It's a huge year for a lot of players.
No more treading water. They need to show improvement or they won't be here next year.
No more treading water. They need to show improvement or they won't be here next year.
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IMPORTANT // Please look after your loved ones, yourself and be kind to others. If you are feeling that the world is too hard to handle there is always help - I implore you not to hesitate in contacting one of these wonderful organisations Lifeline and Beyond Blue ... and I'm sure reaching out to our PRE community we will find a way to help. T.
Tyler Sonsie
- Thread starter Willo
- Start date
Hopper and Taranto came in to win a flag. Failed because of the Meehan appointment .
Not getting Lynch on the park in 23 killed us. Ageing Jack R, Miller Pickett up fwd. Hopper & Taranto seemed like a reaction to Prestia injury in the final.
Prestia, Hopper and Taranto can play football & now will be the mature bodies around Smilie, Lalor, Kmac2.
Class of 21.. They all have shown a bit. Gibcus & Somsie in 22. Banks, can run. looks like a solid wing/half back. Brown had a good year in 24. Clarke will have a chance soon. We need small fwds now,
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* I think Smith & Greene were part of the TT & JH trade too. Smith good small back. Greene might get more mid minutes
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I have to agree with you on the Meehan appointment and I'm hedging my bets he was the major cuase in our rapid stagnation or demise. Class of 21 have shown a bit, but i still have huge question marks whether they progress to 150-200 gamers and again this year with new fitness crew we will see if they improve.
Smith and Greene were in the 22 trades for JH and TT. I believe Greene needs to remain a small forward with Rioli as you have said we lack quality small forwards. The player we forgot about was Campbell and i think he could actually be a very good winger.
I don't think the list blokes are too blame,.
The ram job we copped that night in Brisbane set Hardwick off.
He was desperate to go again and win another one.
He forced the club to trade in ready made midfielders because of injuries Prestia constantly got.
It was a perfect storm of events that has us where we are today
I disagree with that. Where would we be without Taranto now.
Getting a quality mature mid in was not a choice, imo It was a very big need with few mids on the list and the better ones nearing retirement.
We needed to do this weather we were still in flag contention or in rebuild.
Our mid stocks remain low despite the recent draft and may not even improve in numbers if Sonsie and Dow go at seasons end and Prestia retires.
Taking Hopper as well. Think that was a mistake, i thought it was pretty clear we had to go into rebuild in 2022 i thought at the end of 2020 we needed to start addressing it with talls and mids. What did we do in 2021 again when we had a chance to start addressing these areas?
Hardwick wasn't the list manager and shouldn't have been given that power or responsibilty. Our list managers built the premiership side and not Hardwick. I agree the net outcome was awful.
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I agree with you on some of that. I thought getting two blokes was a mistake and TT would've sufficed. I was basically saying we don't know how good those possible midfield players missed in the 22 draft will be. I was also livid giving them both 7 years on top as i hate long contracts. It's the modern day norm today so albeit. lol
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Campbell was a rookie draft pick, I don't think part of the trade. Ground zero ~ our best set shot for goal, runs a lot. Could be in mid rotations. Kmac2 I hope develops. He's the body type we've needed for years. Smith might step into D Rioli's spot. Super quick, gutsy, small defender
But the direction of we can win again so find me ready to go mids was dimmas.
a few close losses that year, STAND, then Umpire crisis ~ DISSENT 50ms got handed out to RFC for raising our eyebrows at them. The Lynch non goal we were still ahead, The Brizzy fwd 50 kick to their goal square. 5 to 1 our way. Nank, Vlas, Balta, Tarant, Jack R drifted down. Balta spoils Nank, Daniher crumbs and gets them the win.
With Prestia playing a great half. IN 2023,, Prestia uninjured, Dusty in great form, Cotch playing OK. didn't need TT & JH, took minutes from Sonsie, Ross maybe. Dow & RCD types? too skinny.
Hooper & Taranto....probably didn't need both. Upside is they are now the big bodies around Kmac2, Lalor , Smilie. Last game of 2024 Hopps, TT & Prestia got it inside 50 60 times. For 10 goals.. 1 more than our season average 9 goals.
Agree and it was a directive that should’ve been knocked on the head. It was not his job, but with so much success his opinion was most likely given too much pull.
End of 22 Martin was 30 and in obvious decline. The injuries were mounting up coming of 16 and 9 game seasons.
Prestia was injury prone and 30 and people were calling for him to retire even then.
Cotchin would retire at the end of 23 at age 33. He was clearly slowing up
Edwards would retire end of 22 at age 33.
Rcd would be delisted end of 22.
Lambert would retire end of 22 age 30.
Caddy 29 would retire end of 22. one who did rotate thru there.
People think we did not need a mature mid or two. Unbelievable.
Graham was and is a battler.
Dow has never looked likely
Baker not what you would call a top mid and did not always play there.
Bolton was our best small fwd and spent more time there than midfield.
Sonsie had just finished his first season.
Only one not there is Ross and i left him off because he had never been developed or played as a mid apart from his first 7 games.. Prefering for whatever reason to play him on a wing.
This is basically what we had in place to take over from the first list. little wonder they went hard at Taranto and Hopper at the end of 2022.
If we had looked after this most critical of areas in previous years then the need to go so hard at them would not have arisen.
We neglected this area along with kpp,s in particular key forwards.
Taranto and to a lesser extent Hopper was not a choice but a very serious need.
Prestia was injury prone and 30 and people were calling for him to retire even then.
Cotchin would retire at the end of 23 at age 33. He was clearly slowing up
Edwards would retire end of 22 at age 33.
Rcd would be delisted end of 22.
Lambert would retire end of 22 age 30.
Caddy 29 would retire end of 22. one who did rotate thru there.
People think we did not need a mature mid or two. Unbelievable.
Graham was and is a battler.
Dow has never looked likely
Baker not what you would call a top mid and did not always play there.
Bolton was our best small fwd and spent more time there than midfield.
Sonsie had just finished his first season.
Only one not there is Ross and i left him off because he had never been developed or played as a mid apart from his first 7 games.. Prefering for whatever reason to play him on a wing.
This is basically what we had in place to take over from the first list. little wonder they went hard at Taranto and Hopper at the end of 2022.
If we had looked after this most critical of areas in previous years then the need to go so hard at them would not have arisen.
We neglected this area along with kpp,s in particular key forwards.
Taranto and to a lesser extent Hopper was not a choice but a very serious need.
Been good mates since forever. Hopefully rubs off positively on Tyler. He sure needs it.
Watson is a couple of years younger than Tyler isn’t he but I guess that doesn’t mean they aren’t friends, they obviously are.
I remember the Stan doco on the 2021 trade and draft period and he was good mates with Connor MacDonald who is at the hawks. Those two and Jake Soligo were all together on draft night at Paul Connors’ house.
Sonz, Clarke, Gibcus, Banks.. Brown the medium defender over JVR probably screwed us more than TT & JH. JVR could've played in a bit in 2022, by 2023but Jack was cooked Lynch 4 games.
Been kicking 1.4 goals a game, pinch hits in the ruck. Finally draft Fawcett & Grey ~ injured now 2 more KPFs with L plates. Cadman is now kicking 1.3 a game.
Been kicking 1.4 goals a game, pinch hits in the ruck. Finally draft Fawcett & Grey ~ injured now 2 more KPFs with L plates. Cadman is now kicking 1.3 a game.
Agree completely, but what people tend to forget is that Taranto was courted for a couple of years before we signed him, it certainly wasn't a case of "Hey! We need a quality mid, oh look, here's Taranto, let's grab him" Our list managers were fully aware of what the team needed.
I do think that Hopper fell into our laps after shaking the tree and prying loose Taranto. It would be handy to hear from the recruiters how much work they put into signing Hopper, pretty sure it was nowhere near the level of TT.
I imagine, knowing how diligent Blair is, that we were well aware of both, and had conversations with the management of both, but were prioritising one over the other - thinking the cost for both would be too high.
I agree though, the decision to get them both looked very late in the peace.
Can only speculate it became a reality when negotiations started and GWS were pushing too much for one, so we tried a package deal. We'll never know unless Blair publishes a tell all.
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