Time to make some changes with our List

[theoneyed]

As valiant as our effort was tonight and without blaming any umpiring decisions of the fact that we probably were missing three important players in our team (Gibbs, Kruezer and Waite), I really believe we need to aggressively trade to become a serious contender for winning a flag.

It is plainly obvious that we require KKP's in out team, both in defence and in attack as we are lacking some serious big man power. Yes we have plenty of competent mid-sized players but lets face it how many mid-sized KKP win you games. Our reliance on talls such as setanta (don't get me wrong he tries but he is not going to win a game off his own boot) and Henderson in defence is like plugging holes in a sinking ship. As for Hammer, how much longer do we persevere with a guy who in the past 5 seasons has played maybe 5 good games of football.

It has been far too long that the club has traded for midfielders and selected medium sized players in the draft without finding a true gorilla for our forward line and in defence. We will continue to fall short by a kick or two ever time and to tell you the truth I am sick of it!
Lets get serious, if our recruiters are going to do a good job then lets get some tall timber who can present or at least split the pack for our crumbers to take the spoils. Imagine if we had Kennedy! We are in serious need of big bodied players who can take a grab or at least create a contest.

In the past 10 years all i have ever felt when the ball is moving to the forward line is the uncertainty of, is Fevola on or is he being a selfish F**k and having a missy fit, and other than that there has been no CHF to kick the ball to. As good as Waite is he is not a true CHF.
I think to move forward we need to aggressively trade players to flll the obvious void we have in out list. I for one would be happy to let go of players such as Hammer, Thornton, Austin, Davies, White, Setanta, Okeefe, Kerr, Casboult, Mclean and Bower for some draft picks. As ruthless as it seems none of these players are ever going to take us to the next level.

The window is only going to stay open for a couple of years and with the draft advantages for teams such as the SUNS and GWS if we don't strike now we will seriously be looking to win our next flag in 2020. Lets get serious and get rid of out flotsom and jetsom and have a crack while we still have a chance.

time to cut the dead wood away!

Go Blues!

 

[raymagoo]

Agreed, but not sure what currency those players will get us? Hammer & Bower just but no one else will get sfa. Will need to move someone decent to get something back, these gorillas dont fall off trees, especially ready made ones

 

[Blueboys7]

Henderson just 'plugging holes in a sinking ship'?

Get off it mate, he's been great down there and had another good game last night. 17 touches and 8 marks makes you look a bit silly.

He's our CHB...deal with it.

 

[PooMonkey]

If we want to secure a "blue chip" forward as Ratten has come out and said, then we are going to have to give something of significance.

Players that we should look at trading for the right deal.

Bower
Russell
Hampson
McLean
Davies
Armfield
Lucas

All of the above have currency, some more than others...Lucas would be the only one that I would be annoyed at loosing...but if he secured us a top line forward it would be worth it

 

[RattAttack]

I agree we need to make a couple of changes.

If we say we need a quality inside mid and a KPF who are realistic targets?

 

[Faz 2000]

I don't think we need more KPDs at all.

Jamison and Henderson should be an extremely capable and strong duo for the next 5 years at least, and with Duigan and Laidler both mediums who are strong in the air and Watson/McCarthy/Bower outside the team I think we're well-stocked there now.

We have 1 (one) AFL quality KPF in Waite. Even then, he's probably best suited to being a roaming/second forward rather than the primary target. And he's getting on. So I definitely think we need to work out what to do about KPFs, as last night was example #7834 of Carlton not having much to kick to up forward. A vein on my forehead literally exploded in frustration as Murphy, Simpson, Ellard and others picked out Darren Glass and Beau Waters with kicks into F50 and we couldn't even make a contest.

On our list, and not playing last night, of course, is Kreuzer, Hampson, Mitchell, Casboult and McCarthy, all of whom allegedly can/have/will play KPF posts. None (even Kreuzer) have shown enough to warrant a permanent spot as a KPF as yet, and you'd think that likely only one of Special K and Hammer can get a go as that ruck/forward role. I don't know which of the others will make it or are even close to making it, but hopefully the Carlton hierarchy do and we either rely on growth from within or we go poach someone.

We also do need to keep drafting quality mids. You can never have too many, and we do play guys with "limited" skillsets. I also have no idea how we'll deal with Scotland's eventual retirement or if Simmo actually missed a game, because I think those are the two straws that stir the drink.

I don't think we need to make wholesale changes. I think we made some great moves last year. Seriously, does anyone remember how little we paid for Laidler? He could play 200 games back there for us. Probably 4 of our back 6 weren't in the back 6 a year ago. It's a new squad and it'll only get better. If the right opportunity comes up for a ready-to-go forward, we'll be all over it, but we don't need to dismantle things to do it, and nor should we.

 

[PooMonkey]

Rattan obviously thinks otherwise

 

[Beloved]

I got the vibe yesterday in the Ants rooms that McLean was going. No source, no decent info, just a feeling.

 

[Faz 2000]

I got the vibe yesterday in the Ants rooms that McLean was going. No source, no decent info, just a feeling.

We should take literally anything for him.

And clip whoever authorised McLean for first-rounder over the head again for good measure.

 

[blue healer]

I got the vibe yesterday in the Ants rooms that McLean was going. No source, no decent info, just a feeling.

Hope your right as I imagine he's costing us too much in the salary cap and hard to see him getting back into the side. Would be a good move for him if he can go to a team where he can get a game as well.

 

[Free Willy]

I got the vibe yesterday in the Ants rooms that McLean was going. No source, no decent info, just a feeling.

Let's look at this logically.
We shook him loose from Melbourne.
That would have taken some decent cap as he would have been paid well by the Demons.
Conservatively let's say $400-$500k (top end figure).
That's massive & the output has obviously not matched the expected input.

He's gone.

He would have to take a massive pay cut, assuming we can actually see a spot for him, if he was to stay. (Perhaps both parties are ready to part ways).

Sadly, the trade did not work for us, we should move on, get whatever we can, even if that is an upgrade of a 2nd / 3rd round pick or thrown in as steak knives (maybe tea-spoons) in a trade.

Finally, I don't actually see a spot for him at GWS given the recruitment of Power & James McDonald. Not saying they are similar players, but it would give them a pretty slow side factoring in at least 1 Cornes going there as well.

 

[blue gunslinger]

I got the vibe yesterday in the Ants rooms that McLean was going. No source, no decent info, just a feeling.

but where?

 

[goreds]

What a load of rubbish...

We were 3 points away from winning last night and were missing Kreuz, Gibbs and a fit Waite...

The Cats are VERY happy they are playing West Coke as our pace worries them..

All this rubbish about delisting and trading, not needed...

Gun CHF don't become available unless you give up a top 8 listed player!

All I would like to see is an inside mid with real size i.e. Josh Kennedy...

As a side note, Austin was almost best on for the Ants yesterday, he took some huge pack marks and ran his butt off. At his young age i would definitely hang onto him and let him do his 1st full preseason in 3 years...

 

[Coledinho]

but where?

GWS would be my bet. Got a feeling he is the type of player Sheeds will want at the club.

 

[Coledinho]

Concur with all this.
Geelong are very relieved that we didn't find a way to kick a goal in the last minutes of the game.

Let's say it again. We need a hard inside mid that we didn't gain through McLean, more than any other player type
We won't find a gun full forward any time soon.

As hard to find as KPP for mine. Who do you recommend? I think Carlton should trade for a top inside mid but cant think of any you could get. A KPF on the other hand would be alot easier to find

 

[Faz 2000]

Let's say it again. We need a hard inside mid that we didn't gain through McLean, more than any other player type
We won't find a gun full forward any time soon.

Not sure how many young big-bodied inside mids with good skills there are either.

Big-bodied with no skill and possibly available: Daniel Jackson?

Our on-ball brigade is physically pretty small, which doesn't help. Having a brute in there to run through packs or, say, stick a tackle on *&^#% Matt Priddis would be handy.

That said, having the "Tractor" back in the middle goes a ways to addressing that, too.

 

[PP34]

Don't see the need to make major changes. There are no good key position forwards available that we could get without giving up a Gibbs type player. We just need to draft another tall or two. That's what Collingwood did. Their good drafting and good developing of their talls won them a flag.

 

[goreds]

I think some of you might be surprised when you see how young Mitchell is going...

He is 197cm and 105kg with sound shoulders(finally), who has beautiful hands...

We've got the power forwards on the list, we just need to take a risk and play them...

Get an inside mid...!

 

[Beloved]

I think some of you might be surprised when you see how young Mitchell is going...

He is 197cm and 105kg with sound shoulders(finally), who has beautiful hands...

We've got the power forwards on the list, we just need to take a risk and play them...

Get an inside mid...!

Just wait until next year. I really hope we keep Casboult so we can see them both develop in the Ants seniors next year. Both have what it takes to play top level footy, IMO.

 

[Blue and Silver]

I say we go after Daniel Cross. Only offered one year at the dogs. Hard at it contested ball winning machine who is ok at the spread. Fills a void in the middle. Won't cost a hell of a lot.

 

[Faz 2000]

I say we go after Daniel Cross. Only offered one year at the dogs. Hard at it contested ball winning machine who is ok at the spread. Fills a void in the middle. Won't cost a hell of a lot.

Brock McLean II.

 

[Blue and Silver]

Brock McLean II.

Yeah, no.

He is proven at AFL level, and has played in a top 4 side for several years.

Brock was an injury prone mid from a bottom 8 club

 

[Beloved]

I say we go after Daniel Cross. Only offered one year at the dogs. Hard at it contested ball winning machine who is ok at the spread. Fills a void in the middle. Won't cost a hell of a lot.

I'm not disliking this, to be honest.

Though I sit here and struggle to figure out who we could give up. A second rounder and someone would be a good offer, but who?

 

[Faz 2000]

Seriously, why would we get Cross? How much has he got left in the tank?

You recall Leigh Brown running past him like he was going backwards? You know he *CANNOT* kick a football, right?

You'll find plenty of Bulldogs fans who watch him each week talking about him like we do Bret Thornton. "I love that he loves the club, and he's got some good attributes... but gawd, how are we going to improve with him in the team?"

 

[Blue and Silver]

Our team is lightning anyway and Cross is an improvement on Ellard in the middle (only in the middle though).