Lystics AFL Podcast

We're back (again). We didn't get a lot of podcasts done in 2022, but we are keen to try and podcast whenever we get the chance in 2023. This podcast is focused on the offseason changes for all clubs, and whether they start 2023 in a better position, a similar position, or a worse position.

Fantasy footy isn't for every fan, but it should be because it's so much fun! We talk about our love our keeper draft leagues, and reveal our classic teams line by line, with an analysis of where we have passed on a high ownership alternative.

[BONUS EP] I mentioned last time that we don't do too many of these bonus eps, but here is another one while we work on long-form content for the next podcast. This episode is cover the concept of 'groupthink'. It has been mention a lot in the last few days that the fantasy footy community suffers from groupthink, so I thought we should first explore what the concept of groupthink is, and see if it applies to fantasy footy (or real footy).

Episode 4 for 2022, and it's the final part of the 3 part series reviewing the new opportunities facing clubs. With all of the new coaches, staff, and players at the clubs, we are deep diving into what it all means. Who is ready for an expanded role or opportunity in 2022? Who's had players come in who could restrict their chances? Is there a new coach who could be ready to usher in a new era? We tackle all this and more in part 3 of this 3 part podcast, featuring Port Adelaide to the Western Bulldogs.

[BONUS EP] We don't do too many of these bonus eps, but we may have to do a few more in future as we don't always have time to get to the Twitter questions and suggestions on our regularly scheduled pods. This episode is covering off the 2021 AFL Draftees, and who John thinks will make a good keeper league prospect. N.B. If you are in a keeper league with me, it is illegal to listen to this content as you will learn too much about my strategy, and it has been used against me before.

Episode 2 for 2022, and we will continue to review the new opportunities facing clubs. With all of the new coaches, staff, and players at the clubs, we are deep diving into what it all means. Who is ready for an expanded role or opportunity in 2022? Who's had players come in who could restrict their chances? Is there a new coach who could be ready to usher in a new era? We tackle all this and more in part 2 of this 3 part podcast, featuring Geelong to North Melbourne.

We are finally back in the booth and are ready to kick of 2022 with a bang. With all of the new coaches, staff, and players at the clubs, we decided to do a deep dive into what it all means. Who is ready for an expanded role or opportunity in 2022? Who's had players come in who could restrict their chances? Is there a new coach who could be ready to usher in a new era? We tackle all this and more over the next few podcast, starting with Adelaide to Fremantle.

We are so close to the draft now, but there is so much to still talk about before we hear the first pick announced on Wednesday night. We discuss the ceiling and floor of some top 10 prospects, and some of the more interesting players outside of the top 10. We then launch into our final Consensus Draft Rankings for 2021.

Here we are with the 2nd Round of the the annual Live Trading Mock Draft with dream team from Rookie Me Central. If you're new to this special episode, this is no ordinary mock draft. We have 7 draft followers on the podcast, and each of us are assigned some clubs to assume the role of club list managers. We can trade picks, bid of academy prospects, and it gets very awesome, very quickly. The 1st round is already available and will help inform what goes on here, so check that out too and enjoy!

We are back with the annual Live Trading Mock Draft with dream team from Rookie Me Central. If you're new to this special episode, this is no ordinary mock draft. We have 7 draft followers on the podcast, and each of us are assigned some clubs to assume the role of club list managers. We can trade picks, bid of academy prospects, and it gets very awesome, very quickly. Enjoy!

We wanted to record an episode where we could take stock of what's unfolded in the past 3 weeks, as there has been a lot of change in AFL teams, but also in our lives. We start by reflecting on the Dee's GF victory, jump into a mental health minute, before moving into a free agency moves and trades review. At the end, we take a little look at what it may take to make progress on a few of the pending trades.

We hinted at a new format for the rest of the list reviews and here is the first rendition of what that new format could be. We have broken the sides up into different groups where we can compare them against like sides, and comment on their different approaches to the same task, rebuilding. Today we focus on the Adelaide Crows, North Melbourne Kangaroos, Collingwood Magpies, and Hawthorn Hawks.

Part 2 of our key re-signing episodes, focusing on the clubs from the Hawks to the Bulldogs.

The home and away season has come to an end, and there are still a bunch of lists we haven't reviewed. This podcast should cover off some of the key timely features of those list reviews, with a look at your clubs key out of contract players coming into the offseason. Part 1 is ADE-GWS, Part 2 (coming) is HAW-WBD.

The Cats have been holding on for years and they continue down the path of topping up with older players to keep the window ajar. They finished on top in 2019 but failed to fire in finals, finished top 4 in 2020 and made the grand final, and are set for another top 2/4 finish in 2021. The Cats are still running out of time, but in this league you need to be lucky and/or do something different to everyone else to have a chance, and Geelong are certainly doing that.

Port Adelaide are well placed for a flag tilt. Currently top 4, top 4 last year, but they need to get some mid/forwards back on the park soon to balance out a midfield that can lack hurt factor. We have a pretty clear way forward for the Power, so let's see how they approach this off-season.

One of the best sides over the last few seasons, the Brisbane Lions have been growing steadily, are well balanced all across the park, and have added some key pieces to a premiership assault over the past 2 seasons. They are as well placed as any side, but do they have what it takes to go all the way, or are they still a brick or two short?

We often start our list reviews with cellar dwellers, or clubs that could have a big say in the offseason, so it was a refreshing change of pace to review a club who is doing so much right. There are still some areas of improvement though as the Tigers hold for more success while preparing for life after some stars.

Well, Carlton's incoming President Luke Sayers may not have sayered that he wanted Lystics to lead the external review, but we've taken it upon our selves to contribute. Always a fun list to review, we take a look at what the Blues need to address in the coming months to be set up for the next 1-4 years.

This is the first episode for 2021 in our list review series. We are starting by addressing the Saints, who we missed in 2020 after they shot up the ladder on the back of radical list changes. 2021 looks like a tougher prospect for the Saints though, who continued to make sweeping changes to their list. Have they gone a step too far, or do they still have time to recover.

It is another Week in Football, and we have taken the time to review: the perceived increase in injuries this year and what could the multitude of causes be why the MRO is struggling to convince the public with some rulings, and the way forward a few club list strategies that seem to be falling down, and why.

While we intended this to be A Week in Football format, we ended up doing a bit more of a deep dive into the new rules, how the impact game play, and what we expect to happen over the coming months.

This was another chance to get you some content and we took it. We discuss the Swans Academy and a few other things, this time with Lapel mics due to no internet. Enjoy.

A Week in Football is a new format for the podcast, aimed at providing our listeners with even more content on top of our deep dives. The series will be looking at key issues and trends that we see in the game. On this week’s episode, we discuss Dusty, Dangerfield’s bump, the impact of game plans and team structures on round 1 results, as well as the rule changes.

We are mid-renovation in Lewis Studios but we are too close to the season starting to let that stop us. This is our most detailed SuperCoach episode for the year, focused on our approach to our classic sides. We talk about our teams line by line, ensure we discuss our chosen premiums, rookies, as well as some key rookie types who aren’t currently in our sides.

This is a solo episode as Sean is in the middle of a renovation. John takes a look at the preseason competition and how you can use the very limited data to help form your opinions.

Well that was a struggle. After recording an episode on the Saints, and another on SuperCoach, we lost all of the audio and had an hour one night to get another episode together as we are both out of action for a few days. Enjoy this as we episode, as we will be moving across lines over the coming weeks to cover our SuperCoach teams.

Welcome to the first episode for 2021. We are trying a new platform to streamline the process of making a podcast so let us know what you think. We are also still finalising our 2020 reviews so we will be covering them off in the coming weeks, starting with Collingwood.

This draft was a little too wild to capture in just 1 (or even 2) parts, so we'll tackle it 6 clubs at a time and hopefully have them all wrapped up by the holidays. This is the last 6 clubs and we found it difficult to assess again. Could most people that listen to this podcast have gotten it right??

This draft was a little too wild to capture in just 1 (or even 2) parts, so we'll tackle it 6 clubs at a time and hopefully have them all wrapped up by the holidays. In part 2 we review the middle six clubs, and found it hard to be impressed by some of their selections and trades.

This draft was a little too wild to capture in just 1 (or even 2) parts, so we'll tackle it 6 clubs at a time and hopefully have them all wrapped up by the holidays.

It's part 2 of the famous annual Live Trading Mock Draft. We've been waiting for this special episode of the podcast for some time now, and we'd first of all like to thanks the draft gurus from Draft Central. This is no ordinary mock draft - in this we will assume the roles of the different clubs, and with live trading and academy selections, it gets awesome very quickly. This is much more like an alternative reality of the night, with situations evolving quickly as clubs can trade up and down the order.

It's the famous annual Live Trading Mock Draft. We've been waiting for this special episode of the podcast for some time now, and we'd first of all like to thanks the draft gurus from Draft Central. This is no ordinary mock draft - in this we will assume the roles of the different clubs, and with live trading and academy selections, it gets awesome very quickly. This is much more like an alternative reality of the night, with situations evolving quickly as clubs can trade up and down the order.

We are circling back to complete our trade review for 2020. This reviews all of the trades made on the final day, and allows an hour for Sean to attack the Pies. Apologies for swearing a few times, I am still quite annoyed.

The Eagles went all in after winning a flag in 2018, then falling a few games short a year later. The paid a King's ransom for Tim Kelly, but were unfortunately caught out by a slow start in Queensland. They have the pieces to compete again, and have tipped their hand further in by signing extensions for veterans and delisting rookies. The cliff is coming, and 2020 will reveal if they are at their peak or already falling. We take a look at West Coast's list build, contracts, and drafting options, as well as who might need to move off the list to make room.

Well, the lack of analysis and genuinely balanced discussion around trades this year has driven us to releasing 2 deadline day podcasts. This second one is an in depth assessment of all trades yet to happen in the 2020 period. Cameron, Treloar, Ben Brown, Caldwell, Dunkley, and more.

Well, the lack of analysis and genuinely balanced discussion around trades this year has driven us to releasing 2 deadline day podcasts. This first one is an in depth assessment of all trades completed to date.

This is our first episode recorded during the offseason for the offseason. This episode focuses on trade and free agency. We take a look at every club, who may be leaving and who they have been linked to, and discuss what it may take for the deals to happen in 2020.

The Bulldogs of 2020 were well hyped and ultimately delivered a similar outcome to the 2019 model. They are a club who is never afraid to spin the magnets, but with the least rucks and key position players on their list of all clubs, the Dogs setups looked strange at times. They've always been a team to punch above their weight, but it's an issue requires attention this offseason. We take a look at the Western Bulldogs' list build, contracts, free agency, trade and drafting options, as well as who might need to move off the list to make room.

It doesn't feel like it should be this hard, yet the Melbourne Demons keep proving us wrong and missed finals again in 2020. Game plan and plan B, these are two things that need to change for the Dees to be a real threat. Add some minor changes to the list and the Dees could be a real threat. We take a look at Melbourne's list build, contracts, free agency, trade and drafting options, as well as who might need to move off the list to make room.

The Giants look to have faced their first real challenge in 2020. After improving year on year for some time, and making the club's first ever Grand Final appearance in 2019, they took a giant step backwards in 2020. And unfortunately things don't look much better for the Giants as we head into 2021. Was 2020 a big drop off for GWS, or was 2019 an aberration? We take a look at GWS's list build, contracts, free agency, trade and drafting options, as well as who might need to move off the list to make room.

Another year, another near enough pass mark for Carlton, although if they don't take another step next year then questions will be asked. They have the young talent, but when will they stop relying on veterans who won't be there when they are a contender? We take a look at Carlton's list build, contracts, free agency, trade and drafting options, as well as who might need to move off the list to make room.

Let's see if you can guess who the untouchable is, and in fact we don't really make any suggestion of this until the closing statements. Needless to say though, Essendon have been copping some serious heat over the last few weeks, and with a series to key players leaving, it's easy to throw stones. We try not to just join in, instead we look to understand the root of the issues, and also see where the Dons may be unfairly judged. We take a look at Essendon's list build, contracts, free agency, trade and drafting options, as well as who might need to move off the list to make room.

We love the draft, and while it's a shame this year that we don't get to watch as many games and gather as much data, we are still going to try and bring you informed draft insights. In this quick episode we take a look at our favourite prospects, and what the top 15 current looks like.

The Dockers have take steps to rebuild over the past 5 years, and they have done a good job of it too. Rookie coach Justin Longmuir has them playing a good brand of football, and the players are improving and building confidence. Our only question is, do the Dockers need to accelerate towards finals, or is slow and steady the right pace? We take a look at Fremantle's list build, contracts, free agency, trade and drafting options, as well as who might need to move off the list to make room.

And so it begins. The Gold Coast Suns at long last have gone through the depths of irrelevance and are coming out shining. The Suns have bright sparks all over the field are for the first time in a long time, the wider football world isn't questioning their every move. Let's hope the offseason changes reinforce that. We take a look at Gold Coast's list build, contracts, free agency, trade and drafting options, as well as who might need to move off the list to make room.

The Swans have done exactly what the AFL has asked of them, and developed a strong academy pathway in the non-traditional football state of NSW. This has also given the Swans access to some discounted young talents that has accelerated their rebuild, but they need to start looking taller to take the next step. We take a look at Sydney's list build, contracts, free agency, trade and drafting options, as well as who might need to move off the list to make room.

The Hawks 2020 list is exactly what a list looks like when you do everything to compete for a flag every year, no matter how your list looks compared to others. That is certainly admirable, and I don't think Hawks fans begrudge the club for trying one last time, but I think we've reached the end of the road with that mentality. The Hawks need regeneration, and they need it now. Day is only the start, they need many more like him if the Hawks are to avoid a long night. We take a look at Hawthorn's list build, contracts, free agency, trade and drafting options, as well as who might need to move off the list to make room.

North Melbourne have a surprisingly good youth core developing and some great older players to teach them, but they are still shackled to too many stragglers. Is it time for North to cut free and speed up the regeneration? We take a look at North Melbourne's list build, contracts, free agency, trade and drafting options, as well as who might need to move off the list to make room.

The Crows had a good offseason in 2018 and 2019. We've called it for 2 years now, and it's got to be more of the same from the Crows to move forward. They've got some great mid career talents for building the next finals team on, they just need to get the rest of the pieces in place and give them time. We take a look at Adelaide's list build, contracts, free agency, trade and drafting options, as well as who might need to move off the list to make room.

So Sean is still sore and unable to sit in front of the microphone for any meaningful length of time, so I thought I'd put together a short solo episode. Sorry if my voice sounds weird at all, I found it hard to talk for 25 minutes without taking any breaks. In this episode I tackled my biases, especially any confirmation bias I have around Essendon, Richmond, and the Hawks, as well as Will Gould, Hayden Young vs Lachie Ash, and my preference for South Australian U18s players over Vic Metro players.