expectations

[jayceebee31 768]

As Tim Harrington said on Hutch's show last Sunday week,they try to pick a 10 year player with there first picks. So do not expect upstart's straight away. I am not even sure that Scully is a walk up start. He may even get leather poisoning between now and the rest of the under 18' finals or even the dreaded OP due to the amount of ball he gets and his gut busting running.However, I do not think so, but the above is realistic.Look at Sylvia whom really only had fhis first full pre season last year.

Also, do not forget that Blease, who I have got a real concern, re his lack of weight and fragile body. He & Watts need HUGE pre seasons, and as I have stated several times before they will be dramatically behind others due to exams mid to late November which will be a month or so behind the development of our others whom start again on the 12th October. Also I have concerns for our other draft picks in this years draft due to again the lack of pre training. We saw this with some of our other draftees from last year,in particular-Strauss.Even look at McNamara whom has not had a proper pre train since he joined the club. There are alot of if's at the moment, so I say do not expect two much or you may be very disappointed. Iactually think we can make or nearly make the 8 next year ,IF, the if's come off. What do others think?

The above, is another reason, if Dangerfield is available we should look at him.A young proven champion to be.

Go Dees

[jayceebee31 768]

As Tim Harrington said on Hutch's show last Sunday week,they try to pick a 10 year player with there first picks. So do not expect upstart's straight away. I am not even sure that Scully is a walk up start. He may even get leather poisoning between now and the rest of the under 18' finals or even the dreaded OP due to the amount of ball he gets and his gut busting running.However, I do not think so, but the above is realistic.Look at Sylvia whom really only had fhis first full pre season last year.

Also, do not forget that Blease, who I have got a real concern, re his lack of weight and fragile body. He & Watts need HUGE pre seasons, and as I have stated several times before they will be dramatically behind others due to exams mid to late November which will be a month or so behind the development of our others whom start again on the 12th October. Also I have concerns for our other draft picks in this years draft due to again the lack of pre training. We saw this with some of our other draftees from last year,in particular-Strauss.Even look at McNamara whom has not had a proper pre train since he joined the club. There are alot of if's at the moment, so I say do not expect two much or you may be very disappointed. Iactually think we can make or nearly make the 8 next year ,IF, the if's come off. What do others think?

The above, is another reason, if Dangerfield is available we should look at him.A young proven champion to be.

Go Dees

What do others think?????,In particular Dappa Dan

[Freak 100]

in a game that is possession based it is more and more important to have great foot skills, dangerfield doesnt have this. dave mackay for sure.

[Mondê 525]

Tough one, with midfielders especially you can throw them in the deep end right from the start. Take a look a Stephen Hill this year, looks like a twig ready to be snapped in half but still managed to have an impact. I'm not expecting much from Watts next year. He should play a lot more games but still won't be ready to tear a game apart with 6 goals. Strauss should be ready to go. Trengove if we pick him should be ready to go. Would be cautious with Blease and Scully...give them a taste and if they play well enough to retain their spot then so be it.

[Dappa Dan 2,188]

in a game that is possession based it is more and more important to have great foot skills, dangerfield doesnt have this. dave mackay for sure.

Dangerfield's foot skills are fine. Same as many of the other supposed bad kicks in the league, according to Freak. But we'll wait and see if he finally gets one right. Personally I reckon Dangerfield will make a fool out of him.

Back on topic, my expectation, assuming we take Scully and Trengove, is that both play 10 games. Perhaps one of them plays more like 15-20. I would expect that maybe they average 12-15 possessions, with a few games each where they show genuine possession-getting promise. Both are major ball magnets, so unless there's some injury or positional change, I would think they'd be hunting it in the way they have shown in their recent outings. This is not to say that one or both can't be better than that. Scully is already being talked up as a possible rising star given his professionalism and consistency, as well as the manner in which he plays. Trengove, likewise, has a fairly mature body. Certainly MANY things can go right for both, but to EXPECT one or the other to pick up a Rising Star is a bit much.

As for Blease and Watts, I think this is actually quite important to cover on 'land and 'ology. I honestly expect next to nothing out of both. Blease, we all know about, and I'll be stunned if he's COMPLETELY fit, confident and growing by the time the pre-season starts. So I think it's unreasonable to expect him to play like a second-year player. In other words, I hope people realise we have basically just picked up another pick 17, as he has pretty much not been an AFL footballer yet.

Watts is another. Unless I'm mistaken, he doesn't finish school until AFTER we start the pre-season training. Am I right? Someone with kids may want to correct this. As a result, I think that coupled with the fact that Watts isn't even the man he's going to be in 3 years, I doubt he'll lock down a place in the side. One game, perhaps with 4 goals or so, would be enough for me. I expect no more than 12 games from him though, and I hope no-one else does... Otherwise we're going to see some backlash. It's already started on bigfooty and in the papers due to Leigh Matthews comments.

In terms of the side, I doubt we'll make finals. I think if we're 3 and 7, or even 4 and 6 by that time next year that would still be a big step. I expect us to have a better end to the season than the start, much like this year, and hopefully end up with 8 wins. Maybe 6.

If any of Blease, Watts, Scully or Trengove or even Strauss, play close to 22 games next year (like Morton) I'll be very, very pleased. There's no way ALL will play 22 games, but if one or two did, I think that'd be a massive win.

It'd also mean that some of the more regular, senior players would have to take a back seat. Which is a whole other argument.

[Freak 100]

im not saying dangerfield wont be a good player, but he wont be as good as mackay

[Mousey 47]

hmmm maybe im alone here with my expectations.....

Expect Watts to play every game he can..hoping for 15 plus...Our forward line needs him now robbo is gone..

Blease- tricky one and cant predict...not sure how his rehab is going?

Strauss- I think he will be a surprise and play 15 plus

Scully- round 1 start! He is regarded as the best kid and i expect him to be good enough to slot in straight away.

Trengove- Same as Scully.

AS MUCH as possible i say! We need to play these kids together whenever they are fit and fine to go! They need to start doing that and building a winning chemistry.

We have sucked for too long with what we have one the park so i expect the Watts, Scully and Trengove to play whenever possible, they are the future!

As a team i think we are a real red hot chance to slip in the eight.

Positive thinking GO DEMONS!!! WANT TO SING THE SONG MORE!!!!!!!!!!

[Mondê 525]

Watts is another. Unless I'm mistaken, he doesn't finish school until AFTER we start the pre-season training. Am I right? Someone with kids may want to correct this. As a result, I think that coupled with the fact that Watts isn't even the man he's going to be in 3 years, I doubt he'll lock down a place in the side. One game, perhaps with 4 goals or so, would be enough for me. I expect no more than 12 games from him though, and I hope no-one else does... Otherwise we're going to see some backlash. It's already started on bigfooty and in the papers due to Leigh Matthews comments.

Having completed year 12 in 2008 Watts should start his pre-season around mid November. Needless to say that Jack won't be studying 24/7 and should get some form of training done. Doubt DB will allow any of the boys to participate in the annual schoolies shinanigans, and I doubt any of the current schoolboys on the list will WANT to anyway if they are serious about playing AFL.

[Ryan Dee 140]

"expectations, for our prospect draft picks "

Scully: 12-18 games. I want him to prove his worth right from the get go. I don't expect consistency but I expect him to show us brilliance at times.

Trengove: 12-18 games. Same as Scully really.

Watts: 15 + games. I hope to see him bust his gut and run run run. I would like to see him kick 20-25 goals and i don't think this is aiming to high at all. Lets not forget he is a #1 pick. Some people try to expect the least from him just so they don't get let down.

Blease: 10 + games. All I want to see blease do is show us and use his pace on the wing. If he is confident with his speed the rest will come.

[The Big Ticket 94]

Scully, Trengove to play 15 games each. Hopefully not exploding onto the scene - I'd rather they start slowly and build up their consistency and hopefully getting 20-25 touches a game well into the second half of the season.

Watts - 20 goals from him would be good, playing mostly on the wing.

Hopefully all our high picks will be regulars towards the end of the season.

[Rod Grinter Riot Squad 5,669]

Certainly MANY things can go right for both, but to EXPECT one or the other to pick up a Rising Star is a bit much.

....

In terms of the side, I doubt we'll make finals. I think if we're 3 and 7, or even 4 and 6 by that time next year that would still be a big step. I expect us to have a better end to the season than the start, much like this year, and hopefully end up with 8 wins. Maybe 6.

While I agree with most of what you said, I disagree slightly with these two points.

I expect us to do very well with the rising star next year. Players who I think will qualify and should stand a good chance of a nomination would be Watts, Strauss, Marric (?), Grimes (?), Trengove, Scully, possibly Blease and our pick 18. As for winning the rising star, I don't care but I do expect most of the players named to play well enough at times to give a nomination a fair crack.

I also think we will start the season better than we will end it, depending of course on the FIXture. I'll be disappointed with any less than 8 wins, though aknowledging injuries will be a factor. We will probably have the leagues youngest list next year so I would expect them to tire a bit as the season goes on.

[e25 5]

Scully will play the majority of our games next season, purely by earning his spot with effort. His performance on the track will demand that he gets a spot.

Beyond that it is too hard to foresee because we have way too many similar players with great potential, and just not enough positions on the park for them all to slot into.

Ideally you'd like to see Strauss and Blease get a fair few more games, but at whose expense?

Bennell? Jetta? Petterd? Maric? Jones? Grimes? Morton? Jurrah? Dunn? Wonnaemirri? Buckley if fit? Bail? Cheney? McNamara? McKenzie? Valenti? Hughes seems to be in the long-term plans?

You also need to squeeze in Scully and Morabito/Trengove/Martin.

I'd like to get a solid block of development into ALL of these players.

Ideally I'd like to see them get a spot over Bruce, but i'm not too confident that will happen & his is only one spot.

To me, this all points to a lot of movement at trade time for fringe players on our list.

[drdrake 3,203]

From what I believe exams start mid to late Oct and are finished first week of Nov. You will have a study week before.

Watts will train not all sessions but I would expect him to be in the weights room at least with a few runs to keep his fitness, Blease the same but his recovery form injury is his goal. So neither will be to far behind when they start full time training. Managing their workload to minimise chance of injury is what the club will closely moniter, same with Strauss.

What would you expect next year from these three

Watts he will spend time in matches in that key FF role but expect him as a HFF, form and health permitting he will play 18 games

Blease and Strauss if their bodies are right and form is good you would expect 8-12 games each

The nex draft picks

Scully 10-15 games

Assuming we go Trengove 15-20 games(he is already playing against men)

Pick 18 I wouldn't expect much from this pick assuming we get a tall.

[jayceebee31 768]

From what I believe exams start mid to late Oct and are finished first week of Nov. You will have a study week before.

Watts will train not all sessions but I would expect him to be in the weights room at least with a few runs to keep his fitness, Blease the same but his recovery form injury is his goal. So neither will be to far behind when they start full time training. Managing their workload to minimise chance of injury is what the club will closely moniter, same with Strauss.

What would you expect next year from these three

Watts he will spend time in matches in that key FF role but expect him as a HFF, form and health permitting he will play 18 games

Blease and Strauss if their bodies are right and form is good you would expect 8-12 games each

The nex draft picks

Scully 10-15 games

Assuming we go Trengove 15-20 games(he is already playing against men)

Pick 18 I wouldn't expect much from this pick assuming we get a tall.

Depending on subjects the VCE EXAMINATION TIMETABLE SHOWS SUBJECTS EXAMS GO TO 19TH NOVEMBER 2009 REFERhttp://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/vce/exams/timetable.html,therefore I repeat in my opening topic mid to late November is a possibility that Watts & Blease may get back into serious training.

[Guest demons are hell]

I have a feeling that strauss will be a gun...i could be wrong but i hope im not

[LITTLE STINGA 1]

Scully and Trengrove are tearing up their comps. I don't see why they can't play the majority of the season. Trengrove already has the body to step into the AFL straight away and if Scully isn't strong enough to play through the middle play him on the wing he has pace to burn. If Morton, Jetta and Bennell can play the majority of the season I can't see these 2 can't.

Watts is different cause there is nothing of him and he has to be a lot stronger to play a key position and that will take time.

I would be playing Scully, Trengrove and Watts straight away until their form doesn't permit it, the more games we get into these kids the better.

I wouldn't be expecting too much from Strauss and Blease, if we get a handful of games into them that would be great.

The way I look at the draft is

TOP 5 PICKS - They are the guns we should be expecting a fair bit early (that's why Watts has been rubbished in the media).

6 - 10 PICKS - I hope they will go well but there is a chance that they could struggle early.

11 - 15 PICKS - Not expecting a lot at all.

16 - 25 PICKS - Would be happy just to see them get a game.

26 AND OVER PICKS - Steals of the year if they manage to do anything.

[jayceebee31 768]

I have a feeling that strauss will be a gun...i could be wrong but i hope im not

I agree refer to what Sean Wellman said in the list assessmemt(http://www.melbournefc.com.au/---James Strauss – James had an injury-interrupted year. It was disappointing we didn't get as much football as we would've liked into Watts, Blease and Strauss. Unfortunately, James had a back injury and he also had shoulder surgery but he has some great attributes – he is a good kick and is powerful. We rate him really highly and he's a great kid but he just needs to have a very big summer.

Hope he has a sensational summer, maybe another Dangerfield type but out of a half back flank.

[jacey 333]

Hope he has a sensational summer, maybe another Dangerfield type but out of a half back flank.

Reading his draft profile and seeing him play, he doesn't seem to have much confidence to really assert himself.

His profile reads that he looks like a player who sometimes holds himself back and happy to play safe rather then really take it on.

It also said he could be a very good player as he's technically very sound or a player who will continually tease their fans with glimpses.

He needs a big preseason and we need to get games into him.

[Toad33 57]

As Tim Harrington said on Hutch's show last Sunday week,they try to pick a 10 year player with there first picks. So do not expect upstart's straight away. I am not even sure that Scully is a walk up start. He may even get leather poisoning between now and the rest of the under 18' finals or even the dreaded OP due to the amount of ball he gets and his gut busting running.However, I do not think so, but the above is realistic.Look at Sylvia whom really only had fhis first full pre season last year.

Also, do not forget that Blease, who I have got a real concern, re his lack of weight and fragile body. He & Watts need HUGE pre seasons, and as I have stated several times before they will be dramatically behind others due to exams mid to late November which will be a month or so behind the development of our others whom start again on the 12th October. Also I have concerns for our other draft picks in this years draft due to again the lack of pre training. We saw this with some of our other draftees from last year,in particular-Strauss.Even look at McNamara whom has not had a proper pre train since he joined the club. There are alot of if's at the moment, so I say do not expect two much or you may be very disappointed. Iactually think we can make or nearly make the 8 next year ,IF, the if's come off. What do others think?

The above, is another reason, if Dangerfield is available we should look at him.A young proven champion to be.

Go Dees

I think you either worry or expect too much and probably should give up drinking coffee or taking those pills for a while

Seriously though, there is nothing stopping Watts and Blease hitting the gym between cramming sessions is there? (It is interesting to note that JW's mum on QB said JW had put on 8kg while Sean Wellman said he had only put on 4kg in his end of year report....curious)

I too hold hope that with some better luck and 'management' of injuries we can give the 8 a shake, but I don't expect some of the young lads to be tearing games apart for a few years yet. Some solid team efforts with our best players on the park will do just fine thanks.

Go Dees - Building for the Future

[e25 5]

Reading his draft profile and seeing him play, he doesn't seem to have much confidence to really assert himself.

His profile reads that he looks like a player who sometimes holds himself back and happy to play safe rather then really take it on.

It also said he could be a very good player as he's technically very sound or a player who will continually tease their fans with glimpses.

He needs a big preseason and we need to get games into him.

To be honest, seemed a bit timid when I met him before the season started, but I put that down to being a 17 year-old kid in a big roomful of new people.

What I've seen of him on the field has been fairly heartening.

Running the ball out of the backline, following it up and delivering it to the leading forward lace out has some element of risk.

He might just need to right encouragement take those risks - he has the skills for it.

[e25 5]

I think you either worry or expect too much and probably should give up drinking coffee or taking those pills for a while

Seriously though, there is nothing stopping Watts and Blease hitting the gym between cramming sessions is there? (It is interesting to note that JW's mum on QB said JW had put on 8kg while Sean Wellman said he had only put on 4kg in his end of year report....curious)

I too hold hope that with some better luck and 'management' of injuries we can give the 8 a shake, but I don't expect some of the young lads to be tearing games apart for a few years yet. Some solid team efforts with our best players on the park will do just fine thanks.

Go Dees - Building for the Future

I think the club would be monitoring his weight and muscle mass a little more closely/accurately than his mother

[Ryan Dee 140]

Seriously though, there is nothing stopping Watts and Blease hitting the gym between cramming sessions is there? (It is interesting to note that JW's mum on QB said JW had put on 8kg while Sean Wellman said he had only put on 4kg in his end of year report....curious)

It would be 4kg of muscle mass. Putting on 8kg of Muscle is a [censored] load.

[Clanger King 9]

We have some skinny boys i hope we can beef them up. Jurrah, Blease, Morton & Watts. I dont wnat them turning out like David Bourke.