Wouldn't worry about Jack leaving . He knows Tom is going and as a result there will be plenty of extra cash to splash and Jack wants some of it . Smart play Jack . In answer to your question re Ethan Philips , yeah , I would give him a crack for sure . Philips plays that run and spread game quite well . The only knock on him is his lack of strength at AFL level .

_________________
All my dangerous friends

Funny.

This morning I read this post whilst waiting for the plumber who didn’t show up 7-7.30am. He arrived at 8.30. Surf was oK for him.

I love list management. Have ever since 2002. Never felt the need before the first spoon.

It’s a look into the future, regardless of the coach.

I’m hoping we don’t jump onto a trend on its way out, l which is what SOS has been accused of with the rebuild, where perceived success was from contested midfield bulls winning hard ball to become running backs and outside mids .

I think both styles of play are dependent on personnel regardless of coach.

_________________
Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

x 2

SOS in a Barcode jumper (black n white)
SOS in a Barcode jumper (poos and wees)

Stephen variety threatened to walk to Hawks for more money ( Hawks had heaps of brown paper bags. No one lagged in the family club.

No way will Pies offer SOS 5 years, and no way should we either.
He’s injury prone because he pushes himself to the limits.

He should be in the leadership group. He should be VC.
If players look up to SOS, then make him or Walsh captain.
I’d rather have Weitering as captain.

Did anyone notice Cripps after the Evans hit?
He’s not a leader. Didn’t fly the flag.
He watched our small guys confront May, as he cuddled opponents.
He was more interested in being My all round good guy.
Made me sick. TBH. Like the penny dropped.

_________________
Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Great effort Cru.
Love food for thought.
I like the U22 team, and I’d like to agree this is what we need, but can’t.
All I see is the addition of more kids to a list with limited depth, a 28yo rookie (already on our list) upgraded, 3 old players moved on, TDK walks, and no improvement in depth. Doesn’t seem to be shaping for a shot at a flag in 2026 or 2027.

The addition of 2 small forwards, Gresham and Rosas to the 9 we already have looks like the failed SOS, Austin syndrome with small forwards contuing. SOS and Austin have recruited 5 each. You dropped white and Evans to bring our list to 44, but added 2 to retain 9 small forwards. They can’t all be maybes. It’s time we cut that back to 4-5 max. We have enough, too many, small forward prospects, but are missing more important players. But that’s me assuming we need a few list changes to give us a better shot at a Flag.

Are you focussed on building a team for the future or trying to win a flag whilst we still have the spine we invested in since 2015.

It’s an important question the club must answer. You and I just muck around with possibilities. My view is to identify the gaps we have from this list after 10 years of rebuilding, and filling them.

I also believe in a strong finals bound VFL team with experienced players to support the development of our kids and build a winning mentality.

I think Austin focussed on the future and didnt have his eye on the prize.
Not just Austin, as have the 2 two other stakeholders: Football Director and Football Manger.

If you still think our window is open, I can see the strength and weakness of your depth, but I’d like to see your best 23….including gaps you want to fill and keep our primary focus on the team we want to win a flag….just one will do. We’ve waited far too long for more rebuilding. We should be topping up and developing imo.

I am interested in overlaying your moves on our teams when I get back into office. Hope your plumber fails to turn up again today and you have time.

Appreciate your input. You have a good grip on the list, and obviously have high hopes in players I don’t eg Motlop, Fogarty, Binns….and I just realised you want to make Binns a small forward too. Maaaaaaate. He’s not going to get any quicker. He has stamina, not speed.

_________________
Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

How certain are you that we’ll be compensated twice? I know I’m not.

The rules mention a net total. They also allow for a committee to review anomalous results, but that doesn’t usually go well for us.

If the league was serious, the $1.8m offered to Tom would already be an anomalous result. Band one is top 5% of all contracts - that’s somewhere around 38 players. If there are 38 players on $1.8m, I’ll eat a yard of shit.

_________________
"The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter" - Winston Churchill.

I don't think SOS will leave. WE wont let that happen, unless he wants more than $700K pa, and if that's the case, we offer 2 years, coz Pies wont offer that imo

Between his manager and his old man there is a couple of his people on his side who know how to extract a good deal from Carlton.

I don't think Pies would offer 4 years as we have.
That should take him to 2029, when he turns 32yo in December 2029.

Philps


I have already included Philips as one of 5-6 experience players we need to Draft to give us more depth and improve on some 2026 Best 23 players unless we identify a better KPD. Like Cincotta, he will only require a late pick in the Draft. He's been reliable this year in ther VFL. ... a real stand out. Much much better defender than DGB. WE need cover for KPD. HOF should be picked as the 3rd tall when Haynes can't get on the field. WE need to get his body stronger than what he is. That will take more then one more preseason imo.

_________________
Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Totally agree

$1.8M is the biggest offer in history. hence our compensation should be the best in history. No way is a player paid $1.8M is worth pick 8, which will get pushed to pick 11 this year.

_________________
Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

They should give WCE a priority pick, compensate us with pick #1 and then WCE pick next.
PP WCE
1 Carlton
2 WCE
Seems fair to me.

All fair questions Bondi.

As you know, I’m a bit more flexible than most when it comes to age.

With regards to Binns & Motlop, if I thought I could get a player, I’d jump at it. They’d be marketed as 4th & 5th year professionals with limited weapons. Best offer would be picks that I don’t want, probably 100 points at best. The list spot might be worth something, but no one is delisting mature aged, repeat sprint hunters, so it’s a hole.

You ask how confident I am in the spine?… less than I was 12 months ago. Each of them could be brilliant for someone else, but for us, they’re a group of losers. Weitering is too hard to replace & McKay is a necessity because it’s just that little bit harder for the captain to kick the flower ball over his flower head. In any case, they’re all signed long term & we would have to eat a fair chunk of salary if any of them were moved on.

Time marches on. Age is just a number. Try telling Haynes or Newy they’re too old. Tell Cowan or Hollands they’re too young.

As for the small forwards, if I was given carte blanche, there would be ZERO ‘specialist’ small forwards on the list. Amongst the nine (which is only five, you shifty old goat ) are as many rovers as I could get my hands on. I’ve got a queue of options ready to go into the middle, but that’s never been the problem…

_________________
"The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter" - Winston Churchill.

OK had a look and overlaid the changes into a team.

I don't think we will use the TDK first rnd pick for Dean. WE will Trade that for a well Bergman has gone....a midfielder or speed in backline

We have Young as a gap filler, but have a genuine shortage on KPD depth if Young is injured, since we delisted Durdin and Akuei, and if you get rid of Lemmey, we have no KPF developing nor depth.
I'm hoping we can add Ethan Philips or better for KPD and keep or improve on Lemmey for KPF depth.

Charleson???? I had to do a bit research on him. I can't even recall him in the 2023 Draft. He went at pick 52 He's another small forward, and as small as Gresham, plus Rosa. I'm convinced you suffer from the same small forward syndrome SOS and Austin have in the past. The difference is they took 5 years for their 5 smalls each, and in one off season, you have targeted 3 small forwards, with Malcolm Rosa joining them. Personally, I don't think Rosa is much better than ex Swan Konstanty who we were looking at last year, but let him go to North.

I get the class of Williams, but I don't know why you want to retain Motlop, Durdin and Fogarty and add another 3 small forwards, if the 3 are worth keeping because of upside perhaps? I'm happy with Williams, Durdin, Rosa and one of Fogarty or Charleson and Gresham as an NGA. Last 2 are more kids.

I get why Eagles have 22 kids under 22yo, but they are rebuilding, but us? I don't get it.

In a nutshell, what you propose is

1: SWAP 2 20yo Irish NGA's for 2 Aussie 18yo NGAs...COOL
2:Discard the extras we have on our list, Evans and White as players 45 and 46. I'd rather keep White than Fogarty and Motlop TBH.
3: Trades

SWAP................Lemmey 21yo 201.......Charleson 18yo 177
2026 Rnd 2 pick plus McGovern 31yo 190 .....Barnett 20yo 203

4. Following delistings for players:

2025 Rnd 1 pick TDK 26yo 202 ........... we will trade this before Dean selection, and make up points with later picks for Dean, unless he's pushed into round 2 after all the FS, Academy and NGA picks.

2025 Rnd 2 pick Docherty 32yo 187.......Dean 18yo 190
2025 Rnd 3 pick
2025 Rnd 3 pick Hollands 23yo 189 .......Grij 18yo 192
2025 Rnd 4 pick Fantasia 30yo 180........Rosas 24yo 180

2025 Rnd 5 pick DELIST PLAYER............ Cincotta 28yo 187

2025 Rookie Cincotta upgrade................ROOKIE PICK

Got me thinking, but I think we are looking for a different profile. I feel we don't need any more smalls and kids, and have a greater need for experienced players aged 23-27yo.

_________________
Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

I did mention 9, then if you read on I factored the 2 extra players Evans and White we had on our list.

Williams, Motlop, Fogarty, Durdin, Rosa, Gresham, Charleson is 7. Not as bad as 9, but the point still stands. Too many list spots for midgets and players who are not having a small forward impact.

Teams wish they had more than one Pickett, or one Elliot, or one Bobby Hill, or one Weightman, or ......you get it. Our smalls dont even come close, and 3 or 4 average smalls dont make one good one....not even close. We have to stop giving games to average players.

I'm not into more than one small forward with weapons TBH. Depends on how much running they are required to do, and if we have a 2nd small forward with weapons, like Pies do, by all means pick 2.

Other than Fog, ours cant mark, Fog cant kick. They are bitsers.

_________________
Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Harry Barnett sounds right for a Carlton player
Bloody hell, if this kid is gettable, get him. He will be 22 next year.

OKeefe will need another couple preseasons and another year developing.
OKeefe and Barnett would be ready to hold their own from 2028 onwards.

I don’t want to rely on Pittonet and OKeefe next year.
Both injury prone. One is a 20yo body, the other on one Seuss leg.

Really want a better number one ruck than Pittonet for 3 years 2026-2028
Would love OBrien for 3 years.

Sort out the skies for next 5 years with current spine.

_________________
Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

He’s been a bit shit in the WAFL, certainly less than what I thought he’d be, but that’s great for a buyer.

I’d be banking on their awful culture being a factor & even though we’re not that much better, I’d be extremely confident that big Humphrey can turn him around in a hurry.

He’s a good one-clunk intercept mark & an elite runner for 203cm & 100kg. A classic foil for what O’Keeffe is bringing through.

_________________
"The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter" - Winston Churchill.

On Footy Classified Matthew Lloyd put up some forward targets the Blues should target when/if Tom De Koning leave a $1.1m hole in the club’s cap sheet. There would be more than the $1.1M to splurge given a lot of Carlton stars had been paid in advance. No doubt there will be more room when Doc, Fantasia Gov and Elijah go, and if we let go of Motlop Binns and Fogarty, their salaries would more than cover Dean, Ison, Gresham if we choose to go that way.

Given the money available and Rnd 1 - 5 picks for 2025 and 2026 to Trade, we could target Zac Bailey, Darcy Jones, Sam Switkowski or Brad Close solve Carlton’s forward connection issue.

Having missed out on Papley in 2021, Carlton has added to Fisher, Fogarty (Traded 3rd), Durdin (pick 31)), Williams (FA), Motlop (pick 27), Fantasia (DFA), Evans, White and Young (supps).

Isn't it about time we fixed the small forward gap? Williams contract expires in 2026, and may be useful in 2027. The rest of our small forwards don't have enough upside for me to dream they will come good.

Bailey and Switkoyski would be great for 3-4 more years.

If our window can be jammed open again with a few good changes, then DO IT. We don't need Motlop Fantasia Evans White and Young. Maybe keep the latter 2 for development in the VFL.

_________________
Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Do you really expect Motlop to be delisted? I'd be annoyed if we selected a young player every week only to dump him at season's end. Complete waste of resources. I don't believe it's a sunk cost fallacy either; he's shown some good things in midfield and even in defence; perhaps his future is not in the forward line but I think he still has a future. I agree that Fog has probably run his race; he does certain things nicely but doesn't threaten. Depth/VFL at best. White and F Young have done themselves proud but will miss the cut.

You mean like we did with Owies and Kennedy last year?

They weren't delisted. If we have a trade target for Motlop then that's another matter entirely, we'd be putting him in the shop window.

They weren’t delisted. They weren’t young either.

_________________
"The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter" - Winston Churchill.

Ethan Phillips is exactly where we need him to be - absorbing contests for the soon-to-be two future defensive anchors in the VFL.

His kicking is a long way from AFL standard.

The best we could do for him would be to subsidise his earning (Carlton in Business), or sponsor his learning (College of Sport). I favour the latter, since it would be most likely to pass through the scrutineers unchecked, perhaps even encouraged, given how thin the pathways are being stretched.

_________________
"The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter" - Winston Churchill.