There is a lot of talk on this forum about the Demons having a good, even list, but lacks the elite 5 players capable of turning a finals series into a flag. If we are going to win the 2014 or 2015 flag, we need to find them. 3-4 of them need to come from our current list, and that means turning young promising players into stand-outs in the mould of a Franklin, Bartel, Pendlebury, Judd, or Hodge.

To be honest, I don't see where they might emerge from.

The players I think have the potential to do so are: Watts, Morton, Trengove, Grimes, Frawley, Jurrah, Sylvia, Garland, and eventually, from all we know, Jack Viney.

Of the older players, I would put Clark and Jones in the very very good category, but not elite.

Of the veterans, I think only Jamar could be considered to be approaching elite status.

If I had to put the first list into the best POTENTIAL players to turn into elite in 3 years time (in order) I think it would be:

Watts

Viney

Grimes

Jurrah

Frawley

The list though doesn't fill me with confidence.

A couple of left field candidates?

Cook, Gawn, Bleese. At least the first two are big: cook has exceptional skills for someone that size, Gawn has the potential to dominate a game due to his size and agility. Bleese for his line breaking pace.

I don't see a gorilla though in the manner of a Neitz, Schwartz, Cloke or Franklin, and we would need one to win a flag. Perhaps they think Clark is the one. Somehow I doubt it. He never dominated games for the Lions.

None of this fills me with a great deal of confidence I must say

I'll let you know in 2015.

Trengove, Gysberts & McKenzie are all a chance to turn elite. Blease, Viney, Watts, Frawley, Clark even Jones maybe look at Dane Swan only became elite in the last few years. Tappy, Gawn & Howe also.

A thread after my own heart...

If our best 5 in 2014 are Watts, Trengove, Frawley, Sylvia, and Viney we will be a top 4 chance.

If our best 5 in 2014 are Batram, Moloney, Jones, Rivers, and Frawley then we will struggle.

(I only mention Frawley in that 'lesser' 5 because he has already 'come on' and is entrenched in our current top 5: Moloney, Rivers, Frawley, Jamar, and Jones.)

Deespower

I probably agree with your comments but it certainly fills me with a great deal more confidence than I have had for a while

I'm an unabashed McKenzie fan but I dont see him as ever being elite.

I was a huge fan of Cameron Ling but he was not elite.

Jones I find the most troublesome to place. Could be anything, might be nothing.

Edited March 7, 201213 yr by nutbean

I'm going for a "spine" - Frawley, Garland, Viney, Watts & Clarke

then I would love some outside runners in Grimes & Trengove plus Mr x factor which hopefully will be LJ

You're delusional if you think Viney will be in our top 5 in 2014. We draft the kid in 2013, so you really think he will be leading our team in his 2nd year of AFL? Granted he has had 1 year in the system as a 17-year-old, but he can't be in the 'elite' category of our team by the time he is 19. I understand the optimism of drafting a top recruit with the potential to be a very good player, but that sort of expectation is completely unrealistic and in the words of a wise football strategist, your are "setting him up to fail." (see what i did there...)

Our Top 5 HAS to be;

1. Grimes

2. Trengove

3. Watts

4. Frawley

5. Blease/Tapscott/Gysberts/Viney/Howe/McKenzie

We don't need Mitch Clark in there, and the only reason I put Watts in there was due to the fact he is a number 1 draft pick, and we can't not have him striving to be one of our best players.

Viney will only be in his 2nd year in 2014, so there is every chance I'm a bit premature with him, but Selwood was bloody near in Geelong's Top 5 after his first season, so it is possible.

For Melbourne to be even considered as a premiership contender in 2014, we need the top 4 above to be in the top 25 of the league.

A 28yo Colin Sylvia, closely followed by Mitch Clark, Jack Watts, Jack Trengove, Jack Grimes and add the Collingwood gun midfielder that is out of contact this year

Ha ha ha, Melbourne will not land Pendlebury. No way in hell.

You're delusional if you think Viney will be in our top 5 in 2014. We draft the kid in 2013, so you really think he will be leading our team in his 2nd year of AFL? Granted he has had 1 year in the system as a 17-year-old, but he can't be in the 'elite' category of our team by the time he is 19. I understand the optimism of drafting a top recruit with the potential to be a very good player, but that sort of expectation is completely unrealistic and in the words of a wise football strategist, your are "setting him up to fail." (see what i did there...)

Yeah, I see what you did there.

I agree that Viney will only be in his second season and still very young. But, from all reports, Viney has the hunger and the build and most likely by then will have the skills to be one of Melbournes top line players.

Will be a man-child and thrive under the style of play Neeld has begun to foster.

Viney (will be better than Dustin Martin)

Trengove

Sylvia

Jones

Garland

In 2015 Watts will be collecting his third All-Australian and will be starting to be compared with demons greats.

I think it will be 1.moloney 2. jones 3.watts 4.grimes 5.magner/clark the reason i think moloney is i think he will have a better year than last year and with the help of bigger bodies he will be elite around the ball jones is still very young and he did some garry ablett like things around the ball on saterday.Watts will be the next james hird with his football brain. jack grimes is a very classy player with great reading of the play and magner is my smokey he just knows how to find the ball and win it barlow number 2

Yeah, I see what you did there.

I agree that Viney will only be in his second season and still very young. But, from all reports, Viney has the hunger and the build and most likely by then will have the skills to be one of Melbournes top line players.

Will be a man-child and thrive under the style of play Neeld has begun to foster.

if Viney is elite by year two he will have managed to do something that the three best midfielders (Swan, Judd and Ablett) were unable to do. - that is be elite by year 2. Judd was good from day one but hit elite in year 3.I saw the Selwood post further up - he was good year one and I think he bordered on elite by end year 2 - still behind Ablett and Bartel in the midfield.

Big ask of young Viney - think Trengove - is he elite yet ?

jones is still very young and he did some garry ablett like things around the ball on saterday.

Really ? I like Nathan Jones and I liked his game on Saturday but really ?

Of the older players, I would put Clark and Jones in the very very good category, but not elite.

This is one issue I have - too many consider Jones to be old, when in actual fact he just turned 24 in January.by 2014 he will be 26 which is probably when players are reaching the peak of their powers. Over the past couple of seasons we have seen him make great strides and if his NAB Cup performances are any indication, he looks likely to move a few more rungs up the ladder this year.

So as a very left of centre view, I would rate the 5 best for us that year to be (in no particular order):

Jones

Petterd (if he can get consistency into his game)

Jurrah (if he can stay injury free - I am still uneasy with the way he lands after marking and am always concerned he will do some major knee damage one day)

Martin (on the proviso that he can stop fumbling)

Howe

Oh, and I really feel for young Viney as he has not yet set foot on the ground in a Dees jumper and already he has been labelled the new messiah - way way too early to be using the words Viney and elite in the same sentence.

My beer and whiskey consumption will be top 5 after the elusive 13th. That is all i can seriously lock in!!

if Viney is elite by year two he will have managed to do something that the three best midfielders (Swan, Judd and Ablett) were unable to do. - that is be elite by year 2. Judd was good from day one but hit elite in year 3.I saw the Selwood post further up - he was good year one and I think he bordered on elite by end year 2 - still behind Ablett and Bartel in the midfield.

Big ask of young Viney - think Trengove - is he elite yet ?

Where did I say he will be elite?

I said that I think Viney will be a "top line" player by then. He will effectively have 3 years of senior footy under his belt when you include this year at Casey (has this been sanctioned?)..

My hopes are high nutbean because that's all I have to work with at the moment.

Interesting that you're already classifying Viney with Trengove when he's yet to play a senior game but in the same breath asking me to reflect on the comparison of whether he will be elite.

if Viney is elite by year two he will have managed to do something that the three best midfielders (Swan, Judd and Ablett) were unable to do. - that is be elite by year 2. Judd was good from day one but hit elite in year 3.I saw the Selwood post further up - he was good year one and I think he bordered on elite by end year 2 - still behind Ablett and Bartel in the midfield.

Big ask of young Viney - think Trengove - is he elite yet ?

Not to nit-pick, but the question was who will be top 5 players, not who will be elite.

And while it is bordering on grandiose, Viney will be a very good player and I think he is almost a plug in and play type deal.

Not to nit-pick, but the question was who will be top 5 players, not who will be elite.

Hell, I'll nit-pick... the question was "Who will be our elite 5 for the 2014 Demon flag?"

A thread after my own heart...

If our best 5 in 2014 are Watts, Trengove, Frawley, Sylvia, and Viney we will be a top 4 chance.

If our best 5 in 2014 are Batram, Moloney, Jones, Rivers, and Frawley then we will struggle.

(I only mention Frawley in that 'lesser' 5 because he has already 'come on' and is entrenched in our current top 5: Moloney, Rivers, Frawley, Jamar, and Jones.)

I'm not too sure Rivers is in our "current" top 5 rpfc?

Watts

Frawley

Trengove

Sylvia

Grimes

Edited March 7, 201213 yr by Jordie_tackles

Wasn't there a topic recently about how we overuse the word elite in the football community? I think this is one of those times. Realistically if we have 1 great, if we have 2 we should be over the moon.