Meet Paddy McCartin

I'd be stoked with Paddy McCartin alongside Brayshaw. The extended highlights real to me shows a super talented KP forward who is competitive and aggressive. Those two qualities are essential for a KP forward, as Watts has shown.

Key forwards developing together - Hogan and McCartin - is absolutely ideal. Dawes and Pederson will happily be the lesser talented bash-and-crash forwards to protect them early on, but long term that combination could be great. A powerful dual KP forward combination long term would also allow players like Howe, JKH, Kent and Watts and Garlett to be way more effective.

Our midfield next year is still going to be a huge problem.

We need another 3-4 high quality midfielders. Our current core group contains only 4 players - Jones, Vince, Tyson and Viney. We will have Brayshaw, Salem and Toumpas developing but we don't know if they'll step up. Guys like Matt Jones, Riley, Bail, Cross, McKenzie etc are just filling the gaps. End of next year we absolutely need to go super hard at a top line midfield free agent.

Meet Paddy McCartin

He comes across well, confident, team oriented and that hint of toughness about him.

Our midfield next year is still going to be a huge problem.

While our midfield is clearly not the best in the league, I think it is far from a huge problem.

If our younger mids come on and with the ones added this off season, it is capable of dramatic improvement.

I just read this on afl.com.au and had visions of Neitz-McCabe

Having watched that game it probably colours my view. He reminded me of a young 'Plugger Lockett' and took WA apart physically and on the scoreboard. If that's what we get them him and Hogan will have a few defences putting in the short steps.

Meet Paddy McCartin

I suspect the Saints will take him, he is a strong leading forward which is gold. if we get him and can put the ball in front of him or Hogan we will kick decent scores.

Lock him in thanks Ed.

I actually reckon the player we're dearly missing in our fwd line is Jurrah.

The last time we were half way competetive (2010 & 2011) was when Jurrah was averaging 2.5 goals a game.

He would've kicked 40 goals for us in 2014, and probably would've seen us win 2 or 3 more games.

On McCartin, as someone else mentioned, Turner chronically overrates his kids at Geelong u18s.

That being said I'll be seriously excited if we pick him up.

I agree, but think with the recruit of Garlett we've partially replaced Liam, as least on the ground around goal, and maybe on the break from a defensive flood. Garlett, assuming her returns to form is a 35+ goal player per season.

If we end up with McCartin I'm not convinced we'll see too much of a 3 big man forward line as some suggest.

Of the few Casey games I saw last year, Hogan always spent some time hunting and intimidating further up the ground.

With a change in coaching staff this year he may well be told to stay nearer the forward line, but I do hope he's given licence to roam and do a bit of work around the centre.

McCartin appears more the stay at home type.

However this is all speculation of course, as we await the Saints first pick.

As Emma Quayle said in today's Age, it would be no knock on Petracca and no shock if McCartin was their choice.

I like the idea of recruiting McCartin and Brayshaw, but the prospect of recruiting Petracca and Brayshaw makes me go all gooey inside.

, but the prospect of recruiting Petracca and Brayshaw makes me go all gooey inside.

Like you probably did when we got JT and that bloke at GWS.

Goo is exactly what we got.

Like you probably did when we got JT and that bloke at GWS.

Goo is exactly what we got.

I suppose we enter the realms of semantics here. Gooey for me is a somewhat pleasurable sensation while goo is the green muck my kids brought up when sick.

Certainly I was excited to see us recruit JT and the other bloke and my excitement was based on 1: what the pundits said and 2: what our recruiting staff thought. Gee 20/20 hindsight is great! And yes I was wrong!

Like most of us who don't have the time or ability to attend junior football matches I must rely on the opinions of others. Emma Quayle does have a good reputation in this field and like others she appears sold on McCartin, Brayshaw and Petracca as the top 3 picks.

However Jake Lever also bobs up in her (and others) reckoning. However I would not be surprised if 5years down the track the pundits here at Demonland are not baying for blood because we didn't pick player X who went at pick 20 something. Who knows!

I suppose we enter the realms of semantics here. Gooey for me is a somewhat pleasurable sensation while goo is the green muck my kids brought up when sick.

Certainly I was excited to see us recruit JT and the other bloke and my excitement was based on 1: what the pundits said and 2: what our recruiting staff thought. Gee 20/20 hindsight is great! And yes I was wrong!

Like most of us who don't have the time or ability to attend junior football matches I must rely on the opinions of others. Emma Quayle does have a good reputation in this field and like others she appears sold on McCartin, Brayshaw and Petracca as the top 3 picks.

However Jake Lever also bobs up in her (and others) reckoning. However I would not be surprised if 5years down the track the pundits here at Demonland are not baying for blood because we didn't pick player X who went at pick 20 something. Who knows!

You were neither wrong nor right.

Our recruiters back then made decisions based on a limited amount of information. By 'limited' I mean that we along with every other club were making assumptions when judging 17/18 year old's. Those assumptions were never meant to be accurate nor can they be.

Many are doing it all again this year - I maintain that we haven't made mistakes previously with our top end* draft picks - we simply made decisions that didn't turn out that well.

That doesn't mean we can't all get excited about our picks this year ... on the contrary, it's great to have that hope. It's the lashing out in the aftermath that is problematical (in many cases - not just our club)

*A top end draft pick doesn't necessarily include all 1st round draft picks in my opinion - more so picks 1 through 5 (to be specific)

While our midfield is clearly not the best in the league, I think it is far from a huge problem.

If our younger mids come on and with the ones added this off season, it is capable of dramatic improvement.

I don't think we will see any great improvement in the midfield in 2015.

We haven't improved the midfield are relying on kids and discards to improve.

I don't think we will see any great improvement in the midfield in 2015.

We haven't improved the midfield are relying on kids and discards to improve.

I think we will see a gradual improvement in the midfield at the very least on the basis of the following:

No one in there aside from Cross and possibly Vince should go backwards.

We have not lost anyone in there of value.

Tyson and Viney coming into a further pre-season are definites to improve.

Full preseasons for Riley, Michie and Newton and the inclusion of at least one high draft mid will add better quality depth at a minimum.

How big a step Viney and Tyson take and the unknown potential of Toumpas and Salem in there will determine how far.

I think we will see a gradual improvement in the midfield at the very least on the basis of the following:

No one in there aside from Cross and possibly Vince should go backwards.

We have not lost anyone in there of value.

Tyson and Viney coming into a further pre-season are definites to improve.

Full preseasons for Riley, Michie and Newton and the inclusion of at least one high draft mid will add better quality depth at a minimum.

How big a step Viney and Tyson take and the unknown potential of Toumpas and Salem in there will determine how far.

Our mids don't combine anywhere near as well another midfields.

We have "mids", everyone else has "midfields".

How much our midfield improves in 2015 has less to do with individual improvement, and more to do with how well they combine. Or not.

Actually, the performance of the midfield depends on a number of factors and not simply the personnel playing there. You need to take into account the tactics the coaches apply to midfield contents and the performance of the rucks as well. Even this year, our mids performed at their best when Jamar did well in the ruck. When he ran out of steam late in the season because of a lack of preseason training and we lost Cross, the midfield performance slipped.

Pros... key forward, competitive, driven.

Cons... health issues/injuries,needs more physical development, kicking is 50/50.

I rate McCartin as a risky choice. I think the Saints will choose Petracca. Whether we again think he is risky. I will Laverde is the best option at pick 3.

His health issues are very manageable in my opinion and he will get over the niggles

I think any key position player carries some risk but the reward of a second Hogan is far too good to pass up

His health issues are very manageable in my opinion

they are a non issue

Fitzy is doing fine, and some bloke called Dale Weightman went alright with same condition

I just watched his highlights again

One thing I like is he has a very wide frame and will be very hard for defenders to spoil him, especially once his body develops (his large frame is complimented by skinny arms but that wont last long)

Hes going to take a lot of grabs

Im starting to warm to him, and especially to the Hogan-McCartin combo

His health issues are very manageable in my opinion and he will get over the niggles

I think any key position player carries some risk but the reward of a second Hogan is far too good to pass up

I think that is how the Dees see it too.

The comment was made that there is no McCartin in the next 2 drafts and a young kid with 9 games just got $7m.

I think we will see a gradual improvement in the midfield at the very least on the basis of the following:

No one in there aside from Cross and possibly Vince should go backwards.

We have not lost anyone in there of value.

Tyson and Viney coming into a further pre-season are definites to improve.

Full preseasons for Riley, Michie and Newton and the inclusion of at least one high draft mid will add better quality depth at a minimum.

How big a step Viney and Tyson take and the unknown potential of Toumpas and Salem in there will determine how far.

I am not going to demand Tyson give more than he gave in 2014 - he was superb. If he stays as productive I would be delighted - he is still young.

I expect Viney to give a little more but Salem, Brayshaw and JKH are babies.

Toumpas, Riley, Michie, and Newton is where our improvement will come from - and I just don't see them having much of an impact at all in 2015. If a couple of them can come in and be consistent members of the 22 then that would be great.

I am chafing at the bit to see McCartin, Hogan and Brayshaw aplus HL, Frost and Garlett) all running riot in Round 1 2015.

McCartin's highlight reel suggests one very good reason we should take him if available - he appears to be able to kick a football with some certainty of it going where he wants it to.

Any positive addition to our shite kicking skills is welcome.

I am chafing at the bit to see McCartin, Hogan and Brayshaw aplus HL, Frost and Garlett) all running riot in Round 1 2015.

Agreed. If Saints don't take McCartin at 1 we surely will. Too many positives to pass up.