We'd have got more for Newton if we didn't play him today, too.

I think Bate is perfectly fit to play the role the commentators are talking about.

He's big enough, good enough and just needs to get back in the side.

Bate can't back up ruck, and I'm not sure Dunn can either, especially if the oppositions ruckman is half decent (for example either of them up against Goldstein from North would end horribly). Miller and Newton do have the size to contest ruck contests. Bate is best used up the ground, and is therefore competing with our other medium/small forwards. This week I think he will come in for Bennell.

Our best option for the long kick into the hot spot is Green (who has the experience to force a contest) or Jurrah. When Jurrah is on, as long as he gets a run at the ball his leap will allow him to contests against anyone and bring the ball to ground.

Newton's game today suggests to me he would be as good as Leigh Brown if he played a dozen games in a row for the top side.

How has Leigh Brown gone when we've played Collingwood this year. I can't remember any heroics.

If they FD feel it necessary to have a stop gap we may as well keep the ones we have (and regularly don't get a game for us). That said I'm happy for us to draft a no name from another club but we have to see long term value in them. We aren't nearly ready to bring in depth players.

We've been saying for a while that Newton is starting to play some mature football, but all the smart alec's out there in moderate wisdomland have kept saying get rid of him. He's not a superstar & probably never will be,, but he's maturing & he plays a tall game.

I hear he's going around again next year. No doubt, against most conventional wisdom of the "correct few" that keep everyone corrected around these parts. They'd be nowhere without their inside contacts, telling them what their wallets want to here.

He can help us next year while Watts, & the young Rucks develope, & who knows just how far he'll get. The least he can do is give his all.

If we can trust Barry Prendergast, the solution may have been provided this week by the AFL, when they changed the mature rookie list rules.

Basically, there is now no age limit.

So IF ( and that is the qualifier) a player who can fit this criteria playing in the WAFL,VFL, SANFL today, he can cheaply be put into the mix. We don't have to trade or give up draft picks....

Now that the silly season is about to start, it is Annually impossible to get most football supporters to understand that there are 17 ( 18?) sides out there looking for just one more <insert here> ( forward, ruck, backman, mid, line-breaker etc).

If that was all that was required then every side would create a Premiership team overnight. But supply doesn't equal demand, and these glib statements are nothing more than Internet dreaming.

Given the 2010 success of Barlow and Podsiadly, there will be more time devoted by Recruiting Departments to scouring the wider talent pool.

We have to have faith in BP and his team to be better than most at the task.

We've been saying for a while that Newton is starting to play some mature football, but all the smart alec's out there in moderate wisdomland have kept saying get rid of him. He's not a superstar & probably never will be,, but he's maturing & he plays a tall game.

I hear he's going around again next year. No doubt, against most conventional wisdom of the "correct few" that keep everyone corrected around these parts. They'd be nowhere without their inside contacts, telling them what their wallets want to here.

He can help us next year while Watts, & the young Rucks develope, & who knows just how far he'll get. The least he can do is give his all.

I cant see Newton playing again this year, I thought today just clarified that he isnt up to standard of AFL.

We do need that bigger body up forward and Miller has tried and gone well on to few occasions.

That is why we push Jamar forward.

It would be good to have a Kosi or Roughhead, is there any worthy uncontracted players worth a punt?

I cant see Newton playing again this year, I thought today just clarified that he isnt up to standard of AFL.

We do need that bigger body up forward and Miller has tried and gone well on to few occasions.

That is why we push Jamar forward.

It would be good to have a Kosi or Roughhead, is there any worthy uncontracted players worth a punt?

Think all you like, a player that is trying to find some form at a higher level doesn't always put it On right up in one game. Remember, Garland didn't do it, Frawley didn't do it, Jamar didn't do it, Watts isn't doing it, most don't. Now Newton is being groomed to play a different role, one that is New to Modern footy, that perhaps hasn't been around for awhile, the backup follower to the main ruck.

I think he's being given a little bit of time to see what he can give & achieve. These drafts are shallow compared to past. There's a lot of kids taken out before the draft takes place, starting with the 17 Yr olds last 4ear.

IMO the trade period will be alive & kicking this & next year. MY guess.

I've heard & 'been told', by another that info. I have to say I hoped he'd get a chance,,, & I hope he does well. If not, then he's had a go & so have we.

No, Leigh Brown is not coming to us, but as I have posted previously he is the type of player we need for the next couple of seasons. Big and strong and capable of bursts in the ruck, or playing up forward and kicking a couple of goals or helping set them up, or even down back on a gorilla, he is the type of player we desperately need while our young talls mature. While our young talls take time to physically mature a hard strong body IMO would be invaluable. He is keeping Fraser out of the team and that shows his value and versatility. IMO we should be prepared to take a player of this type even though he will probably only be useful for 2-4 years. Whether we trade for one or find one in the VFL, SANFL, WAFL etc is up to the recruiters. You might even get one as a mature age rookie. I don't see the value when we need to start making an impression to keep taking only young talls who need years to develop. A guy like Brown could really help the younger players now and that is worth going after IMO. Sometimes you have to recruit a particular player for the NOW and not for LATER.

PS. I am not advocating chasing Brown but someone like him.

agree

We've got a Leigh Brown. His name is Paul Johnson. I think we have up and coming ruckmen to support Jamar. We need a forward or one more gun midfielder much more.

Spot on Choko, there is no reason why Dean Bailey could not train Paul Johnson during the pre-season to be the big body forward that we need. It would help with the development of both Jack Watts and Liam Jurrah. Also it would make it easier for Brad Green and Aussie to have an impact. Paul Johnson has the speed and ability to be even better than Brown. An added value for Paul is that he can do forward ruck work and take over from Jamar during the match of needed. Jamar is no slouch in the forward line as well and can kick goals plus provide a big body.

The important point here is that Dean Bailey and the coaches should tailor the pre-season to get added value out of both Jamar and Johnson. Paul Johnson is capable of filling the role for 2 or 3 years while Jack Watts grows into the role with experience and body strength. What Bailey needs to do is tell Paul he has to improve his forward work if he wants to stay on the list. With Miller going it will be certain that we will retain Paul Johnson for at least 1 more season.

I hope Paul Johnson does a Leigh Brown in 2011 but do it even better than the Collingwood player.

I agree we need a big-bodied forward but I think the urgency is being over-played. Yes, I heard the commentators saying how we desperately needed a big forward yesterday but we also had 18 inside 50 marks compared to Port's 8. When we get our forward line structure right, lead intelligently and deliver accurately we kick the majority of our goals, usually by medium sized players.

Because of what we would likely have to give up to get a decent big forward I would prefer to work with what we've got. Jamar is already good in this role - we just need to find an adequate relieving ruckman to give him more time there. In a few years we will also have Watts, Fitzpatrick and Gawn as potential tall marking forwards.

How about we worry about getting inside 50 more instead of worrying about whose there. In saying that seeing Jay Schulz today shows diamonds can be found in the rough without paying over the top.

We've got a Leigh Brown. His name is Paul Johnson. I think we have up and coming ruckmen to support Jamar. We need a forward or one more gun midfielder much more.

Hang on..... isn't Paul Johnson that Number 11?

Max Rooke. Lets get him!!

Yep, he'd look great on our Injury List.

ryan murphy from freo? a reasonably big bodied type but injury prone, might be worth a spec at?

ryan murphy from freo? a reasonably big bodied type but injury prone, might be worth a spec at?

We must be nearing trade time.....

Ashley Hansen,Westhoff,Murphy?

Heard this as well. The commentators are spot on. We need to trade Newton for a big-bodied forward I think. As the commentators said, even if we trade for someone that isn't great... we need a 25/26 year-old bigger bodied forward to bring down a pack and provide some biffo.

Newton cannot be traded, he is a rookie.

We need to do our due diligence on Taylor Walker. If his head is right I believe we should go hard.

IMO Adelaide players are worth a good deal less that thier true value due to thier under-performance as a unit.

How about we worry about getting inside 50 more instead of worrying about whose there. In saying that seeing Jay Schulz today shows diamonds can be found in the rough without paying over the top.

Totally agree with that- we actually convert a very healthy percentage of inside 50's into scoring shots, unfortunately in most games- even the ones we win, the opposition seem to still have considerably more inside 50's than we do.

Hopefully, with full seasons from the likes of Morton, Jurrah,Garland(who will become our swingman next year once he's had a preseason and is fully fit again) Grimes and Sylvia- the introduction into the seniors of Blease and Tapscott and the physical maturation of our young midfielders allowing them to win more contested ball in the middle, should go a long way to rectifying this disparity.

I really don't think we need to trade for a Leigh Brown type forward, or anybody for that matter, not until we're a top 4 contender and we actually have players who represent good trade value- the only veterans we have that fit the bill i think are Sylvia,Jamar, Green and Davey and none of them are going anywhere!

Rivers, Garland and Moloney all have histories of long term injuries and would represent too much of a risk for any team wanting to recruit them although Carlton's recruiters appear to be pretty gullible!

Our young guns aren't for sale, all that really leaves i think are Dunn, Bate And Warnock- although the game appears to be passing Warnock by rapidly- i think this is probably the only chance we'll get to offload him for something worthwhile in return- maybe send him to Adelaide as part of a package deal to get Chris Knights to Melbourne- the only trade i consider worthwhile for the Dees this year

Then hopefully we can use our 1st round pick on a key defender, preferably in the Chip mould, as I believe this is actually our most glaring need moving forward!!!

I find it hard to believe that after so many posts criticising the efforts of Miller, Newton, PJ etc that people are seriously advocating a Leigh Brown type coming to Melbourne. Just like Ashley Hansen and Cam Mooney in previous flag winning teams, he is an average tall who is made to look much better for the team around him. If Brad Miller had played at Collingwood he'd be looking the goods too.

Trading for a middle age and middle of the road player just because he is big bodied is a mistake IMO and it's unlikely such a player would excel in our team at the moment anyway. Let's not lose sight of the fact that we are actively trying to weed out players who will not form part of our premiership assault not add to them. We'd be better off chasing a Taylor Walker or similar who, if they get it right, will be on the field when we start winning finals, not in the stands.

I find it hard to believe that after so many posts criticising the efforts of Miller, Newton, PJ etc that people are seriously advocating a Leigh Brown type coming to Melbourne. Just like Ashley Hansen and Cam Mooney in previous flag winning teams, he is an average tall who is made to look much better for the team around him.

Spot on !!

Leigh Brown, Podsiadly, Jay Shulz - very big bodied meat-and-potatoes forward line options, and the better the midfield play, the better they look.

Can't believe people are comparing Newton/PJ/Ashley Hansen to these guys; guys obviously not renowned for physical strength and hitting a contest (ever).

I agree with Redleg 100% with this topic and there certainly would be a couple of options in the country.

That said there are none that I know of. There's a couple of Hawthorn rejects (Dowler Thorp) - NO - WCE rejects (Hansen, McKinley) - NO - and pie in the sky (Taylor Walker, Rhys Stanley).

Another visit to Yuendemu perhaps?

I find it hard to believe that after so many posts criticising the efforts of Miller, Newton, PJ etc that people are seriously advocating a Leigh Brown type coming to Melbourne. Just like Ashley Hansen and Cam Mooney in previous flag winning teams, he is an average tall who is made to look much better for the team around him. If Brad Miller had played at Collingwood he'd be looking the goods too.

Trading for a middle age and middle of the road player just because he is big bodied is a mistake IMO and it's unlikely such a player would excel in our team at the moment anyway. Let's not lose sight of the fact that we are actively trying to weed out players who will not form part of our premiership assault not add to them. We'd be better off chasing a Taylor Walker or similar who, if they get it right, will be on the field when we start winning finals, not in the stands.

Not are, Was.. Past tense.

I was in that boat a few years back. I wouldn't do it Now as we are well on our way down the rebuild path, still with some roles to attend to.

I think Martin will fill that role, & fully expect that he'll bounce back bigger & better after a trying time this year. We've recruited some big boys last year that will cover those areas going forward, so I think we could look at the other area's,,, the full forward area, a temp that could insure us, whilst Watts & ???draftpick????? develop.

We must be nearing trade time.....

David Hale?

Not sure about the circumstances with him leaving Richmond but Cleve Hughes has had a great year up here in QLD leading the goalkicking in the QAFL...

He has kicked 74 goals in 16 games... Highest of 11 in one game.

David Hale?

*Vomits*

NO chance.

David Hale?

I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit...