- Sep 25, 2005
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Player Review
Fasolo – I think he had a year he would rather put behind him. Been impacted by injury for 2 years and needs to have a solid pre-season and ‘own’ a position in that 22 in 2015 or I think he could be in trouble as others will go past him. He has skill, x factor and some speed and his defensive efforts are improving so he has cause to go in confident for 2015 and to be fair his game vs North off HB was something he should really aim to emulate week in and out.
Dwyer – I’m not sold on Dwyer and I think he is one a few of the kids could well go past pretty quickly. He has some really good attributes but he has had 2 years in the system and hasn’t shown an ability to really take control of a game and standup when others aren’t. That might be harsh but he has had a fair go and I wouldn’t think he will finish top 10-15 in the Copeland which given the time he has had wouldn’t be a good result. I actually think there is scope for him to either play as a tagger in Cafs absence as he looks to have the mental ability and / or playing in the back half.
Macaffer – I thought he was really solid this year and was only really found out in his tagging roles when he went to players with speed. Real shame for him but in some ways I am rapt he will be supporting our prized ‘colt’.
Grundy – The expectations on him were huge this year and he probably didn’t reach the levels some would have hoped. For mine, am not sure there have been many 19yo rucks in the past 20 yrs or so who have performed to the level he did in his 2nd year. For mine he was very good and at a point he will mature in the body and mind and really dominate games with his aggression and movement. He is a ripper I think and his last game I thought was v good. He jumped into his man and really made himself a physical presence late in the year.
Maxwell – Retired
Goldsack – Thought he had a very good year. The right spot for him in 2015 is half back for mine. He has the height, speed, courage and ball use to be effective and I think there is an opportunity for him to really take a leadership role there. I love watching him play and hope we settle him there.
Kennedy – Not sure what happened with him towards the end of the year as thought his VFL and limited AFL performances had suggested he should have played the last 2 games. Notwithstanding for us to push up to the top 8 he needs to come in and play that inside ball winning role. His speed is an asset and he should be good on spread and transition. He has also scope to go fwd so I think the only issue for BK is to tighten up that ball use. He will be one we really need to push through.
Lumumba – Heard the joke can we trade him for Harry Obrien…..funny but true? For mine he had a really poor year. There weren’t many games where he really strutted his stuff and dominated like he use to and unfortunately he appears to be on the decline a bit. He has speed but he can be a bit fumbly and his ball use at times is ordinary. Not sure if he should go back and be that running defender or if persist but some time and effort will go into how you get the best out of him. Doubt he is a trade target but who knows.
Clarke – Shame it didn’t work out for him. I remember that game in Sydney which I think was his first and his run and ball use were really good but he just wasn’t able to get that 1:1 stuff working for him. Will be delisted if hasn’t retired already.
Pendlebury – Huge year and the captaincy didn’t impact his production at all. Am told he is terrific with the group and amongst the broader club. I’d love him to get another premiership.
Blair – I’m not sold on him unfortunately. I look at others in the league who play that role and I don’t think he offers as much (eg Puopolo, Christense, Walters, McGlynn etc). Sure he tackles (so do they) etc in the front half but that’s really only half the equation for mine (if that). He needs to be good offensively and his ‘goal’ output just hasn’t been high enough for mine. The other area for me is the coaching panel aren’t playing in the middle so he has limited positional scope. He is one I reckon a few could go past very quickly. Kennedy vs Blair…….I’ll start the year with Kennedy thanks. Kennedy will do the chase and tackle stuff and give you more scope and probably more goals.
Ball – Little Champ I am going to miss him. Tough!
Adams – What a shame he didn’t see out the year. He was fantastic in the those last 3-4 games. I really thought his frontal pressure was awesome and his repeat efforts to get to contests and pressure was Luke Ball ‘esque which is what he was recruited for. He will be a beauty in my book.
Young – I think he has been a major disappointment. Lots of things went wrong through the year to conspire against us not playing this weekend but his performance vs the Suns was not good. He missed a number of shots that night he should have gotten but one in particular obviously in the last minute where he didn’t even take the mark with no pressure was horrid. I think there was another game vs Crows at G which he butchered it a bit to. His best can be very good but his worst is real bad and I just think others should be given a chance ahead of him. He’d want a good year next year or I suspect will be his last.
Witts – Well he had a really good year. Clunking big marks vs the Hawks has been what we have been waiting for and we’d all be pretty excited by him for 2016 I would think. Obviously would like him to be a bit more damaging up fwd and I fear if he or Grundy cant show that it will be difficult to play both as their lack of speed will hurt on transition.
Brown – Gee we miss him. Will he ever play a full year again?
Beams – I thought he had a stellar year. Hopefully fit and well for 2015 and he is just getting better and better at present. The one we have to keep out of everybody’s greedy hands (read Lions) as well. We don’t want him distracted. Sign him up and throw away the key.
White – Major disappointment but I think there were some mitigating factors. New club obviously and then was largely played at CHF all year where he has never really played before. His best footy for Swans was at FF where he was leading out of the square to a fast transition swans outfit. I think Cloke may have been a bit injured this year and hence they had to play him there. Also maybe they were thinking Reid at CHF and White roaming. Keen to see what they do with him next year but I doubt he will be the 2nd tall fwd. If he is then not sure it bodes well for us. He is a tremendous 2nd ruck though and like old Anthony Rocca you wonder whether he needs an early stinit to get his hands on it and his confidence up.
Elliott – Another who missed to many games for my liking. Real star going fwd and competitive beast but is a bit injury prone. IN a fwd group with Reid, Cloke, White and maybe a Swan he could really burn some opponents and start kicking some good bags. If we could move the ball through the middle quick and with precision you could even leave him one out.
Reid – Don’t get me started. Shocking how little footy had out of him. All soft tissue related so club have nobody to blame but themselves. In horse parlance he could be the horse you've paid a lot for, given to Gai who has overtrained him and then struggles to get up.
Lynch – Retired. I was almost hoping could have had him in the VFL as the Ben Hudson for one more year. Wish him all the best.
Sidebottom – he went to another level for mine. Exceptional and think he might be one of the leaders going fwd for us. He really played well when we were down with injuries and for me that sets him another plane to blokes like Lumumba and Young who should have been capable of the same. Midfield / HB next year?
Keefe – He was another I thought who probably had a good’ish year. We talk about the number of games he has played but to counter that he has been around for a while. I think he was physically a bit spent so that probably was the reason he tapered after a fine start but equally I think he was found out at times on the bigger bodies. Strength is the area I would focus him on in the off season. Buckley loves him.
Thomas – He will be the one I get smashed for. I am not sold on Thomas. Had a great game vs GWS but with respect…that’s GWS. Vs the Hawks he was poor for mine. Sure he didn’t have elite talent around him but it showed me how far he has to go and at 23/24 then you wonder how much more time is there for him. Could he tag? Not in my best 22 for next year. His skill level still a big issue. Shame because his best is good. I'd throw him up as trade bait.
Williams – Another who had a bad start and never really got going. Interesting they had him in the middle late in the year and maybe that bodes for a midfield or tagging role. Yeah he is small but he is competitive, runs hard and his ball use is improving.
Armstrong – Got himself another year I suspect. Credit to him. Never gave up, kept pushing and his VFL performances were stellar. I thought he dropped off a bit in last 2 games but he is worth keeping. Elite ball user but will start VFL for mine.
Sinclair – Another who was missed. His kicking can be off but give credit it is improving all the time. He runs and competes and if gets a full preseason could be a big improver next year I would think. Not sure the chances as seems to get injured fairly easily.
Broomhead – One of the top 3-4 things out of the year for mine. He is all class and once he gets another preseason or two into him my money says ‘watch out’. He is clean, has speed and has elite skill. Also knows how to get a goal.
Ramsay – Good to see him push in. Did a few nice things in the year and there is an opportunity for him there to work to but I suspect a few others are ahead of him. I rated him high as a junior but a few of his VFL games had made me wonder. I think when he finds the tempo and gets strong and more confident he could be away. Did a couple of really good things vs Hawks I thought were beyond him at this stage. he is a competitor.
Cloke – Hmmmm…me thinks he wasn’t 100% all year. In saying that he needs to get on his bike and move. Brereton told Patton to do that and his results went through the roof. Cloke needs the same advice. I’d push him up to CHF and let him roam around.
Karnezis – He was one who was coming from so far back its hard to have had higher expectations on him than what he delivered. Tall, strong, elite use …only think he needs to get is 2 way running. He could be a bolter into the side next year bc he is the type they talk about wanting more of.
Toovey – Another hugely missed for far to many games the last few years. Need him in a settled back half but again wonder if he isn’t just going to keep breaking down in the latter stages of his career.
Scharenberg – I am still crying….say no more. He was one of the best juniors I reckon I have ever seen but to have lost 2 years on a Rd 1 pick is devastating for club and for him. No doubt he would have played senior footy this year.
Swan – Another who I don’t think was right all year and hopefully can get back to his best next year. Suspect some time on the fwd flank will be in order as well.
Martin – Gosh I hope he stays. Best player in the VFL for mine and shocking wasn’t given more of a run late in the year. There is a role there that Ball has left vacant. He should get his tank up and nail that spot.
Yagmoor – He has been improving all the time but I suspect his days are done.
Freeman – One of the greatest disappointments of the year along with the other Rd 1 pick. How could we have not gotten him on the park for 1 game?????
Seedsman – Ok he has been injured this year so we forgive him. But he needs a massive preseason next year and he needs to learn how to impact games more than just being an outside runner. His 1:1 needs to improve. He is borderline best 22 at the moment and yet has so much potential.
Langdon – Probably the best thing that came out of the year. Lock him in for HB for years to come. Poise, courage, skill, clean ……got a lot of ticks. Hope we get his brother as well.
Mooney – Times up for him unfortunately.
Oxley – Well unfair to judge because somehow here is another kid who we couldn’t get on the park this year for more than a game or 2. Showed enough though to persist with.
Gault – Well another nice surprise. I had he and Armstrong pencilled in to go at years end and he has not only saved himself but said to the coach I just might one of the solutions to your big problems. A key fwd who can also play ruck. Very keen to see how he is developed.
Frost – he, 41 and 29 were huge wins out of the year. With Brown coming back and Keefe and Frost along with Brown should enable the coach to persist with Reid fwd.
Marsh – I think sending him to FB in the VFL was a master stroke. Caught a few of his games and I was really impressed. Whether he stays there long term will probably depend on their plans for Moore but he has talent and loads of upside.
Hudson – Thanks to the big man.
Overall
I think we were cruelled by injuries and I think it ultimately took to much from us to go another gear when the good teams put the foot down. I don’t think you can be to negative to Buckley given where they had us mid season. The future is bright but it is predicated on ‘no injuries’ and it is hard to believe they are all suddenly going to vanish but if you need a benchmark look at Essendon. In the same boat as us a few years ago and this year arguably had the least injuries of any club by my reckoning.
2015 Best 22
B Frost, Brown, Langdon
HB Goldsack, Keefe, Toovey
C Sidebottom, Pendlebury, Williams
HF Swan, Cloke, Reid
F Elliott, White, Broomhead
Foll Witts, Beams, Adams
Int (from) Kennedy, Fasolo, Grundy, Lumumba, Sinclair, Seedsman, Freeman
List Changes
My thinking would be something like this;
Senior List
We currently have a senior list of 40.
We have to have a minimum of 3 selections in the draft which means getting the list to a max of 37. I would not have any rookie promotions as I would upgrade Martin and Gault for Macaffer and Scharenberg due to their LTI status. Hence I would delist;
1. Ben Hudson
2. Nick Maxwell
3. Martin Clarke
4. Luke Ball
5. Quentin Lynch.
That effectively brings the list to 35 and gives us 5 live selections. Frost would be upgraded and the ability to upgrade Martin and Gault as mentioned above on the LTI (if allowed).
I would think they will only use 3 selections and possibly keep one for a mature age free agent or delisted player. Strong argument that would be a ruckmen but given Gault progress then maybe they wont bother and will run with the 3 of them and add a youngster or rely on White maybe.
Rookie List
I would think Yagmoor and Mooney both go meaning there will be 2 live selections in the Rookie draft and I that does not include Mason Cox. Actually maybe it does.
Trades
I dont think they will be in the market. I think they probably have room for someone but I think they are committed to their list. Guys like Mitchell, Jaksch, Towers, membrey, Hallahan, Sumner are all worthy of discussion but I doubt we'd be takers this year. Be good if they could go to young James up at GWS and say ‘hey nothing personal…..we miss you….not sure if you are going to huge game time behind Boyd, Patton, Cameron, McCarthy etc over the journey….come home pls’.
There are a few guys who will be delisted I would look at including;
Sam Blease who I think could blossom like Pettard his in the right environment
Leigh Osborne who was as well performed as Hibberd and is very similar but just hasnt had a real go.
I will add some more here but I don’t think we need many (if any).
Draft Selections
Rd 1 - Darcy Moore
I dont think there is much doubt Moore wont be ultimately selected here. For those that think he may slip to Rd 2 you could almost be assured the names Laverde or Pickett would be called with # 8 for us given what the club has stated they are looking for. If Goddard fell they would be very tempted and a kid from Swan Districts has me pretty excited in Connor Blakely who I have seen a fair bit of and I think will blossom to a Mitch Duncan sort.
Rd 2 - Jarrod Gartlett
I would be very keen on getting him. A midfielder with genuine pace and linebreaking capability but also a bit of magic and genuine elite skill. I dont think he will play a midfield role for some time as he is very light and it is very rare kids walk straight into midfield rotations with that sort of body size. He is exactly what Collingwood need except for the fact he is 6-7cm shorter than what you'd prefer. As alternatives I would love it if we traded to a position where we got Connor Blakely as is another who fits the bill. Others around I would expect are Connor Menadue, Daniel Capiron, Clem Smith, Peter Bampton (skill a bit iffy), Tom Lamb, Corey ellis, Brendan Maynard or Kyle Langford.
Rd 3 - Kyle Langford
Tall skilled midfielder with good hands. Bit unsure where he lands but has a couple of things to improve on which may see him slip a bit. Nobody is perfect.....well Pendles is!
Others here would be nakai Cockatoo, Ed Langdon has a lot of appeal around his skill and running ability. James Rose would be one around here I would think and has shown a bit post champs to suggest a player. Lukas Webb, Aaron Christensen and Oleg Markov others.
Rd 4 - Ryan Lim
In my opinion he should go higher but some fellow 'juniors' watchers will tell you he could slip to Rd 4. He will appeal I think to Hine because he a huge runner. He just runs all day and gets on the end of loads of ball. Watch him closely and particularly his running patterns and becomes evident. Suited to a BP / HB he is strong, courageous and a leader. The knock on him is his ball skill but his DE at Champs should have put that to bed.
Others I would look at are Jack Steele in faint hope GWS let him pass, Rory Sheridan-Ferrie, Aiden Anderson, Jake Owen, Jack Johnstone, Kade Answerth, Errin Wasley-Black or Josh Hone and Jack Lonie. Note I think they Will pass and will keep the spot free for a free agent I would think.
Rookie Selections
Rd 1. Shane Yarran
Elite mature age midfielder who played first year of WAFL and shown huge improvement all year.
Rd 2. Sam Bevan
Not sure he falls to here or not but he has shown massive gulf between best and worst and hence hard to know where he drops to. Tall fwd who is very capable and has shown can play both ends. Given glut of talls around he could drop to a pick 70-90 which is effectively where this would be I suspect.
Fasolo – I think he had a year he would rather put behind him. Been impacted by injury for 2 years and needs to have a solid pre-season and ‘own’ a position in that 22 in 2015 or I think he could be in trouble as others will go past him. He has skill, x factor and some speed and his defensive efforts are improving so he has cause to go in confident for 2015 and to be fair his game vs North off HB was something he should really aim to emulate week in and out.
Dwyer – I’m not sold on Dwyer and I think he is one a few of the kids could well go past pretty quickly. He has some really good attributes but he has had 2 years in the system and hasn’t shown an ability to really take control of a game and standup when others aren’t. That might be harsh but he has had a fair go and I wouldn’t think he will finish top 10-15 in the Copeland which given the time he has had wouldn’t be a good result. I actually think there is scope for him to either play as a tagger in Cafs absence as he looks to have the mental ability and / or playing in the back half.
Macaffer – I thought he was really solid this year and was only really found out in his tagging roles when he went to players with speed. Real shame for him but in some ways I am rapt he will be supporting our prized ‘colt’.
Grundy – The expectations on him were huge this year and he probably didn’t reach the levels some would have hoped. For mine, am not sure there have been many 19yo rucks in the past 20 yrs or so who have performed to the level he did in his 2nd year. For mine he was very good and at a point he will mature in the body and mind and really dominate games with his aggression and movement. He is a ripper I think and his last game I thought was v good. He jumped into his man and really made himself a physical presence late in the year.
Maxwell – Retired
Goldsack – Thought he had a very good year. The right spot for him in 2015 is half back for mine. He has the height, speed, courage and ball use to be effective and I think there is an opportunity for him to really take a leadership role there. I love watching him play and hope we settle him there.
Kennedy – Not sure what happened with him towards the end of the year as thought his VFL and limited AFL performances had suggested he should have played the last 2 games. Notwithstanding for us to push up to the top 8 he needs to come in and play that inside ball winning role. His speed is an asset and he should be good on spread and transition. He has also scope to go fwd so I think the only issue for BK is to tighten up that ball use. He will be one we really need to push through.
Lumumba – Heard the joke can we trade him for Harry Obrien…..funny but true? For mine he had a really poor year. There weren’t many games where he really strutted his stuff and dominated like he use to and unfortunately he appears to be on the decline a bit. He has speed but he can be a bit fumbly and his ball use at times is ordinary. Not sure if he should go back and be that running defender or if persist but some time and effort will go into how you get the best out of him. Doubt he is a trade target but who knows.
Clarke – Shame it didn’t work out for him. I remember that game in Sydney which I think was his first and his run and ball use were really good but he just wasn’t able to get that 1:1 stuff working for him. Will be delisted if hasn’t retired already.
Pendlebury – Huge year and the captaincy didn’t impact his production at all. Am told he is terrific with the group and amongst the broader club. I’d love him to get another premiership.
Blair – I’m not sold on him unfortunately. I look at others in the league who play that role and I don’t think he offers as much (eg Puopolo, Christense, Walters, McGlynn etc). Sure he tackles (so do they) etc in the front half but that’s really only half the equation for mine (if that). He needs to be good offensively and his ‘goal’ output just hasn’t been high enough for mine. The other area for me is the coaching panel aren’t playing in the middle so he has limited positional scope. He is one I reckon a few could go past very quickly. Kennedy vs Blair…….I’ll start the year with Kennedy thanks. Kennedy will do the chase and tackle stuff and give you more scope and probably more goals.
Ball – Little Champ I am going to miss him. Tough!
Adams – What a shame he didn’t see out the year. He was fantastic in the those last 3-4 games. I really thought his frontal pressure was awesome and his repeat efforts to get to contests and pressure was Luke Ball ‘esque which is what he was recruited for. He will be a beauty in my book.
Young – I think he has been a major disappointment. Lots of things went wrong through the year to conspire against us not playing this weekend but his performance vs the Suns was not good. He missed a number of shots that night he should have gotten but one in particular obviously in the last minute where he didn’t even take the mark with no pressure was horrid. I think there was another game vs Crows at G which he butchered it a bit to. His best can be very good but his worst is real bad and I just think others should be given a chance ahead of him. He’d want a good year next year or I suspect will be his last.
Witts – Well he had a really good year. Clunking big marks vs the Hawks has been what we have been waiting for and we’d all be pretty excited by him for 2016 I would think. Obviously would like him to be a bit more damaging up fwd and I fear if he or Grundy cant show that it will be difficult to play both as their lack of speed will hurt on transition.
Brown – Gee we miss him. Will he ever play a full year again?
Beams – I thought he had a stellar year. Hopefully fit and well for 2015 and he is just getting better and better at present. The one we have to keep out of everybody’s greedy hands (read Lions) as well. We don’t want him distracted. Sign him up and throw away the key.
White – Major disappointment but I think there were some mitigating factors. New club obviously and then was largely played at CHF all year where he has never really played before. His best footy for Swans was at FF where he was leading out of the square to a fast transition swans outfit. I think Cloke may have been a bit injured this year and hence they had to play him there. Also maybe they were thinking Reid at CHF and White roaming. Keen to see what they do with him next year but I doubt he will be the 2nd tall fwd. If he is then not sure it bodes well for us. He is a tremendous 2nd ruck though and like old Anthony Rocca you wonder whether he needs an early stinit to get his hands on it and his confidence up.
Elliott – Another who missed to many games for my liking. Real star going fwd and competitive beast but is a bit injury prone. IN a fwd group with Reid, Cloke, White and maybe a Swan he could really burn some opponents and start kicking some good bags. If we could move the ball through the middle quick and with precision you could even leave him one out.
Reid – Don’t get me started. Shocking how little footy had out of him. All soft tissue related so club have nobody to blame but themselves. In horse parlance he could be the horse you've paid a lot for, given to Gai who has overtrained him and then struggles to get up.
Lynch – Retired. I was almost hoping could have had him in the VFL as the Ben Hudson for one more year. Wish him all the best.
Sidebottom – he went to another level for mine. Exceptional and think he might be one of the leaders going fwd for us. He really played well when we were down with injuries and for me that sets him another plane to blokes like Lumumba and Young who should have been capable of the same. Midfield / HB next year?
Keefe – He was another I thought who probably had a good’ish year. We talk about the number of games he has played but to counter that he has been around for a while. I think he was physically a bit spent so that probably was the reason he tapered after a fine start but equally I think he was found out at times on the bigger bodies. Strength is the area I would focus him on in the off season. Buckley loves him.
Thomas – He will be the one I get smashed for. I am not sold on Thomas. Had a great game vs GWS but with respect…that’s GWS. Vs the Hawks he was poor for mine. Sure he didn’t have elite talent around him but it showed me how far he has to go and at 23/24 then you wonder how much more time is there for him. Could he tag? Not in my best 22 for next year. His skill level still a big issue. Shame because his best is good. I'd throw him up as trade bait.
Williams – Another who had a bad start and never really got going. Interesting they had him in the middle late in the year and maybe that bodes for a midfield or tagging role. Yeah he is small but he is competitive, runs hard and his ball use is improving.
Armstrong – Got himself another year I suspect. Credit to him. Never gave up, kept pushing and his VFL performances were stellar. I thought he dropped off a bit in last 2 games but he is worth keeping. Elite ball user but will start VFL for mine.
Sinclair – Another who was missed. His kicking can be off but give credit it is improving all the time. He runs and competes and if gets a full preseason could be a big improver next year I would think. Not sure the chances as seems to get injured fairly easily.
Broomhead – One of the top 3-4 things out of the year for mine. He is all class and once he gets another preseason or two into him my money says ‘watch out’. He is clean, has speed and has elite skill. Also knows how to get a goal.
Ramsay – Good to see him push in. Did a few nice things in the year and there is an opportunity for him there to work to but I suspect a few others are ahead of him. I rated him high as a junior but a few of his VFL games had made me wonder. I think when he finds the tempo and gets strong and more confident he could be away. Did a couple of really good things vs Hawks I thought were beyond him at this stage. he is a competitor.
Cloke – Hmmmm…me thinks he wasn’t 100% all year. In saying that he needs to get on his bike and move. Brereton told Patton to do that and his results went through the roof. Cloke needs the same advice. I’d push him up to CHF and let him roam around.
Karnezis – He was one who was coming from so far back its hard to have had higher expectations on him than what he delivered. Tall, strong, elite use …only think he needs to get is 2 way running. He could be a bolter into the side next year bc he is the type they talk about wanting more of.
Toovey – Another hugely missed for far to many games the last few years. Need him in a settled back half but again wonder if he isn’t just going to keep breaking down in the latter stages of his career.
Scharenberg – I am still crying….say no more. He was one of the best juniors I reckon I have ever seen but to have lost 2 years on a Rd 1 pick is devastating for club and for him. No doubt he would have played senior footy this year.
Swan – Another who I don’t think was right all year and hopefully can get back to his best next year. Suspect some time on the fwd flank will be in order as well.
Martin – Gosh I hope he stays. Best player in the VFL for mine and shocking wasn’t given more of a run late in the year. There is a role there that Ball has left vacant. He should get his tank up and nail that spot.
Yagmoor – He has been improving all the time but I suspect his days are done.
Freeman – One of the greatest disappointments of the year along with the other Rd 1 pick. How could we have not gotten him on the park for 1 game?????
Seedsman – Ok he has been injured this year so we forgive him. But he needs a massive preseason next year and he needs to learn how to impact games more than just being an outside runner. His 1:1 needs to improve. He is borderline best 22 at the moment and yet has so much potential.
Langdon – Probably the best thing that came out of the year. Lock him in for HB for years to come. Poise, courage, skill, clean ……got a lot of ticks. Hope we get his brother as well.
Mooney – Times up for him unfortunately.
Oxley – Well unfair to judge because somehow here is another kid who we couldn’t get on the park this year for more than a game or 2. Showed enough though to persist with.
Gault – Well another nice surprise. I had he and Armstrong pencilled in to go at years end and he has not only saved himself but said to the coach I just might one of the solutions to your big problems. A key fwd who can also play ruck. Very keen to see how he is developed.
Frost – he, 41 and 29 were huge wins out of the year. With Brown coming back and Keefe and Frost along with Brown should enable the coach to persist with Reid fwd.
Marsh – I think sending him to FB in the VFL was a master stroke. Caught a few of his games and I was really impressed. Whether he stays there long term will probably depend on their plans for Moore but he has talent and loads of upside.
Hudson – Thanks to the big man.
Overall
I think we were cruelled by injuries and I think it ultimately took to much from us to go another gear when the good teams put the foot down. I don’t think you can be to negative to Buckley given where they had us mid season. The future is bright but it is predicated on ‘no injuries’ and it is hard to believe they are all suddenly going to vanish but if you need a benchmark look at Essendon. In the same boat as us a few years ago and this year arguably had the least injuries of any club by my reckoning.
2015 Best 22
B Frost, Brown, Langdon
HB Goldsack, Keefe, Toovey
C Sidebottom, Pendlebury, Williams
HF Swan, Cloke, Reid
F Elliott, White, Broomhead
Foll Witts, Beams, Adams
Int (from) Kennedy, Fasolo, Grundy, Lumumba, Sinclair, Seedsman, Freeman
List Changes
My thinking would be something like this;
Senior List
We currently have a senior list of 40.
We have to have a minimum of 3 selections in the draft which means getting the list to a max of 37. I would not have any rookie promotions as I would upgrade Martin and Gault for Macaffer and Scharenberg due to their LTI status. Hence I would delist;
1. Ben Hudson
2. Nick Maxwell
3. Martin Clarke
4. Luke Ball
5. Quentin Lynch.
That effectively brings the list to 35 and gives us 5 live selections. Frost would be upgraded and the ability to upgrade Martin and Gault as mentioned above on the LTI (if allowed).
I would think they will only use 3 selections and possibly keep one for a mature age free agent or delisted player. Strong argument that would be a ruckmen but given Gault progress then maybe they wont bother and will run with the 3 of them and add a youngster or rely on White maybe.
Rookie List
I would think Yagmoor and Mooney both go meaning there will be 2 live selections in the Rookie draft and I that does not include Mason Cox. Actually maybe it does.
Trades
I dont think they will be in the market. I think they probably have room for someone but I think they are committed to their list. Guys like Mitchell, Jaksch, Towers, membrey, Hallahan, Sumner are all worthy of discussion but I doubt we'd be takers this year. Be good if they could go to young James up at GWS and say ‘hey nothing personal…..we miss you….not sure if you are going to huge game time behind Boyd, Patton, Cameron, McCarthy etc over the journey….come home pls’.
There are a few guys who will be delisted I would look at including;
Sam Blease who I think could blossom like Pettard his in the right environment
Leigh Osborne who was as well performed as Hibberd and is very similar but just hasnt had a real go.
I will add some more here but I don’t think we need many (if any).
Draft Selections
Rd 1 - Darcy Moore
I dont think there is much doubt Moore wont be ultimately selected here. For those that think he may slip to Rd 2 you could almost be assured the names Laverde or Pickett would be called with # 8 for us given what the club has stated they are looking for. If Goddard fell they would be very tempted and a kid from Swan Districts has me pretty excited in Connor Blakely who I have seen a fair bit of and I think will blossom to a Mitch Duncan sort.
Rd 2 - Jarrod Gartlett
I would be very keen on getting him. A midfielder with genuine pace and linebreaking capability but also a bit of magic and genuine elite skill. I dont think he will play a midfield role for some time as he is very light and it is very rare kids walk straight into midfield rotations with that sort of body size. He is exactly what Collingwood need except for the fact he is 6-7cm shorter than what you'd prefer. As alternatives I would love it if we traded to a position where we got Connor Blakely as is another who fits the bill. Others around I would expect are Connor Menadue, Daniel Capiron, Clem Smith, Peter Bampton (skill a bit iffy), Tom Lamb, Corey ellis, Brendan Maynard or Kyle Langford.
Rd 3 - Kyle Langford
Tall skilled midfielder with good hands. Bit unsure where he lands but has a couple of things to improve on which may see him slip a bit. Nobody is perfect.....well Pendles is!
Others here would be nakai Cockatoo, Ed Langdon has a lot of appeal around his skill and running ability. James Rose would be one around here I would think and has shown a bit post champs to suggest a player. Lukas Webb, Aaron Christensen and Oleg Markov others.
Rd 4 - Ryan Lim
In my opinion he should go higher but some fellow 'juniors' watchers will tell you he could slip to Rd 4. He will appeal I think to Hine because he a huge runner. He just runs all day and gets on the end of loads of ball. Watch him closely and particularly his running patterns and becomes evident. Suited to a BP / HB he is strong, courageous and a leader. The knock on him is his ball skill but his DE at Champs should have put that to bed.
Others I would look at are Jack Steele in faint hope GWS let him pass, Rory Sheridan-Ferrie, Aiden Anderson, Jake Owen, Jack Johnstone, Kade Answerth, Errin Wasley-Black or Josh Hone and Jack Lonie. Note I think they Will pass and will keep the spot free for a free agent I would think.
Rookie Selections
Rd 1. Shane Yarran
Elite mature age midfielder who played first year of WAFL and shown huge improvement all year.
Rd 2. Sam Bevan
Not sure he falls to here or not but he has shown massive gulf between best and worst and hence hard to know where he drops to. Tall fwd who is very capable and has shown can play both ends. Given glut of talls around he could drop to a pick 70-90 which is effectively where this would be I suspect.
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