Hurley omera and a ruck. Hurleyto play up with jack and a lobb type player would be icing on the cake.
Man, how we gonna afford all that?
Honestly we are lacking in key position mostly, but we really lack in the midfield too.
Main group still good but I reckon we need upgrades on Grigg and B. Ellis.
From within I believe C. Ellis and Menadue will go to another level next season, perhaps McIntosh too.
But how do we address what we need??
Go for the now with some big fish, or do a mini-rebuild in 2-3 years via draft, in the hope that players like Deledio, Edwards, Riewoldt and Rance are still around.
Midifield main group: Deledio, Martin, Cotchin, Conca, Vlastuin, Edwards, Miles
Midfield developing: McIntosh, C. Ellis, Menadue
Midfield trade (in my opinion): B. Ellis, Grigg
So yeah we're a bit light-on, because there's no one
else on our list that will improve enough to make us significantly better. In 2017 we might be able to add the 3 developing players into the genuine main group, if McIntosh isn't already in it. But it's because we're this light-on that I say we really need to make sure Conca is back in soon and that we don't let him go, it would be disastrous. Take Conca from that main group and there aren't many in our midifled, then go look at our list on rfc website and there is
no one you would want in there. By 2018 we may not even have Deledio and Miles might not be up to it given his lack of running. A fit Conca is in the top 4 there for sure.
So how do we address this?
We can't hope to add a gun/decent ruck, a key-back, key-forward, and two or so midfielders all in the coming trade/FA period, can we?
So do we trade a couple of
almosts (B Ellis, Grigg, even Houli) for picks in the hope we can get some gun kids in the draft, or do we go for bigger fish?
We aren't just one big fish away from top 4 anymore unfortunately, I don't think. It might be one big/big-ish name in each of the next two trade/FA periods and some astute drafting, and then 2018 we're up there again.
So by 2018
B: Grimes - NEW KPD - Batchelor
HB: Yarran - Rance - Menadue
C: Deledio - Vlastuin - Cotchin
HF: Lennon - NEW KPF - NEW MID
F: Rioli - Riewoldt - Edwards
R: NEW RUCK - Martin - Conca
Int: Miles - C. Ellis - McIntosh - NEW MID
That could be the makings of a very good side.
The positions that are vacant, I do not rate anyone else on our list currently to develop and play there.
I'm not a wrap on
Lloyd long term, however I reckon
Lennon will be a gun but needs to be developed in the 1s, not the 2s. He is the kind of player that needs the confidence boost of being in the 1s, he won't destroy it in the 2s enough to break in you just gotta put him in.
I still rate
Batchelor back into Vlastuin's current back-pocket style role, but he needs to get his running capabilities back to his first couple of years.
With the exception of
Drummond and
Markov, I have little hope in anyone else to be honest, so we gotta start drafting better. Drummond could be really good but I'm sick of his type, the nuggety players we ALWAYS draft, like Nason, Webberley, McDonough etc. Enough is enough.
By 2018 we can probably have that side above, it just depends on what players we can get in via trade/FA and what combination of that mixed with drafting that we use.
If we write this year off and get a good pick, we can use that on a gun tall or mid in the draft.
I say the only absolute sure thing we should trade/FA in is a ruckman, and next in line is a key defender.
Testing times at Tigerland, that's for sure.
But I'll say it again,
we must keep Conca.