I would caution anyone to suggest that any draft pick is a win until there some runs on the board.

I am cautiously optimistic with the current draft picks with caution being the operative word.

Many first round draft picks notoriously do not live up to their footage. This is not just a syndrome that has befallen our club but all clubs - unfortunately our club has had failed draft picks more than most.

Sorry Angus, but pick 3 has been particularly bad with the only true star being Judd. Dusty is very good - Griffin - great and poor.Here is my optimism - we may have the best no 3 at our club since Judd - and that is Tyson.

Apologies, I meant it more as we have a face to the name, instead of pick 3. I'm not sure any melbourne supporter could possibly claim a draft pick a win after seasons gone by.

I do agree with your point however, and the signs early of Dom Tyson do look encouraging. For his first real season to maintain such a high level most the way through the season was very impressive. If we could get half that input from Petra cc a and brayshaw this year, you would be very positive about the future.

I do agree with your point however, and the signs early of Dom Tyson do look encouraging. For his first real season to maintain such a high level most the way through the season was very impressive. If we could get half that input from Petra cc a and brayshaw this year, you would be very positive about the future.

I am sure the club tried but that is why I was so keen to give up pick 2 or 3 for an established midfielder. There is nothing like exposed form to lessen the risk when bringing new players into the club. Even though Tyson has few games under his belt, he showed enough to suggest that he could make it in the big league.

There should be few surprises with Lumumba and Gartlett - we know what we are getting. I recall we all got excited when we got a father/son selection of another dashing wingman turned back pocket in Chris Johnson. Lets hope the young Stretch has more of his father in him than Chris Johnson did.

I am sure the club tried but that is why I was so keen to give up pick 2 or 3 for an established midfielder. There is nothing like exposed form to lessen the risk when bringing new players into the club. Even though Tyson has few games under his belt, he showed enough to suggest that he could make it in the big league.

There should be few surprises with Lumumba and Gartlett - we know what we are getting. I recall we all got excited when we got a father/son selection of another dashing wingman turned back pocket in Chris Johnson. Lets hope the young Stretch has more of his father in him than Chris Johnson did.

100%. It would be interesting to hear just what offers the club actually recieved/asked on regards to pick 2 and 3. Had clubs known st kilda was to take McCartin would this have changed.

I wonder how unfortunate the club would have been had the current F/S bidding system been in place for Chris Johnson, and what we would have given up. Young Stretch already has the exposed form at sanfl level that matches his work ethic and wiling Ness to improve to suggest he could play a lot of games for the club, but again, we've been burn by that hope too!

So that Petracca kid.. poor bloke looked like a trapped sheep in his press conference. Cant believe even the journo's brought up that training footage. Since day 1, endurance has not been one of his strengths. Got a whole pre-season to go before we even begin to see what he can do.

gosh he really struggled at training didnt he? But the poor kid has now got the reality of a footballer and i guess his fitness will get to the level its meant to be. At least he had the others there to help him.

Got a whole pre-season to go before we even begin to see what he can do.

It'll take more than one pre-season.

Hence the "begin to see" :D

I was punching the sky like a wild man when Petracca fell to us, but now all I see is a talented kid who will likely be playing against us in two years time.

I hate this current footy climate.

I was punching the sky like a wild man when Petracca fell to us, but now all I see is a talented kid who will likely be playing against us in two years time.

I hate this current footy climate.

Have faith in what is happening around the Club! He will be still there!

I was punching the sky like a wild man when Petracca fell to us, but now all I see is a talented kid who will likely be playing against us in two years time.

I hate this current footy climate.

Why can't we just celebrate the fact that we have just drafted a player considered by the majority of AFL recruiters and many other judges of junior talent in the sport as the finest and best young player in the land?

Why can't we then enjoy the fact that we have as coach of the club a man who is well paid and respected and who has in the past moulded some very good footballing talent into a premiership winning combination?

Everything that happens in the future is entirely in the lap of the gods but for now we have just picked up Petracca, a handful of well regarded young talent and a few players of ability from other clubs, a couple who have performed well before at the highest level. They are what has been added to our list to help us move forward.

That's the reality of the present and what we have now and in this current climate.

Ever I time I see this I feel like you are refrering to me

I was punching the sky like a wild man when Petracca fell to us, but now all I see is a talented kid who will likely be playing against us in two years time.

I hate this current footy climate.

All I see is a talented kid.

I was punching the sky like a wild man when Petracca fell to us, but now all I see is a talented kid who will likely be playing against us in two years time.

I hate this current footy climate.

I take it that you are not a motivational speaker. Not sure that I would like to have you next to me in the trenches.

I take it that you are not a motivational speaker. Not sure that I would like to have you next to me in the trenches.

Yes, because talking about football is indicative of performance during war.

The fact that the draft is such an 'event' now really doesn't help these young kids either. It's pretty disgusting really. The AFL are just constantly looking for $ signs wherever they can. We should be easing these kids into the next phase of their footballing careers. Not building it up. Because the reality is, many of these kids who had really great years at under 18's level won't be doing the same at AFL level ever.

Petracca has some really exciting attributes to his name. His aerobic ability has never been a 'strength'.

I'm glad that session on Monday was a shock to all the draftees because they'll now know the amount of work they have to put in to reap the rewards.

Petracca will be absolutely fine as long as his desire to improve is fierce. Thank god we have blokes like Jones, Viney and Cross as players to look up to at training.

I'm looking forward to him showing glimpses in the games that he plays next year. That's all I want from Petracca and Brayshaw next year. Glimpses.

Edited December 4, 201410 yr by stevethemanjordan

Let's keep in mind even Daniel cross said this session was as hard as he's seen, this says far more about the session than the kids, I expect us to run out games far better in 2015

himself

Very excited after my first view of him at training, wow I reckon we have a serious gun on ours hands that we have wanted for so long. Fantastic recruitment in 2015 Demons, headlined by this guy.

The fact that he was still trying to run show some G&D and shows how determined he was to finish the session. Those who compare him to Sylvia should realise that Sylvia would just have stopped and blamed the lack of fitness on some injury or partying on the weekend.

no he wouldn't have

and had this happened 11 years ago, posters would have said the exact same things in his defense

every high draft pick is a superstar until we find out otherwise

The shift nutbean describes is just a collective adjustment to an unpleasant but increasingly evident reality. I think we got Pick 3 for Frawley as part of a backroom understanding between PJ and GMcL over the provisional pick we were denied, incidentally.

And "groupthink" is actually a technical term from social psychology that has never been used accurately on this forum, as far as I'm aware.

Only someone suffering from groupthhink would deny the accurate use of groupthink

Only someone suffering from groupthhink would deny the accurate use of groupthink

I expect you know what you mean.

I was punching the sky like a wild man when Petracca fell to us, but now all I see is a talented kid who will likely be playing against us in two years time.

I hate this current footy climate.

Better that the new recruits learn from the word go that the big time is not an easy ride and that if they want to make it they have to put in.

I assume that was what the session was about adn if so I am stoked. No automatic selections, you're all players - doesn't matter what number you were drafted, the hard work starts now.

That is a big change from a few years ago.

I expect you know what you mean.

I'll wait until i see what others say before deciding if i know what i mean