What other club has the most exciting situation right now?

TiAn_

Norm Smith Medallist
Sep 19, 2006
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Geelong also do things like draft Sam DeKoning 4 picks after we took Cody Weightman then pick up Tyson Stengle for free 2 years later.
 

Jeff 1975

Club Legend
Mar 29, 2018
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Footscray
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Funny isn’t it. So many people have been adamant Geelong are going off a cliff the last couple of years. People were actually laughing at them. And here they are still competing.


Thought their backline might have struggled, however it doesn’t seem to be the case
Recruitment is very good and their commitment is excellent
 

Lex22

Club Legend
Jun 8, 2011
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Melbourne
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Flip the question on its head and who has the worst list - I’d go with West Coast. They are toast for years ahead.
Seems horrible off this season, but they shouldn’t have been that bad on paper anyway. I think they’ll be a lot more competitive next year and history says that West Coast don’t take long to rebuild.

Hawthorn I think gets worse before it gets better. Very little young talent and the old guys they have are all still relied upon. Their list is in horrible shape.

I don’t like much of what St Kilda are building either. They seem at that Brad Scott stage now (no mans land). Could be terrible in a season or 2.
 
Sydney have contributing players that are still very young and have prime opportunity for improvement (Gulden, Warner, Rowbottom, Blakey).

This is before going onto Heeney and Mills - two All-Australians who are 24 and 25. Teams like Melbourne and Geelong this year who had multiple All-Australians did so because their players were 28, 29, 30 - when players hit their peak.

If McDonald isn't the answer they look a bit suspicious post Reid/Franklin, but that's really about it for major medium-term weaknesses.
 
Nov 29, 2018
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Does anyone else get the feeling that Melbourne are in a steady decline and picking up Grundy will backfire?

Yes on the first. A lot alligned for them in '21 and I don't see everything clicking as smoothly for them. Brown and McDonald are limited and by the time Van Rooyen is ready they'll have holes at the other end with May probably past his best. They'll challenge for a few years but I don't think they have the mental edge that Hawthorn and Richmond had to make the most of their opportunity.
 

Angak

All Australian
Mar 18, 2021
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Geelong also do things like draft Sam DeKoning 4 picks after we took Cody Weightman then pick up Tyson Stengle for free 2 years later.
Weightman will probably never be as good DeKoning. But Weightman is Heart+ soul. People like Weightman don't come around often.
 

Libbaaaa

Premiership Player
Jun 1, 2021
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Geelong also do things like draft Sam DeKoning 4 picks after we took Cody Weightman then pick up Tyson Stengle for free 2 years later.

Weightman will probably never be as good DeKoning. But Weightman is Heart+ soul. People like Weightman don't come around often.
Always tough playing the 'was drafted 4 spots earlier' game, could say the same thing about Adelaide, Gold Coast, Carlton, GWS, Freo, Port etc... Also anybody in the league could have had Stengle, he was completely finished, one of the biggest turnarounds in recent memory. I despise them but nobody does the late draft/rookie/delisted pick up better than Geelong, half their list came from it.
 

Libbaaaa

Premiership Player
Jun 1, 2021
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Back to the question at hand I think the league is in a real good spot at the moment. A lot of parity and no team really set up to go on a Hawthorn 2012-2015 or Richmond 2017-2020 run. Brissy jumps out as having a gluttony of talent but it is a little overrated, none of their lines are truly elite just yet (midfield probably closest if McLuggage keeps improving & Ashcroft hits the ground running).
 

Dazb86

Brownlow Medallist
Mar 31, 2008
15,901
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melbourne
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Back to the question at hand I think the league is in a real good spot at the moment. A lot of parity and no team really set up to go on a Hawthorn 2012-2015 or Richmond 2017-2020 run. Brissy jumps out as having a gluttony of talent but it is a little overrated, none of their lines are truly elite just yet (midfield probably closest if McLuggage keeps improving & Ashcroft hits the ground running).

Still a little unsure how Richmond managed that run. Never seemed like a dominant side to me. Might just be because we generally match up well on them
 
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