Players on the chopping block

[parkeysainter]

Any ideas on who is facing the cut for 2018?

# N. Wright (has a crack but has never been a regular, can't see him in a finals side)
# L. Pierce or T. Hickey or J. Holmes (one or two of these rucks are going due Marshall getting promoted next year....surely)
# J. Lonie (50/50 on him....he might get 1 more year)
# D. Minchington (same as Lonie but I like him as a player)

Possible Retirements
Riewoldt
Montagna

Pretty sure they let go around 6-8 players a year so draft picks, rookies and trades have a list spot. No one else particularly stands out when you have a look at the list IMO.

[parkeysainter]

Should also add Dempster already gone.

[longtimesaint]

Some of the players mentioned have contracts for next year and some for 2019

[longtimesaint]

Hickey and Pierce 2019, Minchington 2018

[WellardSaint]

I think Wright has been getting fewer than 8 touches in the Zebs.
Been in the system since 2013, I think.
He can't be considered "fringe" nor "depth" any more,
he's become a Zebs player and that's all he can ever be.
If he was going to show something, he'd have done it by now.

[Bernard Shakey]

Off the list this year:

Dempster
Montagna
Savage
Holmes
Minchington (contracted to 2018)
Wright (contracted to 2018)

At least one good player will be traded.

[parkeysainter]

Oh crap. Didn't realise some of these guys are contracted. Guess there will be a couple traded out or put on the rookie list.

[Beno88]

I can't see there being as many list changes as recent years.

Sean Dempster will obviously come off the list and it seems fairly likely that Leigh Montagna will retire.

Jack Lonie and Shane Savage are both uncontracted and probably playing for their futures at the moment. The fact that they're currently in the 22 is a positive sign for both of them.

Tom Hickey, Nathan Wright, Darren Minchington and Lewis Pierce are all contracted but I can't see all of them being on the list come December. Hickey is tradable, the others not so much.

Jason Holmes may struggle to hold his spot if both Hickey and Pierce are retained. His future could depend on whether Hickey is traded or not.

Nick Coughlan will be lucky to be retained on the rookie list. O'Kearney and the Irish boys have done enough to be retained on the rookie list.

I think there'll be six spots opened up on the senior list and one rookie spot, which will be become five and two if Marshall is promoted to the senior list.

[Vazelos]

Dempster is gone as we know.
Montagna is almost certain to be retired.
Holmes is unlikely to have his contract extended.
Riewoldt is 50/50 to play next year.
Agree with most in here Wright, Minchington and Pierce are on borrowed time but have contracts beyond this year.
Agreed Coughlan on the rookie list will be lucky to be retained.
Lonie is 50/50 as well, they are having a real look at him to make that assessment.
I have flipped and flopped on him but seem now to have lost faith in him to be the finished article.
He is not hard enough and picks and chooses when he wants to present especially in the defensive area.
Savage should get another contract.

[WellardSaint]

Dempster is gone as we know.
Montagna is almost certain to be retired.
Holmes is unlikely to have his contract extended.
Riewoldt is 50/50 to play next year.
Agree with most in here Wright, Minchington and Pierce are on borrowed time but have contracts beyond this year.
Agreed Coughlan on the rookie list will be lucky to be retained.
Lonie is 50/50 as well, they are having a real look at him to make that assessment.
I have flipped and flopped on him but seem now to have lost faith in him to be the finished article.
He is not hard enough and picks and chooses when he wants to present especially in the defensive area.
Savage should get another contract.

I am no longer a fan of Lonie, but I was a fan when he played some nice games 2 years ago.
I put a phrase above in italics, because I don't think players pick and choose when they present;
it's a matter of being fatigued from an earlier effort and they haven't timed their big effort.
They learn how hard to push and when to push, from a lot of game time.
It's not like a video game where a guy can jump over 12 fences without having to catch breath.
They learn when to go and how hard to go, this skill is honed from very early on.
Repeated sprints are part of preseason training, it's so they get to judge their own abilities.

[Wombat15]

Name Years Service Status
Dylan Roberton 5 Non-Free Agent
Jack Billings 4 Non-Free Agent
Jack Lonie 3 Non-Free Agent
Jason Holmes 4 Non-Free Agent
Leigh Montagna 16 Unrestricted Free Agent
Nicholas Coughlan 2 Non-Free Agent
Nick O'Kearney 2 Non-Free Agent
Nick Riewoldt 17 Unrestricted Free Agent
Rowan Marshall 1 Non-Free Agent
Sam Gilbert 12 Unrestricted Free Agent
Sean Dempster 10 Unrestricted Free Agent
Shane Savage 4 Non-Free Agent

hope this helps

[Con Gorozidis]

Eli Templeton is a better all round football player than Lonie imo.
I would be very surprised if Lonie got another contract.

[Bernard Shakey]

Eli Templeton is a better all round football player than Lonie imo.
I would be very surprised if Lonie got another contract.

Eli is a self centred spud!

[Wombat15]

Personally i feel rooey and joey should hang them up come the end of this season. But if roo wanted to go on you cant say no. the blokes been there for 17 years and basically runs the joint now. if you can manage him, not take him interstate and save his legs against the bottom feeders then hes worth a spot.
Unless Lonie learns how to be clinical in front of goal, tackle or puts on some size to improve his physicality its hard to justify a spot. Betts, Tippa etc only get away with it because they score bags and betts is a proven 30+ goal a year player. Lonie should really be looking at gresh if hes going to be our #2 small forward.
but unfortunately i think it may be curtains for; Holmes, Pierce, Coughlan. personally id keep holmes just as that 3rd ruck option even if we do have Marshall.
players on the block youd have to look at Minch, Wright & Lonie. Very good vfl players who struggle at the step above.
then the potentials of NOK and Savage. if you can keep them on the cheap i understand their usage.

[mr six o'clock]

I reckon Holmes could make it if he was a few years younger.
He's progess from his first year is remarkable.
We just can't keep 4 average rucks on the list.
It will be very hard for the list management.
Only a few of our youth have shown improvement this year.

[saintbob]

Eli Templeton is a better all round football player than Lonie imo.
I would be very surprised if Lonie got another contract.

I am quite disappointed that he is actually getting another game, let alone a contract.

[borderbarry]

We could have a clean out of the rookie list,promote a couple, get rid of some, then move Wright, Minchington, Pierce, onto the rookie list for the remainder of their contracts. Consider sacking whoever contracted them.

[saintbob]

We could have a clean out of the rookie list,promote a couple, get rid of some, then move Wright, Minchington, Pierce, onto the rookie list for the remainder of their contracts. Consider sacking whoever contracted them.

I thought I read somewhere, that the AFL are actually doing away with the rookie list and just including them on the main list.

[Vazelos]

Dempster is gone as we know.
Montagna is almost certain to be retired.
Holmes is unlikely to have his contract extended.
Riewoldt is 50/50 to play next year.
Agree with most in here Wright, Minchington and Pierce are on borrowed time but have contracts beyond this year.
Agreed Coughlan on the rookie list will be lucky to be retained.
Lonie is 50/50 as well, they are having a real look at him to make that assessment.
I have flipped and flopped on him but seem now to have lost faith in him to be the finished article.
He is not hard enough and picks and chooses when he wants to present especially in the defensive area.
Savage should get another contract.

I am no longer a fan of Lonie, but I was a fan when he played some nice games 2 years ago.
I put a phrase above in italics, because I don't think players pick and choose when they present;
it's a matter of being fatigued from an earlier effort and they haven't timed their big effort.
They learn how hard to push and when to push, from a lot of game time.
It's not like a video game where a guy can jump over 12 fences without having to catch breath.
They learn when to go and how hard to go, this skill is honed from very early on.
Repeated sprints are part of preseason training, it's so they get to judge their own abilities.

It's more to do with toughness, mental and physical.
Jack Viney you would find on one end of the spectrum and Lonie on the other.
Read a great article by Nathan Burke last week on Inside Sport and talks about this in detail.
A few times in the Bombers game he got shrugged off way too easily and for mine that inconsistency coupled with really no outstanding trait to trade on for a longer career than the average of 4 years.

[WellardSaint]

Coaches under the chopping block
- Aaron Hamill is probably a really nice genuine bloke and works his butt off
- being a nice bloke doesn't win any prizes if he can't coach the forwards

Can we get
- a nice bloke who works his butt off
- who can also understand an AFL forward set up
- who can help the forwards be more effective

[Con Gorozidis]

Lonie, Nate Wright and Savage should all be gone imho.
Roo and Joey to retire.

Then go to the draft with two top ten picks.
I'd also be bringing in external consultants on drafting this year. We simply can't afford to stuff up these picks.

I'd also be getting games in to Rice, White and Marshall. Then next year Battle and Long.

We are still a development squad.

[borderbarry]

Go to the draft with two top ten picks??? Didnt you see the game last night? Havent you seen Hawthorn play the last month or more??? They have beaten Adelaide in Adelaide, they have beaten the so-called form team Sydney twice. I can see them going all the way. I think Pick 10 last year would have been far better than what we will get from them this year.....
Wake up.

[Con Gorozidis]

Go to the draft with two top ten picks??? Didnt you see the game last night? Havent you seen Hawthorn play the last month or more??? They have beaten Adelaide in Adelaide, they have beaten the so-called form team Sydney twice. I can see them going all the way. I think Pick 10 last year would have been far better than what we will get from them this year.....
Wake up.

Good on them for the way they are going and some terrific coaching.
But they wont be going all the way this year. 8 is a long shot still.

[thejiggingsaint]

Go to the draft with two top ten picks??? Didnt you see the game last night? Havent you seen Hawthorn play the last month or more??? They have beaten Adelaide in Adelaide, they have beaten the so-called form team Sydney twice. I can see them going all the way. I think Pick 10 last year would have been far better than what we will get from them this year.....
Wake up.

Good on them for the way they are going and some terrific coaching.
But they wont be going all the way this year. 8 is a long shot still.

One/two losses could see both Hawthorn AND Sydney struggling to play finals.

[St Lenny]

Should also add Dempster already gone.

Yeah, well that was a smart move, not...................