Aren’t there any good ruckman we could pickup in the mid season draft?

I thought it was already confirmed we weren't participating. But maybe our recent HR activity changes that.

That’s not what you heard GE.
Club has to make a decision on HOF and Elijah in 3 weeks time.
Elijah issue is still raw and fresh. No need to say anything.
HOF is taking speckles on the bag and will be cleared to play later in year, but we don’t have to make any noise around that for 3 weeks.

Nothing declared yet, but if we are playing to win and improve, I wouldn’t be surprised if we add a couple in MSD to consider if they are worth keeping come seasons end, as they will with Derksen and Evans.

Makes sense to get a couple more options to fill gaps before Trade period.

Any idea who they may be looking at Bondi ?

There has to be a free hit.

I'm scouring WAFL and SAFL.

There's no standouts I've seen in the VFL, but I haven't watched games other than Carlton and Swans and who they've played.

Can we target that 223cm trying out as ruck prospect from the USA?

There has to be a free hit somewhere.

Aren’t there any good ruckman we could pickup in the mid season draft?

Why not Flynn Riley?

We have a lot of collateral to deal with Side. As I mentioned elsewhere, Essendon** will be desperate for early firsts next year to get Bewick. I'd take our next years first for their 2026 first. Maybe a shuffle of later trades. We have picks and players we can move without trading our one decent defender.
As for him being a "toxic personality", how would we know? I doubt the players would keep voting him in the leadership group if that was the case.

We have the following father/sons and NGA candidates coming through over the next 5 years.

2026: Cody Walker, Riley Scotland

2027: Mitchell Rice (Dean Rice' son, also eligible for the Saints), Kai Bunyard (NGA), Archie Coady (NGA)

2028: Will Thornton, Lukas Koutoufides, Darcy Johnston (Wayne Johnston' son)

2029: Oscar Judd, Tyler Scotland, Arli Walker

2030: Lewis Betts, Nason Lovett-Murray (Jeff Garlett' son)

Then there are more Judd's, Betts, Casboults, Touhy's in the years following.

And the AFL is looking at all our talented kids coming through and are going shit.

Arli Walker is reported even better than Cody, Lewis Betts and Nason Lovett-Murray are also going to be great players. Oscar Judd is at this moment more interested in cricket than football. Don't know shit about the Scotland boys, but if they have half as much heart as their dad, they will be good players.

Source: Bletch on BigFooty who is a big follower of our academy players and has researched when the kids are coming through.

Weitering was not one of the toxic personalities last year. No need to even suggest that. The personalities who may have caused some issues are gone.

We need Weitering for many reasons.

We have an 19yo and a 20yo KPD in our keeping. The future. Weitering is needed to protect, nurture and expedite the development of O'Farrell and Dean. He is their onfield coach and leader, whether he looks the part from the stands or not. No doubt HOF and Dean feel the privelege having the colossus of a man next to them in the trenches.

Furthermore, the 3 give us all the KPD cover we need for the next 5 years. Depth will come from Young (he's cheap and a bird in the hand) or a better option in the Trade/Draft period.

Lets not make out Weitering doesn't have flaws. He does. Every defender does. You have to look at the whole package and the reasons his direct opponent takes marks and kicks goals. Blind Freddy can see Weiters' opponents rarely take marks against him in a one on one contest. That's a great asset to have for any team at FB. A must.

Weitering's prowess in the one on one's has never been in question. He won an AA jacket for that strength.

His weakness, is the same weakness any FB faces against quick leading FF's, in certain scenarios. Logan Morris last week led hard and quick into space, leaving Weitering in his wake, and kicked 4 goals from uncontested marks. Whilst it looks bad for Weitering when he gives up the chase, but its the chase he has no hope in stopping. Are thos 4 goals against, Weitering's fault?

No FB can stop a leading player in open space when they have a team mate unopposed streaming from the middle kicking a perfect Syd Jackson stab pass into his tit. The problem comes when team mates don't block the lead lanes, and there's a lack of midfield pressure allowing opponents to carry ball unopposed to off load the perfect pass to Weiterings' leading opponent. No one can stop that.

Its not Weiterings fault the opposition rucks jump over Pitto at CB hitting ball clear of our contested bulls and into the path of their running mids. Something we have witnessed week in week out in 2nd halves when pitto fatigues, or a fresh oppo ruck comes in like Oscar Steele did vs Coll. We have many weaknesses further upfield that need to be plugged to help out Weiters. We have to fix those issues, and Weiters HOK and Dean will have no trouble keeping their opponents quiet.

We must keep our AA bookends.

IMO, we need to find a replacement for the loss of TDK to plug one source of that leaks. Walsh, Walker Smith and a FA/Trade will look after the rest in years to come.

Ex Blue and volley baller Alex Mirkov

I’ve watched him this year a couple times because I have a soft spot for the Seaguls and in the opening rounds vs Carlton.

He has evolved. He looks stronger. He isn’t getting smaller. Taking marks and kicky goals.

At 210cm plus height coupled with his huge wingspan and with that added reach, he doesn’t need to jump at the CB, and gets first hand around the ground.

I thought he was improving at Carlton too.

I’d prefer Mirkov to Reidy.
It’s players like him we need to add.

How’s his engine Doc?

I could be wrong but I was under the impression that he was one of the 3 having a sook last year.
Bondi seems to think I was wrong, so I'm happy to believe it.
Either way his actions this year and dropping of the head coupled with his comment of going 'insular' means he's not a leader, not a natural one anyway.

Sorry I haven't see that post but I get what you are saying, the 2027 draft is heavily compromised though.
E.g. If we finish 3rd from the bottom in 2027 that equates to pick 6.
Which unless we do trade away a player like Cripps or Weitering or a heap of seniors retire etc, I doubt they would predict us finishing that low in 2027 especially with Dean, HOF, Smith, Walker and some of the other kids that are stepping up this year.
A mid table prediction would be more likely and then that means our first could be around 15th or 16th.
So if Essendon** finishes 2nd last this year they may want a bit more than just our first next year and some pick swaps.
I think at minimum they will be gunning for our Swans pick also, which could be as low as pick #25 (590pts) if they win the flag and before any compensation picks push theirs back further again.

To what extent was our culling of Mirkov due to his heart condition? Would he be able to handle the intensity of AFL or is the relatively relaxed tempo of VFL the most that can be expected of him? Rhetorical questions since we are not privy to his medical history and should not be sharing it even if we were.

Ex Blue and volley baller Alex Mirkov

I’ve watched him this year a couple times because I have a soft spot for the Seaguls and in the opening rounds vs Carlton.

He has evolved. He looks stronger. He isn’t getting smaller. Taking marks and kicky goals.

At 210cm plus height coupled with his huge wingspan and with that added reach, he doesn’t need to jump at the CB, and gets first hand around the ground.

I thought he was improving at Carlton too.

I’d prefer Mirkov to Reidy.
It’s players like him we need to add.

How’s his engine Doc?

Notwithstanding the fact that he’s pretty shit.

Best VFL ruckman since Liam Reidy.