What can we expect from Moons next year?

[TheYid]

I think ol' Moons has passed his peak. He'll do his bit, but the future forward line is going to be a lot different to what it is now. We'll have to leave Johnson there more and more as the years go by and our players with less than 50 games now (Hawkins, Gamble, Lonergan) are going to have to be developed to their full potential. They've all got a long way to go, and I think Chapman needs to get his body right and kick over 50. I think Moons will retire this coming season or next.

 

[witsend]

Ok then...have we seen Tom Lonergan at his best or can he take the next step?

 

[TEDDY24INC]

I'm expecting Moons to kick around 50 next year, but the one guy who really needs to put in a solid season is Chapman. New contract, solid pre-season and providing he can play 18-20 games, lurking more around the forward 30, he should be kicking 2-4 goals a game. So anything less than 50 and I'll be miffed.

Yeah u r probably correct, but i would rather see mooney not kick as many and have that void filled by hawkins and gamble. Would be great to see chappy back to his 06 form! As for Lonergan, he will be handy second/third option, but Hawkins has a much bigger upside, could rip games apart imo............just as i thought Nab would do in a couple of years

 

[TheYid]

Ok then...have we seen Tom Lonergan at his best or can he take the next step?

I really hope he can take the next step. He's been handy, now he needs to become elite.

 

[TheYid]

Yeah u r probably correct, but i would rather see mooney not kick as many and have that void filled by hawkins and gamble. Would be great to see chappy back to his 06 form! As for Lonergan, he will be handy second/third option, but Hawkins has a much bigger upside, could rip games apart imo............just as i thought Nab would do in a couple of years

Hawkins needs a lot of work, IMHO. I sometimes think he is physically not suited to the modern game for a forward, like Buddy is. I hope I'm wrong. He's still young, so let's hope he can live up to his very high potential.

As for Lonners, I'm wondering if he will not eventually end up as a backman. He plays a game similar to Milburn when he plays in defence. Dasher is getting on. Who knows?

 

[hamG]

Oh and I expect more of Mooney thinking he is a lot better on his left boot than he actually is.

 

[winty]

I'd actually like to see Mooney play up the ground a lot more next season. Leave the bulk of the goal-kicking for the likes of the two Toms and a resting Ottens. He's still mobile enough IMO and could prove to be a good target for our defence to look for on the way out. Could still pinch-hit at FF for a quarter here and there, but I'd like to see him run around at half forward and even contest a centre bounce or two, like he did in 2004 and 2005.

 

[Vdubs]

Watching the 2007 highlights package shows how valuable MOONS was/??is. Also , how exciting NAB was. Mooney was not as dominant in 08, and should be expected to steadily SLOWLY decline. We need to be prepared for that and have MULTIPLE attacks, eg. TAYLOR, LING, OTTENS, HUNT MACKIE ie all our renowned best kicks. IMO, we became a little predictable, but SJ, CHAPPIE ,STOKES, & VARCOE will still have to be prolific. Mooney, Lonners, Hawkins, Simpson will all be handy talls, but maybe more as decoys.I wonder how HUNGRY MOONEY & OTTENS are.

 

[Redemptionin09]

Watching the 2007 highlights package shows how valuable MOONS was/??is. Also , how exciting NAB was. Mooney was not as dominant in 08, and should be expected to steadily SLOWLY decline. We need to be prepared for that and have MULTIPLE attacks, eg. TAYLOR, LING, OTTENS, HUNT MACKIE ie all our renowned best kicks. IMO, we became a little predictable, but SJ, CHAPPIE ,STOKES, & VARCOE will still have to be prolific. Mooney, Lonners, Hawkins, Simpson will all be handy talls, but maybe more as decoys.I wonder how HUNGRY MOONEY & OTTENS are.

I imagine they would be starving, the whole team for that matter would be hungry for next year

 

[Vdubs]

I imagine they would be starving, the whole team for that matter would be hungry for next year

I,m not so sure about Moons & Otto, given their age and they have a flag and it won,t get any easier next year. Hoping pride will have some impact

 

[bluesforever]

Moons will come out each night, yet sometimes you won't see it.

 

[Redemptionin09]

I,m not so sure about Moons & Otto, given their age and they have a flag and it won,t get any easier next year. Hoping pride will have some impact

that's what I meant

 

[winty]

I,m not so sure about Moons & Otto, given their age and they have a flag and it won,t get any easier next year. Hoping pride will have some impact

Do you really think they'd be content with their efforts on grand final day last year? I'm sure they'd both be hell bent on getting there again to redeem themselves.

 

[bigdroppunt]

ooooh im sure mooney will play football next year.... i wonder if he'll make any more kids ?.... and i wonder if he'll name that kid.. Jim beam.... or VB.......

 

[Partridge]

Do you really think they'd be content with their efforts on grand final day last year? I'm sure they'd both be hell bent on getting there again to redeem themselves.

You´d hope so. But it´s not as if they were the only ones. Lonergan, Stokes and Varcoe all had shockers too.

For me it´s pretty simple. Lonergan out, Hawkins in. It´s time for Thompson to take the protective wrapping off Hawkins. Put him in and just let him go. And as has been mentioned, for all the forwards to take responsibility and try and kick more goals themselves.