What's going on?

[SirRooke]

I'm just curious about this. After watching Freo last week there seems to be a lot of recycled players in your club. Can anyone tell me how many?

I think this is a bad practice, ala Richmond in the 90s where they stocked up thinking they were close to something special, deprived themselves on developing their young talent and have been spiralling ever since. How old are these recycled players and what is Freo's premiership window?

Does it even have one? I think Freo tried pretty hard on the weekend, certainly harder than the Weagles the week before but seemed to lack any class. What's going on there? Your midfield is unrecogniseable from last year. Seems like Geelong-syndrome where we think we have already won the premiership at the mere suggestion by other supporters that we might be half a chance and then proceed to surprise noone by falling apart.

Surely there is a huge risk that Pavlich will leave if you disappoint this year. I remember when I used to live in Perth that he was desperate to leave for the Crows but only stayed because Connolly weakly let him play where he wanted (midfield) and because they threw the captaincy at him and promised him good years.

What happened to Brian Peake's son? He was a gun last year. I can't imagine that he wouldn't be able to get a game,..your midfield looked pedestrian at times last week.

 

[estibador]

Peake broke his collarbone earlier in the season and is only just close to resuming now.

You may have a point with the expectation thing. We have played a little like a team that thought they could just show up to be successful this year. Problem is now the team seems to have lost confidence and we're not playing with anything like the flair and adventure of the second half of last season.

We've had a few other setbacks with injuries and suspension too. We haven't been able to put our best team on the park all season. On League Teams tonight they reported that Freo have lost 14 games through suspension this year - the same as the other 15 teams combined! That can't have helped.

 

[Ripper]

I'm just curious about this. After watching Freo last week there seems to be a lot of recycled players in your club. Can anyone tell me how many?

I think this is a bad practice, ala Richmond in the 90s where they stocked up thinking they were close to something special, deprived themselves on developing their young talent and have been spiralling ever since. How old are these recycled players and what is Freo's premiership window?

Does it even have one? I think Freo tried pretty hard on the weekend, certainly harder than the Weagles the week before but seemed to lack any class. What's going on there? Your midfield is unrecogniseable from last year. Seems like Geelong-syndrome where we think we have already won the premiership at the mere suggestion by other supporters that we might be half a chance and then proceed to surprise noone by falling apart.

Surely there is a huge risk that Pavlich will leave if you disappoint this year. I remember when I used to live in Perth that he was desperate to leave for the Crows but only stayed because Connolly weakly let him play where he wanted (midfield) and because they threw the captaincy at him and promised him good years.

What happened to Brian Peake's son? He was a gun last year. I can't imagine that he wouldn't be able to get a game,..your midfield looked pedestrian at times last week.

Peaker bkoke his collarbone in round two, and is named as emergency for tommorrow night.

No doubt the midfield is slow without Him and Bryon Schammer to a degree.

Similar to the the Cats missing Monica last season.


There are a few recycled players , Tarrant , Solly , Headland , Macpharlin , Both Carrs .

Bellie & Heath Black have left and returned.

All have been traded in with 4-5 years at least left of their carreers.

 

[estibador]

All have been traded in with 4-5 years at least left of their carreers.

Exactly. When people talk about us recycling players it's not like we've been topping up with 30 yo hacks. All our recruits have been quality players in their mid 20's.

 

[theGav56]

How old are these recycled players and what is Freo's premiership window?

I'm not sure what our premiership window is, but I hope it doesn't take us anywhere near as long as it seems to be taking you guys. At least a couple of decades shorter should do the trick. Would love to hear how Ottens is going. Harley too.

I Surely there is a huge risk that Pavlich will leave if you disappoint this year.

Are you sure you're not confusing your past captain with our current one?

I remember when I used to live in Perth that he was desperate to leave for the Crows but only stayed because Connolly weakly let him play where he wanted (midfield) and because they threw the captaincy at him and promised him good years.

Really? He was made captain this year, not when his contract was renegotiated. What exactly did he say to you about leaving for the Crows? He looks pretty happy to playing CHF.

What happened to Brian Peake's son? He was a gun last year. I can't imagine that he wouldn't be able to get a game,..your midfield looked pedestrian at times last week.

Must be one of those moments in between Geelong fans wanting to trade Kelly, dump Ling, and sack the Coach is it?

 

[ImperialPurple]

The only really truly "recycled" player we have on the list is Dean Solomon. And apart from Tarrant - who was a calculated trade and cost us (net loss) just our first round pick in last year's draft, all others are WA boys wanting to come home. Josh Carr was 24 and is in his 3rd year with us, Farmer is in his 6th year with us and was 24 when he came home, Headland is in his 5th year and was 21 when he came home, Bell was 24 when he returned and is now in his 7th year back with us. None of them were / coule have been considered "old" when coming to Freo...

We currently have Farmer (quick), Peake (super quick), Schammer (pretty quick) all out for one reason or another. Last weekend we also had Hasleby out - who is not quick, but is by far our best clearance player and most prolific ball winner. When our best ball winner is out, and some of our quickest runners are out, then it follows that we are going to look pretty slow when we are chasing more than being chased.

Pavlich has never ever expressed a "desperate" desire to return home. He has always said he is a proud South Aussie who will probably live in SA at some stage of his life either during or after his career - most likely after. After our wooden spoon year in 2001 he did ask if a trade could be arranged back to Adelaide then he would be happy to move but it never eventuated and he has since signed 2 more contracts and has indicated he plans to do so again this year. As for "throwing the captaincy at him" - once Bell stood down I'd be interested to know who you think would have been a more worthy successor than Pav, and why you think he was given the captaincy for 2007 for any other reason than he is the best person for it. AFAIK, Pav always wanted to play CHF - but CC played him in the midfield as that was where the greatest need was for his talents - not the other way around.

Peake broke his collarbone in round 2 and is named as an emergency for Freo this weekend. Given there is a WAFL bye this weekend and so he can't play there, if he does not play (which I doubt he will) he will be given a run for East Fremantle next weekend, and will come under strong consideration for the week after if he gets through unscathed.

 

[SirRooke]

I'm not sure what our premiership window is, but I hope it doesn't take us anywhere near as long as it seems to be taking you guys. At least a couple of decades shorter should do the trick. Would love to hear how Ottens is going. Harley too.




Are you sure you're not confusing your past captain with our current one?



Really? He was made captain this year, not when his contract was renegotiated. What exactly did he say to you about leaving for the Crows? He looks pretty happy to playing CHF.



Must be one of those moments in between Geelong fans wanting to trade Kelly, dump Ling, and sack the Coach is it?

Ottens is going just fine. Very underrated this year and one of the key reasons why we are going ok just at the moment. Not starring but getting the job done. Harley is not a concern. He's given good service and will still from time to time. Egan and Scarlett are our key defenders now. Any assistance from Harley is great but not relied on.

King is finished. He was great in his day but he should retire.

There is no doubt that Pavlich wanted to play midfield. He was adamant that he did not want to play as a forward and that he wanted to be an elite midfielder. It was covered in tv and radio interviews with him often during that time. He was also told that he would be captain and promoted to VC. That i believe was covered in interviews as well.

I think it would be a shame if he left, but the Saints thrived after losing Lockett so if you do the right deal could be a winner for you. Could patch up Kant Kicksley and he'd kick you 30-40 a year and with your 2-3 first rd picks could build a gun forward line with kids that will come on the same time as Peake and Collard are firing in the early/mid 20s.

Kant Kicksley would have been better value than Tarrant I believe as the goal output would have been roughly the same. Kant couldnt kick but he got a lot of shots on goal and so would get the job done in the end. I'd trade Tarrant out at year end. He was a mistake.

 

[raffrox]

SirRooke. You seem like a nice enough person but you really don't seem to know that much about our team.

Apreciate your opinion but thats about it.

 

[estibador]

Kant Kicksley would have been better value than Tarrant I believe as the goal output would have been roughly the same. Kant couldnt kick but he got a lot of shots on goal and so would get the job done in the end. I'd trade Tarrant out at year end. He was a mistake.

Get rid of Taz and replace him with Kingsley? Brilliant thinking.

If you're anything to go by I'm starting to see why Geelong haven't won a premiership since the 60's.

 

[kp junior]

You obviously know nothing about Fremantle at all. Thanks for granting us brief access to your glorious wisdom nonetheless. It's May. Let's see if you're as clever come September. ********

 

[ImperialPurple]

Kant Kicksley would have been better value than Tarrant I believe as the goal output would have been roughly the same. Kant couldnt kick but he got a lot of shots on goal and so would get the job done in the end. I'd trade Tarrant out at year end. He was a mistake.

lolmmmkayyehwhatever....

 

[dominguez]

There is no doubt that Pavlich wanted to play midfield. He was adamant that he did not want to play as a forward and that he wanted to be an elite midfielder. It was covered in tv and radio interviews with him often during that time. He was also told that he would be captain and promoted to VC. That i believe was covered in interviews as well.

Pavlich has only ever said that he is happy to play wherever the coaching staff decide. If he wanted to play midfield he would be with the recruitment of Tarrant and the number of midfielders we have missing through injury. You're either making up nonsense or your recollection is false.

You imply that he was made captain to encourage him to stay. In your opinion who should be captain?

Tarrant has been a very good acquisition to this point.

 

[ImperialPurple]

Pavlich has only ever said that he is happy to play wherever the coaching staff decide. If he wanted to play midfield he would be with the recruitment of Tarrant and the number of midfielders we have missing through injury. You're either making up nonsense or your recollection is false.

You imply that he was made captain to encourage him to stay. In your opinion who should be captain?

Thanks Dom - I was coming back to make this exact point. Pav has always played wherever the coaching staff have wanted him to, and I seem to remember him saying when he was playing as a midfielder that he felt his best position was forwrad but he would play wherever the team needed him...

 

[dominguez]

I think the coaching staff should have played him in the middle more this year. If Pav, as captain, was adament that the midfield was his preference we would have seen him in there a lot more than we have.

I'd love to see him in there for the first half tomorrow, and line up as
HF- Headland Tarrant Solomon
F- Warnock Campbell Collard

 

[chook2734]

My understanding is that Pav has a pretty free reign as far as moving into the midfield or switching between FF/CHF. Obviously though, the coaching staff would have the final word, particularly if they were to increase his time in the middle.

I've got to say though, I've never heard him say he wants to be a midfielder ahead of being a forward, so I really don't know where that would have come from. I'm sure if it was the case the media would have let us know long ago and reminded us regularly.

 

[dominguez]

At present Pav goes into the square if the opposition get 3 goals in a row. Runs around in there for a couple of minutes then moves back inside 50.

If we are clearly getting beaten in the midfield (like we did last week) I don't know why they don't put him in for the whole third quarter, and then if he plays well leave him ther for the 4th quarter too.

 

[Captain Pump]

I normally don't respond to trolls but what the heck. Just this once.

Ottens is going just fine. Very underrated this year and one of the key reasons why we are going ok just at the moment.
Not starring but getting the job done.

Ottens is doing average. About half the output you should get considering what you paid for him.

Harley is not a concern. He's given good service and will still from time to time. Egan and Scarlett are our key defenders now. Any assistance from Harley is great but not relied on.

Good to know you rate your captain as such a crucial player. Expendable captain...I guess you would rate him above Vandenberg...but only just by the sounds of it. Personally I am proud to have had Bell then Pavlich as club captains. But given Geelongs recent history of captains I can see why you wouldn't get that.

King is finished. He was great in his day but he should retire.

Who cares? If you knew anything about your own team, let alone ours, you would know he was talking about Leigh Colbert.

There is no doubt that Pavlich wanted to play midfield. He was adamant that he did not want to play as a forward and that he wanted to be an elite midfielder. It was covered in tv and radio interviews with him often during that time. He was also told that he would be captain and promoted to VC. That i believe was covered in interviews as well.

You're just making stuff up. If anything he has wanted to do both, not just the one role.

I think it would be a shame if he left, but the Saints thrived after losing Lockett so if you do the right deal could be a winner for you. Could patch up Kant Kicksley and he'd kick you 30-40 a year and with your 2-3 first rd picks could build a gun forward line with kids that will come on the same time as Peake and Collard are firing in the early/mid 20s.

You started this thread talking about our recycled players and how you thought it was a mistake 'like richmond' but your best suggestion is to recycle a player you obviously dont respect.

I didnt quote the rest of what you wrote because it was so poorly thought out I couldnt be bothered.

 

[theGav56]

Ottens is going just fine. Very underrated this year and one of the key reasons why we are going ok just at the moment. Not starring but getting the job done. Harley is not a concern.

Blah Blah

Kant Kicksley would have been better value than Tarrant I believe as the goal output would have been roughly the same. Kant couldnt kick but he got a lot of shots on goal and so would get the job done in the end. I'd trade Tarrant out at year end. He was a mistake.

The point is that Ottens and Harley are "recycled players", not that there is anything wrong with them.

Kingsley couldn't even crack a game in your team last year when you were crying out for a forward. The only comparison with Tarrant is that they both spray them. Tarrant's other work is his primary value. Kingsley has no other value in a team, apart from attracting the 3rd or 4th best defender.

Oh, and you obviously missed the Captain reference. You may want to dig back (not too far) into your clubs history. Ask about Captains who leave their clubs. See what comes up.

 

[Borry]

Kant Kicksley would have been better value than Tarrant I believe as the goal output would have been roughly the same. Kant couldnt kick but he got a lot of shots on goal and so would get the job done in the end. I'd trade Tarrant out at year end. He was a mistake.

Stupid comment of the year so far.

 

[Borry]

As far as Kant Kicksley is concerned, we should be talking about VFL players here.

 

[theGav56]

Stupid comment of the year so far.

I guess given that KK costs nothing because he got what he was worth (nothing), you can't argue with the value. Especially in Victoria where the have VFL for him to prop up.

 

[pistol17]

Kent Kingsley cant get a gig for Richmond FFS. Why would we want him? Tarrant has:

1. At least played this year
2. Been in pretty good form
3. If he doesnt kick a goal we still get something out of him instead of sitting on the pine cos he cant get a kick(KK)

 

[SirRooke]

The point is that Ottens and Harley are "recycled players", not that there is anything wrong with them.

Kingsley couldn't even crack a game in your team last year when you were crying out for a forward. The only comparison with Tarrant is that they both spray them. Tarrant's other work is his primary value. Kingsley has no other value in a team, apart from attracting the 3rd or 4th best defender.

Oh, and you obviously missed the Captain reference. You may want to dig back (not too far) into your clubs history. Ask about Captains who leave their clubs. See what comes up.

Harley was about 19yo when he came to Geelong.

It is simply a fact that Pavlich demanded to play in the midfield. No point denying it. I'm not slagging him or your club. He demanded it, the coach caved in. A more experienced coach like Sheedy wouldn't have allowed it.

Kant had a falling out with the coach. That was why he didn't play and with Tomahawk and Nathan Ablett Geelong put its future ahead of what would have probably been a better short term return as Geelong realised last year that it got ahead of itself with its expectations and it needed a mini-rebuild to contend again. That is why we have played so many kids this year. We are performing above expectations but dont expect it to last all year.

I respect Kant Kicksley. He would have 4-5yrs ahead of him in the West because the warmer weather, big ground and good conditions would suit him. His output in his career has been better than Tarrant. My point is not to keep pursuing recycled players. I think that is wrong and the moment Kant got in the way of one of your youngsters getting a game you should drop him. Rather that if you do it that you can get good value out there, like Kingsley for free, rather than throwing good picks at someone like Tarrant.

We made a mistake with Justin Murphy and traded him back to Carlton after one year. Ottens is giving us ok service this year, but he was not worth 2 first rd draft picks to get him.

Freo are like Geelong and Melbourne. Very frustrating. Last year I thought Geelong might win the flag. Everyone did after 2 rounds. This year I picked Freo to win it, yet they are very disappointing now. Essentially, the point of my post is I want to understand as Freo are as perplexing as Geelong.

I think if you have a bad year and Pavlich goes you should see it as an opportunity because your core wont be getting any younger. Pavlich and Tarrant could deliver a draft bonanza and in 2-3 years you would be back in the hunt, stronger than ever.

 

[Kenny_01]

I think if you have a bad year and Pavlich goes you should see it as an opportunity because your core wont be getting any younger. Pavlich and Tarrant could deliver a draft bonanza and in 2-3 years you would be back in the hunt, stronger than ever.

We might as well trade all our players then.... imagine the draft bonanza then. Why just stop at Pavlich and Tarrant?

 

[theGav56]

It is simply a fact that Pavlich demanded to play in the midfield. No point denying it.

Please provide your source for this fact, and it needs to be credible. After all, your current credibility is suffering massively from this statement;

I respect Kant Kicksley.

The bit I really like is the part where you say you "respect" him, then call him by a derogatory nicname.