Autopsy Round 8, 2024: Positives and Negatives vs Essendon

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It was interesting to read Darling talking during the week about being afraid he was going to be dropped earlier in the season and begging Simmo to stick by him. He wants to play until he's 35 so we might have to figure something out with all these forwards because I don't think he means play WAFL until he's 35.

I agree that Darling is behind Maric as the best 3rd tall option but I am biased toward tall forwards actually being tall, and toward youth over experience in a rebuild. I think he'll hold his spot because he's working as hard as he's ever worked, but all that work is going to catch up with him pretty soon.

Here's an unpopular opinion though: with the benefit of hindsight we should have traded Allen last season for the big offers that came for him. He has an huge profile, several big teams are desperate for a key forward, and he is quite injury prone. I think we would have gotten overs for him. Of course no such thing would ever happen, but history would suggest we'll get by without him and the list overflows with forward options. If we had the chance again and 2 top 10 picks were on offer and this year runs deeper than last for mids, I'd do the deal. People will cry about the suggestion but Hawthorn traded away Buddy and still managed to threepeat.
 
Just to put to bed this notion that Cripps didn't do anything wrong and the umps are at fault, here is the vision.
The Essendon player was doing nothing, Cripps walks up to him and just starts it all.
Sure the oppo player put mayo on it, but it's 100% on Crippa. Just Stupidity.


That's ridiculous. Both teams were pushing each other. Just let it go.
 

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It was interesting to read Darling talking during the week about being afraid he was going to be dropped earlier in the season and begging Simmo to stick by him. He wants to play until he's 35 so we might have to figure something out with all these forwards because I don't think he means play WAFL until he's 35.

I agree that Darling is behind Maric as the best 3rd tall option but I am biased toward tall forwards actually being tall, and toward youth over experience in a rebuild. I think he'll hold his spot because he's working as hard as he's ever worked, but all that work is going to catch up with him pretty soon.

Here's an unpopular opinion though: with the benefit of hindsight we should have traded Allen last season for the big offers that came for him. He has an huge profile, several big teams are desperate for a key forward, and he is quite injury prone. I think we would have gotten overs for him. Of course no such thing would ever happen, but history would suggest we'll get by without him and the list overflows with forward options. If we had the chance again and 2 top 10 picks were on offer and this year runs deeper than last for mids, I'd do the deal. People will cry about the suggestion but Hawthorn traded away Buddy and still managed to threepeat.
Hawthorn didn't trade Buddy, he left as a free agent...
 
Positive
My kids: ‘What do you want for Mothers Day mum?’
Me: ‘Just for all of us girls, 3 generations, to go the Pies/Eagles game! I reckon we can actually put up a good fight and not get smashed by 100 again’ (Kids got great seats btw)

Negative
Injury Gods: Happy ******* Mothers Day 🖕
 
Gee it's deflating to be an Eagles fan these days isn't it.

Finally look like we are past the hell that has been the past few years and then this happens.

Reid looking like a gun -> rested then doesn't look the same player then injures himself
Yeo looking like the bull he used to be -> groin injury which is the worst case scenario for him
Waterman looking like he has arrived -> concussed and hamstring
Long working into some good form -> knee exploded

But don't worry everyone, Sheed is still out there! And Ryan!

I don’t know how you can have this view after last night. Last year we lose that game by 80.

We have an injury list that is same size as most other clubs. All reports say Yeo’s is pretty minor.

Reid isn’t injured, he had a quieter game, Essendon put a lot of work into him, and he got a lesson on the kind of attention he can expect from here on out.

We are streets ahead of where 90% of us thought we were going to be a month ago.
 

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I don’t know how you can have this view after last night. Last year we lose that game by 80.

We have an injury list that is same size as most other clubs. All reports say Yeo’s is pretty minor.

Reid isn’t injured, he had a quieter game, Essendon put a lot of work into him, and he got a lesson on the kind of attention he can expect from here on out.

We are streets ahead of where 90% of us thought we were going to be a month ago.
Last nights result isn’t the issue. It’s what’s to come as we’ve just lost our two form players with absolutely nothing coming from below.
 
That wasn't the question though was it.
I mean I literally said Hawthorn three-peated after trading Buddy away so yeah it kind was. Pointing out that he left as a free agent changes nothing, and anyone with half a brain knows that given the choice between paying Buddy 5 gazzilion dollars a season or keeping together 22 blokes who can win premierships without him Hawthorn did choose to let him go. The literal definition of distinction without a difference.
 
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Irrelevant. They couldn't possibly have known that would happen.

They didn't know that winning a bidding war for the pleasure of having the highest paid player in the AFL on their list [who was doing more coke in a week than Gil did in a year] would hurt their chances by making it impossible to pay any of their other stars? No, you're right. I got owned let's move on.
 
They didn't know that winning a bidding war for the pleasure of having the highest paid player in the AFL on their list [who was doing more coke in a week than Gil did in a year] would hurt their chances by making it impossible to pay any of their other stars? No, you're right. I got owned let's move on.
Your whole argument relies on confirmation bias.

No club would willing let the best player of the generation leave for pick 19 and think they have a chance of 3-peating.
 
Last nights result isn’t the issue. It’s what’s to come as we’ve just lost our two form players with absolutely nothing coming from below.

That happens to every team though.

Maybe I’m being naive, but it sounds like pretty short term injuries. Would be surprised if they’re both back in a fortnight.
 
Your whole argument relies on confirmation bias.

No club would willing let the best player of the generation leave for pick 19 and think they have a chance of 3-peating.

Your whole point relies on being disagreeable for the sake of it. They made a calculation decision not to match the offers that were coming for him. They did this out of sound knowledge that they didn't have the cap space to pay Buddy and not lose half a dozen other blokes who'd then need to take a pay cut. Clarkson has spoken in depth about this, as have the players who stuck around and all agreed to play on less money then they could get elsewhere in order to stick together and have team success.

Ponting out that they didn't have a crystal ball that guaranteed for them that they would win 3 premierships in the future is an infantile thing to say. They made a smart decision that increased their odds of success and then were fortunate enough to find that success. And a pox on our, syndey and fremantles houses for being part of that legacy, embarrassing ourselves at the big dance and handing those muppets 3 in a row.

Edit: and so far as pick 19, Hawthorn obviously had no control over what compensation the AFL would offer and were rightly filthy with this. But AFL gunna AFL.
 
Your whole point relies on being disagreeable for the sake of it.

You may think you're correct, it doesn't make it so. I'm disagreeing with you because you are wrong.

They made a calculation decision not to match the offers that were coming for him.

Unlikely they could afford such an offer.

Did you forget already that the AFL was trying to engineer a move to GWS before Sydney swooped in with a much bigger offer and the AFL suspended them from trading and removed their COLA allowance?

How were Hawthorn supposed to match to begin with?


They did this out of sound knowledge that they didn't have the cap space to pay Buddy and not lose half a dozen other blokes who'd then need to take a pay cut. Clarkson has spoken in depth about this, as have the players who stuck around and all agreed to play on less money then they could get elsewhere in order to stick together and have team success.

Yes, they didn't have cap space because, again, Sydney used their COLA allowance to put an offer to Franklin that Hawthorn simply couldn't match.

Ponting out that they didn't have a crystal ball that guaranteed for them that they would win 3 premierships in the future is an infantile thing to say. They made a smart decision that increased their odds of success and then were fortunate enough to find that success. And a pox on our, syndey and fremantles houses for being part of that legacy, embarrassing ourselves at the big dance and handing those muppets 3 in a row.

Again, they'd have kept Franklin if they were able to match. You think they'd have let him go otherwise?

Edit: and so far as pick 19, Hawthorn obviously had no control over what compensation the AFL would offer and were rightly filthy with this. But AFL gunna AFL.

Well, that's just how FA compo works.
 
You may think you're correct, it doesn't make it so. I'm disagreeing with you because you are wrong.



Unlikely they could afford such an offer.

Did you forget already that the AFL was trying to engineer a move to GWS before Sydney swooped in with a much bigger offer and the AFL suspended them from trading and removed their COLA allowance?

How were Hawthorn supposed to match to begin with?




Yes, they didn't have cap space because, again, Sydney used their COLA allowance to put an offer to Franklin that Hawthorn simply couldn't match.



Again, they'd have kept Franklin if they were able to match. You think they'd have let him go otherwise?



Well, that's just how FA compo works.

Thats a long post to basically agree with me that Hawthorn couldn't afford to keep him. Which is a fact that is as irrelevant as this argument. You can keep going if you want but I'm hitting ignore. Cheers.
 
Thats a long post to basically agree with me that Hawthorn couldn't afford to keep him. Which is a fact that is as irrelevant as this argument. You can keep going if you want but I'm hitting ignore. Cheers.
Your whole premise is wrong.

If you want to run away with your tail between your legs because somebody happens to disagree with you and provides proof as to why you are wrong, be my guest.

Hitting ignore is just being pathetic after being proven wrong but you do you.
 

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