Forum topic

That's a real shame. He'd probably still be on Essendon's AFL list if not for all the injuries and would be a good chance to be drafted again if it looked like his body would hold up. 

We'll really have to recruit a key forward now - ideally someone who can swing back like Baldwin, but a player of his calibre will be hard to find. Worth a look at Liam McMahon, though I don't know if he can go back.

That would be ideal but I'd settle just for a key forward - league leading of course (o know I don't ask for much) but somebody who will be a consistent performer and can get us 35 plus goals next season. I expect Tonelli is going to be very good but probably will need another season where I think we will see dramatic improvement and hopefully if we hold him in 28 and is fully fit can get us over 30 goals. 

The reason i say ild settle just for a key forward is because the defence looks very tight at the moment and ild say probably our strongest area - with highmore coming back in I expect further improvements bur who knows at by the early stage - we may have Werribee or others making more lucrative offers and retention may be a struggle.  The season we had probably tips retention in our favour as we may have done enough to create a harmonious and dynamic environment which current players want to be part of.

Good point about the defence, Mega (and good to "see" you again). Highmore and Rosman will deservedly come straight back in if they re-sign, and yet whoever comes out for them will be stiff to not be named in the team, which says a fair bit about what good shape our defence is in. Gahan and Rudd have really stepped up as intercept markers, with both performing strongly in finals, and Hawkins has come along nicely and could well improve further. For that matter I've generally liked what I've seen of Dreher, although at this point there's no one I would take out for him.

I've wondered if there's any chance of John Jorgensen from Preston being lured back to VFL footy, but this past season he was playing in the Wimmera league although VFL clubs would surely have been after him, so probably not much chance of that. McMahan kicked 33 goals for Essendon in the home and away season - don't know whether he's interested in continuing at VFL level.

It does seem like we should be able to retain players - the commentators mentioned when Werribee played Sandy early in the season that part of Werribee's pitch to Lazzaro was that he could win the Liston in a stronger side, and with Hobbs leading this year's vote count, "you need to leave Port Melbourne to win the Liston" will no longer be a convincing pitch.

An article by Paul Amy confirms that Kaine Baldwin will stay at the Borough in 2027 and will help with coaching as he rehabs from the ACL tear. The article also confirms that McCartney will be staying on as senior coach next year. James Hird says he's "almost certain" he'll stay on as well.

Definitely great news. Agreed, NorthPort - I'm also optimistic about 2027. Just read as well that it was confirmed at the best and fairest that James Hird will indeed be at the club next year. (I'm a bit surprised the club hasn't yet posted the VFL best and fairest and runner up - though it is pretty obvious Hobbs must be the winner. [Edit: never mind, they posted that info on instagram which I hadn't thought to check. Anyway, delighted that both McCartney and James Hird will be here next season, which should help with player retention as well.])