If we get a pick at the start of the first round trade it to the dogs for Ryan Griffin. They need a forward for the future and Griffin is better than Thomas. They could then get Thomas boyd who we probably won't need with hogan on the list next season.

Ha !! I love these absurd suggestions. As if the Dogs will trade away their leading mid and highest possession winner. That is just ridiculous.

i am of the firm belief that we should trade the picks for established quality midfielders

a)I have confidence we are pretty well placed with KPP, particularly up forward

b)we can't develop players. we suck. we need to get our talent pre-developed at proper clubs.

c)enough of this low ave. games stuff in general. we need some more experience, pronto. we simply can't afford to wait years for more kids to supposedly get good. as a club we have to become at least respectable right away or its curtains

no doubt trading these picks will mean we have to accept to be shortchanged, that's just the way it goes. We are in a shocking spot at the moment and low on options though. I say go for it, get a couple of A- or B+ mids and a new coach and hopefully the wheel turns quickly.

Assuming we gain a priority pick and we have picks 2 and 3 do we put 1 pick on the table for a gun afl midfielder like Dale Thomas or do we put both pcks on the table since we are in desperate need of 2 gun AFL mids???

Assuming we gain a priority pick and we have picks 2 and 3 do we put 1 pick on the table for a gun afl midfielder like Dale Thomas or do we put both pcks on the table since we are in desperate need of 2 gun AFL mids???

The way we are going we will have another pick number 1

Ohhhhhhhhhh teh pressure is unbearable

It'd be interesting to see what the list would look like if we now traded current players/picks/$$$ for all of the players we actually should've picked with the high end draft picks we stuffed up over the last 6 or so years.

We'd probably be back on track. At the very least, we'd definitely have a midfield.

The majority of the other AFL clubs have reportedly kicked up a stink as we have said to the AFL that we need ANOTHER priority pick.
15 high draft picks in 5 years is what we have had,
With figures such as that i can understand why the other clubs would be angry at us wanting more!

Edited June 16, 201312 yr by The Song Formerly Known As

Trade the pick. If we do get it.

Ive been mulling over this a little and especially in light of the groundswell amongst other clubs against it

In bartering etc you ask for X when really you expect Y. Its where Y occurs as to whether youve done ok or dismally.

I dont think that PJ and DM would have expected an early PP if any. Yes they asked but its seems to me to me more of a positioning gambit. Now its known generally we asked the AFL have to give some sort of measured response.

The money was never really anissue. Much is made of the 2-3 Million but history has shown the willingness of the AFL to shovel the cash every year. Nothing really different here except the packaging and the hullabaloo that accompanies it.

But the PP is a curly one as Vlad & Co had al lbut boxed it up and buried t as an idea.

We obviously need assistance. Too much will invoke the wrath and ire of nearly all but us. Too little and thats just it, itll be too little.

A mini draft seems perfect on the outside but has dangerous precedent attached. if us this year who next nexy tear and so on. GC and GWS were supposed to be aberations and once offs.

Ive a sneaky suspicion the AFL may play but only just. A PP before round 2 might be a compromise that can be swallowed by other teams. Its still a handy pick. Even if we finish where we are itll be picks 2 , 19 21 ......... ( before trading etc ) and that would still equate as the best grouping of early picks of any team. Thats reasonable currency to make for an interesting trade week .

I find it difficult to calculate who I would take at pick 1 & 2 if that be the case.

Ideally we need mids and we have Hogan coming into the side so with this in mind I would take James Aish and Luke Dunstan.

Although I just couldn't pass on Tom Boyd, he and Hogan in the forward line would be amazing, would remind me of the 2004 draft with Hawthorn obtaining Roughead and Franklin.

On another side note I am also a big fan of Jack Billings, I really like the way he goes about it. It won't surprize me if he turns out to be that gun player that slides to the later half of the top 10.

As for trading any of those early picks I would consider it idiotic. The only two trades available (OOC) that are considered worthy would be Tom Mitchell or Nic Naitanui, but we no neither of those would happen.

I'd only bring Tom Boyd to the club, if we are able to land an extra quality midfielder through free-agency or during the trade period.

If not, we simply must draft midfielders.

I think you can put a line through getting anyone decent through free agency at the end of this year.

It has been said many times before - why would someone like Dale Thomas want to come to Melbourne, having become used to a club like Collingwood? The answer - absolutely obscene amounts of money, ie not just paying "overs", but paying a player 175-200% of his worth (think of the sponsorship opportunities that a marketable player like Thomas would lose by going from C'wood to Melbourne...)... Would that be a smart decision for the club? I don't think so.

Barring that, they simply won't come. Melbourne will be left with the tired, poor, huddled free agent masses like last year.

That said, the options for the playing list are draft/trade.

One point for the "trade" camp is that forwards like Hogan will develop quicker by actually getting the ball sometimes from established midfielders, and from actually having a reasonable amount of inside 50s to play with....

I think you can put a line through getting anyone decent through free agency at the end of this year.

It has been said many times before - why would someone like Dale Thomas want to come to Melbourne, having become used to a club like Collingwood? The answer - absolutely obscene amounts of money, ie not just paying "overs", but paying a player 175-200% of his worth (think of the sponsorship opportunities that a marketable player like Thomas would lose by going from C'wood to Melbourne...)... Would that be a smart decision for the club? I don't think so.

Barring that, they simply won't come. Melbourne will be left with the tired, poor, huddled free agent masses like last year.

That said, the options for the playing list are draft/trade.

One point for the "trade" camp is that forwards like Hogan will develop quicker by actually getting the ball sometimes from established midfielders, and from actually having a reasonable amount of inside 50s to play with....

I agree, it will be hard to get someone because the overs we'd pay are just crazy. So what I think we should do is look to trade 3rd round picks or guys like Blease for young players who want out of their current club or who's current club wishes to off load them and who are still good enough to be in our best 22.

Invest the top picks in top line talent but try and find a couple of mid range guys for the here and now. I look at Houli, Grigg and Maric at Richmond and think how good it would be if we just added a couple of AFL ready decent talents. Even better if they are untried talents like Terlich and Matt Jones that we can get through the draft but if it has to be trade it has to be. There is surely enough room on our list. Best case scenario is we have about 12-15 proper AFL ready players on our list, we need to bump that up by more than just straight kids.

Obviously we wont get into the top 8 or top 4 until we can develop some real top line star power but the small steps first to be able to win some games and be competitive means we need a smattering of slightly older types. I'm still loooking at cleaning 10-15 from out lists so it's not about clogging the list but just getting some help in.

Along with drafting some young mids, I think the Demons should also be taking a very good, hard look at the VFL, WAFL, NEAFL, SANFL etc. for 2-3 midfielders.

They don't need to be world-beaters and they don't need to be there for the next premiership, they just need to be able to get the ball into Hogan/Clarke/Dawes on a reasonably consistent basis, and perhaps more importantly have a track record of running the other way and protecting the backs.

Being mature aged recruits, they will have the developed bodies needed to help now and to stop the bleeding and stop the 100 point losses for a year or two, while whoever we draft develops properly (ie in the reserves, not by being thrown in at the deep end where their confidence will be battered.).

TBH, outside of a few, the current midfield is VFL quality anyway.

A lot of second-tier success stories going around lately.

Edited June 17, 201312 yr by cfe

If they AFL gave us an extra pick whether it was priority, end of first round I believe they would put in a clause that it can not be used to trade for a player and that it must be used in the draft. Other teams would scream if we got that pick and were able to bundle it up to poach a player from another club.

The whole reason we are asking for an extra pick is because we stuffed it up the first time, and need to turn the list over more at the drasfting table, if somehow we ended up with Pick 2 & 3 we should draft the best midfielders we can then use later picks and some players to trade for some experienced midfielders to protect these young guns, viney and toumpas whilst they develop.

The majority of the other AFL clubs have reportedly kicked up a stink as we have said to the AFL that we need ANOTHER priority pick.

15 high draft picks in 5 years is what we have had,

With figures such as that i can understand why the other clubs would be angry at us wanting more!

I'd love to get a priority pick even though I think history will show that priority picks were the greatest mistake of all time. The fact that all of the other clubs are bleating about it makes me believe that they know it is going to happen.

3 mids!

Here we come!!!!!!!!!

The above wouldn't look out of place on here during seasons 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012.

What do we do the OP asks?

Definitely don't read Demonland and their selections, otherewise the tipping points for some supporters may quickly approach...

We hold a summit with the recruiters of the other 17 clubs, get their nominations for who they think should fall to that pick, just so they can have input and be confident that we won't f it up again and we've put it to good use.

Application lodged.

MELBOURNE has lodged an application for a priority pick, and a decision by the AFL Commission will be made on the day of the Brownlow Medal count.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/melbourne-lodges-application-for-draft-help/story-fni5f91a-1226710891853?from=herald+sun_rss

Application lodged.

MELBOURNE has lodged an application for a priority pick, and a decision by the AFL Commission will be made on the day of the Brownlow Medal count.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/melbourne-lodges-application-for-draft-help/story-fni5f91a-1226710891853?from=herald+sun_rss

Perfect timing as well because we're not likely to poll well in the Brownlow.

The club has rightly made the application and should get some assistance.

What it does with the picks overall depends on what it does with regard to the trades and in the free agency period. We know the types of players we need and it appears from some of this scuttlebutt that we've made some tentative approaches. Having a respected coach on board should help.

nice to see we're becoming intelligent in our ways

I'm going to bet that Roos has asked for a PP as part of his conditions.

Doubt we will be denied.

As for what we do with it, well in true Melbourne fashion we will probably redraft Luke Molan.

If i remember correctly Roos said in the article about our 22 for round 1 under him that a PP would be on the table for the best mid possible.

If i remember correctly Roos said in the article about our 22 for round 1 under him that a PP would be on the table for the best mid possible.

And so it should - we can't develop players when we have no leadership or culture.

An A grade 22-24 year old mid would be nice

Edited September 4, 201311 yr by Young Dee

And so it should - we can't develop players when we have no leadership or culture.

An A grade 22-24 year old mid would be nice

Absolutely, but need to be very selective, as the players in the draft are very good prospects.

No...he's a free agent.

...with a dodgy ankle.

interesting move to make the answer on brownlow day.

Absolutely, but need to be very selective, as the players in the draft are very good prospects.

You are always going to have very good prospects in the draft but the problem is when we draft them their prospects shatter.

I think I remember hearing this is a top heavy draft - if so that will increase the value of our priority pick.

If we where to focus on the draft we would need to land some big fish in Free Agency (definitely some mids)