TOPIC:

What is the story with Clarke then. Did he end up at Essendon through some deal before the draft or will he be at Subi again next year.

No mate...he will probably get picked up during the AFL Pre-Season Supplemental Selection Period which apparently enables clubs to sign players to their rookie list from December 1 through until March 15 next year if they still have spots available. Sydney Stack could go to Richmond the same way if he's considered suitable. I'd expect the likes of Marlion Pickett, Jhye Bolton and a few others including Josh Deluca to get looked at as well. It makes it a bit messy for those guys and their respective WAFL clubs as March 15 is very late.

Its a bloody debacle BC how on earth can clubs plan and prepare for the next season if they dont even know if their star players will even be available for the season right up until mid March...typical afl tho with little to no thought given for anyone else outside their own comp!?

Yep...agree BH. It's tough on the players themselves and the clubs but as you say...typical of the AFL.

Don’t forget they have also brought in a mid-season draft next season where the WAFL comp could lose their star players half way during the season. It’s an absolute joke!

correct lads -- I think we still would have won the flag without Clarke

He made us a 4-5 goal better side -- he kicked goals himself, set up goals from the centre and saved goals with marks in the backline, as you all know.

Even then, we should have lost to Claremont -- bless the Tigers -- and Perth and WP could have beaten us.

ArkRoyal wrote: correct lads -- I think we still would have won the flag without Clarke

He made us a 4-5 goal better side -- he kicked goals himself, set up goals from the centre and saved goals with marks in the backline, as you all know.

Even then, we should have lost to Claremont -- bless the Tigers -- and Perth and WP could have beaten us.

Not sure about that AR. I believe Clarke was the "missing piece in the puzzle" after the previous two losses in the GF. In the past we were forced to be reactive rather than proactice at the clearances. Clarke changed that and the team benefitted.

jim: I am with you mate: I wrote that he made us a 4 or 5 goal better side -- that is a lot of goals and a big tribute to him. There is no doubt in my mind that Schofield cost us a couple of premierships by not recruitting a front line ruckman;

AR...I'm not sure there were too many so called front line ruckmen around in 2016 and 17 that we could have recruited. Stockley and McDougall got it done in 2014, Dela and Wheels pinch hit in a very good 2015 side in the absence of a true ruckman but from then on, I can't think of anyone else we could have grabbed.

It's very quiet on here with no news coming out of the club in regards to comings and goings. Given preseason has started, does anyone have any mail on what's happening? Buddy Boy?