I had high hopes for Hooker forward next year - could see him kicking 50-60 goals whilst taking the oppositions best defender. Don't see anyone else on our list that can do this and don't see us filling this gap via trade/free agency. My instinct is that key forwards are harder to find than key backs and that Hooker should stay forward.
If we can plug and play and extra tall defender (Brown, Hartley, Talia...whoever) then I think the back six is still pretty strong and experienced. If memory serves didn't it all really come unglued when Hooker was forward and Hurley out injured?
With no Carlisle or Hooker forward then I agree with Yaco.....it starts to look VFL level. If its going to work then at least one or two of McKernan, Edwards, Laverde and Lagford need to break out in a big way and JD need to progress much further and quicker than he has thus far ( and I think his progress has been reasonable). This structure does JD no favours however - he'll get the #1 defender every week and unless the above guys get dangerous, defenders will zone off and create 2 on1 contests as they did much of this year.