They are the only 2 top 10 selections West Coast have had since 2010 genius.
I wouldn’t expect a Freo fan to understand that success comes with consequences so perhaps I am being harsh.
Who finishes last in 2024?
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They are the only 2 top 10 selections West Coast have had since 2010 genius.
I wouldn’t expect a Freo fan to understand that success comes with consequences so perhaps I am being harsh.
- Nov 14, 2010
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by the end of year none of them other than mckay and goldy were in the best team
xerri is the goldy replacement and comben is the mckay replacement
then stephens and fisher come in also
then theres a chance for mckercher and/or duursma to have instant impact like sheezel did
Only a few injuries? That would be our dream.
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You guys weren’t even in top 5 for games lost to injury this season
Well you would be wrong.
The club has said it.
The coach confirmed it.
And fans have been discussing it for the past two years prior to this draft.
The Vic media report negative click bait articles about WA clubs as a default. Even admitted that 'they don't care much for the Eagles'. Simo joked about them 'catching on soon' that the rebuild is well underway.
Now they will focus on every corky or scratch Harley gets and then spend the next week questioning if the club's medical team are up to standard and he should ask for a trade.
Strapping Young Lad
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Comben hasn’t even played 10 games, let alone any as a defender. He’s likely going to need to learn on the job. If he gets struck down again, then what? Nyoun who’s played 3 games?
Xerri is good back up ruck to have replace Goldstien, but if he goes down who replaces him? CCJ?
Stephens might be a decent pick up, but he’s been underwhelming to date for an early pick so it’s a wait and see, and Fisher was not much more than a fringe player at the blues as a forward/wing.
The fact that he’s openly said his defensive side of his game was his issue at Carlton but that he’s going to play defense at North should have you lowering your expectations, not raising them.
Sure all your 18yr olds could come in and play like Sheezel, but the fact is that they won’t have the support around them to do that, with so many bigger bodies moving on.
What is far more likely to occur is that Duursma plays a lot of seconds footy so that he doesn’t get belted by bigger bodied defenders weekly. McKercher will get games no doubt, and will likely impress, but in an area you need it the least.
28 players on you list have played less than 50 games. 17 haven’t played 10 games.
I have almost no doubt you’ll be looking at these numbers by Round 10 as a way of explaining why you’re being routinely pulled apart in games, like many young lists before them.
What a doosh bag comment.
Comparing 2023 drafts with North who went in with 5 1st rounders with 4 gifted from AFL House.
And then include the North 2023 draftees and exclude Harley from the comparison.
What an interesting way of assessing things.
- Aug 6, 2021
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Hall played six games last year and he will be replaced by Mckercher (debutante) and Fisher (107 games).
Cunners played 9 games last year and he will be replaced by Phillips (played 16 games last year, 32 in total)
I suspect Powell and Simpkin will spend a fair bit of time playing the defensive forward role instead of Turner.
Howe was an outside utility who will be replaced by some combo of Stephens (43 games), Mckercher and Fisher.
Goldy becomes Xerri and/or CCJ in the short-term, with Free as the ready-made break-glass and Goad a few years away. It is what it is. Goldy would have been handy, but I'm not sure we lose any games by not having the 2024 version of him around. Xerri was taking significantly more hitouts than TG towards the end.
That's all fine and dandy, but its tall defenders is where it starts getting pretty speculative.
In an ideal world I would have liked Nick Haynes to bolster the backline over the short-term, but alas it wasn't to be.
Mckay's intercept-focused kpd role will most likely be taken by Comben (9 games and about 5kg lighter than Ben but still he's 22yo, built like a stallion, and more aggressive than his predecessor). I have high hopes.
I suspect Pink (25 yo) will play more a lockdown key defender role as he's been playing closely on Larkey in the match sims. Can SANFL's best defender make the leap to the big league? I'm not going to profess to following South Australian footy outside of highlights reels, but he's been getting some decent wraps from people in the know. If he doesn't work out in the seniors, Corr'll probably assume the full-time KPD role until Logue gets back.
Ziebs was a warrior for many years, but he had bugger all mobility towards the end, so its hard to know how to make a 2024 comparison to what he offered in 2023, especially given that we're all hoping for a backline with more pace, agility and endurance in 2024. If Corr has to assume a fulltime key defender role, it probably leaves Kal Dawson (194cm, 25yo, 5 AFL games) as the most likely third tall if we need the height. Or if we want athleticism there's Goater (11 games, 190cm), or for terrific skilfulness and decision-making Bergman will get the call up at some point (13 games and 188cm, but his skinniness means he's still a bit defensively limited).
I think Corr assumes the general, backline leader role, at least until Logue gets back. If McDonald somehow retains the captaincy, he probably plays most weeks, though I'd prefer Larkey as captain myself. Archer (8 games) is probably his main competition in the small lockdown role.
So yes, there will be teething issues and no doubt a player or two aren't up to it. But across the board, at least there are some attributes - especially skilfulness and speed - more suited to the modern game than what North coaches had at their disposal at the start of the last couple seasons. Say what you will about our untested KPD depth, but the prospect of Sheezel and McKercher providing elite rebound is tantalising.
Most importantly, I'm not sure a backline that relies on either Pink or Comben making the grade as a key defender for 2-3 months until Logue gets back is necessarily any more speculative than a forward line that relies on the 2024 versions of Chol, Gunston and Ginnivan.
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1500 games left.
Some were replaced with Fisher.
Not a stretch to see that the loss of so much experience will take time for the kids to get up to speed.
It's why teams rebuilding often do not improve in a linear curve and take steps back before going forward. Look at Freo in 2023.
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This isn't the Premiership favourites thread.
- Aug 6, 2021
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Beyond "experience", what actual on-field contributions do you imagine any of these specific players making at North in 2024?
This reads like a self pity thread
Probably took him 10 years to rack his brain for the Elton reference to be fair, doesn't leave a lot of time to come up with actual critical thinking.
Strapping Young Lad
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Do think Fisher is an upgrade?
Phillips is seen by some North posters to be no good. You obviously think he’s going to be an upgrade on one of your best mids of the last 30 years?
You seem to really disregard experience and seasoned bodies. Xerri is a good ruck to have come in, but Goldstien was still having a significant impact for you out on the park even if he wasn’t getting his hands on it as much.
This is your biggest issue. It’s going to be pretty ugly unless Clarko reverts to his full ground press that could be some of the most unwatchable football you will ever see - speaking from experience of his last couple of years with us.
They won’t have many bigger bodies like Howe, Hall, Turner or Ziebell to protect them in 2024. Opposition coaches will look to go through their men at all times.
They’ll find it hard to rebound if they’re chasing arses back to the goals square constantly.
The problem is I think it took West Coast a few years after your premiership to realise a full rebuild was necessary. I don't think you really began your rebuild until around 2021 at the earliest.
Anynameyouwish
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It is a big 'might' - your guys look more structured at the moment.
this is clearly a troll as it's a new account but not expecting the moderators to do anything about it when they sing the same tune.
beat Fremantle away in 2022.
could've easily beaten Carlton in 2023, poor kicking and lopsided umpiring.
nearly beat St Kilda...
got close to Essendon twice.
any sort of improvement and they'll quite easily win 2 or 3 games in that first lot.
to be honest apart from the Geelong and Gold Coast away games they're all winnable. Think North will probably win between 2-4 games from the first 10.
Anynameyouwish
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There are only so many half back flank positions you can hide players in like Sheezel did. Soon someone will have to put their hand up and want to do the hard yards in the middle. It should've been Powell and JHF but it hasn't happened and someone has to decide it will be them.
Who do you think it'll be? It would be a huge ask to require McKercher and Duursma to do it.
- Sep 26, 2004
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That's a wildly optimistic statement.
Why are you assuming that whilst they will improve, none of their opponents are going to?
I still think it's WCE for one very identifiable reason.
There is no developed depth through the midfield and the club is literally one injury to Kelly away from being worse through the midfield than last year.
You can't expect first to third year players to come in, play through the guts and win their position let alone play the whole season there.
There is still a very solid defence and forward line there but it all means squat if you get annihilated through the middle every week and even teams that are expected to finish on the lower rung of the ladder next year are likely to dominate West Coast unless we some some level of miracle and that's what it would be of Yeo and Kelly being able to play every game together and do it through the midfield at the peak of their abilities.
There is no developed depth through the midfield and the club is literally one injury to Kelly away from being worse through the midfield than last year.
You can't expect first to third year players to come in, play through the guts and win their position let alone play the whole season there.
There is still a very solid defence and forward line there but it all means squat if you get annihilated through the middle every week and even teams that are expected to finish on the lower rung of the ladder next year are likely to dominate West Coast unless we some some level of miracle and that's what it would be of Yeo and Kelly being able to play every game together and do it through the midfield at the peak of their abilities.
Strapping Young Lad
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All teams that had disappointing stretches in their season. Freo were in the gun early. Blues too. Essendon poor later in the year.
All sides that are bound to be better in 2024.
While North are younger and have even less experience.
- Nov 10, 2022
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Flooding? There’s a good chance with Clarko
Anynameyouwish
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How is this a troll as an opinion piece?
I don't think they'll win one of the first 5 and I think they only have a chance in 2 of the next 5. You think they may win the 2 'chances' and I think they'll be lucky to win one of them. We are not that far apart in thinking.
The equivalent team in performance last year was West Coast and North have surrendered their home ground advantage in Melbourne to play that game in Tasmania - levelling the playing field a bit as it is no longer a true 'home' game.
Fremantle should be better this year with some more games into the kids, Carlton and St Kilda won as they were more composed and mature (North have not made up ground here so there is no reason to think differently). As a poster above has pointed out Essendon have won the last 10 encounters against North.
A couple of injuries and some beltings will see the wind come out of the '5-first round picks' momentum and a more defensive game plan throwing a spare back as soon as possible to make sure thrashings are limited.
How have North gotten better for the short term? Long term is ok-ish if they can grab a couple of KPP trades, but the kids are going to get belted by mature bodies for the short term.
- Nov 10, 2022
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Welcome to the hawks 2023 discussion. Hawks with the least games experience lost despite 9 changes in 2024
Looks like the average games lost over two seasons turns out to be average across the league.
Is Damo on holiday?
- Aug 6, 2021
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Absolutely 100% 2023 Zac Fisher playing at half-back is an upgrade on 2023 Aaron Hall.
Yes its sacrilege but 2023 Phillips post glandular fever is an upgrade on 2023 Cunnington post chemo. I say this as someone who regarded Cunnington as my favourite player for most of the past decade.
That's not really the right argument here mate.
Xerri is bigger (marginally) and more brutal than Goldy.
The distinction is that Xerri's tapwork is nowhere as finessed as Goldy.
Goldy used to be really good for his around the ground work too, but that's dropped off a cliff over recent years.
I agree it would have been handy to have him there as ruck depth.
You're projecting attributes onto players that simply weren't there.
Hall was a complete defensive liability this year and was accordingly dropped to the 2s. Turner weighed 78kg!
Ziebell's bigger body would have been useful, if it hadn't become chronically immobile after being a kamikazi weapon for the past 15 years.
If only Howe could dispose the footy at something resembling an AFL standard. How many games do you reckon we'd win in 2024 with him in the squad? Alas. We could have saved him a spot, but I can't say I regret drafting McKercher, Duursma, Goad, Hardeman, W Dawson or F Maley myself. But you know, its early days.
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