Pies 2022 - MacRae's Novus Tempus

[Rd10.1998_11.1#36]

[MatthewBoydFanClub]

Thanks for the age spread of the list Jezza. I think we have a really healthy list now. In fact I’m amazed we were able to turn over the list in just a couple of years. It’s not all the doing of McRae either. Nathan Buckley should be taking some of the credit. It doesn’t translate into a premiership but it has the club moving in the right direction. It’s up to the players now.

[LaurieHolden]

As we consolidate this new game plan into 2023-2024, if we don't get at least one of the Key Position book-ends sorted by start of the 2023 season, we'll break Moore and the spirit of the Club.

Consider Melbourne's Premiership backline, not a dissimilar profile to ours ~

B: 14.Hibberd (31,173,186cm/94kg), 1.May (30,193cm/100kg), 8.Lever (25,117,195cm/89kg)
HB: 24.Rivers (20,34,188cm/88kg), 35.Petty (22,30,197cm/90kg), Salem (26,130,183cm/84kg)

against

B: 3.Quaynor (22,35,180cm,84kg); 23.Roughead (31,201,200cm,98kg); 25.Noble (25,53,180cm,75kg)
HB: 37. Maynard (25,138,189cm,93kg); 30. Moore (26,102, 203cm,100kg);38. Howe (31,195,190cm,85kg)

Moore is there to play on the athletic 200cm + KPF and while his leap remains, Howe is there to play a Lever-like role.
Rougheads injuries and age means he's firmly in the departure lounge, so we need to be considering plan B.
Murphy might yet emerge as a Howe / Lever like option, but he's running out of time to consolidate both a spot in the seniors and a position on field.
In the interim, we clearly we need either 14.Murphy (22,15,194cm,97kg) or Dean 3.Dean (20,0,195cm,89kg) to come on.

We could do worse than ask the question on Premiership CHF 25.Tom McDonald (29,200,194cm,100kg) as an experienced back-up to Roughead. He would bring invaluable experience to either end of the ground. Having him alongside Darcy Moore would assist with his development. I think Rougheads role in this is underappreciated.
If, and if, Rough can get his body right for another season, then McDonald forward to assist the likes of Henry, McMahon & Begg would be ideal.

Ultimately, it reverts back to securing those KPP players either from the draft or we trade one in, our KPP goal to goal line, particularly FB needs immediate attention ~

Draft
Full Back 2022 ~ Top 5 1st pick
CHF 2023 ~ Top 10 1st pick

Trade in the likes of ~
Full-Back / Full Forward ~ Tom McDonald Melbourne UFA at the end of 2024 (look to trade with Melbourne at end of this season)
Half-Back ~Trent Rivers Melbourne RFA 2023
Full Back ~Tom McCartin Swans RFA 2022
Centre ~ Tim Taranto GWS RFA 2023

We'll have ample salary cap space with several senior players in the departure round by end of this season and next.

It's only part of the problem though, we've been shy an elite midfield combo post Swan / Pendles, with JDG / Crisp / Lipinski currently trying to fill the void.
We're simply getting beaten to first use of the ball and JDG / Crisp are way short of the output you get from a Petracca / Oliver, Cripps / Walsh, Macrae / Dunkley combo.
A Taranto / JDG / Crisp / Lipinski combo would be a different beast. You need class to execute a game plan, and that combo with another 50 games into the likes of IQ, Oliver, Daicos x 2, would go a long way to bedding down a core of players capable of consistently executing our new game plan down, not just in fits and spurts.

Trouble is, what do we give up in order to get a high quality trades in the door? Our track record hasn't been great to date.
We should not trade away our 1st round picks, this year or next.