Welcome to Demonland: Jake Lever

[DaveyDee 421]

3 minutes ago, Nasher said:

I don't understand why it's a huge gamble. Surely MFC supporters would recognise it's the draft that is a gamble, not gun 21 year olds. 

We traded off lottery tickets for a known quantity. If someone said to you, "I'll give you a million dollars, or two tickets in to a draw to win 30 million", which one would you take?

This is a good fair deal for us, meets all our strategic needs as of today. 

[Dr. Gonzo 24,460]

Feels like we overpaid, hope lives up to the hype! Hopefully we have some more moves on the way to work back into next year's draft, 3 years without a 1st round pick could be costly.

[TheoX 1,222]

WTF? You'd think he's the best player in the comp at the price we paid. Should've at least got a 2018 2nd rounder back this is [censored].

[Straight Sets Simon 23,113]

5 minutes ago, Nasher said:

I don't understand why it's a huge gamble. Surely MFC supporters would recognise it's the draft that is a gamble, not gun 21 year olds. 

We traded off lottery tickets for a known quantity. If someone said to you, "I'll give you a million dollars, or two tickets in to a draw to win 30 million", which one would you take?

It's a huge gamble because there are other areas in our list that need improving more than the defensive half.

I realise that Plugger will now play forward, but that still leaves us with O. McDonald and Frost down back as well.

[Robbie57 2,041]

How hard is it going to be to penetrate our defence! Roos would love it. 

[bandicoot 1,395]

21 minutes ago, faultydet said:

Just incredible that people can still find something to moan about when we land the most highly rated young defender in the game.

You guys will forget all about draft numbers, when we are playing finals.

 

And remember, players families read these threads. Show a bit of excitement for the guy. 

This is bloody wonderful news.

 

(Oh, and Jake, watch out for the bearded guy on a scooter)

 

Supporters have an expectation that the club is ruthless on and off the field. 

Mediocracy hasn’t got us far for the last 60 years  

Edited October 11, 2017 by bandicoot

[ignition. 1,478]

5 minutes ago, stevethemanjordan said:

I wish posters would seriously stfu about what we'll be giving up vs getting in return for the Lever trade.

Adelaide made a [censored] Grand Final with zero top 10 picks in their side and a host of players who were either picked up late in the National Draft, traded in for later picks or picked up in the Rookie Draft. 

Sloane was pick 44 and Walker pick 75. Jacobs was brought in for picks 34 and 67, they gave pick 37 to St Kilda for Lynch. Knight was pick 46 and Atkins 81. 

Need I go on? 

I will.

Rookie drafts nabbed them Hartigan, Laird, Cameron and Kelly.

 

That's almost half of their best 22 and more importantly, some of their most influential and important players feature in that group. Compare that to the MFC who have a plethora of high-end talent, arguably the second-most in the AFL behind GWS. 

If history to date suggests anything, it's that the culture and environment of a club is of most importance to any sort of talent reaching its potential. GWS continue to stumble despite being the most talented group within the league. 

We're at a stage where we need to harbour, nurture and develop the group we have and we should be jumping for joy that Lever, (a once touted top 3 draft pick and the best young defender in the game at age 21) has nominated us as the club he wishes to play for. 

We're on to the next chapter of our growth as a club which is developing what we've got for an assault over the next five to seven years.

Shut up about the rest.

7

 

Where they were selected is irrelevant. We could name just as many or more "star" players that were drafted early.

One way or another, draft picks are currency. Early picks effectively offer a higher probability of selecting a star (particularly in next years darft) or used are used to directly trade a star (like Lever).

I'm thrilled we acquired Lever. My qualm, however, is that Mahoney & co. rushed it and paid overs. They could have played it much better.

[Its Time for Another 4,306]

15 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Feels like we overpaid, hope lives up to the hype! Hopefully we have some more moves on the way to work back into next year's draft, 3 years without a 1st round pick could be costly.

Last year was no first rounder because we brought it forward to the year before and got Weideman. This year & next is to get Lever who is 21. We have the 3rd youngest list. We don't want to be going to the draft for top end talent anymore. We'd have to wait 4 years for them to be ready. We don't have that time anymore. We can bring in kids in a few years. 

 

Edited October 11, 2017 by It's Time

[Dr. Gonzo 24,460]

20 minutes ago, Clint Bizkit said:

Lever would want to be good for us.

Huge gamble.

It's not really a gamble, he's a proven commodity. Overpaying is not the same as gambling.

[Beetle 4,716]

6 minutes ago, faultydet said:

Just incredible that people can still find something to moan about when we land the most highly rated young defender in the game.

You guys will forget all about draft numbers, when we are playing finals.

 

And remember, players families read these threads. Show a bit of excitement for the guy. 

This is bloody wonderful news.

 

(Oh, and Jake, watch out for the bearded guy on a scooter)

 

Correct....We've become so accustomed to the value of draft picks over the past ten years, its become like an addiction to hold onto them for dear life...

[faultydet 7,623]

Just now, bandicoot said:

Supporters have an expectation that the club is ruthless in and off the field. 

Mediocracy hasn’t got us far for the last 60 years  

This is NOT a mediocre trade.

We just picked up a bloke who is the most highly regarded tall defender in the league. It allows T.Mac to play forward all year in the absence of the departing Watts.

 

Crows wanted 2 x 1st rd picks

We gave up 2 x first rd plus 4th rd

We gained Lever, 2nd rd, and 3rd rd

 

It's not at all a terrible trade. In fact, I love it. Open your eyes everyone. We did ok here.

 

Get on the Crows supporter site. I will bet some of them are whining that they gave us back far too much.

That's a good indication of a fair deal.

Edited October 11, 2017 by faultydet

[Jaded No More 68,976]

It's a good deal and there's nothing to say we can't trade back into the first round next year. 

Glad we got it done. 

[Hiram Cowfreak 78]

Stoked to get him. We were really keen to get him in his draft year and couldn’t make it happen, maybe he wanted to play with us ever since then. Same with Tom Lynch, l’m sure we are doing the ground work for next year and he hasn’t forgotten we wanted him. Go Dees, building the best defence in the league. PS l don’t post often but l wish some of you would lay off Oscar he will be terrific in the coming years

[Gorgoroth 13,190]

15 minutes ago, Nasher said:

Almost needs two threads. The "f yeah, we got him" and the "waaaaaaah, we paid overs". I'm in the former camp and don't really want my mood sullied by the latter.

Three mate. I'm iin the we paid overs but we get a bloody good going kid who we know can play. Pick 10 might have become our newest Lucas Cook. 

[PaulRB 6,435]

I think that the MFC did he deal now (early) rather than stretching it out, because it has plans for the picks it gets from Adelaide. So probably need to wait and see what they now do with the picks.

Also, I get the sense with the addition of Lever, the build of a team capable of attacking the top end of the ladder is almost complete. 

[stevethemanjordan 6,952]

1 minute ago, ignition. said:

 

Where they were selected is irrelevant. We could name just as many or more "star" players that were drafted early.

One way or another, draft picks are currency. Early picks effectively offer a higher probability of selecting a star (particularly in next years darft) or used are used to directly trade a star (like Lever).

I'm thrilled we acquired Lever. My qualm, however, is that Mahoney & co. rushed it and paid overs. They could have played it much better.

It's absolutely relevant given they were one win away from winning a GF.

Is it not?

I'll repeat that: They made a Grand Final with a list that was devoid of top-end talent. 

We have plenty already. I don't understand the annoyance. It makes no sense to me whatsoever.

[Zoiikgarden 134]

Welcome to the Demons, Jake.  I am so excited.  We are on our way UP! Our list is improving and I support all the work the club has done towards this.  Great work guys!  Thanks and keep going....

[What 18,810]

Im over my mini whine from 20 minutes ago about the picks we gave up. Screw the picks.

We just landed the best young defender in the entire competition.

Yes, the Melbourne football club did. The place nobody wanted to set foot in 5 years ago. What  a time to be alive. 

[jnrmac 20,311]

22 minutes ago, ProDee said:

Rapt with this.

Three AA squad members now in our back 6 plus the improving Oscar, speedster Hunt and developing Frost.

Some outside speed and Weideman stepping up would help complete a very talented side.

Richmond gave up someting like 5 goals, 9 goals and 8 goals in their 3 finals. Anyone that thinks defence isn't that important is dreaming. We were 18th in defensive one on ones, and 18th in scores from opposition entries into our fwd 50.

Lever bolsters our defence and gives us options.

Great news for melbourne.

 

[Delusional demon 82 1,197]

Firstly Welcome to the MFC Jake Lever! 

In the end I think we’ve been more than generous to the crows with that deal... 

what probably irks me though is that other clubs will play hard ball on the watts trade and we won’t get what we want 

the road unfortunately never goes both ways , the crows have sooked it up a bit and we’ve blinked . 

hopefully we will have the premier defender in our backline for the next 10 years

 

[poita 3,929]

This will make three years in a row that we've traded out of the first round. Those are the actions of a team that is premiership contention, not one that can't even finish top 8.

We have a below average midfield, with terrible depth across the board. Pick 35 in a weak draft is basically worthless, I'm not sure why we bothered asking for it.

So why the hell have we given up two first round picks, both of which could be in the top 10, for a defender? I'm sure he'll be a good player for the club, but we need to stop the ball getting down there, not worry about what happens when it gets there.

Every year it seems as though we talk tough and end up capitulating as time ticks away. Other teams must [censored] themselves laughing when they see us coming.

I'm bitterly disappointed that we've given up any chance of landing a top quality midfielder either this year or next. 

 

 

[DaveyDee 421]

1 minute ago, Zoiikgarden said:

Welcome to the Demons, Jake.  I am so excited.  We are on our way UP! Our list is improving and I support all the work the club has done towards this.  Great work guys!  Thanks and keep going....

You are obvioulsy new around here your positive approach is refreshing - please never lose that. 

[Leoncelli_36 2,264]

I am in the camp that says this is a good deal. Forget the fact that we paid overs..whether you agree with this or not. We have brought in a young start, proven player. We have enough top end young guns sitting on our list..Tracca, Oliver, Hogan, Viney etc...The time is NOW. We are not building for the future anymore, we are planning for the next three years and a serious tilt at the finals. People should be happy that the mindset has changed. Taylor will still find us something with the picks we have and I am sure we get Balic from Freo, who until has injury just before the draft, was set to go a lot higher. We are making the right moves...back the club.

[Smokey 4,389]

Good deal, great acquisition

 

Damn our backline is looking magnificent next year now. And I think thats really important given our attacking game plan. I suspect our turnovers will hurt less next year.   

[david_neitz_is_my_dad 4,084]

People pls remember this is no Spud, he is a genuine good young defender. This is the best get the MFC have had for a long time.