Opinion 2024 and Beyond

Where will the Bloods finish in 2024

  • Premiership

    Votes: 24 24.7%

  • Top 4

    Votes: 46 47.4%

  • Top 8

    Votes: 23 23.7%

  • 9th - 14th

    Votes: 4 4.1%

  • Bottom 4

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    97

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D

DeathlyAccurate

All Australian
Mar 28, 2023
981
2,303
AFL Club
Sydney
One could say that was the finish to the season that we deserved. At our best we can be breathtaking but this season we barely showed enough flashes of brilliance to scrape in to the finals. Injuries took their toll early but in the end they weren’t to blame.

Where do we improve? How big is our premiership window? My view is we have 4 seasons to seriously challenge and what happens after that will depend on how we draft/trade etc.

Forwards: McLean, McDonald and Papley form the nucleus. Heeney, Hayward and Wicks can contribute but one of McLean or McDonald needs to be kicking 40-plus goals by next season if we’re to challenge. I excluded Amartey because I am curious as to where others see him next season? Can his body hold up? Will he be overtaken by Buller? We need another goal scoring forward but those are very difficult to trade in.

Backs: Tom and Melican were rock solid tonight and they’re young. I wouldn’t be against adding McKay at a cheap price but I don’t necessarily think we need him. This also depends on how quickly Rampe drops off, if he faces a rapid decline then too much could be left to too few.

Midfield: Too much weight is on the hope that Sheldrick kicks on. I believe in him, but next season? It might be too soon to expect him to be what we’re looking for and the load gets even heavier if Parker can’t regain form. The likes of McInerney, Campbell and Warner must take another step in 2024 unless someone becomes available to draft this year but that is looking increasingly unlikely. Gulden is already a gun and will hold us together but he alone isn’t enough to lift us in to the top 4.

Ruck: If Grundy hasn’t verbally agreed to go to Port, we must chase him and chase hard. Yes he’s turning 30 soon but our ruck situation is dire and we don’t want McLean shouldering too much of it while we need him clunking marks up forward. Maybe Sweet is another option? We saw tonight, yet again, that a good ruckman matters. Hickey was terrific and we’d have lost by more without his presence.

Aside from the obvious areas, one of our best chances to climb up comes from within. It rests on our big name players performing to expectation. A lot rests with Heeney and Papley, they both have potential to be match winners up forward and in the middle, and are in the age bracket where we should still be expecting their absolute best. To a lesser extent, but just as crucial, is the role of Mills next season. He almost looked lost at times this year and far from his best. Which one of them are we relying on the most next year?

There’s so much to think about and tinker with. It’s exciting, because we have enough talent to be very optimistic, but it’s critical we don’t waste this window.


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We have the nucleus of a side reaching their primes around 2025/26 - so I’m confident we are still on an upward trajectory.

Sheldrick will add to our midfield grunt, as might Roberts.

We do, however, need a serviceable ruck (which may or not be Ladhams).

And whilst a KPD is required, the need for a high calibre small defender has also become apparent. The next Nick Smith. It’s not actually the opposition talls hurting us - it’s the crafty smalls.

I don’t expect huge things in the trade period, but a ruck would fill me renewed hope.
 
DeathlyAccurate said:
One could say that was the finish to the season that we deserved. At our best we can be breathtaking but this season we barely showed enough flashes of brilliance to scrape in to the finals. Injuries took their toll early but in the end they weren’t to blame.

Where do we improve? How big is our premiership window? My view is we have 4 seasons to seriously challenge and what happens after that will depend on how we draft/trade etc.

Forwards: McLean, McDonald and Papley form the nucleus. Heeney, Hayward and Wicks can contribute but one of McLean or McDonald needs to be kicking 40-plus goals by next season if we’re to challenge. I excluded Amartey because I am curious as to where others see him next season? Can his body hold up? Will he be overtaken by Buller? We need another goal scoring forward but those are very difficult to trade in.

Backs: Tom and Melican were rock solid tonight and they’re young. I wouldn’t be against adding McKay at a cheap price but I don’t necessarily think we need him. This also depends on how quickly Rampe drops off, if he faces a rapid decline then too much could be left to too few.

Midfield: Too much weight is on the hope that Sheldrick kicks on. I believe in him, but next season? It might be too soon to expect him to be what we’re looking for and the load gets even heavier if Parker can’t regain form. The likes of McInerney, Campbell and Warner must take another step in 2024 unless someone becomes available to draft this year but that is looking increasingly unlikely. Gulden is already a gun and will hold us together but he alone isn’t enough to lift us in to the top 4.

Ruck: If Grundy hasn’t verbally agreed to go to Port, we must chase him and chase hard. Yes he’s turning 30 soon but our ruck situation is dire and we don’t want McLean shouldering too much of it while we need him clunking marks up forward. Maybe Sweet is another option? We saw tonight, yet again, that a good ruckman matters. Hickey was terrific and we’d have lost by more without his presence.

Aside from the obvious areas, one of our best chances to climb up comes from within. It rests on our big name players performing to expectation. A lot rests with Heeney and Papley, they both have potential to be match winners up forward and in the middle, and are in the age bracket where we should still be expecting their absolute best. To a lesser extent, but just as crucial, is the role of Mills next season. He almost looked lost at times this year and far from his best. Which one of them are we relying on the most next year?

There’s so much to think about and tinker with. It’s exciting, because we have enough talent to be very optimistic, but it’s critical we don’t waste this window.


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Click to expand...
Really good post Deathly and worthy of some serious consideration in the cold light of day.
Has some in common with the performance thread. Perhaps mods they should be merged? Just a thought.
 
With how we ended this season I think itll sharpen us mentally and improve our fitness very well with an early preseason.

Glaring issue is we need to recruit well especially a key back to support Tom and If were not getting Grundy, we have to stick fat with Ladhams. Maybe have a look at hayes from port or someone like that to compete with Pete? Needs a good preseason Ladhams. Still feel there is plenty of organic growth on the list too. Roberts, Gussy, Buller etc. and of course our younger crop in the best 22.

An accountable ball playing small defender I think is somewhere to look at too for the future. Few teams have been able to beat us with their smalls. Vickery was drafted for just that reason so might have to play the waiting game.

Positional changes might be one to think about as well. Parker more forward is a must, Mills full time mid etc. I think we improve next year, I cant see why we don't.
 

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I'm bullish on Buller!

I hope he and Reid drive Amartey to get better over the preseason because the bloke's kidding himself if he thinks his current best is good enough to hold his spot.

I hope Konstanty gets a crack next season and improves our small forward stocks as Papley is prone to the odd soft tissue injury but also proven to be effective rotating into the middle so it'd be nice to have a quality small still present in the forward line when that occurs.

Melican can get the job done along with Tommy in the backline but it's so stressful thinking we are only a couple of injury scares away from disaster. Francis and Arnold give me confidence but as depth only while we also have a few ageing players that will need to be replaced sooner rather than later. Kinnear seems to be pulling his hair out trying to address this issue but we'll wait and see I guess.

Also hoping Sheldrick, Roberts and Cleary give the senior team a good shake next season and drive our midfield's standards higher as it's a real problem it's worst.

Finally, I'm praying that Ladhams screws his head on over the summer as until we are assured of landing another ruck, at this point in time he's the guy. McAndrew is close but not close enough to dethrone anyone next season sadly.

Frankly, I'm more confident for 2025 than I am for next year as the trade period could have us ending up with doughnuts in all reality.
 
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What a stupid year. One week we nearly lose by 100 and another we kick over 200 and win by over 170. Whilst yes, West Coast suck no one else managed that against them.

I think a lot of players came in under-done and got sore as the year went on. Some took good steps forward (Gulden, Blakey, Campbell, Francis) and some took steps back (Warner, Rampe, Franklin, Parker).

If we perform well over the next 2-3 years we will look back at 2023 as the year we had to have. It exposed some gaps not only in gameplan but in personal as well. Babying Franklin was a mistake but had no choice once he re-signed in 2022.

If we get some natural growth (McDonald doubled his goals from 2022 into 2023 for example. No reason he can't get 50 next year) from the real youngsters and trade in some needs (ruck, KPD) and adjust the set up to win contested ball (no more tagging from Mills or Rowbottom, no more Parker at centre bounces and more Gus), we'll be back in the top 4 comfortably.

The 2022 Swans win the 2023 flag. That's how much this year has sucked all around for football. The core is there. No reason we can't get back to it
 
I feel like we're on the cusp. The comp is there for the taking with how even it is. In every season until the past few there has always been a couple of outstanding benchmark teams. Whilst it's not there there's a big opportunity to take the mantle. After the season we've had, to think we were only two games out of the 4 is a testament to how good our young core really is and I think we can get to another level. But it will come down to a few things falling into place, and avoiding injuries...

Errol, Blakey, mccartin and Campbell will be even better next year. And a few like Hayward, Ollie, wicks, papley, Jmac who are more than capable of being better than they were this year. We just need to fire in our mids to get those guys playing to their strengths. It's been hard for them getting on the front foot when our backs are against the wall.

If we can improve the following we'll be on our way - bolster the backline with McKay and all of a sudden working in with Melican, Francis and Arnold we should find some quality and depth in there.

Ladhams, mcdonald and Amartey need to find something as McLean did. McLean will be huge.

Sheldrick pushing his way into the mids giving parker a break could be what our midfield needs. Him and Errol could improve our stoppage game. Warner is the other bloke who has to work his arse off this preseason and work on being a strong reliable presence and two way runner rather than a flashy pan. Sounds good in theory, and I have hope, but this is the only part of our squad that I question whether or not we have the right pieces together. Along with rowbum and mills I feel like we should, but something feels amiss. Maybe most the pieces are there, we're just missing that joey replacement.

Heeney and Warner need to find consistency. Heeney cops alot of flack due to his potential, but he is what he is, just need him to play consistent footy like last season. Neither of the two need to be superman, get back to basics. But again, Heeney will automatically go back to his match winning ways if we can improve our midfield rather than rely on him to pluck it out of his backside against the run of play.

Find a replacement full time ruck. Don't care how but just find something. Even a cooked hickey was still getting us out of jail more than he should've.

Finally, Sam Reid. Get the above together and this man could be the difference for our fortunes next season.
 
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I'm really hopeful of getting Grundy. I have little faith that Ladhams will be a reliable and effective first ruck. I think he will end up playing forward in VFL while McAndrew rucks, then get traded or even delisted. Pessimistic. If not Grundy then a solid VFL ruck such as Sweet or Voyle is the next best option but not as good.
I feel there is a strong chance that with a solid preseason Buller will overtake Amartey. It would be great if we draft a KPF but I feel a KPD is (marginally) the greater need. Maybe Ladhams is the second VFL KPF. Logan and Hayden are fine and are both pretty durable.
Heeney, Papley and Hayward were up and down this year. Let's hope they are more consistent for a number of years. I hope Hall-Kahan reaches a level where he challenges for a spot. Ditto for Konstanty.
I don't see us getting McKay. I think we have already made an offer and been rejected. So next year will be like this year with our keys coming from McCartin, Melican, Francis and Arnold. I feel Cunningham and Fox may lose their places as the season unfolds. The unit needs some refreshing and to be a bit bigger but not slower or less agile. Tricky. I think Gould is gone. Not sure what is going on with Edwards but he's a good size and athletic and I hope we draft O'Sullivan as he's quality. A Cunningham replacement should be in our minds but not necessarily a top priority. I suspect that Rankin will go. Vickery has another year to show something.
The midfield is a puzzle. We have a fair few good players but it isn't humming. Perhaps we need a new coach for that group.
We definitely need one or two who are first hands on mids like Mills or Parker. Sheldrick and Roberts should fill that role but 2024? We need to try. To do that we will need to change our midfield group and roles. We have a pretty solid outside group in Gulden (AA), McInerney and Campbell. We also have Corey Warner, Magor and Mitchell coming through. I would like to see Warner used more outside than inside. The player likely to lose his spot is Rowbottom. The others will need to take on more defensive accountability as well as ball-winning. The other "loser" might be Parker who spends more time forward at the expense of Wicks.
All in all our pipeline is reasonably healthy if we can add a KPD, KPF, inside mid and young ruck in the next two drafts. Plus we really need a reliable first ruck this trade period to replace Hickey.
 
Kiama Chris said:
I'm really hopeful of getting Grundy. I have little faith that Ladhams will be a reliable and effective first ruck. I think he will end up playing forward in VFL while McAndrew rucks, then get traded or even delisted. Pessimistic. If not Grundy then a solid VFL ruck such as Sweet or Voyle is the next best option but not as good.
I feel there is a strong chance that with a solid preseason Buller will overtake Amartey. It would be great if we draft a KPF but I feel a KPD is (marginally) the greater need. Maybe Ladhams is the second VFL KPF. Logan and Hayden are fine and are both pretty durable.
Heeney, Papley and Hayward were up and down this year. Let's hope they are more consistent for a number of years. I hope Hall-Kahan reaches a level where he challenges for a spot. Ditto for Konstanty.
I don't see us getting McKay. I think we have already made an offer and been rejected. So next year will be like this year with our keys coming from McCartin, Melican, Francis and Arnold. I feel Cunningham and Fox may lose their places as the season unfolds. The unit needs some refreshing and to be a bit bigger but not slower or less agile. Tricky. I think Gould is gone. Not sure what is going on with Edwards but he's a good size and athletic and I hope we draft O'Sullivan as he's quality. A Cunningham replacement should be in our minds but not necessarily a top priority. I suspect that Rankin will go. Vickery has another year to show something.
The midfield is a puzzle. We have a fair few good players but it isn't humming. Perhaps we need a new coach for that group.
We definitely need one or two who are first hands on mids like Mills or Parker. Sheldrick and Roberts should fill that role but 2024? We need to try. To do that we will need to change our midfield group and roles. We have a pretty solid outside group in Gulden (AA), McInerney and Campbell. We also have Corey Warner, Magor and Mitchell coming through. I would like to see Warner used more outside than inside. The player likely to lose his spot is Rowbottom. The others will need to take on more defensive accountability as well as ball-winning. The other "loser" might be Parker who spends more time forward at the expense of Wicks.
All in all our pipeline is reasonably healthy if we can add a KPD, KPF, inside mid and young ruck in the next two drafts. Plus we really need a reliable first ruck this trade period to replace Hickey.
Click to expand...
The midfield truly is a puzzle. Throughout the year I always thought that Warner needed to turn himself into that powerful extractor, but maybe he's just not capable of it and is better suited to that outside role. Something has happened in there that has reduced our ability to release him like last year.

I'm bullish sheldrick can turn our fortunes around. Just not sure we can rely on a kid to be that bloke the next couple of years.
 
From 12 months ago I believed this year would be more a year of transition than contention and it turned out to be that imo. Transitioning on from older players in our KP stocks - Bud retired, Hickey retired, McCartin retired, Reid basically retired; from older players in key roles who aren't quite what they used to be - Parker from the midfield, Rampe from the true general in defence; and transitiong to the young budding 50-100 game guys truly taking over the club - Gulden ascending to AA level, Blakey taking on the role of general in defence alongside Tom McCartin, Logan/Joel/McLean taking over the forward line, Chad/Rowy taking on more major midfield minutes every week.

What we need broadly imo is a strong KPD to pair with McCartin so that Blakey can properly flourish with two strong keys next to him, a ruck who is consistent and reliable to take over from Hick, and I'd say one more powerful inside mid. A guy who can break out of tackles - it always stands out to me that we have a midfield which isn't quite big enough to power through tackles and get the ball out JPK style.

I'm encouraged overall by the year, particularly how we fought back from a rough middle of the season, transitioned a lot of responsibility to the younger guys which they took up excellently, and surged the make another finals series. That'll be excellent experience for the younger brigade. We need ready made senior talent to inject immediately and if we could get two or three of McKay, Grundy/another ruck who is competitive, Jordon/another best 22 type midfielder, I'll be bullish we can challenge the top 4 in 2024.
 
RUNVS said:
Warner doesn't need to take a step forward in 2024. He needs to take a step backwards, into 2022 when he was a much better player.
Click to expand...
Yep. Dunno if he bulked up too much but he keeps getting run down from behind and gives up HTBs too easily by constantly trying to fend off.

Hopefully either Sheldrick coming on or if we recruit an in and under mid might free him up to start that extra couple of steps ahead and be able to use his run again.
 
Mills and Rowbottom just never really found form at the same time and for long enough this season. I really like both so hopefully that is a bit of a blip.

Hickey playing well compared to hickey playing badly showed what a huge difference having an actual AFL standard ruck makes to the team. It's no coincidence we came good when he came in, or that or form declined with his. It's hard to be optimistic about ladhams in the way I was when he joined us but he is probably capable of being a good player. I really hope we can get Grundy.

All in all im really happy with the season. We were always going to have a bit of trouble following up after overachieving last year. I think the squad will have got a lot out of learning to turn our form around.

Can't wait for next year!
 
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