Very, very happy with this pick.

I'm not saying he stuffed it Jaded, I just think we're light on for key forwards and that could have been addressed at 11. Obviously BP and Melbourne think Gysberts is going to be a very good player, and they'd know infinitely better than I would. I'd like to have Jurrah as the number 3 forward option, but obviously they're happy with Watts and Jurrah as the combo leading forward.

I wasn't necessarily talking to you.

I've gone into this draft thinking our forward options are much better than the perception of some.

Watts, Jurrah and Bate can all take a mark and are both tall and mobile, than you have an amazing array of medium players like Sylvia, Morton (could well end up as our CHF), now Tapscott etc... who can all take a good grab and kick goals.

In Gawn we got someone who, at 300cm won't really struggle to take a pack mark (footage of him suggests he really can mark the thing), so stick him in the goal square to try and mark or bring the ball to ground where guys like Jurrah, Aussie, Maric and even Watts really excel.

Fitzpatrick is also someone who could potentially end up being a big tall forward and a secondary ruckman.

If you look at the talls we chose, we went with guys who can potentially serve two purposes, thus not putting all of our eggs into one basket. We obviously didn't feel that anybody out there at 11/18 was good enough to become our FF target for the next decade, so we went with quality. And you can never have too much quality or midfield depth.

The interesting thing to me is that yes we passed on Talia and I wanted him, but so did Carlton with the next pick and they were desperate for a key forward.

Maybe and this is only a maybe, recruiting staff, who do this for a living know more than we do.

Don't forget, I read the papers, posted on Demonland and even watched some you tube highlights.

I've gone into this draft thinking our forward options are much better than the perception of some.

Watts, Jurrah and Bate can all take a mark and are both tall and mobile, than you have an amazing array of medium players like Sylvia, Morton (could well end up as our CHF), now Tapscott etc... who can all take a good grab and kick goals.

In Gawn we got someone who, at 300cm won't really struggle to take a pack mark (footage of him suggests he really can mark the thing), so stick him in the goal square to try and mark or bring the ball to ground where guys like Jurrah, Aussie, Maric and even Watts really excel.

Fitzpatrick is also someone who could potentially end up being a big tall forward and a secondary ruckman.

If you look at the talls we chose, we went with guys who can potentially serve two purposes, thus not putting all of our eggs into one basket. We obviously didn't feel that anybody out there at 11/18 was good enough to become our FF target for the next decade, so we went with quality. And you can never have too much quality or midfield depth.

I spent draft night with a few mates, most of whom are Melbourne, in front of the Foxtel coverage. We were all scrambling for the phantom draft for Gysberts name when selected, as while we're all keen AFL followers, besides watching a couple of carnival matches we really don't see much of the junior stuff. We're pretty much going by regurgitated mock drafts and popular opinion. Mind you, that doesn't eliminate the ability to identify areas of current need in our team. The Gysberts selection sparked a bit of debate around the telly - a couple were of your thinking that our forward line will be fine. I'm just not 100% sold on that. I'm big on the importance of gun forwards being essential to premiership sides. We're doing nicely with Watts and Jurrah, but another one would have topped it off nicely in my opinion. Again, I'm not unhappy with Gysberts, but in a perfect world I'd love to have another gun key forward joining the club (wouldn't all 16 clubs though?!)

As for Fitzpatrick, hopefully his performance against SA in the carnival was not representative of his usual work.

While I feel we took him slightly high I don't think he would have been available at 18 so if BP really liked him he had to take him there. He is a very good footballer and to say what a bad pick it is based on Internet draft talk is a joke,

I don't consider him an traditional inside midfielder either as some people have suggested, he is more a true utility. I have seen him play out of the goal square up forward effectivly and play the role of an rebounding defender extremely well. Basically this kid will play anywhere we want him to and he will do a job, the major query on his game was his kicking effiency which has dramatically improved this year.

Here is some extended video highlights provided by the Eastern Ranges. GYSBERTS VIDEO

In the end I am not dissapointed we take him, I would have maybe preferred a couple of other players but I am pretty happy we have him.

I'm big on the importance of gun forwards being essential to premiership sides.

Show me a potential gun forward in this current draft, and we'll have something to debate over.

If anyone was even close to the talent of Watts, they would have gone top 3 in this draft. Butcher, the best of the lot, didn't even make it into the top 5. That says to me everything I need to know about the risks associated with taking a KP at 11 and 18, when there is still plenty of other talent available.

Like you, I had no idea who Gysberts was, and was surprised, but this didn't seem like a pressured or last-minute decision, as all other potential pick 11s were still very much available at the time. We obviously went into the night knowing he was our guy, so we'll have to reserve judgment until some better Youtube vision of the guy wearing red and blue is available.

Edit: I apologise that you had to experience that Foxtel coverage. I wanted to cut my ears off, it was that bad!

I'm not saying he stuffed it Jaded, I just think we're light on for key forwards and that could have been addressed at 11. Obviously BP and Melbourne think Gysberts is going to be a very good player, and they'd know infinitely better than I would. I'd like to have Jurrah as the number 3 forward option, but obviously they're happy with Watts and Jurrah as the combo leading forward.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, maybe the KPFs in this draft don't have huge amounts of upside to them. Why risk it???

In regards to your forward structure, add Stef Martin to your list of tall forwards (this has come from BP's mouth - I personally spoke to him earlier this year). He WILL play full forward, Watts WILL play CHF, and LJ will do whatever he bloody well please.

I'm over this sh!t about us not picking a KPF, we got what we needed - gun midfielders and 2 rucks. KPF far from a priority for mine.

That crystal ball of yours seems to work.

Send me next weeks lotto numbers

FROM: Eastern Ranges and Yarra Valley Grammar.

THE NUMBERS: Born June 11, 1991. 189cm, 82kg.

THE LOWDOWN: An inside midfielder who works hard to involve his teammates in the game and rarely fumbles or panics.

RUNNING AND JUMPING: Gysberts wasn't able to test at draft camp due to injury. He's not a speedster but has sound endurance and is able to cover the ground really well.

WHO NEEDS HIM: Any team looking for honest, inside midfielders. He's a possibility to get picked as high as 14 (Sydney) but may fall somewhere in the 20s, with West Coast, Essendon and North Melbourne potential new homes.

IRRELEVANT YET INTERESTING FACT: Interviewed this year on Channel Nine's TAC Cup show, Gysberts' father made the dramatic admission that his son, born nine months after the 1990 grand final, was a ''Collingwood premiership baby''.

WHO WOULD PLAY HIM IN A MOVIE? Paul Giamatti (that guy out of Sideways). Fairly unobtrusive on first viewing, then later you sit back and think ''gee, he was actually pretty good''.

BIT MORE INFO GUYS FROM EMMA QUAYLE

While I feel we took him slightly high I don't think he would have been available at 18 so if BP really liked him he had to take him there. He is a very good footballer and to say what a bad pick it is based on Internet draft talk is a joke,

I don't consider him an traditional inside midfielder either as some people have suggested, he is more a true utility. I have seen him play out of the goal square up forward effectivly and play the role of an rebounding defender extremely well. Basically this kid will play anywhere we want him to and he will do a job, the major query on his game was his kicking effiency which has dramatically improved this year.

Here is some extended video highlights provided by the Eastern Ranges. GYSBERTS VIDEO

In the end I am not dissapointed we take him, I would have maybe preferred a couple of other players but I am pretty happy we have him.

OMG this kid leaves alot to be desired. Watch the footage labelled "finals" at exactly 5minutes in he takes a set shot from about 30m and doesnt even make this distance. The full back marks the ball on the goal line because players don't even bother lining up.

If anyone, he reminds me a little of James Strauss

Got my wish.

Viewers of Hutchy's TAC Cup programme on Channel 9 this year would be no strangers to Gysberts. He was a favourite of the programme from the very first show when it was revealed that his folks were huge Magpie fans and that he was most likely conceived on the night the Pies won the 1990 flag.

There were plenty of Jordan Gysberts highlights on the programme during the year and he really can play a bit.

A student of the Yarra Valley school and schoolmate of Sam Blease, I seem to remember something about him being nearby on the infamous day when Sam broke his foot.

As for placings in Phantom Drafts put out by people in the media, people like Burgo and Emma Quayle get a fair bit of their information from talking to people involved at the coalface in drafting. BP apparently keeps his cards close to his chest. Had he dropped the hint to someone in the media a week ago that he was keen on drafting Gysberts, then the kid might, in all likelihood, have become a favourite to go at # 11. Would that have made some people happy?

And on the subject of reuniting classmates what about Prince Alfred College pair Jack Trengove and Luke Tapscott. Now, that could be one of the best examples of inspired teaming ever!

Well, well, is this BP recruiting the best player he thinks is available?

In the end, BP didn't want to spend Pick 11 on a 3rd Forward which is what Talia would have been.

Can the mods find my 'A Tall Order?' thread. I can't find it anywhere and I wish to gloat with a massive bump.

Viewers of Hutchy's TAC Cup programme on Channel 9 this year would be no strangers to Gysberts. He was a favourite of the programme from the very first show when it was revealed that his folks were huge Magpie fans and that he was most likely conceived on the night the Pies won the 1990 flag.

There were plenty of Jordan Gysberts highlights on the programme during the year and he really can play a bit.

A student of the Yarra Valley school and schoolmate of Sam Blease, I seem to remember something about him being nearby on the infamous day when Sam broke his foot.

Hi team,

I have put the detail of bp's theory of j gysberts selction on Barry dawsons thread about the night. However I will say to this thread.

Melbourne fd rated one and only 1 tall in the draft. It was butcher. Therefore they went for best available who they believe is going to make the best afl footballer. They went for gysberts due to size in the packs to clear paths for our smaller players. When it came to tapscott the choice was him or black and it went to tapscott as quite simply as bp put it he is the better footballer clearly.

Melb fc felt all other talls in the draft were speculative and therefore wanted to use later picks. Bp said you can never have too many midfielders like I think whispering said earlier bp is very much thinking of us along the Geelong lines with alot of flexible mid fielders who can go forward.

He really really liked fitzpatrick and love the way he leads up. Thinks he could be a steal as he really argued with the other recruiters on his team about taking him at 34 but then thought of gawn and fitzy that fitz would be more likely to get to 50.

:D

:D

Sez it all

CC stated that the only tall the Dees rated for pick 11 was Butcher, and they suspected he would be gone by pick 8. He said that they were all about drafting "good AFL players", and would not just take a tall for the sake of it if they didn't believe they warranted to be picked there.

I was pretty surprised when he told us that Gysberts was in the mix for pick 11, based purely on the fact that he had been touted to go in the 20s in most mock drafts that have been doing the rounds (and I was under the impression we would target someone like Talia, as had been predicted). BP and the team obviously believe that Gysberts was the best player available at pick 11 and there's no question they would be in a better position to make that call than the likes of Matt Burgan or Emma Quayle who predicted otherwise... The club also seems to think that his style of play will complement that of Scully and Trengove.

Very interesting footage on youtube. Did anyone else notice that he appears to be Scully's go-to man? It looks like whenever Scully gets the ball in a mess of players he fires the handball out to Gysberts.

Aside from that, I though the most impressive thing about that footage was his running. He may not be lightning, but if you watch the extended passages of play, he'll be involved in the 50 then again on the wing a few seconds later. It seems that we're looking for players who can move this year.

Sez it all

just remembering singing it's a grand old flag w cc cam schwab and scully, trenners and Jordy up on stage the whole rm singing it to welcome the boys and their families.... Just sensational.... I really can't help thinking what a great impression we gave those boys n their families tonight.

One last quote from schwabby .... Having dinner tonight at the g w scully and trengove he said ...,,"this is our home ground,we built this!"

raahhh go dees!! Get me out there I wanna rub through a brick wall!!!!

I recalled a draft camp video with Jordan Gysberts it indicated that the club had already

had some contact with Gysberts before the draft. During the interview he stated that

Cameron Bruce was amongst his mentors and quoted an adage of Cam's

"Determination Defies Defeat"

I've only been able to find a short grab of this interview and it is amongst the AFL draft camp review

it's approximately 8-10 mins in straight after the segment on Lewis Jetta.

The point of this you say it seems clear Gysberts has been on the FD's radar for sometime now

I think in Gysberts we will be pleasently surprised about the class he goes about his footy

here's a link to the footage:

http://bigpondvideo.com/melbournetv/226091

Have to say when i heard this name i was saying "WHO????". Completely out of leftfield. I dont even remember this kid being in peoples top 30.

Thank-you (x100) Demons for pick up one of our Eastern Rangers boys ... fantastic pick up

Go Dees.

PS Not the first time he has wore red & blue either Go Montrose!!!

If anyone, he reminds me a little of James Strauss

Wasn't Gysbert described as a young Jack Grimes? And we all know the FD loves JG types.

He was a bit of an outsider, and I think in preparing for the draft, most people would've taken Talia.

However, the FD obviously decided that this draft wasn't one for talls and we need a boost to the midfield anyway, and picked four midfielders with our first four. Add that for Morton and Grimes two years ago, Blease and Strauss last year, and we've recruited a lot of top 20 midfielders.

This is a classic case of de ja vu. Everyone was saying "Who?" when we picked up Strauss last year.

I've watched some more of his highlights, Seems like he has all the time in the world and is an awesome decision maker.

Dishes off some super quick hand passes and is accurate with his small to medium length kicks. Long kicks and set shots for goal will need a lot of work.

Isn't quick but covers a lot of ground.