I know injuries hampered us, but we can't afford to play so many AFL midgets in the one side, especially when they're not blisteringly fast. Owies, Durdin, Motlop, Fisher, O'Brien and Stocker. Even with all our talls, we continually get outmarked by the opposition.

We did have a bad year with injuries
Our depth was tested and failed the test
We lack depth
Our top shelf is excellent
Our bottom shelf is too ordinary
The blunders of the past have come back to bite us

I’m not sure how we upgrade our list without offloading someone on big coin. The only one not signed long term is McKay and I’d want Dodoro level stupid in a trade to let him go.

We need a better ruckman. Pittonet is ok in the middle but not much good around the ground. TDK looks a million bucks but hasn’t quite put it together and JSOS tries hard but it’s not his gig.

I’m also not sure there’s much in the 2s. I have hopes for Carroll but suspect Dow will be let go. Who are the other mids pushing through?

As Keogh said above, our top shelf is excellent but it seems we might be paying too much to too few and need to get the balance right

Grundy with pies paying some of his wages??

No way . Grundy is far too nice of a guy ..............we need someone brutal and spiteful . A real vindictive mongrel is what we need .

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All my dangerous friends

Yep! The more the merrier too.

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dane's trolling again

so the old rubber band around the nurries trick ...

I reckon we need an experienced mid sized forward.
Go and enquire about Jack Gunston at the hawks.
Can kick a clutch goal and can help settle our young forwards.
Charlie is in his mid 20ies going on 16. He needed a cool head around him yesterday. Ditto Durdin and Harry.

We have enough injury prone players.
Trade McGovern back to SA and try and poach Draper.
1 less injury prone player for 1 gun ruck.

great idea if only

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Go Blue Boys

Got to dream big.

I've always thought Grundy was the odd man out at the Filth. Just doesn't seem like a dumb cauliflower like the rest of them. Agreed. We don't have any and our smalls are still very inexperienced.

When are the list changes announced? When the VFL team season is over?

look at melb Joel Smith and tom highmore from saints as defender (both available) and move Gov to the forward line trade plowman and delist parks . Go to draft with picks get quickest strongest player .

Yeah let's get Petracca, Oliver, Jackson, Sam De Koning, the Daicos brothers too while we're at it.

Is Willie/Junior Rioli an option? Probably wouldn’t cost too much, bit older, comes from success.

I know people will point to his pot smoking but there’s worse things to do.

I have a feeling Cuningham might be no longer
Just a gut feel
I don't want that but I think something will need to give

This keeps going around in my head.
It has every time I saw the boys live.

Midgets without express speed.
None that you listed have express speed.

I expected Durdin to tear it up this year after all the hype from the players in the preseason.

Durdin drafted with our first live pick
Motlop drafted with our first live pick
Like Motlop and Durdin Fisher is a 2nd roun draft pick
The others you list are first rounders.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

I posted this in the post game thread but relevant here.

The list is sound, but we need to make some changes to our best team.



Jack looked slow in the forwardline, and is too small to be a ruckman imo. He's another player who has got the best out of himself. He needs one more game to get his name on the locker. That's all that needs to be said. Sure he's part of the fabric of our club, and heart n soul player, but he's just a good depth player NOT a Finals player imo. The Pies defenders sped off from him too easily, too often.

Pitto's games before the injury against Freo were very good, so something to work with, but imo weneed a marking ruckman around the ground. Hopefully TDK builds some serious strength over the season, and practises his drop punt shot at goal all summer.

Setterfield is a plodder, Stocker will be replaced by Boyd.

Need Cuningham (or the like), Honey or Philp to step up and take Owies or Durdin's spot. This will improve our closing speed, and speed in general in the forwardline.

I have to say it again, I'm not a fan of Fisher, or the fact we have too many midgets without serious pace.

I love Docherty in the guts.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

I reckon Durdin has elite pace. Probably just needs a few more seasons and preseasons.
Fisher has the agility.
Motlop has something. Just wish he were quicker.
I like how Stocker plays. Except he needs to significantly improve his running power.
O'Brien runs hard and has real skill and has improved.
Owies has had a very good year in terms of defensive pressure.

So I can mount a case for each of them. But probably think we can only afford to have 3 of them in the side at the same time. I think Fisher has had an excellent year, and can't see him missing much in years to come. I think Durdin has probably the best AFL attributes out of the rest, and I'd anticipate him being a regular fixture. So that leaves only one of the others most weeks, if it were my call my right now.

My bottom players at the start of the year were:

1.Ed Curnow
2.Tom Williamson
3.Lachie Plowman
4.Lachie Fogarty
5.Paddy Dow
6.Luke Parks (rookie)
7. Lachie O'Brien
8, Will Setterfield

I did not have the following in my best 25:

Newman
Cottrell
Owies
Newnes

Young kids like Young, Kemp, Carrol, Philp, Motlop needed time and development

Jones retired and left us with a big hole, Oscar filled, but he's a rookie who is recovering from back surgery, so jury still out on him.

Boyd has gone past Stocker
Young has gone past Oscar
S. Durdin and Hayes were fillers, depth and not on extended contracts.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue