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Prediction Michael Barlow

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I'm slightly disappointed as I was pro Barlow and think this will lead to Thommo playing more games in the AFL than he would have had Barlow signed.

I think Barlow will be a very good acquisition for the Suns and will display a level that would have helped us next year. All the best to him though.
 
Others won't agree with this but I am a little impressed with our footy dept, twice they have been asked to pay overs to get talent in, one of them way above totes and they have said nope both times. Good on em, now if the coaching group takes the next step and starts phasing out players that are fillers ( I always see players like Mackay as the milk arrowroots in a family assorted pack, he's no Scotch finger or a Butternut Snap but somehow he keeps getting picked in the pack) then we are taking strides forward as a club.
 

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jumboprince said:
Others won't agree with this but I am a little impressed with our footy dept, twice they have been asked to pay overs to get talent in, one of them way above totes and they have said nope both times. Good on em, now if the coaching group takes the next step and starts phasing out players that are fillers ( I always see players like Mackay as the milk arrowroots in a family assorted pack, he's no Scotch finger or a Butternut Snap but somehow he keeps getting picked in the pack) then we are taking strides forward as a club.
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But would you dip him in coffee ?
 
The Big Sauce said:
I'm slightly disappointed as I was pro Barlow and think this will lead to Thommo playing more games in the AFL than he would have had Barlow signed.

I think Barlow will be a very good acquisition for the Suns and will display a level that would have helped us next year. All the best to him though.
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Barlow was a "nice to have", never a "must have" player. I think he would have added to Adelaide's midfield, but there are positives to be taken from us not getting him in the end - primarily the position it creates for a younger player to develop.

I'm assuming that negotiations with Barlow fell over because he was asking for too much, either in salary or (more likely) contract length. I fully support the club in not budging if that is the case.

I'm not sure what impact this will have on Thompson. I think the coaches & selectors were well aware of how much he slowed down this year and were reluctant to give him a new playing contract. I think they will hold him to the agreement he made, which will see him spend most of his time coaching & mentoring in the SANFL. I hope that remains the case.
 
jumboprince said:
Others won't agree with this but I am a little impressed with our footy dept, twice they have been asked to pay overs to get talent in, one of them way above totes and they have said nope both times. Good on em, now if the coaching group takes the next step and starts phasing out players that are fillers ( I always see players like Mackay as the milk arrowroots in a family assorted pack, he's no Scotch finger or a Butternut Snap but somehow he keeps getting picked in the pack) then we are taking strides forward as a club.
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I was thinking the same thing, the only positive has been we've had the balls to walk away.

The rest of our offseason has been a shocker though.
 
Stiffy_18 said:
But can you guarantee that Lyons would have continued to perform? You would be guessing too. On Wright, has he regressed or did his role chance significantly? In 2012 he was primarily a midfielder who sometimes rested forward. In his later years at the Crows he was primarily a defensive forward who sometimes moved through the midfield. Of course his production would decline.

Now that he went Carlton he all of a sudden is better than he was with Crows. I doubt that. His role changed.

When Levi Greenwood was traded for pick 25 he had done more at AFL level than Lyons. You also can't say pick 25 in one year has identical value to pick 25 in another year. It doesn't work like that. The value of the pick is directly dependent on the quality and the depth of the draft pool as judged at the time of the trade.

Look I am not saying Lyons is crap. What I am saying is that majority seem to overrate him after a good consistent season. So many players of his talent level have had years like Lyons and then "regressed". Wright was a clear example of that. As someone who has been a bit of a Lyons fan for years, I think the mix needed to change in order for us to get to the next level. That means that one of Lyons or Matt Crouch needed to go as they are similar midfielders and are similar size, style and pace as midfielders.

Now as a forward who rotated through the midfield, again the mix in the midfield needed to change and the likes of Knight and Menzel are far more talented as forwards than Lyons and when they rotate through the midfield they provide something that Lyons can't and that is in Menzel's case size and in Knight's pace.

You keep on saying that no one of the list will not be able to perform next year as well as Lyons would have but at the start of the year not many had Lyons or Atkins down to have the sort of the year they did. Players in certain age groups tend to improve dramatically in a single preseason when they apply themselves. I have no doubt that Knight can come into the side next year taking Lyons' spot and performing just as well if not better than Lyons did.

We had 3 midfielders that were similar in terms of size, style and pace and those were Thompson, Matt Crouch and Lyons. Next year we will most likely have only one in Matt Crouch with Lyons gone and Thompson to spend most of the year in SANFL.
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Firstly, on Wright, his role changed, and thus he regressed in the minds of the coaches - which is fair enough, we had better players playing his role after then (Danger, Thommo, Sloane, Brouch, and later on Mrouch). Because of what Wright produced in that role whilst we had that midfield depth, I'm fine that we let him go, and the club obviously was, too. The main reason that I'm not happy we let Lyons go *without getting someone else in* is that we don't have that proven midfield depth, now that Danger's gone and Thommo's cooked it.

Levi Greenwood's season may have been a little bit better than Lyons, but not 18 picks better. Fair enough on the value of the pick in regards to the draft though, although I'll just desperately be hoping that 43 turns into a good player (which, knowing Ogilvie, I reckon it will, but there's a lower chance without doubt).

Let me say this - I would be pretty confident in saying that, if Lyons' role did not change in 2017, he would produce similar numbers. As you said, Wright's role changed after 2012, so of course he regressed - he wasn't able to play his best position because there were others that were better at it.

And look, I'm not doubting that the midfield mix needs to change. I think a midfield of Brouch, Mrouch, Sloane, Greenwood and, say, our pick 13 (whoever that will be) will be very much capable. I'm confident Greenwood will develop in the next few years, same with our pick 13. Unfortunately, however, the killer there is that our forward line will have regressed. Betts is integral to our forward structure and can just make things happen. In 2019, when our midfield is up and running, Betts likely won't be having nearly the same impact as he has in the past two years. If we didn't have Betts in the past two years, I'd argue that we wouldn't be finishing as high as we have - our system is based a lot around scoring heavily. Not only this, but JJ will be 30 and will have lost some of his natural athleticism which sets him apart, Tex will be in the last years of his prime, as will Lynch. Will our forward line be good enough to still make an impact by then? I'm worried.

People keep bringing up the likes of Menzel, Knight, Hampton etc. as replacements for Lyons' role next year. Well, the thing is, these players can't yet do what Lyons can do - win clearances with ease. They aren't big bodied like Greenwood, or explosive like, say, a Venables or SPP could be, either. Yes, they have points of difference that may work in the guts, but those players are best used on the outside. Particularly Menzel and Hampton - we want these players in space kicking accurately to a target OR kicking a goal themselves, rather than being at the coalface 50% of the time. Knight is capable on the inside and getting his hands dirty, yes, but he isn't a major clearance player yet, and anyway, IMO he's best used as a tough, gritty outside mid.

Yeah I'll admit, I didn't expect Rat to make the impact he did (although I'm still holding judgement on him until he wins more contested ball and actually tackles), and I was probably a little bit surprised by Lyons, too (I don't think I should have been in hindsight, though). Fair enough on you thinking Knight will be able to make a similar impact to JL next year, but at this stage, I doubt it, considering he missed more than half a season through injury. I reckon 2018 is Knight's year. I'll be very happy to be proven wrong, same with any other player. Bottom line is, though, that only 3 true inside midfielders in our 22 won't get us into contention - Dogs had five playing in the Granny, Swans had four.

Anyway, I won't de-rail this thread any more with my ramblings :P
 

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I'm a little disappointed we didn't get Barlow but TBO I think that I'm more concerned that we nothing at all to change the look of our MF structure which our greatest area of need. I doubt whether our " organic growth" is going to be enough next year. Sounds like rinse and repeat to me. I just hope they work their butts off all year looking for that illusive free agent midfielder, if not we'll miss our window.
 
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Pdub said:
Given that we have unspent Gibbs money next season, if Barlow chose GC over AFC for money, we must still have a plan for the Gibbs money, perhaps putting it in the bank for an import after next season.
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And then we'll pull out at the eleventh hour again.

It's a never-ending cycle.
 

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Vader said:
Barlow was a "nice to have", never a "must have" player. I think he would have added to Adelaide's midfield, but there are positives to be taken from us not getting him in the end - primarily the position it creates for a younger player to develop.

I'm assuming that negotiations with Barlow fell over because he was asking for too much, either in salary or (more likely) contract length. I fully support the club in not budging if that is the case.

I'm not sure what impact this will have on Thompson. I think the coaches & selectors were well aware of how much he slowed down this year and were reluctant to give him a new playing contract. I think they will hold him to the agreement he made, which will see him spend most of his time coaching & mentoring in the SANFL. I hope that remains the case.
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If Jarryd Lyons plays more games for the Gold Coast than Barlow next year, will you agree to bump this thread, drop your pants and do a lap of the pool table:rolleyes:?

IMHO, if we were to play Barlow (and Thommo) for a significant number of games next year we would risk losing Wigg and Greenwood. As I said earlier in the thread, I am very comfortable that we didn't throw bags of money at Barlow.
 
Jack is Back said:
If Jarryd Lyons plays more games for the Gold Coast than Barlow next year, will you agree to bump this thread, drop your pants and do a lap of the pool table:rolleyes:?
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Im more interested in what you will do if Lyons plays less games than Barlow, which I think is far more likely.
 
Jack is Back said:
If Jarryd Lyons plays more games for the Gold Coast than Barlow next year, will you agree to bump this thread, drop your pants and do a lap of the pool table:rolleyes:?

IMHO, if we were to play Barlow (and Thommo) for a significant number of games next year we would risk losing Wigg and Greenwood. As I said earlier in the thread, I am very comfortable that we didn't throw bags of money at Barlow.
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Trading Lyons was the right decision, whether we landed Barlow or not. Like you, I'm glad the club didn't cave to Barlow's demands.
 
Elite Crow said:
We must have been only offering one year or less money, if he wanted success Gold Coast is a poor choice.
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The interesting thing is there is a rumour the Crows went cold on him after the Pyke interview and partial club medical. But its only a Clubland rumour around the beer taps.
Heard this after the after the media spec he was meeting with Pyke and the club.
But as per normal we will not know the full reason,
 
Pdub said:
Given that we have unspent Gibbs money next season, if Barlow chose GC over AFC for money, we must still have a plan for the Gibbs money, perhaps putting it in the bank for an import after next season.
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We've had big plans for the Tippett, Danger and Gibbs money. It's not something that actually exists.
 

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