Due to Darraweit's coach commencing new employment late in 2016, updates have been pretty thin on the ground. That said, I am still around, but maybe somewhat slower in responding to messages or posts.
After some changes and trades, Darraweit has moved to strengthen its midfield through the acquisition of 29yo Kieren Jack and 25 yo Ryan Bastinac. Both players will provide much needed depth for the Blimps' midfield, ensuring that young starting foursome Coniglio, Lyons, Newnes and Tyson either don't get too comfortable, and have some support throughout the season. It will also allow players like Shane Edwards, Brad Hill and Nathan Hrovat to play forward rather than in the midfield. Darraweit has also picked up R/F Callum Sinclair. We bid a fond farewell to two players who were not with us for very long - Jake Carlisle (who did not play a game for the Blimps) and Tom Nicholls, who returns to Charlie's Opening to help fill a hole in the ruck for Bandit. Jono Ceglar, who was a fine servant for Darraweit in 2016, also travels to the Opening. Through some of these trades Darraweit has parted with a couple of PSD picks in the 40s, but picked up a first round MSD pick (always handy), and inherited PSD picks in the 60s and 70s. Guim recruitment staff remain chuffed at holding Pick 3 in the PSD, and look forward to searching for hidden gems with late draft picks (as they have done in previous years). So, player moves: IN - Jack, Bastinac, Sinclair OUT - Carlisle, Nicholls, Ceglar (all traded), Harvey, Cooney (retired). At least 2 more players will be delisted. DRAFT PICKS: 3, 61, 67, 79, 85
A cat has been thrown amongst the rucking pigeons at Darraweit, with spiritual team leader Ivan Maric turning up to training at least 6 kg lighter and looking the fittest he has in 2 years. He even led a number of the rucking drills. With the turnover in rucks at the Guim (and a number of injuries to rucks at Maric's AFL alma mater) moves towards delisting Maric may have been premature. At the very least, an interesting delisting decision or two awaits Darraweit's coach.
A lull in trading at Darraweit has allowed the team to take stock of the line-up changes which have occurred and to watch some of the action from the first weekend of pre-season play. The Blimps have continued to overhaul their ruck stocks, bringing Zac Smith aboard in a trade which has seen young defender Adam Saad depart. We hope the Zac can continue perform down at Sleepy Hollow, and wish Adam all the best. The team was also encouraged by a number of performances on the weekend, with Messers Smith, Greenwood, McDonald-Tipungwuti, Gleeson and Bastinac doing well. Young Nathan Hrovat was the weekend’s highlight at his new club, with hopes that performance is an indicator of things to come in 2017 and beyond for the mid-fwd. Messers Barrett, May and Stratton were a bit quieter, while Ty Vickery was Ty Vickery in a different coloured guernsey. Hopes are high however that Jake Barrett will get a taste of senior footy this year at his new club.
Darraweit Guim bid farewell to five players in the lead-up to the MSD – Messers Bastinac, Blair, Stratton, Gleeson and Vickery. This left us with five picks in the MSD, three of those in the first 11. They were used on: Harley Balic – 20 year old M/F from Freo Bailey Dale -20 year old M/F from the Bulldogs Kaiden Brand – 23 year old D from Hawthorn James Parsons – 20 year old F from Geelong Kayle Kirby – 18 year old F from Collingwood The regeneration of the list continues. In coming weeks we hope to update supporters on our best and fairest standings
In one final mid-season swap, we have bid farewell to young D/M Alex Witherden and our 2nd round PSD pick in 2018 for Adelaide youngster Rory Atkins (a midfielder) and a 2018 PSD 4th rounder. Our need for young midfielders has seen us trade both our second round PSD picks in next year's draft. However, considering we gained Rory Atkins and Bailey Dale in return (taken with pick 8 in the most recent MSD, traded in as an exchange for our other second round pick), the move has been beneficial.
As Darraweit Guim finally gets around to counting votes for its best and fairest award – The Hindy – the unlikely figure of Jarryd Lyons has taken the early lead. After the first four round, Lyons has polled 11 votes, placing him three clear of Suns teammate Steven May and midfielder Dom Tyson (8 votes). Defenders Alex Rance and Andrew Mackie have polled 7 votes each, Zac Smith 5 and Jack Newnes 5. Interestingly, Lyons and May arrived at the Guim in the same trade – for a high first round PSD pick in a trade from Gundagai. In hindsight, a good trade (especially given the competing bid involved Anthony Miles). Further updates to come.
After eight rounds of counting, Jarryd Lyons continues to hold the lead in The Hindy, but a number of big names are breathing down his neck. Lyons has polled 15 votes, 1 ahead of Michael Walters and two ahead of Alex Rance. Brad Hill and Jack Newnes both have 12 votes, while Steven May has 11. Reigning Hindy winner Stephen Coniglio polled his only vote for the season thus far in Round 7, having played only 6 quarters of football this year due to injury. His absence has been marked in an already undermanned midfield. At various stages through the year, Messers Hill, Edwards, Greenwood, Hrovat, Jack and Bastinac have been tried in the midfield in his place, with mixed results. The recruitment of another midfielders during the mid season trade period (Rory Atkins) has helped, while Hill has been useful in the middle at times. Kieren Jack’s return to full fitness in recent weeks bodes well for an improved rest of 2017 for him. Further updates to come.
Rance and Walters. Walters and Rance. The defender and the small forward are tied for the lead in the Hindy after the most recent round’s efforts have been counted. Rance has polled 27 votes across 8 games in which he has been one of the 5 best players (in the 5,4,3,2,1 voting format). Walters has only polled in 6 games, but has garnered 3 best-afields and 3 second-best afields. His most recent 173 is the single biggest score by any Guim player this year. Jack Newnes has polled 22 votes in 6 polling games, while Jarryd Lyons has polled votes in 9 games (the most by any Guim players) and has 20 votes. Dom Tyson and Zac Smith have 15 votes apiece, Brad Hill 14 and Steven May 12. Off-season recruit Andrew Mackie has 9 votes, while Marcus Adams – another player out for the year injured – garnered 7 votes before getting hurt. As an interesting point, 12 players have made debuts for the Guim this year, ranging from senior recruits Mackie and Jack, through to guys like Smith, Callum Sinclair, Sam Naismith and late draft pick David Astbury. Youngsters Atkins, Bailey Dale, Kaiden Brand and Ed Vickers-Willis have also taken to the field, while Jarryd Blair and Ryan Bastinac both debuted for the Guim before being delisted at mid-season. It is hoped James Parsons and Harley Balic will see senior action before the year is out.
After the latest round of ORFFA action, Michael Walters has taken the lead in the Hindy. Walters polled 2 votes to take his tally to 29 - 2 clear of Alex Rance. Votes for the round were: 5 - Atkins 4 - Smith 3 - Lyons 2 - Walters 1 - Brown Coaches discretionary votes to Astbury and Parsons (one each) Full total votes to come soon.
With a couple of further wins in recent weeks, the Guim have attained a level of semi respectability that could only be dreamt about a mere 6 weeks ago. Prudent mid-season drafting and trading has seen a solid basis laid for 2018. And despite not having a second round PSD pick for the 2018 draft, the two players switched in as part of those trades – Dale and Atkins – have been solid and have plenty of room to improve. Decisions are already being made on the delistment and trade front as well. Meanwhile, the battle for the Hindy for 2017 is a race in three, with Messers Walters and Rance tied on 31 votes entering the final round. Just one vote behind is Jack Newnes, who has had a wonderfully consistent year. Walters will not play again this season due to injury, so the ball will be in Rance or Newnes’ court to see if they can poll votes in the last round to overtake the young Freo forward. The full vote count heading into the last round is: 31 – Rance, Walters 30 – Newnes 24 – Z Smith 23 – Lyons 17 – Tyson 15 – B Brown 14 – B Hill 12 – May 10 – Sinclair 9 – Mackie 7 – Jack, Atkins, Adams 5 – S Edwards 3 – Naismith, McDonald-Tipungwuti 2- Hrovat 1 – Greenwood, Brand, Coniglio, Astbury, Parsons, Dale
We have joint winners of the Hindy in 2017, with Alex Rance and Michael Walters tying for the award. With Walters injured, Rance had a chance to win the Hindy outright by polling votes in the last round. Alas, he was unable to do so. And with Jack Newnes also out of the votes, Walters’ absence did not see him fall out of the top spot. Congrats to both players, and to Jack Newnes. All three had great years. The last round of Hindy voting saw a familiar name return to the top of the list – Stephen Coniglio reminding the Guim of what had been missed for all bar about 3 games this season with a blazing 120 to notch 5 Hindy votes. Zac Smith’s 119 saw him gain 4 votes and the title of recruit of the year for Darraweit. His fourth place in the Hindy has been a huge boost. Brad Hill, a rejuvenated Shane Edwards and over-achieving low draft pick David Astbury rounded out the five. Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti receives two coach’s discretionary votes. Final Hindy vote count: 31 – Rance, Walters 30 – Newnes 28 – Z Smith 23 – Lyons 17 – Tyson, B Hill 15 – B Brown 12 – May 10 – Sinclair 9 – Mackie 7 – Jack, Atkins, Adams, S Edwards 6 - Coniglio 5 – McDonald-Tipungwuti 3 – Naismith, 2- Hrovat, Astbury 1 – Greenwood, Brand, Parsons, Dale Now, a break beckons. Before delistments and recruitments.
The Darraweit Guim board has reacted to the team's first ever non-finals year by reappointing coach Chris to the position in 2018. In what amounted to a massive vote of confidence in the coach, board members have publicly stated that Chris had been recontracted because they were unable to find anyone else who wished to do the job. The coach's first task this off-season will be to find players to delist. The second will be to find a new fitness coach. The third will be to regain a second round draft pick. The fourth will be to pray that the player we wish to draft in the first round is still there when our pick arrives. We are carefully examining our unexpectedly overachieving forward line for possible trade bait. And hoping our backline returns to full fitness ... and for one more year out of Andrew Mackie.
Slight change of personnel tradeability: With likely 2018 positions indicated Will be pretty difficult to prise away, but will listen to offers Steve Coniglio M Jarryd Lyons M Zachary Smith R or R/F Jackson Newnes D/M Sonny Boy Walters M/F Iron Fist May D Peaky Blinders Atkins M Bradley Hill M or M/F Hyphen Byrne-Jones D Shed Edwards M/F Big Bad Benny Brown F Bailey Dale M/F Could go somewhere at varying costs to the prospective purchaser Iron Fist Rance D Harley Niko Balic M or M/F but who knows Dave Astbury D Domino Tyson M Big Marcus Adams D Sam the Hairdo Naismith R Cal Sinclair R/F Kieren Jack M/F Walla McDonald-Tipungwuti F Nathan Hrovat M/F Kaiden Brand D Hyphen Vickers-Willis D James Parsons Project F Kayle Kirby F Out the door Mr Greenwood Mr Mackie (impending retirement) Have picks 8, 44, 59, 62, 80, 98 Will be more comfortable trading after 2018 positions are confirmed, but will listen to offers. Looking for a midfielder and do have excess forwards right now (and probably defenders too, but a couple might go, who knows). Interested in trading back into the second round as well. Everyone is on the table but, let's be realistic, prices vary.
As per the auction thread, the auction for Messers Naismith and Sinclair has ended. Feel free to ask after them via PM if you are interested.
The Blimps wish our grand final participants the best of luck. Messers Rance, Astbury, Edwards and Atkins will all be part of the AFL GF on the weekend, though the coach of course has a slight barracking interest in the fortunes of the first three as Richmond players.
I'm still stunned we have made it. I never thought I'd see it happen, but after going to the Prelim final with my son on Saturday and being among 95000 deliriously ludicrously happy Richmond fans, my brain threatens to explode if we actually manage to win on the weekend.