List Mgmt. Welcome Matt Flynn (Unrestricted Free Agent)

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Keys

Keys

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Veteran 10k Posts 30k Posts TheBrownDog EKA Medal - Sweet FA Rising Star Past Winner - West Coast Eagles Board Poster of the Year Pantskyle Podcaster
Oct 11, 2006
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Welcome to West Coast Matt Flynn - even if we do have to wait until Friday or Monday before the paperwork can be lodged to make it truly official



E3D549B8-2C32-4E62-A591-36A2C43D5837.jpeg

It’s not a headline pickup but some smart business to bring in a mature body to provide ruck depth and if things go well develop as our No.1 ruck with support from Bailey Williams

Eight years in the system for 33 games averaging around 11 disposals and 24 hitouts per game is a pretty modest resume but plenty of rucks have taken time to find their feet

Feed him a diet of raw meat over the preseason to develop a solid crash and bash ruck that can provide a strong contest and help our developing mids to win their share of clearances

Go well big fella

PS : Give him the 29 jumper worn by our last premiership ruckman
 

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Not sure what the plan is here.

I know the club originally intended Williams to be a forward. But he's just had his best season as a full-time ruckman. Williams had similar stats to Flynn, averaging ~27-28 HO and around ~12 disposals a game. But Williams is 2 years younger.

I can understand if we were desperate to get Williams back into the forward line. But with the development of Maric, that doesn't seem critical. So Williams plays backup to Flynn who, despite being older, actually has marginally less experience? Or Flynn plays backup to Williams? In which case, did we just bring in a FA as a ruck backup?

At this stage, we're going into the season with Jack Williams, Callum Jamieson and Bailey Williams and who are all ruck/forwards, Harry Barnett who is (I believe) a pure ruck and Harry Edwards who is a defender/ruck and now Matt Flynn. Granted, all of them are pretty raw. But I can't see them all fitting in...

Doesn't look good for Jamieson?
 
Tyberious Funk said:
Not sure what the plan is here.

I know the club originally intended Williams to be a forward. But he's just had his best season as a full-time ruckman. Williams had similar stats to Flynn, averaging ~27-28 HO and around ~12 disposals a game. But Williams is 2 years younger.

I can understand if we were desperate to get Williams back into the forward line. But with the development of Maric, that doesn't seem critical. So Williams plays backup to Flynn who, despite being older, actually has marginally less experience? Or Flynn plays backup to Williams? In which case, did we just bring in a FA as a ruck backup?

At this stage, we're going into the season with Jack Williams, Callum Jamieson and Bailey Williams and who are all ruck/forwards, Harry Barnett who is (I believe) a pure ruck and Harry Edwards who is a defender/ruck and now Matt Flynn. Granted, all of them are pretty raw. But I can't see them all fitting in...

Doesn't look good for Jamieson?
Click to expand...
There was some small chatter hawks had some interest in Jamieson, perhapys there's more to it?

Otherwise:

OA - FF
Maric - third tall
BW - CHF
Smalls - Long, Ryan, Cripps

Obviously we still have Darling(do we?...) to fit in but the above will be long term, with Cripps being swapped out for Collard, if we end up with him.

Flynn plays pure ruck, BW covers him when he's on the bench.

Williams plays WAFL and is backup, unless he really comes on(still very young) and pressures BW.

Edwards replaces McGovern when he retires(if he stays on the list), Jamieson gets traded/delisted, unless he manages to push one of the forwards out(unlikely).

Barnett develops for the next 3 years in the WAFL and looks to take over from Flynn in a few years.
 
Great to get Flynn for free - Should only get better and adds a lot of depth and probably leadership to our young developing rucks. We were extremely lucky this year that B.Williams managed to have a breakout year and stay on the park for 23 games. If he went down its possible we may have put Oscar Allan back in the ruck as Barnett, J.Williams and Jamo all not ready and would have got pulverised in my opinion.
 
Tyberious Funk said:
Not sure what the plan is here.

I know the club originally intended Williams to be a forward. But he's just had his best season as a full-time ruckman. Williams had similar stats to Flynn, averaging ~27-28 HO and around ~12 disposals a game. But Williams is 2 years younger.

I can understand if we were desperate to get Williams back into the forward line. But with the development of Maric, that doesn't seem critical. So Williams plays backup to Flynn who, despite being older, actually has marginally less experience? Or Flynn plays backup to Williams? In which case, did we just bring in a FA as a ruck backup?

At this stage, we're going into the season with Jack Williams, Callum Jamieson and Bailey Williams and who are all ruck/forwards, Harry Barnett who is (I believe) a pure ruck and Harry Edwards who is a defender/ruck and now Matt Flynn. Granted, all of them are pretty raw. But I can't see them all fitting in...

Doesn't look good for Jamieson?
Click to expand...

Williams (both) have always had the build for a 2nd ruck/forward role, and have been developed and played in WAFL as such.

Jamieson and Barnett are both pure rucks, but both need a lot of development. Both only ever played AFL due to us running out of players.

Edwards is a full back, he will train and play with the defenders.

Flynn being brought in is a direct list replacement for NN, a pure ruck who can make an immediate impact.
 
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Tyberious Funk said:
Not sure what the plan is here.

I know the club originally intended Williams to be a forward. But he's just had his best season as a full-time ruckman. Williams had similar stats to Flynn, averaging ~27-28 HO and around ~12 disposals a game. But Williams is 2 years younger.

I can understand if we were desperate to get Williams back into the forward line. But with the development of Maric, that doesn't seem critical. So Williams plays backup to Flynn who, despite being older, actually has marginally less experience? Or Flynn plays backup to Williams? In which case, did we just bring in a FA as a ruck backup?

At this stage, we're going into the season with Jack Williams, Callum Jamieson and Bailey Williams and who are all ruck/forwards, Harry Barnett who is (I believe) a pure ruck and Harry Edwards who is a defender/ruck and now Matt Flynn. Granted, all of them are pretty raw. But I can't see them all fitting in...

Doesn't look good for Jamieson?
Click to expand...

Simpson has repeatedly said they consider Williams as a forward/ruck. I’m not convinced as he showed more aptitude this year as a ruck than he’s shown in the past as a forward/ruck but if the club sees different who am I to argue. It should be noted that by R24 Williams was pretty banged after a season of being jumped into by bigger bodies on a weekly basis

Talking on SEN this morning Flynn said part of the reason he decided on WCE was the clarity given by Simpson he would be first ruck. So that pretty much gives the club’s plan away

Flynn rucking with backup from Williams

Given our only depth behind Bailey was Jamieson, the other Williams and Barnett we needed a more mature body within our ruck stocks. And we’d already missed out on Bryan and Sweet

It gives Barnett (and Jack Williams) time to develop and puts the pressure on Jamieson to step up by playing as first ruck for the Beagles
 
If Bailey goes to the forward line and Maric plays as the third tall, then Waterman has no role in the team other than depth. That would give us Allen, B.Williams, Maric and of course Darling as our main forward options. It makes the decision to offer Waterman a 2 year contract seem a bit odd.

IMHO, someone needs to learn to play in the backline. Because we have plenty of options forward and ruck, albeit many of them are still raw and developing. But our key backs are very thin, particularly when you consider how injury prone McGovern has been. Both Bazzo and Edwards haven't shown much.
 
Yeah look I definitely see Bailey as more of a #1 ruck - his strengths unearthed last season seem to be good hands at the contest, being better at the ground balls than his opposition ruck and strong followup/linkup in clearance situations - almost like a Naitanui-lite with far less unbelievable strengths but better endurance/able to play more TOG and do the boring stuff.

Whilst he's got the body to play forward I don't think his positioning or leading shows that craft - that forward mojo I wish we could have chemically extracted from LeCras somehow. A shocking set shot also (but pretty decent field kick, and decent decision maker around the ground).

I'm happy with a mature backup to keep us from wrecking him and if Bailey shows a lot as a forward then all good (he surprised us last year, might do it again) - but I'd be disappointed if we sacrificed his game to incorporate Flynn. I suppose performance-wise it doesn't massively matter this year if all that comes of it is Bailey adds another string to his bow then overtakes Flynn later on
 

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Tyberious Funk said:
If Bailey goes to the forward line and Maric plays as the third tall, then Waterman has no role in the team other than depth. That would give us Allen, B.Williams, Maric and of course Darling as our main forward options. It makes the decision to offer Waterman a 2 year contract seem a bit odd.

IMHO, someone needs to learn to play in the backline. Because we have plenty of options forward and ruck, albeit many of them are still raw and developing. But our key backs are very thin, particularly when you consider how injury prone McGovern has been. Both Bazzo and Edwards haven't shown much.
Click to expand...
You're talking like 40% of our list wont be injured at any given time.
 
Tyberious Funk said:
Not sure what the plan is here.

I know the club originally intended Williams to be a forward. But he's just had his best season as a full-time ruckman. Williams had similar stats to Flynn, averaging ~27-28 HO and around ~12 disposals a game. But Williams is 2 years younger.

I can understand if we were desperate to get Williams back into the forward line. But with the development of Maric, that doesn't seem critical. So Williams plays backup to Flynn who, despite being older, actually has marginally less experience? Or Flynn plays backup to Williams? In which case, did we just bring in a FA as a ruck backup?

At this stage, we're going into the season with Jack Williams, Callum Jamieson and Bailey Williams and who are all ruck/forwards, Harry Barnett who is (I believe) a pure ruck and Harry Edwards who is a defender/ruck and now Matt Flynn. Granted, all of them are pretty raw. But I can't see them all fitting in...

Doesn't look good for Jamieson?
Click to expand...

Or should it read: -

Jamieson doesn't look good?

I cannot see that he has the ability to read the ball in play to be good on any line. My only hope is that someone gets twitchy with the ruck merry-go-round and offers us a future R4 for him
 
Good business this. Still have Bailey Williams as back up ruck with stints in the forward line.

Darling maybe only has a year or two left. Would like to see Jack Williams develop in the WAFL as our next CHF. Not even 21 yet and showed some glimpses this year when given an opportunity. Barnett can also develop at the Beagles leading the ruck.

Make or break for Jamo next season. Don’t think he’s an AFL level ruck and I just can’t see the KPD potential that many on here are spruiking.

Maric/Waterman competing for that hybrid 3rd tall/hit up player between the arcs.

Bodes well for our ruck/KPF stocks this move with no draft capital used and likely limited salary cap impost for a player like Flynn.
 
Bailey isn’t a world beater as a forward, but I don’t think he needs to be. as confidence grew through the season he was going more for marks and impacting around the ground, that’s while taking a battering playing solo ruck.

Flynn will take that off Bailey’s plate, he’ll still get plenty of ruck time.

Welcome!


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com
 
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And now it’s official

Three year deal until 2026





The Williams boys (Bailey and Jack) and Barnett are contracted to 2024. Jamieson has until 2025
 

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List Mgmt. Welcome Matt Flynn (Unrestricted Free Agent)

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