2018 - What do you expect from the club?

[DJC]

There is a lot of assumption around Rockliff and him choosing Port for money. Is there any proof that the money we offered was more, the same, or less?

We quickly assume a club who turns us down chose more money elsewhere, but it is hardly like we have been a destination club for top talent.

I don't know what money Rocky is on, but I do know that we went after him and he chose Port above us, indicating finals as being a key reason. Whether that is true or not, it holds a lot more weight than pure speculation he went for more money than we were offering.

Oh & I don't actually care that he didn't come, I just find it weird the assumptions that get made when a player doesn't come to us.

It is not like we have gone through a number of coaches with limited success, 10 years of hardly playing finals, 4 wooden spoons in about 15 years, another couple of bottom 4 finishes or been as much of an easy beat as the team he just left...
Oh wait... Come to think of it...

I guess the only thing we know for certain is that Rockliff chose Port shortly after meeting Sticks and Juddy.  Did that put him off or perhaps he didn't impress them and we went cold on the deal.

[ElwoodBlues1]

No assumptions...Rockliff was offered a 4 year deal by Port at a touch over 2.8 mill, we beat Brisbane's initial offer which was 550k a season but were never going to beat the Port offer. The finals angle was part BS IMO, he went for the extra dough as the major factor, he was looking for 800k last time his manager shopped him around....
We have had a recent history of offering unders...Smith went for the extra money at Essendon and then pulled the better rehab facilities story out....Bombers also paid overs for Stringer to get him..
Players go for the big dollars unless its a no hoper club like North doing the offering and coached by an ego maniac like Brad Scott...then they think twice...

[Thryleon]

There is a lot of assumption around Rockliff and him choosing Port for money. Is there any proof that the money we offered was more, the same, or less?

We quickly assume a club who turns us down chose more money elsewhere, but it is hardly like we have been a destination club for top talent.

I don't know what money Rocky is on, but I do know that we went after him and he chose Port above us, indicating finals as being a key reason. Whether that is true or not, it holds a lot more weight than pure speculation he went for more money than we were offering.

Oh & I don't actually care that he didn't come, I just find it weird the assumptions that get made when a player doesn't come to us.

It is not like we have gone through a number of coaches with limited success, 10 years of hardly playing finals, 4 wooden spoons in about 15 years, another couple of bottom 4 finishes or been as much of an easy beat as the team he just left...
Oh wait... Come to think of it...

Im personally happy he didn't come.

[flyboy77]

No assumptions...Rockliff was offered a 4 year deal by Port at a touch over 2.8 mill, we beat Brisbane's initial offer which was 550k a season but were never going to beat the Port offer. The finals angle was part BS IMO, he went for the extra dough as the major factor, he was looking for 800k last time his manager shopped him around....
We have had a recent history of offering unders...Smith went for the extra money at Essendon and then pulled the better rehab facilities story out....Bombers also paid overs for Stringer to get him..
Players go for the big dollars unless its a no hoper club like North doing the offering and coached by an ego maniac like Brad Scott...then they think twice...

Well said EB.

Plenty of good players have chosen to come to Carlton in recent years - Marchbank (whom GWS desperately wanted to keep), Plow, Pickett etc and lately Kennedy, Lang and even Garlett.

The vibe can't be all that bad coming out of Prinny Park?

Perhaps it comes down to the character of some types? That is, Rockliff types.... no thanks, good riddance.

[ElwoodBlues1]

Well said EB.

Plenty of good players have chosen to come to Carlton in recent years - Marchbank (whom GWS desperately wanted to keep), Plow, Pickett etc and lately Kennedy, Lang and even Garlett.

The vibe can't be all that bad coming out of Prinny Park?

Perhaps it comes down to the character of some types? That is, Rockliff types.... no thanks, good riddance.

Initially I was annoyed at missing on Rockliff but after reflecting its better we grow our own and have players all growing at the same time......the successful clubs all seem to have
their best players around the same age group.

[cookie2]

Initially I was annoyed at missing on Rockliff but after reflecting its better we grow our own and have players all growing at the same time......the successful clubs all seem to have
their best players around the same age group.

I was concerned that we needed him in light of Gibbs departure. Feeling a lot more positive now.

[ElwoodBlues1]

I was concerned that we needed him in light of Gibbs departure. Feeling a lot more positive now.

Think Gibbs leaving will set us back a year probably...we have plenty of kids who can use his onball game time and learn the roles he did.
Its a changing of the guard...Simpson, Murphy, Kreuzer all will have to be replaced and its better we stagger these players leaving so Gibbs might have done us a favour by being able to train
up some kids for his role while we still have these other experienced players to help out.

[DJC]

Think Gibbs leaving will set us back a year probably...we have plenty of kids who can use his onball game time and learn the roles he did.
Its a changing of the guard...Simpson, Murphy, Kreuzer all will have to be replaced and its better we stagger these players leaving so Gibbs might have done us a favour by being able to train
up some kids for his role while we still have these other experienced players to help out.

I was of the opinion that Gibbs leaving would set us back but, after giving it some thought, I reckon our midfield is stronger now.

We effectively lost Gibbs, Buckley, Boekhorst, Smedts, Sumner, Armfield, Palmer and Gallucci out of our potential midfielders (Smedts was primarily a defender but he did take part in our midfield rotations).  We replaced that lot with Lang, Kennedy, Mullett, Shaw and Garlett, all of whom have midfield experience at AFL level.  On top of that are our draft picks and I reckon Dow and O'Brien will both debut earlier rather than later.

We then have the return from injury of Cripps and Ed Curnow and another pre-season into the likes of Samo, Fisher, Cuningham and Polson.

We may not have replaced Gibbs with a player of equal ability but our midfield is significantly stronger than what we had in the last half of last season.

[sandsmere]

We may not have replaced Gibbs with a player of equal ability but our midfield is significantly stronger than what we had in the last half of last season.

Agree DJC.

Kennedy played 16 senior games last season in a team with a very strong midfield. He'll be stronger and better this coming season.

Garlett just might be a real surprise and Shaw has played over 100 games.
You don't get to play 100 games in the AFL if you are a spud.

Cripps and Ed.C. fully fit again, SPS and Fisher a year older . . . . . . Yep, plenty to look forward too.

[flyboy77]

Don't write off Kerridge either.

Still only 24 with 70 odd games under his belt. His form at the back end of 2017 was very good highlighted by much improved disposal.....

Darcy Lang and Pickett also have claims to more midfield time too.

I really don't think we'll miss Gibbs at al - and with due respect to Bryce he did have a bit of a give the ball to me attitude with his team mates a lot of the time imo  :o