Strategy Trade and List Management Thread Part 8 (opposition supporters - READ posting rules before posting)

[_Mike_]

Opposition supporters coming to troll , you have been warned

 

[adogsfan5]

Given both clubs discussed Butts, you’d imagine they were asking for overs which they have every right to do

 

[adogsfan5]

If we are accepting our fate of going into 2026 with the same group of defenders as 2025, we will only have a similar year.

Another wasted year of the best player we’ve ever had.

Not if we tighten up our team defence
That’s now on the coaches

 

[Doggy]

Not if we tighten up our team defence
That’s now on the coaches

And get no injuries at all ... and get strong internal growth.

Not much to ask for

 

[Doggies7]

Looks like we’re on the buss in 2026. I’m here for it. Rate him massively, big preseason coming up.

JOD already made some massive strides this year, took a lot of courageous and goal saving marks in big moments. Lots to like.

I'm with ya. Buss is divisive amongst supporters, and I wanted to get a Butts or Wilkie to shore about our KPD stocks, but i'm excited to back Buss in and see what level he can get to with a full pre-season under his belt, and the experience he got in 2025. He has become a very important player for us and our immediate goals all of a sudden.

I would still like a Sam Frost type as depth, maybe Derksen as we are thin at both ends losing Buku, JUH and Jones.

 

[adogsfan5]

And get no injuries at all ... and get strong internal growth.

Not much to ask for

It’s actually not
Another summer for Hynes and Dolan
A full pre season for Buss
Another year for Darcy and full season
Plenty to look fwd to

 

[Doggy]

It’s actually not
Another summer for Hynes and Dolan
A full pre season for Buss
Another year for Darcy and full season
Plenty to look fwd to

Injuries are inevitable and there is sweet **** all in defence. There's not much there in fhe middle either

 

[ossie_21]

Not if we tighten up our team defence
That’s now on the coaches

Can only hope, but my concern not many people talk about is the lack of leadership now that Jones is gone/went out of the side.

Sometimes it looks like our structure just falls apart and the players don’t know what to do as there is nobody to guide them to help out.

Lobb is an experienced player, but not an experienced defender. Then we have JOD & Buss, who are infants. Then it’s the next cab off the rank in Gardner, who has played about 50 games. Thats why I’d even take a broken Jake Lever instead of a cancerous Steven May.

I’m glad we identified the likes of Wilkie & Butts to address the glaring issue, but not being able to get anything done will be painful. Even Sydney are pretty well equipped for key backs, yet are still adding Serong. We’ve neglected the position for years, last year the Hawks nailed it and got 2 quality ones in.

 

[Doggies7]

New thread started for trade period.

I'd rather discuss it all here personally rather than split the same type of chat over two different threads.

 

[Bulldogs85]

We were never going to get much for JUH anyway

 

[TiAn_]

Just sign May, plonk him at full back, shift our zone back so he’s not covering half the ground and let Lobb and O’Donnell play as interceptors and replace JJ with Budarick. Defence sorted for 2026. Replace May with Butts the end of next year. Done.

 

[RWnBluey]

Nothing on salary but I reckon we will due to Trac coming into Sun's
AFL will tick off a new structure for his contract I think

I’d rather keep him on the list and let him sit out another year than strengthen a direct competitor while we’re still footing the bill

Edit: looks like it would be a new 2 year contract so GC would absorb it

 

[iambrilliant]

Just sign May, plonk him at full back, shift our zone back so he’s not covering half the ground and let Lobb and O’Donnell play as interceptors and replace JJ with Budarick. Defence sorted for 2026. Replace May with Butts the end of next year. Done.

 

[0utsider]

Just dropping into the Gold Coast trade thread on their board, there doesn't seem to be too much sleep being lost over Budarick's departure. The general view is that we are being sold a bit of a lemon, particularly if we think that he will fill a role as a lockdown defender. Not a great read, if I'm to be honest.

Surprised they bothered to create a whole board for 15 people.

 

[0utsider]

What’s Caleb Graham

46

Caleb Graham

Age

25

Ht

194cm

Wt

97kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

10.0

3star

K

5.5

2star

HB

4.5

3star

M

3.5

4star

T

1.0

3star

MG

63.0

1star

D

5.0

1star

K

4.0

1star

HB

1.0

1star

M

3.0

3star

T

0.0

1star

MG

63.0

1star

D

10.0

3star

K

5.5

3star

HB

4.5

4star

M

3.5

4star

T

1.0

3star

MG

63.0

1star

up to these days?

Seemingly out of favour and unlikely to get a game at Gold Coast but was a decent key defender a couple years ago. Wonder if we could make something happen there since the conversations are already happening around Jamarra and Budarick.

 

[St 07]

Just sign May, plonk him at full back, shift our zone back so he’s not covering half the ground and let Lobb and O’Donnell play as interceptors and replace JJ with Budarick. Defence sorted for 2026. Replace May with Butts the end of next year. Done.

We could've just done that with Liam Jones

 

[W W Biscuit]

We were never going to get much for JUH anyway

If the AFL are so keen to rehabilitate a former number 1 draftee, then maybe we should be getting a little more than a late 'throwaway' pick that is next to useless.

 

[TheScriptorWL]

2026 is going to be crap isn't it...

 

[TiAn_]

We could've just done that with Liam Jones

People will say this but May this year was significantly better than Jones was even last year.

 

[geoffjennings79]

Just sign May, plonk him at full back, and tell him to run through Ugle-Hagan when we play GC.

Just tweaked it for you!

 

[Doggy]

If the AFL are so keen to rehabilitate a former number 1 draftee, then maybe we should be getting a little more than a late 'throwaway' pick that is next to useless.

While we pay his contract

 

[redmania]

Day 1 in the trade week house and the sentiment has gone from we are getting Wilkie and Butters to Budarick and backing in the kids. Depressing.

 

[Chadley]

2026 is going to be crap isn't it...

Out of the 20k posts any of them positive?

 

[who_let_the_dogs_out]

In May's defence I'd say being a newbie to the club with little interest from other teams would be a big reality check for him in terms of arrogance and pulling his head in.

Realistically it would be a 1 or 2 year deal, not long enough for him to get comfortable enough to start behaving like a knob.

The bloke has loads of experience as an elite defender, surely that's a positive, if only for the development of Buss and JOD. Lobb has only being playing in the backline for less than 2 years as well.

If he's cheap we should do it.

If it was indeed a failed medical then the discussion changes dramatically.

 

[threenewpadlocks]

The irony of people (justifiably) questioning the wisdom of giving Gardner 3 years since that contract was signed, is that if he were coming out of contract this year we'd probably just give him another 1 year deal as a proven VFL performer, good culture, break glass in case of injury key defender, given how few of them we actually have.

 

[Doggy]

Out of the 20k posts any of them positive?

Plenty.

Defence is an issue and we are going to back in an even less experienced defence with bugger all depth (Gardner only). People complain about our defence now and it is even thinner.