Things you are looking forward to in 2025

[Eastdog]

Agree. We should be in the window over the next couple of years. We just need some of our younger mids to take the next step up. Thus am really looking forward to Sanders, Gags, Garcia along with one or two of our draftees stepping up. Also looking forward to the long awaited debut of the Buss.

Yep me too. Hoping these guys can step up for us. Sanders, Gallagher and Garcia showed they have potential and keen to see them progress further on it.

Sanders will get better. The game against Geelong down in Geelong in the wet was a great game by him.

Gags I think was much better earlier on in season 2024

Garcia showed lots of good signs.

Looking forward also to see what Kennedy brings us.

We need a good strong start to season 2025 and our first game at game at Marvel against North Melbourne hopefully starts that off.

[jeemak]

Libba might be durable but he looked awfully slow against Hawthorn, and these days if you can't run, you can't play.

For the benefit of the team I hope the likes of Garcia and Sanders move past Libba quickly, with Libba making them earn it.

Not for me to be telling a guy he shouldn't be risking his health to earn another five hundred gorillas to wrap up his career, but I'm surprised he's going again given his concussion history.

[ReLoad]

Beating hawthorn.

That’s all.

[Sedat]

Yeah - not me.

Top 2 in defence and attack in 2024.

Addition by subtraction with Jacko and Caleb. I'm worried about depth but depth only matters when it matters...

Grand Final here we come.

Matt Kennedy counters the depth issue to an extent (not fully, but like you said it's not an issue until it is).

I also don't understand the negativity at the moment - we should be aiming for the stars in 2025. We might not get there but we should die trying.

[Eastdog]

Sam Darcy becoming the most damaging player in the league.

He was already putting the fear in opposition defenders.

Still lots more development to come.

[Dazza]

Matt Kennedy counters the depth issue to an extent (not fully, but like you said it's not an issue until it is).

I also don't understand the negativity at the moment - we should be aiming for the stars in 2025. We might not get there but we should die trying.

I feel like we'll take a bit of a step backwards next year. I think losing Daniel and Macrae does hurt a bit in the short term but I also think it was probably the right call to move them on. I think it's a higher probability we miss the 8 than make top 4 next year.

Happy to be proven wrong of course.

[MrMahatma]

I'm looking forward to finishing top of the ladder.

I'm EXPECTING top 4. Our back half of the year was seriously good footy. The final was the mother of all bed-shittings and that sucks. Like the one we lost to Freo a couple of years ago. Just thought the team had more in the tank.

We need to be in the mix in the next 1-3 years. Our midfield and defence need to transition personnel (I think we already have most of what we need) in that period if we're to continue to threaten after that. No reason we shouldn't be looking at 2025 as year 1 of a dynasty.

[mighty_west]

Top 4 has to be our benchmark and see what happens from there, obviously luck is needed with injuries along the way especially the back end of the season, but i'll look forward to us becoming one of the better sides in the comp with really no excuses.

Also Sanders with another Pre season and JF too, Busslinger to not only debut but hopefully cement his spot given it will be his 3rd season, and i'm not sure i'm 100% trusting Liam Jones, likewise Libba, both looked like they were really slowing down by the end of the season so really important for the likes of Kennedy to come in and play consistent footy, Sanders and Garcia, even Westy and Cody to spend time in the middle.

Also really (hoping) looking forward to Timmy English getting back to his best, now both he and club have committed and really back himself for another AA season or something similar, last season was piss poor and simply not good enough for someone with his experience now, he needs to either dominate or at least hold his own against ANY other ruckman in the comp, yes even big Sweeta, it's ok to go around finding the pill around the ground but he needs to be strong in the contests to give his mids the best chance.

[my plums]

I'm looking forward to no more games when you can tell in the first 10 minutes that we are off. Fingers crossed.

[Flamethrower]

A full season of Rory Lobb alongside Liam Jones in the backline acting like traffic cops telling the oppo "thou shalt not pass", and holding teams to an average of 30 points per game.

A synergistic forward line with Darce, JUH and Astro working together like a well-oiled machine, and a mosquito fleet buzzing around them roving the packs and locking the ball into our forward 50 until we add yet another 6 pointer.

A midfield with the highest workrate in the land, to the point where the oppo swear we have 10 more players on the park.

[merantau]

I'm looking to always kicking more goals than points.

[soupman]

Not for me to be telling a guy he shouldn't be risking his health to earn another five hundred gorillas to wrap up his career, but I'm surprised he's going again given his concussion history.

Anthony Scott to me is the riskier one. He's doing the same for probably $150ish pa. And it isn't like if he does well there's a huge pay day coming, his next contract would be at absolute best $250ish.

[soupman]

I feel like we'll take a bit of a step backwards next year. I think losing Daniel and Macrae does hurt a bit in the short term but I also think it was probably the right call to move them on. I think it's a higher probability we miss the 8 than make top 4 next year.

Happy to be proven wrong of course.

I think Kennedy will match the output of one of them, so not too worried about that aspect. Really neither really moved the needle at any point this year.

I think top 4 is the goal, bur with fixture anomalies top 6 is acceptable. Prelim would be a proper success, win a final the minimum.

Think the hardest part as others have said is managing the decline of the old guys like Jones and Libba, and whether the young guys coming through can adequately lessen that blow.

[jeemak]

Anthony Scott to me is the riskier one. He's doing the same for probably $150ish pa. And it isn't like if he does well there's a huge pay day coming, his next contract would be at absolute best $250ish.

I guess with Tom having a flag under his belt, a B&F as well and a position in the league that's not challenged then it probably makes it a bit sillier to me. Having said that, he may have pissed a bit of coin up against the wall in his twenties prior to becoming a 'family man' so may be playing catch up in his own way.

With Scott I kind of get the hustle and the need to prove he can keep going. Not sure how many jobs he's going to get that pay him $150K to $200K plus, while at the same time doing something he loves. Interesting comparison though, given their respective ages aren't that far apart.