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AFL 2025

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AFL 2025
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  • mariner4lifeM Offline
    mariner4lifeM Offline
    mariner4life
    wrote last edited by
    #175

    Late i know, but a post on teh GF.

    As i said, managed to avoid all knowledge despite a surprising amount of people at the rugby and on trains who cared. Watched the game with kiwis who had no idea what was happening (why is it called a behind not a beside was my personal favourite) who also got to see live in action the M4L boys yelling at the TV for a game they actually care about.

    Incredible first half. Geelong were getting kissed on the dick from the Umps, neither side could kick, but it was as tight as you could possibly imagine. Noticable things to me were Starc putting Danger in his pocket and not letting him out, and up front Charlie Cameron realising he can contribute without kicking goals, his forward 50 pressure was as good as i have ever seen it. We looked good but it was so tight. That said, if Bails kicks straight we are off to the races.

    Second half we activate the sub and in strides Lachie Neale, no one knowing if he was fit. Turns out he was very fucking fit. Brisbane took control. Our midfield absolutely smashed theirs. Cam Rayner, who realised he was wasn't getting near it, decided he could impact it by leveling any Cat that got near the ball. Bailey Smith probably still has sore ribs. From late in teh 3rd right up to when we had already cracked beers late in the 4th we slammed on goals for fun. Absolutely belted them, and i was deliriously happy.

    I honestly thought Neale could have won the Norm in a half. He had what? 17 touches and a huge goal. Absolutely owned the clearances. Bails kicks straight he could have won it as well. And Harris Andrews shut down everything Geelong tried. But Washcroft is a hell of a player, 21 years old, two flags and two Norm Smiths.

    What a team, what a finals campaign. Destroyed in our semi, I am pretty sure i predicted the Suns to roll us. We flogged them. Flogged the Pies at the G, and then flogged the Cats.
    And it will roll on. 6 guys in the best 22 under 22. Picked up two key free agents. A host of best-22 players to come back from injury.
    If it wasn't for Papa Fages everyone else would hate us like St Kilda hate us.

    boobooB 1 Reply Last reply
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  • mariner4lifeM Offline
    mariner4lifeM Offline
    mariner4life
    replied to mariner4life last edited by
    #176

    @mariner4life said in AFL 2025:

    Ladder prediction

    GWS
    Geelong
    Brisbane
    Freo
    Port
    Hawthorn
    Sydney
    Adelaide

    Gold Coast
    Bulldogs
    Collingwood
    Essendon
    St Kilda
    Melbourne
    West Coast
    North
    Richmond
    Carlton

    overrated GWS a bit, still came 5th
    bang on
    bang on
    overrated a bit, came 6th
    oof, fuck did i get Port wrong, 13th
    slightly overrated, 8th
    went worse for Sydney than expected, 10th
    underrated! finished top

    Slightly underrated the GC, but probably only by a win
    I'm going to say i was pretty much right about the Dogs
    really missed top 4, prelim side Collingwood.
    Lol Essendon, this was optimistic
    Saints pretty much right
    Melbourne pretty much right (like @barbarian did pick Goodwin first coach sacked)
    No, West Coast did not improve.
    North bang on
    Richmond bang on
    I was only a year early with Carlton for the spoon.

    boobooB 1 Reply Last reply
    0
  • boobooB Offline
    boobooB Offline
    booboo
    replied to mariner4life last edited by
    #177

    @mariner4life said in AFL 2025:

    why is it called a behind not a beside was my personal favourite

    Why do you get a point for missing?

    mariner4lifeM 1 Reply Last reply
    1
  • boobooB Offline
    boobooB Offline
    booboo
    replied to mariner4life last edited by
    #178

    @mariner4life said in AFL 2025:

    underrated! finished top

    Straight sets pissed me off.

    mariner4lifeM 1 Reply Last reply
    1
  • mariner4lifeM Offline
    mariner4lifeM Offline
    mariner4life
    replied to booboo last edited by
    #179

    @booboo said in AFL 2025:

    @mariner4life said in AFL 2025:

    why is it called a behind not a beside was my personal favourite

    Why do you get a point for missing?

    because woke

    1 Reply Last reply
    0
  • mariner4lifeM Offline
    mariner4lifeM Offline
    mariner4life
    replied to booboo last edited by
    #180

    @booboo said in AFL 2025:

    @mariner4life said in AFL 2025:

    underrated! finished top

    Straight sets pissed me off.

    not only straight sets, really limp straight sets too

    1 Reply Last reply
    1
  • barbarianB Offline
    barbarianB Offline
    barbarian
    replied to barbarian last edited by
    #181

    @barbarian said in AFL 2025:

    Harder to pick than a broken nose this year. So you probably should default to the teams that do it year after year - Geelong, Sydney, Brisbane, GWS.

    The rest can fight among themselves but you'd struggle to see any of those four missing the eight. The only chance is Sydney having the classic losing GF hangover, a few injuries and just never get going. But like Geelong success is just baked into the walls there so I find that hard to foresee.

    My one aged pretty well too!

    1 Reply Last reply
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  • mariner4lifeM Offline
    mariner4lifeM Offline
    mariner4life
    wrote last edited by
    #182

    last day of the trade period and there is a fair amount to shake out today.

    Sydney and Curnow want each other, Carlton are going to play hard ball.
    Ah Chee and Adelaide want each other, but Adelaide aren't interested in being realistic. Will still get done today i imagine.
    The big one is Merret to the Hawks. Hawthorn upped their offer to something that looked pretty much right and Essendon turned off their phones. Every fucking year Essendon carry on during the trade period like they have the biggest dick in the room and every year it goes wrong. Interesting to see if this gets done today, but either way Essendon v Hawthorn next year will be spicy.

    1 Reply Last reply
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  • KiwiwombleK Offline
    KiwiwombleK Offline
    Kiwiwomble
    wrote last edited by
    #183

    the curnow deal is huge, were offering draft picks on top of Ollie Florent and Will Hayward...two regular starters and fan favs

    1 Reply Last reply
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  • mariner4lifeM Offline
    mariner4lifeM Offline
    mariner4life
    wrote last edited by
    #184

    Sydney need a decent forward more than anything, so it's worth it

    KiwiwombleK 1 Reply Last reply
    0
  • KiwiwombleK Offline
    KiwiwombleK Offline
    Kiwiwomble
    replied to mariner4life last edited by
    #185

    @mariner4life said in AFL 2025:

    Sydney need a decent forward more than anything, so it's worth it

    yeah, not saying dont go for it....but curnow only scored two more goals than hayward last year so banking on him getting back to 2022 - 2023 form

    1 Reply Last reply
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  • KiwiwombleK Offline
    KiwiwombleK Offline
    Kiwiwomble
    wrote last edited by
    #186

    image.png

    1 Reply Last reply
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  • mariner4lifeM Offline
    mariner4lifeM Offline
    mariner4life
    wrote last edited by
    #187

    idiotic from Carlton

    1 Reply Last reply
    0
  • KiwiwombleK Offline
    KiwiwombleK Offline
    Kiwiwomble
    wrote last edited by
    #188

    got it done, and florent went to carlton but not as part of the deal

    alt text

    1 Reply Last reply
    0
  • barbarianB Offline
    barbarianB Offline
    barbarian
    wrote last edited by
    #189

    Think that's a deal that works for both sides. Carlton couldn’t win the flag the way they were constructed - too top heavy, too slow, not enough good users. This allows them to retool over the next season or two without bottoming out. Add in Harry Dean, Cody Walker, make a play for Zak Butters. All before Tassie blow the drafts. Meanwhile Sydney go all in for now. I don’t think either team would be unhappy. Except Carlton fans who love Charlie.

    KiwiwombleK 1 Reply Last reply
    2
  • mariner4lifeM Offline
    mariner4lifeM Offline
    mariner4life
    wrote last edited by
    #190

    Hawthorn and Essendon couldn't reach an agreement on value so Merrett stays. That will be interesting when he comes back to preseason.

    Weird one was Ah Chee not getting to Adelaide. The Lions have smashed the draft and trade for so many years in a row that i am willing to give some benefit of the doubt, but to turn down a draft pick, and in turn get nothing when Cal goes to the preseason draft? sort of weird i would have thought.

    Couple of other rumoured trades went nowhere as well.

    1 Reply Last reply
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  • barbarianB Offline
    barbarianB Offline
    barbarian
    wrote last edited by
    #191

    I think Essendon should have traded Merrett. He's aging, they clearly aren't ready to contend yet, so sell him while you can. Holding on to an unhappy star rarely works out well.

    mariner4lifeM 1 Reply Last reply
    0
  • mariner4lifeM Offline
    mariner4lifeM Offline
    mariner4life
    wrote last edited by
    #192

    I do like the Clubs fighting back this trade period. For too long contracted players have forced their way to their desired destinations generally at the expense of their current clubs. Merrett wanting to only go to Hawthorn limited everything, so the Bombers set their value (that someone else would have paid) and stuck to it.
    I agree with it, as it is far too common for good players to leave shit teams for good teams, dooming the shit teams to be shit forever.

    1 Reply Last reply
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  • mariner4lifeM Offline
    mariner4lifeM Offline
    mariner4life
    replied to barbarian last edited by
    #193

    @barbarian said in AFL 2025:

    I think Essendon should have traded Merrett. He's aging, they clearly aren't ready to contend yet, so sell him while you can. Holding on to an unhappy star rarely works out well.

    while i partly agree, we can't have a comp where the top teams get stronger every year while the shit teams stay where they are. Hawthorn needed to pony up more to get him, but they didn't have the draft capital, AND they couldn't convince contracted players to move.

    I think partly a lot of the chat around this is because people massively over value first round draft picks. The draft is hope, you hope that 18 year old you are picking is going to be as good as the established player you just traded out. That doesn't happen that often.

    I also think fans especially are still of the opinion you can rebuild through the draft. They look at the Lions and see the Ashcrofts, Fletcher, Rayner, McLuggage etc but overlook we never win these flags without Neale, Dunkley, Cameron, and Daniher.

    1 Reply Last reply
    0
  • barbarianB Offline
    barbarianB Offline
    barbarian
    wrote last edited by
    #194

    Yeah I totally agree the system has to change. Surely trading without consent needs to be brought in for players above a certain contract length/value. You can't sign a seven year deal (with associated financial rewards) and then decide in year three that you want out, and you then get to choose where you want to go!

    But as long as we have this system, you've got to make the best of it. And I think while there's a temptation to stare down disgruntled players it rarely works out. Then you end up with a Clayton Oliver situation, selling him for a song after his value tanks.

    mariner4lifeM 1 Reply Last reply
    1

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