick.
Assuming we won’t be contending, I’d love nothing more than Martin winning a 4th Norm Smith with GC in 2025 or 2026.
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That side is garbage. At least 10+ players listed would not get a game in a top/good team.Here is my thing as I was looking at our list a while ago. If we had all players fit and played on form and not name we could be a lot better as a side.
Think about what a side that looked like could do if playing together
Backs: Miller Balta Gibcus
HB: Rioli Broad Vlastuin
C: McIntosh Ross Ralphsmith
HF: MRJ Kosi Bolton
F: Dusty Lynch Lefau
Fol: Nank Taranto Hopper
Bench: Brown Sonsie Baker Campbell
Sub: Banks
You would find rotations between Dusty, Mansell and McAulife (push Sonsie more on ball when Mansell is in and then have him more hybrid with McAulife). If Kosi of Lefau need that rest or a few confidence boosters then Balta can be thrown forward and we develop Blight or Young more depending on the side we play.
caro ruled out trading rioli (ignore the bolton bit)
North were good enough to be 8 goals up on the Pies before choking, should have beaten Melbourne and only lost to the Dogs by 3 goals. North are starting to get themselves sorted in terms of a settled side. Very good chance they start climbing next yearDunno why you are assuming north with improve next year
They have been completely shithouse for the best part of 10 years all the while investing and doubling down in the fabled draft yet they have absolutely nothing to show for it
That side is garbage. At least 10+ players listed would not get a game in a top/good team.
Bite the bullet, it's rebuild time. If we have to trade players for picks then do it.
It will take 5+ years to build a side that can compete at a top level. Bolton, Rioli and Baker appear to be the players commanding interest and thus are our bargaining chips. The idea of paying players salaries to play elsewhere can only be considered if very early draft picks are on the table as in 2025 draft picks can be acquired by salary cap trading and that's an opportunity we don't won't to miss.
Keep some senior players that have little interest from other clubs to help with youth development. If necessary bring in senior players from other clubs who are being cut but still have some value.
It's time to go full steam ahead. Delaying the inevitable rebuild will place us in danger of hitting the youth drain when Tassie enters the comp.
Hawthorn traded out players for picks and freed up opportunities for youngsters exactly like we should be doing.Hawks team looked like hot garbage when 0-5 at start of 2024, didn’t it?
They’ve won 7 of 8 without much help from pointy end draft picks, so they are not the be all and end all.
They are now thriving in the back of great coaching and 2-years of playing Mitchell’s system.
Just look at their team from the weekend … a big load of traded players, late draft picks and very few top end picks…. At the start of the year they looked like their future was in real trouble relying on the likes of : Chol, D’Ambrosio, Gunston, Meek, Frost, Impey, Amon, Nash etc….
And who are their elite midfielders taken with top-10 draft picks? Ward? (He’s playing VFL). Worpel, Newcombe, Day, Nash… not a top-10 pick to be seen. Worpel, Newcombe and Nash were acquired for a bag of crisps.
We will get 2-3 elite players and probably another 2-3 very good players in the next couple of drafts via ‘natural selection’ and players exiting of their own free will. We don’t need to ‘go nuclear’ to rebuild.
North have been rebuilding since 2017 (they got LDU pick 4 that draft). And in 2024 they remain terrible. I agree they finally look to be improving, but who knows how much in the next 5-years? You cannot possibly not improve when you acquire about 10 x top-5 draft picks over 8-years plus get AFL charity galore.
North went nuclear end of 2016 and look at how long they’ve taken to get to a point where even just being competitive is being celebrated … they are 1-14 FFS 8-years into their rebuild and we are using them as a ‘poster boy’ for what we should do… FMD.
No thanks.
Let’s take all our picks to the draft across 2024-25. Get a few more picks for players who leave of their own accord (Baker, Graham, Dusty?). Retire off some ageing champs even if they want to go on : at least three of Pickett, Prestia, Grimes, Macca. Get our salary cap into a position to launch at a free agent or two around 2026-27.
That’s what we will be doing. And it’s what we should be doing. We will not be proactively trading out any quality, contracted players.
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