Regardless of who we get in the draft, trade or departures who should we see in midfield rotations for 2019?

I'd specifically pair Cripps and Fisher, because I want them to develop a strong working bond which may be enough to keep them both at Carlton. It's unlikely they would both be traded to the same club if they leave and sometimes friends can be enough to keep you connected.

I'd pair Kennedy and Murphy, I think Kennedy has just enough extra pace compared to Cripps to compliment Murphy and take some of the focus away from Murphy. I think when Murphy is paired with Cripps, because Cripps doesn't really run and spread it's too easy to nullify Murphy's run and we lose the benefit of Cripps winning the football.

Taggers / Stoppers, Ed, SoJ and O'Brien.

Rotation options for me are Dow, SPS, Docherty and Charlie.

That's eleven in midfield rotations outside of the rucks. If SpecialK stays he's effectively another heavy bodied mid-field option, Phillips and McKay are ultra-mobile ruck options but for some reason watching last season McKay was a little lost as a ruck after the tap. De Koning long term is a great mobile option, short term if he stays at the blues Jones should be given a crack as a mobile ruck option specialising in inside 2nd efforts.

We probably need a thread for this, with the Draft Camp going on for the girls as well as the guys.

[1] We have committed to drafting Abbie McKay, Andrew's 18 year old daughter, as the first ever Father/Daughter selection. She is at the Draft Camp at the moment.

[2] We have committed rookie spots to 2 lasses from a rugby background, Chloe Dalton and Brooke Walker. They played VFLW for the Blues this season and were noticeable.

I suspect this might be a fiery encounter tonight.

The sound coming from 100K fans across the tracks is surely going to get the NRL boys up and about!

I had expected Gallen to play, even with only one good arm he could still use it to try and beat the suitcase out of Smith, Munster or Slater early on in the game! Of course if he didn't take them out he'd be a liability, but he's usually pretty good at hitting targets, some might argue it is his only skill!

Storm by 8

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-09-12/af...for-pearce

Quote:AFLW rules allow for list changes and possible compensation past the point of final list lodgements following the trade and re-signing period.

Quote:And the AFL confirmed Melbourne has added a player on its list to replace skipper Daisy Pearce, who is pregnant and won't play next season.

Quote:....while Carlton will be allocated pick 42. [For Sophie Li]

Farewell to Sophie, pity as she is a great player, fearless, fast and aggressive.

Thanks for your games at Carlton and good luck for the future!

Jess Duffin has taken out the VFLW 'brownlow'/league B+F

Top 5...
Jess Duffin (Williamstown) 23
Lauren Pearce (Darebin) 17
Angela Foley (NT Thunder) 16
Emma Mackie (Hawthorn) 15
Darcy Vescio (Carlton) 15

Now, i knew Vescio missed a lot of games because she went on holidays for a month or so in the middle of the season.

So i checked how many games each of them played, and worked out votes/game.


Also she made the team of the year...

The 'new' top 5 would be....
1. Jess Duffin - 1.76 votes/game
2. Darcy Vescio - 1.67
3. Lauren Pearce - 1.54
4. Emma Mackie - 1.25
5. Angela Foley - 1.23

As it turns out Duffin played 13 games, Vescio just 9.

Congrats to our girl Vescio who won the goalkicking and finished top 5 as well. (Top 2 by average)

Look for a big year from her in AFLW!

She was also the only current player to make VFLW - 2 ex-carlton players made it though...
B: Van Dyke (Hawthorn), Goring (Geelong), Gillespie-Jones (Melbourne Uni)
HB: Riddell (Melbourne Uni), McDonald (Darebin), Jakobsson (Casey)
C: Brown (Southern Saints), Duffin (Williamstown, captain), Beeson (Hawthorn)
HF: D'Arcy (Collingwood), Garner (Williamstown), Sedunary (NT Thunder)
F: Bullas (Essendon), Vescio (Carlton), Clifford (Geelong)
Foll: Watt (Southern Saints), Cranston (Geelong), Foley (NT Thunder)
Int: Swanson (NT Thunder), Alexander (Collingwood), Edmonds (Richmond), Birch (Western Bulldogs), Pearce (Darebin), Mackie (Hawthorn)

http://www.carltonfc.com.au/news/2018-09-07/aflw

Quote:The format of the AFL Women’s competition will be reshaped in 2019, as the AFL announced it will introduce a new conference system.

With Geelong and North Melbourne set to join the league next year, the expanded 10-team competition will play two conferences of five teams. Teams will play four conference games and three cross-over games.

Carlton will find out who will be in its conference when the fixture is released in October.

Quote:The two top teams in each conference will contest preliminary finals on the weekend of March 23 ­– 24. Teams that finish first in each conference will host.

The NAB AFLW Grand Final will be played between the two preliminary-final-winning teams, with the Grand Final host determined by team with greatest number of wins in the home and away season and percentage, if needed.

At the moment there are 30 players on the NB list. I presume that lists of this size must be close to maximal for VFL teams now that there is no 2nds level in this competition. Many of these guys have managed senior VFL games this year, especially late in the season, as there were few Carlton listed players available.

After many years of high player turnover, I am not expecting the same level this season. There appears to be a strong feeling among the young lads who make up the group. However, there WILL be some. The Preston people have become very good at sifting through the TAC Cup teams for young talent.

As such, I will not look at everyone available: I don’t know enough to predict who will stay and who will go at the bottom end. However, some of the guys coming in with AFL or VFL experience may be questionable.

Confirmed Departures:
None as yet. Certainly, we will not know before the Laurie Hill Medal. Nor will news be easy to determine.

Confirmed Additions:
Again, none yet. That will not be set until after the AFL Draft.

Potential Departures:
[1] Jesse Palmer – what happens to Palmer will very much be a function of whether or not he gets another chance at the AFL. He has done well this year, but questions over his pace and strength remain when thought of in AFL terms.
It is possible that we may offer him a rookie spot after a good year, but that is not a very high probability. I hope he decides to stay, but my hopes have very little sway.
[2] Sam Fisher – Fisher started poorly and looked very ordinary early in the season, but he really came good and was one of the best mids as we improved. He got good clearance numbers and his ability to move well through traffic impressed. He does have enough AFL attributes to be VERY probable to get a rookie listing from us, if no other club decides to draft him beforehand. I find it very unlikely that Fisher will be on the VFL list in 2019.
[3] Josh Hill – as an ex-AFL player he is always a chance to hang up his boots. However, I hope he doesn’t. Hill was terrible early in the season, a total non-contributor. However, when he was moved to HBF he became a different player and really did offer the leadership and experience that our bunch of kids required. Considering his own aims, as posted early in the year, I would find it far more likely that he would remain for at least another season. However, that is going to depend on what he does other than playing.
[4] Brendan Myers – this lad has not had the sort of year he (and we) were looking for. He was not a regular and only played in the last half od the season when our midfield was especially short. As such I am not confident that he will remain with the Baby Blues.
[5] Ethan Penrith – Penrith enjoyed a pretty good season with his pace and tackling standing out. As he is still zone listed to Carlton there is a quite reasonable chance that he will be promoted to the rookie list before the AFL draft occurs.

Potential Additions:
This is very much speculation at this point, but so much is at this time of year.
[1] Oskar Manton – A potential Carlton F/S, Manton has not enjoyed this year with the Western Jets. He was highly rated, but struggled with injury. In a year with the strong draft cohort, I can’t see him being picked up. However, due to his lack of real opportunity this season I see a real chance that Carlton suggest he heads to the NB’s for a year to see if he really does have what it takes. Not a really high probability, but not wishful thinking either.
[2] Michael Barlow – guys like Barlow probably are still good enough for AFL footy, and we would be stupid not to consider him. However, with his age and injury profile, he may miss out. If he does, then I could see a quite good chance that Carlton suggest he come to the NB’s to provide the leadership and experience that Alex Silvagni showed over the last 2 years. We need someone of this calibre, and his ability to win the ball would be a god-send to a team requiring midfield power. He is also an excellent clubman and would help the training and culture of the club. It may even open the door for him in the coaching system, which he is supposedly interested in.
[3] Will Hickmott – we did not select Will as a F/S option last year, but his form in WA suggests he has enough to seriously consider. He has done particularly well in the WA Colts. His brother, on the other hand, is a very high probability to be picked as a F/S as a rookie. I think they would come as a package. Therefore, Will would have a year or so in the VFL to get over the line (if he can). I think this is a high probability event, probably the highest probability of the options I have presented.

There are 2 other lads Carlton has been following as zone prospects, Brasier and Wild. I am not sure where they are at presently, but with so little profile I find it unlikely that we are serious on drafting them. However, they may well be considered for the NBs to gain experience and, hopefully, show enough to interest Carlton for 2020.

Gonski:

Mullet
O'Shea
Shaw
JMG

with ASOS retired

5 places down

I just watched the highlights - actually, it was Darcy’s highlights - and I think Ms Vescio’s efforts deserve a thread of their own.

OK, it was VFLW and not AFLW but nine goals is an amazing effort, particularly when you consider how she got them; crumbing, evading opponents, pack marks, leading, etc.

I reckon her nine goal haul is the equivalent of a 20 goal tally in the VFL.