Player Watch Fin Macrae

[Dtennent94]

Nah. Incredibly lucky to be getting a 5th year from the club. Very rare for a mid without any runs on the board to get so long. It's usually only blokes with elite traits or hard to find player types who get so long.

Kind of shocked to have Sullivan, Long and Macrae all playing the exact same role of NQR backup inside mid right now.

I’ll be surprised if any get games in 2025 and if more than one remains on the list after that.

 

[manicpie]

Kind of shocked to have Sullivan, Long and Macrae all playing the exact same role of NQR backup inside mid right now.

I’ll be surprised if any get games in 2025 and if more than one remains on the list after that.

All 3 are purely depth players. Injuries will determine if they get a game and that's about it.

 

[76woodenspooners]

I doubt we'll be seeing a massive turn around. i'm positive this will be his last year with us

Maybe.

But the club clearly saw that he had the tools to become a decent player, which is why they offered him the current contract he’s on. If they thought he was doubtful then he wouldn’t be at the club for a fifth year.

It’s still yet to be determined if he succeeds or fails.

 

[Granit1962]

Nick will be fine. He's stronger than people seem to realise. He's an inside mid who is also devastating on the outside. Get used to watching him win clearances. It's just where he's going to play and dominate, because his skill set for it is unbelievable. Incredible ball handling, awareness and ability to create space and execute when hemmed into a shoe box

Adam Treloar with a similar build was just All Australian for the first time at 31 after a decade of scrapping on the inside. His serious injury that impacted his career and outside game was received on the outside.The inside stuff with a few more bruises isn't an issue. Plus good luck convincing Nick to be wrapped in cotton wool and kept away from where the ball is going.

An amazing mid supremo. Makes me wonder what is the ideal mix is. We were flying with Daicous, Pendles and Crisp as our first choice mids.

He still needs a break however, there were games last year where he was out of gas in the last. Also you want the option to mix it up from time to time. Why Degoey is so important, he adds a whole new dimension to our mid/fwd structure.

 

[Piesinmyeyes]

As a wash up, it’s fair to say, that if Finn fails in 2025, it’s FINito and he’s shark FIN soup .

 

[SchuPie]

It’s just a real shame that we didn’t know we were transitioning from Bucks to Fly
I would suggest Holmes would have been the pick in this case

Still, that completely changes the cause and effect chain and maybe we don’t win in 23
(But maybe we do in 22!)

 

[sr36]

Maybe.

But the club clearly saw that he had the tools to become a decent player, which is why they offered him the current contract he’s on. If they thought he was doubtful then he wouldn’t be at the club for a fifth year.

It’s still yet to be determined if he succeeds or fails.

A one year contract for a 22 year old screams doubt. And frankly his manager did well to get it. Extension on the back of a strong preseason. Then struggled when he got chances. Those games against Brissy and North where he was a starting mid but got subbed out at half time due to being uncompetitive were telling.

He'll be solid in the VFL and if he's very lucky he may get one last chance.

 

[sr36]

An amazing mid supremo. Makes me wonder what is the ideal mix is. We were flying with Daicous, Pendles and Crisp as our first choice mids.

He still needs a break however, there were games last year where he was out of gas in the last. Also you want the option to mix it up from time to time. Why Degoey is so important, he adds a whole new dimension to our mid/fwd structure.

Yeah. I'm hoping we have a fit Degoey and he and Nick rotate forward.

One of them in the centre with a combination of the old pros: Pendles, Sidey,Titch and Crisp plus Perryman being introduced at times.

Hopefully Allan kicking on and joining the mix too.

It should be a very strong group.

 

[Granit1962]

Yeah. I'm hoping we have a fit Degoey and he and Nick rotate forward.

One of them in the centre with a combination of the old pros: Pendles, Sidey,Titch and Crisp plus Perryman being introduced at times.

Hopefully Allan kicking on and joining the mix too.

It should be a very strong group.

Would be amazing if Allan takes another step up! That also would be 6 primary mids.

 

[sr36]

Would be amazing if Allan takes another step up! That also would be 6 primary mids.

I'm hoping the flanks click for him. Going to be tough to get a gig next year as mid only. Ideally he and Perryman play mainly flanks with some midfield rotations next year as they get ready to take over from the oldies post retirements. But he looked lost out on a wing even in the VFL.

 

[pablo disco bar]

Why didn't they delist and re rookie ?

 

[sr36]

Why didn't they delist and re rookie ?

They chose Markov and AJ instead. There was no point in doing a third one - it would have meant promoting one of the other rookies.

 

[Granit1962]

I'm hoping the flanks click for him. Going to be tough to get a gig next year as mid only. Ideally he and Perryman play mainly flanks with some midfield rotations next year as they get ready to take over from the oldies post retirements. But he looked lost out on a wing even in the VFL.

He did look lost - also expect his overall improvement translates to more confidence, game awareness, and ability to play outside a pure mid role. He has height and pace (similar reef) and stamina, and pretty good skills.

 

[sr36]

He did look lost - also expect his overall improvement translates to more confidence, game awareness, and ability to play outside a pure mid role. He has height and pace (similar reef) and stamina, and pretty good skills.

Yeah he's got an outstanding skillset for the flanks - it's just awareness and about him getting positioning for the role rather than being see ball get ball then move to next contest as a mid.

 

[Jelly Bean]

I'm hoping the flanks click for him. Going to be tough to get a gig next year as mid only. Ideally he and Perryman play mainly flanks with some midfield rotations next year as they get ready to take over from the oldies post retirements. But he looked lost out on a wing even in the VFL.

But he looked very good as an inside mid in his final game, I think that's his spot.

I'm not sure he seems suited to a 'flank' (and flanks aren't ubitquitous either - half back is a very different position than half forward for example).

 

[sr36]

But he looked very good as an inside mid in his final game, I think that's his spot.

Yes it looks clearly Allan's best position from his VFL time. But the reality is most mids at challenging clubs, do an AFL apprenticeship in another position and graduate into the midfield. Obviously you get some exceptions like Selwood and Ashcroft, but they are exceptional. As a full time mid, it's going to be tough to crack a spot in the team going for wins rather than development with a list containing Daicos, Degoey, Pendles, Mitchell, Crisp, Sidebottom if that run with form holds. And all of those blokes i've listed made their way into the AFL outside of the centre square before earning a midfield gig and being good enough to excel there. He's likely to need injuries to get an opportunity in the centre. However, if he was a decent wingman, half back or half forward, you could slot him into the 23 more easily to develop in the AFL and also get some centre square rotations.

 

[manicpie]

Yes it looks clearly his best position from his VFL time. But the reality is most mids at challenging clubs, do an AFL apprenticeship in another position and graduate into the midfield. Obviously you get some exceptions like Selwood and Ashcroft, but they are exceptional. As a full time mid, it's going to be tough to crack a spot in the team going for wins rather than development with a list containing Daicos, Degoey, Pendles, Mitchell, Crisp, Sidebottom if that run with form holds. He's likely to need injuries. However, if he was a decent wingman, half back or half forward, you could slot him into the 23 more easily to develop in the AFL and also get some midfield rotations.

 

[sr36]

No idea how it got to it in this thread, but we're talking Allan. I've put his name into the post to be clearer.

 

[manicpie]

No idea how it got to it in this thread, but we're talking Allan. I've put his name into the post to be clearer.

Shit, wrong person to be stuck with a fork

 

[76woodenspooners]

It’s just a real shame that we didn’t know we were transitioning from Bucks to Fly
I would suggest Holmes would have been the pick in this case

If people knew we’d be transitioning from Buckley to a coach who would …

• 2022 take us from 17th to a Prelim
• 2023 Premiers
• 2024 Beat Carlton twice but miss out on finals by the smallest of magins

… Then …

• Everyone would have appreciated the absurdity of the EGM push.
• Nobody would have wanted to toss Korda out and bring Browne in.
• No Browne would have meant no Kelly. And no Kelly would probably mean we’d still have Graham Wright running the footy dept.
• Peter Murphy (the bloke who did the 2017 review that lead to a GF the following year, and was on the panel who appointed Fly) would probably still be on our board.

 

[76woodenspooners]

Why didn't they delist and re rookie ?

I think we had already maxed out our rookies.

We would have had to (for example) promote Illiro Smit to the senior list, and there probably wouldn’t have been any point to doing that …. Yet.

I could well imagine that if Smit develops well in 2025, he’ll be rewarded with a promotion to the senior list. Better off doing that and picking up a rookie on a 1 year contract, than giving a two year contract and a senior list spot to pick 147 in the national draft.

 

[SchuPie]

If people knew we’d be transitioning from Buckley to a coach who would …

• 2022 take us from 17th to a Prelim
• 2023 Premiers
• 2024 Beat Carlton twice but miss out on finals by the smallest of magins

… Then …

• Everyone would have appreciated the absurdity of the EGM push.
• Nobody would have wanted to toss Korda out and bring Browne in.
• No Browne would have meant no Kelly. And no Kelly would probably mean we’d still have Graham Wright running the footy dept.
• Peter Murphy (the bloke who did the 2017 review that lead to a GF the following year, and was on the panel who appointed Fly) would probably still be on our board.

I really didn't think that much about it...

 

[76woodenspooners]

I really didn't think that much about it...

Do you think it matters?

Whilst Ed can be rightfully credited for the appointment of Graham Wright and others …

… is there anything in Ed’s two decades as President that points to “Let’s assemble a panel to run an exhaustive process that ends up appointing a rookie coach from outside the club who has been previously passed over many times”?

 

[SchuPie]

Do you think it matters?

Whilst Ed can be rightfully credited for the appointment of Graham Wright and others …

… is there anything in Ed’s two decades as President that points to “Let’s assemble a panel to run an exhaustive process that ends up appointing a rookie coach from outside the club who has been previously passed over many times”?

76…I don’t really know what’s going on
I was merely stating it was a shame we didn’t take Holmes

 

[Bianconeri]

Our one pure and proven inside mid is Titch

That’s all well and good but Finn isn’t an inside mid’s arseh*le