This was poor management. Any squad build ought to have at least 4 ready to go tall defender options. We had 5 last year (McKenzie and Clurey). We lost 3 tall backs (McKenzie, Clurey and K.Marshall) and brought in none.
This is a mess of our own making- much like the ruck mess a few years back...
Playing rugby should give better ball handling skills, not worse. You don't catch a rugby ball; you've lost possession completely.
Kicking is the biggest issue when transferring skills.
Lets have a look.
Zerk-Thatcher - 195cm
Aliir - 194cm
Bergman - 189cm
Ratugolea - 197cm
McLean - 197cm
Bogan McDonald - 195cm
Amartey - 195cm
It's all a bit close really. I personally think tallness is a bit overrated in footy. I mean, you need it to be a key position, no doubt but Steven...
Problem is, that back 6 gets destroyed by the teams with multiple tall 200cm forwards. Sydney for example, has 3 of them and made a mockery of our defence in the prelim. Aliir, BZT and Bergman are all undersized. We may not like it, but Esava is absolutely going to have to play back for a fair...
...a long way when it comes to banking cap space so we can pay players to play for us.
We hold players to their contract (eg Tim Kelly, EsavaRatugolea) so we don't have to pay them to play for the opposition.
Secondly, we don't throw ridiculous amounts of money at free agents like Richmond did...
...was 183cm Ben Long. Punchline behind all that is it was a decent ruck draft with a few good talls late - Tim English, Sean Darcy, EsavaRatugolea and Darcy Cameron were all picked up as well as Nick Larkey and Mitchell Lewis.
Just goes to show where a player is drafted doesn't mean jack once...
...of reference for the 2025 season
Key defenders
Harris Andrews
Jake Kolodjashnij
Jayden Laverde
Lewis Melican
Jack Payne
EsavaRatugolea
Defenders
Lachlan Ash
Rory Atkins
Jack Bowes (Midfielder)
Harry Cunningham
Brayden Maynard
Andrew McGrath
Adam Saad
Brandon Starcevich...
Have some players that can shift positions depending what is still available
BP
Jack Payne
HB
Max Holmes
EsavaRatugolea
Max Michalanney
Followers
Tom De Koning
Sam Durham
Harry Sheezel
Centre
Sam Clohesy
Tim Kelly
Darcy Wilson
HF
Dylan Moore
Charlie Comben
Mitch...
Mate nobody is saying you were a great team 2017-20. You were proven to be 19, 39, 51 points short of the one great team of the era, Richmond. Basically 6 goals per final on average. Had Richmond somehow magically choked the 3 finals, it is not inconcievable Geelong wins all 3 flags, but...
...us that we were a great team from 2017-2020. That Lachie Henderson (in his only game for us as a forward) and an inexperienced EsavaRatugolea is a premiership worthy key forward duo.
Geelong fans know what a truly great team looks like.
2007-11 we went 105-20. 84% win rate.
2017-20 we went...
Port Adelaide youngster Joe Berry did his best impersonation of the man who drafted him at pre-season training at Alberton on Friday, power legend Robbie Gray.
It wasn’t match sim that was the main spectacle during the session, rather a ultra competitive non-stop drill between the forwards and...
...full match-sim there were still a couple of insights into what the Power might be thinking when it comes to who plays where in 2025.
EsavaRatugolea was back in defence after his late-season dalliance with the forward line.
New recruit Jack Lukosius was playing as a key forward for most of...
...Oskar Baker WB - C
32.
33. Seth Campbell RI - F
34. Sam Powell-Pepper PA - F
35. Tom Brown RI - B
36. Nick Coffield WB - B
37. EsavaRatugolea PA - B
38. Karl Worner FR - B
39. Harry Barnett WC - R,F
40. Zane Duursma NM - C,F
41. Taj Woewodin ME - B,F
42. Neil Erasmus FR - C,F
43...
The thing is our list management team clearly had the opposite view. That trading him for what we did was worth more than keeping him, otherwise they wouldn’t have done it. I see where people are coming from, and compared to the Rioli deal it was shit, but the club had to be ok with making it...
I think the problem with us is we get too far down the path when players want out, where as Geelong are more like meh you can make all the noise you like with your managers we'll look at it and it's benefits in our time and if it doesn't suit well stiff shit.
...months with 2 years remaining on his deal and tried again. In 12 months he's still worth more than pick 13 and Joe Richards.
Note that Geelong did that with both Tim Kelly and EsavaRatugolea and still got good deals for both the following season without their culture being negatively effected.
I've been thinking about this and I think we have to start with Lord in that position, and give him 6-7 games to find his feet. If that doesn't work I think Visentini is genuinely the next best option. I've written Marshall, Finlayson and Esava off as genuine options if we want to go deep into...
Mitch Georgiades, EsavaRatugolea, Ryan Burton (hasn’t missed a session), Miles Bergman, Darcy Byrne-Jones, Jordon Sweet, Kane Farrell and Dylan Williams were all at training, along with captain Connor Rozee and vice-captain Zak Butters. Todd Marshall was there too and is showing no concussion...
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