Preview 2025 Goodbye (To 2026) New; Preseason Discussion

[240volt]

A rebuild isn't exactly what we are doing because the conventional AFL wisdom is that a rebuild means selling off any players you have of value to draft heavily over a 3-5 year period. In fact the opposite of what we are doing this year.

We have no choice than to do what we’ve doing this year.
We have 8 out from last year, moved some up from the rookie list and topped up with depth players.
That all changes next year when we have a full hand of draft picks and possibly extra ones depending on what Butters does.
This list is in for a massive shake up over the next couple of years.
Call it what you want but it will happen.

 

[240volt]

We'll be better than 9 wins @ 79.8%. Just the easier draw will see us with more wins than 9.

Adelaide Oval needs to be a fortress.

So you’re not expecting finals as around 15 wins will be required for that.
So that’s basically in the same ball park as me.
The biggest problem for me is our fitness, players get injured and are out for eternity.

 

[longdonkey]

So you’re not expecting finals as around 15 wins will be required for that.
So that’s basically in the same ball park as me.
The biggest problem for me is our fitness, players get injured and are out for eternity.

I didn't say that. I actually think that we will be in the 6th to 10th range. A lot will depend on the first 5 games, hopefully the draw will be kind to us.

What I did say is that we will not underperform 2025. Next year I don't expect a huge turnover of players. Soldo, Mead and Lord will probably go maybe a couple others.

 

[SureBuddy]

How are we rebuilding? We have lost Boak and Charlie over the last couple of years. Am I missing anyone else of note? Isn’t that a net positive?

We were a regular prelim level team before this succession plan year, which was also riddled with injuries.
If anything, our young core are all reaching that absolute prime of 24/25 years old. Oh and yea, no Hinkley.
We should absolutely be aiming for top 4 at a minimum.

 

[jakey]

If we don't make the 8 next year and have a fairly healthy list, it would be underperformance IMO.

 

[Tibbs]

It plainly states next year I’m expecting a ladder position of 12 or lower.
There is no mention of playing finals next year.
How more definitive do you want Mr fence sitter?
Can’t wait to read your thousand word prediction that like a politician says absolutely nothing.

And you plainly pulled that straight out of your arse! These were the definitive statements of yours that I responded to:

I actually agree with him on that, I don’t expect much change till 2027 season.

"I dont expect much change" suddenly morphed into 'I plainly stated 12 or lower!'

Am I going to dogmatically say we will play finals. No, I dont have a crystal ball, unlike some idiots here! What I do categorically say, is that we will be a much better side than many are expecting us to be, and that means winning more games than we did this year. Therefor I am confident we WILL finish higher than 12, and that if we stay healthy we will be contending for finals, and playing in them.

I also gave sound reasons why we will improve next year, unlike that crap you dished out.

 

[El_Scorcho]

Ok here we go, firstly it takes time for coaches to change the game style and get the players playing how he wants them to play.

Not always. Collingwood won 10 more games in McRae's first year than they did the previous season.

Even when teams don't change coach, there are plenty of examples of a team having a dramatic improvement between 2 seasons.

Especially when we've just had a season where the entire club had the cue in the rack after about 3 rounds. We had key players injured all season, Hinkley wanted to go but they wouldn't let him, they were running down the assistant coaching budget and now we have a re-energised box. 2025 is the anomaly.

 

[El_Scorcho]

We're not rebuilding. Only Wines, Allir and DBJ are over 27 out of our best 23. We're coming into the right age to compete where we have a stack of talented players entering their primes.

We've lost 1 key player from the 2024 season (Houston), when we finished 2nd. Dixon was well and truly past it by that stage, as was Boak.

If you thing we need a rebuild, even a "mini" rebuild, we're ****ed. We've got too much quality to finish really low, even in a worst case scenario season in 2025 we finished 13th. Then Tassie are coming in and vacuuming up all the high picks. We simply do not have the ability to bring in high end talent beyond what we'll hopefully have access to anyway due to our NGA and father sons.

 

[EskimoPAFC]

How are we rebuilding? We have lost Boak and Charlie over the last couple of years. Am I missing anyone else of note? Isn’t that a net positive?

We were a regular prelim level team before this succession plan year, which was also riddled with injuries.
If anything, our young core are all reaching that absolute prime of 24/25 years old. Oh and yea, no Hinkley.
We should absolutely be aiming for top 4 at a minimum.

Houston

 

[SureBuddy]

Houston

Ahhh I knew I was forgetting someone. Oh well, that guy sucks now anyway.

 

[EskimoPAFC]

Ahhh I knew I was forgetting someone. Oh well, that guy sucks now anyway.

I suspect he would be much more successful if he has stayed at Port. Just doesnt fit at Collingwood.

 

[backtozero]

I suspect he would be much more successful if he has stayed at Port. Just doesnt fit at Collingwood.

I think he just hit his peak with us and is now on the decline. Not every player keeps getting better until they hit 30.

 

[Capital Power]

I love it that the idiot Vic media have given us an F for our trade period, and will probably go to Z after the draft. Consensus is we will go backward. General footy supporters have a similar view, and many of our own the same.

Bring it on! I am sure that Carr would be taking notice of every one of these, and pinning it to the walls at Alberton.

An 'F'? Really? Just about all of us here bemoaned our depth this year, so we've traded to cover some of that without giving up much, and added an F2 for next year's points needs. I would have thought that, taken in isolation, this year's trading was as good as it could have been. The issue of course was selling the farm the last couple of years to suit the vanity of our previous head coach.

 

[Visenfest]

We should be aiming for top 4. We’re good enough, if Carr can fix the soft mentality.

 

[240volt]

And you plainly pulled that straight out of your arse! These were the definitive statements of yours that I responded to:


"I dont expect much change" suddenly morphed into 'I plainly stated 12 or lower!'

Am I going to dogmatically say we will play finals. No, I dont have a crystal ball, unlike some idiots here! What I do categorically say, is that we will be a much better side than many are expecting us to be, and that means winning more games than we did this year. Therefor I am confident we WILL finish higher than 12, and that if we stay healthy we will be contending for finals, and playing in them.

I also gave sound reasons why we will improve next year, unlike that crap you dished out.

Last sentence post #78 Expectations for 2026.

As for actual ladder position I see us in the 12-15 range.
Honestly your more dense than The Antarctic bottom water.

 

[Tibbs]

Last sentence post #78 Expectations for 2026.

As for actual ladder position I see us in the 12-15 range.
Honestly your more dense than The Antarctic bottom water.

"You are so dense!"

 

[longdonkey]

Last sentence post #78 Expectations for 2026.

As for actual ladder position I see us in the 12-15 range.
Honestly your more dense than The Antarctic bottom water.

So you're going with the Vic media assessment that we have a crap list and the great man was getting us over the line.

So the Vic media conventional wisdom is that we are crap and are going backwards, then Butters is leaving and a full re-build.

However they also say that Gold Coast has the best midfield in the comp now that a semi-cooked Petracca is there.
We pumped their midfield in Round 23 without our best mix.

We have one of the best 3 midfields in the comp and no team with a top end midfield is coming 15th

 

[El_Scorcho]

Last sentence post #78 Expectations for 2026.

As for actual ladder position I see us in the 12-15 range.
Honestly your more dense than The Antarctic bottom water.

Do you think we were effectively playing to our potential in 2025? Why would we get worse, given how bad last year was?

I think it was a comfortable worst case scenario personally.

 

[240volt]

So you're going with the Vic media assessment that we have a crap list and the great man was getting us over the line.

So the Vic media conventional wisdom is that we are crap and are going backwards, then Butters is leaving and a full re-build.

However they also say that Gold Coast has the best midfield in the comp now that a semi-cooked Petracca is there.
We pumped their midfield in Round 23 without our best mix.

We have one of the best 3 midfields in the comp and no team with a top end midfield is coming 15th

Is said 12-15 range
Our so called midfield has failed to produce in big games for years, that’s not what I think it’s the way it is.
We are going in with basically the same side as last year.
I don’t believe we are up to making the 8 next year but believe there’s definitely a future if we draft and trade well over the next couple of years.
As I’ve said over and over our list as it stands now in 2025 is not good enough to win a flag.
Fortunately that can and will change.

 

[240volt]

Do you think we were effectively playing to our potential in 2025? Why would we get worse, given how bad last year was?

I think it was a comfortable worst case scenario personally.

I said 12-15 range, we finished 13th last year so it’s in that scope.
I’m expecting things to take time for the players to adjust with the new coaching and game plan.
We have a good core group of players but there’s too many mentally weak types on our list still.
I’m expecting that to change rather fast over the next couple of years.
If we get it right there’s no reason why we can’t be challenging for a flag.
The general consensus on this forum is the mentality weak under Hinkley will turn into raging bulls under Carr.
I can’t see that happening, what I can see is Carr dumping them and that’s the right way going forward.

 

[jakey]

Is said 12-15 range
Our so called midfield has failed to produce in big games for years, that’s not what I think it’s the way it is.
We are going in with basically the same side as last year.
I don’t believe we are up to making the 8 next year but believe there’s definitely a future if we draft and trade well over the next couple of years.
As I’ve said over and over our list as it stands now in 2025 is not good enough to win a flag.
Fortunately that can and will change.

Roughly 10 TBH. Aligns to the appearance of the deck chair give or take. The removal of the deck chair should not be underestimated. campaigners will have things to prove.

Also that midfield had Butters, JHF and Drew all have shit preseasons. Butters took a couple months to get going and JHF and Drew in particular appeared never to catch up to full fitness.

 

[240volt]

Roughly 10 TBH. Aligns to the appearance of the deck chair give or take. The removal of the deck chair should not be underestimated. campaigners will have things to prove.

Also that midfield had Butters, JHF and Drew all have shit preseasons. Butters took a couple months to get going and JHF and Drew in particular appeared never to catch up to full fitness.

Butters being out was a bad start for us last year and I don’t think JHF was 100% fit all year.
Drew was useless last year and if we’d had decent depth he would have been dropped.
Fitness more than anything has hit rock bottom and needs to change fast.
We get too many long term injuries, 4 weeks+.

 

[backtozero]

240v is basically bizarro world Janus at this point.

 

[240volt]

240v is basically bizarro world Janus at this point.

You’re entitled to your opinion as everyone else is.

 

[TazD]

I'm not putting any expectations on next season. If they make finals, great! If they finish bottom 4, meh, I won't be judging too harshly because I view it as a discovery/fumigation year.