Does anyone else think we're being a bit hard on a guy who's only just played his maybe 5th game as a defender since being at the club. He's played as a forward for most of his career. Give the guy a chance to learn to be a defender at least. The fact that he's been able to make it into a defender with so little time playing that role is either a negative reflection on the other defenders in the team, or a sign that the guy has some promise at that end of the ground.

I like him down back. Made a few mistakes but who doesnt.. should be left there for rest of the year. He gives us that extra big body down back.

Worth remembering that we got him for Gysberts. Even with his poor form it's still an upgrade from where I sit.

You are kidding me right? Gysberts was and will be a gun. Spent most of last year recovering from a back injury? Pushing for North selection now. Will be a fine player and just the sort we need coming through our midfield now. Pederson is a Neeld-level (read: low) stop gap. He traded high draft talent for an average stop gap.

Having said that, I thought Cam did well on Monday and could be useful down back for a while.

It was BH who claimed Pederson would be the recruit of the year. He has changed tact since round 1. BH is a dribbler at best.

Edited June 11, 201312 yr by Demonsterative

Our backline is to be applauded for their herculean efforts this year.

Phew! Talk about fast tracking development!

I am ok with poeple saying that Gysberts will be a gun - terrible predictions are par for the course around here, but Demonsterative, Gysberts was not a 'gun' when he was with us.

He played some good games but if a handful of good games qualifies oneself to be a 'gun' then the majority of our list are 'guns.'

You are kidding me right? Gysberts was and will be a gun. Spent most of last year recovering from a back injury? Pushing for North selection now. Will be a fine player and just the sort we need coming through our midfield now. Pederson is a Neeld-level (read: low) stop gap. He traded high draft talent for an average stop gap.

Having said that, I thought Cam did well on Monday and could be useful down back for a while.

Being a high draft pick is no indication of talent or surety of success.

Surely as a demons supporter you should know this better than most.

I wouldn't describe Gysberts as a 'gun' at all. If he becomes one, more power to him, but it was not going to happen at our club. Any evaluation of Pederson needs to be done with this in mind - he did not cost us much.

Ok gun is a little strong. But he showed plenty and there is no sound reason to believe that Pederson has more upside than a tall, silky, young midfield inside ball winner. Gysberts was a player to hold on to is all I am saying.

He took short steps yesterday. Weren't you at the game ?

I also saw him do it in the VFL in the game that was televised a few weeks back. Some of you people need to learn how to watch footy.

I noticed him 'think about' ducking his head whilst taking a mark in the midfield yesterday, but he didn't, & he took the mark.

we can only go on what the players do, & see how we go aiding them to develop into real players... time will tell on all.

I liked the idea of him, his highlights video looked good but after the one training session I went to earlier in the year I wasn't convinced.

The only positive is he is a far better kick than McDonald.

Edited June 11, 201312 yr by Clint Bizkit

I actually rate Pederson, not as a great player, but one who will always have a go and never give up.. He is our best swingman. I think he may seal his spot and become best 22 material by years end.

If we are applauding Pederson it shows just how low our standards have dropped.

He gets himself in to terrible trouble at times and just doesn't know what to do when he gets the ball, shocker.

We have so many sub standard players in the team at the moment that we are starting to appreciate mediocrity.

I actually rate Pederson, not as a great player, but one who will always have a go and never give up.. He is our best swingman. I think he may seal his spot and become best 22 material by years end.

Neeld has said he is going to go down the youth path from now on as the playing of the more senior players is simply not working so with a bit of luck we will have a look at Davis and a few others to see if they can actually play football or not. With a bit more luck he will replace Pederson and we will never see him or Gillies or Rodan in the side again.

If Pederson is best 22 at the end of the season we shot and are in for a shocker next year as well, the prospect of him playing every game frightens me.

The main issue with Pedersen as a defender is does he have the size to play on the big power forwards.

He would be 6"3 at best and clearly undersized against many of the competition's tall forwards.

He was exposed in one-on-one contests by an out-of-form Quinten Lynch yesterday, and as a tall defender he will be regularly facing much more difficult opposition than Lynch each week.

The other issue is whether he fully commits his body in the air and I agree with Ben Hur in that I've seen him fail to go back with the flight of the ball with the required level of commitment.

He also had an opportunity to completely flatten Travis Cloke in a marking contests in the first term but chose to avoid contact. I know it would have cost us a 50m penalty but I'd gladly accept that to let the opposition know you are out there. Cloke kicked the goal anyway.

I seem to recall Neeld saying that he had been recruited for a specific role as a link forward and that they were very clear about the role he would play. Yet by Round 3 or 4 he was playing in defence for Casey.

It was BH who claimed Pederson would be the recruit of the year. He has changed tact since round 1. BH is a dribbler at best.

By the end of this year Pedo might turn out to be a really good pickup - he's been solid down back in the VFL and building form and confidence at AFL level. Could cement a place ahead of Dunn/Seller by season end and become a key part of our defence.

It was BH who claimed Pederson would be the recruit of the year. He has changed tact since round 1. BH is a dribbler at best.

Says the guy who calls Gysberts a "gun". What you know about footy could be penned on the dot that ends this sentence.

The difference between me and some of you is that I trust my eyes and I'm not wedded to an earlier view. I hadn't seen enough of Pedersen, but what I'd seen at a glance was good. Now he's wearing a Melbourne jumper I take far more notice. The guy is a shirker. He'll have some OK games, but unless he gets that part of his make up out of his game he's as useful as a cold pie. Unless, of course, you're happy being a bottom 4 club ad infinitum.

So yeah, I can and will change my views under the weight of evidence. Try it sometime.

Some of "you people" need to consider the objectification of women. I can only assume you're a misogynist as well as an arrogant know-all; and once I put you in that category I can only put you on ignore. Grow up and be a real man instead of behaving like a prepubescent schoolboy.

Well I never...

Hysterical rantings from an ill-considered do-gooder.

I think Kate is best equipped to determine whether she's undermining her own self-worth, or her brand. Clearly she doesn't think so. Nor do I. I'm very happy to celebrate with her.

In future don't bore me with your asinine remarks.

Not defending errors on the field or failure to "go" when it's his turn, but Pedersen has played 22 games and was a cheap pick-up. It's not as though we traded in Ben Reid or Matthew Scarlett for a first-round pick.

I noticed him 'think about' ducking his head whilst taking a mark in the midfield yesterday, but he didn't, & he took the mark.

Yes, I'm glad you saw it too because I thought I might have imagined it. It was odd, wasn't it? He anticpated Cloke and Garland coming over the back but they didn't even move. At least he took the mark this time...

Well I never...

Hysterical rantings from an ill-considered do-gooder.

I think Kate is best equipped to determine whether she's undermining her own self-worth, or her brand. Clearly she doesn't think so. Nor do I. I'm very happy to celebrate with her.

In future don't bore me with your asinine remarks.

I think a more accurate statement is that you are very happy to celebrate her, with your hand'

I think a more accurate statement is that you are very happy to celebrate her, with your hand'

I so badly want to post a 'must not fap' gif, but I'm pretty sure the mods would delete it.

Not sure how useful Pedersen will be for us, but I thought his game yesterday was ok and his best for us so far. He also was prepared to run hard and on a couple of occasions did just that to the team's benefit.

I also noticed as Scoop Jnr pointed out, his failure to run through Cloke, but on reflection that may be put down to the penalties for charging. On the other hand, simply, that he was too scared to do it, I don't know.

I see him as a handy replacement for injured players, who has some versatility to his game.

From what I have seen so far of Gillies, Rodan and Byrnes, Pedersen when compared to them is Wayne Carey.

From what I have seen so far of Gillies, Rodan and Byrnes, Pedersen when compared to them is Wayne Carey.

Pedersen is definitely the most promising long-term pick up of that lot.

Gillies is an unmitigated disaster, Rodan is filling a gap that will in the future be Viney's position, and Byrnes looked good before getting injured, and probably is best 22 right now, but long term won't be.

Pederson was rated at lower levels of footy.

must also be rated by us as he is signed for three years.

The main issue with Pedersen as a defender is does he have the size to play on the big power forwards.

He would be 6"3 at best and clearly undersized against many of the competition's tall forwards.

Pedersen is 193cms and 96kgs, Frawley is 193cms and 94 kgs.

So, does he have the "size" to play on the big power forwards?

The guy has played most of his footy as a forward, give him time to learn how to play as a defender.