WELCOME TO THE MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB - BILLY STRETCH

[s-t-i-n-g-a 439]

For those thinking Sydney are getting another leg up, lets not forget, we snared a young J.Viney for an absolute bargain as well...

That was via the father son rule which is open to all clubs. Not an academy only available to a select few.

[Straight Sets Simon 23,113]

For those thinking Sydney are getting another leg up, lets not forget, we snared a young J.Viney for an absolute bargain as well...

I think there is a difference between the tradition of father-son picks and having your own academy to recruit from.

[What 18,810]

3rd rounder, you beauty

Great result

[KingDingAling 3,757]

What an absolute steal, I rate this kid very high.

He just has that balance and class.

Stretch and Salem are two players on our list that could make that transition to the elite bracket.

[Pipefitter 2,159]

I have it on good authority that stretch has already asked to be traded to Geelong.

[Demon_JB 1,385]

I have it on good authority that stretch has already asked to be traded to Geelong.

Hahaha, gold.

[Slartibartfast 17,257]

I'd have rather we willingly used pick 2, but that's just me.

Welcome Billy, loved your old man, one of my very favourites, hope you can carve out at similar career.

[daisycutter 29,613]

I'd have rather we willingly used pick 2, but that's just me.

Welcome Billy, loved your old man, one of my very favourites, hope you can carve out at similar career.

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[old dee 23,787]

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Yep

[DeeZee 7,378]

I'd have rather we willingly used pick 2, but that's just me.

Welcome Billy, loved your old man, one of my very favourites, hope you can carve out at similar career.

Glad you aren't our list manager.

[Adam The God 30,221]

I think Bob is saying he'd rather that we willingly bided pick 2 for Heeney, rather than merely to make a point. I'm sure it's the former anyway. It's nice that it makes a point as well, but there's no way we bid Heeney just for politics.

[Choko 493]

Well I'm not that old, although I'm feeling it today....!

I think it was 2004 when I was in the demons' rooms before we played the Crows in Adelaide late in the year. We were decimated by injuries to key players and lost a low scoring game... but that's another story.

Before the game, some young kid was decked out in the MFC gear ready and raring to run through the banner. Barry, one of the MFC stalwarts, told me that the eager kid was Stretcha's boy, Billy, and he was going to be a gun one day for the dees. The dees were deliberately trying to curry young Billy's love, with the encouragement of Dad!

Now, he is a listed demon.... and still a kid!!!

[Slartibartfast 17,257]

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Sorry, didn't realize it was so cryptic.

I'd like Billy to have been a steal at 2, not a steal at 39. I'd have loved it if he was far and away the best player in the draft. That would have been really good.

As it is we've picked up someone the competition rated at 29 for pick 39. Frankly, while that's nice and I'm pleased we've got him it's not, for example, the exceptional deal Sydney got with Henley or we got with Viney.

[Whispering_Jack 30,020]

Sorry, didn't realize it was so cryptic.

I'd like Billy to have been a steal at 2, not a steal at 39. I'd have loved it if he was far and away the best player in the draft. That would have been really good.

As it is we've picked up someone the competition rated at 29 for pick 39. Frankly, while that's nice and I'm pleased we've got him it's not, for example, the exceptional deal Sydney got with Henley or we got with Viney.

Did Sydney get a home or a footballer?

[The Song Formerly Known As 6,479]

What an absolute steal, I rate this kid very high.

He just has that balance and class.

Stretch and Salem are two players on our list that could make that transition to the elite bracket.

That word is banned round these parts; just so ya' know.

[Whispering_Jack 30,020]

Apologies for the quip BB but I couldn't resist it.

I get your point about him being rated by the competition at 29 but I think we got a better player than that figure suggests anyway. I have a feeling that there might be an element of reluctance about some clubs wasting their time bidding for him anywhere below 29 and above Melbourne's second round selection. A pick at around 22ish would have been fair value for him and I'm happy we ended up with 39 which is now around 41 with the FA picks factored in. I think he's better than Jay Kennedy-Harris who went at around there last year.

I've watched him this year through training with us early in the year as an AIS scholarship holder (along with Angus Brayshaw), the National Under 18 championships where he gained All Australian selection and then the rapid improvement he made at Glenelg (through the statistics available). He's an 18 year old who is regularly getting possession numbers in the 20's and rising up to the high 20's at SANFL level and from the vision of him, he's building up quite nicely. Then those Draft Combine results had me concerned that he would cost us a second rounder (two of the three most respected internet draft experts I quoted on another thread agree).

I expect that we won't see too much of him at Melbourne next year - half a dozen games will suffice - but on what I've seen of him there's blue sky aplenty with him.

[Webber 10,465]

Sorry, didn't realize it was so cryptic.

I'd like Billy to have been a steal at 2, not a steal at 39. I'd have loved it if he was far and away the best player in the draft. That would have been really good.

As it is we've picked up someone the competition rated at 29 for pick 39. Frankly, while that's nice and I'm pleased we've got him it's not, for example, the exceptional deal Sydney got with Henley or we got with Viney.

I'm interested how a draftee makes AA U18, and then is rated outside the top 22. Thoughts, anyone?

[KingDingAling 3,757]

Stretch is so consistent that he got overlooked.

[Slartibartfast 17,257]

but on what I've seen of him however, there's blue sky aplenty with him.

I admire your optimism Jack. I go right back to Ryan Ayres (?) watching with you at Sandy where we thought we'd got a ripper. How many have come and gone since?

I read Redlegs with admiration as he argues that picks 2 and 3 could set us up for years. McLean and Sylvia, Trengove and Scully, Morton and Grimes, Watts and Blease all come to mind. One day it might happen and I'll celebrate when it does.

I remember speaking to Neale Daniher once and telling him I was mightily impressed with Rivers and Hunter - remember him? He told me the time to get excited was when they did something in the seniors. At least I could with Rivers.

I like what I've seen with Billy. I liked what I saw with Newton and Nic Smith too.

Good luck Billy, I like what I've seen and read and I'm really please to have him. I'll get excited when he plays a game and is in our best 6 in the seniors.

[Slartibartfast 17,257]

I'm interested how a draftee makes AA U18, and then is rated outside the top 22. Thoughts, anyone?

I can't comment really other than to say that with the F/S bidding process you're committing your pick without the knowledge of who else has already been taken. You forgo your chance to get a genuine slider. Billy, as Jack says, is probably worth more than pick 29.

Beyond that it's probably as much witch doctor stuff as anything. Looking into the future to see what the player will be rather than what he is. Recruiters will have seen some things with Billy that concern them and have marked him down for that. On all the available information it's hard to see what - good speed and agility, great endurance and an ability to find the ball. His kicking? His decision making? There will be something.

[Lil_red_fire_engine 11,166]

My gut feel is that Billy was rated higher than pick 29 by most clubs but with such an even draft there would be a good chance a player you rated top 12-15 could slip through to your 2nd pick. I would suspect that is why he more than likely slipped through.

[KingDingAling 3,757]

My gut feel is that Billy was rated higher than pick 29 by most clubs but with such an even draft there would be a good chance a player you rated top 12-15 could slip through to your 2nd pick. I would suspect that is why he more than likely slipped through.

He could be in the top 5 mids of the draft.

Brayshaw, Petracca, Heeney, Stretch, Ahern/Laverde - although the last 2 players haven't been as consistent as Stretch.

I think 39 is an absolute steal. The kid was top 15 there is no doubt about that.

[PaulRB 6,362]

Billy the Kid is in the house!

I love the tradition of the father son selections, one of the few things running against the corporate entitlement that's overrun the AFL these past couple of decades...

Welcome Billy!

[thevil1 421]

I'm interested how a draftee makes AA U18, and then is rated outside the top 22. Thoughts, anyone?

More athletic 'potential' types who entice recruiters to take them earlier, bottom agers seen as having more 'upside' and of course examples like Cockatoo who was injured all year but highly touted still...... To name a few potential reasons.

[Pipefitter 2,159]

Love the video package on the MFC site. He looks like everything Sam Blease should have been.