2019 & 2020 Thoughts
2019 Positives & Negatives:
On field:
Players who delivered, consistently: Cripps, E Curnow, Gibson, Jones, Newman, Simpson, Thomas, Walsh (Murphy later in the year).
Biggest disappoint(s) when compared to pre season expectations: Dow, Cuningham (the King Of Cameos), Fisher, Garlett, Pickett, Kennedy, Lang, McGovern (until fitter!!!!), Polson. Northern Blues.
Surprise packet(s): Newman, Walsh.
DCMs: Garlett, Lang, Macreadie, Polson.
Sign him up for more years, now: Cripps.
We need/get him/them: Gun mid, gun small forward.
Off field:
Most encouraging activity/results: Membership and Member initiatives. Club’s involvement in community. Getting The Terrier to the club and now the Hawthorn psychologist as well. DT appointment.
Biggest disappointment (s): Bolton’s performance and subsequent removal & Board slow to react to BBs removal. Dow and Fisher failing to improve as hoped/expected. Obviously, injuries to key personnel. Judd embarrassing the club with foolish and ill-considered public comments.
We need/get him/her/them: New coach for the Northern Blues, DT gets the assistants he wants. More involvement from past champs… should be regular visitors to the club.
2020
Acceptable minimum wins: 11.
Players MUST: start well and stop periods in games where we concede 4-7 unanswered goals. Profound concentration and on-field leadership and discipline improvement. Cease to be the nice guys of the competition... time for some ruthlessness.
Player(s) who MUST improve: Cuningham, Dow, Fisher, McGovern, McKay’s kicking & thinking, Setterfield.
(crystal ball time) Player(s) who will surprise with their improvement: Deluca, McGovern, Setterfield.
Most looking forward to beating: Richmond and Hawthorn.
(crystal ball again) Our ladder position will be: 8 – 10.
AFL should: Prevent marquee players changing clubs to top 8 clubs. 'Equalization is happening' says Gil… lying pr1ck, I say.