Strategy Trade and List Management Thread Part 8 (opposition supporters - READ posting rules before posting)

[_Mike_]

Opposition supporters coming to troll , you have been warned

 

[BLACAE]

No. The reason nobody took on May (even ignoring the on field showdown) is because based on his last few months, some people in the industry think the guy should be in prison and some of his current teammates may be uncomfortable playing with him - let alone new ones.

Tarryn Thomas is very talented but nobody is climbing over themselves to sign him up.

I'll leave it there.

What??? Can't leave it there. Can you DM/PM or whatever letters are used now to send me the info. I am intrigued.

 

[Bonty4]

Anyone know what tom williams

Tom Williams

Age

39

Ht

198cm

Wt

100kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

10.9

3star

K

6.3

2star

HB

4.6

3star

M

4.2

4star

T

1.3

3star

G

0.2

2star

No current season stats available

D

9.4

3star

K

5.8

3star

HB

3.6

3star

M

4.2

4star

T

1.4

4star

G

0.0

1star

is up to these days? Better option than may

 

[ossie_21]

After missing Wilkie & Keane, why didn’t we try to recruit Bruce Doull?

Are we stupid?

 

[RWnBluey]

Anyone know what tom williams is up to these days? Better option than may

He’s somewhere rehabbing an injury

 

[grassman75]

Least Derksen is youngish, right?

Derksen is a fictional character

 

[grassman75]

Lual has officially been delisted

Thank you Adrian if you didn't take him we wouldn't have taken Freijah

Also lets sign him up to Footscray and give the kid a shot

And get the Essendon germs off him

 

[Proffessor]

I don't think it's an age thing with May, it's more of the fact that he's a d***head. On and off the field.

I think you are correct, however that doesn’t stop people trotting out the ‘he is too old argument’.

 

[Norm De Guerre]

No. The reason nobody took on May (even ignoring the on field showdown) is because based on his last few months, some people in the industry think the guy should be in prison and some of his current teammates may be uncomfortable playing with him - let alone new ones.

Tarryn Thomas is very talented but nobody is climbing over themselves to sign him up.

I'll leave it there.

Yeah, but tall and he be good once. Ignore everything else.

 

[Proffessor]

I mean, I'm generally of the view that teams assume the cliff is coming too soon for a player, and look to fill their place in the team with a younger player that may never improve even to the point that they're as good as the old player is currently.

But we're talking about 31 year olds who had a 30 year old season that was 95% as good as their peak season whey they were 27 or whatever.

Not Steven May who has clearly had four years of year-on-year decline when he did peak age 30 and will be 34.

Proffessor you still keep saying "I would have played 2025 Steven May in our backline." But we're not getting 2025 Steven May, we're getting 2026 Steven May.

Each year from 2022-2025 was worse than the year before, almost identical to the average age decline for any player in their 30's. You have not offered any suggestion why there wouldn't be a similar decline from 2025 to 2026.

And yet in 2025 May was still statistically superior to any of the Bulldog’s KPDs, and with enough margin that he could drop off his performance a bit more next year and still be in front of all of them.

But let’s not let facts get in the way of post decision rationalisation.

 

[bobs head soup]

Seriously guys, trade period is done and May is contracted to Melbourne.

For all of our sakes, let it go.

 

[bresker]

Seriously guys, trade period is done and May is contracted to Melbourne.

For all of our sakes, let it go.

I didn't realise that! I thought this whole hypothetical argument was based on him being a DFA .



( What's Dylan Addison up to these days?)

 

[threenewpadlocks]

And yet in 2025 May was still statistically superior to any of the Bulldog’s KPDs, and with enough margin that he could drop off his performance a bit more next year and still be in front of all of them.

But let’s not let facts get in the way of post decision rationalisation.

... no?

May 8.65 player ratings points average vs. Lobb 9.65

13 coaches votes to 12

2.8 intercept marks per game to 2.4

5.3 spoils per game to 6.2

4.6 pressure acts per game to 7.3

28.9% 1v1 loss percentage vs. 30.2

Maybe their stats is a bid of a wash if you want to purely argue who had a better statistical season (having watched actual games imo it's clearly Lobb but whatever, your argument is the statistics)

But it's clearly not "with enough margin that he could drop off his performance a bit more next year and still e in front of all of them" because the statistics show it's probably about even

 

[Martyn_30_]

And was considered a weak link so they went and recruited better players for 2025 and he played 2 games as sub.

Given what Reagan has said over trade period I would be astounded if we picked him up

Frost definitely wasn't a weak link in 2024, he was very good defensively and with the ball he's never been great. The issue was Hawthorn landed two key defenders in one trade period which is very rare due to how hard it is to do, and as a result there was no place for him in the team. Unless he physically declined significantly this year he would certainly help the depth at a minimum, which currently is Gardiner only.

 

[House_of_Dahl]

No. The reason nobody took on May (even ignoring the on field showdown) is because based on his last few months, some people in the industry think the guy should be in prison and some of his current teammates may be uncomfortable playing with him - let alone new ones.

Tarryn Thomas is very talented but nobody is climbing over themselves to sign him up.

I'll leave it there.

There is dickhead then there is next level dickhead. Suspect Dees are trying to convince him to retire on a partial payment of his last year.

 

[who_let_the_dogs_out]

He’s somewhere rehabbing an injury

Ligament damage sustained from a gust of wind

 

[Marsy]

If we really want a premiership player that has fights with teammates, Cordy is available.

 

[Proffessor]

... no?

May 8.65 player ratings points average vs. Lobb 9.65

13 coaches votes to 12

2.8 intercept marks per game to 2.4

5.3 spoils per game to 6.2

4.6 pressure acts per game to 7.3

28.9% 1v1 loss percentage vs. 30.2

Maybe their stats is a bid of a wash if you want to purely argue who had a better statistical season (having watched actual games imo it's clearly Lobb but whatever, your argument is the statistics)

But it's clearly not "with enough margin that he could drop off his performance a bit more next year and still e in front of all of them" because the statistics show it's probably about even

May Vs Lobb 2025 per game averages

Disposals: 17.7 Vs 12.2

Marks: 7.1 Vs 5.4

Effective Disposals 15.2 Vs 9.3

Disposal Efficiency 85.9 Vs 76.2

There's a bit of margin there.

Now I'm not saying that Lobb had a bad season or that May had an awesome season. I really Like Rory Lobb as a player and I wouldn't swap him for May.

I'm just pointing out that May's 2025 stats do not support the argument that he was terrible, or that his performance has fallen off a proverbial cliff.

 

[Lindsay_Gilbee]

Sometimes the most obvious thing to do is the right one, should def be getting Sam Frost

8

Sam Frost

Age

32

Ht

194cm

Wt

94kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

12.4

3star

K

7.1

3star

HB

5.2

4star

M

3.7

4star

T

1.9

4star

MG

191.6

3star

D

10.5

3star

K

6.3

3star

HB

4.3

3star

M

4.0

4star

T

1.5

2star

MG

191.6

3star

D

11.2

3star

K

6.0

3star

HB

5.2

4star

M

3.6

4star

T

1.4

4star

. Worst case he plays the role that Jones did this year.

 

[Foxman98]

May Vs Lobb 2025 per game averages

Disposals: 17.7 Vs 12.2

Marks: 7.1 Vs 5.4

Effective Disposals 15.2 Vs 9.3

Disposal Efficiency 85.9 Vs 76.2

There's a bit of margin there.

Now I'm not saying that Lobb had a bad season or that May had an awesome season. I really Like Rory Lobb as a player and I wouldn't swap him for May.

I'm just pointing out that May's 2025 stats do not support the argument that he was terrible, or that his performance has fallen off a proverbial cliff.

May took 79 kick ins Lobb 16 there’s your disposal difference alone

 

[Munnez]

Derksen is a fictional character

Is he from Durkistan??

 

[grassman75]

Is he from Durkistan??

Derkerderkerstan

 

[Proffessor]

May took 79 kick ins Lobb 16 there’s your disposal difference alone

So May can also be trusted to take kick outs without having to rely on getting midfielders or attacking halfbacks to run back to take them?

 

[Brass Dog]

If we really want a premiership player that has fights with teammates, Cordy is available.

Also best on ground in the Mad Monday celebrations!

 

[bobs head soup]

If we really want a premiership player that has fights with teammates, Cordy is available.

Fair call, but we're pretty good for key forwards, even though he is a Premiership CHF.

 

[Proffessor]

Also best on ground in the Mad Monday celebrations!

View attachment 2461667

Zaine should well and truly be forgiven for drowning his sorrows that day, given the way the club treated him.

Was a key player in the 2016 premiership, and under appreciated solid club servant for an extended time afterwards.

It's been a while since he has played at AFL level but if reasonably fit, I'd still select him ahead of all our currently listed KPD's apart from Lobb.