List Management for 2020/21

[ledge]

I don't mind Aarts but I think there's more upside to someone like Higgins. Think there's a relationship with Bailey Smith there somewhere too. Considering his recent health problems if he wanted to go I dare say the Tigers would make it happen pretty easily.

Edit : Excerpt from article re Bailey and Higgins friendship.

BONDING WITH BILLY AND ‘HIGGO’

It’s this footy camaraderie that has kept Smith more motivated about the game than anything else — a camaraderie he first felt in Year 7 when he was running water for the Xavier College first XVIII team. At the time, Billy Gowers — who was the Western Bulldogs’ leading goalkicker in 2018 — was the team’s pin-up boy — and Smith’s hero.

“He learnt my name one of those days and from then on he’d always say hi to me. That was probably the most memorable moment, honestly, of my young football journey,” Smith said.

One day in the same year, Smith came across another footy-mad kid after an East Malvern Knights training session.

“Do you want to have a kick?” Jack ‘Snags’ Higgins — Richmond’s 2018 cult hero — asked Smith at the time.

Jack Higgins gave Tigers fans lots of joy in 2018.

And a friendship was born. Albeit, their definition of friendship — covering anywhere from 10 to 13km in three or four training sessions a week during summer at Gosch’s Paddock — is very different to how others would define it. But Smith wouldn’t change a thing, as it helped develop an extraordinary work ethic.

“It was draining and so hard, but I’m so thankful for him taking me under his wing … I just wanted to follow him,” Smith said,

“We created such a good bond because we have such similar interests. We both want to get the best out of our footy and we’re willing to do almost anything for it.”

And Smith’s not joking when he says “almost anything”.

As long as Smith doesn’t want to go to the tigers .. works both ways.

I actually like Aarts he goes hard , a little like Clay Smith , I see Mihocek a bit the same , I would take either of them.

[bulldogsthru&thru]

I hope the talk of us cooling on Lonie means we’ve got someone better lined up.

[GVGjr]

Finals always throw up some interesting selection dilemmas and one caught my eye. Richmond dropped Jake Aarts for last night game and for me would suit us to fill our glaring small pressure forward weakness. Played 14 games and impressed me as I thought he was nothing more than your average VFL level player. Knows where the goals are and comes in a bit older than your average TAC graduate. Has obviously got lost amongst Richmonds glut of his type (Rioli, Pickett, Higgins, Castagna, Baker and Bolton) similar to Butler last year and may be a bit pissed off and possibly gettable. Thoughts?

Its a good suggestion and he would be a player who could be acquired with a latish pick

[josie]

Ahhh that golden period between the final round of home & away and trade week when journos can cheekily plop any old turd they please into the bowl safe in the knowledge it'll make the requisite splash.

We need a thread of mooted moves we can revisit later for amusement purposes.

Well said RS. Some good turds of phrase.

[Mitcha]

Obviously one of the glaring weaknesses on our list is of players with genuine forward craft hence the apparent interest in Lonie.
This is evidenced by the fact that Naughton is a key defender learning to play KPF and Wallis who has reinvented himself from an accumulating mid to our go to target inside fifty. The thing that I found amazing about this season was that players currently on our list with forward smarts (Dickson-Retiring, Dale-Out of favour and future uncertain, Lloyd-Out of favour and future uncertain and Greene-Probably gone) were all unselected at the pointy end of the season. if we don't find anything in this years trade period we are relying on Weightman to come on very quickly as there are also doubts on whether Cavarra stays or not.

[Rocket Science]

I hope the talk of us cooling on Lonie means we’ve got someone better lined up.

Me too.

[Vred]

I hope the talk of us cooling on Lonie means we’ve got someone better lined up.

I'd take De Goey lol

[Happy Days]

I'd take De Goey lol

Yuck.

I’ve heard that we’ve got another small forward to agree to come over, only he’s not small or a forward and he’s Todd Goldstein.

[Vred]

Yuck.

I’ve heard that we’ve got another small forward to agree to come over, only he’s not small or a forward and he’s Todd Goldstein.

Whilst I'd give a left testicle to have Todd on the list for two years (instantly fixes a ruck / defender problem) I have a feeling we won't do it.

De Goey, for all his off-field questionable activity, is a gun on the field and would be great X factor in our forward line, something we lack.

[Happy Days]

Whilst I'd give a left testicle to have Todd on the list for two years (instantly fixes a ruck / defender problem) I have a feeling we won't do it.

De Goey, for all his off-field questionable activity, is a gun on the field and would be great X factor in our forward line, something we lack.

De Goey literally has sexual assault charges pending. Why on earth would we want him at our club.

[bornadog]

De Goey literally has sexual assault charges pending. Why on earth would we want him at our club.

Even if he didn't he is not going anywhere

[Twodogs]

Oh yeah...…..because why?

Because we need less two way running in our midfield? Because we're flushed with elite wingers? Because things didn't go perfectly after he shat the bed by getting hammered and smashing up a bunch of cars? Because he finished clearly top ten in our best and fairest after playing half a season?

After the way he made a point of slapping his jumper when he kicked a goal the week they last floated this rumour I'm confident that he's not going anywhere.

[GVGjr]

After the way he made a point of slapping his jumper when he kicked a goal the week they last floated this rumour I'm confident that he's not going anywhere.

Same here, BAD mentioned Hunter as being so important to us the other day and the evidence is there to suggest he is worth the money and the long term deal we offered him. The other thing is he is hugely popular with the playing group
Despite being at the club for 8 years already his best football might still be in front of him

[jazzadogs]

Same here, BAD mentioned Hunter as being so important to us the other day and the evidence is there to suggest he is worth the money and the long term deal we offered him. The other thing is he is hugely popular with the playing group
Despite being at the club for 8 years already his best football might still be in front of him

There's a big garbage rumour floating around which is based ENTIRELY on Jack Higgins' girlfriend posting a video to Instagram that the bulldogs players were partying too loudly in Bailey Smith's room the night after our last game. There is a lot of garbage attached to it (highlight being that Caleb Daniel was dressed up like evil knievel and got thrown off the balcony into the pool, I mean CMON!!) but it ends with a statement that Bailey Smith and Lachie Hunter have been told to pack their bags.

Truly laughable. I have no doubt that there was a loud party, it was probably in Baz's room and I'm sure that some/many players took drugs. But we're not getting rid of two of our top 5 players because of it.

[azabob]

Same here, BAD mentioned Hunter as being so important to us the other day and the evidence is there to suggest he is worth the money and the long term deal we offered him. The other thing is he is hugely popular with the playing group
Despite being at the club for 8 years already his best football might still be in front of him

I got Hunter wrong.

At the time I questioned the length of deal and wondered how much he'd be on a year.

I said earlier in this thread Hunter is our second most important midfielder and likely in our top 5 most important players.