WELCOME TO THE MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB - CHRISTIAN PETRACCA

[PaulRB 6,305]

Saints are in damage control, as they lead their fans to believe Petracca was the No#1 and then changed their minds...

[Redleg 40,379]

Saints are in damage control, as they lead their fans to believe Petracca was the No#1 and then changed their minds...

Strange then that the Coach yesterday declared him the best player in the draft.

[dieter 3,325]

Just watched his highlight package and like his disposal by hand but have serious doubts about his kicking: hardly saw any kicks hit targets, saw him miss a few goals and saw a lot of high floating long bombs.

[P-man 13,366]

Just watched his highlight package and like his disposal by hand but have serious doubts about his kicking: hardly saw any kicks hit targets, saw him miss a few goals and saw a lot of high floating long bombs.

Please just stop for a moment and think about what you're saying here.

Pretty much everyone in the land whose opinion is worth more than a pinch of muck has him as a top 3 talent, with a majority rating him number 1, and you have "serious doubts about his kicking" based on a few minutes of footage.

Think about it logically.

Edited November 26, 2014 by P-man

[Lord Travis 10,524]

Just watched his highlight package and like his disposal by hand but have serious doubts about his kicking: hardly saw any kicks hit targets, saw him miss a few goals and saw a lot of high floating long bombs.

There is a "highlight" package of his which shows a few shanks. Try this one instead to see how powerful and skilled Petracca is. If we land him and Brayshaw it'll be a great draft for us!

[picket fence 16,805]

Just watched his highlight package and like his disposal by hand but have serious doubts about his kicking: hardly saw any kicks hit targets, saw him miss a few goals and saw a lot of high floating long bombs.

Gees Dieter a bit harsh, I watched his package and he seemed very deft in delivery!

If what we believe is true and Mc Cartin goes at 1 sheeeeit Our Midfield will suddenly resemble a battery of Cybermen!!

All programed for just one thing.... Get the footy!

I love it and if the rumour Mill is wrong I won't despair with Brayshaw and Mc Cartin not in the least.

In fact St.Kilda are under more pressure than a hot air balloon in zero gravity!

The best thing about the possibility of snaring Petracca and Brayshaw is that it means we free up some playmakers across half back and forward and create multiple options for game plans and stylised play making! Not only that real pressure for spots in the side creates very heatlhy competition!

Wundabar!

[ben russell 764]

There is a "highlight" package of his which shows a few shanks. Try this one instead to see how powerful and skilled Petracca is. If we land him and Brayshaw it'll be a great draft for us!

That's one hell of a highlights package.

Gee I hope this kid is a Demon within the next 24 hours.

[bush demon 2,013]

Offloading Chip and TS for Hoges and now Petracca not a bad second dip...

http://m.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/afl-draft-2014-emma-quayles-firstround-predictions-20141126-11uey0.html

[rjay 24,677]

Just watched his highlight package and like his disposal by hand but have serious doubts about his kicking: hardly saw any kicks hit targets, saw him miss a few goals and saw a lot of high floating long bombs.

Please just stop for a moment and think about what you're saying here.

Pretty much everyone in the land whose opinion is worth more than a pinch of muck has him as a top 3 talent, with a majority rating him number 1, and you have "serious doubts about his kicking" based on a few minutes of footage.

Think about it logically.

Think about it P-man, I'm not agreeing or disagreeing on Petracca but everyone whose opinion is worth more than a pinch of muck rated Tom Scully as a number 1 pick and his kicking is pretty ordinary.

[DeeSpencer 24,943]

Think about it P-man, I'm not agreeing or disagreeing on Petracca but everyone whose opinion is worth more than a pinch of muck rated Tom Scully as a number 1 pick and his kicking is pretty ordinary.

So is Joel Selwood's at times, so is Josh Kennedy's or Dayne Beams', so is Dustin Martin's at times. Matty Priddis just won the brownlow and he can't kick over a jam jar. Rory Sloane is close to an elite player of the comp and kicks helicopters. It was the knock on Wines as well. If he wins 10 clearances or goes forward and takes 5 marks inside 50 then I don't care if he's just floating it forward or sitting it up for goal. Certainly he has to be at a reasonable level, which I think from the highlights video above he is.

He's not perfect. No player ever is. But he doesn't have to be Nick Malceski to play the role he's designed to play. Scully doesn't suck because of his kicking. He sucks because he hasn't become the inside midfielder and heavy accumulator he was at under 18 level and even in his first year at Melbourne. He doesn't win contests and therefore as an outside player his poor kicking hurts him. Toumpas, Salem, JKH, Stretch those guys are recruited to play outside roles and need their kicking to be at a high level.

Plus kicking can and should be developed and improves with training, decision making and experience. Petracca is starting at a higher base than Nath Jones and he kicks it pretty well these days.

[P-man 13,366]

Think about it P-man, I'm not agreeing or disagreeing on Petracca but everyone whose opinion is worth more than a pinch of muck rated Tom Scully as a number 1 pick and his kicking is pretty ordinary.

In the other highlights package he hits almost every target. So I guess based on THAT highlights package we can say that there are no doubts over his kicking. Huzzah, problem solved.

With the amount of analysis that goes into Pick 1 these days, which has progressed further again from when Scully was drafted, I find it difficult to believe, nay, impossible to believe, that practically every recruiter would consider a midfielder who can't kick to be the number 1 talent in the country, especially when those expressing serious doubts over his kicking are doing so based on a two minute video.

[P-man 13,366]

So is Joel Selwood's at times, so is Josh Kennedy's or Dayne Beams', so is Dustin Martin's at times. Matty Priddis just won the brownlow and he can't kick over a jam jar. Rory Sloane is close to an elite player of the comp and kicks helicopters.

Got a chuckle from this. All so true. Sloane is quite possibly my favourite non-MFC player, but he is a certified helicopter pilot.

[rpfc 28,079]

In the other highlights package he hits almost every target. So I guess based on THAT highlights package we can say that there are no doubts over his kicking. Huzzah, problem solved.

With the amount of analysis that goes into Pick 1 these days, which has progressed further again from when Scully was drafted, I find it difficult to believe, nay, impossible to believe, that practically every recruiter would consider a midfielder who can't kick to be the number 1 talent in the country, especially when those expressing serious doubts over his kicking are doing so based on a two minute video.

It is hard to believe that adults, whose job it is to judge the abilities of children, have trouble doing so.

Yet here we are.

[nutbean 8,838]

In the other highlights package he hits almost every target. So I guess based on THAT highlights package we can say that there are no doubts over his kicking. Huzzah, problem solved.

With the amount of analysis that goes into Pick 1 these days, which has progressed further again from when Scully was drafted, I find it difficult to believe, nay, impossible to believe, that practically every recruiter would consider a midfielder who can't kick to be the number 1 talent in the country, especially when those expressing serious doubts over his kicking are doing so based on a two minute video.

The two highlight packages are really polar opposites in terms of disposal - in the first he misses plenty of targets and in the second he doesn't miss a single target.

As said before Scully as a number one draft pick has average disposal at best ( great hands though). There was a knock on Wines disposal but I haven't seen that at senior level.

[BIG JIM 508]

I'm also very excited to see the pick 40&53 as our team are great at picking out good players around this mark like JKH last year.

Who are you guys thinking ?

[DeeZee 7,347]

If we get Petracca and Brayshaw, then I think we should go for a marking tall forward and then a speedy outside player,and we will be balanced out nicely.

[Redleg 40,379]

Imagine a month ago thinking we would get arguably the two best players at this point in time, in the draft, with our pick 2 and Chip compo.

[tilly18 287]

Saints are in damage control, as they lead their fans to believe Petracca was the No#1 and then changed their minds...

The leak could be to allow the saints fans to get used to the idea of not taking Petracca rather than hitting them with it on the night.

[P-man 13,366]

It is hard to believe that adults, whose job it is to judge the abilities of children, have trouble doing so.

Yet here we are.

Our adults, sure. Not every adult.

Are you advocating "serious doubts over kicking" from watching a two minute video, that conflicts with a separate few minutes of video?

Not some doubt, mind you. SERIOUS doubt. Not meaning to pick on that particular poster, I just don't understand that attitude.

With all the importance placed upon kicking in today's game, the touted number 1 pick who has been studied at length has a huge black cloud over this most fundamental skill, and in 2014, this has either escaped the attention of every recruiter, or they simply don't care?

Edited November 26, 2014 by P-man

[binman 42,128]

What you can see from a 2 minute clip is technique. And my man petracca has an excellent kicking technique. A good start. Compare to hogan who on set shot appears to have a technical flaw. Hard at that age to completely fix technical flaws.

[What 18,810]

Just watched his highlight package and like his disposal by hand but have serious doubts about his kicking=

Exactly what some posters said abut Ollie Wines after watching his under 18 highlight video

That worked out well

[P-man 13,366]

Every club wants this kid. GWS were falling over themselves to get him and they have midfield talent coming out the wazoo.

It's easy to let our history with these picks make someone gun shy. I get that. But we're becoming a very different club to those days.

[nutbean 8,838]

Exactly what some posters said abut Ollie Wines after watching his under 18 highlight video

That worked out well

Wasn't only posters - I recall reading in a couple of places that his disposal was iffy at times - but that hasn't really translated during his time at Port.

[Straight Sets Simon 23,113]

My guess is that in five years time the best player from this draft won't have come from the top 5 or even top 10 picks. It just seems to be the way these days.

[beelzebub 23,245]

My guess is that in five years time the best player from this draft won't have come from the top 5 or even top 10 picks. It just seems to be the way these days.

makes our picks 40 and 53 very exciting doesnt it !!