surely we could grab another tall forward ?

Obviously he’s had his issues but I always thought Goober Crossley had a strong future as a ruck. Wouldn’t do much as a short term play but could be a bargain pick up.

Id be looking at the key defenders and mid sized forwards but mostly I’d be on the hunt for talent. Get it right and it can be a bonus 2nd or 3rd round pick which makes the draft easier at the end of the year 

  On 27/04/2021 at 21:13, Whispering_Jack said:

Yes, it depends on the club’s position at the time of the mid season draft which I believe is slated for 2 June, 2021 i.e after Round 11 so there’s a lot of water still to flow under that bridge. However, there’s another factor and that is that the club must have a vacancy on its list after the 2020 drafts and the supplemental selections in March as well as long term injuries to players.

At the end of the draft period, Melbourne had two list vacancies which it filled with two supplemental selections in Majak Daw and Deakyn Smith. However, a further two potential list spots were opened in the pre season period with ACL’s to Marty Hore and the unlucky Aaron Nietschke. We don’t have to exercise the picks but have the right to do so. I read recently that a number of clubs don’t have vacancies and at this stage, it’s unlikely that Carlton, Fremantle, Geelong, GWS Giants, Richmond, West Coast and Western Bulldogs will participate but that could change depending on the situation with injuries. I suppose that the salary cap might affect whether clubs decide to use the MSD.

My guesstimate as to the positions if the draft was held today is as follows (but note that ladder positions will change over the next five rounds):-

1. North Melbourne

2. Collingwood

3. St. Kilda

4. Hawthorn

5. Essendon

6. Gold Coast

7. Adelaide

8. Brisbane

9. Sydney

10. Port Adelaide

11. Melbourne

12. North Melbourne

13. Collingwood

14. St. Kilda

15. Gold Coast

16. Adelaide

17. Melbourne

18. North Melbourne

19. St. Kilda

20. Gold Coast

21. St. Kilda

22. Gold Coast

I’ve already mentioned that I would like to see the club avail itself of a pick but more to select a player with an eye for the future because it’s likely that we won’t be participating in the early part of the November national draft. Given the disruption to play in 2020, there are going to be some rare hidden gems that have been kept under the radar and if we get it right, we could achieve some big bonuses for the future.

What, no draft concessions or priority picks for Gold Coast? That seems a little unusual by the AFL.

  On 27/04/2021 at 22:40, whatwhat say what said:

Isn’t Raak only eligible for the national draft at the end of the year, and part of Footscray’s next gen academy?

Unlike Ugle-Hagan they’re likely to miss out on him as he will be nominated in the top 20, which will mean they can’t claim him

Interesting to see Freeman starring in the VFL so far this season; sliding doors moment where if we’d taken him rather than Salem...

Taylor was a big fan of his in his draft year

I think Raak is available to any club in the mid season draft, if he elects to go into it, otherwise he remains tied to the doggies academy for the next national draft if he waits. Then he'll fall under the same NGA rules as all other players (top 20 bid and he goes anywhere, outside they can match). 

Freeman is interesting, he's also doing some player management, so I'd assume he'd be pretty close with some in club land already. he might not want to have another crack at AFL level though, it'd be tough with the injuries he's had. 

I think we're a chance to maybe bring in one or 2 overage NAB League players, rather than a mature ager, see how they perform in the back half of the season and then we'd get first dibs if they are any good.

  On 23/04/2021 at 15:35, MadAsHell said:

With Joel Smith & Marty Hore both out with long term injuries as well as no obvious replacement for Bailey Fritsch available last week, our lack of depth at the moment seems to be in mid sized players. Those 186-190cm types who can are good in the air, but also good at ground level and are ideal 3rd tall options.

Ideally we need someone who can play either end and can slot into our system seamlessly, whichis why I would nominate Mitch White at Casey.

He's only 25, spent three years on our list previously, can play at either end and is about 188cm tall. Given he captain's Casey, we should be able to delist him at seasons end without issue also. My thoughts anyway.

Ridiculous suggestion.  He is a good ordinary VFL player but a fair way off AFL standard. If Josh Wagner was B Grade then Mitch is C+.

  On 27/04/2021 at 22:51, Dee-licious said:

Farmer kicked 3 in the Colts last weekend with 16 touches....

DeClase 25 and 18 and a goal. 

Raak seems to be an overager? 

And yes Freeman is the other really interesting one. Clearly talented enough, it was always about his body. I wonder if someone takes the punt and see if he can still make it? 

Freeman - gee, that's a blast from the past!
I was very keen on him over Salem in their draft year.

Good to hear he's able to play VFL football after all his injury issues.

 

Expecting to be howled down but what about an enquire to Kade Simpson? I seem to remember him saying he would consider a return, was still playing great footy as he retired. If we genuinely think we are a serious premiership contender, he would be strong coverage for the two players that if injured we would miss the most in Salem and Langdon. We have arguably better players but we have some form of coverage for our star midfielders and I even think Majak is good enough coverage for Gawn if he was missing for a couple of weeks. But Salem and Langdon don’t have obvious coverage with all due respect to Nev and Lockhart. The third hardest to replace would be Lever, Simpson could also alleviate some of that pain by still using Petty to replace but allow Kade to fly third man in or intercept in that same style. Let alone having that much experience around the club if for absolutely nothing more but to give some wisdom to likes of Rosman, Bowey and Lockhart. 
 

He would have to be at least tempted at one last dip at a flag but wouldn’t want to go on any further. Just seems like something a Hawthorn or Geelong would do 

  On 27/04/2021 at 21:13, Whispering_Jack said:

 I read recently that a number of clubs don’t have vacancies and at this stage, it’s unlikely that Carlton, Fremantle, Geelong, GWS Giants, Richmond, West Coast and Western Bulldogs will participate but that could change depending on the situation with injuries. I suppose that the salary cap might affect whether clubs decide to use the MSD.

Carlton will open up a spot since Marchbank did his ACL and since they are recruited as Cat.A rookies it won't matter on cap space as they are paid outside the cap

  On 27/04/2021 at 22:18, Elwood 3184 said:

Crossley will definitely be given another go, potentially even back at the suns since his ban ended, thought he was showing alot as a young ruck prospect. would be keen to see us add my boy trudge who is a bigger body, actually played FB back at school level now playing on the inside in the NAB league or of course farmer would be a handy get. i expect we'll just go best overlooked prospect available

  On 23/04/2021 at 16:02, faultydet said:

At our stage of list development, I view it slightly different.

I believe that our management/coaching staff view our list as "in the window" for a flag tilt.

As such, I think the mid season draft will be used to pick up a player who they think may be a future star, not a current day fill-in. Fill-ins probably wont be of use to us this year.

Yes I vote pick up the star. As we have 2 picks, I vote for picking up 2 stars.

  On 28/04/2021 at 07:03, MrReims said:

Expecting to be howled down but what about an enquire to Kade Simpson?

The same Kade Simpson who turns 37 next week?

  On 28/04/2021 at 01:46, Cranky Franky said:

Ridiculous suggestion.  He is a good ordinary VFL player but a fair way off AFL standard. If Josh Wagner was B Grade then Mitch is C+.

Unlike Kyle Dunkley who we selected last mid season draft at Pick 3 and this year we'll be looking at somewhere around Pick 15?

Players are available in the mid season draft for a reason. Now granted this year could be a little different due to the lack of football for the Vic U18's last year, but traditionally stars in the mid season draft, one will not find.

We're better off using it to plug any holes we might have as opposed to trying to find some diamond in the rough. For me our hole is mid sized defenders/forwards. Just my opinion anyway. Whichever way the FD go, I'll back them in.

Is Lewis Jetta playing footy this year? He was the delisted free agent I thought we should chase in the offseason.

Unheralded Western Australian product  who plays both cricket and Aussie rules at elite level ‘may have’ recruiters’ salivating.

In appears he has historically  ‘a picture perfect’ profile for both MCC and MCC football sections.

 

Meanwhile...

“Expectation at of a knighthood may be stretching things to far” commented a Buckingham Palace spokesperson.

 

But the ‘Sir’ would go very nicely with...

 

 Frederick Spencer Clutterbuck

 

 

Edited April 28, 20214 yr by Tarax Club
heraldry

  On 22/04/2021 at 23:25, don cordner said:

I can’t be sure 100% we’d have him covered, but his value would be high I’d imagine and with BB, Weid,  LJ I’d say we could swap him out for a quality small for team balance.

In a general sense, you're right. One of them has to go and if we added another genuine small forward, we'd be near unstoppable.

Tricky to manage though. Tommy is right now, on form, the best/most dynamic of the three players and we're winning with him in.

It's a moot point until season's end, anyway.

  On 27/04/2021 at 22:18, Elwood 3184 said:

Timely discussion because today’s Herald Sun discusses the needs of the various clubs and what it means in terms of the upcoming mid season draft.

For Melbourne -

“MELBOURNE 

THE Demons are tracking to have two of the last picks in the mid-season draft, however , there is every chance they don’t use both. 

Season-ending knee injuries to Marty Hore and Aaron Nietschke have opened up the list spots, despite the Demons listing Majak Daw and Deakyn Smith in the preseason . 

Coach Simon Goodwin’s game plan is based on chasing , tackling and harassing, with the Demons ranked No.1 in the AFL for pressure. 

Who is the best matureage pressure player who could walk into this premiership contender? Another small forward to sit in behind Kysaiah Pickett, Charlie Spargo and Alex Neal-Bullen would not be the worst result. 

Werribee wingman Kye Declase is a player they’ve followed this year.”

They have a caption showing the main prospects (below)

 

Bailey Rogers is simply too good for the WAFL now. Half back/wing runner with excellent skills.  At 24yo, he is ready to play if required.  If we had Hunt or Langdon unavailable, we need another fast runner to transition the footy.  This is the Demons year. 

  On 28/04/2021 at 00:29, willmoy said:

Inference by "your" is plural presumably, so my WTF's is too...

you're.. YAWN

  On 28/04/2021 at 07:31, demonstone said:

The same Kade Simpson who turns 37 next week?

Consider yourself howled down.  A very silly idea.

 

  On 28/04/2021 at 07:33, MadAsHell said:

Unlike Kyle Dunkley who we selected last mid season draft at Pick 3 and this year we'll be looking at somewhere around Pick 15?

Players are available in the mid season draft for a reason. Now granted this year could be a little different due to the lack of football for the Vic U18's last year, but traditionally stars in the mid season draft, one will not find.

We're better off using it to plug any holes we might have as opposed to trying to find some diamond in the rough. For me our hole is mid sized defenders/forwards. Just my opinion anyway. Whichever way the FD go, I'll back them in.

Completely different scenario. Dunkley was 18 or 19 and was worth a punt - it didn't work out.  I've watched Mitch White in maybe 20 games at Casey & he is a good honest VFL standard battler.

  On 28/04/2021 at 22:53, Cranky Franky said:

Completely different scenario. Dunkley was 18 or 19 and was worth a punt - it didn't work out.  I've watched Mitch White in maybe 20 games at Casey & he is a good honest VFL standard battler.

Was it worth a punt? Many on here questioned the fact we picked up another inside mid when clearly we needed some outside run.

It did not surprise me one bit that he was barely given a go then delisted.

  On 28/04/2021 at 23:09, dazzledavey36 said:

Was it worth a punt? Many on here questioned the fact we picked up another inside mid when clearly we needed some outside run.

It did not surprise me one bit that he was barely given a go then delisted.

Agree - we badly needed some more run last year.  Given the lockdown it was a very difficult year for marginal players trying to show their wares.  Sadly for Dunkley it was also a bad year to get injured.

  On 28/04/2021 at 07:31, demonstone said:

The same Kade Simpson who turns 37 next week?

Leave him for the Blues or Cats!

  On 28/04/2021 at 10:08, spirit of norm smith said:

Bailey Rogers is simply too good for the WAFL now. Half back/wing runner with excellent skills.  At 24yo, he is ready to play if required.  If we had Hunt or Langdon unavailable, we need another fast runner to transition the footy.  This is the Demons year. 

Rogers has been playing as an inside mid and a one-paced one at that. Has been getting a lot of the footy but not showing AFL attributes.  Your man Sam Fisher should get his chance this year, hes been the one thats way above WAFL this year!

  On 29/04/2021 at 02:08, goodoil said:

Rogers has been playing as an inside mid and a one-paced one at that. Has been getting a lot of the footy but not showing AFL attributes.  Your man Sam Fisher should get his chance this year, hes been the one thats way above WAFL this year!

Yes agree on Sam Fisher.  Any idea why he has been passed up ?  I think he has the ability and endurance and skills and physical ability to make it in the AFL. 

  On 29/04/2021 at 11:00, spirit of norm smith said:

Yes agree on Sam Fisher.  Any idea why he has been passed up ?  I think he has the ability and endurance and skills and physical ability to make it in the AFL. 

Last year's list size reductions wouldn't have helped him at all, but he's small and he plays a game style that you would like him to be a bigger body, but he is a class above in traffic and with hands in close at WAFL level.    The issue with mature agers is clubs don't really have much use for them lurking on their list playing 8 games in two years and then being delisted.  Taking a chance on a kid is a better use of list real estate with more upside.   There are plenty of players who could play capable senior footy for a game or two, but theres not much point listing a player to play five games and then be done.

I wouldn’t mind us giving a chance to Ryan Sparkes. Has looked pretty capable for Casey this year and think he was very unlucky to go undrafted in ‘19. Josh Green looked good for GWS in the VFL the other week too. Not in his brother’s class, but handy size and can play inside mid or up fwd.