9 minutes ago, DubDee said:

still not perfect but the mrp are a fair bit better this year.  nothing too soft resulting in weeks

far out Oliver exceeds my expectations every time I see him.  and it just seems to come so easy to him

Oliver''s worries me with his attack on the body - not because he does anything wrong - but because the MRP is so freakin flakey....we don't know from week to week what and how they will penalise.

7 minutes ago, Redleg said:

Salem is not tough.

Tyson does not have clean hands.

Disagree. Salem is really hard at it and doesn't shirk contests. Good tackler for his size also.

Tyson's hands are clean enough - not oliver clean i'll grant you but he goes ok. 

13 minutes ago, binman said:

Disagree. Salem is really hard at it and doesn't shirk contests. Good tackler for his size also.

Tyson's hands are clean enough - not oliver clean i'll grant you but he goes ok. 

I think Tyson doesn't take the first option and gets caught far too often. Hopefully that aspect of his game improves.

I am a Salem fan and maybe I was a touch hard in that assessment ATM, but I don't see him as a tough player, in the way I see, say Hodge, Bartel, Ziebell, etc, but yes they are much older and more experienced. He will become a very good player for us.

The player I am getting very excited about, who is yet to play, is Weideman. If we keep Jesse, the two of them could cause havoc.

I was watching the replay last night and my wife asked who Oliver was.  I said he will be remembered as the greatest player to have ever played the game. My son who always picks me up when I exaggerate was silent. And that is a first.  I told her about a fat kid from the bush that last year could not train and didn't think he would get a game in his local side but kept trying. I said remember the name Clayton Oliver Superstar! And I never exaggerate.

1 minute ago, Redleg said:

I think Tyson doesn't take the first option and gets caught far too often. Hopefully that aspect of his game improves.

I am a Salem fan and maybe I was a touch hard in that assessment ATM, but I don't see him as a tough player, in the way I see, say Hodge, Bartel, Ziebell, etc, but yes they are much older and more experienced. He will become a very good player for us.

I think Tyson is improving giving the first option but i see your point. When he does give off though he has often clear congestion with long, accurate handballs. One thing we would agree i'd guess is that when on song he is a beautiful long kick. That goals he kicked form about 55 was a bomb.

No Salem is not really like a Hodge, Bartel or Ziebell but i guess it depends on how tough is defined. I'm guessing Viney and Jones meets your criteria and i suspect Oliver and Bryshaw will in time also. 

I love watching this kid play, and I agree that I have rarely seen a first year player with such vision, physicality and clean hands. But I want to see him in a pressure game where the pressure he exerts on others is also what he is receiving. I can't remember if he played against the Roos but it appears to me that he has excelled in games of little pressure. This week aganist the Doggies will be a great test for him and I reckon he will pass this test.

As for comparing him to Petracca I see it like this:

Oliver = presence, Petracca = class. 

Oliver had 26 vs roos and kicked two goals

37 minutes ago, Redleg said:

Salem is not tough.

Tyson does not have clean hands.

???

Look again.

4 hours ago, Wrecker45 said:

My best mate barracks for the lions and I watched just about every game with him during their glory years.

Oliver is a Voss clone. No sweeping handballs just yet but everything else is a perfect match.

Salem is a lot like either of the Scott brothers off half back. Tough and skilful.

Tyson reminds me of Simon Black. In and under at every single contest. Clean hands.

Hogan is a mix between Bradshaw and Jonathon Brown. Strong as an Ox. Hits the scoreboard

Max Gaw is much better than Clark Keating

Jeff Garlett better than Heart

We just need a Nigel Lappin ( Mitch White)

and Jason Ackermanis (Bernie Vince too old?)

 

35 minutes ago, Redleg said:

Salem is not tough.

Tyson does not have clean hands.

 

Nor will Mitch White ever be anything close to resembling the four time AA Nigel Lappin.

11 minutes ago, stevethemanjordan said:

 

 

Nor will Mitch White ever be anything close to resembling the four time AA Nigel Lappin.

I am a fan of Mitch White, but that one did make me do a double take.

31 minutes ago, binman said:

 

No Salem is not really like a Hodge, Bartel or Ziebell but i guess it depends on how tough is defined. 

Salem always goes when it is his turn and he always tackles when he has a chance.  He doesn't avoid contact and will take a hit to put a team mate in a better position.

He'll do me.

28 minutes ago, Redleg said:

 

The player I am getting very excited about, who is yet to play, is Weideman. If we keep Jesse, the two of them could cause havoc.

Totally agree. I think this could be a recruiting master stroke, with Hogan roaming around the forward area and Weideman leading from the goal square they'll complement each other perfectly.

The weed looks to have a brilliant kicking technique and good hands. An old fashion full forward. 

Throw in Watts and Petracca (and even Pedo in his current form) and we have some serious marking targets and good ball users.

Add Gartlett, Kent and Kennedy and we have potent forward line set up for the next 6-8 years.

By the by the weed is 19 in a couple of months (as is Oliver) so he is no baby and so is likely to be a lot bigger by this time next year given average growth.

Looking at the ages it's terrific to see we only have one player over 30 - Vince - and he looks the sort of player who might play on smarts and perhaps off the HB until he is 34-35. 

Here is a link to the ages on the excellent footywire site:

http://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/tp-melbourne-demons?year=2016&sby=15

1 hour ago, binman said:

I think Tyson is improving giving the first option but i see your point. When he does give off though he has often clear congestion with long, accurate handballs. One thing we would agree i'd guess is that when on song he is a beautiful long kick. That goals he kicked form about 55 was a bomb.

No Salem is not really like a Hodge, Bartel or Ziebell but i guess it depends on how tough is defined. I'm guessing Viney and Jones meets your criteria and i suspect Oliver and Bryshaw will in time also. 

Yes Viney, Jones, Oliver and Brayshaw meet my criteria now.

29 minutes ago, binman said:

Totally agree. I think this could be a recruiting master stroke, with Hogan roaming around the forward area and Weideman leading from the goal square they'll complement each other perfectly.

The weed looks to have a brilliant kicking technique and good hands. An old fashion full forward. 

Throw in Watts and Petracca (and even Pedo in his current form) and we have some serious marking targets and good ball users.

Add Gartlett, Kent and Kennedy and we have potent forward line set up for the next 6-8 years.

By the by the weed is 19 in a couple of months (as is Oliver) so he is no baby and so is likely to be a lot bigger by this time next year given average growth.

Looking at the ages it's terrific to see we only have one player over 30 - Vince - and he looks the sort of player who might play on smarts and perhaps off the HB until he is 34-35. 

Here is a link to the ages on the excellent footywire site:

http://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/tp-melbourne-demons?year=2016&sby=15

As Bert Newton said to Muhammad Ali on Logies night, " I like the boy".

4 hours ago, nutbean said:

I am going to keep repeating this until it becomes a reality.

The Dusty fend off is now an accepted part of folklore - love him or hate him no-one in the league does a fend off with such regularity to such good affect as Dustin Martin.

Oliver will make the head high handball his own. It is like a  sixth sense - he almost invites contact and a fraction of a second before it comes he lifts his body higher and his arms are already moving up. He gets tackled but the arms are always free above the tackle and he lets go precision handballs from eye level or above.

He has a disproportionate handball to kick ratio but if you have a weapon like his handballing is, who gives a rats.

 

 

 

Quite the opposite approach to Joel Selwood - and will be far more damaging, and not reliant on cheap frees.

4 hours ago, hells bells said:

The reason his handballs are so damaging is that he always hits someone that is moving (not flat-footed) and that moving player is almost always either in space or heading into space. 

He is amazing.

And will get better with experience and conditioning - scary stuff!

1 hour ago, Maldonboy38 said:

I love watching this kid play, and I agree that I have rarely seen a first year player with such vision, physicality and clean hands. But I want to see him in a pressure game where the pressure he exerts on others is also what he is receiving. I can't remember if he played against the Roos but it appears to me that he has excelled in games of little pressure. This week aganist the Doggies will be a great test for him and I reckon he will pass this test.

As for comparing him to Petracca I see it like this:

Oliver = presence, Petracca = class. 

Bit rough on a 5 gamer to say he only plays well in small time games. I'd say there was a fair bit of pressure in Round 1 and he smashed it then, and he was excellent against North.

On ‎5‎/‎8‎/‎2016 at 10:29 AM, hemingway said:

When you make comments like this Bitters you seem so boringly normal.

Well here I am responding to a dead alcoholic writer in a thread started by a lunatic - perfectly normal.

2 hours ago, Bitter but optimistic said:

Well here I am responding to a dead alcoholic writer in a thread started by a lunatic - perfectly normal.

Thanks Uncle Bitters, I lurve it when you afford such accolades!

And don't think anyone who thinks you "Eccentric" is all that disparaging!! I think your normality is "Edifying"

5 minutes ago, picket fence said:

Thanks Uncle Bitters, I lurve it when you afford such accolades!

And don't think anyone who thinks you "Eccentric" is all that disparaging!! I think your normality is "Edifying"

Be careful, Fence. You'll make him blush.

Oliver is a ripper. I doubt anyone on draft night thought he would be keeping brayshaw out of the squad this season.

All of the "draft experts" who thought we grabbed him too early look a tad foolish.

I think by mid-season we could see the kid get tagged. He just initiates so much for us.

17 hours ago, Redleg said:

Salem is not tough.

Tyson does not have clean hands.

Watch the goals highlights, Tyson's handballing is sublime and creative. Jesse Hogan's father told me last year that next to Jack Viney, Salem has the hardest head and least fear of anybody else on the list. 

17 hours ago, nutbean said:

Oliver''s worries me with his attack on the body - not because he does anything wrong - but because the MRP is so freakin flakey....we don't know from week to week what and how they will penalise.

He's in the thick of things. He can hardly avoid contact. And besides he is fearless and clearly loves contact they will soon learn to get out of his way. Love it.

Considering the damage he did on the weekend (Prestia and Sexton) is anyone else feeling that is this the start of a "Clayton Oliver made me cry" thread?

22 hours ago, ProDee said:

 

I do.

Resting him for one week was smart.  Resting (not selecting) him for 2 weeks was stupid.

Is that you Picket?