Training To hell and back but we never actually left hell (Preseason thread)

[netslave]

Good call imo, handy depth in multiple positions, cheap and a one year contract.

 

[Dark Avenger]

Might need Trac to sit at FF for some of those early games and kick some bags with the way our forward line is looking

While I'm sure he will spend some time down there I don't think its come to that yet. Still have TMac Jackson M Brown & Petty. Also Fritsch can play tall if required.

 

[Johnny Karate]

Looking at our list now obviously we all have doubts over the quality of the best 22 but I can’t see too many spots overall, if any, which you’d say are being wasted. Probably everyone there deserves a spot on an AFL list (at this stage in their respective careers). Hunt, ANB and Joel Smith maybe in the category of blokes who’ve been around for a while and haven’t really come on, but still decent enough depth and have played decent enough footy that they’re not egregious inclusions by any means.

Very far cry from even 2018 when we made a prelim with a number of straight up hacks on the list. Maybe you wouldn’t want a lot of those blokes playing week in, week out, and there’s still a few pieces missing from what you’d consider a top side, but it makes a huge difference lifting up the standard of that bottom 15-20 or so IMO.

EDIT: hmmm...Jonesy...less said about that the better

I reckon our list is in far worse shape than 2018. Happy to be proven wrong but don’t recall much poo on that list and the part that mattered - the top 35 players - were much better.

 

[Crusty Demon]

I reckon our list is in far worse shape than 2018. Happy to be proven wrong but don’t recall much poo on that list and the part that mattered - the top 35 players - were much better.

It does feel like we've taken a step back doesn't it. But time will tell if the kids from the last 2 drafts can replace the Nev's, Hibberd's, Melksham's, Jones etc. Jackson, Kozzie and Rivers could be a boom for us tbh. If those 3 become elite(which they all are a chance to based on what we've seen and heard), then Oliver, Trac, Weid, Langdon, May, Lever, Brown should be still around for us to have a genuine tip at the flag.

 

[Gysberts2Bate]

I reckon our list is in far worse shape than 2018. Happy to be proven wrong but don’t recall much poo on that list and the part that mattered - the top 35 players - were much better.

Far worse? We’ve lost Hogan, Kent, Frost, Tyson, Hannan, Vince, Pedersen, Lewis and OMac and Garlett (none of whom other than Hogan had particularly good years) and picked up May, Langdon, Brown, Tomlinson, Lockhart, Sparrow, Pickett, Rivers, Jackson and the new draftees. Seems like a net win to me. Not sure who of those 2018 players would consistently make us a better side now, and who you’d give up to get them back.

Have also cleared out dead weight like Balic, Bugg, JKH, McKenna, Spencer, Stretch, J Wagner and Ben Kennedy as well as your Mitch King types. I don’t know if I’d put any of our current players in that category.

 

[ImissFrosty]

Far worse? We’ve lost Hogan, Kent, Frost, Tyson, Hannan, Vince, Pedersen, Lewis and OMac and Garlett (none of whom other than Hogan had particularly good years) and picked up May, Langdon, Brown, Tomlinson, Lockhart, Sparrow, Pickett, Rivers, Jackson and the new draftees. Seems like a net win to me. Not sure who of those 2018 players would consistently make us a better side now, and who you’d give up to get them back.

Have also cleared out dead weight like Balic, Bugg, JKH, McKenna, Spencer, Stretch, J Wagner and Ben Kennedy as well as your Mitch King types. I don’t know if I’d put any of our current players in that category.

May and Langdon were top 5 in our b&f, the only person on the list of players gone who could do that is Hogan, but we all know how that turned out, Frosty could finish high up if he was the main man and we were trash.
Also who from the top would still be best 22 if their best times at Melbourne were replicated for 2021, i've got Hogan, Frost, Vince, Garlett. 7 best 22 players in the bottom, most not even at their peak.

 

[pjfairbairn]

Far worse? We’ve lost Hogan, Kent, Frost, Tyson, Hannan, Vince, Pedersen, Lewis and OMac and Garlett (none of whom other than Hogan had particularly good years) and picked up May, Langdon, Brown, Tomlinson, Lockhart, Sparrow, Pickett, Rivers, Jackson and the new draftees. Seems like a net win to me. Not sure who of those 2018 players would consistently make us a better side now, and who you’d give up to get them back.

Have also cleared out dead weight like Balic, Bugg, JKH, McKenna, Spencer, Stretch, J Wagner and Ben Kennedy as well as your Mitch King types. I don’t know if I’d put any of our current players in that category.

Well said G2B. The elimination of the list cloggers is what I like - I'd much rather have Jordon, Bedford, Chandler, Bradtke etc on the list for 3-4 years, on low wages, continuing to develop, than a whole bunch of depth players taking an extra 50-100k than them per year, and getting the hump when not selected.

 

[Gysberts2Bate]

May and Langdon were top 5 in our b&f, the only person on the list of players gone who could do that is Hogan, but we all know how that turned out, Frosty could finish high up if he was the main man and we were trash.
Also who from the top would still be best 22 if their best times at Melbourne were replicated for 2021, i've got Hogan, Frost, Vince, Garlett. 7 best 22 players in the bottom, most not even at their peak.

It’s peak MFCSS to say that the list is worse than it was in 2018 lol, or at least huge overrating of a few blokes who were well past it by then.

Some of our older heads who we relied upon heavily in 2018 have declined perhaps but that’s not the same as the list being in worse shape. Jetta, Jones, TMac and Melksham are all substantially down on performance but the first two were already slowing and the latter two have been impacted by form, injury and structure. Hibberd was rubbish in 2018/19 and almost at his best in 2020. We have fewer players at their peak now, challenge is getting them there.

 

[Topkent]

It’s peak MFCSS to say that the list is worse than it was in 2018 lol, or at least huge overrating of a few blokes who were well past it by then.

Some of our older heads who we relied upon heavily in 2018 have declined perhaps but that’s not the same as the list being in worse shape. Jetta, Jones, TMac and Melksham are all substantially down on performance but the first two were already slowing and the latter two have been impacted by form, injury and structure. Hibberd was rubbish in 2018/19 and almost at his best in 2020. We have fewer players at their peak now, challenge is getting them there.

The 2018 list was pox
Defence was crap, it's a 100 times better now
Oliver is probably the same player, Petracca is a superstar now.
We had Tyson on a ******* wing, Langdon is shitloads better.
Hogan was good, but he beat up on s**t.
We've improved the list. We were better this year than 18 across the whole year. Just a couple game slump hurt us

 

[Daemon]

The 2018 list was pox
Defence was crap, it's a 100 times better now
Oliver is probably the same player, Petracca is a superstar now.
We had Tyson on a ******* wing, Langdon is shitloads better.
Hogan was good, but he beat up on sh*t.
We've improved the list. We were better this year than 18 across the whole year. Just a couple game slump hurt us

Begs the question - if our list is better and we made a prelim, what's the problem?

 

[dazzledavey36]

Begs the question - if our list is better and we made a prelim, what's the problem?

All between the ears.

Dropping the Sydney and Freo game last year proves that it's mental hurdle for us more then anything.

 

[KickLongTackleHard]

Begs the question - if our list is better and we made a prelim, what's the problem?

There are rich teams and there are poor teams. Then there’s 50 feet of crap........and then there’s us.

 

[Gysberts2Bate]

If we’d beaten Sydney or Freo I see no reason why we couldn’t have lost a prelim by 66 points in 2020 also, and we didn’t lose those games because the list has declined

 

[Grimesy87]

Begs the question - if our list is better and we made a prelim, what's the problem?

Season hasn't started yet.

 

[TheCount]

Season hasn't started yet.

Are you sure? I could have sworn we were already 0-6 ...

 

[Toump Ass]

Far worse? We’ve lost Hogan, Kent, Frost, Tyson, Hannan, Vince, Pedersen, Lewis and OMac and Garlett (none of whom other than Hogan had particularly good years) and picked up May, Langdon, Brown, Tomlinson, Lockhart, Sparrow, Pickett, Rivers, Jackson and the new draftees. Seems like a net win to me. Not sure who of those 2018 players would consistently make us a better side now, and who you’d give up to get them back.

Have also cleared out dead weight like Balic, Bugg, JKH, McKenna, Spencer, Stretch, J Wagner and Ben Kennedy as well as your Mitch King types. I don’t know if I’d put any of our current players in that category.

I'd trade half the list for Bugg and Vince back TBH.

 

[Grimesy87]

Are you sure? I could have sworn we were already 0-6 ...

Brb

Just going to microwave my membership then.

 

[TheCount]

Brb

Just going to microwave my membership then.

Might as well fold to be honest

 

[Grimesy87]

Might as well fold to be honest

Fingers crossed.

Imagine the unironic ski trips we could have late July.

 

[00Stinger]

Hogan was good, but he beat up on sh*t.

tbf if we had a forward who could beat up on s**t we may have pinched one of the Sydney & Freo games and played finals

Of course that is if we were getting the 2018 version and not the 2020 version

 

[schmuttt]

tbf if we had a forward who could beat up on sh*t we may have pinched one of the Sydney & Freo games and played finals

Of course that is if we were getting the 2018 version and not the 2020 version

Hogan rarely made the difference in close games (Also our close game record under Goody is quite bad from memory).

 

[Crimson Azure]

I'd trade half the list for Bugg and Vince back TBH.

Hmmm, I see that you must have scored those buds you were talking about in the other thread.

 

[mrmonkey]

tbf if we had a forward who could beat up on sh*t we may have pinched one of the Sydney & Freo games and played finals

Of course that is if we were getting the 2018 version and not the 2020 version

The freo game was coached atrociously Hogan probably would have been playing on the other back pocket.

 

[Snake_Baker]

Just plonk Majak forward and let him run at the ball and he'll definitely threaten.

 

[schmuttt]

Just plonk Majak forward and let him run at the ball and he'll definitely threaten.

And that is all we'd need him to do to be honest. I don't mind picking him up, he can pinch hit forward/back/ruck and you know what you'll get from him.