What we still need

[Teflon]

So thrashings like today will happen (not as savage.........as that though we hope) but they will

So what do we need? I'm thinking building blocks in this side to become a really good side

To me it's:

1 x KPF (Roo replacement in conjunction with Stanley who was ok today)
1x Med sized fwd (see Gunston)
2-3 quality mids (in addition to current listed players)
1 x Back line general - a new Goddard to set us up off HB

I'm of ours hoping Hickey/Longer can maintain ruck with Stanley support
Delaney or Bruce can hold down FB/CHB..... not sold on Delaney quality tbh....

So some super drafting and trading needed - I smell another favourite son fire sale coming...... Let's face it , sides like Tigers, Bombers etc going through motions and still a couple young quality players short - let's go for real quality and load up while we are crap before we pull out the cash for a gun FA

Essendon been in wilderness 14 years - I don't want to wait that long before we are top 2 as a genuine flag challenger so this period now can make ore break the next decade IF we get it right

[ShanghaiSaint]

for me stan needs to spend the game forward... learning to lead and create forward pressure.

we have a Gunstan type in the VFL Dunell could be that type of player.. bring him in and lets see if he has what it takes.

webbster in time can do that BJ job he has speed skill and a nice kick. Delaney is going ok... Bruce over Simpkin for me after seeing simpkin today.

Terry needs some games... Savage out! needs 4 weeks in the VFL to wake him up. Terry needs a shot to show if he's worth keeping... TDL is under him imo from what i have seen of both but also needs a shot to prove it or lose it.

we need a new KF as posted.... and mids... Blake to keep playing i hope went well today.

[satchmo]

Rational post.
How dare you!!?!

[Teflon]

Would love to get a gun fwd in while Roo still round like when Hamill/Gehrig were there when Roo was young

Just pray for a super draft sometime soon!! maybe throw truckload cash at Boyd....

[ShanghaiSaint]

or patton or cameron... one of them might move if boyd starts getting games...

we need more small mobile forwards.. loss of Miline has really left a hole i really understand now how important he was to our list... I hope Dunell can be made into a gunstan

[Cairnsman]

IMO the only way a poor club like ours can be top 2 again is repeat what we did between 99 and 03...and that's compete for 4 wooden spoons in a row...I'd love to be proven wrong but I fear you are right Teffers...if we rise up the ladder and miss out on top 5 draft picks over the next few years we may only become a mid table flounderer.

BTW I think we are out of favorite sons unless you are thinking Steven or the like.

[ShanghaiSaint]

true CM.... think of the kids we had mving into season 04 when our rise started.... Ball Kosi Roo Dal BJ Lenny Joey

[Bluthy]

Is it me or is the game becoming more and more about speed and precision kicking? Breaking the congestion with accurate kicking and fast runners who run all day seems to be what its all about. That's what we should be looking at with all players drafted.

[Wayne42]

IMO the only way a poor club like ours can be top 2 again is repeat what we did between 99 and 03...and that's compete for 4 wooden spoons in a row...I'd love to be proven wrong but I fear you are right Teffers...if we rise up the ladder and miss out on top 5 draft picks over the next few years we may only become a mid table flounderer.

BTW I think we are out of favorite sons unless you are thinking Steven or the like.

Teffers...good one.......Jeffers

[Toy Saint]

What we still need.....compared to Hawthorn yesterday.......a few more big bodied players...like Roughhead, Hale......a bunch of skilled running players....and a couple of smart, hard-arsed campaigners like Hodge.

[St Ick]

I think this draft is perfect for us. Be it that its full of quality talls in the top5. As for another, Jacksh should be and probably is on top of our shopping list, GWS have way tooo many talls and quality kids are missing out because of it.

[chook23]

Have to be joking considering Dunnell and Gunston comparison

Miles and miles apart.

[chook23]

Have to be joking considering Dunnell and Gunston comparison

Miles and miles apart.

[Dis Believer]

What we need is a few less blokes in the medical room long term.

The way we are headed at the moment there will soon be more of them in there than there are available to play !!

[St Ick]

We don't have that many blokes in the medical room. Gilbert, Eli, Wright, Hickey & Gears from our first team isn't a huge list. A week ago we had to play two blokes in the development squad because we had filled our quota of Sandy players.

As much as I'd love a full list to choose from, that list is pretty stock standard for this time of year

[Terrance80]

armitage and fisher will help

[St Ick]

armitage and fisher will help

Ah, yes, both first 22, with Chips being a bit of a forgotten man. I still stand by my comments though, although, its a much less convincing argument now hehe

[bergsone]

What we also need is the good youngsters to get that 30-50 games under their belt.

[saintspremiers]

What we need is a few less blokes in the medical room long term.

The way we are headed at the moment there will soon be more of them in there than there are available to play !!

True but blame the incompetent Watters and his clueless ideas on that. Richo was left with a void. Next year should be completely different injury wise as the players get fitter.

Expect more carnage on the injury front. It's only early in the season. Likely to get worse.

Patience. And lots of it.

[MC Gusto]

We need at least 2 more years of drafting and trading as per this year. We need 3 top 20 picks in each of the next 2 drafts minimum

[spert]

What we need to be is competitive- we should have beaten the Lions last week, and should have shown a lot more yesterday- even in losing. Recruits will come and go, but I'm throwing this back at Richo ,as the team just wasn't switched on in the last two games, and one of the coach's jobs is motivation of his team. They are flat, regardless of talent.

[samuraisaint]

So thrashings like today will happen (not as savage.........as that though we hope) but they will

So what do we need? I'm thinking building blocks in this side to become a really good side

To me it's:

1 x KPF (Roo replacement in conjunction with Stanley who was ok today)
1x Med sized fwd (see Gunston)
2-3 quality mids (in addition to current listed players)
1 x Back line general - a new Goddard to set us up off HB

I'm of ours hoping Hickey/Longer can maintain ruck with Stanley support
Delaney or Bruce can hold down FB/CHB..... not sold on Delaney quality tbh....

So some super drafting and trading needed - I smell another favourite son fire sale coming...... Let's face it , sides like Tigers, Bombers etc going through motions and still a couple young quality players short - let's go for real quality and load up while we are crap before we pull out the cash for a gun FA

Essendon been in wilderness 14 years - I don't want to wait that long before we are top 2 as a genuine flag challenger so this period now can make ore break the next decade IF we get it right

Agree with this. Also require some hard bodied, hard running flankers at both ends of the ground. These will be available through free agency and reckon we will be very active in FA poaching at the end of 2016 and again in the end of season trade period in late 2017. Pelchen will defintely fill the side up with left footers/southpaws because of the prevailing paradigm that these players are more skilful than right footers. Perfectly reasonable to predict a return to the finals - with a top 4 entry - in 2019, like we did in 2004. I don't believe we will see finals action until then.

[mad saint guy]

We still need to draft a fair chunk of our next top 4 team.

These are the players I'm confident about

B: Webster, ---, ---
HB: Wright, ---, Newnes
C: Acres, Dunstan, Curren
HF: Billings, ---, ---
F: Stanley, ---, ---

Foll: Hickey, Steven, ---
Int: Armitage, ---, ---, ---

I think there's a good chance that 4-5 of Lee, Saunders, Bruce, Delaney, Markworth, Roberton, Longer and Templeton can slot into that team as well, but we desperately need a gun CHF and two/three more elite midfielders. A Rioli/Didak (in his prime) type small forward who can move up the ground would help a whole lot as well.

[samuraisaint]

armitage and fisher will help

Ah, yes, both first 22, with Chips being a bit of a forgotten man. I still stand by my comments though, although, its a much less convincing argument now hehe

Sadly Sammy has done his hammy today. Could be the end of the great club warrior...