Billy was really well spoken Friday. He exerts leadership and class (co-captain at his club), a very well adjusted young man from all indications. The thing I found interesting is how familiar his answers sounded, almost identical to MFC players under Roos. I'd say if PR hasn't already sat down with him to give some advice, he'll be head over heels to get this kid in the red & blue. His team-first philosophy is exactly what PR adores. He's also a massive re-tweeter of MFC players, so he clearly loves the club. https://twitter.com/billyjstretch.

Don't care if it takes our second rounder, this guy is a gem!

On their win:

"We really drove that team philosophy and that's been the main theme throughout the whole champs and it's really held us in good stead and it's shown in our performances, and that's why we've come away with the win."

On the tight scoreline:

"Right back in December we drove those team philosophies and that's been the main theme, and we knew that would get us through the game if we all played our role successfully we'd come away with the chocolates."

On his highlight of the game:

"I think the idea of team. We've really gelled so well as a team, and that stood out compared to the rest of the teams in the championships. So the ability for every individual to play their role successfully has contributed to that win, so that's the main highlight."

On the draft:

"The only thing we can do is continue to play the best footy we can and go back to our clubs, maintain that high standard of football, and focus on what's most important. There's obviously a lot of pressure but that's completely out of our control, so the most important thing for us is to focus on our goals, week by week, and school."

On father-son and potentially ending up at the MFC:

"In a perfect world it'd be awesome to end up in Melbourne, but the main thing for me is to focus on going back to my club and playing some consistent footy and giving myself the opportunity to be considered for the draft. And whether that's Melbourne, that'd be great, but that's in the long term side of things and the short team goal is just to maintain consistency and focus on footy and school.

Advice from dad:

He's always told me just to try and take the pressure off myself and really just enjoy my footy this year, enjoy being with my mates, and enjoy improving as well."

On training with AFL teams:

"I was sent to Melbourne to train there for a week, and that was an awesome experience, I learned a lot from that."

Isit me or has Billy really flourished after his time at the MFC? Paul Roos specialty in the making?

The thing I'm loving most about these reports is the bit where they list finding an opponent as a strength. He clearly already has a good defensive mindset to go with his outside run and carry role when in possession. That is gold. It basically makes him what we all want Sam Blease to turn into, although I don't know if he has comparable speed. Still, a skillful quick flanker with a good defensive side sounds like a great addition to the team.

Hope ...this kid has the pace we desperately need

Still... I hear he likes to get in a fight. And his favourite food is fish 'n chips and Maccas. Just sayin'...

I'm just surprised how much he's filled out in the last year, he'll be a real unit after a few preseasons!

Not very often that I'm grateful for mega-threads, but wow, we sure have been tracking this kid for a long time.

That pic was from last year too.

That pic was from last year too.

Yeah, I was struggling to find a decent recent one.

I bet you Steven is saying "how did my little boy grow up so quick?"

Yeah, I was struggling to find a decent recent one.

Can I ask picket, is there a reason you don't rate Stretch apart from his build?

he has pace, skill, smarts, passion for the mfc, breaks lines, makes good decisions, can win his own ball, does the team thing

he is exactly what the doctor ordered in my opinion but you seem to dismiss his strengths because he isn't a solid inside midfield, I understand your view that a team needs to win the ball on the frontlines, but they also need a bloke for the inside mid to get the ball out to who can run, create, do damage.

Ok answer...

Well you only have to look back to when a similar player was said to have the same attributes Viz

"he has pace, skill, smarts, passion for the mfc, breaks lines, makes good decisions, can win his own ball, does the team thing"

Hnmm shades of ah Jimmy Toumpas!!!

Well once bitten twice shy my friend!

I am all over "Outside Mids"

I'll say it once and for all we need inside midfield Grunt!!

FIRST GET THE F#*@!*# BALL

When that need is met.... with talent and class AKA Pendlebury et al

you can draft as many Jimmy Toumpas's and Billy Stretch's as you like!

We have one Sam Blease who I rate as a very good outside mid...... and he can't get a game?

And so when he probably walks at the end of the year and plays in another side and kills em well where does that leave us!

Nup nothing against Stretch or Toumpas for that matter, but they are not what we need at present!

If we must then third rounder, No more!

We have one Sam Blease who I rate as a very good outside mid...... and he can't get a game?

This alone makes what you have to say irrelevant. At no point has Blease ever been very good, otherwise he would be getting a game.

Jones, Tyson, Viney, Vince, Cross.... all midfielders with grunt to get the football. Who are our true outside runners who can use it well? Our drafting of 'outside' mids hasn't been flash in the past but we still desperately need some class, and a guy like Stretch can potentially bring that to the club.

tl;dr version of picket fence's post: only 18 year olds with adult bodies like Wines make it in the AFL.

Yeah that's cool picket but you didn't answer the question, we get he isn't an inside mid, and you have a poster of Ollie wines on your wall

But I asked besides the fact he is an outside mid do you have a knock on his game?

You claim hes just worth a thir rounder, why?

Ah, I thought Toumpas was the outside mid we craved!?/?

Ah, I thought Toumpas was the outside mid we craved!?/?

Didn't realise you were so enamored with your own thought process that you needed to post the same thing 3 times.

The Toump will get there in time.

Yeah that's cool picket but you didn't answer the question, we get he isn't an inside mid, and you have a poster of Ollie wines on your wall

But I asked besides the fact he is an outside mid do you have a knock on his game?

You claim hes just worth a thir rounder, why?

Cheezus H

BECAUSE WE NEED INSIDE CLASS FIRST FIRST FIRST!!!!!!!!!!!!

LETS ADRESS THAT NEED FIRST THEN WHEN WE GET THE FOOTY THEN ADDRESS THE NEXT NEED! HENCE THIRD ROUNDER!! LETS GET MORE INFIELD GRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNTTTT FIRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRST!

HENCE USE OUR FIRST PICK OR SO ON THAT NEED!

Cheezus H

BECAUSE WE NEED INSIDE CLASS FIRST FIRST FIRST!!!!!!!!!!!!

LETS ADRESS THAT NEED FIRST THEN WHEN WE GET THE FOOTY THEN ADDRESS THE NEXT NEED! HENCE THIRD ROUNDER!! LETS GET MORE INFIELD GRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNTTTT FIRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRST!

HENCE USE OUR FIRST PICK OR SO ON THAT NEED!

no

Didn't realise you were so enamored with your own thought process that you needed to post the same thing 3 times.

The Toump will get there in time.

Ah no not enamoured by my thought process just this stupid F#6@*# Message that keeps popping up and saying" An error has occurred You have posted too quickly" WTF IS THIS??

And on Toumpas ah the Jury is well and truly out on that one!

no

Ok we'll just play pretend footy then and close our eyes and guess what we might just just open our eyes and all the footy God's will smile on us and say Gee there's chunky Jones trying his guts out again, or there's Dom Tyson gee he's trying as well and et all and so on and so forth....

and meanwhile...... we will continue to get blown outa the water with teams that have inside midfield class!

Ok keep in fantasy land my friend and one day,, why you might just get the odd win!!!!

Ok we'll just play pretend footy then and close our eyes and guess what we might just just open our eyes and all the footy God's will smile on us and say Gee there's chunky Jones trying his guts out again, or there's Dom Tyson gee he's trying as well and et all and so on and so forth....

and meanwhile...... we will continue to get blown outa the water with teams that have inside midfield class!

Ok keep in fantasy land my friend and one day,, why you might just get the odd win!!!!

So according to you we shouldn't pick Billy Stretch because his career will turn out the exact same as Toumpas.

Wow you really are a genuine A grade Flo(g)p.

Here is a kid with immense talent who desperately wants to play for us, brrack for the dees his whole life and you already have the guts to completely write him of.

Do us a favour picket. Give Robbie Flower a call and tell him how much being skinny and outside player will NOT get you a career in the AFL.

Cheezus H

BECAUSE WE NEED INSIDE CLASS FIRST FIRST FIRST!!!!!!!!!!!!

LETS ADRESS THAT NEED FIRST THEN WHEN WE GET THE FOOTY THEN ADDRESS THE NEXT NEED! HENCE THIRD ROUNDER!! LETS GET MORE INFIELD GRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNTTTT FIRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRST!

HENCE USE OUR FIRST PICK OR SO ON THAT NEED!

Noone has suggested using our first pick on Stretch, but you have again failed to answer the question

you can't have a team of all inside midfielders and win a premiership in my opinion, Gary Ablett was far more of an outside player and then developed an inside game to compliment his outside ability,

I'm sure our first two picks will be put towards ball winning midfielders, not exclusive inside midfielders, but I want to know the knock on Stretch that you have, not being an inside mid is not a reason to say a midfielder who has been selected as All Australian and had a fantastic National championships, despite your " spies " saying he is no good, is not worth anymore than a third round pick.

And I agree, Toumpas hasn't set the world on fire but you write him off as a total failure after a season and a half, Blease, Tapscott, Strauss and Spencer have struggled but the club has given them 5-6 years, Toumpas was a higher investment than any of them and i'm sure the club will understand that he may take time.

So according to you we shouldn't pick Billy Stretch because his career will turn out the exact same as Toumpas.

Wow you really are a genuine A grade Flo(g)p.

Here is a kid with immense talent who desperately wants to play for us, brrack for the dees his whole life and you already have the guts to completely write him of.

Do us a favour picket. Give Robbie Flower a call and tell him how much being skinny and outside player will NOT get you a career in the AFL.

Oh God you again,

well you have got it wrong again Clown, Robbie Flower was before his time as both an inside and outside player and a once in a lifetime player anyone with a modicum of footy knowledge would know that! Which is why you are once again clueless on footy matters!

Is Billy Stretch a recreated Flower?????

Now Billy Stretch a kid with ah immense talent "Oh My" who wants to play with us "Gee wiz" and by the way,

Good!

I have not "Written him of"

I have said he is worth a third round choice!! THAT IS ALL!

You may continue to choose to put words in my mouth as political speak my friend but as I have said before He may well be worth a pick! but to iterate my point

Only as a third rounder!

Over to you oh great and wise purveyor of footy pedigree!

does anyone think Billy will play senior footy in 2015?

Very excited about this kid btw

Cant wait in a couple of years time when our centreline reads

C - Stretch Viney Lovett

Edited July 7, 201411 yr by hogans_heroes