They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Well, that’s what I’m running with anyways.
The Sounding Board podcast does a weekly scorecard where the producer poses various, random statements, and the two hosts proceed to rate them out of 10 (1 being a harsh disagreement, 10 being in great support), and discuss their reasonings for each rating.
Now, before you accuse me of doing a Kane Cornes and voicing my outlandish opinions to reel in the clicks, these statements are aimed at showcasing the differing opinions of the Mongrel fraternity, and not necessarily the opinion of the original author.
So without further ado, I present to you..
The Mongrel Scorecard
Adam Simpson will not be coaching the West Coast Eagles in 2025.
Jimmy Day – 9
It’s highly unlikely that Simpson remains at the Eagles in 2025. That will basically be a guarantee if the Eagles are bottom four again in 2024. The Eagles have traditionally held an attitude of entitlement and expectation about achieving, so, it’s rather surprising that this change is yet to occur. The early rounds will determine Simpson’s future – one that may not even reach the end of season 2024.
HB – 7
There are a few variables, here.
First, injuries. If the club has an out-of-control situation like last season, how much blame can be heaped on a coach?
Second, what are the expectations on this team, internally? The Eagles are not used to bottoming out. They are certainly not used to an extended period at the tail end of the ladder. If there are some who expect rapid improvement, I don’t think it looks good for Simmo..
JB Eddy – 9
I like Simmo. I think he’s a good coach, and has runs on the board to justify faith in him.
But the last few years have been the worst for West Coast in recent memory, if not ever.
At this point, unless West Coast have a stunning form reversal, I think a clean slate is a better option than persisting with the devil you know.
It’s harsh, but that’s the life of an AFL coach—very few get to choose when they leave, and I don’t see West Coast doing enough in 2024 for Simmo to see out the season.
Max Ford – 8
I don’t think West Coast will do as badly this year as they have in the last two years (Brockman and Flynn are both smokeys for signings of the year), and it may well look at times that Simmo has rediscovered his enjoyment of the game, but this tango will likely come to an end soon. His fuel supply has been depleted, especially during that run of sustained shitness last year. You can only spend so long at a place where unexpected hardship and frustrations have battered your will and forced you to reach deep inside in order to keep going.
Jarred Ophorst – 8
I get a sense with Adam Simpson maybe he’s not understanding the commitment he’s potentially making if he sees out his current contract. Is his heart really in it to carry the club to another potential flag? It’s not happening any time soon. And even if he is keen to continue, it’s a long time at one club. Better to break it off now and rejuvenate, both for club and coach.
Jono Mwanangela – 8
As Kane would say, “no coach in any league around the world would survive his coaching record”. I’ll have to agree on that. Who knows, maybe change will be a good thing for both parties.
Hodgy- 8
I believe that, as already mentioned- injuries will be the defining role in this.. West Coast have cleared out some dead wood and possess some youngsters that look to leave it all out on the field every round. I think the injury curse comes calling again, purely based on heavy reliance on players that are out of their prime.. the loyalty to the servants could ultimately mean that the baby is drained with the bath water.
Matt Passmore – 7
The Eagles are definitely committed to building their new side under Simmo. So I don’t think they’ll be putting too much pressure on results this year and certainly won’t be expecting the top 8. That being said, if this season resembles the same level of consistently uncompetitive football as it did last year, they may need to sack him if for no other reason than to release some of the pressure on the club.
Jed Lehmann – 7
Expectations must be at an all time low for the Eagles. They have lost a number of senior players and have the least top 10 picks in the league. Expecting anything less than a bottom 2 finish would be foolish. That being said, a lack of competitiveness this season could see Simmo moved on, and it would be hard to argue that it wasn’t just if that is the case.
Matt Parnell – 9
Not a 10 only cos I’m not convinced they will even if they obviously should. Should’ve done it already! If they haven’t fired him by now after going 5-40 in two seasons, they might never. His arse might be sewn into the hot seat.
Matt Oman – 3
I’m clearly in the minority it seems, but I think if West Coast was going to sack Simpson, they would’ve done so by now. Management clearly know that there’s more pain to come, but they’ve got the diamond piece in Harley Reid, and hopefully their horrendous run of injuries is behind them. Sure, they won’t win that many games, they’ll get belted sometimes and probably finish bottom two. But this isn’t new information, and if the Eagles were going to move on from Simpson after 2024, they would’ve moved on in 2023.
Timbo Higgins – 4
Simmo is contracted until the end of 2025, it would make little sense to sack him this season regardless of results or injuries. West Coast are coming off one of the worst seasons in their history and have made their intentions pretty clear, investing heavily in youth. I don’t expect too many wins this season, but player development and some semblance of a winning game plan should be enough to see out his contract.
The Doc – 3
I know I like to preach on about football being a results-based industry, but at least until the end of his contract, I want to see how Adam Simpson can connect with the young boys he’s got coming in and how he’s going to get the likes of Harley Reid and Reuben Ginbey to buy in to the system, and help them improve.
There was a lot of talk about letting him go last year too, and I think the club made the right decision then to stick by Simpson, because lets face it, who else was going to turn this disaster around last year? Same thing applies this year.
Justin Rake – 5
I’m fence-sitting here. I mean, if they didn’t fire Simpson last year, what on earth would he need to do to be fired this year? A large portion of football followers have papered over the cracks on just how historically putrid the Eagles were last year, yet Simpson survived and remains steering the ship in 2024. What’s to say he won’t be there in 2025?
Coming in agnostic probably isn’t my greatest debut on the Mongrel Scorecard, but honestly, your guess is as good as mine.
The AFL have finally gone too far. In their quest to change the rules of the game with more frequency than a taxi’s engine oil, the League has now shifted to shatter what we hold dearest in our game of Australian Rules Football, by outrageously banning whistling from the bench, tearing apart the sheer fabric of the game as we know it.
Jimmy Day – 11
I don’t know how the game is going to survive after they have made this ban. It is terrifying and tragic and players now will collapse in exhaustion not knowing when to go to the bench.
Seriously though, of all the things that need work, whistling from the bench wasn’t on my bingo card.
HB – 10
But… how else will I get a player’s attention and stop the game when I need to go take a piss?
Score review doesn’t work. The sub rule is a farce, and we concentrate on whistling.
JB Eddy – 1000
As someone who can whistle loud enough that I once made a woman wet her pants in alarm, I am against anything that may reduce my ability to employ that skill at any moment I choose.
If the bench has an umpires whistle, sure, piss that off, but nothing gets someone’s attention better than the old ‘phweeet!’ of the fingers-in-the-mouth whistle. Hell, I still use it to tell my kid it’s time to leave the playground.
Jarred – 10
This, as far as I can tell, is serving no purpose. Change for the sake of change maybe, I don’t know. In any event, who asked for it and who cares.
Jono – 10
It’s at the point now where I can’t even keep up with these rule changes. What’s next?
At least we’ll potentially get to see some interesting signs being held up from the bench.
Hodgy- 9
I hate the way the game is trending right now, with the heirachy wanting it as pure as the finest Columbian export.. that, however is not what our great game is all about.. I believe the AFL has had to go into protection mode due to previous historic injury cases, and understandibly so. However, this version of the game is devaluing past champions by the season.
Matt Passmore – 10.
Rule changes have been a constant since the dawn of time but generally speaking they’ve served a specific purpose. Recently however the changes have been very bureaucratic and in some cases completely arbitrary. They’ve become like an author who’s edited their book so much that they can’t remember what they were trying to write in the first place.
Jed L – 10
Name another professional sport which changes their rules this frequently to such poor effect. *crickets* (the sound of silence not the sport). The AFL looks like an amateur organisation with the rule changes it constantly implements. On top of this, for all things to change… whistling… from the bench? Farce.
Matt Parnell – 10
Macauley Culkin in home alone face
Matt Oman – 10?
I have clearly missed something here. What are they banning? So officals can’t whistle from the bench to get players attention? Ok. There are far more important things to worry about, but sure, let’s focus on high pitched sounds coming from people’s mouths.
Timbo – 10
I’m currently putting pen to paper on a rant regarding the AFL rule changes, but this is definitely up there with the more bizarre/ridiculous ones.
Doc – 10
Next thing you’ll tell me is that the AFL bans players from jumping on the mark. Farcical.
Justin – 10
If the kazoo was ever going to find its place in the AFL, now’s the time.
Dustin Martin, barring injury, is set to play his 300th game for Richmond this season. With a seven-year contract due to expire at the end of 2024, the champion Tiger will be playing his 320th game at a different club in 2025.
Jimmy Day – 5
I’m playing this one safe. Dusty loves the Tigers, so it would make sense for him to stay at Tigerland. It also wouldn’t surprise me if he followed Dimma to the Suns and got to enjoy the might lifestyle on the Goldie. However, I think the third option of him not playing in 2025 makes more sense, given the requirement of players to do more media than ever before. Dusty dislikes the media, so, I reckon this might put him off playing on in 2025.
HB – 7
I think there is a fair bit of this resting on how the Suns perform in 2024. If he can see a chance to snatch one more flag by playing under his old coach on the Gold Coast for a year… would the Tiger fans really begrudge him the move?
If Richmond were still in the window, I reckon this wouldn’t be a question, but with the Tigers not looking likely to be a contender any time soon, maybe Dusty has enough credits in the bank with the faithful that they wave him goodbye as a champion of the club, and wish him well?
Hahaha, yeah, right.
JB Eddy – 6
Dusty going to the Suns seems a foregone conclusion in some areas, and Dimma knows what Dusty wants in his environment, but is it enough? Gold Coast brought in Gary Ablett Jr and it wasn’t enough to elevate them to finals, and while I think this team is a better one that it was when GAJ went North, I think it’d be a mistake to tailor the team approach to Dusty when there are so many young stars ready to shine.
If Dusty can go there knowing his goal is to make his teammates good enough that he’s second-string in the midfield, it’ll work out well for them, but the dollars he’ll ask and the approach to football he takes could mean trouble for GC when it comes time to retain the stars of the future.
Max – 2
Explosive, muscly blokes who stand at 6’2 or taller don’t usually play 300 games. You can be one, or even two, of those things, and reach the milestone fairly easily, but if you’re the full package, you’re up against it (Yes, I’m aware that a certain L Franklin is a recent example of this argument being wrong, but I stick by it). I think Dusty gets injured this year and calls it quits.
Jarred – 3
I think were Dusty to leave, it would have happened by now. He had a lot of personal turmoil when his father passed, and perhaps that was the time for a fresh start at a new club.
I can’t see the lure of another flag really impacting Dusty enough to move to a new club. In my opinion he plays out his current contract, and that’s the last we see of him in the AFL. Richmond have done well by him, and I believe Dusty repays that by remaining a one club player to the end.
Jono – 7
You never know, but I think Dusty is settled where he’s at and he would love to end up a one club player.
Hodgy- 15
RD 1, 2025 Heritage Bank Stadium..
Matt Passmore -6
There’s no need for him to change clubs so I don’t think so – but he may have an eye on coaching and want to broaden his horizons a bit. And There’s a club up north with a ready-made mentor who’ll be quite happy to have him as a player/assistant coach for a year or 2.
Jed L – 3
He has done all that could be done at AFL level, seems pretty comfortable at the Tigers. Does he have the hunger to start again at another team?
Matt Parnell – 2
Two things have to go right here- Dusty has to play 31 of a maximum of 54 games (and that’s generously assuming he makes it to the Grand Final and plays four finals both years) to get to 320, and he has to move teams. Safe bet is that one or both doesn’t happen
Matt O – 1
Dusty isn’t going anywhere. How many players of his ilk move somewhere else this late in their career, unless they’re moved on by their clubs?
Timbo – 9
Out of contract at the end of the year and 33 years old, he’ll wind down his career on the Gold Coast with his good mate Dimma. He has achieved everything he can at Richmond and they are probably looking at a couple of years outside the 8 (atleast). The chance at another flag (as Gold Coast will win one by 2026 apparently) and seeing out his career outside of the Melbourne AFL bubble will see him spotted in a coffee shop in Surfers Paradise with Dimma during the mid-season break.
Doc – 8
I know the lure and romance of linking Dusty and Dimma up again on the Gold Coast will play on all throughout 2024. There’s also that lure of being away from the AFL fishbowl that is Victoria where nearly everyone knows who he is and moving to a state where football is fast growing, but can be out of the AFL spotlight a little more. I wouldn’t be shocked if he says he wants to reunite with a coach who’s given him the best years of his football career and we see him line up in red and yellow in 2025.
Justin – 8
I’m going to concur with the head Mongrel, HB, here. It’s all about whether or not Richmond is in a window to win another flag, and for me, they’re a ways off by now.
The imminent ‘Harley (Reid) Hype’ of 2024 will eclipse the ‘(Nick) Daicos Debate’ of 2022/2023, as the highly touted 18-year-old sets the league alight in his debut season for the Eagles.
Jimmy Day – 3
He’s playing for West Coast. So, not only is he entering a struggling team, he’s also on the opposite side of the country to most football media sources. The hype will be there, but not as intently as with Daicos who the media go waaaay over the top about. It’s almost like they’re trying to seduce him (and Pies supporters think he’s the greatest player to ever play any sport). Simply put, Reid plays for a bottom side, that isn’t Collingwood, on the West Coast. The hype will be there, but not surpass that of Naicos.
HB – 4
A lot of pressure on the boy, and all it takes is a few niggles to slow someone down and cause them to fail when it comes to the expectations of others.
I have no doubt Harley Reid will be a gun, just as I had no doubt Jason Horne-Francis would be. However, translating talent into immediate results is bloody hard! If Reid is given the chance to work in a role that isn’t going to see him smashed from pillar to post in the contest, then yeah, he could have a blinder, first up. However, if you’re looking for him to Chris Judd it in his first year… maybe temper those expectations a little. He is coming into a midfield that got soundly beaten at clearances for most of the year in 2023.
That’s a lot of weight on the shoulders of a young man, if you’re expecting him to fix it.
JB Eddy – 2
Harley will be a superstar one day, but it won’t be on day one.
The step up for him to be an AFL midfielder is a massive one. I don’t think he’s quite agile enough to start on a flank like Daicos and Sheezel did, and it’d probably help his development to be thrown into the middle instead. But by doing that, he’ll be exposed to older players wanting to break him in half.
He’ll have his wins, but not to the level of Daicos, who not only was able to spend a lot of time outside the contest, but had loads of protection when opponents wanted to harass him.
But Harley Reid of 2027 is a decent very early bet for the Charlie.
Max – 3
As a North fan, I have a vested interest in downplaying and/or criticising everything about Harley. His hair, his Rising Star chances, his style of play, the temperament of the family cocker spaniel. But I’m gonna be the bigger person here and be nice, with a slice of realism to boot. He’ll be a good player but the thing that stuck out to me in his junior highlights was that he looked like a man against boys. Fending off opponents with ease, ragdolling defenders with marking power.
He won’t have that drawcard at senior level and this will mean less ‘wow’ moments. Not only that, what Daicos (and the bloke who won the Rising Star after him, in fairness) had that allowed him to make such an impact early on was an elite tank, footy IQ and topline kicking skills . I think Harley probably only has 1-1.5 of those at the moment. He will get there though, and when he does, the West will finally be able to justify their unhinged obsession with the poor lad.
Jarred – 8
Let me preface this by saying 1, I live in WA and cannot currently escape Harley Reid watch on every sports media format in the state, and 2, for the same reason as 1, I wasn’t as exposed to the hype train surrounding Daicos. So I write this from a WA perspective.
They hype is unlike anything I’ve seen in WA sports history (granted I’m only 26). There seems a desperation to wanting Harley to be the greatest thing on Earth, and I think its lead by what is, at times, a very Eagles bias media landscape.
I think he’ll have a fine season. Nothing outrageous but a solid contributor on a poor team. The media in WA will tell you he’s going to win five brownlows by the end of it. I feel bad for the kid. I’m sick of seeing him everywhere and he hasn’t played a game yet. Hopefully his performances stack up to what the media are creating, otherwise he’s in for a rough year.
Jono – 5
Is it okay to sit on the fence here a bit?
I think he’ll live up to expectations as long as he’s got the right mentorship and development like Daicos has been blessed with. Yes he’s going to a bottom four club who are unlikely to shoot up the ladder, but Sheezel was in a similar boat and excelled in his first year.
Hodgy- 3
In terms of a West Coast “talisman” I believe all eyes should be on Reuben Ginbey.. the reality is that Reid had a lackluster campaign at the Under 18 championships and got named at Full Forward almost as a cop out..
Call it bias if you will, but as early as 12 months ago I was sold on Jed Walter as the best player in the AFL draft, and I still hold that opinion.
I believe Reid will also spend a lot of time in the forward line, somewhat limiting his impact in my opinion.
Matt Passmore- 4/11
I’ve given this one 2 scores: one for the AFL as a whole (and from my perspective) and then one for how it will be recorded locally. Generally, I think it will be near impossible for him to exceed the season that Daicos had. Daicos had a very good first season with a pretty good side. But I’ve given a different one for here in WA where, at least in the WA Media’s eyes, he has probably already exceeded it without even playing.
Reid has already been listed as being in the top 10 WA footballers this year & I don’t think anyone was saying Daicos was in the top 10 Victorian footballers before he’d played a game. So if that, and his 20 back pages in 20 days is anything to go by then locally Reid has it in the bag. In reality though, I think Reid will have a pretty good season, probably made better by the fact he’s going to naturally be a very good player in a pretty mediocre team.
Jed L – 2
He will be a great player, but not immediately. JHF showed how hard it is to play as an inside mid as an 18 year old. No easing into it for Harley. The intense media interest will hinder not help him to begin with in my opinion.
Matt Parnell – 1
Hype of 2022, maybe, 2023 definitely not. Even if it’s just because he’s not the son of a club great who also happens to be playing with his brother.
Matt O – 6
I think Harley is going to have a better year than the other Mongrels believe. He might not explode like Daicos did, but by the end of the season, he’ll be the Eagles highest vote getter in the Brownlow (not that that is currently saying much).
Timbo – 2
As mentioned by others, he is probably in the wrong state for Daicos levels of hype. Looking forward to watching him in action though.
Doc – 5
I think it’s a given that this kid will be special, he wasn’t head and shoulders above the rest of his draft class for no reason. But the massive difference between Harley and Hollywood Daicos is that Daicos has played a part in two seasons in which the Pies have had positive win-loss records; whereas Harley Reid is about to walk into a club that has won just a handful of games in the past two years. I think we’ll see a very good year first-up, probably enough to win the Rising Star Award, but I doubt it’ll be even as close as influential as what we’ve seen from Nick Daicos.
Justin – 2
Do I believe Harley Reid is going to be a gun? Yep. Do I think he’s going to have a better entry to AFL than Nick Daicos? Gtfo.
For me, this is about appropriately rating Nick Daicos and what he’s achieved in his first two seasons. This is not your run-of-the-mill superstar. From the limited, two-season sample size we have to go off, Daicos has shown us enough to have true faith that he could eclipse all-time greats like Chris Judd or Gary Ablett Jnr. This is not stated lightly, and there’s no way we can believe an unseen commodity (even one as hyped as Reid) could replicate that.
When broken down and dissected, it is ludicrous to think that the AFL could allow the incoming Tasmanian team to be named The Devils, when the League already has a team named The Demons. The same has been said for the Tasmanian Tigers. What next? The Pakenham Planes? The Frankston Felines? The Rockhampton Ravens? The Anglesea Angels? The Bald Hill Bald Eagles? The Palmdale Puppies? The Sunshine Sons?
Jimmy Day – 10
Tasmanian Tigers or Tasmian Thylacines is an easy fix.
HB – 5
Look, Tassie is going to be dwarfed by Gold Coast irrespective of what they name themselves. Gold Coast named themselves the Suns, for God’s sake. Not just one Sun – multiple Suns! What’s more powerful than that?
Maybe Tasmania could call themselves the Tassie Gods. Or the Tasmanian Universe… take that Gold Coast, and your shiny Sun! Not so big now, are ya?
Or maybe they could really scare some people if they go left field? The Tassie Immigrants? The Apple Isle Sex Predators?
Fearsome, indeed.
JB Eddy – 9
The VFL has the Werribee Tigers, The Richmond Tigers, the Brisbane Lions and the Coburg Lions. It looks stupid, but no team wants to give up their traditional mascot.
Call em the Tasmanian Ettins for all I care, but Tigers and Devils are on the nose.
Hodgy- 5
I’m on the fence as to what direction they go.. honestly, the JackJumpers nailed it despite the unconventional name at first.. With a guy like Nick Riewoldt advising the franchise I suppose it will be taken from the US.. otherwise there could be a resurgence of the Tassie Mariners perhaps..
Max – 1
Put the two words ‘Tassie Devils’ together and the picture they conjure up is that of a creature very separate to the hellish entity that adorns the Melbourne insignia. Play on
Jarred – 5
I could go either way on this one. I don’t like the optics of similar names but at the end of the day marketing wins out above all else.
Just don’t put any bars on the guernsey, or the universe may just collapse in on itself…
Jono – 5
I’m not for or against it. I just think it’s a little bit strange naming a team after a whole state even though I understand the sentiment in it.
Matt Passmore – 2
I consulted my book of mythology here and you’ll be happy to know that demons and devils aren’t quite the same thing. They’re similar, but it’d be like saying the Eagles and Hawks are the same because they’re both birds. The differences are long and nerdy, but not for now…
As for the name “Devils?” Well, it’s a bit of a cliched name but it still beats the Jackjumpers. Is probably better than the Suns and who came up with ‘Dockers’ when Pirates was an option. Furthermore, it’s arguable that when Carlton called themselves ‘the Blues’ they admitted to being completely devoid of imagination. So just like when your cousin names their first born Braxleigh or Zaicon, you just grimace until it becomes normal.
Jed L – 5
I don’t really mind either way what they name the club, I just hope it means North Melbourne can remove Tasmania from our AFLW branding.
Matt Parnell – 9
I don’t think there’s any real precedent for teams having the same name in the same league, except for the (now) Hornets, fka Bobcats, and the (now) Pelicans, fka Hornets, in the NBA. There wasn’t any crossover but it’s still a bit weird. That being said, if they really want to stir up controversy they should call themselves the Tasmanian Sons. Homophonic but crucially not the same word.
Matt O – 5
It’s simple. Call them the Tassie Kings, after King Island.
Timbo – 0
Surely a highly paid team of marketing executives can come up with something better after sitting around a boardroom table for weeks? I’ve never travelled to Tassie but a quick google search of their attractions mentioned the “Museum of Old and New Art” (MONA) as a highlight. Tassie Mona’s?
Doc – 5
I know the traditionalists will want Tassie Devils, and I get it, I grew up with that team name when they were in the VFL all those years ago, so I’m all about that, but I wouldn’t mind seeing them go a different brand either – new team, new identity.
Justin – 10
Strong agree here. Not only for the Demons link, but also the fact that the Devils is just a crappy name that required absolutely zero thought process. Let the Looney Tunes keep their Devils, I wanna see the Tasmanian Fairy Penguins in action.
Carlton will continue their barnstorming rise and improve on their 2023 season by making the Grand Final this year.
Jimmy Day – 2
Given that the Carlton psyche and mental fortitude is as strong as a white man’s bowel after eating a hot curry, it’s unlikely they progress that far. Vossy has the fortitude, but I’m not sure many on the park do.
HB – 5
Well, if Sam McClure says it, it must be right… LOL.
Look, this mob finally came good in 2023. All the years of threatening and posturing, and when their backs were to the wall, they buckled down and got their shit together. I respect that. I don’t like it, but I respect it.
Putting it all together again and not having that horror patch will see the Blues play finals, but most teams are only ever an injury or two away from a spiral, and when you get the chance to make good, you damn well do it. This could be Carlton’s year, yeah… but a lot of things need to go right to make it so.
And things don’t seem to go right all that often for clubs.
JB Eddy – 3
I know many Carlton fans who are optimistic but have been burned far too often to add grand final options to their memberships.
Carlton are an excellent side that can match it with anyone on their day. Unfortunately, that day can be hard to hit consistently. They have winners on every line, but so many of those winners can be frustratingly inconsistent.
It’s been said that premierships aren’t won on star power, but by having no weak links in the chain, and for my money, there are a few too many players who get a bit brittle when the real pressure is on.
That doesn’t mean they won’t iron those kinks out and have a run at a flag, but I don’t think it’ll be in 2024.
Soon though.
Hodgy- 6
STOP THE PRESS, there is vision of Harry McSpray kicking a drop punt goal..
From the left pocket
He is left footed..
On paper, they seem to have it all, however I believe outside of their A Grade players they fall off quickly, and they strike me as a team where their B’s have to be on.. I think that they have the potential to win the premiership, however- I believe that the challenger will have to be below par for that to occur..
Max – 3
Maybe it’s the years of conditioning they’ve blessed us all with that’s making me biased, but they’re going to have to show the ability to bounce back from that prelim heartbreak with sustained levels of ridiculous football for me to believe that they can get that far. The mental barriers that need to be broken through for a club that’s been through what they have are enormous.
Jarred – 4
Sorry to all the Carlton supporters out there but I just don’t see it. There seems to be something that just holds this club back from consistently strong football. If Carlton are going to make a grand final I don’t want to see them go through such peaks and valleys within seasons. Show me a steady build, and I’ll believe.
Jono – 7
It actually pains me to say this but I genuinely think they’re on the rise. A team with that much talent should be at the pointy end. Will they actually live up to the hype though? That’s a whole different story.
Matt Passmore – 9
Yeah I’ll back them in. Mostly because I didn’t this time last year & they proved me wrong. So I’ll back them this year and either I’m right or I’ve done most of you a favour.
Jed L – 7
They will be around the mark I reckon. Strong team, with some confidence on the back of some finals wins. Not sure they make it all the way to the big dance, but they will be around come September.
Matt Parnell – 5
This is a 5 that represents my middle of the road feelings towards the Carlton Football Club
Matt O – 3
Look, they won both their finals by less than a goal, so some might say that they were lucky to get as far as they did last year. They’ve still got lots of room left to grow, and you can’t expect Curnow to win the Coleman again, so someone else is going to need to step up. I can see them earning a double chance and getting back to the Preliminary Final, but I don’t think a Grand Final appearance comes until 2025.
Timbo – 5
Trying not to let my Collingwood bias get in the way here, but I agree with most that there is a psychological fragility about this Carlton team, despite what Sam McClure says. I actually agree that on paper they have a pretty formidable looking team, but their mentality is as strong as the paper that team is written on.
Doc – 6
Yeah it bloody took them long enough. But having said that, the two form sides by the end of the home and away season were the Giants and the Blues, and I see both of them being thereabouts again this year. My concerns for Carlton though are whether Harry McKay can actually arrest these kicking demons, and can the defenders get through at least the start of the year with Jacob Weitering’s calf issues
Justin – 7
I know a Carlton collapse is equally as possible as a Carlton conquering, but now that they’ve (sort of) made it over the hump, it’s hard to find logical and tangible reasons why the Blues would fall in 2024.
The list is still extremely strong on paper (and I suppose we can say on field now as well), the vibes are good and I just think they have everything they need to pick up where they left off.
The appointment of Damien Hardwick as coach of Gold Coast for the 2024 season was a slow-burn that was first set alight long before Dimma’s passionate announcement about being “burnt out” as Richmond’s senior coach, and running out of ways to cook the sausages at the club.
Jimmy Day – 10
This is the AFL’s fairytale. They’ve no doubt been lobbying Dimma to make the change for a while. And, at the first sign of Richmond not being good, like a good egotist, Dimma quit the club because, well, reasons. Watch their three-year plan of winning a flag eventuate because the AFL needs it to.
HB – 7
I have zero doubt the ears at Gold Coast pricked up when Hardwick wandered out of Punt Road. I wonder how long it took before contact was made and interest expressed.
In a way, the Suns were like that guy who starts hanging around a bit after a woman breaks up with her partner. “I’m here for you… if you need anything, I can help you.”
Come on, Suns, we all knew you wanted to jump in the sack with Dimma right away!
It’s a perfect storm for the Suns and the league. Premiership coach out of a club on the decline, a struggling expansion team needing someone with mongrel to guide them… the AFL likely playing matchmaker…
Straight into the sack they went.
JB Eddy – 8
I’m not saying Dimma knew he’d be at Gold Coast when he left Richmond… but I reckon he had a fair idea that they’d be open for a chat.
Odd that a team who were renowned for sacking coaches at will, stuck with one and got premierships… only for him to walk away once they started sliding.
And fair enough too, I guess. With equalisation being what it is, Richmond will need to be very clever to avoid the inevitable bottoming out that comes after working so hard to extend their premiership window, but whether they can stay competitive as Geelong has or sink like West Coast did is up to someone else now.
Hodgy- 5
I won’t go in to too much detail, as there are things that I know.. (let’s just put it that way)
Dimma was always on the list- however it was far from a coordinated escape. Quite ironic in a way, as the Suns more often then not proved a big roadblock to the Tigers
Max – 7
You’d have to be a silly billy to feel that the AFL didn’t have some liaison with Dimma regarding this. It’s their wet dream. I’m not sure just how much tangible crossover there was over the two events, but he no doubt had the Gold Coast job in the back of his mind as he dolefully announced his departure from Richmond. And to be completely fair to him, sometimes a new start is exactly what a keen coaching mind needs to break out of a funk.
Jarred – 10
This built for a long time and I think after the announcement we all knew it. Getting anyone up to the Gold Coast is a victory, let alone one of the greatest modern coaches, is such a huge coup. I don’t think you could convince someone like Dimma to just up and leave Richmond without some serious effort going into it.
This was coming for a while and while I think there’s nothing wrong with it, I can understand Richmond fans feeling a little annoyed. I hope he does well up there, for himself, that club and the AFL. Otherwise, what a waste
Jono – 10
It’s a match made in heaven.
Matt Passmore – 8
It’s a good move for the club & the AFL as a whole. I won’t pretend to know his reasoning but it seems a logical move for him given the inevitable slide of Richmond and the pressures that would place on him.
Jed L – 7
The AFL would be stoked with the outcome. I don’t think it was necessarily pre-meditated but the Suns wasted no time pouncing into action once Dimma became available. Can’t blame them really.
Matt Parnell – 10
I mean, yeah. Kinda duh.
Matt O – 6
I don’t like this. I’m a firm believer in taking someone at their word until they give you a reason not to. You can be burnt out at one job, say you need a lot of time off, then have that passion be ignited quicker with a different challenge. That’s what happened here.
Timbo – 3
Even if he engineered the move, I think most Richmond supporters would have to be pleased with everything he did for the club in the years before and deserved to leave on his own terms.
Doc – 10
110 percent convinced that it was all planned out before Dimma quit the Tigers last year. Just needed to find the right time to get rid of big Stewie, and sure enough, that’s what happened. A child could’ve written that script.
Justin – 8
When Richmond closes a door, the Gold Coast opens a window… or something along those lines, I guess.
Currently sitting on 383 games and having just turned 36 this year, Scott Pendlebury will go on to break Brent ‘Boomer’ Harvey’s all time games record of 432 before retirement .
Jimmy Day – 6
The caveat should be if he remains fit. One injury for Pendles, and it’s all over. He could very well do it if he maintains his skill and form, but there’s a lot that needs to go right. Did you know he has a basketball background?
HB – 8
I say eight on the proviso the Pies keep winning. When you’re winning, you can afford to look to things like these milestones and records. When you’re losing, it is all hands on deck and building for the future.
The Pies “should” be in and around the top four for a few years to come. With the list they have, they will keep winning at a pretty good clip, but should they stumble… that’s when the knives come out and people start advocating for change. Even club saviours and favourite sons get shown the door in bad times. Pendles would be no different.
Win – yes, he can. Lose – a pat on the back is only six inches from a kick in the pants.
JB Eddy – 0
If he gets to 425, I’ll kidnap him and stash him in a remote Burmese community until he’s in his 60’s.
Max – 8
Yeah cheers for bringing this one up, Jimmy. Us North fans haven’t had enough to cry about in recent years. Of course he’ll break the sodding record, he has an almost supernatural ability to avoid injury, and with his style of play, he might one day become the first ever player to play at AFL level whilst grandfathering a child.
Jarred – 5
One serious injury and you can forget it. If he stays healthy then lock it in.
Jono – 10
The guy still prepares as well as anyone and he is one of the most durable, consistent player going around. It’s a given.
Hodgy- 10
Still very effective in the way he goes about business, super fit, apparently has a basketball background too.
With a looming move to the midfield for Nick Daicos, and not to mention the extended interchange/sub rule, there is every chance Pendles gets there.. “you cannot boo a true champion”
Matt Passmore – 9
He looks as fit as ever. Assuming he doesn’t pick up an ACL or something similar, he has no reason not to.
Jed L – 2
This is all we have. Leave North alone.
Matt Parnell – 10
Who’s to say they don’t keep him around as a veteran til he’s 45 and he plays two games a year as a sub? Keep that number ticking over champ. Use your basketball background to channel your inner Udonis Haslem
Matt O – 10
If Pendlebury doesn’t break the record, then no one will. He’s still playing as well as ever, has a young enough team to carry him some of the way, and has the sub rule up his sleeve just in case he needs it.
Timbo – 10
Barring serious injury I think Pendles will play as long as he wants. If he gets the 400 this season which is likely, and both the Pies and himself are still playing good footy then why not? He’s never had to rely on his pace (the first thing that goes when you get old) and he is still able to find time and space and hit targets with ease. I believe this is due to another ball sport he played as a junior. I can’t recall the particular sport right now as I’ve only heard it mentioned a few times during commentary.
Doc – 6
He’ll need at least two full seasons (including this one) to come close to it, and by the time we get to this time in 2026, he’ll be 38. Even for someone as professionally consistent as Scott Pendlebury and for someone like him to do what he has done for 18 years or so, it certainly isn’t beyond him, but for that to happen, he needs to look after his body for the next two years. I don’t think it’ll be sustainable, but history has shown it can be done. Dustin Fletcher got to 400 games as a 40-year-old, and Boomer broke the league’s games record at 38.
Justin – 4
So what’s that, two more seasons with deep finals runs? It’s certainly possible, and with the form Pendlebury has been in for, well, ever, it’s almost probable.
Still, the AFL can be a fickle world, and while his body has held up tremendously over the course of his career, one injury might render this statement completely useless. I’m going to err on the side of cynicism.
And there we go – the first edition of the Mongrel Scorecard for 2024. Who was right, who was wrong, and who was nuts?
