Originally Posted by
Ludwig
Gould wasn't playing consistent football in his first 2 seasons, which may be due,in part, to Covid interruptions. This year he's put in excellent performances every week. He's shown some real flair in his game. He marks the ball well,he take the kick-ins and has a long penetrating kick. Paddy McCartin was out one week with a concussion. That was his best opportunity to come into the senior side. I thought we should have done it, but the MC disagreed.
So here we are with a player who under most circumstances would have already played some senior footy, but instead has played his entire 3 years in the reserves.
Our KPD depth looks good enough at the moment, but could change very quickly. Melican is a free agent next year. BOC hasn't looked an AFL player. And Gould is out of contract. I think Rampe is playing well, but can't be too any years off retirement.
Gould is the one we need to hold on to. We have to commit to playing him next year if he continues on his current path. Every new player is a gamble, but Gould looks a good bet to succeed, so it's a bet worth taking.
Our depth looks good across the ground with few retirements on the horizon, except at key forward where we have 3 good young prospects. We should go for a couple of KPPs in this draft, regardless of retirements or players leaving for other reasons, if for no other reason than we don't have career paths open for other positions.
We might as well do our best to keep Gould, because if we lose him, we will just have to replace him with a draftee who's prospects will be even less certain. We've put 3 years into this guy. Now he's playing at a level that warrants senior selection, but we are in the thick of finals with a settled side, so there's little chance for him to get a go this year. Any replacement for Gould will just be rewinding the clock and starting development again from time zero.
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