So how long will it be before we’re actually a top, feared and unstoppable team - like we were in the olden days?

Hojuman

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May 20, 2012
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Simpkin, Zurhaar, Larkey, LDU, TT are all 20-22 and shown they up to the standard. Let's say they hit their peak in 3-4 years. Let's also hope the other 22 or under blokes on the list become something (Mahony, Perez, Comben, Scott, Crocker, Bonar, McGuinness Crocker, Xerri, Murphy, Walker, McKay)

However, currently we have the best key defender in the game (31yo), one of the best rucks (31), 2 elite mids (32 & 28), one of the best tall forwards (27). Tarrant, Goldstein and Higgins don't have 3-4 years left in them. Likewise the 29yos - Ziebell, Daw, Hall, Pittard.

Then we have blokes who are 23-26 who are genuine C-graders. OK, some deserving of a spot for now, but probably below what we hoped they'd be for whatever reason and unlikely to get better - Garner, Ahern, Wood, Turner, Anderson, Dumont, McDonald, Williams. How many of these do we want around in 3-4 years? Are they tradable? What could we get?

Then there's the deadwood. 27/28yos who have no improvement in them, have been around for ages and offer little to nothing now. Macmillan, Atley, Jacobs :(, Campbell, Tyson.

The only blokes not covered in the categories above are J.Walker & Polec (brought in from other clubs to fill specific roles) and Hosie & Durdin.

IF we jettison the deadwood now (ie only play them when there just aren't any other options and move them on ASAP) AND reduce our reliance on the C-graders and maybe shop a few around at the end of the year AND develop the young guns to A-grade material and maybe find a couple in the unproven youngsters AND smash the ears off of the draft/trade period......I reckon we could challenge next year and be "feared and unstoppable" for a couple of years after that. But the window is small because after that Taz, Higgins and Goldy will just about be done, and Brown and Cunnington will start heading off the cliff.



And that is why you are the Mastermind 👍

11 / 10
 

big_e

Existential crisis management consultant
Apr 28, 2008
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We need to stop making excuses.

Out list profile isn't vastly different to that of recent premiers. What's different is that those teams played with a consistent brand and system, and their players were consistently consistent. You knew what was expected and if they didn't deliver, there were consequences.

Hopefully the dropping of Macmillan and Wood was the start of something, but we are still early. We didn't play the hard brand of footy that we showed against GWS in the Sydney game, and we got about five minutes of it yesterday.

At our best we can beat anyone. We just need to be at our best more often.
 
Mar 25, 2002
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We lack class.

I don't think we're far away but that's my take. Some of the skill errors and decision making in the Hawthorn game was comical but the effort (in the main) was there. Our lack of class is due to not having access to top end draft talent (and I don't mean high picks at their 2nd/3rd club).

This has been an age old problem. Sure we had Wells and Boomer and this team has Higgins and Simpkin but we don't go deep enough compared to say a Hawthorn that has the likes of Wingard, Breust, O'Meara, Bourgoyne, Scully and even Gunston step up at critical times and put a dagger in our hearts.

The good news is I believe we are addressing the 'class' issue with recent drafting (Thomas, Taylor) but a) it takes time to inject a few of these guys into the team and give them the appropriate time to knit and b) we still need to top up with elite young talent (e.g. Caldwell, Tarranto, Hately types).
 

DuckYeah

Brownlow Medallist
Jul 5, 2010
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Simpkin, Zurhaar, Larkey, LDU, TT are all 20-22 and shown they up to the standard. Let's say they hit their peak in 3-4 years. Let's also hope the other 22 or under blokes on the list become something (Mahony, Perez, Comben, Scott, Crocker, Bonar, McGuinness Crocker, Xerri, Murphy, Walker, McKay)

However, currently we have the best key defender in the game (31yo), one of the best rucks (31), 2 elite mids (32 & 28), one of the best tall forwards (27). Tarrant, Goldstein and Higgins don't have 3-4 years left in them. Likewise the 29yos - Ziebell, Daw, Hall, Pittard.

Then we have blokes who are 23-26 who are genuine C-graders. OK, some deserving of a spot for now, but probably below what we hoped they'd be for whatever reason and unlikely to get better - Garner, Ahern, Wood, Turner, Anderson, Dumont, McDonald, Williams. How many of these do we want around in 3-4 years? Are they tradable? What could we get?

Then there's the deadwood. 27/28yos who have no improvement in them, have been around for ages and offer little to nothing now. Macmillan, Atley, Jacobs :(, Campbell, Tyson.

The only blokes not covered in the categories above are J.Walker & Polec (brought in from other clubs to fill specific roles) and Hosie & Durdin.

IF we jettison the deadwood now (ie only play them when there just aren't any other options and move them on ASAP) AND reduce our reliance on the C-graders and maybe shop a few around at the end of the year AND develop the young guns to A-grade material and maybe find a couple in the unproven youngsters AND smash the ears off of the draft/trade period......I reckon we could challenge next year and be "feared and unstoppable" for a couple of years after that. But the window is small because after that Taz, Higgins and Goldy will just about be done, and Brown and Cunnington will start heading off the cliff.

i like, however m Tarrant is playing like a 27 year old
 
Jun 9, 2001
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We lack class.

That's what's scaring me more from the last 2 weeks.

We won't always be switched off for whole games. But contrast last year's game vs Hawthorn to yesterday.

We arrested momentum going the wrong way last year and overcame it with sheer physicality.

It's hardly a shock new tactic but sides such as pies, tigers and hawks would've had a certain recent expectation of the style of game when playing North. In latter 2019 our sudden new fiestiness would've caught them off-guard subconsciously.

By round 3 2020 other sides have caught on. Sydney matched us in the clinches and out-finessed us in transition. Hawthorn matched us in the clinches and out-finessed us in transition.

Yes we missed Cunners, swans would've missed Buddy and I'm sure Hawthorn were missing some hick bum**** who's important to them who I don't care to remember. The point was our big weapon has been blunted and overcome in the last 2 weeks.

I hope we have more strings to our bow because beating good sides with our 'class' ain't one of them.
 
That's what's scaring me more from the last 2 weeks.

We won't always be switched off for whole games. But contrast last year's game vs Hawthorn to yesterday.

We arrested momentum going the wrong way last year and overcame it with sheer physicality.

It's hardly a shock new tactic but sides such as pies, tigers and hawks would've had a certain recent expectation of the style of game when playing North. In latter 2019 our sudden new fiestiness would've caught them off-guard subconsciously.

By round 3 2020 other sides have caught on. Sydney matched us in the clinches and out-finessed us in transition. Hawthorn matched us in the clinches and out-finessed us in transition.

Yes we missed Cunners, swans would've missed Buddy and I'm sure Hawthorn were missing some hick bum**** who's important to them who I don't care to remember. The point was our big weapon has been blunted and overcome in the last 2 weeks.

I hope we have more strings to our bow because beating good sides with our 'class' ain't one of them.
Isn't that how we beat the ladder leaders by nearly 100 points last year?
 
Nov 25, 2014
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Dunno how long it will be.

But what I do know is that the year of the reliable, but ultimately limited, C grade player getting game after game poured into him by safe, risk averse coaches - earning some nice coaching extensions along the way - is over. Kaput. Finito.

Rhyce Shaw knows that gets you nowhere. His continuing reliance on the talented kids - Hayden on Heeney, recently debuting Mahony and Xerri and keeping the likes of Thomas and Taylor forward at the pointy end of tight games, gives us hope that the pain of the last 20 years might be over sooner than later.

I'm on board.
 

shimaburnsgrieg

Premiership Player
Apr 1, 2017
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How long before we can turn 1/4 of the list over and replace with 5 AA's and 5 really good role players? That will give you your answer.
 
Apr 24, 2011
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Our best bet to win a flag is to fluke one like the Dogs did or if we can develop a unique system like a Richmond has over the past few years which involves a total player buy in. Richmonds success has been based on system/game style/camaraderie rather than overall talent I feel.
As for being a top, feared and unstoppable side, forget it. Not going to happen. We will never attract top end talent unfortunately. And players like Carey come along once in a lifetime. We were so fortunate to have him.
The successful clubs over the past 20 years have been clubs with money and power, WC, Pies, Hawks, Cats. Sydney obviously have been looked after. We get the 1.10pm slots on Mother’s Day etc.
 

Cool Kangas

Norm Smith Medallist
Jun 2, 2010
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Our best bet to win a flag is to fluke one like the Dogs did or if we can develop a unique system like a Richmond has over the past few years which involves a total player buy in. Richmonds success has been based on system/game style/camaraderie rather than overall talent I feel.
As for being a top, feared and unstoppable side, forget it. Not going to happen. We will never attract top end talent unfortunately. And players like Carey come along once in a lifetime. We were so fortunate to have him.
The successful clubs over the past 20 years have been clubs with money and power, WC, Pies, Hawks, Cats. Sydney obviously have been looked after. We get the 1.10pm slots on Mother’s Day etc.

Sad reality
 
Mar 25, 2002
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As for being a top, feared and unstoppable side, forget it. Not going to happen. We will never attract top end talent unfortunately. And players like Carey come along once in a lifetime. We were so fortunate to have him.

With the greatest respect - this is bullshit and reeks of 'woah is me' when it is trotted out by our own supporters

Dusty, Kelly and Gaff were all close but irrespective I think the need to develop our own elite has been missed in going after these types. In Thomas, Taylor, LDU, Larkey, Simpkin et al, maybe we can have five AAs that someone alluded to earlier.

If no one wants to come to our club or be here, why do we have good player retention? Build it and they will come. I don't think we're far away but certainly think the list needs one more haircut this year
 
Apr 24, 2013
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With the greatest respect - this is bullshit and reeks of 'woah is me' when it is trotted out by our own supporters

Dusty, Kelly and Gaff were all close but irrespective I think the need to develop our own elite has been missed in going after these types. In Thomas, Taylor, LDU, Larkey, Simpkin et al, maybe we can have five AAs that someone alluded to earlier.

If no one wants to come to our club or be here, why do we have good player retention? Build it and they will come. I don't think we're far away but certainly think the list needs one more haircut this year

You wouldn't knock any of those blokes back, but after missing them, we continued with the next best option.

It's not an either/or scenario for me.
 
Apr 26, 2014
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The system is too stacked against us to become that sort of side, but that doesn't mean we can't play a couple of good months of footy Bulldogs style and win one.

The more interesting question is whether people at the club itself genuinely believe we can win it. Right now we actually have a great mix of youth and experience that is most comparable to the premiership contenders, yet the talk coming out of the club is that we're building something.
 

franjon

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Oct 27, 2004
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Sort of my point tho, days of teams being feared are over

Afl is pretty even nowadays any given Sunday
The money people have got what they wanted. Money in their pockets, a nice 5 bedroom house, and the teams that create the most money, winning. And if they don't win they will find a way to get them winning by giving them everything.
 

franjon

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Luck on our side regarding injuries would help. If Larkey and Cunners played the last two weeks we would more than likely be 4-0 and the vibe around here vastly different.

On SM-G950F using BigFooty.com mobile app
That's true, but it seems tp be a common factor. It seems to be every year the same s**t. Part of the problem is I think there are players not pulling their weight. Cunnington is always going to play the way he plays, thats how he is, but he shouldn't be shouldering it all by himself. It was good to see Higgins crack in and do some hard work against Hawthorn, but we have players who shouldn't be in the side, if we are fairdinkum.
 
Luck on our side regarding injuries would help. If Larkey and Cunners played the last two weeks we would more than likely be 4-0 and the vibe around here vastly different.

On SM-G950F using BigFooty.com mobile app
2016 says hi.

We need to be able to cover these vital points in our game plan.

Ie we need to develop another Cunners type and have three or four potential tall marking targets up forward instead of just Larkey and Brown. Xerri and Comben could cover that and so could Maj at times.

Cunners has amazing ability around a contest. He's like gravity, well a humongous gravitational mass, in that the game can sometimes move around him.

I reckon Hayden has a bit of that about him too. Composure and vision. It's why he seems slow but still uses the ball very well. He is the only one of our players I can see with that sort of composure and potential physical strength. Ahern has a bit of the composure but lacks the physical presence.

Jy is a different sort of player to Cunners. He is a clearance machine as well but he is much more mobile and looks to his mobility to create time and space instead of his strength.
 
Last edited:
Aug 16, 2009
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The money people have got what they wanted. Money in their pockets, a nice 5 bedroom house, and the teams that create the most money, winning. And if they don't win they will find a way to get them winning by giving them everything.
This is kinda sadly true also. The fact that the “fixture” is created around revenue based blockbusters and everything else fits in around is a joke. Couple this with the fact club’s salary caps are organic at best, see Dusty Puma and Gaff god knows what deals, and things look pretty much like the EPL.
 

barnrokn

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Aug 1, 2017
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Olden days like the 90s?

Wed need the best player in the league.

Olden days like the 70s?

We will never have a side that makes grand finals for 5 years in a row again.
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Chill. First year and under extremely difficult circumstances

I have belief

Jade made very obvious in his talk to the players that they see this as the very early days of the new regime.

We're having a rebuild but just not telling anyone.
 
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