List Mgmt. Fyfe - Signed until 2023!!

[fronkalicious]

Is it too simplistic to just say why don't they make him captain?

Was Mundy as poor a captain as he seemed from a (very long) distance??

 

[PurpleWizard]

Fyfe will be captain!

There's absolutely zero chance the club will let someone else get it. He wants the captaincy and he's critical for us succeeding in the next 5 years. I can't see the club not understanding this and will pull out all the stops.

 

[freoextra]

Is it too simplistic to just say why don't they make him captain?

Was Mundy as poor a captain as he seemed from a (very long) distance??

This is an interesting question without perhaps an easy answer.

The initial response from most supporters would be that Mundy is a very average captain.

If that is purely based on results from last year then that could be a little harsh considering the massive injury list to our very best players, the fact it was his first year as captain, he had significant injury issues himself and the coaches trying a totally different game plan that simply didn't work.

On the positive side, Mundy was perfect to deal with an "off the rails" season, he spoke calmly to the media and remained positive in an appalling situation for a first year skipper.

All I can say, from the outside, was that he didn't give the appearance of a inspiring captain who could rally the players to turn around performances. But internally he may have been fantastic with all the players in those hard times who knows???

I would like to see Fyfe made captain when the players vote because of his obvious leadership and unbelievable training ethic. Fyfe is massively driven to succeed (perhaps like Nathan Buckley in his day) but this appears to grate on some players.

However, if Mundy is voted captain again by the majority of players and coaches it will reflect how highly he is regarded internally rather than by outside appearances from the supporter base.

 

[dcutter]

Fyfe will be captain!

There's absolutely zero chance the club will let someone else get it. He wants the captaincy and he's critical for us succeeding in the next 5 years. I can't see the club not understanding this and will pull out all the stops.

I think this is what Lyon was alluding to when he mentioned something along the lines of how the club wouldn't compromise their process (player voted captaincy) to get a desired result.
Whilst it might be in the best interests of the club to have Fyfe as Captain, ultimately it will still come down to the players. Unless there is some russian hackers in the ranks that can influence the outcome.

You dont think freo will match the offer? What can you offer freo in a trade worthy of nat fyfe?

Yeah you would think Freo would pull out all stops to keep him, match any offer, deny all trades etc.
Am less interested in a direct Hawks Fyfe trade as I am as to whether he gets the captaincy and then if he signs and the flow on effect from that.
As I said previously, I don't think we're in the ball park and even in the unlikely event he did want to leave, it would seem other clubs might be ahead in the pecking order.

 

[freo_leo29]

I think freo_leo29 may have misunderstood Lyon's answer. The question was linking the captaincy to Fyfe choosing to leave or stay. Lyon answered that such a link would be against the integrity of the process.

This is the actual quote:

"Does Fyfe’s future have any impact on how the captaincy is voted for?
Only if you don’t have any integrity or congruency in what you say and do. I think we have plenty of integrity and congruency. So the answer is no."

I don't think he was attacking Fyfe in any way, shape or form. There was no mention of what Fyfe has said; Lyon was talking about what the club says and what it does.

No this directly ties into what I am saying, Ross is saying here that if Fyfe leaves due to not being voted in as captain then he has no integrity or congruency, he has not attacked Fyfe he has instead attacked the action that Fyfe will not take.
Its smart wording by Ross as he has not attacked Fyfe directly but if Fyfe does crack the shits when not voted in then Ross words ring true.


Don't get me wrong, Ross hasn't attacked Fyfe, he has attacked the worst case scenario that Fyfe could pick IMO he won't pick it therefore it means nothing.

 

[Clems Knee]

No this directly ties into what I am saying, Ross is saying here that if Fyfe leaves due to not being voted in as captain then he has no integrity or congruency, he has not attacked Fyfe he has instead attacked the action that Fyfe will not take.
Its smart wording by Ross as he has not attacked Fyfe directly but if Fyfe does crack the shits when not voted in then Ross words ring true.


Don't get me wrong, Ross hasn't attacked Fyfe, he has attacked the worst case scenario that Fyfe could pick IMO he won't pick it therefore it means nothing.

What you are saying would be a correct interpretation if the question was
"Does how the captaincy is voted for have any impact on Fyfe's future?"
But it wasn't, so there is no attack on Fyfe's potential action. Or Fyfe.

Lyon is saying that the vote for captaincy will be about who the players think will make the best captain in 2017, not about fear of Fyfe leaving.
There is absolutely no suggestion that Fyfe would spit the dummy if he doesn't get elected. The question wasn't even asked.

 

[igon value]

homepage right now of news.com.au (as a representative of mainstream media)

closely followed by their recommended reading -

that's not even getting started with the crap on outbrain

the bit that i don't get is whether it's the chicken or the egg - does the media publish this crap because we read it, or do we read it because it's all that gets published?

That doesn't prove the world is getting dumber. People forget things like Yellow Journalism, which made WR Hearst a multimillionaire, existed in the 19th century, and that published lurid scandals and 'fake news' all the time. Or of a similar era, the hoax document Protocols of the Elders of Zion, which was used as a justification for genocide.

 

[Arcassius]

That doesn't prove the world is getting dumber. People forget things like Yellow Journalism, which made WR Hearst a multimillionaire, existed in the 19th century, and that published lurid scandals and 'fake news' all the time. Or of a similar era, the hoax document Protocols of the Elders of Zion, which was used as a justification for genocide.

You're right, what I posted proves the low quality of junk being published as news

 

[igon value]

You're right, what I posted proves the low quality of junk being published as news

News Ltd has always been low quality.

 

[estibador]

Strong username to topic correlation igon value

 

[Arcassius]

News Ltd has always been low quality.

Not on the scale it is now. Go back 10 to 15 years and there weren't sponsored articles, and the ratio of newsworthy articles to mindless crud was better. If you recall - news.com.au used to have a section called 'The Other Side' which was the home for all quirky and weird articles. Now those kinds of articles dominate. A lot of it has come about from online monetisation strategies and SEO - 'how do we get the most people to click, and make more advertising dollars'

You could run the same check against Fairfax and the trend would be the similar. The news limited screenshot was an example of where the world is at today

 

[igon value]

Strong username to topic correlation igon value

Malcolm Gladwell is a peanut.

 

[igon value]

The news limited screenshot was an example of where the world is at today

No it isn't.

 

[Allikat]

No it isn't.

And it has nothing to do with Fyfe!

 

[meima]

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-01-08/fit-fyfe-in-top-shape-as-counts-down-to-return

 

[dominguez]

Cant see him going anywhere, I believe Lyon has a plan to rebuild the list around Fyfe culminating in finals around 2019 - 2020 with Fyfe leading as Captain.
Fyfe is such a mature, level headed person I highly doubt being captain in 2017 even comes into consideration when talking contract negotiations.
He will be captain of Fremantle at some stage and he will sign a long term contract with us at some stage.
I have absolutely no doubt about it, any speculation about him leaving is just pipe dream fantasys from other clubs supports.

If we miss finals in 2017, 2018 and 2019 I can't see Ross being our coach in 2020.

How many teams have a stronger midfield than Sandilands/Mundy/Fyfe/Blakely/Neale? Our defense and forward line have been rejuvenated, if we're not in the mix for finals come August the pressure will start to build on Ross IMO.

 

[Tallest]

How many teams have a stronger midfield than Sandilands/Mundy/Fyfe/Blakely/Neale? Our defense and forward line have been rejuvenated, if we're not in the mix for finals come August the pressure will start to build on Ross IMO.

Sandi is not getting any younger & could drop off a cliff at any moment , Fyfe is injury prone and may never get back to his best, Blakely has potential but thats it, Neale is a star, Bennell cant get on the park, Mundy is highly over rated.
Our def and forward line have only been partly rebuilt & are totally unproven as effective.

I like your optimism but I wouldn't put money on us playing finals this year, realistically we are a long way away.

 

[DudleyDocker]

Sandi is not getting any younger & could drop off a cliff at any moment , Fyfe is injury prone and may never get back to his best, Blakely has potential but thats it, Neale is a star, Bennell cant get on the park, Mundy is highly over rated.
Our def and forward line have only been partly rebuilt & are totally unproven as effective.

I like your optimism but I wouldn't put money on us playing finals this year, realistically we are a long way away.

I like your pessimism, but view it slightly differently. Realistically we were minor premiers two years ago so I don't think we are that far from getting back into some kind of contention. For me last year was an aberration - whether deliberate or not - and if we can keep anything like our best 22 on the park we will be a chance to sneak into the eight.

The biggest question will be how long it takes the new guys to settle into the team, and how quickly the boys can gel as a group. I see the early part of the season being very inconsistent, then as they start to gain confidence in each other and the game plan, a strong finish.

Based on training only, I would say they look closer to the 2015 Dockers than the 2016 version, but of course we will have to see that training enthusiasm translated onto the field.

 

[Silent Alarm]

I don't think you can use the minor premiership season as any sort of indication. The game changes quickly and previous results are mostly redundant. The Eagles made a Grand Final and looked pretty good at some stages, but then were the epitome of average last year. Port nearly made a Granny and have been found out. The Dockers have lost Pav, Sandi is on his last legs, Mundy has gone from that period where you're at the tail end of your peak to the middle of your decline, and we really haven't added any more great youngsters to go with Fyfe and Neale – who were important in 2015.

It's just way too different. There's also the fact that we quite obvious coasted through the second half of the year, and by round 17 or so I thought we looked genuinely second-rate and cooked. It's not like Essendon '99 where the worst went wrong and there was a capitulation: the season at the start was a continuation of a good 2014, but those extra few months really made the difference and started the decline.

If we make finals I'll be very surprised.

I still feel like we need another first rounder or to con a great trade for a talented young mid.

We're a long way off.

Then again, how many bloody average teams will there be next year? There's GWS and the rest. Everyone else has big flaws and deficiencies.

 

[DudleyDocker]

I don't think you can use the minor premiership season as any sort of indication. The game changes quickly and previous results are mostly redundant. The Eagles made a Grand Final and looked pretty good at some stages, but then were the epitome of average last year. Port nearly made a Granny and have been found out. The Dockers have lost Pav, Sandi is on his last legs, Mundy has gone from that period where you're at the tail end of your peak to the middle of your decline, and we really haven't added any more great youngsters to go with Fyfe and Neale – who were important in 2015.

It's just way too different. There's also the fact that we quite obvious coasted through the second half of the year, and by round 17 or so I thought we looked genuinely second-rate and cooked. It's not like Essendon '99 where the worst went wrong and there was a capitulation: the season at the start was a continuation of a good 2014, but those extra few months really made the difference and started the decline.

If we make finals I'll be very surprised.

I still feel like we need another first rounder or to con a great trade for a talented young mid.

We're a long way off.

Then again, how many bloody average teams will there be next year? There's GWS and the rest. Everyone else has big flaws and deficiencies.

Not suggesting we will be a contender, and accept the points you have made. But just as 2015 is no indicator for what happened last year, 2016 will be no indicator of what happens next year. That will be entirely dependent on what the new players bring to the table, how the 2nd and third year players improve, and factors like injuries and form in general.

For me the most promising indicator is the amount of fitness work they are doing this year, I think that was a huge issue last year and left us unable to keep up with the really good teams. Also, I don't think we should underestimate the amount of enthusiasm the young guys will bring to the mix, something that has been sadly lacking since mid 2015.

I will not be surprised if we make finals, but will also not be surprised if we miss out - I'll feel a bit more confident around July.

 

[Purpletown]

Not suggesting we will be a contender, and accept the points you have made. But just as 2015 is no indicator for what happened last year, 2016 will be no indicator of what happens next year. That will be entirely dependent on what the new players bring to the table, how the 2nd and third year players improve, and factors like injuries and form in general.

For me the most promising indicator is the amount of fitness work they are doing this year, I think that was a huge issue last year and left us unable to keep up with the really good teams. Also, I don't think we should underestimate the amount of enthusiasm the young guys will bring to the mix, something that has been sadly lacking since mid 2015.

I will not be surprised if we make finals, but will also not be surprised if we miss out - I'll feel a bit more confident around July.

Well put. 2017 is the start of a new season and Freo have done plenty right since the end of 2016 so there is no reason not to expect a reasonable amount of improvement from the low of last season.

The trading period brought in some decent young blood who have shown they can play and are ready to go if they are good enough. Cam Mac and Brad Hill would be locks in any side in the AFL. Hammling won a flag. Kersten has more upside than Mayne (imo) and is 5 years younger. Plenty of positives there.

Drafting looks to have been well targeted to needs but as per usual we will have to wait and see how those players develop and this is the case for all clubs apart from a very few outstanding early draft picks each year.

There is no more reason to think Fyfe won't get back to his best than there is to expect his career to fizzle out because he can't stay fit. Regardless of how fit you are a broken leg is just one of those nasty things that happen and most players get over it in time.

By the training reports from our dedicated team of BF members it sounds like there has been a real lift in fitness training and things seem to be going better than at the same time last season when some became concerned about a slight lack of direction at training.

Pessimists often miss out on an extra half a glass of wine because they worry about what's in the glass rather than focusing on adding to what they have.

 

[Big Animal]

Then again, how many bloody average teams will there be next year? There's GWS and the rest. Everyone else has big flaws and deficiencies.

This is the key point for me. Aside from GWS and maybe the Bulldogs, most other teams I see have some version of "Sandi is not getting any younger & could drop off a cliff at any moment , Fyfe is injury prone and may never get back to his best, Blakely has potential but thats it, Neale is a star, Bennell cant get on the park, Mundy is highly over rated."

Take Hawthorn, the ultimate competitor of the past decade: Lost 2 of their 3 best mids in Mitchell and Lewis - the effect of that cannot be understated. You don't simply plug and play others to fill those roles and get the same result (unless you are talking Fyfe or Danger). Hodge looked tired all year and is looking later than Mundy in his career profile. New Mitchell racked up possessions in a star Swans midfield but I rarely noticed him when watching their games, i.e. he's no Fyfe or Dangerfield getting possessions AND dominating the game. JOM is worse than injury prone. One of their two key outside runners is gone. Burgoyne is probably in his last year. West Coast had an average midfield with serious ruck issues for this year, and has topped up with a 35 yo that Hawthorn thought was close to career end, and a couple of old dogs that may or may not help their rucking. These were top 4 teams or thereabouts in 2016. i.e. we have similar concerns to just about every other team.

Having said that, getting Bennell on the park is a tipping point for me. Bennell in with no further injury layoffs pushes our midfield closer to that of the other top teams and seriously increases our overall scoring potential. No Bennell and we are further back in the pack.

 

[igon value]

How many teams have a stronger midfield than Sandilands/Mundy/Fyfe/Blakely/Neale?

Probably about three-four teams. Bulldogs, GWS, Sydney have clearly better midfields - we'd be in the mix with Hawthorn, Geelong, West Coast. Even sides like Collingwood could lay a claim to having better midfields than Freo (but a poorer coach).

Quality drops off after Sandilands and Fyfe, who are truly elite category. Mundy and Neale are very overrated. Mundy had an appalling 2016 and is 31, Neale was good, but had Hasleby kind of season, starring in a bad team. Blakely an unknown with promise.

Our defense and forward line have been rejuvenated

Kind words for "we don't yet know whether our forward line or defence is any good".

However, making finals is not an impossibility this year - we should be at the same stage we were in 2012, an unknown that should be playing better and with a lot of upside. Finishing seventh-eighth is a reasonable aim.

 

[E Shed]

Mundy and Neale are very overrated

I guess breaking the record for number of posessions in a season was just a bit of luck.

 

[Righteo]

Neale is underrated if anything. Mundy is a touch overrated by Eastern Staters, but I wouldn't say very.