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Posted

i think it's a good thing that they're phasing the nga outs

ugle-hagen, quaynor, et al were absolute rorts

if andrew is a success it just goes to show the strength of our development program

hopefully he goes somewhere interstate so that our 'investment' pays off in a few years time when he has a severe bout of homesickness

  • Like 2

Posted

Would be a hint of irony if Mac Andrew ended up at GWS. 

The introduction of NGAs to the clubs outside of the Northern academies, among other reasons, was largely seen as a way to even up the unfair advantage GWS and Sydney had over cherry picking the best talent in their area. A flawed idea in itself.

Now we have the winding back of clubs priority NGA rights due to the development pathways being Covid affected. GWS, Sydney, Gold Coast and Brisbane still have unfettered access to their academy players I believe.

GWS, who had priority rights to access players such as Tom Greene, Harry Perryman, Harry Himmelberg and Jacob Hopper, is now widely speculated to take a Melbourne zoned NGA player without the dees ability to match. Funny how things work out.

  • Like 5
Posted

There’s an article for subscribers only at the moment on the Herald Sun website entitled “Top AFL Draft prospects from country Victoria” by Joseph Carbone. It covers a range of players from the country including draft big guns in Josh Rachele, Campbell Chesser and Josh Gibcus and Mac Andrew is in there because the Dandenong Stingrays are classified as “country”. This is what Carbone writes about him:- 

MAC ANDREW

“The Egyptian-born South Sudanese young gun’s rise up the draft rankings is looming as an unlucky break for last year’s premiers Melbourne.

“Andrew is one of the Demons’ Next Generation Academy players but due to the huge interest from rival clubs, he is likely to go in the first Round of this year’s draft. Under new AFL rules, that means the Demons are unable to match a bid on him.

“The athletic ruckman stands at two metres tall and likes to use his frame around the ground and at the contest. He is also never far away from the goals and has huge upside for a kid who only played one year for Vic Country”.

Posted
On 10/27/2021 at 2:39 PM, Goat said:

Another thing with dogga is people underestimate how much basketball translates to football. Being such a high regarded basketballer you can see how well its helped him develop. i dont see andrews coming close to jackson 

Yes re Jackson, Pendlebery

Not so sure re Watts, Bradke. 

Posted
On 11/2/2021 at 11:42 AM, Nascent said:

Would be a hint of irony if Mac Andrew ended up at GWS. 

The introduction of NGAs to the clubs outside of the Northern academies, among other reasons, was largely seen as a way to even up the unfair advantage GWS and Sydney had over cherry picking the best talent in their area. A flawed idea in itself.

Now we have the winding back of clubs priority NGA rights due to the development pathways being Covid affected. GWS, Sydney, Gold Coast and Brisbane still have unfettered access to their academy players I believe.

GWS, who had priority rights to access players such as Tom Greene, Harry Perryman, Harry Himmelberg and Jacob Hopper, is now widely speculated to take a Melbourne zoned NGA player without the dees ability to match. Funny how things work out.

Well I’m not laughing. Quite the opposite tbh.

Posted

I don't understand why they didn't keep the NGA as is (discount and matching) for "after first round" (instead of top 20) and then for any "first round" bids, the academy club could still match the bid on the proviso that:

a) there was no points discount; and

b) if the bid came before the academy clubs first allocated pick (original pick based on ladder position and before trades) then the matching bid had to include a first round pick in the points.

 

It is still worth developing players as you get a bite at them. Most clubs would only be jumping ahead a few picks in round one at expense of their round 2 pick. And the extreme scenario is a club will spend pick 18 to get pick 1 but also lose pick 36, 54, 72 and go nearly 1,300 points into deficit the following year (pick 12), effectively selling the farm for one player.

 

  • Like 2
  • 2 weeks later...
Posted
On 11/8/2021 at 8:01 AM, The Riv said:

 

Great of him to say that, it’s gonna suck to see him play in different colours. Could’ve been a great pair to have with him and Jacko for the future. 

Posted
On 10/27/2021 at 7:45 AM, Lucifers Hero said:

In response to Mac Andrew questions, draft guru 'Knightmare' wrote on bf:

"He gets completely bullied at ruck contests physically. Put a body in his way and stop him from running and jumping at the ball and he's unable to impact the contest. So he's very much a long term project".

"Some may be viewing Andrew as having key position scope. And maybe he could develop as a key defender. But with the way he leaps and so perfectly places his ruck taps for his teammates, I'm still at least projecting him in the long term as best suited to playing through the ruck".
 
He seems some way from the crash and bash of ruck work so it is no place for him for quite a few years.  Elsewhere, I've read his one on one work isn't great; not surprisingly given his slight build.  These skills can be developed but in the short term he wouldn't fare well as a KPF or a KPD.
 
Jackson took English to the cleaners in the GF.  I mention English as he seems to not like the physicality of ruck work.  Imagine what Jackson will do Andrew in the ruck if he plays there in the next few years.
 
I'm thinking that even if we were allowed to match a bid for him in the top 20 we would probably pass.  

Some of us are very short sighted with recruits. Our best 2 examples of bigger players are Weid and Jacko.

One has looked likely from his first few games and developed to changing games in the premiership quarter! Some still say he will be a good/ great player when he matures!!  Sorry Jacko is maturing before our eyes and is in the present with a great future ahead. 

Other end is the frustration with Sam and his potential. Six years on and still got the potential but why not performances to date to really whet the appetite.

I have a theory Sam is our third best option ( leaving BBb and T Mac out of the ruck) at the second ruck/ forward  role NOT the full forward/CHF role only.

He needs to get around the ground and is quite good in general play rucking marking handballing and competing.

BUT his best position could also be as  Key Position Back ( CHB preferably or even FB). He also needs to solve his mental side of his game which he can't seem to do just on the forward line. 

Lastly I think Sam is probably too good a footballer to not succeed in our team but  it is up to him and the Coaches to be creative in achieving his potential for the team. 

PS  Vossy says Hi
We have a forward turned defence star vacancy in our leaking squeaky back half. Bet he would do better in that position than Oscar McDonald.!
 

Posted
On 11/2/2021 at 7:35 AM, Whispering_Jack said:

Thanks for that. I have a grandson who plays basketball in a similar age bracket but is slightly younger.  For a number of years his team has been competing with an opposition team made up predominantly of Sudanese players who play a pretty exciting style of game. They all seem to be thin and lanky with the ability to move cat-like across the court but  are often found out for a lack of endurance and have been reeled in from a fair way behind in some of their matches.  I don’t know much about physiology but was told that this is fairly typical of people coming from arid regions in that part of the world. 

Therefore, in looking at Mac Andrew’s football, one of my concerns was his tank. In the game vs Geelong for the Academy he was unsighted for three quarters and went okay in the last. In the challenge match for Country vs Metro, he had a purple patch in the second quarter but faded out of the game from midway through the third quarter. The draft experts who talk about the need for him to add weight and strength to compete physically in the ruck don’t appear to have addressed whether he can run out a game and by missing the national championships and the combine that question wasn’t answered for us. 

One would think that interested clubs like GWS and Fremantle would be all over this.

Yes so much so that they will take the risk and further develop his tank etc. 

WJ think back a decade or so how unfit and physically weak the Indians played cricket. Look at them now !!!

Your reasons for not fighting  the rules changes and for Max are about as weak as the Gold Coast Suns football after Round 6 or 7? Each season.  Some one will get it right and they will prosper.

Just look at what he Mighty Dees did this year when they got everything right at last. Success will breed success and countries learn from Oz and our athleticism competitiveness and fitness. 

The Sudanese will do the same quickly I would think!! 

Posted
31 minutes ago, 58er said:

Yes so much so that they will take the risk and further develop his tank etc. 

WJ think back a decade or so how unfit and physically weak the Indians played cricket. Look at them now !!!

Your reasons for not fighting  the rules changes and for Max are about as weak as the Gold Coast Suns football after Round 6 or 7? Each season.  Some one will get it right and they will prosper.

Just look at what he Mighty Dees did this year when they got everything right at last. Success will breed success and countries learn from Oz and our athleticism competitiveness and fitness. 

The Sudanese will do the same quickly I would think!! 

How do you expect Melbourne to fight the rule changes twelve months after they’ve been put into place? To do so now that we have an NGA who might be taken early would seem a case of sour grapes and totally unbecoming of a premiership club. I don’t think we should be whinging about it now, apart from  which it’s worth remembering that there’s no guarantee that we would have matched a bid for him if he was nominated as early as we’re led to believe some clubs might go to claim him.

  • Like 3
Posted
On 11/3/2021 at 10:02 PM, monoccular said:

Yes re Jackson, Pendlebery

Not so sure re Watts, Bradke. 

HOW ABOUT TRACCA - BASKETBALL FIRST.

Posted
On 11/16/2021 at 4:23 PM, Leopold Bloom said:

How do you expect Melbourne to fight the rule changes twelve months after they’ve been put into place? To do so now that we have an NGA who might be taken early would seem a case of sour grapes and totally unbecoming of a premiership club. I don’t think we should be whinging about it now, apart from  which it’s worth remembering that there’s no guarantee that we would have matched a bid for him if he was nominated as early as we’re led to believe some clubs might go to claim him.

Talk he is going top 5. Sour grapes - absolutely. the Doggies have played finals two years running and had a tilt at the flag, and get not one but arguably two top 3 picks in the same  time. I know I’m a broken record but I just cannot move past how royally screwed we are getting over this. The one year we stand to benefit from a decent NGA player… And Two years back it was the GCS priority pick ( we got lucky and got LJ. sure it worked out but at the time we all wanted Anderson and probably could have gotten both of ‘‘em if it wasn’t for the priority pick).

  • Like 1
Posted (edited)

Mac who?? Come draft night the only thing I will be celebrating is the players who actually make it to MFC!! Dont think he will be there! However, I dont like passing up the opportunity to partake in a Big Mac ..probably my favourite Burger ! Small consolation but.. what else is there??

Edited by picket fence
Posted

Andrew won't be top 5 a lot of phantom drafts have him at 11 to St.Kilda why can't slip even further down to pick 19. We can always hope.

  • Like 1
Posted
On 11/16/2021 at 3:23 PM, Leopold Bloom said:

How do you expect Melbourne to fight the rule changes twelve months after they’ve been put into place? To do so now that we have an NGA who might be taken early would seem a case of sour grapes and totally unbecoming of a premiership club. I don’t think we should be whinging about it now, apart from  which it’s worth remembering that there’s no guarantee that we would have matched a bid for him if he was nominated as early as we’re led to believe some clubs might go to claim him.

The issue is one of that the Club  has had 4 years of care and development of this player ( Since Day 1 of our NGA) and he has politely and graciously referred to the Dees very important role in his last 4 years). To do what the AFL has Done is high handed and at least a compensation pick the next draft no. after he has been taken should be in place for the first 2/3 years if that player has been involved in a reasonable period of development. 

It's another AFL over reaction without looking at the total damage!  First your argument is about Mac's ability citing a national weakness of Sudanese sports people as weak competitors. My point is made which you ignored completely about the Indians at cricket and their transformation in the last 10/15 years. 

The Sudanese will in the future do the same. Then you say we may not take him anyway if he was available. That's not the point. It's that the rule on the run partly because of Ugle Hagan  last year that he change occurred. Ironically it didn't turn out costing any one a foot inthe 8!! 

Yes we can't rescue the rule NOW snd officially only Jason Taylor has commented publicly. He is in the best position I believe to assess the impact in this case of the change in the Rule. BTW I don't think it applies to any of the NSW or Qld Academy NGA boys!

Just because we are top of the heap ATM this does not prevent us standing up for what we believe is better for the game. 

We will move on as no other option is real and I hope  that Taj Woewodin is the best No 40odd NGA player ever!! 
 

Posted

I hope he does go top 5. Preferably to the Suns with GWS a close second. Think we are a massive chance to get him back to Melbourne in 2 years if that happens. If he goes to Saints or Richmond then he’s gone forever I think. 

  • Like 1
Posted
42 minutes ago, 58er said:

The issue is one of that the Club  has had 4 years of care and development of this player ( Since Day 1 of our NGA) and he has politely and graciously referred to the Dees very important role in his last 4 years). To do what the AFL has Done is high handed and at least a compensation pick the next draft no. after he has been taken should be in place for the first 2/3 years if that player has been involved in a reasonable period of development. 

It's another AFL over reaction without looking at the total damage!  First your argument is about Mac's ability citing a national weakness of Sudanese sports people as weak competitors. My point is made which you ignored completely about the Indians at cricket and their transformation in the last 10/15 years. 

The Sudanese will in the future do the same. Then you say we may not take him anyway if he was available. That's not the point. It's that the rule on the run partly because of Ugle Hagan  last year that he change occurred. Ironically it didn't turn out costing any one a foot inthe 8!! 

Yes we can't rescue the rule NOW snd officially only Jason Taylor has commented publicly. He is in the best position I believe to assess the impact in this case of the change in the Rule. BTW I don't think it applies to any of the NSW or Qld Academy NGA boys!

Just because we are top of the heap ATM this does not prevent us standing up for what we believe is better for the game. 

We will move on as no other option is real and I hope  that Taj Woewodin is the best No 40odd NGA player ever!! 
 

Pardon me but on what planet did I cite “a national weakness of Sudanese sports people as weak competitors”? WJ questioned Mac Andrew’s tank in a post above and said that the lack of a national championships and combine testing meant that this question wasn’t satisfactorily answered. That’s a point (and I agree with him) but it’s not the one I made that you’re questioning above. Mine is that the rule change is water under the bridge and it’s a waste of time complaining about it 12 months after it was brought in.

  • Like 4
Posted
2 hours ago, Colm said:

I hope he does go top 5. Preferably to the Suns with GWS a close second. Think we are a massive chance to get him back to Melbourne in 2 years if that happens. If he goes to Saints or Richmond then he’s gone forever I think. 

I hope he doesn't go so high if there is a chance for him to come back to us in a few years time (i.e. if he goes top 5-10, that club will want something similar back). If he goes 11-18 then it won't be as hard to swallow. But all guesses until it happens.

Posted
6 hours ago, WERRIDEE said:

Andrew won't be top 5 a lot of phantom drafts have him at 11 to St.Kilda why can't slip even further down to pick 19. We can always hope.

Pick 4 - GWS. IMO.

  • Like 1
Posted
13 hours ago, CYB said:

Talk he is going top 5. Sour grapes - absolutely. the Doggies have played finals two years running and had a tilt at the flag, and get not one but arguably two top 3 picks in the same  time. I know I’m a broken record but I just cannot move past how royally screwed we are getting over this. The one year we stand to benefit from a decent NGA player… And Two years back it was the GCS priority pick ( we got lucky and got LJ. sure it worked out but at the time we all wanted Anderson and probably could have gotten both of ‘‘em if it wasn’t for the priority pick).

Jason Taylor would’ve drafted Jackson over Anderson, so there’s no way we would’ve got both of them.

I would’ve liked Mac but we’ll have pick 19 and pick 30 something instead.

We aren’t getting screwed at all, we’re just getting part of a fairer system. Look at the quote above from Mac, we’ve been involved with him for a long time but hardly the main factor in his development. 

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