player retirements and rumoured movements

you're the only one questioning the culture of the club Dobber... you have an agenda with every move the club makes. How about supporting them instead of smacking them down at every turn... and digging useless dirt that no one cares about.

Good try on attempting to hang Ainger for his showing at the Club Champion... I was there and he, along with all the players, were great and were in no way over the top - and even if they were, this is the time of year to let their hair down anyway.

Powell's farewell speech was sensational, and Godden painted a picture of what went wrong in 2014 and looking forward to 2015.

Dobber, I don't know about everyone else, but i'm sick of your second hand information, negative tone towards the club, and generally just the crap you dish out. Support the club or go away.

Mara32 wrote:you're the only one questioning the culture of the club Dobber... you have an agenda with every move the club makes. How about supporting them instead of smacking them down at every turn... and digging useless dirt that no one cares about.

Good try on attempting to hang Ainger for his showing at the Club Champion... I was there and he, along with all the players, were great and were in no way over the top - and even if they were, this is the time of year to let their hair down anyway.

Powell's farewell speech was sensational, and Godden painted a picture of what went wrong in 2014 and looking forward to 2015.

Dobber, I don't know about everyone else, but i'm sick of your second hand information, negative tone towards the club, and generally just the crap you dish out. Support the club or go away.

Well written and put keep posting please Mara

Nick Hayes - good signing. Well done Trent Henschell (and others).

Next: big 196cm Bruggeman as our CHB.
Then: if available, Jarrad Petrenko
Will be surprised if Luke Thompson doesn't prefer to go back home to Victoria now that his AFL career is finished.

Then "Wish List": Essendon to drop 199cm ex Queensland State ruckman Fraser Thurlow off their rookie list and he finally signs with us after Eagles lost him at the final Essendon rookie pick last season.   But ? too many cards have to fall the right way.

Hopefully we can pick up a tall ruckman and quick midfielder. From Mickyl (above), maybe Trent's right on that now with Dowdell and Ash Duncan.

The other "forgotten men"- gridiron hopeful Josh Growden and Amos Frank. Wonder where they're at re return to footy.

Interesting ("and pigs might fly") how different our midfield may look in 2015 with 1st ruck  Dowdell, Hayes, Rowntree  
2nd ruck Bornholm (at present), Petrenko, Boyd  with Lou in the Centre.

I'd be very surprised if Thommo left SA unless he was given an opportunity at another AFL club. He was at as many games as possible this year to watch his mates. Great clubman, if the cards fall and he does end up back at oval ave we have ourselves a future captain.

Certainly, Thommo would be a bonus. In 2013 when he was ignored by the Crows and spent most of the year at the Eagles, he was rarely beaten
at fullback.Interestingly, in an old article by his former Victorian coach, he predicted Thommo had the attributes to develop into a bigbodied midfielder, but never got tested.
Good to hear that Wundke admitted that he hasnt been able to do a proper preseason for 2 years due to injury but that through 2014 his injuries  had disappeared and he's looking forward to a decent preseaso, losing weight and playing up the ground more next year. Watch out! If he can step up another gear..............l

I'd be pretty sure Thommo will come back to the Eagles if not drafted, judging by a conversation I had with him late last year. Things change of course, and money talks, but if he doesn't come back it won't be because of a "go home" factor.

And as for the earlier post of a favourite player possibly leaving due to a fall out with the coach... if you're eluding to Goldsworthy, you can quash that rumour - he laughed when it was mentioned at the Club Champion.

Its being said on another forum that Toby Stribling and Ben Dowdell are Eagles nothing from the club and a south person is saying it

Didnt hear this myself supposedly Shaun McKernan said on AA if he doesnt get drafted coming to the Eagles

I mentioned in an earlier post about many cards having to fall our way for rookie listed Essenden 199cm ex Queensland ruckman to get to the Eagles. Well, the cards have begun to fall........and our way. Today he was delisted.

I would rate him better value to the Eagles than McKernan - Fraser Thurlow is a genuine ruckman; McKernan is a CHF who can ruck.
Thurlow is reported to be a strongly contesting ruckman, a leader and a team player. He was about to sign last year until Essendon grabbed him with the last pick of the Rookie Draft. Would be the sort of player to build the team around and the spin-offs would be a better midfield when the ball is stuffed down their necks - Mick Godden saw this at close hand when he coached SA against Qld in 2013. If there is a little doubt, then it is that Thurlow only played about 8 VFL games this year due to first a shoulder injury, then a back injury so we would need to get a medical clearance.

Having said that, if we can't get Thurlow, then McKernan would be a good Plan B
Hope there's still salary cap room for Bruggeman, Petrenko and Thompson.......and another quick midfielder.
But assuming Thurlow is over his injuries, he must be our No1 priority

On the coaching front I believe Andrew Bruce has moved the Glenelg as their u18 coach.
Timing will be good for him given they now have our heartland. I see we have the need for a reserves coach...has Jarred Wright moved up or moved on. I am pretty sure we are under the pump financially and the coaching panel will be downsized. Look forward to some vibrant recruiting news.

Hareeba wrote:On the coaching front I believe Andrew Bruce has moved the Glenelg as their u18 coach.
Timing will be good for him given they now have our heartland. I see we have the need for a reserves coach...has Jarred Wright moved up or moved on. I am pretty sure we are under the pump financially and the coaching panel will be downsized. Look forward to some vibrant recruiting news.

I noticed that myself Hareeba pity if we lost Wright thought he was a fantastic seconds coach

I see on another footy forum our CAP is being questioned again !!

everyone's an accountant

Apparently Wright and Godden had a difference of opinions, and now he is back at a South!

Fair enough for Wright...reserves coach would be a hard gig I imagine. Wright has done a good job but it wont hurt to freshen up the coaching panel across the board from last season.
Shall we whinge that South has poached the same person from our club twice !!!

Hareeba wrote:Fair enough for Wright...reserves coach would be a hard gig I imagine. Wright has done a good job but it wont hurt to freshen up the coaching panel across the board from last season.
Shall we whinge that South has poached the same person from our club twice !!!

Good point

Jarrad Wright may see his best opportunity to coach the Eagles in, say, 2016 (after Mick Godden) as coaching away from the Club for a couple of years.
And this may even have been suggested by Mick. Otherwise, what more can Wright achieve - only another 2 Seconds Premierships (to make 4 consecutive) and to become stale with his players by the time his League gig comes.

good point - let's hope it is 2016 .... or sooner, as feel the current bloke is already stale!

I'm more concerned about our recruiting we have signed only one player so far and lost three !!

Waiting on the draft Micky

Mara32 wrote:Waiting on the draft Micky

yesh knew that haha

We've got them all lined up ready to come but will the X&!!$! draft wreck our plans or will it be our finances or the salary cap that stuffs us. Players are:

1. Ruckman:     Thurlow or McKernan (pick one, can't afford both)
2 Midfielders:    Petrenko
3. 2nd midfielder: Someone quick who has better disposal than Petrenko
4. Bruggeman, man mountain who can play CHB, CHF, FF or pinch hit in ruck
                                    or
   Luke Thompson, versatile can play anywhere.  
(again, pick one because ? can we afford both).

Cards fall wrong way, Mickyj's nightmare continues and we get nobody. But hopefully, successful announcements post draft week.

Premiers wrote:We've got them all lined up ready to come but will the X&!!$! draft wreck our plans or will it be our finances or the salary cap that stuffs us. Players are:

1. Ruckman:     Thurlow or McKernan (pick one, can't afford both)
2 Midfielders:    Petrenko
3. 2nd midfielder: Someone quick who has better disposal than Petrenko
4. Bruggeman, man mountain who can play CHB, CHF, FF or pinch hit in ruck
                                    or
   Luke Thompson, versatile can play anywhere.  
(again, pick one because ? can we afford both).

Cards fall wrong way, Mickyj's nightmare continues and we get nobody. But hopefully, successful announcements post draft week.

Cards please fall the right way hahaha

Not sure how that recruit list will fare in the draft for us. Forget our personal thoughts about each player, if
you look at their age and experience I reckon they are all massive chances to get drafted again.
Thurlow may be the best chance from the AFL list to become available.
Whilst Bruggeman got shafted in the GF, I have not heard if he is disgruntled....despite everything Port turned him into
a pretty handy player who improved immensely during last season. He would be a great pick up but is
he disgruntled with Port (I hope so) and how did he slip through our fingers last year ?

It seems that Bruggeman is deciding between Eagles and Sturt.. Other sites state he has already signed with Sturt ( but last year they also said that Wundke had signed with North!)