Think Tank Mofra's Lazy Bottom 40 for 2025

[Plugger35]

I had to research Andrew Purser

A ruckman who was “bound by a Footscray club rule to never enter forward 50 and to always stay a kick behind the play”.

If only a Mofra bottom 40 existed back in the eighties.

I met Andrew Purser and that was only because I recognised Tony 'Budgie' 'Buhagiar in a Freo pub about 20 odd years ago.

I chatted to the Budgie about the old WAFL days when he played for East Freo and he said "you probably know this guy too".

It was none other than Andrew Purser, I just thought he was a big tall guy that was just hanging out with him or a bodyguard.

 

[Mofra]

Bulldogs had a pretty good run with WA talent in the 80s. Beasley and a Hardie as well.

 

[philreich]

Player #20 - Tom de Koning
View attachment 2490735
Pictured: Tom arrives at Moorabbin on the first day of pre-season

Tom de Koning, by virtue of his recently signed eleventy-billion dollar contract with St Kilda, is numerically the most overrated player in the AFL.

At around $1.7m a season (behind only Nasiah at the same club in contract terms), you would be expecting a star. A game changer. Someone who impacts games and drags his team over the line.

Lets just run the numbers shall we. In 2025, among players listed as rucks, Tom was:

23rd in average hit-outs
7th in average disposals
25th in average goals
11th in average contested marks
25th in average tackles
11th in average score involvements
10th in average centre clearances
18th in average time on ground

(Source: footywire)

All in all, TdK (as he's known) is bog-average in a number of categories, and below-average as a number 1 ruck in a bunch of categories too. No doubt he seemed to have 'checked-out' a little towards the end of the season as finals became out of the question and he had to listen to Voss trying to convince his players he had some sort of discernable gameplan... but ruck is one of the positions on the ground you have genuine one on ones for most of the game and TdK was 'just ok' at best.

It makes you wonder what St Kilda were thinking. TdK doesn't apply physical pressure, barely tackles, isn't a threat forward... he might make a decent flanker. Maybe.
The Saints are like a girl who dates a complete DH thinking "I can change him" despite all evidence to the contrary. "Maybe those tribal tattooos means he's a deep thinker" they'd say. "Maybe the No Fear sticker on his back windscreen menas he's courageous". "I'm sure he'll get work soon". "I don't know what a Moderator is, but it sounds important."

Fun fact: Tom's dad Terry played 31 games for the Bulldogs, and his brother is a defender at the Cats.

TdK, good luck to you and your accountant next year. Welcome to the Bottom 40 for 2025.

Congrats to TdK for arriving at Moorabbin, just in time for his new club to bring up 60 years without a flag. Whether he'll still be there when the drought reaches 70 years is another matter.

 

[Andrewgtv05]

Player #20 - Tom de Koning
View attachment 2490735
Pictured: Tom arrives at Moorabbin on the first day of pre-season

Tom de Koning, by virtue of his recently signed eleventy-billion dollar contract with St Kilda, is numerically the most overrated player in the AFL.

At around $1.7m a season (behind only Nasiah at the same club in contract terms), you would be expecting a star. A game changer. Someone who impacts games and drags his team over the line.

Lets just run the numbers shall we. In 2025, among players listed as rucks, Tom was:

23rd in average hit-outs
7th in average disposals
25th in average goals
11th in average contested marks
25th in average tackles
11th in average score involvements
10th in average centre clearances
18th in average time on ground

(Source: footywire)

All in all, TdK (as he's known) is bog-average in a number of categories, and below-average as a number 1 ruck in a bunch of categories too. No doubt he seemed to have 'checked-out' a little towards the end of the season as finals became out of the question and he had to listen to Voss trying to convince his players he had some sort of discernable gameplan... but ruck is one of the positions on the ground you have genuine one on ones for most of the game and TdK was 'just ok' at best.

It makes you wonder what St Kilda were thinking. TdK doesn't apply physical pressure, barely tackles, isn't a threat forward... he might make a decent flanker. Maybe.
The Saints are like a girl who dates a complete DH thinking "I can change him" despite all evidence to the contrary. "Maybe those tribal tattooos means he's a deep thinker" they'd say. "Maybe the No Fear sticker on his back windscreen menas he's courageous". "I'm sure he'll get work soon". "I don't know what a Moderator is, but it sounds important."

Fun fact: Tom's dad Terry played 31 games for the Bulldogs, and his brother is a defender at the Cats.

TdK, good luck to you and your accountant next year. Welcome to the Bottom 40 for 2025.

Genuine Footage of St Kilda paying TDK to leave Carlton:
Same video can apply to Jack Silvanni

 

[AlecDuncan]

Player #20 - Tom de Koning

Lets just run the numbers shall we. In 2025, among players listed as rucks,

No doubt some of this was us putting our compensation pick in cotton wool, lest he get injured.