Review Winners and losers 2018

[The Falcon Strike]

I think Freo have done well because they have filled the gaps in their side very well.

No they haven't got superstars - but they have competent players to balance their side.

They now have a half decent spine - which is more than they've had since they lost the mcpharlin/pav/sandi combo (Mind you this spine isn't as good as that)

 

[drasticswans]

I might be one eyed but Freo absolutely killed this trade period.

We had picks 6, 77 and 95! That needs to be remembered and not just the players we received.

To lose Neale, 6 a future 3rd and 4th.

Bring in: 14, 31, 43, 65, Conca, Lobb, Hogan and Colyer.

There’s just no way that’s a loss.

Think freo did well targeting needs but with hindsight losing the trade period is always possible.

1. Pick 6 could turn into an absolute superstar
2. Hogan could get injured and never get on the park
3. Neale could take it to another level (although I doubt this as i think he wont quite hit top 5/10)
4. The other players picked up prove to be just average and dont develop further

In saying that think they did a good job and if i were a supporter I'd be happy we finally got a key forward. First once since Pav

 

[evo]

I thought that, despite the criticism, Belly did very well for Freo

Hogan and Lobb are fantastic Ins and Conca will be servicible for no extra cost.

 

[philthy05]

Just on port..

Ins are great

Lycett, burton and Mayes are great ins

Draft hand

5,10,15 is a great hand at the draft


Outs are poor ie big losses

Wingard and Polec and hombsch as our only key defender depth.


I don’t like how many picks we traded out to get so high in the draft.
As someone on the port board said we’ve probably traded away any chance at a flag in the next 2 years for a better shot at building a very solid list around wines etc.


Knocking of our last year recruiting is over the top.

All 3 starting 22 and we only gave up a second rounder. Rocky got better as year went on and was very good by years end. Polec and Wingard leaving had to do with other issues.

The issue with those recruiting moves was

A) in light of who we’ve traded out now developing kids would be better than recruiting those guys

B) when we brought in a guy like Rockliff and have rocky wines and Ebert in the centre that is too many plodding types. The weak link should have been converted into currency to use elsewhere and that was Ebert.

 

[marty36]

Just on port..

Ins are great

Lycett, burton and Mayes are great ins

Draft hand

5,10,15 is a great hand at the draft


Outs are poor ie big losses

Wingard and Polec and hombsch as our only key defender depth.


I don’t like how many picks we traded out to get so high in the draft.
As someone on the port board said we’ve probably traded away any chance at a flag in the next 2 years for a better shot at building a very solid list around wines etc.


Knocking of our last year recruiting is over the top.

All 3 starting 22 and we only gave up a second rounder. Rocky got better as year went on and was very good by years end. Polec and Wingard leaving had to do with other issues.

The issue with those recruiting moves was

A) in light of who we’ve traded out now developing kids would be better than recruiting those guys

B) when we brought in a guy like Rockliff and have rocky wines and Ebert in the centre that is too many plodding types. The weak link should have been converted into currency to use elsewhere and that was Ebert.

The experts said you won the trading last year, then changed their mind on that after seeing what they did, none of those players made top 10 in the B and F

Funnily enough this year may achieve a better result, polecs contribution will be a big loss Wingard not so much

 

[Listclogger]

West Coast massive winners as usual. Did I say winners? I meant conservative fence sitters.

You kept Gaff which is as good as a win.

 

[Pykie]

Polec has played 3 full seasons with Port and made the top 10 in the B&F once. He's the same age as Andrew Gaff and reminds me of where Gaff was 4 or 5 years ago. Not impossible that he has another gear to go to but I wouldn't be banking on it as a certainty. For a player with no outside game you need to be pushing 30 touches a game or extremely damaging with the ball to be classed as 'elite'.

Freo casually sniffed around for the first week, got a feel for things then went bang bang bang and nailed every trade.

But that's the thing, he is isn't he?

I'd saying he's one of the more damaging midfielders getting around.

I see no reason he can't go up another gear in North's midfield, especially with Higgins still copping most of the attention.

 

[raffrox]

Pure and simple I understand that until Freo wins a premiership and while we are in the bottom 6 we are the easy team to have a crack at.

For years people have been saying that we can't land a key forward trade target and that we have no forward line.

We end the trade period very much filling that need and there's still question marks on our trade period.

Looking at our age profile which WA key position players would have been better to get that aren't at the Eagles and in WA already?

Hogan and Lobb would be the top two.

 

[Donstuie]

Smashed it:
Freo
Melbourne
Brisbane
Richmond
Collingwood

Solid but overrated:
Hawthorn
Essendon
North Melbourne

Solid but underrated:
Carlton
Adelaide
Port Adelaide
GWS
Geelong

Meh:
Sydney
St Kilda
West Coast
Bulldogs

Disaster:
Gold Coast

 

[Purple Suit]

I think Freo have done well because they have filled the gaps in their side very well.

No they haven't got superstars - but they have competent players to balance their side.

They now have a half decent spine - which is more than they've had since they lost the mcpharlin/pav/sandi combo (Mind you this spine isn't as good as that)

I think addressing our biggest weakness with 2 players is the key. Takes the pressure off a bit and allows us to use senior players in their positions and the developing kids not to be the main guys. It might not pay immediate dividends as it will take time and games to gel but once it does, I recon we might go ok in a few years time.

 

[tonygeeks]

Adelaide - quiet

Brissy- shame they lost beams as I always thought Neale would be more valuable if he could spend some more time forward but we could never seem to manage it and was interested to see if he could have at the Lions

Carlton - needed to improve their competitiveness for the sake of the competition and they probably did , would have liked to see them go a bit further myself but the future should be good

Coll - worked the system well with their academy picks to come

Ess - maybe not a perfect fit with Shiel but they will be a freak show if they get a run on

Freo - on balance we did well , worried that we were right with our concerns over Hogan as Melb didn't seem to put up as much fight as they should have. Mids are a worry but we seem to draft them pretty well compared to forwards so I think it's the right draft / trade strategy for us

Geelong - you cant discount a club like them but I thought a step back on the ready made players was called for. I would have taken the 3 2nds if I was them and had a reset

Goldy - *ing leave them alone you campaigners , what the hell good does ruining a team do for the game in the long run just so you can get 2 more wins next year.

GWS - you look at their outs and think they're screwed but I think they played some of their better football when they got the star - worker bee mix a bit more even so I would not be writing them off

Hawks - my no1 rule for trading would be steer clear of the Hawks , high price to pay for Wingy but it will probably all work out for the buggers

Melb - addressed a perceived weakness , a bit like Freo in that you wonder if it hurts a few younger players progress but looking a pretty formidable unit

North - why not roll the dice when you have some f/s and academy luck to cover your bets. Pretty versatile side now and worst case is they only improve slightly for mine

Port - dangerous game trading with the Hawks , how did it all go wrong with Wingard ? Should be able to reset with a handy coincidence of a strong draft hand and local talent. Lycett is a underrated pick up good combative player and gives Port some edge

Richmond - nice lux to bring in Lynch to a well oiled machine , probably a 2% chance they are a worse side next year which would be about the lowest in the league IMO

Saints - not a lot to work with but made the best of it , got some more picks which is really helpful. When everyone says the same thing like with Hannebery it's amazing how often the opposite occurs. What's going on with the rucks ?

Swans - very quiet for them , maybe the cap is as tight as they say

West Coast - Hickey could be a interesting case study on how much is the player and how much is the environment. Re-signed the 2 most important to them. Who wins / loses in the Kelly situation is anyone's guess

Doggies - I was hoping for a little more since I had a silly 2019 flag bet on them but I still like the look of them though a lot is resting on some fairly flighty forwards



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[Scotland]

But that's the thing, he is isn't he?

I'd saying he's one of the more damaging midfielders getting around.

I see no reason he can't go up another gear in North's midfield, especially with Higgins still copping most of the attention.

Nah, not really. He's good, but not elite.

About in par with Lachie Hunter, give or take.

 

[bungalow_bill]

I think Brisbane have done some very good business, all things considered.

We did okay thanks to the Beams trade and Neale was a win/win. Will be better if we can get Adams & McCarthy up and running

 

[bungalow_bill]

Port losing Wingard and Polec, 2 SA boys who wanted to be in SA when going to Port, Wingard at draft time wanting to stay in SA and Polec going home from Brisbane, both top 5 players at Port, 2 of Ports best ball users and 2 players who can move faster than a snail both leaving.
Something isn't right down there.

Port now with the slowest team in the AFL.

Mayes could be a good pick up for Port.

 

[dlb99]

Stunning how quiet Sydney was.

Should get a great kid in son-of-Blakey, top 7 talent.

But, their cap must have hamstrung them. I thought for sure they would make a pitch for Mitch McGovern to slot next to Buddy.

A very well run team, maybe will be more active next year.

 

[dlb99]

Carlton - needed to improve their competitiveness for the sake of the competition and they probably did , would have liked to see them go a bit further myself but the future should be good

By far the most important thing we did was hire a new high performance manager, Andrew Russell. We have sucked at fitness and injury management for about a decade, probably longer. Andrew is one of the best, some say, the best.

 

[Sedat!]

Only 1 team can win the flag next year - if any of Geelong, Essendon or Colingwood aren’t one of them they have failed in this trade period. Essendon have absolutely sold the farm the last 2 years without so much as a finals victory. Collingwood have cashed their chips this year on a high quality player, but one who doesn’t address their pressing needs down back. And Geelong have kept a player that is an extreme flight risk who is out the door and worth much less in 12 months time, plus they have loaded up on mature talent the last few years with a measly 8th finish this year to show for it.

They have all sacrificed the future for the now and need a 2019 flag to show for it. Collingwood are extremely close so it is justifiable. Essendon and Geelong are both miles off it and have thrown a Hail Mary.

 

[THE_GUN]

Only 1 team can win the flag next year - if any of Geelong, Essendon or Colingwood aren’t one of them they have failed in this trade period. Essendon have absolutely sold the farm the last 2 years without so much as a finale victory. Collingwood have cashed their chips this year on a high quality player who doesn’t address their pressing needs down back. And Geelong have kept a quality player that is an extreme flight risk in 12 months time and what will be out of contract, plus they have loaded up on mature talent the last few years with a measly 8th finish this year to show for it.

They have all sacrificed the future for the now and need a 2019 flag to show for it.

Very good post and being a Tiger supporter just makes me think how well my club has performed in re contracting all our stars and bringing in tom lynch as well as taking 5 picks to this years draft and having all our 2019 picks intact and specially after taking 6 kids in 2017

We have lost / traded our fringe players that couldnt get games to be replaced by new recruits

 

[Nuggs Bunny]

Only 1 team can win the flag next year - if any of Geelong, Essendon or Colingwood aren’t one of them they have failed in this trade period. Essendon have absolutely sold the farm the last 2 years without so much as a finals victory. Collingwood have cashed their chips this year on a high quality player, but one who doesn’t address their pressing needs down back. And Geelong have kept a quality player that is an extreme flight risk in 12 months time and will be out of contract worth very little, plus they have loaded up on mature talent the last few years with a measly 8th finish this year to show for it.

They have all sacrificed the future for the now and need a 2019 flag to show for it. Collingwood are extremely close so it is justifiable. Essendon and Geelong are both miles off it and have thrown a Hail Mary.

Weird sentiment. The oldest bloke Essendon has traded in so far has been 25, I'd say we'd have a lot more chances than 2019 before these trade moves can be deemed a failure.

 

[Great8]

Pure and simple I understand that until Freo wins a premiership and while we are in the bottom 6 we are the easy team to have a crack at.

For years people have been saying that we can't land a key forward trade target and that we have no forward line.

We end the trade period very much filling that need and there's still question marks on our trade period.

Looking at our age profile which WA key position players would have been better to get that aren't at the Eagles and in WA already?

Hogan and Lobb would be the top two.

Losing your B&F is never good

 

[Leslie_Chow]

Losing your B&F is never good

To be honest tt wasn't that difficult to be B&F the last couple of seasons at Freo.

Don't get me wrong, Lachie is an absolute star but he was never the difference. He is the type of midfielder that can be replaced.

 

[tonygeeks]

By far the most important thing we did was hire a new high performance manager, Andrew Russell. We have sucked at fitness and injury management for about a decade, probably longer. Andrew is one of the best, some say, the best.

Yeah it's easy to forget how banged up you were last year without a lot of cover so that's a good call


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[Parkerman]

If St Kilda and Geelong are picking up Hanners’ and Rohan’s salaries, which will help us retain Mills, Florent, Alliir, Ronke et al in the next year or three, and we pick Blakey in the national draft, it’s a good trade period for us IMO.

 

[TheGrizz]

I feel that threads like this are mostly useless until the picks trades are used and have a couple of years in the system.

That being said, Brisbane and Freo for mine. The lions added Neale who is younger than beams by 3 years (better fits their age demo) and has been a better player than beams for the last 2 years.

Add their missing hulk of a fullback in Adams and pick up two additional first rounders.

Freo still has a good pick at 14 while adding 3 best 22 players, including 2 key missing planks for their forwardline for the next decade.

Well done.

 

[projectv]

Only 1 team can win the flag next year - if any of Geelong, Essendon or Colingwood aren’t one of them they have failed in this trade period. Essendon have absolutely sold the farm the last 2 years without so much as a finals victory. Collingwood have cashed their chips this year on a high quality player, but one who doesn’t address their pressing needs down back. And Geelong have kept a player that is an extreme flight risk who is out the door and worth much less in 12 months time, plus they have loaded up on mature talent the last few years with a measly 8th finish this year to show for it.

They have all sacrificed the future for the now and need a 2019 flag to show for it. Collingwood are extremely close so it is justifiable. Essendon and Geelong are both miles off it and have thrown a Hail Mary.

Agreed with the post in general except that I wouldn't put Geelong an Essendon in the same sentence.

Essendon will make finals. Geelong will be lucky to not be bottom 4.