We've rated, analysed and ranked every AFL club's 'spine'. 

Full rankings (and list of players) here ? AFL Spine Rater: Every club’s five key positions rated, ranked and analysed 

MELBOURNE 

FB: Steven May (8.3 AFL Player Ratings points)

CHB: Jake Lever (8.1)

C : Clayton Oliver (13.7)

CHF: Tom McDonald (8.1)

FF: Sam Weideman (7.5)

Experience: 480 AFL games

Champion Data’s combined Official AFL Player Ratings ranking: 16th (45.7)

Analysis: As the ratings total is based purely off last year, the Dees are down the bottom of the Champion list. But the prospect of May and Lever playing a full season is a tantalising prospect for Dees fans, especially after their performances against Hawthorn in the Marsh Series last week where they both had 21-plus disposals and seven-plus intercepts. Oliver, who’s only 22, should take big steps forward this season after taking part in the club’s intense off-season running program, while McDonald is surely a better player than the 18-goal one we saw last season. Weideman, however, is still somewhat raw. But overall, this spine looks brilliant on paper.

Foxfooty.com.au’s ranking: 8th

This is nonsense. Any so called analysis that doesn't have us as the best team in the comp is rubbish 

 

Carlton in 6th is a bit of a surprise

Just now, chookrat said:

This is nonsense. Any so called analysis that doesn't have us as the best team in the comp is rubbish 

 

Agreed. Just a humble aggregator of Demon news. good, bad or ridiculous. 

Swans rated 1 by CD and 3.by FF ... enough said

Is centre or ruck part of the spine? Is Petracca destined to be more of the classic centremen when he’s in the midfield? 

Is Lever our CHB or is it May and Oscar at full back?

Is Fritsch our FF?

Why do I care about these ratings?

12 minutes ago, DeeSpencer said:

Is centre or ruck part of the spine? Is Petracca destined to be more of the classic centremen when he’s in the midfield? 

Is Lever our CHB or is it May and Oscar at full back?

Is Fritsch our FF?

Why do I care about these ratings?

It's all explained in the article.

Apart from the care factor, which could be explained by how desperate we all are for footy to start?

 

Try again Champion Data and this time do it properly with Fritsch as our FF

40 minutes ago, DeeSpencer said:

Is centre or ruck part of the spine? Is Petracca destined to be more of the classic centremen when he’s in the midfield? 

Is Lever our CHB or is it May and Oscar at full back?

Is Fritsch our FF?

Why do I care about these ratings?

I've been mulling over this point,   Re centre-man position.   Traditionally a classy highly skilled players position,   apart from R/R and Rover positions.  I think both Petracca and Oliver are more the R/R type players.  

I think maybe Brayshaw is the closest to classy we have,  with his footy brain.  Although he has a bit of a habit of butchering the ball, far too often.

Next maybe Salem, but m not so convinced with his ability playing inside the ruck.

 

48 minutes ago, DeeSpencer said:

Is Fritsch our FF?

No.

49 minutes ago, DeeSpencer said:

Is Lever our CHB or is it May and Oscar at full back?

I think it's Lever.

Only thing I'll take from that is that Oliver is the only one in that spine who had anything like a good season in 2019.

But if you look through their lists in the article, the numbers are all over the shop and clearly the weightings for positions are wonky at best.

As always with Champion Data's public offerings, it is of very little real value. Like a headline without an article.

So we'd make the 8 if the game was 5 per side?