Due to popular demand (thanks Zorro) I've run my eye across our list in a similar fashion as I did with the Cokers.
Firstly, here is a list of our better players over 27.
Ballas, Mundy, S.Hill, Suban, Griffin, Sandi, Spurr & AAJohnno.
I've left our D.Pearce, ZacD, ZacC & Ibbo from the above list as they've already announced their retirement or soon will. In ZacC's case, I'm assuming no news is not good news from a new contract offer perspective. It's my wishful thinking that D.Pearce and the club will work out a deal to finish him up this year.
Of those players in the above 27 age group, I'd argue we've got adequate cover for:
Ballas (Bennell, Grey & poss B.Matera),
Mundy (Logue in a few years??),
S.Hill (only just turned 27, but the likes of Langdon & Weller have the pace to cover him, if not the kicking skill level as yet),
Suban (loved his second half of the season but he may end up traded/released as a RFA - plus the tagging role he's played can be more than adequately filled by Blakely as he's previously shown). However, I reckon he's the team enforcer and has a real edge and bit of mongrel in him that we would have to replace. That person is Brady Grey, IMHO, so signing him should be a priority for several reasons.
Spurr - has been a fantastic player for us but he's not getting any faster or better. The likes of Ryan & Nyhuis have gone past him.
Griffin - I wrote on here a few months back after his recall following the PA debacle in Rnd 2 - where we got rolled by the Crows, Colonwood & Brisvegas - that the game had gone past him & his time was up. However, he played well in the final game against the Peptides (how good was that goal roving off the pack!) and with ZacC likely to leave, Sandi prob playing his last season and Hodor just a pup - he should be re-signed for another year. Long-term, however, we have this area covered with Hodor and maybe use Apeness (if he can get on the park), Tabs or even Cox as his cut-out.
AAJohnno - if Alex Pearce can get his body right then we have a ready-made replacement. Plus he's 5cm taller & 6kg heavier. Maybe not to fill the exact same role as AAJohnno but he's big enough to take on most power forwards which Johnno struggled with.
Our A-graders (or those I believe will be in a year or so) would be: Fyfe, Neale, Sandi, Hodor, B & S Hill, Walters, Bennell, Weller, Mundy, Blakely, Hamling, Cammac*, AAJohnno & Ryan.
The * for Cammac is for when he's playing as a 2nd or 3rd KF, not as the No.1 role he currently is expected to play.
Our B+ players (either on the way up or down from A) would be: Logue, Hughes, Tucker, A.Pearce, Grey, Cox, Deluca, Nyhuis, Ballas & Langdon. I know I've made some big calls here on some players but has a skinny, KPP put together a better initial 21 games than A.Pearce? Other than our own Elvis? Of these, only Ballas is over 22.
Tabs, Apeness & Kersten are yet to show they can either stay on the paddock for an extended period, or indeed deserve to be on the field for an extended period due to their volatile form. Kersten gets a pass as he's only had the one season (& pre-season) with us. I'd like to think Tabs deserves another contract but he'll need to do to Subiaco this week in the WAFL GF what he did to them last week in QF - tear them a new one with his contested marking. Mark my words, he is going to tear it up in the next few years in the AFL as he hits his prime & we'll kick ourselves if we let him go now.
Crozier, Sutcliffe, Sheridan, D.Pearce & Hendrix have all disappointed for various reasons but the cold, hard truth is there is too big a gap between their best and worst form. They're list cloggers/trade bait in my view, but I might be being a bit harsh on Crozier. Other may argue they're only crap because they're played out of position, but really good footballers work through that.
Suffice to say that provided we pick up a genuine power forward in the near future and keep getting games into the kids, I think we have the basis of a team that can win that elusive Holy Grail (to paraphrase Hunters & Collectors) in the next 3-5 years
The older blokes - well, we seem to have covered in one way or another with what's already on our list.
If we happen to snaffle Wilson, B.Matera & Hogan this trade period (or failing to nab Hogan, use pick 5 on Brander as he looks like a better fit down forward than Naughton), then a couple of big holes (on our playing list, children) will be filled nicely.
Now to connect this post with my previous one - our list has more upside now that the Wet Toasters. Plus they look likely to go down the path that they really are still in Premiership mode coz NicNat will be back - so the brutal list cull that everyone else (apart from WC & their sycophantic media mates) knows they need won't happen. Look out this time next year if they don't at least play finals - all sorts of carnage will ensue and I for one couldn't be happier with that thought.
Over to my esteemed, fellow Dockerlanders to pull apart my analysis that was written whilst on heavy duty pain killers and no sleep.
