As much as I'd love Joe to return and commit his future to the team, this makes sense.
Hooker going forward is the only way to get KPD reps into BZT/Francis which is critical while Hurley is still around to guide them. Langford looks a natural up there and Stringer and Tippa need no explanation.
I'd trade Fantasia too. Between him and Joe we could have a reasonable draft hand and some cap space.
Only worries are:
Ideally Stewart can use the remaining rounds to show he's up to standard as depth at a minimum. I'm guessing McKernan hangs around if Bellchambers is no longer at the club, though I wouldn't mind a hard decision being made on him.
- Would it be too tall to add one of Stewart/Jones/McKernan? Even Laverde? There's an argument for loading up on smaller types around Hooker, who you can be pretty confident won't be outmarked, and using him as a bit of an anchor within 30m of goal to base forward pressure around. But I'd like to see Jones get some senior footy.
- Do either Smith or Cahill have the legs to be genuine pressure forwards? Is Mozzie up to it? Should we even have specialists for this role or could you get by with rotating midfielders through here?
I like Laverde but would prefer him given a shot further afield if his body can handle it (could he not playing Cutler's role? We could do with someone who can take a grab on the wing). Same with Begley.
I’m not super concerned about being “too tall” because it’s often not the whole story with a taller player. What I wouldn’t want is another slower beast alongside Hooker. Fit, 2017-era Daniher or Stewart would be fine. They’re both tall but they’re mobile. As long as it’s somebody who can get up the ground a bit, it’s fine imo.
I just don’t think we can hold Daniher, Stewart and Laverde - plus Fantasia - and hope one or two of them works their way back to regular footy. We’ve done it for three seasons now and been burnt. I don’t know how much longer we can keep doing the same thing and expect a different result.
Daniher - probably gone. If he stays, we’ll nurse him.
Stewart - I think he basically has to play out the rest of this year and not show a sign of further injury. If he gets hurt again, I think he’s done.
Laverde - from here, I think he’ll struggle. He just does not get on the park. The fitness staff would want to have major confidence to keep him from here I think. The only thing he really has going for him is this latest injury isn’t an “injury prone” one... it was just an impact.
Fantasia - as I’ve said, I’d cut our losses and get what we can. We’re not short on small forwards. A significant calf injury for a bloke with his history is bad news.