Review 2023 National Draft Review Thread II [McKercher, Z.Duursma, Goad, W.Dawson, Hardeman, Maley]

[Passmore]

Despised is a strong word. Did it only start this season when he checked out at training etc?

Previous years I never heard there was any issue other than the winning trifecta of being a little thick, a little arrogant, and his errors rarely being his own fault. Which sounds bad, but at least with the first two is pretty par for the course.

If one chooses to play for *, it's a clear indication that something is amiss.

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[pupstar]

If one chooses to play for *, it's a clear indication that something is amiss.

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Does that include Goldy.

 

[Passmore]

Does that include Goldy.

Yes

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[pupstar]

Yes

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What do you think was amis

 

[Psicosis]

Despised is a strong word. Did it only start this season when he checked out at training etc?

Previous years I never heard there was any issue other than the winning trifecta of being a little thick, a little arrogant, and his errors rarely being his own fault. Which sounds bad, but at least with the first two is pretty par for the course.

I don’t know if it was the case previously, but definitely this year.

 

[shinboner magic]

I don’t know if it was the case previously, but definitely this year.

Thanks for the info - much appreciated
So he went missing when it was his shout

 

[R00StaR]

The core of our side are 6+ seasons in…

Logue (injured), Corr, McDonald, Simpkin, LDU, Zurhaar, Larkey, Thomas, Stephenson.

Combined with Scott, Curtis, Sheezel, Wardlaw et al, expecting a bottom four finish is genuine trash.

Not sure about how many wins next season, although it will be bloody exciting. Our list would have to be one of the youngest going around now, and depth of AFL ready players (not talent) could be tested.
But i 100% expect finals in 25.

 

[R00StaR]

Goldy's really the only veteran whose departure hurts us though imo. If Cunners had had any interest in doing a full pre-season and going around again he'd be a weapon, but it is what it is and we've long since stopped relying on him. Ziebell had already been pushed out. I think the improvement that comes from young players developing will far outweigh what we've lost.

I'm not sure how to categorise Ben McKay but he's a hard one to judge too. As good as he is of an intercept mark, he never gelled with the new gameplan and if we can replace him next year with key defenders who do, that'll be at least neutral.

No doubt we've lost some quality in that group, but i expect the extra run and creativity added to more than make up for it.

 

[zoomba23]

I don’t know if it was the case previously, but definitely this year.

Really weird to hear this. He was getting amongst it at training as late as the bye, always had time for the kids/fans and generally seemed to be wearing the decent bloke badge. Can only assume that he checked out early and it was obvious to his teammates

 

[SunnyBoner]

I shared in my post where it’s coming from. Feel free to believe otherwise, just passing on what I was told.

“Worst team mate I’ve ever had”

Worse than you know who at Port?

 

[Mav]

Mods, can we change the thread title from "preview" to "review" please?

 

[roos_fanatic08]

Other point of note, if we didn’t shut the NGA during Covid, Jack Callinan would be Cat B eligible for us.

Really surprised he didn’t get drafted in general to be fair. He and Sanchez very very stiff.

I guess for Callinan it was that he didn’t have any stand out athletic traits, even still he is a very natural footballer.

 

[The Talent Scout]

What do you think was amis

Another s.

 

[ohmygewd]

Thinking outside the box a bit here, but is there any particular reason Shiels couldn't be reinvented as a defender and do that?

The midfield is looking pretty chockers (and so is the forward line, at least for medium sized blokes); it would be a waste to have him in the VFL for most of the year.

Don't think there's a fulltime spot for Shiels nor at his stage of his career could he be a defender maybe occasionally to drive the Clarko's message. I reckon Clarko will put pressure on Corr to be lead the backline being a 10 year vet...LMac should really being doing this, he is a club captain after all.
Would've have been great if the club could've coaxed Hurn out of retirement and played him as a player coach...his organisation, leadership and teaching the backs proper defensive craft would have been invaluable to this young backline.

Going to be interesting how long into the season a player identifies themselves as the person that controls and marshals the back 6.

 

[DarkPhoenix]

The game would have gone past Cunners next season, he struggled this season, he got out at the perfect time.

More evidence to suggest he was the best decision maker in the AFL

 

[speedy]

Going to be interesting how long into the season a player identifies themselves as the person that controls and marshals the back 6.

If sheez stays back there it will be him before too long.

 

[shinboner magic]

No doubt we've lost some quality in that group, but i expect the extra run and creativity added to more than make up for it.

Think we will be an exciting side to watch with more speed across all lines
Might not come off all the time but it’ll happen in time

 

[Joshen]

We won at least one quarter in 16 of our games last season. If we scored 2 more goals per game we would've won 8.

It's not about capability, we have the talent and ability (and now, more of it), it's about maintaining the level for longer.

I'm pretty confident we can start that trajectory this season. 8+ wins is just about a non-negotiable for me. Wouldn't be surprised if we snag 10.

 

[rippersnipper]

We won at least one quarter in 16 of our games last season. If we scored 2 more goals per game we would've won 8.

It's not about capability, we have the talent and ability (and now, more of it), it's about maintaining the level for longer.

I'm pretty confident we can start that trajectory this season. 8+ wins is just about a non-negotiable for me. Wouldn't be surprised if we snag 10.

I would take 5 and more consistent performances. We've won about 10 games over the last 4 years, we aren't suddenly winning that many in one season with one of the youngest squads around and a VFL level defence.

 

[zoomba23]

I would take 5 and more consistent performances. We've won about 10 games over the last 4 years, we aren't suddenly winning that many in one season with one of the youngest squads around and a VFL level defence.

Dare I say it as a rusted on pessimist... We could hit 8. 10... bit too optimistic. If Pink, LMac and whoever else is back there just attain a certain level of competence (I think stripping Luke of the co captaincy is a step towards this fwiw) and hold up 10% better than this year, it could easily happen. Nothing world beating, just persistence, concentration, and communication with teammates.

I'm still wary of how low the floor is but you cannot have this much talent in one team and continue reeking of the council rubbish dump. There was marked improvement in the second half of this year and I think that'll shift to become our floor rather than that diabolical first half as Clarko went off the rails. Talk of the fitness standards going up at training are massive positives and if true, naturally boost our performance another 10%. Remember also that improved fitness all over the field means improved defensive running all over the field, therefore buffering the back six a bit and potentially mitigating the personnel losses we've had there.

I'm wary, but there's a lot more optimism for me than there was this time last year, even without the knowledge of how the Clarko stuff would unfold. Things can turn extremely quickly once they begin to turn

 

[The Talent Scout]

Dare I say it as a rusted on pessimist... We could hit 8. 10... bit too optimistic. If Pink, LMac and whoever else is back there just attain a certain level of competence (I think stripping Luke of the co captaincy is a step towards this fwiw) and hold up 10% better than this year, it could easily happen. Nothing world beating, just persistence, concentration, and communication with teammates.

I'm still wary of how low the floor is but you cannot have this much talent in one team and continue reeking of the council rubbish dump. There was marked improvement in the second half of this year and I think that'll shift to become our floor rather than that diabolical first half as Clarko went off the rails. Talk of the fitness standards going up at training are massive positives and if true, naturally boost our performance another 10%. Remember also that improved fitness all over the field means improved defensive running all over the field, therefore buffering the back six a bit and potentially mitigating the personnel losses we've had there.

I'm wary, but there's a lot more optimism for me than there was this time last year, even without the knowledge of how the Clarko stuff would unfold. Things can turn extremely quickly once they begin to turn

You are so right!

 

[Kanga Glory]

 

[shinboner magic]

View attachment 1860846View attachment 1860848

Ralph malph is now a SuperCoach expert

 

[gustaaf]

Dare I say it as a rusted on pessimist... We could hit 8. 10... bit too optimistic. If Pink, LMac and whoever else is back there just attain a certain level of competence (I think stripping Luke of the co captaincy is a step towards this fwiw) and hold up 10% better than this year, it could easily happen. Nothing world beating, just persistence, concentration, and communication with teammates.

I'm still wary of how low the floor is but you cannot have this much talent in one team and continue reeking of the council rubbish dump. There was marked improvement in the second half of this year and I think that'll shift to become our floor rather than that diabolical first half as Clarko went off the rails. Talk of the fitness standards going up at training are massive positives and if true, naturally boost our performance another 10%. Remember also that improved fitness all over the field means improved defensive running all over the field, therefore buffering the back six a bit and potentially mitigating the personnel losses we've had there.

I'm wary, but there's a lot more optimism for me than there was this time last year, even without the knowledge of how the Clarko stuff would unfold. Things can turn extremely quickly once they begin to turn

Good post with lots of strong points. The defensive improvements will likely come from implementing more effective structures with all players knowing their roles well enough that what they do becomes more or less automatic. It is more the collective rather than the individual performances that will help us achieve that 10% defensive improvement you mentioned. Our midfielders have mainly demonstrated their ability with the ball rather than without it and need to lift their defensive efforts considerably. Improved fitness levels will help a great deal in that respect.

I believe we'll be a much better attacking team because I expect us to move the ball faster in transition from defence to attack through faster players and better decision makers at HB and on the wing. That should result in better and easier F50 delivery than we have seen for too many years that I'd like to remember. It should also result in a reduction of cheap turnovers from just hacking the ball away and hoping for the best that has seen us caught out in defence far too often. That often made our defence look worse than it probably was, although there were obvious weaknesses there. Players who struggle to hit a target will need to work on that in the VFL.

If we kick one more goal and concede one less goal per game, that alone will make a lot of difference, so we're not a million miles away as this year's ladder position might suggest. The first half of next season will be difficult as we adjust to a newish playing style and integrate young draftees into our team. I'm a bit more conservative than others in predicting 6-8 wins, but I'm not ruling a better outcome out. It is a transition year and I see 2025 as the year we'll start making real inroads and challenge for finals. With elite talent on the list fortunes can change quickly.

 

[BoomerRoo]

Other point of note, if we didn’t shut the NGA during Covid, Jack Callinan would be Cat B eligible for us.

Off to Central District is the word......... which surprises me!