Gilbo, Armo, Geary, Brown.

[Con Gorozidis]

These are the four oldest players on our list.

I would say none of them are crucial to our success.

That means the next 2-4 years I see our list improving. I cant see us falling below 11th. I think we have already bottomed out.

[WellardSaint]

None of them will get a game in 2019.
The club isn't that silly. They drafted Austin to take Brown's spot.
They will play most of 2018, though,
until some youngies push them out.
Not the future.
Just keeping the seat warm for the milennials

[spert]

Our four most experienced players, yet none of them influence or swing games like the more experienced players of more successful teams..if you get what I mean. We need to look to the younger brigade to really step up.

[saynta]

Bit of truth in that.

[magnifisaint]

None of them will get a game in 2019.
The club isn't that silly. They drafted Austin to take Brown's spot.
They will play most of 2018, though,
until some youngies push them out.
Not the future.
Just keeping the seat warm for the milennials

bulls***. Geary will get a game and so will Armitage.

[saynta]

None of them will get a game in 2019.
The club isn't that silly. They drafted Austin to take Brown's spot.
They will play most of 2018, though,
until some youngies push them out.
Not the future.
Just keeping the seat warm for the milennials

bulls***. Geary will get a game and so will Armitage.

Armitage would be extremely doubtful after 2018 as will Gilbert and Brown.

[Zed]

In 2018 , We still need Geary to lock down oppo best small forward and Brown to try and do same on their FF. Brown will fade last half of 2018 I fear, so hope Austin or Goddard can step up as the season goes on. We can cover Armo and Gilbo if required.

Don’t underestimate the impact Reiwoldt retirement will make. He took the best defender week in week out.

I think we will tread water for most of 2018 but see some younger players really step up last half of the season.

[Con Gorozidis]

None of them will get a game in 2019.
The club isn't that silly. They drafted Austin to take Brown's spot.
They will play most of 2018, though,
until some youngies push them out.
Not the future.
Just keeping the seat warm for the milennials

bulls***. Geary will get a game and so will Armitage.

Armo hardly played in 2017.

What makes you sure about 2019?
Are you his surgeon?

[Ellaandjohn]

2 or 3 of those are very important to our list. As for bottoming out well that was 4 years ago. Confusing


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[magnifisaint]

None of them will get a game in 2019.
The club isn't that silly. They drafted Austin to take Brown's spot.
They will play most of 2018, though,
until some youngies push them out.
Not the future.
Just keeping the seat warm for the milennials

bulls***. Geary will get a game and so will Armitage.

Armo hardly played in 2017.

What makes you sure about 2019?
Are you his surgeon?

What makes you so sure Mr Phrophet of Doom?

[skeptic]

It’s interesting...

Was it the off-season of 2014 that Richmond came to us with an offer of a 1st round pick for Armitage... pick #12 IIRC.

A few ppl on here thought that that was an attractive offer for an underperforming midfielder but they were slammed by the majority who insisted that it was laughable, nearing insulting.

Since then, Armo had an incredible first half of 2015 before petering off in the second half of that season. He was average in 2016 and was unsighted in 2017.

Now the suggestion is that he’s finished.

The pick before Lachie Weller, Jake Lever, and a few picks before Jayden Laverde (if I have my years correct).

Seems to me that we should have taken the deal.

[ace]

In 2018 , We still need Geary to lock down oppo best small forward and Brown to try and do same on their FF. Brown will fade last half of 2018 I fear, so hope Austin or Goddard can step up as the season goes on. We can cover Armo and Gilbo if required.

Don’t underestimate the impact Reiwoldt retirement will make. He took the best defender week in week out.

I think we will tread water for most of 2018 but see some younger players really step up last half of the season.

That should help Paddy.
Getting the oppositions best defender instead of their rubbish defender.

[Con Gorozidis]

None of them will get a game in 2019.
The club isn't that silly. They drafted Austin to take Brown's spot.
They will play most of 2018, though,
until some youngies push them out.
Not the future.
Just keeping the seat warm for the milennials

bulls***. Geary will get a game and so will Armitage.

Armo hardly played in 2017.

What makes you sure about 2019?
Are you his surgeon?

What makes you so sure Mr Phrophet of Doom?

All I said was those blokes werent our best players.
Sheesh. Hardly doom.
Our main playmakers are now Ross, Carlisle, Steven, Billings, Roberton.
Hopefully Dunstan, Acres, Coffield and Clark join that list.
If Armo gets back to his 2015 form that will be great. But its a long shot.

Isn't it a HUGE POSITIVE we dont rely on our older players anymore?

Surely it means our list is in decent shape?

[elizabethr]

Time will tell.
Armitage has a contract until the end of 2019.

[samuraisaint]

Good subject. Thinking about this myself.
As has already been posted, Armo only played 1 game and a bit this year, and not in the seniors after round 2. A bit like Dempster in that he was around early in the season to provide leadership and experience. Without Roo, Joey and Dempster, Armo will be important, mentoring the younger players over the next two years. The main question mark is over his ability to come back from his injury. Our midfield needs him now.
Geary had a fantastic 2016, I thought, and provided he stays fit, and there's no reason why he shouldn't, should be okay next year. Best 22 and should be around in 2019 too.
Gilbo provides a bit of physicality. Sometimes his disposal lets him down, but I definitely feel it's a positive that he's still on the list in 2018 as Melbourne showed us what can happen if you start retiring good clubmen too soon. Again, it's important to remember that we have three of our best 22 from 2017 gone, and I don't want us to completely bottom out next year. Sam will be in our seniors next year each week if he isn't injured. He can go into the midfield if required, but I would prefer it if he didn't go into the ruck. 2018 may be his final season, but definitely an important player for where we are at going into 2018.
Brown is a player we need for our structure. Goddard has played a quarter of football in a season and a half and needs to catch up on all of the fitness and development he has missed due to injuries.
How many power forwards kicked bags of over 4 goals against us last season? And how many in 2016? Brown supports Carlisle, and Goddard will take time when he eventually does return. Out of the four players on this list, Brown is the player we relied on the most heavily to stand up and perform his role in 2017, because since 2012 we have been absolutely monstered by full forwards. I think Brown could be holding down the full back post for us for the next two years.

At the moment our list isn't ready to challenge, and I agree with what Pelchen said this week that we are not likely to play finals in 2018, but probably sit around mid-table winning 11-12 games. To be realistic, next season needs to be about development and managing games into those players that require it. The issue during our 2004-2011 era was our lack of foresight and planning with drafting and recruiting. We appear to have that problem straightened up now, but I still think the success we have next year will be in our improvement in our younger players, some of whom have been in the system 3 years already. To do that well requires a balance between giving them the opportunity in the seniors, with the support in the knowledge that they are not expected to carry the entire team's fortunes yet. And that is why depth is important.

[Vazelos]

I expect Armitage to struggle the rest of his career as simply younger players have taken his spot that play similar.
Geary has two more years as a certainty in the best 22 after that id expect someone to challenge and take his spot.
Gilbert will play 2018 after that it's a lottery, I would expect others to replace him in 2019.
Brown as a structure player has more importance and harder to replace.
I'd expect him to be in our best 22 for the next 2 years...

[Con Gorozidis]

While I agree Brown was very important in the 2017 season two things have happened since then to make Brown far less important for our list.

1. Richmond stormed to a flag with a midget fwd line.
2. We recruited BOTH Austin and Clavarino.

For these reasons Brown's importance on the list has diminished substantially.

[BackFromUSA]

I want Arno to play majority small forward for the rest of his career with bursts in the midfield to relieve the core midfielders.

I would like to see Billings, Weller and Gresham with more midfield minutes.

[Dis Believer]

None of them will get a game in 2019.
The club isn't that silly. They drafted Austin to take Brown's spot.
They will play most of 2018, though,
until some youngies push them out.
Not the future.
Just keeping the seat warm for the milennials

bulls***. Geary will get a game and so will Armitage.

Armo hardly played in 2017.

What makes you sure about 2019?
Are you his surgeon?

What makes you so sure Mr Phrophet of Doom?

All I said was those blokes werent our best players.
Sheesh. Hardly doom.
Our main playmakers are now Ross, Carlisle, Steven, Billings, Roberton.
Hopefully Dunstan, Acres, Coffield and Clark join that list.
If Armo gets back to his 2015 form that will be great. But its a long shot.

Isn't it a HUGE POSITIVE we dont rely on our older players anymore?

Surely it means our list is in decent shape?

Yay, I am glad to see that we have somehting we can agree on, good post.......

[Con Gorozidis]

He could do a Federer or Nadal and come back for a few years and dominate again...

[SaintPav]

I want Arno to play majority small forward for the rest of his career with bursts in the midfield to relieve the core midfielders.

I would like to see Billings, Weller and Gresham with more midfield minutes.

Agree that they need to reinvent Armo and this could work.

Acres also needs to spend more time in the midfield. I have serious concerns that Weller can play an effective midfield role as I don't think he has the required skill set.

[outside66]

I'd say they are pretty crucial to us having success in 2018

[saynta]

At the moment our list isn't ready to challenge, and I agree with what Pelchen said this week that we are not likely to play finals in 2018, but probably sit around mid-table winning 11-12 games. To be realistic, next season needs to be about development and managing games into those players that require it.

Pelchen smelchen.

Sorry mate , but who amongst us really gives a friar tuck what that piece of crap thinks.

[DJ Higgins]

Firstly loving this post and only a few negative posts so far. Good to see. My two cents is that it is great that there is more pressure for spots unfortunately they are mainly for back half which IMO is not our weakest area.
Gilbo. True his disposals are not great but he has experience we need at present as and when he hits he hits hard. Gilbo smash. Plus he can go into the ruck when required. Unfortunately he is the wrong side of 30 so this may be his last season with us especially if he gets injured. Personally I am hoping he lifts as he rarely drops his head even when we are getting touched up and I love seeing that
Geary. Interesting to see if he is in our best 22 this year even though he is our captain. He had a his best season this year and he is good, but he is not great. yet. With multiple HBF being drafted he will feel the blowtorch this year. Lets hop he responds accordingly because if he improves like last year we will have one hell of a back 6
Brown. what a great pick and a good year in my opinion. Not our best player by far but he did exactly what he was hired to do. He took the oppositions monster forwards freeing up our other backs to play their normal game and not play above their height. Some games he should have been rested as he was mismatched with no real full forward to mark which didn't help his stats but I think he played every game. I am not sold on either Goddard (too slow & turning circle sucks) and Logan (no very little about him) yet so Brown may have a few more season in him. And his only 29
Armo. nearing 30 so this will be it for him this year if his body fails him again. 2 years ago he was hitting his stride perfectly and he was good, really good. Billy Brownless summed it up perfectly when he asked him if he had been to see his Doctor to get a cure for leather poisoning. And the bone rattling tackles he was laying. Usually one a game and they were awesome. Worst part is he will now be another inside midfielder. Steele, Koby Steven, Dunstan and him play similar games and with Seb Ross & Jack Steven certain starters, Billings pushing to play in the mids and potentially Hunter Clark, positions will be tight

We will play finals if we get a lot of luck this year but I woudl rather see our kicking at goal go up dramatically and someone train the guys to not handball to a guy standing a meter to their left who is about to get tackled

[Con Gorozidis]

The days of the two tall fwds and two tall backs just for tradition sake are gone. I call this the Kosi rule.

Richo has been slow to figure this out.

Look at Rd 23.

We played Brown, Carlisle, and Roberton.

Brown should not have played this game and was a liability.

Richmond went in with only Riewoldt and a midget fwd line and they cut us to shreds.

Townsend, Butler and a bunch of smalls all got goals.