Our age balance of our list needs a bit of work for sure, especially if we are pushing again in 2027.
My only concern is if both Harry and HOK get injured then the cupboard is pretty bare and although the game is evolving you still need a tall target, even if it is just to bring the ball to ground.
And aside from HOK at 21yo our players that play as tall forwards are at the back end of their careers.
Reidy is 25yo but is penciled in as a ruck that can go forward.
We should always be developing at least 1 tall defender and 1 tall forward IMO.
Maybe that is HOK this year.
Anyway, I still feel we may be a little exposed this year, I hope not as I'd prefer we play a brand of footy where goals are being kicked by mids, wings, half forwards, small forwards and talls.

Yes KPF a real issue and I spoke to someone connected with Adelaide and they were stoked to get Ludo where they did
Rated him like most a lot higher -did say he thought would take 3 years to really develop

Yes KPF a real issue and I spoke to someone connected with Adelaide and they were stoked to get Ludo where they did
Rated him like most a lot higher -did say he thought would take 3 years to really develop

Ya know….

there are many things to be excited about
with this new batch of players…and each one
has their own +’s….

But the one I’m hoping will surprise us all…
and hopefully reaches a higher level than where
he is now…?

That’s Reidy…the beast…

Oh how I’ve yearned for a big solid man*…a
Mumford type…one who scares the living crap
out of the opposition…

I don’t really know if Reidy…or as the boys nicknamed him…
Reidy…has this in him…I’m just hoping he can
surprise us all and become this player…

Go forth and frighten young man…


kindest regards tommi









*…..poof….

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that'siti'mnotchangingthistagain......!

Felt exactly the same Sidey. Agree with the addition of Ludowyke. Really don’t understand why we are carrying Fogarty or Motlop, as I would rather have had the spare spot for a KPF and KPDAND, as it turns out likely we give Elijah a spot …. he will have to earn.

But I keep looking forward to the better draft next year knowing we are likely to use our 2 firsts on Walker, and snag a couple sliders in the 20’s, but there’s also a ready made KPF FA next year available, one Ben King who we may have our eyes on. Yes there’s also Butters and Humphreys possibly available, and all 3 will have plenty of suitors. Surely we will want to snag one with our war chest.

IMO We won’t have picks to do a deal for Butters when Port match our offer, and we won’t offer much more than $1M. I wouldn’t pay the earmarked $1M+ for Humphreys either, but can see us offer King $1M.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

We have a great group of mids and tall HFs on our list. Add Elijah and a couple will be playing in the VFL for years to come.

There’s no question we are short one genuine KPD in 2026, but by 2027, 197cm HOF returns and Dean will have had 2 preseasons under his belt, we look set with 2 KPD and a third very tall, in Dean.

Lewis Young is out of contract end of 2026, Haynes unlikely to continue after 2026, Gov will be gone, maybe Newman too, and we are likely to still require a KPD for depth in 2026 and beyond if we don’t find one this year.

I’m not panicking. I like the list and trust our List strategists. I’m sure a KPD will be added this year, with HOF likely named as an LTI for 2026.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Right on Tommy
The great unknown.

Could be our Trump Card ( playing kind, not the narcissist)
I reckon it’s a 50-50 chance of success…..this year

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

That'd be great if we could get him, but I doubt he'll leave.
If he was going to leave he would've put his hand up so the Suns could get Curnow.
Even if we did offer him $1mil, the Suns could still match it and force a trade.
My concern is more for the 2026 season though.
I agree we should've let another player go or not bothered with Elijah.

If we manage to snag one of those 3 players next year, I'd be pretty happy.

So much negativity about us needing a KP forward. Trust the ‘new’ footy admin, they know what there doing……….McGovern will move back forward and take Charlie’s spot.

It's not negativity, we have a hole in our list that needed to be addressed at the draft/trade/SSP this year and we had the opportunity to do it.
For the record, I am pumped we drafted and traded in so much depth and speed to play the modern style of football being played and can't wait to see it all put together in round 1, but you still need talls and depth.
We lost Curnow 194cm, Silvagni 194cm, TDK 201cm and Lemmey also 201cm and only added Reidy to replace TDK and Dean to replace Silvagni.

As a comparison for next season:
Carlton - 4 x 2m+ and 5 x 194cm+ players, total 9
Adelaide - 4 x 2m+ and 7 x 194cm+ players, total 11
Brisbane - 6 x 2m+ and 5 x 194cm+ players, total 11
Pois - 4 x 2m+ and 9 x 194cm+ players, total 13
Geelong - 7 x 2m+ and 3 x 194cm players, total 10
Dorks - 4 x 2m+ and 10 x 194cm players, total 14

A big concern is we are not really developing anyone in the 2s this year.
HOF is out injured most if not all of the year.
HOK will be in the seniors.
Dean will be in the seniors round 1.
Duffy will most likely be gone at the end of the season.
And we are 1 injury away from only having 1 key forward and unfortunately for us it is not if, it is when.

McLovin is only 191cm.

So no matter what way you want to look at it, we are still 1-2 tall players short in the side and will be stretched a few times over the season.
What I wanted to point out was we could've taken Ludowyke to develop and we most likely won't be taking Derksen either, leaving us short and marginally exposed (more so when we get injuries).
And as Bondi has pointed out, there are other players on our list that probably don't need to be there given our acquisitions this year.
So it's not so much negativity as it is a valid point on the reality of our list.

Onley (195cm) is another we were talking about that could've been a good addition, even though he is a mid, he could've easily started as a CHF in the 2s.
Anyway it is what it is and I just wanted to make the point.

I dont think it is negative either and Harry MCGovern and even HOK arent particularly injury free either so few back ups in the squad
Dean in his first season being a kpd is a huge ask
HOF out for most of the year when you lose JSOS a blow
Expecting a different game style and method forward but little or no tall coverage when we get inevitably those plethora of injuries that have been the norm for the last 5 years apart from back end of 23

Great research sidey. Thanks for that.

Its not negative stating the risk we face if McKay or Weitering are injured. We will be 2 KPF's short if HOK is injured. Skull is a Fwd -Ruck.

Like Surrey I hope Gov improves on 2025. The backline became his sanctuary and salvation when he failed as a forward 3 years ago. He was kicked out of the backline in 2025 and shopped around. That shot at goal after the siren to win the game against Collingwood proved he's not the player he once was. There's a reason why Gov didnt have any interest from other teams. I can't rely on Gov to be an AFL standard player, and he's certainly not a KPF. He's 191cm third tall, as is Kemp who is 193cm.

I dont expect Gov will be anything more than depth this year. As a KPD or KPF I'd prefer Lewis Young ahead of Gov and Kemp, and I don't think Young will be on our list after 2026.

We should have one KPF and one KPD developing in the VFL for obvious reasons; mainly, because they are a "bird in the hand" and obviously more economical to develop than to target in a trade (especially with compromised Drafts the next 5 years.

We lack a CHB and a genuine CHF if Harry plays FF. That's real, not paranoia.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

https://www.carltonfc.com.au/news/19363 ... -the-faith

Stop being a negative nancy.

Say no more.

We live in hope we will be lucky on the injury front with the abovementioned players

Anyone want to put money on them being injury free?

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Okay...................put it down to old man's syndrome........................how many spots do we have left

Is it 1 SSP, 1 Rookie and possibly 1 LT Injury re HOF?

Is that right?

If that is the case, there is still a spot for a KPP from the 2 train ons/VFL players. I can only presume they rated those 2, Phillips and Paea as better prospects.

If Elijah has been invited to train on, then he would have to be a short-priced fav to jag a spot, if he does everything right over the next 3 months.

Regards Cazzesman

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Ricky Gervais - “Everyone has the right to hold whatever beliefs they want. And everyone else has the right to find those beliefs f***ing ridiculous.”

Daniel Patrick Moynihan said, “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.”

Agree with all of this. we all want our game style to evolve to faster ball movement, naturally, as it’s been the trend for years now. But we lack a dominant ruck full stop and we lack tall KPPs to cover injuries and poor form of our rag tag list of supporting role talls. Haynes was a stroke of master recruiting and one of the best intercept defenders in the AFL in 2025… but we need the bigger bodied types also. Lions play with a bunch of them and always have a spare or three trying to get into the team on form. Lions are the benchmark team and move the ball extremely well, but Fagan values his KPPs and rucks (often playing two), whatever commentators on this list think of the KPF and rucks he selects week in and week out.

I just watched the highlights of the training camp, and I didn't see Paea or Phillips so maybe it is down to just the 3 - Elijah, Whitey and Walley?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XJ8RWqGGK8

Regards Cazzesman

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Ricky Gervais - “Everyone has the right to hold whatever beliefs they want. And everyone else has the right to find those beliefs f***ing ridiculous.”

Daniel Patrick Moynihan said, “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.”

Saint Silvagni has not recovered from his adductor issues that ended his season.

We did well to get a first rounder for him.

TDK recovering from a calf strain. Not his first either.

Let’s hope Reidy proves that good rucks are not worth $1M, let alone $1.8M of salary cap space.

Max Gawn is a ruck on another level and worth every cent of his $1M salary. Unicorn.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Yes , Max is sensational . Hope he goes into coaching one day . Reckon he would be brilliant .

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All my dangerous friends