serial_thrilla
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List Mgmt. 2025 List Management
- Thread starter Lach72
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Which creates the question how to get him into the team to best use his weapons. You can never have too many elite kickers. Do you move Chapman up the ground also. We have to have as many of the genuinely elite talents out there to get to the top but we also need a balance of tough as well. Its a massive jigsaw and it gives me a headache trying to contemplate the best synergy of all the pieces which is kind of where I'm going with what I'm saying.
I want him playing and I'm struggling to see how to arrange it.
chaosball32
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- May 1, 2024
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Dudley isn’t a pressure player. Doesn’t have the burst speed or the tank, his craftiness and footy IQ is where he excels. Similar to Reid. You don’t want to jeopardise that by having him play a physically exerting role.
Simpson I really like off the half-back/wing with his foot skills. Small sample size but that game against GWS sold me dreams. I’d like to see more of him there.
Wagner and Walker are two possible options but would prefer a specialised forward rather then a makeshift.
Our forward pressure numbers have been subpar for a while. 13th for tackles i50, 13th for f50 ground ball gets, 11th for scores generated from fwd half, 16th for crumbing. By comparison our transition numbers are pretty good, I’d say our stodginess is more a product of Longmuir’s conservative nature rather then not having the personnel. We’ve shown our run and gun play can be dangerous when we want it to be.
Switkowski is only getting older and more injury prone and his absence in the final was apparent.
chaosball32
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JL needs to get creative and move the magnets around. We have options and plenty of players who are capable of playing multiple roles/positions.
There’s no way come round 1 that Banfield should be in the 23 while Simpson is stuck at Peel again.
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CaseySibosadoHOF
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- Sep 17, 2022
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In general, there's probably a close to 0% chance that whoever we take with our 1st is gonna have a say in our 2026 season, even if we trade up coz Walls likes a slider. Hell, this draft has been shat on and last draft was glazed, and the only reason our pick actually had an impact on our season was a prospect many draft experts had fringe top 5 fell.
I think you can make a case for us needing/wanting something extra in a number of positions. Small fwd and wing probably top 2 for very different reasons. But ultimately you take the best guy on the draft board and tell them they've got 0 pressure to be anything in 2026. If they're somehow something, bonus. Leave more focused needs addressing for SSPs or mature age draftees.
Waterhowzin
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Sharp may surprise us next year, he battled with pretty bad shin splints all this year, couldn’t train much and when he was playing was using a numbing agent and couldn’t feel his feet when kicking. If he can get that right over the offseason we may have a wing option back next year.
That’s also what I’d tell people IF my kicking looked like that
The problem with Sharp and it isn’t shin splints or leg bruising or whatever.
He has no left foot. Like zero can’t kick it at all. The opposition know this and play against him knowing exactly how to corral and attack him.
You don’t need to be great at kicking on your non-preferred but having an emergency shorter accurate non-preferred kick to use is necessary. He basically won’t use it at all. Running around to get onto his right foot. At both AFL and WAFL he has kicked awkward inside out kicks at goal on his right when being forced out to the left side. One this season for Peel stands out and reminded me of that same situation against Collingwood in the drawn game of 2024.
He is a running machine but won’t use his left foot at all.
Well I wouldn't want to be playing sport with shin splints especially a sport like AFL. It was bad enough having to walk up and down the wards all day when I had them.
You are missing the point.
In both the forward and backline we actually have depth.
If fit, alongside the 3 talls + a rotating ruck, we have Bolton, Reid, Switkowski and Frederick locked in. In addition, we 'rest' mids there as well as Dudley.
A pressure forward is not coming in.
We also have Simpson who is learning how to defend, and posters on here may think he is going to be best 7 defender, but in the real world our latest recruit has virtually shut that door. McVee and Clark are a dream team for transitioning from defence.
In addition we have another 4 HBFers more likely to come in ahead of him: Wagner, Walker, Worner and Banfield. I'll also throw in that HBF is the most likely position for Whan to debut.
Our gameplan seems to downgrade the value that a quality wing brings. O'Meara, for example, has been a preferred option..... And Sharp is our only specialist.
If Simpson doesn't make it as a forward I think he may be in trouble.
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- Aug 20, 2010
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I've had shin splints playing footy and it makes you want to give it up.
Sharp offers a point of difference when fit. It comes down to whether that fits into the overall game style they go with. Having a proper winger that runs all day is valuable in some game styles.
Personally, I'd lean towards Sharp not playing and favouring a more skilful player/game style.
I'd like Freo to turn the dial to increase risk appetite, increase scoring at the risk of increasing score conceded. I can see having sharp covering the fat side as one method of playing fast through the corridor - Sharp becomes a decoy/cover role player that only gets used when wide open. I'm not a fan of those types of negative roles within teams, but also see why and how they may be used.
I default back to, if you have genuine talent, use it. Don't create game plans that include roles where players are deliberately always a sort of decoy.
We have Clark, McVee, Simpson, Chapman, Ras, Johnson, NOD, Wagner that could all rotate through there.
In any case, all players get equal standing on first day of pre season and get tested fairly. Let's see what changes happen to body shapes over the off season. Looking forward to seeing them return in a few weeks.
Sharp offers a point of difference when fit. It comes down to whether that fits into the overall game style they go with. Having a proper winger that runs all day is valuable in some game styles.
Personally, I'd lean towards Sharp not playing and favouring a more skilful player/game style.
I'd like Freo to turn the dial to increase risk appetite, increase scoring at the risk of increasing score conceded. I can see having sharp covering the fat side as one method of playing fast through the corridor - Sharp becomes a decoy/cover role player that only gets used when wide open. I'm not a fan of those types of negative roles within teams, but also see why and how they may be used.
I default back to, if you have genuine talent, use it. Don't create game plans that include roles where players are deliberately always a sort of decoy.
We have Clark, McVee, Simpson, Chapman, Ras, Johnson, NOD, Wagner that could all rotate through there.
In any case, all players get equal standing on first day of pre season and get tested fairly. Let's see what changes happen to body shapes over the off season. Looking forward to seeing them return in a few weeks.
Snuffaluphagus
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We have absolutely no depth for the forwardline as it stands. With Sturt cooked its basically Dudley, Nichols and Riddle. ONE small and two KPF kids...
Maybe they shuffle Banfield and Wagner back up there but I dont know how you say we have depth
Omac probably comes in before any of those if we need. Jackson too.
I also use a numbing agent during our matches
Simpson could be the long term Switta replacement but we should be getting games into him and a role where he can have an impact and right now thats off the half back.
It's not a gifting games scenario either, I think he could be b23 in that position but don't think he would be b23 in the forward line yet, needs more experience and having the game play out infront of him will help.
His kicking is a POD to anyone (except Clark) off our defender line.
It's been the case for a long time to shift kickers back to let them get into the game and Coops is someone we can do this with, doesn't mean he ends up there permanently but he has a role to play there in 2026.
It's not a gifting games scenario either, I think he could be b23 in that position but don't think he would be b23 in the forward line yet, needs more experience and having the game play out infront of him will help.
His kicking is a POD to anyone (except Clark) off our defender line.
It's been the case for a long time to shift kickers back to let them get into the game and Coops is someone we can do this with, doesn't mean he ends up there permanently but he has a role to play there in 2026.
If we take into consideration what Wallsy said we will definitely take 2 to 3 small or medium sized forwards this year either in the main or in the rookie draft...one of them could be mature age well... I feel...
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Chpaman on to a wing. McVee possibly can play wing.
Banfield out.
Wagner has been rolling more midfield.
I think there’s five man bench will also benefit Cooper.
If Ryan doesn’t come back fit and firing he may find himself in some trouble over the year. Can McVee be the the third tall and also dispose of the ball quicker and better than Ryan?
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- Apr 19, 2022
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Sharp can't kick
He's not going to improve his kicking much if any and there is a reason why GC didn't select him.
He's not going to improve his kicking much if any and there is a reason why GC didn't select him.
Would he be available at our pick?
At our original pick but not at this one unfortunately
For starters I'm not classifying Simpson as a defender just because he played some games their for Peel. Same with Banfield
Also, I name 8 players in our starting 23 who can and do play forward (that's including Jackson/Darcy as one player).
We have Dudley for small forward depth and McDonald, Nicholls and Riddle.
I'm also not against grabbing a small forward. I just think a squad with a solitary winger on the list is not going to improve it's transition into the forward line. Especially when his entire skillset consists of running.
Our glaring weakness is a winger who impacts forward, not a defensive small forward.
- Apr 25, 2011
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We delisted a forward in Jack Delean. What was the knock on him?
