Discussion 2025: AFL SuperCoach Discussion - OPEN

Do you start a $669k Gawn?

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Not again... please not again... :(
One of those guys you almost hope gets a preseason injury just to remind you why you shouldn't even be considering him!

I really hope Flynn is good to go, will make my life of trying to pick even one of the rucks so much easier.

That weird position where I can make very good cases for about 8 guys and very bad cases for those same 8 guys :LOL:
 
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I think a ruckline of De Koning, Darcy, Boyd + Flynn and just accepting that you're gonna have half a dozen ruck trades is very feasible to try and get some early value with potential monster scoring. Not entirely sold on Flynn getting the #1 spot but can't rule it out either.
 
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Carlton hopes running machine Sam Walsh will be fit for round 1 after suffering a hamstring strain at training on Monday.
The Blues co-vice-captain will be out of action for the next month after the injury, with scans today revealing the extent of the blow.

He will not be back to full fitness for at least a month but with still 58 days until a round 1 meeting with Richmond, the Blues plan for Walsh to line-up in the season opener.


Sam Walsh at Carlton AFL training in December. Picture: David Crosling

Carlton has been hit with multiple injury setbacks in pre-season, with Charlie Curnow undergoing minor knee surgery before Christmas after starting the summer with a sore ankle.

Winger Blake Acres is recovering from back surgery, and Alex Cincotta will miss the start of the season with a hip injury.

Walsh had aimed to up his renowned running power this pre-season under new Blues fitness boss Rob Inness.

“I think the biggest thing for me is getting that full pre-season under my belt,” Walsh said in December.

“I do that by putting in the work and listening to my body, which I have been. And from there I really want to get after my power running.”

Walsh didn’t miss a game in his first two AFL seasons but has dealt with a back issue since then, while missing four games in late 2023 due to a hamstring injury.

Sam Walsh set to miss a month of training after hamstring injury | Herald Sun
 
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@wogitalia what changes do you expect if any for the Swans with Dean Cox taking over?

Do we see any positional changes?
Can't say I've followed that closely this o***eason or seen anything specific.

Gut feeling is I wouldn't expect big changes, he's a long serving senior assistant, you'd have to think he had a pretty decent level of input into the game plan and selections and, outside of games that matter against the vastly superior coaches, the game plan has been pretty successful.

Personnel is probably the more likely source of changes. Horse had his favourites that he would play irrationally, maybe Cox shares them but that's the area. I'd also say that Horse was one of the most patient coaches for both playing and keeping in the team with young guys. No idea if Cox will go down that path also but we've generally had a kid who plays most games when fit in most years of Horse.

I'd say the first 17 or so in our best 22 is pretty obvious and the last 6 spots is picked from about 12-15 guys, will genuinely come down to what Cox prefers for those picks.

For mine the biggest questions are:

Rowbottom - He's not good enough to be in the midfield, he's had several years and shown that beyond doubt. Given some of the names he's keeping out that's even more baffling. I always joked that he had compromising pictures of Horse such was his loyalty to playing Rowy at the team's expense. I'd like him trialed as a small forward, he's got good stoppage craft and fantastic workrate without the ball, he could be a very useful forward. God I hope I never see him at another CBA but I'm not expecting much, those guys that try harder than everyone else generally endear themselves to coaches and that's Cox's origin story itself so might gel with him even more.

Cunningham - Has turned himself into a very decent small defender but he's very limited and several of our better guys get castrated to fit him in. Will be a big call here whether he's in the side. Another of Horse's pets that Cox may see differently or the same.

Gulden - This is the biggest one. Wing is too easy to nullify him and he's our best player with the ball. He needs to be playing on ball for mine. He's so good on a wing though and one of my biggest issues with Horse was always that he would prioritise less important positions over the midfield at all costs, I'm hoping Cox remembers what the Eagles were, which is pretty much identical to how our list is designed, and flow from there.

Mills - I have no idea, he can't play alongside Rowbottom in the mids so one has to go (guess which I prefer). His body has been a mess for a while now, I'm not even sure he can play midfield or even the HB role anymore. He might just be done as a player unfortunately. I'm not convinced he's best 22 if he's not playing even centre or HB, he's been a pretty awful winger and HF when used there.

Lloyd - He's kind of the odd man out who has ended up in between positions. He actually showed a bit in the finals playing more wing than usual, I like him on a wing, not for fantasy, but actual football as he will run all day, he failed there at the start of his career badly but would think he's developed since then.

Campbell - Are we going to actually give him a chance under Cox, he was basically the opposite of Rowbottom under Horse and one of the few rookies that Horse seemed to be playing against his wishes and did everything to stunt him as a player. He should be playing either rover or HB (another reason for both Cunningham and Rowbottom to quietly GTFO). He's too good with the ball to not be getting it to him as much as possible. The idea of him and Blakey off half back with Heeney, Mills and Gulden through the middle is insanely scary given the quality of ball use among them, I don't expect to see it but if Cox lines up that way he's already ahead of Horse!

Warner - Can he be fit enough to play full time mid? Is he leaving? Do we develop him knowing he's leaving? This is a very tough question. He's dynamic and adds something else to the midfield with his raw burst ability but I'd rather Gulden, Heeney and Mills as the main 3 if he is going, Gulden and Heeney both offer about 85% of the burst anyway. Campbell would be my 4th personally as he can also offer about 85% of the burst.

Jordon - Will we tag? Will Jordon be our tagger if we do? Can also play wing serviceably and is an option there. He's another who I don't really think is best 22 and this year doesn't have the new recruit bias of we promised to play you going on.

Forward Structure - Will Cox be as regimental as Horse towards playing 3 tall forwards no matter what with the matter what being that 2 of the 3 are pretty terrible and the 3rd is a kid who is still very inconsistent. Personally I'd like to see only one of Amartey and McLean playing and more smalls/mid sized forwards. Horse as a former KPF seemed to think it was his duty to play as many as possible.

My personal best 22 looks like this right now, to be clear, how I think it will line up not how I want it to, * means a lock:

B: Rampe* Melican Cunningham
HB: Florent* McCartin* Blakey*
C: Gulden* Heeney* McInerney*
HF: Papley* McDonald* Hayward*
F: McLean Amartey Jordon
R: Grundy* Warner* Rowbottom
Int: Mills* Lloyd* From: Adams, Sheldrick, Wicks, Campbell, Paton, Cleary, Roberts, Mitchell, Warner, Fox

Francis, Hamling, Buller and Ladhams for mine all strike me as direct replacements for specific roles rather than likely bench guys but they're in the mix for games with an injury or two or form.

I almost starred Rowbottom also but I'm wishing basically! The bench is in numerical order, not me selecting them, I'd say Roberts is the pick of them right now and could even end up ahead of Cunningham or potentially even Lloyd. Sheldrick is very singular in his role but he's damn good, still shocked the Eagles didn't go hard for him this year, would be their 3rd best mid. I hope to never see Adams again but expect I will sadly. Wicks is a small forward but he doesn't use his speed to pressure so he's kind of useless. Cleary looked very handy last year, hope to see more. Warner is a comfort blanket for his fragile brother. Fox is versatile and makes a lot of sense as a sub, imo. Mitchell looked solid last year. Paton can play forward or back, I'd personally like him in the side ahead of Cunningham and Jordon, I really rated him at Saints but we'll see. Campbell mentioned above, imo he should switch with Rowbottom or Cunningham (or even Florent).

If any rookie breaks in this year, then would have to think they're worth picking because that's a very strong first 30 without even considering them. Only Warner on that bench hasn't shown genuine AFL ability, imo. Several of our rookies are KP guys as well fwiw.

Will be watching the preseason closely to see how we look and see if there's any difference. I really hope our god awful kick it long to spuds 1 against 3 will be long gone but not expecting it to be.


One of the things I liked about 'the big fella' when he was 'up and about' is that he is such a big unit and monstered other rucks. Having trimmed down will help TOG and getting around the ground but it MAY nullify part of his effectiveness.
Let's be honest, he could afford to lose about 15kg and still be among the biggest guys in the league. He was so insanely out of shape the last couple of seasons. Also from the pictures that have been shown so far when they say "slimmed down" they still mean carrying a lot of extra baggage, there's one photo where you can kinda sorta see some definition in one part of his arm and those were the best shots they had for the story! He still has the heavy lower body look going and he's still going to have the lefty aspect that makes him so effective in ruck contests around the ground.
 
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Can't say I've followed that closely this o***eason or seen anything specific.

Gut feeling is I wouldn't expect big changes, he's a long serving senior assistant, you'd have to think he had a pretty decent level of input into the game plan and selections and, outside of games that matter against the vastly superior coaches, the game plan has been pretty successful.

Personnel is probably the more likely source of changes. Horse had his favourites that he would play irrationally, maybe Cox shares them but that's the area. I'd also say that Horse was one of the most patient coaches for both playing and keeping in the team with young guys. No idea if Cox will go down that path also but we've generally had a kid who plays most games when fit in most years of Horse.

I'd say the first 17 or so in our best 22 is pretty obvious and the last 6 spots is picked from about 12-15 guys, will genuinely come down to what Cox prefers for those picks.

For mine the biggest questions are:

Rowbottom - He's not good enough to be in the midfield, he's had several years and shown that beyond doubt. Given some of the names he's keeping out that's even more baffling. I always joked that he had compromising pictures of Horse such was his loyalty to playing Rowy at the team's expense. I'd like him trialed as a small forward, he's got good stoppage craft and fantastic workrate without the ball, he could be a very useful forward. God I hope I never see him at another CBA but I'm not expecting much, those guys that try harder than everyone else generally endear themselves to coaches and that's Cox's origin story itself so might gel with him even more.

Cunningham - Has turned himself into a very decent small defender but he's very limited and several of our better guys get castrated to fit him in. Will be a big call here whether he's in the side. Another of Horse's pets that Cox may see differently or the same.

Gulden - This is the biggest one. Wing is too easy to nullify him and he's our best player with the ball. He needs to be playing on ball for mine. He's so good on a wing though and one of my biggest issues with Horse was always that he would prioritise less important positions over the midfield at all costs, I'm hoping Cox remembers what the Eagles were, which is pretty much identical to how our list is designed, and flow from there.

Mills - I have no idea, he can't play alongside Rowbottom in the mids so one has to go (guess which I prefer). His body has been a mess for a while now, I'm not even sure he can play midfield or even the HB role anymore. He might just be done as a player unfortunately. I'm not convinced he's best 22 if he's not playing even centre or HB, he's been a pretty awful winger and HF when used there.

Lloyd - He's kind of the odd man out who has ended up in between positions. He actually showed a bit in the finals playing more wing than usual, I like him on a wing, not for fantasy, but actual football as he will run all day, he failed there at the start of his career badly but would think he's developed since then.

Campbell - Are we going to actually give him a chance under Cox, he was basically the opposite of Rowbottom under Horse and one of the few rookies that Horse seemed to be playing against his wishes and did everything to stunt him as a player. He should be playing either rover or HB (another reason for both Cunningham and Rowbottom to quietly GTFO). He's too good with the ball to not be getting it to him as much as possible. The idea of him and Blakey off half back with Heeney, Mills and Gulden through the middle is insanely scary given the quality of ball use among them, I don't expect to see it but if Cox lines up that way he's already ahead of Horse!

Warner - Can he be fit enough to play full time mid? Is he leaving? Do we develop him knowing he's leaving? This is a very tough question. He's dynamic and adds something else to the midfield with his raw burst ability but I'd rather Gulden, Heeney and Mills as the main 3 if he is going, Gulden and Heeney both offer about 85% of the burst anyway. Campbell would be my 4th personally as he can also offer about 85% of the burst.

Jordon - Will we tag? Will Jordon be our tagger if we do? Can also play wing serviceably and is an option there. He's another who I don't really think is best 22 and this year doesn't have the new recruit bias of we promised to play you going on.

Forward Structure - Will Cox be as regimental as Horse towards playing 3 tall forwards no matter what with the matter what being that 2 of the 3 are pretty terrible and the 3rd is a kid who is still very inconsistent. Personally I'd like to see only one of Amartey and McLean playing and more smalls/mid sized forwards. Horse as a former KPF seemed to think it was his duty to play as many as possible.

My personal best 22 looks like this right now, to be clear, how I think it will line up not how I want it to, * means a lock:

B: Rampe* Melican Cunningham
HB: Florent* McCartin* Blakey*
C: Gulden* Heeney* McInerney*
HF: Papley* McDonald* Hayward*
F: McLean Amartey Jordon
R: Grundy* Warner* Rowbottom
Int: Mills* Lloyd* From: Adams, Sheldrick, Wicks, Campbell, Paton, Cleary, Roberts, Mitchell, Warner, Fox

Francis, Hamling, Buller and Ladhams for mine all strike me as direct replacements for specific roles rather than likely bench guys but they're in the mix for games with an injury or two or form.

I almost starred Rowbottom also but I'm wishing basically! The bench is in numerical order, not me selecting them, I'd say Roberts is the pick of them right now and could even end up ahead of Cunningham or potentially even Lloyd. Sheldrick is very singular in his role but he's damn good, still shocked the Eagles didn't go hard for him this year, would be their 3rd best mid. I hope to never see Adams again but expect I will sadly. Wicks is a small forward but he doesn't use his speed to pressure so he's kind of useless. Cleary looked very handy last year, hope to see more. Warner is a comfort blanket for his fragile brother. Fox is versatile and makes a lot of sense as a sub, imo. Mitchell looked solid last year. Paton can play forward or back, I'd personally like him in the side ahead of Cunningham and Jordon, I really rated him at Saints but we'll see. Campbell mentioned above, imo he should switch with Rowbottom or Cunningham (or even Florent).

If any rookie breaks in this year, then would have to think they're worth picking because that's a very strong first 30 without even considering them. Only Warner on that bench hasn't shown genuine AFL ability, imo. Several of our rookies are KP guys as well fwiw.

Will be watching the preseason closely to see how we look and see if there's any difference. I really hope our god awful kick it long to spuds 1 against 3 will be long gone but not expecting it to be.




Let's be honest, he could afford to lose about 15kg and still be among the biggest guys in the league. He was so insanely out of shape the last couple of seasons. Also from the pictures that have been shown so far when they say "slimmed down" they still mean carrying a lot of extra baggage, there's one photo where you can kinda sorta see some definition in one part of his arm and those were the best shots they had for the story! He still has the heavy lower body look going and he's still going to have the lefty aspect that makes him so effective in ruck contests around the ground.
McCartin and McDonald swapped roles early in preseason. I'm unsure on whether that has stuck post Christmas.
 
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Geelong defender Zach Guthrie says his older brother Cam well-placed for an opening round berth and is hopeful the two-time best and fairest winner has put his nightmare injury behind him.

Cam Guthrie, 32, has played just 10 AFL games since Geelong’s premiership win in 2022 after a series of frustrating setbacks.

He completed most of the program when Cats players returned ahead of the 2025 season and has since increased his training load in the New Year.

The luckless midfielder’s 2023 campaign was wiped out by a toe injury and after a strong 2024 pre-season he suffered a quad injury in the first 30 seconds of their opening practice game against Carlton.

Returning in round six in 2024, Guthrie lasted just four games before succumbing to a nagging Achilles injury that was worse than first feared, seeing him sit out the rest of the home-and-away season.


Cats player Cam Guthrie has been cruelled by injury. Picture: Mark Wilson

Guthrie played in Geelong’s VFL semi-final to put himself in contention for their preliminary final clash with Brisbane but missed out on selection.

Zach completed sessions with Cam and their other brothers over their break and said the 240-game Cat is aiming to feature in their upcoming practice games in February.

“I think that’s the plan (to play practice games and opening round), He’s moving around and he’s progressed his stuff even since the end of last year and he’s feeling good. So I’m looking forward to seeing him just keep on putting himself in the best shape possible to perform for us early in the year and just set himself up for a big year,” Zach said at a light Cats training session on Tuesday.

“But he’s going well, he’s progressing well and I’m sure he’s really looking forward to bouncing back from what has been a frustrating couple of years. But more than anything, I’m just looking forward to hopefully having him out there and playing some footy with him again.

“It’s probably frustrating when you can’t get on the field and play games. That’s sort of what you’re here to do, isn’t it, to help the team, get some wins.

“Which I think is the frustrating part, but he’s been really positive throughout it all and really hoping that some of the things that have affected his body in the last few years can be put behind him and he can get back some really good form and help the team, which I know he can.”

Zach said off-season recruits Bailey Smith – who he believes will be a “weapon” for the Cats – and Jack Martin have fitted in seamlessly and have shown exciting glimpses at training.

Smith was unwell and not in at the club on Tuesday with fans unable to catch a glimpse of him at the open training session at GMHBA Stadium.


Jack Martin at training on Tuesday. Picture: Mark Wilson

“They’ve been doing really well and, they’ve both showcased why they are really good players early on in the pre-season,” Zach said.

“I think that they’ve been able to showcase some of the things that they’re going to bring this year, and that I’m excited to see myself.

“So that’ll just continue to grow as we get sort of more into that match specific stuff, I’m sure. But I’m really looking forward to seeing what both of those guys can do across the year.”

Captain Patrick Dangerfield flagged last month that Smith, who crossed from the Western Bulldogs after being squeezed out of their on-ball brigade, would be playing inside midfield,

But Guthrie feels Smith’s role won’t be set in stone and could change over the coming months, with that call in the hands of the coaches.

“I think that when you are a player like Bailey and you’ve got a number of strengths that you can bring to the game, I think flexibility is something that we can really utilise, and I’m sure he will play a number of different positions for us and do it at a high level for us.

“So I’m looking forward to seeing how that evolves and I think just when you when you have some of the strengths like someone like him has, I think it’ll be a real weapon for us.

“We’re not exactly sure how that will look just yet, but I’m sure it’ll be something that will continue to change and continue to tinker with to get the best make-up across the whole team.”

Another big difference from 2024 is the loss of retired champion Tom Hawkins and Guthrie conceded that his leadership is irreplaceable.

But he said other Cats have been stepping up to fill the void.

“He’s (Hawkins’) been at the club for such a long period of time and had such a big impact on the club as a whole,” Guthrie

“And when you do lose guys like that, it’s obviously challenging and you can never replace them. But there’s guys that are stepping in and looking really hungry to try and fill the void and try and I guess keep guiding the club in the right direction.”

Reigning Carji Greeves medallist Max Holmes has been the top performer this pre-season in the eyes of Guthrie, impressing him in their running blocks and in match simulation with his trademark speed.

Guthrie finished runner up behind Holmes in their best and fairest count and has drawn on revelation Lawson Humphries, who he has formed a close bond with, to take his game up another notch.


The top three in last year’s Carji Greeves medal — Jeremy Cameron (3rd), winner Max Holmes and Zach Guthrie (2nd). Picture: Mark Wilson

The 26-year-old believes another promising defender Connor O’Sullivan as one to watch after an encouraging pre-season to date for the 2023 first-round selection.

“He’s a really, really good athlete, he’s someone that is in that boat where he played one game last year and looked comfortable at the level,” Guthrie said.

“He’s going to be a really good player for us in the future I think as he continues to develop and he’s moving really well along with some of those other guys and really pushing the training standards at the moment.

“So I’m sure he’ll be someone to watch early in the year and looking forward to seeing, because he is so flexible, a number of different roles that he can play. But I’m sure he’ll be someone who will be really keen to impress and he’s been looking really good.”

AFL 2024: Cam Guthrie injury update, hint on Bailey Smith role, Connor O’Sullivan player to watch | Herald Sun
 
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View attachment 82818

Geelong defender Zach Guthrie says his older brother Cam well-placed for an opening round berth and is hopeful the two-time best and fairest winner has put his nightmare injury behind him.

Cam Guthrie, 32, has played just 10 AFL games since Geelong’s premiership win in 2022 after a series of frustrating setbacks.

He completed most of the program when Cats players returned ahead of the 2025 season and has since increased his training load in the New Year.

The luckless midfielder’s 2023 campaign was wiped out by a toe injury and after a strong 2024 pre-season he suffered a quad injury in the first 30 seconds of their opening practice game against Carlton.

Returning in round six in 2024, Guthrie lasted just four games before succumbing to a nagging Achilles injury that was worse than first feared, seeing him sit out the rest of the home-and-away season.


Cats player Cam Guthrie has been cruelled by injury. Picture: Mark Wilson

Guthrie played in Geelong’s VFL semi-final to put himself in contention for their preliminary final clash with Brisbane but missed out on selection.

Zach completed sessions with Cam and their other brothers over their break and said the 240-game Cat is aiming to feature in their upcoming practice games in February.

“I think that’s the plan (to play practice games and opening round), He’s moving around and he’s progressed his stuff even since the end of last year and he’s feeling good. So I’m looking forward to seeing him just keep on putting himself in the best shape possible to perform for us early in the year and just set himself up for a big year,” Zach said at a light Cats training session on Tuesday.

“But he’s going well, he’s progressing well and I’m sure he’s really looking forward to bouncing back from what has been a frustrating couple of years. But more than anything, I’m just looking forward to hopefully having him out there and playing some footy with him again.

“It’s probably frustrating when you can’t get on the field and play games. That’s sort of what you’re here to do, isn’t it, to help the team, get some wins.

“Which I think is the frustrating part, but he’s been really positive throughout it all and really hoping that some of the things that have affected his body in the last few years can be put behind him and he can get back some really good form and help the team, which I know he can.”

Zach said off-season recruits Bailey Smith – who he believes will be a “weapon” for the Cats – and Jack Martin have fitted in seamlessly and have shown exciting glimpses at training.

Smith was unwell and not in at the club on Tuesday with fans unable to catch a glimpse of him at the open training session at GMHBA Stadium.


Jack Martin at training on Tuesday. Picture: Mark Wilson

“They’ve been doing really well and, they’ve both showcased why they are really good players early on in the pre-season,” Zach said.

“I think that they’ve been able to showcase some of the things that they’re going to bring this year, and that I’m excited to see myself.

“So that’ll just continue to grow as we get sort of more into that match specific stuff, I’m sure. But I’m really looking forward to seeing what both of those guys can do across the year.”

Captain Patrick Dangerfield flagged last month that Smith, who crossed from the Western Bulldogs after being squeezed out of their on-ball brigade, would be playing inside midfield,

But Guthrie feels Smith’s role won’t be set in stone and could change over the coming months, with that call in the hands of the coaches.

“I think that when you are a player like Bailey and you’ve got a number of strengths that you can bring to the game, I think flexibility is something that we can really utilise, and I’m sure he will play a number of different positions for us and do it at a high level for us.

“So I’m looking forward to seeing how that evolves and I think just when you when you have some of the strengths like someone like him has, I think it’ll be a real weapon for us.

“We’re not exactly sure how that will look just yet, but I’m sure it’ll be something that will continue to change and continue to tinker with to get the best make-up across the whole team.”

Another big difference from 2024 is the loss of retired champion Tom Hawkins and Guthrie conceded that his leadership is irreplaceable.

But he said other Cats have been stepping up to fill the void.

“He’s (Hawkins’) been at the club for such a long period of time and had such a big impact on the club as a whole,” Guthrie

“And when you do lose guys like that, it’s obviously challenging and you can never replace them. But there’s guys that are stepping in and looking really hungry to try and fill the void and try and I guess keep guiding the club in the right direction.”

Reigning Carji Greeves medallist Max Holmes has been the top performer this pre-season in the eyes of Guthrie, impressing him in their running blocks and in match simulation with his trademark speed.

Guthrie finished runner up behind Holmes in their best and fairest count and has drawn on revelation Lawson Humphries, who he has formed a close bond with, to take his game up another notch.


The top three in last year’s Carji Greeves medal — Jeremy Cameron (3rd), winner Max Holmes and Zach Guthrie (2nd). Picture: Mark Wilson

The 26-year-old believes another promising defender Connor O’Sullivan as one to watch after an encouraging pre-season to date for the 2023 first-round selection.

“He’s a really, really good athlete, he’s someone that is in that boat where he played one game last year and looked comfortable at the level,” Guthrie said.

“He’s going to be a really good player for us in the future I think as he continues to develop and he’s moving really well along with some of those other guys and really pushing the training standards at the moment.

“So I’m sure he’ll be someone to watch early in the year and looking forward to seeing, because he is so flexible, a number of different roles that he can play. But I’m sure he’ll be someone who will be really keen to impress and he’s been looking really good.”

AFL 2024: Cam Guthrie injury update, hint on Bailey Smith role, Connor O’Sullivan player to watch | Herald Sun
Reckon Max Holmes will be one of my first upgrades, along with Daicos. Just can't fit them into the starting side given that crappy round 3 bye
 
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Did a bit of a review on my starting team and trades from last year to see what I could learn as I was building a starting side last year.

Was surprised that my starting team only included 7 players above $500k which without having access to my past starting teams I am 100% sure this is well below my normal build.

Had 6 players that had a 4 in front of their starting price as I went more value hunting when preparing my team for last year with the extra trades on hand.

Only had 9 players from my starting team survive the whole of the year in my team. That included my only 2 starting players above $600k in Daicos and Bont which you could argue were bust picks with many picking them up at a discounted rate before going on big runs.

Perma captain donut in Livingstone was another who was shortly joined by Hore who did nothing but rot on the bench until popping for a 103 when needed in prelim final week for Supercoach.

Luke Jackson was another who I would say was a bust pick while Heeney, Sheezel and Martin were all great picks. Jury out on Hayden Young.

So all in all I only kept 7 "keepers" for the whole season. Heeney, Sheezel, Martin, Young, Daicos, Bont and Jackson.

This year am going to try a similar strategy and without really applying this theory I've been leaning this way with my current line-up.

Currently again only have 7 players above $500k with none above $600k. Not sure this will last to round 1 as I need to pick up some captaincy options.

The benefit of this is the ability to not be fielding rookie scores early on. As my team stands I have 19 players above $200k which means for best 18 weeks I am hopefully fielding 0 rookies and in the best 22 weeks I am only fielding 3.

Another thing I found interesting was seeing how I built my "final" 30 players and what I spent on each of them as the year unfolded.

Looking at what was a successful pick (purely looking at what they were priced at* compared to what they averaged in my team) shows that it is hard to get value from those $600k guys which we know. *This is purely looking it at the case of the MN at the start of the season, not sophisticated enough to work this out by each week and understand that the MN moves.

As tempting as it is sometimes the best move is to let those players who are fairly or overpriced go despite how much FOMO you have at missing out on their most recent score or having them as the single unique which ruined your most recent league match up.

Interested to hear how other people have reviewed their season 2024 and what they have learnt from their selections, starting team structure and trades.

Obviously each year is different as prices and players change but think there is still plenty to learn.

Bit of rambling here but it is a dull Wednesday at work so not much else to do.

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Certainly an interesting exercise comparing your round 1 team to your final team.

I had a great season last year, finished 82nd overall & still learning despite playing SC for over 10 years :LOL:

Biggest thing for me is with the extra trades/boosts is play aggressive. A couple of big trades I made in the opening few rounds was jumping on Luke Ryan & Caleb Serong before the price rises after both starting the season on fire.

Here was my round 1 team :-

Screen Shot 2025-01-15 at 11.24.06 am.png

Here was my final team :-
Screen Shot 2025-01-15 at 11.24.21 am.png

Biggest regret was never getting Xerri ... almost pulled the trigger about round 20 from memory.

Grundy (who's scoring dropped off for awhile till the final round) > Xerri was on the cards, held off as low on trades. Hindsight tells me I should of just run the gauntlet.

Daicos, Martin, Bont, Butters, Gawn, Grundy, Flanders, Heeney, Jackson & Livingstone stayed in my team all year, 9 premiums & floating donut.

Sheezel stayed till the final round (injured) so essentially I kept 10 premiums all year
 
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Did a bit of a review on my starting team and trades from last year to see what I could learn as I was building a starting side last year.

Was surprised that my starting team only included 7 players above $500k which without having access to my past starting teams I am 100% sure this is well below my normal build.

Had 6 players that had a 4 in front of their starting price as I went more value hunting when preparing my team for last year with the extra trades on hand.

Only had 9 players from my starting team survive the whole of the year in my team. That included my only 2 starting players above $600k in Daicos and Bont which you could argue were bust picks with many picking them up at a discounted rate before going on big runs.

Perma captain donut in Livingstone was another who was shortly joined by Hore who did nothing but rot on the bench until popping for a 103 when needed in prelim final week for Supercoach.

Luke Jackson was another who I would say was a bust pick while Heeney, Sheezel and Martin were all great picks. Jury out on Hayden Young.

So all in all I only kept 7 "keepers" for the whole season. Heeney, Sheezel, Martin, Young, Daicos, Bont and Jackson.

This year am going to try a similar strategy and without really applying this theory I've been leaning this way with my current line-up.

Currently again only have 7 players above $500k with none above $600k. Not sure this will last to round 1 as I need to pick up some captaincy options.

The benefit of this is the ability to not be fielding rookie scores early on. As my team stands I have 19 players above $200k which means for best 18 weeks I am hopefully fielding 0 rookies and in the best 22 weeks I am only fielding 3.

Another thing I found interesting was seeing how I built my "final" 30 players and what I spent on each of them as the year unfolded.

Looking at what was a successful pick (purely looking at what they were priced at* compared to what they averaged in my team) shows that it is hard to get value from those $600k guys which we know. *This is purely looking it at the case of the MN at the start of the season, not sophisticated enough to work this out by each week and understand that the MN moves.

As tempting as it is sometimes the best move is to let those players who are fairly or overpriced go despite how much FOMO you have at missing out on their most recent score or having them as the single unique which ruined your most recent league match up.

Interested to hear how other people have reviewed their season 2024 and what they have learnt from their selections, starting team structure and trades.

Obviously each year is different as prices and players change but think there is still plenty to learn.

Bit of rambling here but it is a dull Wednesday at work so not much else to do.

View attachment 82821

View attachment 82823
Interesting that the lowest % of wins was when buying in the $600k+ bracket, very similar for me at 2 out of 6 wins, although Treloar in round 16 who was promptly tagged for the 1st time of the year for a 58 then missed a game 2 weeks later, but delivered 3 x 140+ scores in following 3 weeks can't really be classed as a win.

Rowell at round 7 for $640k and Ryan in round 14 for $666k absolutely murdered my season
 
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Certainly an interesting exercise comparing your round 1 team to your final team.

I had a great season last year, finished 82nd overall & still learning despite playing SC for over 10 years :LOL:

Biggest thing for me is with the extra trades/boosts is play aggressive. A couple of big trades I made in the opening few rounds was jumping on Luke Ryan & Caleb Serong before the price rises after both starting the season on fire.

Here was my round 1 team :-

View attachment 82826

Here was my final team :-
View attachment 82827

Biggest regret was never getting Xerri ... almost pulled the trigger about round 20 from memory.

Grundy (who's scoring dropped off for awhile till the final round) > Xerri was on the cards, held off as ,low on trades. Hindsight tells me I should of just run the gauntlet.

Daicos, Martin, Bont, Butters, Gawn, Grundy, Flanders, Heeney, Jackson & Livingstone stayed in my team all year, 9 premiums & floating donut.

Sheezel stayed till the final round (injured) so essentially I kept 10 premiums all year
That's eerie.

Only 2 on field players different to my starting, Martin & Butters v's Newcombe & Crouch, and only 2 different bench rookies, Carrol & Sharp v's Lazzaro & Cadman.

I was travelling around the top 1% for most of the year but fell over towards the end running out of trades. Of course, you traded well throughout the year whereas I was aggressive but profligate (with cash & trades)
 
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https://www.sydneyswans.com.au/news/1707417/swans-tackle-the-new-year

The Sydney Swans have returned to the track for their first week of training of the new year.

The team began their 2025 pre-season in November last year with a solid training block before the Christmas break under new Senior Coach Dean Cox.

To kick off the new year, Cox welcomed his side back for 2025 with a brutal surprise: back-to-back 2km time trials with Corey Warner taking out the first 2km and Errol Gulden the second.

Sydney Swans Captain Callum Mils performed well in the time trials, showing his stamina to finish third in the second run.

The 27-year old will be looking for a big 2025 after playing just seven games in 2024 due to a series of injuries.

"It's been exciting to been able to participate in training and be fully healthy so I am really looking forward to this season," Mills said.

"Training has been really good, we have had a lot of numbers on the track and it's been really exciting, everyone is having a red hot go."

Mills has worked with new Senior Coach Dean Cox since Cox's arrival at the club in 2017 as an Assistant Coach and said he and the team are enjoying him taking the Senior Coach reigns.

"He's done an amazing job and we are really excited," Mills said.

"We are looking forward to implementing what he is doing so it's going to be a fun journey."

Good news on Mills (y)
 
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