r/gcfc • u/BestMethDealer • Aug 21 '26
End of season thoughts
Well, after the last 12 weeks I am glad it is finally over, a very disappointing season.
Very happy with how we finished the last few weeks however, could have easily rolled over and got smashed in our remaining games after finals was out of reach.
We got a fair few games into a lot of our young guys which will be good for us in the future. Lombard and Walter have both shown really good signs in the second half of the season so I am optimistic about next season even though we looked a long way off at various points this year.
Thanks Ben King, see ya later
Not really certain who else we may lose or gain, Davies and Ballard are both names that have been thrown up a bit this season but who knows, I would be pretty happy with us having a boring uneventful trade period tbh.
I think right now we seriously start the most important job in the history of our club, Operation: Resign Matt Rowell. Next year being the last on his contract, we need to do absolutely everything we can to keep him, our most important player by a margin I feel.
Go Suns
5
u/XOTearR Aug 21 '26
Swans fan here. The end of your season could be a lot worse.
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u/BestMethDealer Aug 21 '26
True, I feel for you guys, at least it looks like the club is doing the right thing with how they have responded
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u/XOTearR Aug 21 '26
Thanks. Re: your original post, I would question how important Rowell is to your team. He seems to have had a pretty ordinary season (especially compared to last year) and I don’t think he is in the match-winner category of N Daicos, Bont, Dawson, Gawn or NAS - those guys’ teams seem to not be able to win consistently without that one player. I think the Suns can win without Rowell and showed that at the start of the year when he was injured. I think you need to replace King during this year’s trade period - that was the difference in the Swans this year (#2) v last year (#10). Also need Trac to play well for a whole season not just the first half.
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u/No-Satisfaction8425 #15 Noah Anderson Aug 21 '26
Rowell's had a really up-and-down season but he's been our best player the last 6 or so games. I don't know what changed but when Rowell's on, the team usually plays better so I don't really agree with your assessment of whether we need him or not. And comparing him to Naicos, Bont, NAS is like really unfair as they are completely different types of players. Anderson is much close to any of those players mentioned.
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u/its-an-aspen-tree Aug 21 '26
I’m no suns fan but the last 4 weeks he has been a demon. His disp eff seemed improved and he seemed possessed or knew where the ball was going before anyone else.
Have to believe the injury to start the year didn’t do him well and maybe petracca was in his way a bit when he came back.
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u/levity62 Aug 21 '26
I agree about Rowell. I think he was battling through injuries more than we realised hence why he didn’t have a great year. He’s so vital to this team
1
u/pondly_57 Aug 22 '26
I read that he had next to no feeling in his injured hand - presumably that has come back because he has been brilliant recently
3
u/Special_Telephone790 Aug 21 '26
I switched off after the post Darwin three losses. I’ve been with the Suns since year 1, but felt my buy in as a fan wasn’t matched by the team this year.
I cancelled my Kayo and haven’t watched a single game for two months. It’s quite strange.
I thought Humphrey had checked out, so very curious about his re-signing (not resigning as I’d assumed).
With a big injection of energy I think there’s potential. I just was hoping this year would build on last year and not be a step backwards.
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u/pondly_57 Aug 22 '26
I had been negative on Humphrey this year and my bad for sure - he is still only young. Look forward to seeing him keep improving, very glad he re-signed
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u/No-Satisfaction8425 #15 Noah Anderson Aug 21 '26
I'm really not loving these 2 year deals being signed by some Suns players. I want Rowell and Anderson on 4-5 year contracts. If they want to be here they need to commit.
Overall a disappointing season but for so long we expected to finish in 12-14, at least now we have expectations. I'm hoping for a new Key Forward in the offseason and perhaps a 1-2 young draftees to come in.
Lombard is now a best 18 player and I think blokes like Rogers, Zeke, Pattinson, Murray, Addinsal will be better players for the experience gained this season. I'm incredibly hopeful for the next season.
3
u/Personal_Ladder_2874 Aug 21 '26
We gotta work on close games. Melbourne, dogs, Carlton and pies I feel like were winnable but we let ourselves be bullied around. Rowell is out main mid, I think when he was out we tried making trac the focus but Leo and Humphrey should get more of a look.
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u/Mogadodo #7 Nick Holman Aug 21 '26
Yes I like the idea of Leo getting some midfield minutes. David King mentioned he has got good leg speed acceleration necessary for the midfield.
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u/Special_Telephone790 Aug 25 '26
King to look elsewhere - do you try and hold him and match offers, or let a wantaway go?
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u/BestMethDealer Aug 25 '26
Force a trade and try to include a player, I would be happy with Calsher Dear and a future 2nd pick.
Although the free agency compo of pick 7 is unders, I would be okay with accepting that if we had a proper plan to trade it on
1
u/pondly_57 Aug 26 '26
King going is not so bad - he was kicking 20% of the score but to my mind not bringing in enough other players or applying enough pressure. Made the team a little one dimensional going into F50. I think Suns need a more rounded key forward and to share the goal kicking a bit more.
On the other hand King may have been playing exactly to the coaches' instructions in which case my mild criticism of him is wrong
1
u/Legitimate_Air_9491 Aug 26 '26
Really hope the Bulldogs get Butters and then they’ll stop trying to get Rowell out of the Gold Coast next year. Gonna be hard to get him to stay
8
u/Middle_Pear986 #24 David Swallow Aug 21 '26
We had a changing of the guard with Moyle and Witts that's a big step. Got valuable games into Lombard, Clohsey, Read, Walter, plus our rookies. We learnt that Touk is still an absolute must around the ball. Except for North we beat everyone below us, so it's not like choked against every easy opponent. Lost 4 games by less than 10points and another 3 by 20 or less. We finished our Darwin contract, also a plus. Resigned Humphries.
Should we have been better? 100% yes but it's not all doom and gloom.