Tippett!!

[Melbournehammer]

Reg is a key defender, which one of Everitt, sphanger (if he can play 3 games straight), Walsh or the kids is a key defender?

None of them. As your post clearly intended to point out.

If needed LRT, Heath or even Reid could go back. In fact reid spends most of his time spoiling the ball over the boundary.

I just wonder about the whole thing. Tippett is frankly a missing piece for our puzzle. And I acknowledge that. And he is the replacement for pyke when all is said and done. But I just can't see who I would give up that they want. None of our half backs, and they are all too old anyway. None of our forwards are good enough for us let alone anyone else, apart from reid. We lack cover for our tall defenders and i worry that if we put too much on aj's shoulders he will become like saddington or schoenmakers - players who aren't quite big enough to play on the big forwards.

And all of our midfielders are actually needed. If we could be sure of the recovery of rohan and mitchell it would be one thing. But there must be some chance of both of them struggling to get up, and certainly struggling to play at the level for a couple of seasons.

inevitably you keep coming back to grundy. But this is not without risks. I am just going to watch the gf again on the IQ.

[liz]

Reg is a key defender, which one of Everitt, sphanger (if he can play 3 games straight), Walsh or the kids is a key defender?

LRT is and he's too good to be playing in Canberra. There seems to be a panic that he is 30, or approaching 30 and therefore is close to his use-by date. Who can tell how much football he has left in him. As I said earlier in this thread, Fletcher is still playing late into his 30s. Yes, he's a freak but we could easily still get 2-3 more years of top quality football from both Ted and LRT. Grundy could break down with a chronic knee injury in two years and retire at 28, as Nic Fosike was forced to (and John Longmire at a similar age). It is folly to worry too far into the future when our premiership window is wide open and flapping in the wind. Our defensive depth may be largely unproven but we do have quite a number of options and I think at least a couple of them are excellent quality.

[Melbourne_Blood]

Tippett?

This thread is going around In circles big time!

[Ludwig]

Reg is a key defender, which one of Everitt, sphanger (if he can play 3 games straight), Walsh or the kids is a key defender?

I did say they were depth players and not first choices. Without Grundy our KDs would be Richards, LRT and Johnson, as it was in the finals game with Adelaide. Spangher in his former life was a key defender. Walsh can be as well. Both have the size to do it. Everett is tall enough and athletic enough, but hasn't shown the toughness to do so. I reiterate, these are all backups, not first choices.

In the Adelaide game, If Richards and Grundy were both out, I would think that LRT would have taken Tippett. Probably Spangher would have been brought in as I think Everett was injured at the time and either Johnson or Spangher would have taken Walker. Not the best situation, but probably would have done as well as the Hawthorn defence did with them. I think by next year Johnson will be up to the task of taking the second best defender.

To me, this seems like reasonable depth. You can't have Glass, Richards, Grundy, Ben Reid and Josh Gibson all in the same team. Too much talent. Which 2 would you send to the reserves?

Not many teams can bring in reserve KPPs that perform as well as their first stringers. We don't know how well any of these backups will perform, because they never get a chance, as our defender are rarely out injured.

[Old Royboy]

If we get Tippet, great. But if that entails one ounce of dilution of team harmony, player commitment, bloods spirit or whatever one wants to call it then no way. We all know our side has limitations and is not the most talented, but at the end of the day it was team harmony and the willingness of each and every player to give 110% that got us the flag. I'm so proud that twice in the last 7 years that we have been able to say that our champion team beat the team of champions.

I'm worried that if a premiership player has to be traded to get Tippet, the first thing out the window will be team harmony.

Please , either get him cheap or pull out.

[Reggi]

Funny. Adelaide have rubbish small forwards. They used Johncock against us, callinan is rubbish. Surprised they are not all over themselves to get TDL. As a team they are really slow his pace would really help

[Melbourne_Blood]

Tippett?

Callinan is quite a good player IMO, though he isn't exactly a spring chicken

[Melbournehammer]

Funny. Adelaide have rubbish small forwards. They used Johncock against us, callinan is rubbish. Surprised they are not all over themselves to get TDL. As a team they are really slow his pace would really help

Actually they have quite decent small forwards. petrenko, callinan and porplyzia are all pretty decent. What they lack is genuine run.

Nearly 1/2 time in the GF now. franklin about to kick oof !

[jono2707]

This thread is going around In circles big time!

I heard a rumour today that Tippett has chosen us over GC and Brisbane - now we just have to do a deal to get him over the line...

[Auntie.Gerald]

If Reg doesnt want to go then the deal will probably be off anyway !

[Melbournehammer]

If we get Tippet, great. But if that entails one ounce of dilution of team harmony, player commitment, bloods spirit or whatever one wants to call it then no way. We all know our side has limitations and is not the most talented, but at the end of the day it was team harmony and the willingness of each and every player to give 110% that got us the flag. I'm so proud that twice in the last 7 years that we have been able to say that our champion team beat the team of champions.

I'm worried that if a premiership player has to be traded to get Tippet, the first thing out the window will be team harmony.

Please , either get him cheap or pull out.

This has been my fear all along. There will be a number of posters who will disagree with you and say the club absolutely knows what they are doing and that they will have thought about this completely and to trust the recruiters and the management. I really wouldn't know whether they are right. Perhaps my doubts are completely unwarranted.

My own experience in sport and in teams in other environments has always been that team chemistry can be upset by the most minor things - and jettisoning a mate who doesnt want to go and pick up someone who the club is prepared to pay large dosh at may well work - they may see this as the club being prepared to give them a real chance of going back to back. It might not.

Half-time the swans are ahead by 16 - Gee whiz AJ has been good in this game. The way he ran away from gunston to handpass to malceski who then delivered into the middle for reid's goal was terrific.

[Melbourne_Blood]

Tippett?

I heard a rumour today that Tippett has chosen us over GC and Brisbane - now we just have to do a deal to get him over the line...

Haha. Speaking of rumors, I just saw one on the face book page 'AFL trade week rumors ' that Jetta was spotted in Adelaide today. It's crap because he is in Bunbury, but funny nonetheless. Jetta for Tippett. Not a chance in hell!

[swanspant12]

what in the bloody hell is this rumour jetta has been spotted in adelaide? If sydney trade jetta for that overrated hack in TIPPPETT I WILL NOT BE RENEWING MY MEMBERSHIP FOR 5 YEARS STRAIGHT.

[DLBIA14]

what in the bloody hell is this rumour jetta has been spotted in adelaide? If sydney trade jetta for that overrated hack in TIPPPETT I WILL NOT BE RENEWING MY MEMBERSHIP FOR 5 YEARS STRAIGHT.

Maybe you should cancel if your naive enough to believe that. Honestly get a grip. Instead of blowing your top take a moment to think.

[swanspant12]

Maybe you should cancel if your naive enough to believe that. Honestly get a grip. Instead of blowing your top take a moment to think.

Believe what you want and Ill believe what i want. One call to jetttas management saying we'll give you 200,000 grand more could easily sway a bloke.