Hot Topic The Rebuild, est. 2023 and/or 2025

[jannissary]

what’s 2026’s draft meant to look like? better or worse. i know berwick is coming through via f/s, but any other big names not tied to NGA, father son etc

 

[Nifft]

That makes it even more complex because we are tight on spots.

I would personally take a view that everyone 2020 draft or later should be safe and that’s where you basically draw a line but the reality is there are 3 or 4 players that I would really like to retain that probably have to go if we think we need to make wholesale changes for the 3rd year in a row.

I would personally go as minimal as possible this year because I’ve got no idea what the list can actually accomplish or what it needs.

Get 5 kids in through the ND, probably save one spot for an SSP or a DFA should one become available and then shut up shop.

I would be putting all my effort into consolidating our picks up the draft order.

While I agree we can't keep turning over around 10 players every year, I do think we need to do this one (or maybe 2) more time to try and find the right core mix that we can build on. I don't think we have the right group yet that we can build up to sustained success with only a small number of changes each year.

We have some good young players we can build around, but we have to lean right into the rebuild now and turn over as much as we can or else we're just going to keep treading water in the future.

 

[Yoda_]

what’s 2026’s draft meant to look like? better or worse. i know berwick is coming through via f/s, but any other big names not tied to NGA, father son etc

2026 looking stronger in terms of more upside, obviously cant tell depth wise but we've got one or two NGA tied to keep an eye out for if thats where youre going

 

[Yoda_]

Perkins you just ride the lightening because there it too much evidence to suggest the big, thick burst players tend to pop later and later, even in a good environment. I’m far more inclined to stick and twist with him than I am with some of the others.

Menzie can absolutely go, for some reason I thought he was a couple of years older than he was.

There is enough older stock to effectively turn the list over AND see whether some in that 20-4 year old bracket can surprise next year, especially given we would get **** all back for them.

Isn't the questions what the kids can do with our best players next to them?

We all know what Tsatas looks like as our midfield has been close to full strength. We have stuff all idea what our defensive set up looks like with Johnson as Reid and McKay have hardly been able to play beside him.

The kids we have enough evidence on should be move on. Hobbs, Tsatas, Perkins is walking this line closely imho. If you can garner enough capital out of moving on Parish, Langford then you absolutely entertain that as well.

 

[jannissary]

2026 looking stronger in terms of more upside, obviously cant tell depth wise but we've got one or two NGA tied to keep an eye out for if thats where youre going

moreso that if this draft is very compromised & not good, why not bank our first rounders for next season

 

[Zach Package]

Isn't the questions what the kids can do with our best players next to them?

We all know what Tsatas looks like as our midfield has been close to full strength. We have stuff all idea what our defensive set up looks like with Johnson as Reid and McKay have hardly been able to play beside him.

The kids we have enough evidence on should be move on. Hobbs, Tsatas, Perkins is walking this line closely imho. If you can garner enough capital out of moving on Parish, Langford then you absolutely entertain that as well.

Which is why I wouldn’t go scorched earth again.

Parish and Langford, my philosophy would be the are required players but if someone comes a knocking you have a discussion.

‘We are looking to turnover 10’, when there is still 2 months left in the season is not the way to go about this IMO.

 

[FootyGuru]

Too true.
Yep, the reality is they will do whatever the **** they like - and most likely walk away from the smouldering wreck like they had nothing to do with it.
Meanwhile the passionate fans stand around the ashes wondering WTF!
and then, rinse & repeat!

This is why dodo stayed around so long, he would feed the coterie’s inside info and make them feel important and they would say “I’m pulling my money if he goes”

 

[Yoda_]

Which is why I wouldn’t go scorched earth again.

Parish and Langford, my philosophy would be the are required players but if someone comes a knocking you have a discussion.

‘We are looking to turnover 10’, when there is still 2 months left in the season is not the way to go about this IMO.

the bigger issue is who is leaking such information

 

[Yoda_]

moreso that if this draft is very compromised & not good, why not bank our first rounders for next season

The top end has enough talent that id be hesitant to move out at the responsibility of another team finishing low.

 

[Call Me Cake]

Article says 9 players, not 10.

It also references and makes clear that it's been the intentional plan all along since Vozzo came to the club to slowly overturn the list and build on it while protecting the draft hand.

We're simply continuing to follow a model that was set out internally since 2023. Let 'em cook.

 

[jdstorm]

We have to turn over about 8 anyway with the extra list spots due to long term injuries and the required 4 for the draft.

Doing a few extra to keep untangling the list post Dodorro isn’t overly surprising.

This is only news to people who don’t understand how list construction works

 

[Atavistic]

Was just doing a quick off season suggestion and the favorites to be gone imho;

1) Alwyn
2) Goldy
3) Lual
4) Shiel
5) Menzie

and then at least 4 from the following.

Draper via free agency
Nik Cox through concussion
Hobbs
Laverde
Setterfield
Smartt
McMahon
Tsatas traded for new opportunities
Gresham traded as suggestion
Parish traded for new opportunities

It's a good list, but I think Smartt has the "friends with Harley Reid" armour and is protected.

 

[Old Campaigner]

the bigger issue is who is leaking such information

Not really, it reads like it's club sanctioned

 

[Vindicater]

I mean we took 4 mid season draftees...

If course are making alot of changes.

Lazy journalism

 

[Old Campaigner]

I mean we took 4 mid season draftees...

If course are making alot of changes.

Lazy journalism

Not really, he's talking to someone at the club and provides additional context

 

[Duckworth]

Apparently club insiders have told Jake Niall we will move on 10 players from list this year, its not clear if hes including the mid season guys in this list but sounding like we won't budge on 4 years for draper so he will likely leave.
Also interesting (but not surprising) to read we have modelled the list build on Crows and Lions approach (so slow and steady at first then ramp up with some canny trade ins of elite talent).

The next major change coming at Essendon

Having decided to part with their head of high performance, Essendon are ready for more major change at season’s end. Next will be their enlarged playing list.

www.theage.com.au

He just came onto BigFooty and read my post from Yesterday... where I said we had to delist 9.

 

[Vindicater]

Not really, he's talking to someone at the club and provides additional context

Nah. I think you will find his source is his own brain.

 

[Old Campaigner]

Nah. I think you will find his source is his own brain.

did you actually read it lol

 

[Milanista28]

Glad he stuck with Weideman instead of giving Voss his chance.

 

[bomberlegend2007]

Glad he stuck with Weideman instead of giving Voss his chance.

Voss would be struggling with us if he were still with us.

 

[Milanista28]

Voss would be struggling with us if he were still with us.

Maybe, or maybe not, we'll never know because we didn't feel the need to give him a chance, gave Weideman plenty though.

 

[Old Campaigner]

Voss would be struggling with us if he were still with us.

He'd just be pinga rat this forum couldn't wait to see delisted

 

[BrunoV]

Further proof coming out that there was a deliberate plan internally to slowly turn over/rebuild the list from 2023,

View attachment 2372735

So we started our rebuild of the list by moving on/not prioritising 2 second year players who were:

1. the best kick on the list and who has proven to be one of the best kicks in the game: and

2. arguably the most physically gifted and certainly the most physical/aggressive player on the list who could always clearly play the game?

Both have gone on to feature heavily in 2 teams that are much better than Esssndon.

What about the contracts that followed? Why are did we then decide that we were out of the FA market? We started the rebuild when Rosa and Vozzo convinced the board it needed to happen in the latter part of 2024.

It really doesn't matter what people will now say to make themselves look good. What they do is more important and what they did until late 2024 was not a rebuild. It's not even clear that that started the rebuild mentality until after the latest pre-season was almost completed in February 2025.

 

[yodellinhank]

Hold all criticism until 2029

 

[ghostdog]

So, what has Freo done to bring out Voss's best that we did not?