Autopsy 2017 Season

[Determinant]

The season didn't end with a bang, but it would be unfair on the team to say it ended with a whimper.

We spent most of the year resembling a group of bandaged bears, yet still made the Prelim and were extremely competitive until for the second year in a row we lost a critical midfielder to concussion early in the game.

Lets hear your thoughts and reflections

Potential topics to discuss/dissect;

• Favourite moment
• Least favourite
• Best game
• Worst game
• Most improved
• One who needs to improve most
• Most valuable
• Over-rated
• Under-rated
• Best 1%'er player
• Worst second effort player
• Toughest player
• Coaching in general
• Coaching group personnel
• Squad selections
• In game tactics
• Genius ideas to prevent injuries crippling us next year
• List shape
• Draft targets
• Trade targets
• Trade bait

Team stats to the end of Round 23 (Credit tooserious stats page)

 

[Colonial]

* Favourite moment- The Melbourne game.
Showed the talent is there if we play a bit smaller and the big names werent everything.
* Least favourite- Injuries. We kicked a cat or something in the preseason. Could never get consistency that most clubs get with that horror run.
* Best game- R20 Against Melbourne & Semi Final against West Coast. Game plan and player skill all came together perfectly.
* Worst game- Carlton was horrendous as was the loss to Adelaide rnd 1. Losses are worse now because it seems like the effort drops off. Where as the effort was there in '12 and '13 but just not the experience.
* Most improved- Shiel. His leadership has grown and helped him develop into an even better player.
* One who needs to improve most- Shaw he gets worse with each game. Was abysmal today.
* Most valuable- Kelly/Greene. Both essential to the next few years.
* Over-rated- Our entire young list. Stop trying to raid them scum.
* Under-rated- Tomlinson
* Best 1%'er player- Ward
* Worst second effort player- Stevie J
* Toughest player- Ward/Greene. Hard to split
* Coaching in general- Cameron has no help. Overall he gets a pass but all his assistants are rookies. Theres no experience.
* Coaching group personnel- This needs a major overhaul and experience needs to come in to help Cameron
* Squad selections- Poor. Did the contracts of Stevie J, Shaw and Mummy all have must play of fit conditions?
* In game tactics- Very mixed bag. Sometimes brilliant(Dees rnd 20) sometimes god aweful (Crows Finals Week 1)
* Genius ideas to prevent injuries crippling us next year- Stop kicking cats, walking under ladders etc etc
* List shape- If Smith goes we need a small fwd. If we(coaching staff) can get over the "we cant win without Mummy & Shaw" etc we will be fine as the talent is there.
* Draft targets- Ruck options. Love Big L and think he is def our replacement but am still worried he will head home. Nows a good time to pick up someone to develop.
* Trade targets- Small Fwd who can apply pressure.
* Trade bait. Can see Smith going and Bam.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

 

[Bokonon_]

I am actually pretty happy with the year overall. I predicted at the start of the season there would be great wins and terrible losses, and as for every season ( in every sport apparently) it turned out to be accurate.
Sheedy gave a great speech at the 2015 club awards about how difficult flags were to win and I wish I could find it and post it. It is says it all really.

For me the greatest moment was probably the Collingwood win. Injury depleted and with the game going south from the start, it took at lot of grit to turn it around and take the 4 points.

Generally we pulled off some great wins in the first half of the season with a seriously depleted side injury wise. Over time the lack of options really started to hurt though. After the bye when players started coming back we didn't improve as much as you'd expect. For me that was when the lack of stability in structures and in the playing group started to really hurt. In the end we had a sub par finish to the year for a team in the top 2 for most of it.

We need to steer a steady course and go again next year. We had horrible luck with injuries and there's a huge risk in overreacting, particularly when I dont think anythings broken.
Not winning the flag is actually a normal event for clubs if anyone doesn't get that.
Review the playing list and coaching staff to look for improvement absolutely, every year. A new club needs stability more than any other though and no panic.

I feel bullish about next year. I think there's potentially huge improvement in our ball movement and defensive pressure as stability brings the intangible things like understanding each others strengths and weaknesses, trust in each other and confidence.
I'm also excited to see the development of guys like Taranto and Setterfield, and I particularly liked the cut of Perryman's jib. I hope I haven't cursed him.
Another off season and better luck with injuries should see Himmelburg become a star in my view.

 

[Orange Agent]

A prelim loss is still a season to be happy with, we had a lot of outs at times, the depth was tested and came through, we just couldnt get the form right. Small fwds have cut us up reguarly, Betts, last night Rioli, I think Harry Perryman should play every game next year. The assistant coaches need a big review and 1 or 2 with a stack of experience need to be poached. No more recruiting old blokes with 1-2 years left, would much rather guys in the MDB age bracket who fill a need and come cheap.

 

[Garry Barry]

This year ticked a lot of boxes. Wins away and played our first finals outside of Sydney.

2018 will be our year.

 

[Smartest Brain]

Ward is a great on field captain, 3 goals in the prelim, 25 touches, pretty much led the team. Felt like he took a step up this year.

I think we should trade patton and Scully while they still have some value. Scully just doesn't seem to do much except run a lot, he isn't particularly fast and he isn't an inside mid, so what is he exactly? Patton is a massive liability when the ball hits the ground , unlike Cameron who seems much more nimble and can have his defensive side worked better into his game.

The rebound out of our forward 50 this year has been disappointing. We seem to win because our midfield is so dominant and gets the ball in there so often.

Either way I'm excited to see 2018 and hope we have a good run with injuries. We will have an exciting off season period with trades and picks I think.

 

[Smartest Brain]

A prelim loss is still a season to be happy with, we had a lot of outs at times, the depth was tested and came through, we just couldnt get the form right. Small fwds have cut us up reguarly, Betts, last night Rioli, I think Harry Perryman should play every game next year. The assistant coaches need a big review and 1 or 2 with a stack of experience need to be poached. No more recruiting old blokes with 1-2 years left, would much rather guys in the MDB age bracket who fill a need and come cheap.

Our defense did look pretty inexperienced at times . Heath Shaw looks physically on his last legs too. I think his 2018 may be painful to watch.

 

[Gigantic]

Some positives:
- Josh Kelly has really taken it to the next level this season
- Whitfield and Shiel were consistent, did not have many poor games between them
- Taranto and Himmelberg really coming along
- Better for the experience - we played a lot of close games, and experienced that hostile crowd last night

Some negatives and worries:
- We still struggle massively with consistency - too many players going missing
- Still lack pressure, particularly in the forward half
- Our talls situation - there will need to be some big decisions made in pre-season as to our structure

 

[_GT_]

On field: B+

A tougher draw and injuries throughout made the conditions harder. Yet we made the top 4 with more conviction than last year. The backline has gone backward a like I think. Wonder whether that is more a confidence issue, as I don't think our structures were all that bad. Would suggest there were time the backline could have been helped by a harder two way running by the mids. I would loved to have seen Kenners out there during the finals locking down on Betts and Rioli. Despite some injury and susspension impacts, the mids moved forward a bit this year. My main knock is their defensive running needs to lift - they still drop off too quickly or for quarters at a time. Our forward line is definitely a weak link - the current game requires a smaller forward structure. Like our defence though, the mids have to share some of the culpability with poor I50s.

Off field: A-

Memberships, crowds and tv ratings all up and in a strong way. The club has added an AFLW team and strong links to the Netball team. Brand Giants has a strong base from which to launch. The club and AFL now need to go hard with a big campaign to convince Western Sydney to be a part of it. This is no time to be half hearted about it. The club and players are doing great things in the community. Access for members and fans is second to none.

Overall I am very satisfied, but want more. Which is not surprising, given we didn't make the GF! Can we take the next big step? I think we can, with the right amount of luck to support a general lift across the board.

 

[RudyBlue]

Who would your main targets be this off-season?

 

[Smartest Brain]

Who would your main targets be this off-season?

Anyone who is rough, tough and applies pressure would be good. Speedsters too. Have to see who is available I guess.

 

[Andre the Giant]

*Favourite moment- The win against West Coast in WA was a huge one and a rare game where we played 4 quarters of intense footy with no lulls.

* Least favourite- Injuries throughout the year were incredibly frustrating.

* Best game- The win against West Coast in Perth.

* Worst game- The Carlton loss was disgusting.

* Most improved- Josh Kelly went to another level.

* One who needs to improve most- We have made the investment in Jacob Hopper he has repaid us with loyalty but he needs to add some finesse to his grunt.

* Most valuable- Josh Kelly

* Over-rated- Jeremy Cameron, he needs to have a massive off season and become the forward we all know he can be.

* Under-rated- Zac Williams, he makes bone headed decisions at times but he's so important.

* Best 1%'er player- Callan Ward

* Worst second effort player- Nathan Wilson

* Toughest player- Toby Greene/Phil Davis both played the year with bad injuries.

* Coaching in general- Very average. Leon has a bunch of L Platers with him. AFL has not invested in the greatest fundamental area. If we don't address this we are screwed.

* Coaching group personnel- Complete overhaul required.

* Squad selections- Generally good but 3 talls didn't work and Stevie J selection was proud and ultimately ignorant.

* In game tactics- Worked with what he had. The entire off season focus needs to be defensive pressure, playing your role for the team and two way running/accountability.

* Just have more awareness, some very naive players.

* List shape- Our window could dry up soon with Free Agency looming. Need to be very bold at trade table and take some risks.

* Draft targets- Defensive forwards, cheap speed. Get Jack Higgins.

* Trade targets- Preuss, Poppy, Kayne Turner.

* Trade bait. Smith and Kennedy. Also think there will be chatter re Lobb and Wilson. I can see Griffen retiring and I can see Shaw, Mumford, Deledio in the same boat in 12 months.

 

[Land of the Giants]

While it was great to participate in the preliminary finals again, the reality is we slipped backwards a bit.

We were clearly 6-7 goals behind Adelaide and Richmond, whereas last year we were competitive with the Bulldogs, and almost certainly better than the Swans.

Those mid-season draws proved very costly. Both were winnable games. Had we finished first, home ground advantage might have helped us through the finals, but I think we would have been found out sooner or later.

The team never found a consistent rhythm, partly because of the run with injuries, and confusion over the structure. Our results - particularly between rounds 6-19 - were unconvincing. We managed to accumulate enough points to finish top 4 again, but on percentage we finished 6th, which is probably a fairer indication of where we ended up.

It just wasn't our year.

 

[Giant Strides]

Overall, while I am sure the club would be disappointed not to make the GF as a minimum, 4th on the ladder after H&A and overall 4th for the year is a strong achievement. Given that last year's significant improvement to reach fourth was IMHO a bit of an overachievement, this year making fourth on the back of the harder draw commensurate with the 2016 result and the horrendous injury toll (which had the silver lining of exposing some younger players to matches) was at least a par result. However, our method of winning was less convincing this year, and while toughing out some challenging contests was good, it did feel that we went backwards in some areas of our game that we need to get right to take the next big step of winning a GF.

The Good

• the rise of Josh Kelly, continued improvement in Dylan Shiel, both making AA, Tim Taranto's excellent first year, Tomlinson's surprisingly (to me at least) good form in the backline, Toby Greene's continued great form in the forward line
• the Rd 20 win against Melbourne, the Rd 2 win against Gold Coast (regrouping fter Rd 1), the come-from-behind wins against Collingwood & Richmond (showed heart and footy intellect), the great finals win against West Coast that highlighted our strengths
• re-signing most of our young players

The Bad

• horrendous losses away to Carlton, Adelaide (twice) & Geelong: must improve our away form to take the next step
• the two draws in winnable games: highlighted a drop in our composure - should have won them from where we were
• the forward line struggling to be cohesive despite good success in some games
• the defensive lapses that cost us some games: definite improvements needed there
• Leon Cameron's overconfidence in Stevie J: Leon needs to become a little harder headed IMHO & does need some tactical coaching backup
• Toby Greene's suspensions: needs to just rein in his game to this side of that line just a touch

The Ugly

• the horrendous injury toll

Definitely agree with comments regarding the coaching structure, and need to better analyse our own strengths and gameplan in context of the opposition plan. Our F50 entries have been poor at times this year - and while the tall/small setup is part of the issue, it's not the whole reason. Midfield play and F50 entries - bombing it in primarily - have been a contributing deficiency.

It was good to see Leon state that we should not be getting more aged players in, and invest in youth. At the time we recruited Mummy, Griffen & Shaw, we needed them for their experience and harder bodies, and they have driven the team improvement from 2014 to now. Stevie J was a great pickup for 2016, and showed that we should have gone harder at him a year earlier. However, his 2017 year showed what going a year too long looks like - and that needs to deliver a lesson to our club medical staff, recruitment staff & coaches. Personally, I did not agree with Deledio's recruitment last year because of his injury history, and unfortunately that has proven to be an Achilles Heel - I don't believe he materially improved us this year & cost us draft picks we could have used in a few weeks. What is important now is that the club staff learn those lessons, and also how we manage the wind-down of the careers of Mummy, Griffen, Shaw & Deledio from here on.

In Mummy's case, we need to have a clear view of our game style & therefore structure going forward. This is pretty central to our whole future. Do we want a physical ruckman (a Mummy replacement) & keep Lobb as a backup ruck/third forward? In this case, is Dawson Simpson the man - even if only short term - given that we've just re-signed him, or do we go for a young up-and-comer who may be gettable - in which case surely Brayden Preuss would be a target. Or do we stick with the apparent plan, which is that Lobb becomes a mobile ruckman. The two finals games showed that he has got some ability, but is he good enough to match it for a whole season with the top sides? And who's his chop-out? Jezza will come back into the team, and presumably Patton remains, so do we go back to a 3 tall situation with HH the third forward/ruck chop-out, or go small and use Patton? If going small, can we keep Smith (do we want to) and how do we get decent smalls who can both kick goals and put massive defensive pressure on in the forward line? Are Spargo and Powell the answer, or do we need someone like Jack Higgins (superb small forward, occasional mid, Toby Greene-clone) - in which case the picks wasted (IMHO) on Deledio will haunt us for our inability to be in the hunt for him. Alternatively, can we find a diamond in the rough from later in the draft who can have the same impact from next year?

With Griffen, while it would be nice if he decided to retire this year for the sake of the team, I'm not sure with the $ whether that actually helps us - but in any case need to presume that he stays for the final year of his contract. But he needs to be performing to be picked, unlike Stevie J, and if not Leon needs to be hard-headed and promote youth. No extension for him or Mummy IMHO, they're done at the end of their current contracts. Shaw's contract is up next year too, and he needs to be closely assessed as to whether he is done or has another year in him. (Again, the Stevie J risk!) We need to take care about having several retirements together, but also need to develop players to replace them from within the squad during the last couple of years of their career.

So, biggest list decisions for me would be:

• small forwards: keeping Smith and/or Matt Kennedy or going to the draft or trading in players - I'm not particularly keen on trading in Poppy because of the risk of what we've seen with Stevie J, especially if it costs us Matty K
• defenders: I'm still unsure who can replace Heath Shaw's tole - is it Buntine, Wilson, or do we need to go to the draft for someone like Coffield?

So for mine, a few specific thoughts on 2017 players:

• Most improved - Josh Kelly

• Best first year player - Tim Taranto

• Most gone backwards - Steve Johnson

• One who needs to improve most for 2018 - Heath Shaw (significant decline at the back is a major risk for us)

• Most valuable overall - Toby Greene

• Over-rated - Brett Deledio (but accept that injury has played a major role in that)

• Under-rated - Zac WIlliams

• Best 1%'er player - Callan Ward & Aidan Corr

• Worst second effort player - Nathan WIlson

• Toughest player - Callan Ward

• List shape - it's OK, but decisions on Mumford, Griffen, Shaw & Mohr are not far away; how's the TPP to retain Smith & Matt Kennedy?

• Draft targets - apart from Powell & Shipley from the academy, do we make a play for higher draft picks to get someone like Higgins or Coffield, but if so, what's the cost

• Trade targets - hopefully none, don't see a burning need

• Trade bait - not happy, but it appears Smith & Matt Kennedy are, and have to accept that Nathan Wilson may ask to go back to WA: need to get value for these guys if so, unlike last year

Overall assessment for the year: B+

 

[Land of the Giants]

Let's not forget one obvious highlight.

We played in front of probably the biggest and most one-sided crowd we're ever likely to see outside of a grand final, and the players handled it with aplomb, despite all the media hoo-haa.

I don't think we need to worry about hostile crowds again, and that's a good thing.

 

[Determinant]

Just putting you all on notice, I have read some seriously dumb trade s**t on the two main supporter FB pages, I will know if that gets copied here and be sorely tempted to call it out

 

[Garry Barry]

Patton needs to lose some weight to be a more nimble player.

I can see lobb being main ruckman next year. It's a much better structure with him there. Cameron to come for Stevie j and it's basically our best 22.
lids would need to improve to keep his spot. Questionable selection the first place.

 

[Aussie18]

Overall, while I am sure the club would be disappointed not to make the GF as a minimum, 4th on the ladder after H&A and overall 4th for the year is a strong achievement. Given that last year's significant improvement to reach fourth was IMHO a bit of an overachievement, this year making fourth on the back of the harder draw commensurate with the 2016 result and the horrendous injury toll (which had the silver lining of exposing some younger players to matches) was at least a par result. However, our method of winning was less convincing this year, and while toughing out some challenging contests was good, it did feel that we went backwards in some areas of our game that we need to get right to take the next big step of winning a GF.

The Good

• the rise of Josh Kelly, continued improvement in Dylan Shiel, both making AA, Tim Taranto's excellent first year, Tomlinson's surprisingly (to me at least) good form in the backline, Toby Greene's continued great form in the forward line
• the Rd 20 win against Melbourne, the Rd 2 win against Gold Coast (regrouping fter Rd 1), the come-from-behind wins against Collingwood & Richmond (showed heart and footy intellect), the great finals win against West Coast that highlighted our strengths
• re-signing most of our young players

The Bad

• horrendous losses away to Carlton, Adelaide (twice) & Geelong: must improve our away form to take the next step
• the two draws in winnable games: highlighted a drop in our composure - should have won them from where we were
• the forward line struggling to be cohesive despite good success in some games
• the defensive lapses that cost us some games: definite improvements needed there
• Leon Cameron's overconfidence in Stevie J: Leon needs to become a little harder headed IMHO & does need some tactical coaching backup
• Toby Greene's suspensions: needs to just rein in his game to this side of that line just a touch

The Ugly

• the horrendous injury toll

Definitely agree with comments regarding the coaching structure, and need to better analyse our own strengths and gameplan in context of the opposition plan. Our F50 entries have been poor at times this year - and while the tall/small setup is part of the issue, it's not the whole reason. Midfield play and F50 entries - bombing it in primarily - have been a contributing deficiency.

It was good to see Leon state that we should not be getting more aged players in, and invest in youth. At the time we recruited Mummy, Griffen & Shaw, we needed them for their experience and harder bodies, and they have driven the team improvement from 2014 to now. Stevie J was a great pickup for 2016, and showed that we should have gone harder at him a year earlier. However, his 2017 year showed what going a year too long looks like - and that needs to deliver a lesson to our club medical staff, recruitment staff & coaches. Personally, I did not agree with Deledio's recruitment last year because of his injury history, and unfortunately that has proven to be an Achilles Heel - I don't believe he materially improved us this year & cost us draft picks we could have used in a few weeks. What is important now is that the club staff learn those lessons, and also how we manage the wind-down of the careers of Mummy, Griffen, Shaw & Deledio from here on.

In Mummy's case, we need to have a clear view of our game style & therefore structure going forward. This is pretty central to our whole future. Do we want a physical ruckman (a Mummy replacement) & keep Lobb as a backup ruck/third forward? In this case, is Dawson Simpson the man - even if only short term - given that we've just re-signed him, or do we go for a young up-and-comer who may be gettable - in which case surely Brayden Preuss would be a target. Or do we stick with the apparent plan, which is that Lobb becomes a mobile ruckman. The two finals games showed that he has got some ability, but is he good enough to match it for a whole season with the top sides? And who's his chop-out? Jezza will come back into the team, and presumably Patton remains, so do we go back to a 3 tall situation with HH the third forward/ruck chop-out, or go small and use Patton? If going small, can we keep Smith (do we want to) and how do we get decent smalls who can both kick goals and put massive defensive pressure on in the forward line? Are Spargo and Powell the answer, or do we need someone like Jack Higgins (superb small forward, occasional mid, Toby Greene-clone) - in which case the picks wasted (IMHO) on Deledio will haunt us for our inability to be in the hunt for him. Alternatively, can we find a diamond in the rough from later in the draft who can have the same impact from next year?

With Griffen, while it would be nice if he decided to retire this year for the sake of the team, I'm not sure with the $ whether that actually helps us - but in any case need to presume that he stays for the final year of his contract. But he needs to be performing to be picked, unlike Stevie J, and if not Leon needs to be hard-headed and promote youth. No extension for him or Mummy IMHO, they're done at the end of their current contracts. Shaw's contract is up next year too, and he needs to be closely assessed as to whether he is done or has another year in him. (Again, the Stevie J risk!) We need to take care about having several retirements together, but also need to develop players to replace them from within the squad during the last couple of years of their career.

So, biggest list decisions for me would be:

• small forwards: keeping Smith and/or Matt Kennedy or going to the draft or trading in players - I'm not particularly keen on trading in Poppy because of the risk of what we've seen with Stevie J, especially if it costs us Matty K
• defenders: I'm still unsure who can replace Heath Shaw's tole - is it Buntine, Wilson, or do we need to go to the draft for someone like Coffield?

So for mine, a few specific thoughts on 2017 players:

• Most improved - Josh Kelly

• Best first year player - Tim Taranto

• Most gone backwards - Steve Johnson

• One who needs to improve most for 2018 - Heath Shaw (significant decline at the back is a major risk for us)

• Most valuable overall - Toby Greene

• Over-rated - Brett Deledio (but accept that injury has played a major role in that)

• Under-rated - Zac WIlliams

• Best 1%'er player - Callan Ward & Aidan Corr

• Worst second effort player - Nathan WIlson

• Toughest player - Callan Ward

• List shape - it's OK, but decisions on Mumford, Griffen, Shaw & Mohr are not far away; how's the TPP to retain Smith & Matt Kennedy?

• Draft targets - apart from Powell & Shipley from the academy, do we make a play for higher draft picks to get someone like Higgins or Coffield, but if so, what's the cost

• Trade targets - hopefully none, don't see a burning need

• Trade bait - not happy, but it appears Smith & Matt Kennedy are, and have to accept that Nathan Wilson may ask to go back to WA: need to get value for these guys if so, unlike last year

Overall assessment for t

Good stuff

 

[combaning]

I'd be looking for a new midfield or forwards coach this year. Our forward entries are amateur level at best and predictable. Long bombs in cruelled us this year. I think our forwards had some ok leading patterns but the mids often took too long to hit one up (perhaps leading too early). I haven't seen enough "full-field" vision to know if it is one or other or both.

The next major change I would suggest is to add a major element of defensive pressure particularly in forward half and mids running back. I think our backline does a pretty good job.

I think Lobb needs to ruck from now on despite everything Mummy has done for us. It's a cruel game. We can't play all Mummy, Lobb, Cameron, Patton.

Finally playing players out of position because of potential or recruitment is a killer. e.g. midfielders trying to play defensive forward etc. I'd rather a role player that does the job consistently rather than some good weeks followed by weeks of missing. I thought we were a much better team with MDB and/or Sam Reid in the team

Onwards and upwards from here!

Delist/retire: Johnson, Mohr, Griffen?, Patfull, Mzungu, Downie
Trade (sadly, but hopefully not all): Wilson, Kennedy, Smith, Finlayson
Ins: Good players that we need rather than just good players -Hopefully 6 draft picks to even the salary cap out a bit

 

[Danny88]

Patton needs to lose some weight to be a more nimble player.

I can see lobb being main ruckman next year. It's a much better structure with him there. Cameron to come for Stevie j and it's basically our best 22.
lids would need to improve to keep his spot. Questionable selection the first place.

ONE could a argue his size allows him to take those contested grabs

 

[Determinant]

From Callan to the members

Dear [name],

Well 2017 is over. It’s been a tough result to take since Saturday night but to know we had your support against the Tigers and across the whole season has been huge for us.

We love your support and commitment and thank you for being part of our GIANTS family.

The Orange Army has grown. Once again we broke our membership record this season and we are incredibly proud that we’re all part of the growth of the GIANTS. It was the first time in our history that we reached over 20,000 members.

This was also the year that saw us introduce two new teams with GIANTS Netball joining our family and the GIANTS representing all of NSW and the ACT in the inaugural AFL Women’s competition.

2017 didn’t end the way we wanted but we’re still so proud of what we’ve achieved, with your support. We know there’s bigger things to come, but to make a preliminary final for the second successive season is a result we’ll look back on proudly, in time.

Once again, thank you, and we can’t wait to see you in 2018.

Callan Ward
GIANTS co-captain

 

[Bokonon_]

I'd be looking for a new midfield or forwards coach this year. Our forward entries are amateur level at best and predictable. Long bombs in cruelled us this year. I think our forwards had some ok leading patterns but the mids often took too long to hit one up (perhaps leading too early). I haven't seen enough "full-field" vision to know if it is one or other or both.

The next major change I would suggest is to add a major element of defensive pressure particularly in forward half and mids running back. I think our backline does a pretty good job.

I think Lobb needs to ruck from now on despite everything Mummy has done for us. It's a cruel game. We can't play all Mummy, Lobb, Cameron, Patton.

Finally playing players out of position because of potential or recruitment is a killer. e.g. midfielders trying to play defensive forward etc. I'd rather a role player that does the job consistently rather than some good weeks followed by weeks of missing. I thought we were a much better team with MDB and/or Sam Reid in the team

Onwards and upwards from here!

Delist/retire: Johnson, Mohr, Griffen?, Patfull, Mzungu, Downie
Trade (sadly, but hopefully not all): Wilson, Kennedy, Smith, Finlayson
Ins: Good players that we need rather than just good players -Hopefully 6 draft picks to even the salary cap out a bit

I'd happily bet some serious money we wont delist all those guys

 

[combaning]

I'd happily bet some serious money we wont delist all those guys

Probably not Griffen. The rest won't be too far off the mark.

Don't confuse delist/retire with trade.

 

[Bokonon_]

Probably not Griffen. The rest won't be too far off the mark.

Don't confuse delist/retire with trade.

Not confused, and your entitled to your opinion. Dont believe it will be anything like accurate though.

 

[combaning]

Delist/retire: Johnson (gone), Mohr, Griffen?, Patfull(gone), Mzungu, Downie (gone)

50% already confirmed. Mzungu's WAFL club, Perth Demons confident he is on his way back. Mohr I have heard nothing about.

But as you say we are entitled to our opinions