The Midfield Thread.

[Maldonboy38 6,390]

I really like the option of Dean Towers. I am unsure if we have the right trade personnel and/or draft pick numbers to get him but he appears ready to play. But is he the outside runner with great skills that we need like Isaac Smith, Christ Yarran, Daisy Thomas, Daniel Wells etc...?

I really want Toumpas but he won't make it thrugh to pick #4 unless some behind the scenes deal was included in the Hogan/Barry deal that allows him to slip through. Hey, I am allowed to dream!

[Redleg 40,843]

I think many people under rate Evans. I believe if he gets his body right he could become a A class AFL Midfielder.

I have watched many of the games and he is such a hard player to actually fault. He is much better then many of our current first 22 mids when he is fit and he isn't scared to go forward and kick a goal. The kid has much more class in his game then most of our other mids.

We agree on Evans. I really am hopeful for him.

[Jordie_tackles 354]

Unfortunately we have no picks in Towers range. Would've been a taker at 20 , but yeah......

I

Thinking Rivers compo

[Jordie_tackles 354]

I really like the option of Dean Towers. I am unsure if we have the right trade personnel and/or draft pick numbers to get him but he appears ready to play. But is he the outside runner with great skills that we need like Isaac Smith, Christ Yarran, Daisy Thomas, Daniel Wells etc...?

I really want Toumpas but he won't make it thrugh to pick #4 unless some behind the scenes deal was included in the Hogan/Barry deal that allows him to slip through. Hey, I am allowed to dream!

His comparison is Isaac Smith so i imagine so, drafted from the same team also which is interesting, i just hope our rivers/ all compo reaches in the 25-30 range to grab and Towers on Haynes type

[Theo 272]

Thinking Rivers compo

This could go on Pederson which is probably overs. The much hated (on this site) Terry Wallace says that North would take anything for him even a 3rd or 4th rounder.

If we pay overs which some reports indicate we have for Dawes and Barry then our trade result may not be as good as Collingwood and Geelong seem to have done.

It would be a great result if we kept the FA compo pick for Ray or Broughton or the ND.

[Fat Tony 5,220]

We should trade Jamar and #4 for #2 and another later pick.

And we should play Frawley as a mid.

[Good Times Grimes 2,396]

I really like the option of Dean Towers. I am unsure if we have the right trade personnel and/or draft pick numbers to get him but he appears ready to play. But is he the outside runner with great skills that we need like Isaac Smith, Christ Yarran, Daisy Thomas, Daniel Wells etc...?

I really want Toumpas but he won't make it thrugh to pick #4 unless some behind the scenes deal was included in the Hogan/Barry deal that allows him to slip through. Hey, I am allowed to dream!

As much as I'd like to have Toumpas, I highly doubt there was a deal done between Melb/GWS to let him slide. Otherwise they would have taken pick 4 instead of pick 3, IMO.

[Good Times Grimes 2,396]

We should trade Jamar and #4 for #2 and another later pick.

And we should play Frawley as a mid.

Joking?

[jackaub 1,402]

We agree on Evans. I really am hopeful for him.

I had a look at Evans injuriesit appears highly likely tha his body is no good for AFLChronic injuries lower back twice hips operations by 2 I fear he may not play againHope he does but looks unlikely

[satyricon 267]

I had a look at Evans injuriesit appears highly likely tha his body is no good for AFLChronic injuries lower back twice hips operations by 2 I fear he may not play againHope he does but looks unlikely

So we are all looking at drafting a young (youngish) mid again, who have no experience at the top level, when we have Taggert, Tynan, Gysberts, Couch, Evans etc already who we can develop.....assume at 4 we will, as all seem to be mids, but think we are still looking for another experienced mid (if we find one) rather than have too many youngsters

As for Pickles Evans, had a really good chat to him at the B&F, he has had issues with stress fractures, spent a lot of time with specialists to try to source the problem, thinks they may have found the problem, but pre season will determine that.......doing a law degree at the moment, so has his future mapped out....but to quote 'really loves playing footy' so is hopeful the injury issues are behind him

[Moonshadow 17,675]

We're supposedly trying to address a mid now with Dawes out of the way (granted may be an inside mid) http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/7415/newsid/149842/default.aspx

With Ray likely to stay at Saints and supposedly we have showed no interest in Stevens...any word on which mids we will target now? Must be an under the radar type given we don't have much to offer in terms of trades other than Martin, Gys and Morton. Maybe it's just delisted FAs like Rodan.

And agree with Cowboy on please no more Joel Mac in the midfield.

People have been mentioning Koby Stevens from WCE. Is he OOC and is he worth looking at? Perhaps work a late pick or the pre season draft

[Sideshow Bob 2,343]

If we get pick 30 from the Lions for Steph, we might just about get a Dean Towers type with that pick. Compo pick for Pedo, pick 4 for Wines, JV at 26 and the draft would be complete

[Theo 272]

People have been mentioning Koby Stevens from WCE. Is he OOC and is he worth looking at? Perhaps work a late pick or the pre season draft

Has asked to be traded to the Dogs. Source: Superfooty.

[Jordie_tackles 354]

If we get pick 30 from the Lions for Steph, we might just about get a Dean Towers type with that pick. Compo pick for Pedo, pick 4 for Wines, JV at 26 and the draft would be complete

yeah we will have done very well

[You're Gawn 26]

Braedon McLean

Height: 178cm, Weight: 75kg, DOB: 09/11/1994

Recruited from: Waratah Football Club

Style:

Player comparison:

Range: 35-rookie

Profile: Another of those athletic Northern Territorians to really stand out during the u18 championships. McLean has some real pace and has some ability to do some damage on a wing. Skill level solid and runs to the right spots to find the footy.

- Knightmare Bigfooty

Possibly worth a look at late 3rd/early 4th round pick

[Lil_red_fire_engine 11,115]

Taggert and Evans fit and with a preseason is like drafting 2 new mids. I think both of these particularly Taggert could be accomplished AFL players. Viney + Toumpas/Wines/O'Rourke + these two is adding some more mids capable of playing some senior footy next year. The majority of players we are losing are in betweeners that aren't quite mids and not quite keys ie: Petterd, Bate, Green.

Whilst I know it is hard to be patient with Clark,Dawes, Hogan and potentially Pederson we will not have to target a key forward in the next 3-5 years. Jamar, Gawn, Spencer, Fitzpatrick give us an experienced ruck and 3 in varying stages of development. Our defensive 6 is reasonably settled although I can see us drafting another key defender in the next 2 years. That really does leave us to purely focus on our midfield from a draft, FA and trade perspective again next year.

There are too many gaps in our list for Neeld and co to fix them all in 2 trade/draft periods. The aim should be a balanced list by 2014/2015 and we are certainly heading in the right direction.

[Straight Sets Simon 23,113]

Taggert and Evans fit and with a preseason is like drafting 2 new mids.

You can probably add Tynan in to that group too.

[Demon Dynasty 17,109]

I think we still people that can play the role of outside midfielders, Blease, Sylvia,Watts,Bail,Barry,Howe,Morton,Bennell,but I would love another experienced 100 game plus outside mid.

Our backs are fine with Frawley,McDonald,Garland,Sellar,Grimes etc.

Forwards now looking great with Clark,Dawes,Byrnes,Hogan

Inside mids very healthy now with Jones Viney Mckenzie Trengove and possibly Wines.

Rucks also strong with Jamar,Gawny, Fitzpatrick and Spencer.

So the final piece for mine is that experienced runner, who can deliver a pass on the chest of our forwards.

Like the optimism DZ.

Just a couple of points and not directed at you...just saying in general...

Byrnes:: An unknown quantity in terms of impact on the game and the team at this point as he hasn't been a regular contributor to Geelong's team for some time.

Hogan: A nice potential clunker but we have no idea till we see him in action and that's at least 2014

Jones/McKenzie/Trengove (and i would add Magner/Grimes as occasional mids): are all reasonable ball getters/contest cloggers but not necessarily great at distributing the ball around to our advantage very effectively and often enough at this point. Viney is the unknown here but looks exciting at least. So for me the mid field is still looking very shakey.

Jamar,Gawny, Fitzpatrick and Spencer: I'm not sure any of these, in particular Fitzpatrick, are capable of impacting a game in our favour at this point. Possibly Jamar when on song. I would happily trade/delist Fitzy (if required) in order to hold/develop Martin for one more year just to see what he has to offer (on ball ruckwork/following only) prior to making a decision to hold or trade next year. Adding Clark, Dawes and eventually even Hogan into the mix and our list is starting to look much too top heavy in the tall dept i think.

I agree we need a quality outside runner with delivery skills a la Burgoyne or Jetta to run the lines and offer some quality delivery to our twin tower forward line. This might be Barry once he's settled in and built himself up a litte over the next pre season or 2, but until then Blease and Nicho (to a lesser degree) look like the main quality line breakers at this point (from HB and Mid, occasionaly drifting forward), so we have to hope they all have solid pre seasons and that they can step up.

By the way, if i had anything to do with the FD (and i don't i realise) i wouldn't have Barry anywhere near Davey at this point given the mind set Davey had during this season, which IMO was far from professional and certainly not acceptable at this level.

Edited October 21, 2012 by Rusty Nails

[_H_ 37]

I may have misinterpreted what Neeld said at the very end of the press conference with Jesse Hogan, and the last question was difficult to hear. When Neeld was asked about what choices will be made with the remaining picks, he didn't have a straightforward answer to what they were looking for. I may have heard wrong, but I thought the last question was something like,

"Do you have any others [draftees] your interviewing....other midfielders?

Neeld clearly said;

Ah, midfielders, no!

Set me straight if I've got this wrong.

https://www.google.com.au/url?url=http://bigpondvideo.com/AFL/496781&rct=j&sa=X&ei=YX-DULHqI4efiAeVrYDoBg&ved=0CEEQuAIwBA&q=Neeld+Jesse+Hogan&usg=AFQjCNFCxXAdyPuIjXevBtTXrExvrV29lQ&cad=rja

We have heard it a lot from Neeld the statement, "we believe that we have a core group of ….”, and it seems like he believes we already have the midfielders we need. This is a guy who coached arguably the best midfield in the competition for years at the pies.

Jack Good Times, Jack Turnover, Nat Jones, Jordie Mc K, Viney, Howe, etc., are it.

I think he understands that the result of hard work go's a lot further to being a good player than having any special talent at 12 with no AFL preseasons or games experience. This may take a few years to bear fruit.

I kinda thought maybe he had a stab at us supporters for having unrealistic expectations on Jack Watts as well during this press conference, but he may have meant supporters of AFL generally. Set me straight if I have this a bit bent too.

Edited October 21, 2012 by _H_