Is 2009 the final harrah for the current team

[Mark Busuttil]

The changes I can see to the current team after 2009:
B Hall - gone
L Barry - gone
T Kenelley - gone (going back home)
J Crouch - probably last year
Micky O - maybe only 1-2 years left
R O'Keefe - still wants to return to Melbourne

I'm scared but excited. We've covered B Hall being out of side. Can we do it consistently? Who's our back-up ruckman? How's our midfield going to complete? Will we have the goalkicking power of the top 4 sides of this year?

Can we puch for top 4 & compete with the best in 09? I don't know - I HOPE WE CAN KICK ARSE!!

Does anybody else share my feelings?

[RED&WHITE BUNNY]

Hall,Barry & Kenelley will go.Crouch will be lucky to get a game in 09.Micky O it will be he's last year.ROK will be fine now.A long year ahead then a longer next couple of years.we need at least two youngsters to stand up for us in the midfeild for the whole year.that just may give us a good year.

[givekidsakick]

Thats why we need Cuz!

[AnnieH]

Thats why we need Cuz!

So he can play with us for a year and then retire?

You forget he's an old man with an alleged junkie problem.

[msb]

We'll be thereabouts again, but whether its the last harrah, who knows? The club just needs to keep bringing in the kids and hopefully dont lose a number of key players all at once like hall, micky o, kennelly etc. Roosy clearly recruits so the club does not bottom out, so going by this will there ever be a last harrah??

[giant]

I think 2008 was our last hurra...which was duly interrupted. Not much between us and the rest (bar the Cats) so you never know your luck - but I for one am not counting on it.

[Robbo]

Our premiership window is closed. It's our last hurrah at playing finals footy though.

[liz]

I think 2008 was our last hurra...which was duly interrupted. Not much between us and the rest (bar the Cats) so you never know your luck - but I for one am not counting on it.

I don't see any reason why 2009 should be inherently different to 2008. We haven't lost anyone of note (Spida aside) and performances in 2008 indicated no signs that we should expect less from Hall and O'Loughlin next year.

What impact will Spida's departure have? Difficult to tell since he wasn't that great in 2008. But we do need to keep our fingers crossed that Currie is up to senior footy.

Other than Spida, it is possible that a lot of things (injury related) that went wrong in 2008 will go better in 2009. Certainly, it is no sure thing, but I don't see why expectations of 2009 should be any different to expectations at the start of 2008.

[UglyDuckling]

Its really sad that this will be the last year of all these guys that we have watched for so long.
How weird will it be with no Leo Barry, Hall, Tadgh and Micky O
Has to be the last year with this group and probably our last year of finals for a while dare i say it.
If we loose all those guys in the same year it will it will be very difficult to keep winning. Though i hate the idea of it.

[Darren Thomson]

Will it be any different than when Plugger, Roosy, Kelly, Cresswell etc all left arounf the sasme time, throw in Dale lewis, Derek KIckett. Big Turnover, but the youth came in and we still had leaders. This is probably the area we will struggle once the experience goes, leadership. If Kirky decides he's had enough this year, then there WILL be a problem, otherwise business as usual, and who knows in next years trades?

[mackemdezzy]

No chance from a premiership in 2009 should make the playoffs without any trouble i would think!

[Primmy]

I don't know about the leadership issue. I have watched the guys when they played reserves and you can pick the naturals. Mal, Vespa, Jack could be interesting, and yes Jako gets a nod from me too (well in the future anyway). We still have got Teddy, who could do very well, and the considered even pace of Lewie, not spectacular but a good person. There is still Adam, and don't we count B2? The leadership in this club is fluid, it doesn't rely on just one person.

[giant]

I don't see any reason why 2009 should be inherently different to 2008. We haven't lost anyone of note (Spida aside) and performances in 2008 indicated no signs that we should expect less from Hall and O'Loughlin next year.

What impact will Spida's departure have? Difficult to tell since he wasn't that great in 2008. But we do need to keep our fingers crossed that Currie is up to senior footy.

Other than Spida, it is possible that a lot of things (injury related) that went wrong in 2008 will go better in 2009. Certainly, it is no sure thing, but I don't see why expectations of 2009 should be any different to expectations at the start of 2008.

In theory, yes - but everyone is one year older and for us that means the frailties that showed up last year (Leo not quite so quick, MOL falling to injury, Hall that more distracted, Kirk a bit more sore and sorry, ROk more homesick etc) will only be magnified. I'd love to be surprised, certainly would could hope for more luck in 2009 (tho we probably had more than our fair share 2005-7) and there's not a huge gap between the top 6 - but realistically we'll be lucky if 2009 is a better year than 2008.

[liz]

In theory, yes - but everyone is one year older and for us that means the frailties that showed up last year (Leo not quite so quick, MOL falling to injury, Hall that more distracted, Kirk a bit more sore and sorry, ROk more homesick etc) will only be magnified.

And Vez will have a pre-season to get some kind of fitness base to add to his undoubted talent. Murphy, White and Currie will be one year stronger and more confident. Bird will have had a chance to strengthen that lower body so the tackles really stick and he can find uncanny space more often. Jack and Barlow will be one year wiser and more ready to impose themselves on games.

Just depends on your outlook really.

This is a great time to be a supporter of any club because anything is possible and there is nothing irritating like actual onfield form to get in the way of fantasies. Why let the gloom of reality spoil this, the season of hope?

(And while I concede it is probably more likely than not that Leo's hamstrings will decide they've had enough come round 15 or 16, I can't see what age has to do with Hall's composure. And as for O'Keefe. Never once did he play in 2008 as if his heart wasn't in things. And if he wouldn't have recommitted for 4 years if he was really committed to catching the next train out of Sydney.)

[Nico]

Goodes (groin) Bolton (groin) Malceski (knee) Kennelly (shoulder) Hall (between the ears) MOL (ankle) and we still won a final. I suspect Malceski is the unknown but with others we do know they will be right for the season start.

It is not a big "IF" these guys stand up for the year because they will be fully fit. The IF is whether the club as a whole stands up relatively injury free as in 2005 and 2006, like Geelong did in 2007 and Hawthorn in 2008.

We have gone into the finals the last 2 years the walking wounded, yet we got there as the walking wounded.

Keep them on the park, plus as Liz says get the expected improvement from the younger players and as far as I am concerned we will give more than a good account of ourselves. I am more than happy to see Moore, Bird, Vespremi and Jack taking over in the midfield and feeding the forwards with more quality delivery. Is Meredith a wildcard?

For 2009 my glass is half full, not half empty.