Latest / Death by Multimedia / Episode 189: Where to now for the AFL's Non-Finalists

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Episode 189: Where to now for the AFL's Non-Finalists · Death by Multimedia

0:00
This is thoughts from the metal cabin, where only one opinion
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matters, and it's not yours. That's all for today's edition
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of the almanaque report. Thanks for tuning in and I hope
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you'll come back and check out further episodes down the track
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right here on the podcast. Thoughts for the middle cabin,
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g'day there in. Thanks for tuning in to today's
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episode of thoughts from the middle cabin.
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It's the first post covid AFL season and we've reached the
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final stage and there are eight teams that remain in the fight
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to take home the 2022. Premiership cup for 10 teams.
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However, they're planning for 2023 has no doubt already begun.
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Some have coaching issues that have either just being solved
1:00
just being created and require some patching up.
1:03
The trade period is fast approaching and these clubs will
1:07
be furiously scribbling down. What kind of players they
1:10
require to ensure that next season?
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They are still on the playing field at this time of year and
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not on a four-week bender instead.
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Today's podcast episode runs its eyes over the 10 clubs have
1:23
already begun, their postseason mini break and Hazard a guess as
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to whether they can make Leaps and Bounds in the right
1:30
direction next season. So that's today's edition of the
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almanach report which of course is on the podcast.
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That was also chasing. Alex Alistair, Clarkson to help
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coach the crew and it's thoughts from the middle cabin.
1:51
So there's no better way to go here, then from the bottom to
1:55
the middle, I would suggest and we can start with North
1:59
Melbourne. The lovely North Melbourne,
2:01
kangaroos who have had as poor a three-year period as you can
2:05
possibly have in 2020. They finish 17 out of 18 teams
2:11
and only managed three wins. In 2021 they finished 18th have
2:17
18 and yet they had four wins and a draw.
2:21
And then you had this year where they have, again finished 18th
2:25
on percentage but with only two wins so they've gone up, they've
2:31
gone down. But their position on the ladder
2:32
isn't really changing too much and of course they have moved on
2:37
their coach in David Nail. Who was going to be the one
2:41
who's going to be in charge of their rebuild and he lasted a
2:46
little under 18 months. But they do have the man that
2:51
they wanted, and they've been able to sign.
2:53
Alistair Clarkson to come on and he will now look to turn the
2:57
club's fortunes around here. Clarkson is a good move.
3:01
For many reasons, obviously a terrific coach with Hawthorne
3:05
and a Premiership winning coach. Multiple Premiership winning
3:07
coach with Hawthorne, but you'll also be able to, not only keep
3:13
the players that he has, but will attract players to the club
3:16
as well. I need some good moves in the
3:19
trade period coming up as well as in the draft where they will
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no doubt have the number one draft pick and we'll may have a
3:26
couple of others as well. The interesting thing that
3:29
coming around with North Melbourne still, is this
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discussion about a Tasmanian team, hopefully coming into the
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cockpit about five years time. Now, Alistair, Clarkson has been
3:40
a really big mover behind the scenes to get a Tasmanian team
3:45
into the competition. And of course, that would mean
3:49
that there would be 19, teams means there would be a by every
3:52
week and there's been talk. That that means they need to
3:55
introduce a 20th team after that.
3:58
But of course, the other thing has been flooded ran mainly by
4:01
the the big-money clubs and a tea bag wobbly.
4:04
One of those that they should relocate a team to Tasmania and
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have them become the Tasmanian team.
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And yet retain the Aging clubs in the competition, and of
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course, North Melbourne is being looked at one of those as
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they've had an agreement with Tasmania for some time and have
4:22
been playing a number of their home games in Tasmania for a
4:25
number of years. Now, it's By the time we get to
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the end of the season, the decision as opposed to be,
4:34
you've been made on whether a Tasmanian team will come in in
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that time frame. And realistically, there's no
4:41
doubt that North don't want to move and that Tasmania don't
4:45
want to have them. But perhaps, perhaps with
4:51
Clarkson, now being at the club, maybe that will change.
4:54
I don't think so but it's a possibility in essence.
4:58
They next Susan orth. Really must do something they
5:00
can't. Finish at the bottom of the
5:02
ladder for three is like they have and bring in a coach like
5:05
Clarkson and not do anything. Now, no one's expecting to jump
5:08
out of the box and suddenly be a finals contend the next year but
5:11
just not finishing last next season would be a start and
5:15
they'll certainly be hoping to win more than the two wins they
5:17
had last year or the four-and-a-half Wednesday the
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year before, they'd be looking to get to a position where they
5:23
could win eight to ten games. I suspect and that at least
5:26
would be a moving in the right direction, but again, their
5:30
trade And their draft options. In the next few weeks will be
5:34
interesting to watch. West Coast were premieres for
5:39
years ago. Can anyone really remember that
5:42
those people who are calling with supporters?
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Certainly again, and it's quite amazing because then we got to
5:49
in 2021 they just lost their final four matches to miss the
5:56
finals last year. And they've been in and around
6:00
that period anyway. But then covid an injury
6:03
problems at the start of this season.
6:05
Meant that They were already under the puppet.
6:09
I was at the start of the Season.
6:10
People had already predicted that West Coast.
6:12
We're going to finish last, which I must admit the time
6:15
until myself. I thought, well surely that
6:17
can't be the case. But proven to be right thing.
6:20
Was that even when these players return from the covid
6:23
restrictions and from injury, the team still appeared mostly
6:27
ineffectual. Now on the surface.
6:29
This seems to be more problems than just this covid or injury
6:34
thing. There's something else going on
6:35
over there and I don't Know what it is.
6:38
But all I know is that it affected the team this year now
6:41
for next season, the retirement of Josh Kennedy and the fact
6:45
that they have an aging list really does leave question marks
6:49
now and their ability to bounce back quickly.
6:52
It seems like an anomaly that they won't rebound because
6:55
honestly they're too good A Team not to but the find that Mojo
7:00
early is going to be the key and in that respect the early rounds
7:04
of next season, May well tell the tale of how they're going to
7:07
go. If they can win some early
7:09
games, maybe they'll get on a roll.
7:11
If they start losing it against and perhaps they have a Susan
7:14
like this again, but if they have a season like this, again,
7:17
you can be sure that a number of the players and certainly the
7:20
coach Might be there The Following season.
7:24
I just don't know if they've got enough to get going again next
7:26
year, especially with the teams in front of them.
7:30
Gws had played finals in five of the previous six seasons before
7:36
this year, including that 2019 Grand Final loss to Richmond or
7:42
shellacking as it was. But they've certainly Fallen
7:45
back this year, having made finals last year and winning
7:49
their first final and then losing the following week.
7:52
Leon Cameron. Who was the long-term coach
7:55
jumped before. He was pushed a number of senior
7:58
players have either moved on or are moving on or retiring and
8:03
the Giants are now absolutely going through a rebuild to
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finish 16th. This Susan was probably not
8:12
expected but it's exactly what happened.
8:16
So new coach Adam Kingsley has come in, he was announced this
8:19
week and he has a really good reputation around the traps with
8:24
these work as an assistant coach at several clubs and he's been
8:28
an assistant coach for some time.
8:29
So he's had a really good building up period.
8:33
I guess until he became a head coach.
8:36
But his reputation is very good and he'll be looking to find the
8:39
right players to combine with the Stars that remain at the
8:43
club in trying to rebuild. U.s. now, rebuilding the club
8:48
support at home games is one of the things that they'll be
8:50
looking to do from a aspect from off the field.
8:54
Certainly the crowds early in the season were down, but they
8:57
built up to a reasonable sort of standard by the end of the
9:00
season and they'll be looking to attract more, all the regulars
9:04
back again, who the club lost over the covid period.
9:07
And then taking a concerted approach to getting back to
9:12
final or suggest is what is what gws will do.
9:15
I mean I don't think that next year they can come out and say
9:18
we intend playing finals this year, you be more looking now at
9:22
a two to three-year period of building the club back up again
9:25
and getting them to a point where they're going to reach
9:27
finals but also in a position to win finals rather than just
9:31
sneaking in and then get of getting beat in that first week
9:34
and I think that's what gws will be looking for.
9:37
They will hope to finish higher than they did this season next
9:40
year. But with realistic goals as to
9:44
how the Susan's going to go. Go.
9:48
Well, s and then we can speak about and we have the implosion
9:51
that Windy Hill has been well, reported.
9:53
And obviously we spoke about this on a recent episode of this
9:56
podcast and had a bit of a giggle about it as well.
10:00
So, apart from surely, I restructure, at their board
10:04
level, which probably won't happen is probably needed.
10:07
They now need to find a new coach, who has the ability to
10:11
recover from the shimazo that the club finds itself in.
10:15
Now, I've already said that they need an experienced coach and
10:18
that it is essential that they get an experienced coach for
10:21
next season. It was interesting that when
10:24
Gary lion approached, Nathan Buckley about it on Fox footage
10:28
during the week, Nathan Buckley shied away immediately but
10:32
offered his own thoughts on what kind of person they need thee
10:35
interesting enough. He's obviously been thinking
10:36
about it. So if it's not Buckley, and if
10:40
it's going to be an experienced coach, there are some
10:42
well-reputed candidates around, Ross, lion who was talked about
10:47
last year, for both the Collingwood and Carlton jobs is
10:50
still out there without a job and could possibly be someone
10:53
who could be brought in or even possibly learn Cameron.
10:56
Who of course, is just finished with the gws Giants, and the
11:00
great job he did in getting them up and into a finals container
11:04
and then into a grand final eventually, on the other hand,
11:08
If you're looking for experienced people who are not
11:10
currently head coaches but are currently assistant coaches you
11:14
have just on a pitch out there who was the head coach at Gold
11:17
Coast and obviously is a candidate to go forward.
11:21
And again he has another another person who is well regarded in
11:27
the assistant roles he's currently doing and Mark
11:30
Williams is another one who obviously was the head coach at
11:33
Port Adelaide back in the early 2000s and got them to the
11:36
grandfather and got them their only Premiership He also has
11:39
been an assistant at the number of clubs in recent times and
11:44
could he be the one that they might drag out of retirement to
11:48
try and do that? Or he has his time passed?
11:51
All I know is that surely for goodness sakes Essen and please
11:55
don't go back to James heard because James heard, Would be a
11:59
disaster. Now delayed clerk crows, the
12:10
clothes, the Adelaide crows get that right.
12:13
Haven't played finals since they were minor premiers and then
12:16
eventual runners-up in 2017 and that was in the Grand Final that
12:22
Richmond beat them in. Now, from last year, they've
12:26
moved up from 18th to 15th in 2022.
12:30
But There was no real didn't feel as though a delayed,
12:38
whatever going to be in contention for making finals
12:41
this year. And it was another really up and
12:44
down. Susan, we're at times when their
12:46
plane, they appeared Unstoppable and then there are others, such
12:50
as the match last weekend against Port Adelaide, where
12:52
they just appeared completely inept.
12:57
And to be honest, the club just seems to be treading water and
12:59
they don't appear to be any closer to breaking their finals.
13:03
Drought. So it's been five years.
13:06
We've had two years of covid, which is hurt just about
13:09
everybody. But there was nothing this year
13:12
that really suggested that Adelaide are going to find a way
13:18
to make a charge next season. Now, whether that requires a
13:24
change in the playing, Well, which is probably the answer,
13:28
which would mean having to do something at trade period.
13:32
And also in the draft or do we start looking at the coach?
13:39
Now, I'm one of those people who's always said, that always
13:43
seems to be the coach's fault when teams that win and they're
13:45
the first ones to go. Perhaps in this instance, it's
13:48
the players who need a bit of a revamp.
13:54
Hawthorne in that first Susan without Clarkson, his coach is
13:58
Susan went pretty much as everyone would have predicted.
14:02
They were competitive for long periods in most matches but they
14:06
generally found that competing for the full four.
14:10
Quarters was just too tough, a task.
14:13
And this was despite the fact that early in the season, they
14:15
beat both July long and Brisbane and looked great doing it.
14:20
But then they came out the next week and they would lose two
14:23
teams that you would. Victim to be and they've lost a
14:26
lot of senior plays in the last 4 Seasons or so.
14:29
And that comes from both changing clubs and also old age
14:34
because all of those players, of course, had been pretty much
14:37
members of all of their premise ships over the last 15 years.
14:41
So, the season they had was it showed some good signs but in
14:46
essence is about where you would expect that they would have
14:48
finished. But next loser will be an
14:51
indicator because the coach is now had a season, he's going to
14:55
have a trade period and a draft period now where he can recruit
14:59
further players who he wants to and to be honest, given the
15:04
coach and given the players and given the club you really would
15:07
expect next season that Sassy. Hawthorne once again fighting on
15:13
the periphery of the eight, at least in an effort to try and
15:17
make finals again. Gold Coast equalled, their best
15:21
season ever, in the competition and that was also the first time
15:26
that they have finished it over 100 on percentage, which is
15:31
fairly remarkable in itself. So they really have made
15:35
legitimate progress this season and at one point mid Susan, it
15:39
did look as though they could challenge for finals.
15:42
But again, there was never ever, any point, that anyone really
15:45
believe that they were going to play for Animals just that they
15:48
could challenge to Funnels and of course, in the long run, they
15:52
finished 22 games outside the finals.
15:55
But somehow now they have to sit this Susan as their minimum
16:00
standard and use that as a springboard to chasing that
16:04
elusive, false position because they've been in the competition
16:07
long enough, now that they need to be able to get to that final
16:11
position to justify themselves, and the work that they've done
16:15
now retaining and recruiting players is probably still their
16:18
biggest hurdle to success. It's hard enough to get people
16:22
to the Gold Coast, and then once they get there, R and I've
16:26
played a couple of years. They tend to sort of find
16:28
another club to go to, whether it's back in Melbourne or back
16:31
to their hometowns, in the Adelaide or Perth.
16:35
So that is still their biggest challenge is being able to get
16:38
people to the club and get them to stay and to continue building
16:42
that team around them. And let's hope that they do
16:46
actually continue from this point and that they can say that
16:49
this is our bare minimum this year with 10 wins.
16:52
We need to do better than that next season.
16:55
For Port Adelaide. It's the same old talking
16:57
points. We hear it again is Ken Hinckley
17:00
going to hold on to his job at one stage.
17:02
No. And then suddenly the end of the
17:03
season. Yes.
17:05
Is he the right person for the job?
17:06
He's been there for a while. They haven't had the success.
17:08
They want, why can't they wear the prison bars in the Darby?
17:12
Well, you know what? That's another thing altogether.
17:16
But we've had two years where they finished first and second,
17:19
but in both of those years, they miss the Grand Final because
17:23
they lost the preliminary final. And then this year after covid,
17:27
they have now dipped to 11th. Now he has one year remaining on
17:32
his contract, and you would have to think realistically, he will
17:37
probably need to deliver another grand final appearance for to be
17:41
retained in the job at Port Adelaide for the final following
17:44
you. They need to be able to
17:46
ReDiscover that ability to discern Adelaide, oval into
17:49
their Fortress, and then still be able to find a way to win
17:52
away from home. Are they capable of turning it
17:56
around? That's a really good question.
18:01
It's difficult to say what's going to happen over the next
18:03
six months. And any retention or recruiting
18:07
will be a part of that, just get the feeling that can Hinckley is
18:12
done as much as you can do with the Port Adelaide power.
18:15
And that may be a change of coaching at this point of time
18:20
would have been a good thing rather than putting it off for
18:23
another 12 months. It's in Kilda.
18:27
Well, they lost their last three games this year to Geelong,
18:31
Brisbane and Sydney who are all finals teams to miss their
18:36
finals. Chance, if they'd won one of
18:37
those through that have been playing finals on percentage.
18:40
So, well, you would expect their percentage was down a bit,
18:44
sorry, but if they'd won one of those games, and perhaps it had
18:47
turned, it all around. So they they miss their chance
18:49
again. Now secure the Plate Falls in
18:52
2020, but they've again failed to make that jump to being a
18:58
real Contender. Like they were in 2009 and 2010
19:04
coach, Brett Ratner is still trying to find a way to get his
19:07
the teams that he coaches over that hurdle.
19:09
He had the same problem with Carly had them competitive, but
19:12
they were unable to find a way to win those games that they
19:15
needed to win to play finals. And then he's done the same here
19:19
at some cooler, over the last three years.
19:22
So now realistically for me like a delayed, they just appear to
19:24
be treading water and they're in real danger.
19:27
I think of slipping back to a point where they would have to
19:30
undertake another change in Personnel in order to find their
19:34
way through that wall. And if they do, that's not going
19:37
to be good for the coach all the players.
19:40
But those are the two teams for me.
19:42
I just find that, I don't know if they've got anything in that
19:45
group. That can really find that extra
19:49
five, ten percent that's going to push them up higher up the
19:52
ladder. Finally we come to Carlton.
19:56
Enough has been said and written about Carlton, this week they
19:59
lost their last four games to go from the top.
20:02
For two, missing the eight and only one win in those.
20:06
Last four would have got them in.
20:08
Now, the loss to Adelaide was a Mist they should have beaten, a
20:11
delayed or Adelaide was one of those games where they actually
20:13
pick themselves up and actually did something this season.
20:16
And of course, it was against Carlton, but then looting until
20:19
the death against both Melbourne and Collingwood are the real
20:23
killers for the car. Carlton, football club.
20:26
Now they've made obvious progress this season.
20:29
There's been no doubt about that.
20:30
It's the first time in all the promised years I guess over
20:34
previous coaches, that Calvin actually looked like a football
20:38
team and were playing like a team that we're good enough to
20:42
play for those 40. And having been in the top eight
20:45
All Season up until the last. What was it two minutes or last
20:50
last six minutes of that match against calling, what?
20:53
On the way again? Now as long as Michael Voss can
20:56
handle and and helped his team to handle the mental Agony of
21:00
last weekend, and he can get them through that over the next
21:03
few weeks, until I come back for pre-season training.
21:07
Then you expect I should be able to break through next season and
21:11
find a final spot. The question now, though, that
21:15
remains until next season is, who would they actually get in
21:19
front of because all of those eight teams that have now made
21:22
the top eight, I've been really hard nuts to crack and that's
21:26
even including Collingwood, who came from nowhere this year, to
21:29
make the top eight. So Carlton have to find a way to
21:32
get in front of at least one of those top eight teams and that's
21:36
where the mental stuff is probably going to come down the
21:39
hardest. So we have all that and have all
21:49
those 10 teams do. I think any of them are really
21:53
going to be able to change next season.
21:55
What's happened this season? I do, I think North Melbourne
22:00
can only go up and with Clarkson as coach.
22:03
He'll find something with whoever, he's got there to be
22:05
able to do that. I can't see an ALICE to
22:08
Clarkson. Team.
22:09
Finishing 18th or 17th or 16th or 50, to be honest.
22:14
I think they've got to go up. I think, gws have Too good, a
22:21
squad to finish 16th again. I believe that.
22:24
As long as the new coach is as good as everyone seems to think
22:27
he is that he'll find a way to get them moving back up a ladder
22:30
as well. Hawthorne, I think we'll go
22:34
forward because I think Sam Mitchell is a he's shown enough
22:39
this season as coach and they still have enough good players
22:42
in that Squad to go forward that they're too good.
22:45
A club to be down too long. And you would hope that Gold
22:50
Coast can continue to go up as well as think those four teams
22:53
for me are the ones who will push forward and, you know, all
22:59
things being equal, you would expect the Carlton will also
23:02
find a way to sneak into that top eight.
23:04
And probably the only team there, I think that may will
23:07
sneak into the top eight, perhaps Port Adelaide.
23:10
If they can find a way to re-evaluate and find their Mojo
23:14
again, but it's very difficult. Of course, this time of year,
23:19
it's so easy to look at the teams and see how they've gone
23:22
this year and and not see what's going to happen over the next
23:24
six months. Not only did these teams.
23:26
But of course, the teams in the top eight, and we've seen with
23:29
Port Adelaide this year, they've dropped out of the top eight.
23:33
We've seen our Collingwood have come from nowhere to make
23:34
finishing the Top bait. So it's not an easy thing to
23:37
predict football but we'll see. Anyway, thanks for tuning in and
23:43
until next time go, the got the pies.
23:52
Good ID has your day been mine's.
23:55
Probably been the same. But seeing as you have bothered
23:58
to go to your podcast provider and choose this podcast to
24:01
listen to, I guess I better expand on the day and hand.
24:05
So this is what I found interesting in the last day or
24:08
so, this is the almanac report on thoughts, from the middle
24:12
cabin. You have been listening to a
24:19
metal Cavern production. You have been listening to a
24:19
metal Cavern production.