Eagles recruiting for season 2023

goddy11 wrote:Are we hearing any news on Taj Schofield, Marty Frederick.

MichaelScott wrote:Do you mean Poulter? as Schofield signed for a wafl team

wimpy wrote:Haven't heard anything about Frederick. Poulter likely to stay in Vic. with his Melb. girlfriend.

wimpy wrote:With two spots on its Rookie List remaining available, the Gold Coast SUNS have invited four players to train with the club during the 2023 AFL pre-season.

Previously AFL listed duo Jed Anderson and Boyd Woodcock, as well as SUNS Academy Player of the Year Brinn Little and Frankston’s Brodie McLaughlin have been offered the opportunity to train with the SUNS AFL squad throughout pre-season.

Versatile midfielder Anderson played 99 matches over eight seasons for both Hawthorn and North Melbourne while forward Woodcock played 12 AFL matches during two seasons at Port Adelaide before featuring in Southport’s VFL squad in 2022.

SUNS Academy product Little impressed in both the NAB League and for the Allies in the 2022 NAB AFL Under 18 Championships with the 19-year-old key defender’s aerial ability and work rate being his key strengths.

wimpy wrote:Don't think so.

hawke wrote:Watched Eagles train at Ottoway Oval, Eastern Parade. Difficult to identify new recruits - need Wimpy"s help. Thought Brody Mair had put on size (height and muscle). A lot of players around 186cm mark but sadly only 4 over 193cm (Brinker-Ritchie yet to front) - Ballenden, Lukac, Phillips, Lehman and Thompson. - we're going to have a very short team, reliant on quick accurate movement away from losing rucks. A lot of good young players around the 185cm.
Given that we're not able to secure Poulter and with Frederick also looking increasingly unlikely, I wonder whether the Eagles will try for Trent Burgoyne who is presently a "train-on" player with Melbourne FC but surely! won't get picked up. I'm not sure that Trent can add anything to what we've already got. Would rather we picked up someone like Lane CHF 197cm who played in Tasmania's State U22 side. Tasmania appears to be a good recruiting area where young players are prepared to move to VFL or SA without the "go home" factor and there are several "big boys" over there who have talent.

wimpy wrote:

hawke wrote:Watched Eagles train at Ottoway Oval, Eastern Parade. Difficult to identify new recruits - need Wimpy"s help. Thought Brody Mair had put on size (height and muscle). A lot of players around 186cm mark but sadly only 4 over 193cm (Brinker-Ritchie yet to front) - Ballenden, Lukac, Phillips, Lehman and Thompson. - we're going to have a very short team, reliant on quick accurate movement away from losing rucks. A lot of good young players around the 185cm.
Given that we're not able to secure Poulter and with Frederick also looking increasingly unlikely, I wonder whether the Eagles will try for Trent Burgoyne who is presently a "train-on" player with Melbourne FC but surely! won't get picked up. I'm not sure that Trent can add anything to what we've already got. Would rather we picked up someone like Lane CHF 197cm who played in Tasmania's State U22 side. Tasmania appears to be a good recruiting area where young players are prepared to move to VFL or SA without the "go home" factor and there are several "big boys" over there who have talent.

"hawke" you missed Cooke, Cameron and Sladojevic.
We are possibly one tall short.
Looking forward to seeing Tom Luck as a future tall, whether he grows enough to make the AFL as a ruckman is debateable, but is very mobile and can find the footy possibly a future CHF. Bruce is about 190cm and Riley C-D about 191 cm

goddy11 wrote:

wimpy wrote:

hawke wrote:Watched Eagles train at Ottoway Oval, Eastern Parade. Difficult to identify new recruits - need Wimpy"s help. Thought Brody Mair had put on size (height and muscle). A lot of players around 186cm mark but sadly only 4 over 193cm (Brinker-Ritchie yet to front) - Ballenden, Lukac, Phillips, Lehman and Thompson. - we're going to have a very short team, reliant on quick accurate movement away from losing rucks. A lot of good young players around the 185cm.
Given that we're not able to secure Poulter and with Frederick also looking increasingly unlikely, I wonder whether the Eagles will try for Trent Burgoyne who is presently a "train-on" player with Melbourne FC but surely! won't get picked up. I'm not sure that Trent can add anything to what we've already got. Would rather we picked up someone like Lane CHF 197cm who played in Tasmania's State U22 side. Tasmania appears to be a good recruiting area where young players are prepared to move to VFL or SA without the "go home" factor and there are several "big boys" over there who have talent.

"hawke" you missed Cooke, Cameron and Sladojevic.
We are possibly one tall short.
Looking forward to seeing Tom Luck as a future tall, whether he grows enough to make the AFL as a ruckman is debateable, but is very mobile and can find the footy possibly a future CHF. Bruce is about 190cm and Riley C-D about 191 cm

I think you will find a former under 18 and now reserves player Jonte Hunter-Price fits the bill.

With Riley C-D and David B-C we will have two in the league team. Stuffs up getting their names on the magnets for the magnetic board.

Riley C-D. Has he a nickname? Hyphen? I don't recall any previous players with 2 names.

hawke wrote:No, Wimpy, I haven't missed anyone (excluding prodigy Tom Luck who won't be ready in2023).
None of the other players you mentioned are 194cm key defenders/forwards.
And we should also exclude Cameron from any plans since he's more injured than not.
So, providing Brinker-Ritchie proves to be an excellent 19 year old against hardened SANFL ruckman), that leaves us 1 tall down, providing Thompson, Ballenden and Lehmann don't miss games, so  say 2 down.  And if Brinker-Ritchie can't hold up the ruck position, 3 talls down.

But let's take a positive view - Brinker-Ritchie shows great talent and remarkably, Thompson, Ballenden and Lehman all have injury-free seasons!!!!!!!

The Barton wrote:Cameron Ellis-Yolmen only Eagles/WTFC player I can recall with  hyphenated surname.
Riley Collier-Dawkins nickname could be Two Dads, or Two Mums maybe......

hawke wrote:Wimpy, re your quote "........and at nineteen he has plenty of time to improve"

He has, but we haven't.
We're needing for a ruckman to carry us NEXT season from Round One - hopefully, he can do it.

hawke wrote:As much as I like Jack Firn's work ethic, team first attitude and role play, if he has to play CHF again (also only 190cm), then we haven't improved much on last season.

hawke wrote:Watched Eagles train at Ottoway Oval, Eastern Parade. Difficult to identify new recruits - need Wimpy"s help. Thought Brody Mair had put on size (height and muscle). A lot of players around 186cm mark but sadly only 4 over 193cm (Brinker-Ritchie yet to front) - Ballenden, Lukac, Phillips, Lehman and Thompson. - we're going to have a very short team, reliant on quick accurate movement away from losing rucks. A lot of good young players around the 185cm.
Given that we're not able to secure Poulter and with Frederick also looking increasingly unlikely, I wonder whether the Eagles will try for Trent Burgoyne who is presently a "train-on" player with Melbourne FC but surely! won't get picked up. I'm not sure that Trent can add anything to what we've already got. Would rather we picked up someone like Lane CHF 197cm who played in Tasmania's State U22 side. Tasmania appears to be a good recruiting area where young players are prepared to move to VFL or SA without the "go home" factor and there are several "big boys" over there who have talent.

hawke wrote:Titan, you mentioned ".....unfortunately be the victims of the need for clubs to make hard calls on list regeneration".

Seeing how long and gut-busting the players train, I don't think many of them would want to be doing it year after year when the coach doesn't give them any chance of making it. Far from feeling the "victims", the players only want honesty from the coach as to where they're at. And then enjoy their footy elsewhere with less pressure (and maybe more money).

I thought I saw Nicholls and Jackson out at training, not Wheare or Wollergerang but that might be that they couldn't attend just that night.

Our U18s team were down on talent this year but every Eagle supporter would be rapt with the quality of the U16 Premiership Team. The Eagles had by far the largest number of U16s selected in the SANFL squad of 45 (eight, I think) and some big boys in that group. In fact, unlike the usual Eagles teams, our U16s looked taller and stronger than the opposition (and not short on pace and skills either). So even after the 2024 AFL draft takes half of those lads, there'll still be some good ones remaining. Meanwhile some good recruiting needed to carry us through the next 2 years !