I'll admit when I read that the teams could (maybe, possibly, would) need to reduce in size I thought, yer, I can see that, that will save some money.

But looking at it like this ^

Unless they drop 2 players off the field, which I know has been discussed for a few years, I cant see who it could work. There just isnt enough cover for the injuries, and the kids who are developing/learning to be AFL players.

If you get injuries, where do we pull the reserves from?

I would hate so see the day where we need to play Cas as a midfielder due to injuries (not putting it past the big fella, he fills our holes nicely everywhere else - but you get the point)

We have some very strange times ahead, and I feel we need a few more pieces of a puzzle to connect what the AFL have in mind for the game moving forward.

Not sure if I have said this already but one would have to think Ben Silvagni might be in trouble if the list is clipped. I cannot imagine he is in the top 95% of the players on the list right now. And I don't think the club's new management hold much sentimentality for the family bloodlines that permeate the list. It would be ironic if we lose one SOS and bring in another one.

I would rate our midfield group in the bottom 3 of the league, no surprise we keep finding ourselves in the bottom 3.

Cripps then Walsh then ????????

I believe our Forwards and Backs are better than a bottom 3 finish. Papley and a fit Curnow would be a very good forward line.

It's not like sos didn't try.

In past 4 drafts, we have drafted

SPS
Fisher
Dow
Lob
Walsh
Stocker
Philp

7 top 20 Picks

For whatever reason none of them except Walsh played midfield in round 2

I don't think high draft picks are the issue here. It's the fact everyone wants results now and they're pretty much either kids or not the body type to put on size to be competitive at the coal face playing against men.
SOS should've put more value on picking up B+ grade mids from other teams to help some of these kids develop and be less exposed.
And yes, I know we tried to get some guns from GWS but I think the bar was set too high and a bit one dimensional (mainly for marketing purposes). A Zak Jones or even an Ed Langdon would've been sufficient enough to make a noticeable difference in the middle.

I don't think high draft picks are the issue here. It's the fact everyone wants results now and they're pretty much either kids or not the body type to put on size to be competitive at the coal face playing against men.
SOS should've put more value on picking up B+ grade mids from other teams to help some of these kids develop and be less exposed.
And yes, I know we tried to get some guns from GWS but I think the bar was set too high and a bit one dimensional (mainly for marketing purposes). A Zak Jones or even an Ed Langdon would've been sufficient enough to make a noticeable difference in the middle.

I know SWFA about the NBA but since watching The Last Dance I'm a couch expert.

I think we need this guy.

Never heard of him before today but get him out of retirement. Cat B.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_UphWCvkj4

He's just brilliant.

Sorry just adding some amusement to a dreary thread. I promise the vid will make you smile.

Regards Cazzesman

I know SWFA about the NBA but since watching The Last Dance I'm a couch expert.

I think we need this guy.

Never heard of him before today but get him out of retirement. Cat B.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_UphWCvkj4

He's just brilliant.

Sorry just adding some amusement to a dreary thread. I promise the vid will make you smile.

Regards Cazzesman

Setterfield Kennedy Wiley Palmer Lang Smedts Lamb Pickett Deluca

He had a fair crack at a few the fact that Bolton didn't play them whilst the others developed might be more the point. I know they are not B+ but they were all capable of midfield chop out

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I think that's a weak cop out using Bolton as the scape goat for our lack of mature players helping develop the kids. From memory he was under the instruction to get games into the kids and build the young core. The exact opposite of what Teague is doing. Plus out of the players you have highlighted, only 3 are with the club which pretty much says it all. Especially seeing as though they never got a game at another AFL club afterwards. And to be honest I am not sure how Lang or Kennedy are still on our list and they're not even being used as midfielders under Teague for a reason. The only one that will most likely become a B+ midfielder is Setterfield and in 2019 under Bolton (effectively his first full season in the AFL) he played 7 out of a possible 11 games. Also if I recall correctly, he was suspended for two of those 11 games, then returned through the VFL. However I did like Lamb, who did play 18 out of 22 in his last season. But I don't think Bolton had much to do with his removal and we already know that he was hounding SOS for more true mids. Either way I'm sure we both can agree that Kennedy, Wiley, Palmer, Lang, Smedts and even Deluca would not have anywhere near the same impact in the middle to help Cripps vs a Zak Jones type etc.