Your team’s 3 key players that’ll shape 2025

[hawkman]

Meek
Day
Battle - opens up the ground for Sicily and Weddle to be moved anywhere they are needed

 

[Enviable Tradition]

Port

Lukosius.

I am very confident on Georgiades but he needs help to make our forward line function and we need a key forward who is a reliable kick for goal.

Aliir.

If he goes down our backline is in big trouble.

Sweet/Soldo.

We need someone to at least break even in ruck and give our maturing gun mids a chance.

On SM-G975F using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[MakeshiftMartyr]

Sean Darcy - controls the ruck, improves our midfield and leaves us the luxury of Jackson on a third-string defender.

Shai Bolton - we paid through the nose for him, if he performs how we know he can then the sky is the limit.

Josh Treacy - breakout year in 2024, needs to maintain or improve that form for us to be a premiership chance.

 

[BarbieITFC]

1: Pearce - no coincidence we fell into a heap when he was out last year. Sure, Darcy and Treacy were huge misses as well at the end of the year, but we've won games with Darcy missing regularly for the last couple of years and in the games we lost in the last four weeks we did by conceding far more goals than we had on average across the year, and were pretty much on our average for goals scored - so Treacy's absence was a blow, but nowhere as critical as Pearce's.

Daylight

2: Serong - Next captain and the beating heart of the team. Here's a clue to all opposition coaches - tag Serong out of the game and you've got a great chance of winning.

3: Amiss - Treacy took the big step last year and was our best forward - but it's hard to imagine he will make such a leap again next year. Amiss went from being a deadeye in front of goal as a 19 year old to a near liability as a 20 year old. He had far more shots than any other Freo player and he missed many. Often an Amiss miss was a complete momentum killer for us. If he repeats his overall performance of 2024 but gets back to his set shot kicking accuracy of 2023 we will finish top four without any question and he will be close to the Coleman.

 

[My Tilly]

Smith
Conway
De Koning


Smith will give us an instant upgrade in the middle which will further help the developments of a couple of second/third year players.

We desperately need one of our young rucks to click into motion. Conway averaged 13 disposals, 24 hitouts & 5 clearances in five matches played this year. He is the logical choice to take the next step which should be well ahead of Stanley's output.

De Koning. If he elevates his game, Geelong are legitimate premiership contenders with he, Henry & O'Sullivan forming a tantalizing trio in the coming years.

 

[the big lebowski]

For north I think it’s pretty clear

Logue: our best key defender whose presence makes the whole backline better. Top 5 player in a freo team that made finals. We need that sort of a return from him.

Comben: played a career high 19 games in 2024, in a position that was completely foreign to him. In 2025 with Logue back we have the flexibility to swap him forward and back as matchups dictate. For example I imagine he will be required down back in round 1 to man up the doggies tall forwards, then move forward in round 2 for a 3 prong tall forwards like against the dees.

Mckercher: a lot of people that watch training closely say he’s as good as sheezel, though different players. Obliterates team mates on the training track then stays out an extra half hour to work on goal kicking etc. Will be an absolute weapon playing up the ground

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

Day, Newcombe, Sicily

Our last 3 B&F winners…. if all 3 are fit and firing together for a full season we should have a very good 2025.

 

[Orange crush]

Cumming
Peatling
Perryman


Nuff said

 

[Shack18]

Xerri
Sheezel
Larkey

 

[matey]

Hoping that this thread is irrelevant to the Hawks as relying on 3 key players isn’t the best approach to get that next piece of silverware.

Hope our bottom six each week and depth is better than everyone else which covers injuries etc to get through a long gruelling season and then finals as teamwork is the thing that talks one for all and all for one is the way we play at Hawthorn

 

[Saint Kidding]

1. M. King: A fit and firing Maxy will be like a new recruit. If he gets a full season in it will make the Saint's forward line significantly more Dangerous.

2. M. Phillipou: Late last year it 'clicked' for this lad. An extremely driven young man he will get the best out of himself. Expect a breakout year in 2025.

3. J. Macrae: Talented mid with plenty to prove. He will bridge the gap left by Crouch and lead the way for the next generation of mids coming through.

2025 looking good.

 

[Lingsface]

Holmes, Cameron, SDK

SDK the not so obvious choice, I think if he can become that solid rock down back who takes the best forward again and then also be able to swing into the ruck it allows us to play a Conway and change our whole dynamic in the midfield.

Holmes is our ball carrying midfield star and Cameron of course as he is the best forward in the competition.

 

[Lingsface]

SDK - Great break out year in 2022 as a key defender, has been fair only the last two seasons and CS channeled Robert Walls and threw him into the ruck at the back end of last year. Who knows if that will be the plan again this year or whether they will settle him back down as a key defender. Contract year so important that he plays well, is happy with whatever role they give him, and he signs on for the long term. We can't afford to lose a talented young player with our list position.

Bruhn - 22 years old and 66 games under the belt. The time is now for him to really kick on and the midfield is the area of the ground where we need someone to do that. I'm maybe unfairly taking players like Holmes and Smith for granted, I think too early for any of the younger guys, and I think if we get anything out of Cam Guthrie after two seasons out injured it will be a bonus. Bruhn is at the right age to break out and make a difference. Last year was stop start due to injuries. We need him to step up and get his 20+ every single week.

Neale - Came in and did pretty well at the back end of last year after Hawkins injury. 23 goals from 15 games. 5th season in now so primed to step up and play week in week out all year. At a minimum we would need him to do what he did last season extrapolated out over a full season so compete and kick ~35 for the year. If he gets injured or takes a step back it would either be switching Jack Henry or Dangerfield forward so we are reasonably reliant on Neale delivering in 2025.

Good list. If Bailey Smith can become Holmes level player we have 2 genuine stars in the midfield with Danger as well when he is fit so important for our contested ball.

 

[geelong_crazy26]

Smith
Conway
De Koning


Smith will give us an instant upgrade in the middle which will further help the developments of a couple of second/third year players.

We desperately need one of our young rucks to click into motion. Conway averaged 13 disposals, 24 hitouts & 5 clearances in five matches played this year. He is the logical choice to take the next step which should be well ahead of Stanley's output.

De Koning. If he elevates his game, Geelong are legitimate premiership contenders with he, Henry & O'Sullivan forming a tantalizing trio in the coming years.

I think the 3 are: bruhn, holmes, Neale.

If all 3 can go another 10% this year we will be up to our eyeballs for a flag

 

[My Tilly]

I think the 3 are: bruhn, holmes, Neale.

If all 3 can go another 10% this year we will be up to our eyeballs for a flag

If De Koning regresses again, Henry, Blicavs & Kolodjashnij are in big trouble and we don't have an automatic fix.

We still had no issues scoring and that was despite only getting 25 goals out of Neale.

And if we don't get anything out of one of the younger rucks, I cannot see us doing anything much at all with an ageing Stanley. We saw this firsthand in the preliminary final when he gave us nothing against a backup ruck.

 

[geelong_crazy26]

If De Koning regresses again, Henry, Blicavs & Kolodjashnij are in big trouble and we don't have an automatic fix.

We still had no issues scoring and that was despite only getting 25 goals out of Neale.

And if we don't get anything out of one of the younger rucks, I cannot see us doing anything much at all with an ageing Stanley. We saw this firsthand in the preliminary final when he gave us nothing against a backup ruck.

Rucks arent our issue. our issue is midfield talent. Blicavs henry kolo will hold up fine. Our backline is solid, our midfield is probably one of the weakest in the league

 

[Pistol Night]

3 old campaigners

 

[My Tilly]

Rucks arent our issue. our issue is midfield talent. Blicavs henry kolo will hold up fine. Our backline is solid, our midfield is probably one of the weakest in the league

We just gained Smith who considerably bolsters our midfield.
We are crying out for a ruckman who can compete. Stanley's no different to Blicavs. Forever undersized and terribly inconsistent.
If we get a similar output to Lloyd Meek from Conway next year, our midfield won't know themselves.

Also, our defense ranked middle of the table by seasons end.
It is of no surprise those teams who held it together better were the ones who finished around us or better.

 

[Golumless]

1. Rankine: Adelaide season hinges on Rankine being able to move into full-time midfield and be a top-tier performer. Gives that extra bit of destructive talent into a midfield unit that can be a bit one-dimensional, gives Rachele space to take over as the primary small forward, and gives us the flexibility to use Dawson as a part-time midfielder (which needs to happen, as we need the half back reinforcement as much as we do midfield). Doesn't and operation save Nicks job becomes a whole lot harder.

2. Soglio: A bit under the radar with Adelaide's needs in this thread. It makes our midfield situation a whole lot smoother if Soglio can put up a seasons worth of the inside numbers he was threatening to this year and become our main ball winner on the inside. After all, that removes any need with us looking back in the Laird direction and allows space for us to experiment with Curtin/Draper/Peatling as midfielders in our rotation.

3. Thilthorpe - Unfortunately last season ended when it did for Riley as he was putting up a run that would have cemented him in the top 5 KPF's in the league (edit: didn't realise Curnow season was ridiculous). Key is to back that up and it will make Adelaide's ascent a whole lot smoother as it's a superstar talent bookending a squad. I don't think this is as critical as fixing the top-end of our midfield though.


Though, really, the biggest player that shapes our season is Nicks. Can he get us back to how we were playing in 2023, or are we going to be entering the Horse sweepstakes this year.

 

[SSwans2011]

Mills - desperately need to be better at the contest and having him return to the midfield and hopefully finding his 2022 form again is the most obvious way we can improve next year.

McCartin - struggled this year, frequent interruptions due to concussion haven't helped. If he can get back to his best and the chemistry between he and Melican improves, things will look a little less bleak for our backline as Rampe nears the end.

Heeney - obvious one, but would be stupid to not include your best player. He and Mills partnering up in the midfield is almost a decade in the making at this point, and I think if Cox does the right thing and moves Gulden and Warner out of the starting inside midfield set-up, Heeney could be even more damaging next year with the support and protection of Mills and Rowbottom.

 

[The Old Dark Navy's]

Sam Walsh - if his back issues are behind him, we will see a more powerful version of Walsh. He is vital to our midfield extractors.

Tom De Koning - he's an extra midfielder in there and was looking the goods before he went down.

Charlie Curnow - another whose season from wrecked by injury, even before he missed games.

 

[geelong_crazy26]

We just gained Smith who considerably bolsters our midfield.
We are crying out for a ruckman who can compete. Stanley's no different to Blicavs. Forever undersized and terribly inconsistent.
If we get a similar output to Lloyd Meek from Conway next year, our midfield won't know themselves.

Also, our defense ranked middle of the table by seasons end.
It is of no surprise those teams who held it together better were the ones who finished around us or better.

Rucks tapwork are generally useless and this has been supported by statistics also. We deliverately go for the stanley/blicavs style rucks.

Our defense struggled due to the quality of opposition entries due to our poor midfield. We need huge improvements in our midfield from multiple players or just write off 2025 already. Smith alone is not enough

 

[slider95]

Sam Walsh - if his back issues are behind him, we will see a more powerful version of Walsh. He is vital to our midfield extractors.

Tom De Koning - he's an extra midfielder in there and was looking the goods before he went down.

Charlie Curnow - another whose season from wrecked by injury, even before he missed games.

I agree with these three.

 

[My Tilly]

Rucks tapwork are generally useless and this has been supported by statistics also. We deliverately go for the stanley/blicavs style rucks.

Our defense struggled due to the quality of opposition entries due to our poor midfield. We need huge improvements in our midfield from multiple players or just write off 2025 already. Smith alone is not enough

Our midfield was hot garbage this year and we were within a kick (eventual premiers) of making it through to another grand final.

If they all perform at a similar level (hot garbage) but we've added in a player who will very likely average 25-30 disposals/5 clearances per week, is 2025 really a write off despite this?

 

[MadMundy]

The three players we lost at the end of the season, which you could say cost us a Top 4 spot and finals all together, are easily our most important players:

1. Sean Darcy
2. Josh Treacy
2. Alex Pearce