With Round 1 round the corner there is still a concern for me about our list depth.

I believe that we are 3 to 4 years from being a SERIOUS contender again and we will need to continue to keep turning over our list.

With Judd, Stevens, Murphy, Gibbs, Simpson, Walker, Kruezer etc on our list we need to continue to help them.

I believe that this year is vital for the following players and if they don't do something special they are gone!

Ackland (last year was awful and in final year of contract where option for next will not be optioned) Trade to Richmond for Cotchin?
Austin (still very young and a project player but still needs to show signs of improvement)
Bannister (will be kept if we decide we need a run with lock down player)
Benjamin (not even close yet)
Betts (Lazy) Tradeable?
Blackwell (ball magnet but light frame and disposal an issue)
Aisake (only so long we can hang on to project players)
Setanta (may seem a suprise but needs to keep improving) Tradeable?
Russell (tries but doesn't seem to get ball) Tradeable? with our 2nd round pick for Salopek.

Saddington (past it for me, knees a problem)
Thornton (been flat in last few years, should of gone to Haw) Tradeable?
Wiggins (trier but not up to modern game)
Jacobs (needs to be pusing for a spot, agility an issue)
All rookies as usual.

We will have no veterans for a while so we have some room to play with.

Ratten? May sound harsh and I am a fan but if we finish bottom 2 again what can we tolerate?

Ackland (last year was awful and in final year of contract where option for next will not be optioned) Trade to Richmond for Cotchin?

Not even Richmond is that stupid

_________________
Get comfortable being uncomfortable

Here's hoping, maybe we could trade him to WC for Kennedy, be rapt to get him back!!

You're right
You're kidding
Can't comment

Ackland Gorn - he shouldn't even make our first 25 this year, with the newbies on board
Austin - wouldn't write him off this year
Bannister - I'd drop someone else before him
Benjamin - wouldn't write him off this year
Betts - a great little package who can fire when called upon, but unfortunately, yes, you need to ask it of him. Was last year's #2 scorer, from memory
Blackwell
Aisake - this will be his first year on the senior list .. come on!
Setanta - are you kidding!
Russell
Saddington - would have to agree, but there might be a place on the list when Walks isn't available ..
Thornton - I had him on my must-go list at the end of last year
Wiggins - what sexual position would he be? Back door?
Jacobs -
All rookies as usual. Why put all the rookies in this barrell?

As with all posts it is up for discussion.

My comments regarding the O'halpins is that with lists at 38 there is only so long that players can live on potential and need to produce consistent AFL level performances. Unless they can do that soon they may be trouble. Harsh maybe but that is the business.
Aisake was put on list as he couldn't be a rookie anymore.

Rookies are always under the pump and unless they produce they generally are gone in one year.

I wonder if some posters have let personal feelings get involved with their analysis of certain players. I really don't understand the negativity towards Thornton. When our defence is so poor, how could you possible want to trade our most experienced defender?

Has he had his problems? Yes - but the guy was thrown in at the deep end from the very beginning and has for the majority of the career played in a team that had no other backmen around him and placed no midfield pressure on the opposition. I think everyone agrees that he is not our key-position defender and it looks like Jamison and Waite will play those positions, but Thornton will play an important role with his poise and good disposal. Taking the third forward, he will provide more than adequare coverage defensively and will finally be able to focus on being creative and providing rebound.

Definitely part of our best 22!

Guys under the gun for this year are:

Ackland (dont think anything he could do could save him), Russell (, Wiggins, Bannister, Saddington, Blackwell, Bentick, Hartlett

Agree with td2004 on T-Bird, to much negative comments on this bloke.

As I said on one of the other threads, he played well in the second half on Friday and started a lot of our attacks from the HBF.

You have to be kidding about Russell, as if Port would consider that trade.

I am not sure I consider it negative and it is definitely not personal. I was a big fan of him when he arrived through rookie list and has done a great job under hard circumstances but since the Hawthorn deal he just looks to me like he is stale or disinterested. I don't know if he is injured or not but from MY point of view he needs to pick it up as Jamison & Waite with Bower seem to have his position covered.

As with Russell we can only hope Port would do a trade, I am a fan of Salopek and with him being a vic he would be great to get!

Salopek will only come to Carlton if Gibbs went the other way. An offer of Russell would get you a facsimile in your office reading "ROFLMAO - Mark Williams"

P.S. cj69 - does that mean what I think it means, and if so...

I think the coach and MC decided to keep some mature bodies on the list for another year to give the kids more support. However after another season and pre-season that won't be necessary and it's fairly obvious that Ackland Bannister and Saddington are in the firing line and must either produce or be gone at season's end.

Ackland has not produced in the ruck and has now been passed by Cloke Hampson Aisake and Kreuzer. Jackson is a better run with player than Bannister and Hadley is better as a utility. Saddington as a third tall is now competing with Bower Austin and Thornton with Waite and Jamison taking the two key defensive posts. There are also a couple of others in Wiggins Blackwell and Bentick who are losing pace as the youngsters overtake them. Youngsters that are either bigger faster or better skilled.


IMO Cloke may survive as a back up utility but with more development from Hampson Kreuzer and Aisake he needs to show his worth in a position other than ruck.

Let's get a little serious here. You've put a list of 13 that need to go and yet there is only 6 rounds in the draft (I think), so you believe that we should get rid of the o'Hailpins because they are taking up room on our list for players that we can't draft?
Personally I feel that these 2 will provide allot more to our list that a pick 127 and to trade them you will get a player with similar skill level, but with no upside - sorta like trading Setanta for a Bannister, pointless don't you think.

This year on the chopping block will be Saddington, Ackland, Austin, Wiggins and maybe Bentick.
Trade options are Betts, Bannister and Russel. I don't think that any others would be looked at by other clubs.

So Austin is being scrubbed up to go out with the bathwater?

He showed quite a bit towards the end of last season with the Bullies. He may show a lack of intensity at times and is fairly quiet but he could be one of our smokies ... next year perhaps.

And who is going to be interested in JR, Betts and Co if they can't cement a place with us this year? No one is going to give us anything for them. Ditto T-Bird if he has a poor year. Someone's third round maybe.

Teams take on trades if they belive they can get something out of these guys. Adelaide took on Massie because they thought they could get more out of him than we did.

I almost feel like we should make a 'sticky' of Doc Sherrin's training report from last week.

His analysis... the depth is there, but the skills and the bulk required at AFL level are 2-3 seasons away.

In the meantime, everyone take a cold shower, sit down and have a deep breath. This analysis, and over-analysis is not getting any of us anywhere.

Nice work Mole................

FAR to many black balloons coming out of people heads............!


kindest regards tommi



















........!






there ya go.................lets all take a little relaxo................!

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

His point is Steve is that we will get rubbish if we trade them. I tend to agree. Massie got us Eccles.

P.S. cj69 - does that mean what I think it means, and if so... [/quote]

Not even close![/quote]

Come on, Austin year is an underaged second year KP, he should be a regular by now

Funny thing is if Massie was still on our list he'd probably be one of our best players given our situation and probably somewhere in the leadership group...

Eccles...