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Ok the dust has settled. Let's get some positives down.

We dont have a single player turning the dangerous age of 32 next season, and only Pearce and Ryan around the 31 mark. This means the list getting older only has positives, not a single negative. I dont include the retirements of Fyfe and Walters because I dont believe they added anything this season.

The age demographic of this list is not peak yet, we are so young and inexperienced compared to the other finalists. The amount of natural progression this squad has left in it is wild.

Murphy Reid. Imagine he starts to get CBAs next season 😍

Patty Voss. Wow. I doubted this guy and he slapped a cake straight in my face. He would actually do it too and I would let him 😂 What a man. The thing is this is a bloke that uses a lot of strength in his game. Hes still so young at 22, another off season in the gym will be huge for him. I never thought I would say this, but the man's potential is enormous.

Jye Amiss. I have so much faith in this kid. I truley feel like he could absololoutly explode at any minute. Another year in the gym for him will be huge as well.

Luke Jackson was huge this season. He is still getting his hands to so many marks and not holding enough of them, however we are def seeing improvement in that area. If he ends up improving with the hands just like Josh treacy has, we could be looking at the best player in the game.

Getting knocked out week 1 of finals gives us the best possible draft pick while still gaining the exp of an elim final. Dont get me wrong its a very small bonus for a horrendous heart break. But its a bonus none the less. Will be pick 11 before the draft is compromised.

The other small bonus is an easier draw for next year.

I have so much faith in this group. We are on the way up now. It felt like every season before this one we were losing senior players and replacing them with much more talented younger players. This has pushed our window backwards, but its made our window better and longer.
 

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Boomer93 said:
Ok the dust has settled. Let's get some positives down.

We dont have a single player turning the dangerous age of 32 next season, and only Pearce and Ryan around the 31 mark. This means the list getting older only has positives, not a single negative. I dont include the retirements of Fyfe and Walters because I dont believe they added anything this season.

The age demographic of this list is not peak yet, we are so young and inexperienced compared to the other finalists. The amount of natural progression this squad has left in it is wild.

Murphy Reid. Imagine he starts to get CBAs next season 😍

Patty Voss. Wow. I doubted this guy and he slapped a cake straight in my face. He would actually do it too and I would let him 😂 What a man. The thing is this is a bloke that uses a lot of strength in his game. Hes still so young at 22, another off season in the gym will be huge for him. I never thought I would say this, but the man's potential is enormous.

Jye Amiss. I have so much faith in this kid. I truley feel like he could absololoutly explode at any minute. Another year in the gym for him will be huge as well.

Luke Jackson was huge this season. He is still getting his hands to so many marks and not holding enough of them, however we are def seeing improvement in that area. If he ends up improving with the hands just like Josh treacy has, we could be looking at the best player in the game.

Getting knocked out week 1 of finals gives us the best possible draft pick while still gaining the exp of an elim final. Dont get me wrong its a very small bonus for a horrendous heart break. But its a bonus none the less. Will be pick 11 before the draft is compromised.

The other small bonus is an easier draw for next year.

I have so much faith in this group. We are on the way up now. It felt like every season before this one we were losing senior players and replacing them with much more talented younger players. This has pushed our window backwards, but its made our window better and longer.
Click to expand...
Love the write up.

Ironically Voss had to cool it in the gym a bit as he had an obsession with bench pressing more Kgs than any other player. Fully agree his improvement in 1 season was incredible. Can't wait too see how he goes next year.
 
Boomer93 said:
Ok the dust has settled. Let's get some positives down.

We dont have a single player turning the dangerous age of 32 next season, and only Pearce and Ryan around the 31 mark. This means the list getting older only has positives, not a single negative. I dont include the retirements of Fyfe and Walters because I dont believe they added anything this season.

The age demographic of this list is not peak yet, we are so young and inexperienced compared to the other finalists. The amount of natural progression this squad has left in it is wild.

Murphy Reid. Imagine he starts to get CBAs next season 😍

Patty Voss. Wow. I doubted this guy and he slapped a cake straight in my face. He would actually do it too and I would let him 😂 What a man. The thing is this is a bloke that uses a lot of strength in his game. Hes still so young at 22, another off season in the gym will be huge for him. I never thought I would say this, but the man's potential is enormous.

Jye Amiss. I have so much faith in this kid. I truley feel like he could absololoutly explode at any minute. Another year in the gym for him will be huge as well.

Luke Jackson was huge this season. He is still getting his hands to so many marks and not holding enough of them, however we are def seeing improvement in that area. If he ends up improving with the hands just like Josh treacy has, we could be looking at the best player in the game.

Getting knocked out week 1 of finals gives us the best possible draft pick while still gaining the exp of an elim final. Dont get me wrong its a very small bonus for a horrendous heart break. But its a bonus none the less. Will be pick 11 before the draft is compromised.

The other small bonus is an easier draw for next year.

I have so much faith in this group. We are on the way up now. It felt like every season before this one we were losing senior players and replacing them with much more talented younger players. This has pushed our window backwards, but its made our window better and longer.
Click to expand...
Luke Jackson came into this season underdone in terms of the running he could do over last preseason. Imagine what he could do with a full preseason building fitness.
 
A NEED FOR REID said:
Love the write up.

Ironically Voss had to cool it in the gym a bit as he had an obsession with bench pressing more Kgs than any other player. Fully agree his improvement in 1 season was incredible. Can't wait too see how he goes next year.
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I was just thinking this, you can hurt yourself quite badly in a gym 🙄
 
I’ve been thinking about this, and I think the growth in the team has been promising since 2023.

2023 the team had expectations and was nowhere near it.

2024 they looked like a top 4 side, but fell in a heap and couldn’t win close games.

In 2025, when it was primed for them to fall in a heap, and they laid an egg in an important game (more than once), they regathered and came back strong, winning most of the close games.

Looking from a distance, it looks like maturation. So, fervently hoping for this trajectory to continue. If so, 2026 will see a more consistent team with fewer close games, no fewer wins, and an improved percentage. Yes please!
 
Minz said:
I’ve been thinking about this, and I think the growth in the team has been promising since 2023.

2023 the team had expectations and was nowhere near it.

2024 they looked like a top 4 side, but fell in a heap and couldn’t win close games.

In 2025, when it was primed for them to fall in a heap, and they laid an egg in an important game (more than once), they regathered and came back strong, winning most of the close games.

Looking from a distance, it looks like maturation. So, fervently hoping for this trajectory to continue. If so, 2026 will see a more consistent team with fewer close games, no fewer wins, and an improved percentage. Yes please!
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WE all live in hope. for 30 plus years

That is the good news for Freo, we members stick around !
 
Raz said:
WE all live in hope. for 30 plus years

That is the good news for Freo, we members stick around !
Click to expand...
A relative was a Geelong supporter from the 1950s. Long wait.

I feel less bad contemplating other clubs’ journeys!
 
Boomer93 said:
Ok the dust has settled. Let's get some positives down.

We dont have a single player turning the dangerous age of 32 next season, and only Pearce and Ryan around the 31 mark. This means the list getting older only has positives, not a single negative. I dont include the retirements of Fyfe and Walters because I dont believe they added anything this season.

The age demographic of this list is not peak yet, we are so young and inexperienced compared to the other finalists. The amount of natural progression this squad has left in it is wild.

Murphy Reid. Imagine he starts to get CBAs next season 😍

Patty Voss. Wow. I doubted this guy and he slapped a cake straight in my face. He would actually do it too and I would let him 😂 What a man. The thing is this is a bloke that uses a lot of strength in his game. Hes still so young at 22, another off season in the gym will be huge for him. I never thought I would say this, but the man's potential is enormous.

Jye Amiss. I have so much faith in this kid. I truley feel like he could absololoutly explode at any minute. Another year in the gym for him will be huge as well.

Luke Jackson was huge this season. He is still getting his hands to so many marks and not holding enough of them, however we are def seeing improvement in that area. If he ends up improving with the hands just like Josh treacy has, we could be looking at the best player in the game.

Getting knocked out week 1 of finals gives us the best possible draft pick while still gaining the exp of an elim final. Dont get me wrong its a very small bonus for a horrendous heart break. But its a bonus none the less. Will be pick 11 before the draft is compromised.

The other small bonus is an easier draw for next year.

I have so much faith in this group. We are on the way up now. It felt like every season before this one we were losing senior players and replacing them with much more talented younger players. This has pushed our window backwards, but its made our window better and longer.
Click to expand...
Love this!
 
It's been a week now so a lot more emotionally dettached, but reflecting on it now I can't say I'm angry with how our season ended. Upset, absolutely, but looking at the way Adelaide and GWS went out I think we have a right to be a lot more optimistic than their supporters.

Adelaide especially, were thoroughly outplayed in both their games and it really showed they were not on the same level as those around them. We lost by one to a team that's been top 4 all year with a 3x premiership coach. Yes it sucks that it was at home, and yes it sucks that we were their first finals win, but the good teams lose close games to each other all the time. Sometimes the ball bounces your way, sometimes it doesn't. Unfortunately for us this was one of the games where it didn't. Every good team is going to lose a close one in finals.

The last two seasons ended in anger at the team, the coaching staff, everything. Even in 2022 it was just a matter of time until the season was over before we lost a lot of guys who were key in our push. This season just felt like we still had so much more to give, whereas 2022 and 2024 we were sort of limping towards the end.

Pending no surprise trades, we're better placed than any of our recent years to build on this next year with a core group that's staying together, and has played a lot of games together.
 

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s_wd6 said:
It's been a week now so a lot more emotionally dettached, but reflecting on it now I can't say I'm angry with how our season ended. Upset, absolutely, but looking at the way Adelaide and GWS went out I think we have a right to be a lot more optimistic than their supporters.

Adelaide especially, were thoroughly outplayed in both their games and it really showed they were not on the same level as those around them. We lost by one to a team that's been top 4 all year with a 3x premiership coach. Yes it sucks that it was at home, and yes it sucks that we were their first finals win, but the good teams lose close games to each other all the time. Sometimes the ball bounces your way, sometimes it doesn't. Unfortunately for us this was one of the games where it didn't. Every good team is going to lose a close one in finals.

The last two seasons ended in anger at the team, the coaching staff, everything. Even in 2022 it was just a matter of time until the season was over before we lost a lot of guys who were key in our push. This season just felt like we still had so much more to give, whereas 2022 and 2024 we were sort of limping towards the end.

Pending no surprise trades, we're better placed than any of our recent years to build on this next year with a core group that's staying together, and has played a lot of games together.
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Agreed and we have imo some real obvious improvements to ball movement that we can make including bringing in Simpson, Walker and hopefully a full season of Young.

But, the worry is that the real strong teams at the moment Geelong, Brisbane and Hawthorn seem to get all the good free agency players or in Brisbane’s case that and endless academy players.
 
I am very optimistic that I am going to see really good seasons next year from my two teams in Freo and Perth, been a very very long time since I last said that!!
 
Well that was a massively shithouse way to end the year. Can't even be happy for a historic GC victory. They could have done it against any other team but as it stands **** them forever now. After a week of ignoring football I decided to have a look at the prelim finals matchups and far-king YAAAAWWWN. Some over east would never admit it but the entertainment value of the comp desperately needs us, Adelaide, and Gold Coast to take another step next year.

Anyway I saw enough evidence throughout the year that we can go up another level. Johnson, Erasmus took big steps forward and now without having to worry about Fyfe they can both get game time and give our midfield the competitive depth it sorely needs. The rucks proved that they can work together. With a full preseason each they will be a massive weapon for us.. Speaking of massive weapons and full preseasons, I still don't think the comp at large understands how much of a difference a F-U-L-L-Y F-I-T Hayden Young does for this team. I can only hope our S&C team fo everything in their power to get him through preseason this year.

Between Treacy, Voss, Amiss, Bolton, Frederick, Switta, Dudley I believe the comp's best forward line is there. It only worked in little doses this year with plenty of individual brilliance along the way (and alot of missed opportunities as well). As a group they probably have the most important preseason coming up compared to the rest of the squad.

Clark was the best running defender in the league last year but needs support here. Simpson is the guy we should all be paying attention to this preseason. He had a small cameo mid year where he looked like just what we needed and he didn't even train in the position last preseason! Chapman can also help out here but looked down on confidence alot this season. Pearce, ryan, Cox, big tick no notes just keep doing what you're doing and hopefully we don't have to rely on you guys alot next year.

JL had a mixed year for me. Got us into finals, tick. Got us winning close games, tick. Got us winning big away games, tick. Showed we can play an awesome brand of attacking football, tick. Couldn't get us playing our best football often enough, cross. Had his main strength turned into a weakness (mids), cross. Had the team embarassingly under-prepared for round 1 (he admitted this himself), big cross. Plenty to work on and I think at least two weeks of finals is the bare minimum pass mark for next year. Has better scope to use the sub next year (if it's still a thing) so that's something he's got going for him.

On top of all that we have the best young player in the league to look forward to next year

I think all the tools are there to improve next season but it requires everone learning alot of lessons from this year and just a teensy bit more good fortune. Anyways, **** gold coast, **** David King, **** the AFL and another boring ass prelim final weekend, bring on FLAGMANTLE 2026: THE BIRTH OF THREEMANTLE
 
Agree with most of the comments.

I would rather be us than the minor premiers. Our three headed beast up forward is going to eclipse their three headed beast as early as next year. When the end comes for Tex it could come pretty fast, whereas our forward line of Voss, Amiss, Treacy, Jackson and Reid could literally be playing together for another DECADE!

Our midfield is better too and only needs one more A grader to be equal to anything in the comp.

2% improvement, all other things being equal we win the Sydney game at home and finish top four. We also would have won the Suns game we lost by a point.
Its not going to take much.

The biggest variable is JL. Can the club recruit someone like a Chocko to give him a hand or can he grow organically at his microscopic forward improvement pace enough to improve guys like Jye , Chappy, Freddy and co who have got clearly higher ceilings than currently shown?

My only other caveat is that Moose is not easy to replace so I reckon we have three years to win it with him in the team.
After he retires we may need a micro rebuild or trade in a ready made key back.
 
swanny1234 said:
We’ve already had enough of these years. The fans deserve success and we deserve it now.
31 years…
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There's not much the current squad and coach can do about the fact that Jason Norrish and Peter Mann couldn't win us a premiership.
 

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