For Discussion

[DJC]

Sad to say we should be wooden spoon favourites. We lost our best player this year, and teams will work out how to nulify Cripps. He is going to get so much attention in 2016 from scraggers. Hopefully he is working on his kicking so he can be dangerous around goals as that will allow him to shake tags.

I'm optimistic we could get 5 or 6 wins. But with so many new players, and an average established core we are going to take some hammerings. Injuries as alway will make a difference. Having Kruezer and Thomas play 15 odd games each will make a big difference.

Its amazing how every year we hope/anticipate the first year players will get a few games and do well. We hear about some 18 year olds being 'ready'. No they are not. If Silvangni gets a game in 2016 we will be in serious strife. If any of the first year players get more than 1 or 2 games we will have had a bad injury toll. We really want to see the likes of Boekhorst getting 10 or so decent games with 5 or 6 in a row toward the end of the season. Rowe to have been displaced by KJ by the end of the year. That would show good improvement. A strong showing by the NBs is vital to build a base for the longer term.

And a miracle win against Hawthorn in Launceston.

There seems to be a myth about first year players not being ready to play AFL.  Yes, some aren't ready and Silvagni seems to fall into that category at the moment.

Last year's first 20 draft picks averaged just over 7.5 games with Brayshaw clocking up 21, De Gooey 16, Heeney 14, Lever and Duggan 12 and Boekhorst 11.  Only three failed to crack it for a game so the 17 that did play averaged 9 games between them.

I reckon it's a safe bet that Weitering, McKay, Curnow and Cuningham will average more than 7.5 games in 2016.  The only reason they won't is if everyone else plays out of their skins and we finish top 4.

[jeza]

Quite surprised really that so many believe we will get another spoon, and I thought I was a pessimist. As others have suggested BARRING injuries I can't see us coming last. We only just got there last year when Brisbane got over a sub-standard doggies unit in the last round. We were only 2 points away from the suns at 16th. Granted sides will imporve (Ablett returns for GC) but by the same token other teams drop off. Cannot accept that the Lions are a better unit than us. Bloody hell we still managed to beat Melbourne when we were on our knees!
Think with everyone on deck, fit and well, and a couple of players improving will make all the difference.
Forward line is our achilles.

"BARRING injuries"... hmmm..

What are the chances of that? Every club gets injuries and some clubs (i.e. ours) have a playing list predisposed to accumulating injuries. And we dumped a lot of experience in this off-season and replaced them with kids. We are a few key injuries away from train wreck.

Unless Bolton is a magician - a possibility I do not rule out.

[townsendcalling]

Re Walker:  I was all ready to concede that pinning any hope on him up forward would be unrealistic. However in his last 4 games last year up forward, where we got smashed in 3, he averaged 2.5  goals per game.

In any man's language, if we as a team can improve, he should be pencilled in for 30 - 40 for the season, if fit and played forward.

[townsendcalling]

"BARRING injuries"... hmmm..

What are the chances of that? Every club gets injuries and some clubs (i.e. ours) have a playing list predisposed to accumulating injuries. And we dumped a lot of experience in this off-season and replaced them with kids. We are a few key injuries away from train wreck.

Unless Bolton is a magician - a possibility I do not rule out.

Menzel was injury proned......now someone else's problem
Yarran refused to play with a niggle........now someonelse's problem
Ellard couldn't get on the park........retired.

We have offloaded some injury liabilities.

[Mantis]

Re Walker:  I was all ready to concede that pinning any hope on him up forward would be unrealistic. However in his last 4 games last year up forward, where we got smashed in 3, he averaged 2.5  goals per game.

In any man's language, if we as a team can improve, he should be pencilled in for 30 - 40 for the season, if fit and played forward.

Walker is the type of player that will always offer your side more as a forward than in the back 50m. He makes mistakes and costs us goals as a defender. Up forward he can create some magic. Just tell him not to try taking mark of the year every time he has an opportunity to fly for a mark. Let the big bodies fly and get the ball when it hits the deck.

[ItsOurTime]

I was thinking about this today, we finished 18th this year but was that our "real" position? How much of that was where are at and how much of it was "manufactured" (many in the industry refer to it as tanking, just as many will tell you tanking doesn't exist)?

We've been thinking what's our real position since 2002.... I have bad news for you.... It's time for the cfc to accept reality and work on getting better than they actually are rather than improve of where they believe they are

[jeza]

Menzel was injury proned......now someone else's problem
Yarran refused to play with a niggle........now someonelse's problem
Ellard couldn't get on the park........retired.

We have offloaded some injury liabilities.

Good point.

Dale Thomas though. Kreuze played a dozen games in 3 years. Jamo. Walker. Jaksch. Graham, White.

Plenty of injuries left in that lot.

[Thryleon]

Menzel was injury proned......now someone else's problem
Yarran refused to play with a niggle........now someonelse's problem
Ellard couldn't get on the park........retired.

We have offloaded some injury liabilities.

unfair to Ellard.
Could get on the park, just couldn't get the pill and be damaging with it when he did.

[flyboy77]

The Dogs also have Crameri (for the time being anyway) and Dickson who are both handy and strong goal kicking types.

Dickson a classic example of hope though ladies and gents - 28 yo with 50 games under his bely not tall, not fast, not much really - snared 50 goals in 2015.

If he can do that, so could the Bolt, Everitt and several others....

It's all between the ears...or not.

[Lods]

Dickson a classic example of hope though ladies and gents - 28 yo with 50 games under his bely not tall, not fast, not much really - snared 50 goals in 2015.

If he can do that, so could the Bolt, Everitt and several others....

It's all between the ears...or not.

A lot depends on how we structure.
I've always liked the idea of Everitt as a permanent full forward.
He kicked 31 goals as a 'part timer' last year.
Definitely a 50 goal plus option.