Jump to content

Post-premiership draft priorities

Vipercrunch
Vipercrunch
in Melbourne Demons

Featured Replies

Posted

It's much easier to see the holes in the list of a team that finishes bottom 4 than it is when we win both the minor and actual premiership.  This is unchartered territory for all of us.  So what should our draft/trade priorities be?

Here's my initial thoughts..

  1. Draft a young, raw ruckman.  Without an early pick, we're not likely to draft another ready-to-go ruckman like LJ so I think we need to pick up one or two rucks with our later picks with a view to develop them over the next 2-3 years (or more).  As much as we all love him, we need to plan for a future without Gawn.
  2.  
  3.  
  4. That's all I've got to be honest beyond drafting the best available player of the right "type".  I think our football and talent department have now developed a clear player type that is desirable and they will continue to target them to bolster depth accross the board.

 

If we get involved in any trades, I think we should stick to players 23 and under.  Without much draft currency (or available $$'s), I can't see how we can land players of the ilk of Cerra, so I think all we can do is to look out for any players that fit into point 4 above.

I'd love to hear some thoughts because my son and I found it very hard to identify what our needs are this time round.

 

Edited by S_T
Spelling

  • Quote
    •  

    Midfielder with serious pace is still a need. We'd be stuffed if Langdon went down.

    Project tall/ruck.

    Edited by adonski

  • Quote

    With Nev and Lockhart departing we need a small defender

  • Quote
    •  
      On 28/09/2021 at 05:45, BDA said:

    With Nev and Lockhart departing we need a small defender

    Do you think Bowey or Laurie could take up that position 

  • Quote
    • Like 1

    Taj Woewodin is a definite pick up. Mid/defender role. A  late developer which a lot of recruiters prefer.

  • Quote
    • Like 2

      On 28/09/2021 at 05:45, BDA said:

    With Nev and Lockhart departing we need a small defender

    Deakyn Smith? 

  • Quote
    • Like 4
      On 28/09/2021 at 05:41, adonski said:

    Midfielder with serious pace is still a need. We'd be stuffed if Langdon went down.

    Project tall/ruck.

    Langdon doesn't have serious pace... he just has beyond elite fitness.   Another one of those would be nice

  • Quote
      On 28/09/2021 at 06:32, ucanchoose said:

    Langdon doesn't have serious pace... he just has beyond elite fitness.   Another one of those would be nice

    I think Langdon has both stamina and genuine pace @ucanchoose, have seen him burn off a lot of opposition players this year.

  • Quote
    • Like 1
     

    A lot of unknowns, but we shouldn’t forget Rosman or Laurie, and also the prospect of Bowey and Rivers playing further up the ground at some point.

    I think a couple of project talls could be on the cards, both in the ruck and up forward in particular.

  • Quote
    • Like 1

    I’m still keen on youngsters with pace to compliment our strong midfield bulls. 

    Some names include Isaac Birt and Will Bravo. 
     

    I think we have most roles covered right now. 
     

    BUT WE CANT BE COMPLACENT!! 
     

     

     

     

     

  • Quote
    • Like 1

    Interesting that we have seemingly kept  Baker, Hore, Daw, Chandler, Bedford and Brown.

    Melk is a question mark..

    Out are Jetts, Vanders, Jones, Lockhart, Bradke and Nietschkze.

    We'll need to fill four or five spots. Whether we'll do that by the draft or whether someone from another clubs wants to walk into a premiership team will be interesting. Do we need to upgrade anyone from the Rookie list?

    Edited by dee-tox

  • Quote

    With another year of heavily covid interupted football in Melbourne, there should be plenty of talented players out there who haven't developed as much as they otherwise would have. I'd mostly just be backing in Jason Taylor to make some speculative picks and see what sticks. High risk high reward sort of stuff. Aside from developing another young ruckman I think our list is very nicely balanced.

  • Quote

    We should have 4 picks in the draft. 1 should be for a developing ruckman the rest speedy midfielders.

    Premiership team

    B: HIBBERD, MAY, LEVER

    HB: SALEM, PETTY, BOWEY

    C: LANGDON, PETRACCA, BRAYSHAW

    HF: PICKETT, MCDONALD, NEAL-BULLEN

    F: FRITSCH, B.BROWN, SPARGO

    FOLL: GAWN, OLIVER, VINEY

    IC: JACKSON, HARMES, RIVERS, SPARROW

    SUB: JORDON

    CASEY

    B: HORE, TURNER, J.SMITH

    HB: HUNT, TOMLINSON, D.SMITH

    C: DECLASE, DRAFT PICK, BAKER

    HF: MELKSHAM, M.BROWN, LAURIE

    F: CHANDLER, WEIDEMAN, BEDFORD

    FOLL: DAW, DRAFT PICK, DRAFT PICK

    IC: ROSMAN, DRAFT PICK

  • Quote

      On 28/09/2021 at 05:45, BDA said:

    With Nev and Lockhart departing we need a small defender

    Joel.Smith will be the lock down defender.

  • Quote
      On 28/09/2021 at 06:01, Petracca said:

    Do you think Bowey or Laurie could take up that position 

    Bowey already has his foot firmly in the door in regards to his position. 

  • Quote
    • Like 1
    • Love 1

    I assume like last year we won't fill out our roster via trade and draft.

    Likely we will leave ourselves list space for free agent signings (like D. Smith and Majak) and mid season draft selections. 

  • Quote

    Who are our 28 + players?

    Do we need a few projects to fill their shoes?

    My top priority is to find a top class high performance manager, Burgess was our best recruit in recent years. We had a healthy and fit list. 

     

  • Quote

    My view on this off-season is there is no position we are in need of, however depth is going to be very important over the next 2-3 years.

    I am not really sold on trading for Cerra, as I think our midfield group of Oliver, Petracca, Viney, Brayshaw, Langdon, Sparrow & Jordon is as good as any going around. It will also potentially make it harder to keep Jackson, Pickett and Rivers if our cap is taken up and they are just as important to our side as bringing in Cerra would be.

    I think we need to go and find a few 28-30 year olds who are willing to take a pay cut to come chase a flag. Will allow us to manage our salary cap, while also building strong depth in the event of an injury to key players.

    The draft we should be taking best available at all picks and I'd like to see us find a solid back up ruck option.

  • Quote
    • Like 1

    The risk you run if you recruit 28 to 30 year olds is unbalancing your list. Plus you run the risk of starving your kids like Geelong have with their talent. 

    If a 28 year old is any good you won't get them cheaply.

    We made courageous decisions to play Jordon before Jones. Bowey before Nev, Sparrow before Vanders, etc. Eight players under 21.

    Keep doing that and keep getting Mad Mark to develop them and we could we'll be set up for a prolonged period of success.

    Edited by dee-tox

  • Quote
    • Like 1

    Join the conversation

    You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

    Guest
    Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
    Reply to this topic...
    Go to topic listing

    Featured Content

    • GAMEDAY: Essendon

      It’s Game Day, and the Demons are staring down the barrel of an 0-5 start for the first time since 2012 as they take on Essendon at Adelaide Oval for Gather Round. In that forgettable season, Melbourne finally broke their drought by toppling the Bombers. Can lightning strike twice? Will the Dees turn their nightmare start around and breathe life back into 2025?

        • Like
      • 19 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • PREVIEW: Essendon

      As the focus of the AFL moves exclusively to South Australia for Gather Round, the question is raised as to what are we going to get from the  Melbourne Football Club this weekend? Will it be a repeat of the slop fest of the last three weeks that have seen the team score a measly 174 points and concede 310 or will a return to the City of Churches and the scene where they performed at their best in 2024 act as a wakeup call and bring them out of their early season reverie?  Or will the sleepy Dees treat their fans to a reenactment of their lazy effort from the first Gather Round of two years ago when they allowed the Bombers to trample all over them on a soggy and wet Adelaide Oval? The two examples from above tell us how fickle form can be in football. Last year, a committed group of players turned up in Adelaide with a businesslike mindset. They had a plan, went in confidently and hard for the football and kicked winning scores against both home teams in a difficult environment for visitors. And they repeated that sort of effort later in the season when they played Essendon at the MCG.

        • Thanks
        • Like
      • 0 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • PREGAME: Essendon

      Facing the very real and daunting prospect of starting the season with five straight losses, the Demons head to South Australia for the annual Gather Round, where they’ll take on the Bombers in search of their first win of the year. Who comes in, and who comes out?

        • Thanks
      • 489 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • NON-MFC: Round 05

      Gather Round is here, kicking off with a Thursday night blockbuster as Adelaide faces Geelong. The Crows will be out for redemption after a controversial loss last week. Saturday starts with the Magpies taking on the Swans. Collingwood will be eager to cement their spot in the top eight, while Sydney is hot on their heels. In the Barossa Valley, two rising sides go head-to-head in a fascinating battle to prove they're the real deal. Later, Carlton and West Coast face off at Adelaide Oval, both desperate to notch their first win of the season. The action then shifts to Norwood, where the undefeated Lions will aim to keep their streak alive against the Bulldogs. Sunday’s games begin in the Barossa with Richmond up against Fremantle. In Norwood, the Saints will be looking to take a scalp when they come up against the Giants. The round concludes with a fiery rematch of last year's semi-final, as the Hawks seek revenge for their narrow loss to Port Adelaide. Who are you tipping this week and what are the best results for the Demons besides us winning?

        • Thanks
      • 188 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • CASEY: Geelong

      There was a time in the second quarter of the game at the Cattery on Friday afternoon when the Casey Demons threatened to take the game apart against the Cats. The Demons had been well on top early but were struggling to convert their ascendancy over the ground until Tom Fullarton’s burst of three goals in the space of eight minutes on the way to a five goal haul and his best game for the club since arriving from Brisbane at the end of 2023. He was leading, marking and otherwise giving his opponents a merry dance as Casey grabbed a three goal lead in the blink of an eye. Fullarton has now kicked ten goals in Casey’s three matches and, with Melbourne’s forward conversion woes, he is definitely in with a chance to get his first game with the club in next week’s Gather Round in Adelaide. Despite the tall forward’s efforts - he finished with 19 disposals and eight marks and had four hit outs as back up to Will Verrall in the second half - it wasn’t enough as Geelong reigned in the lead through persistent attacks and eventually clawed their way to the lead early in the last and held it till they achieved the end aim of victory.

        • Like
      • 0 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • REPORT: Geelong

      I was disappointed to hear Goody say at his post match presser after the team’s 39 point defeat against Geelong that "we're getting high quality entry, just poor execution" because Melbourne’s problems extend far beyond that after its 0 - 4 start to the 2025 football season. There are clearly problems with poor execution, some of which were evident well before the current season and were in play when the Demons met the Cats in early May last year and beat them in a near top-of-the-table clash that saw both sides sitting comfortably in the top four after round eight. Since that game, the Demons’ performances have been positively Third World with only five wins in 19 games with a no longer majestic midfield and a dysfunctional forward line that has become too easy for opposing coaches to counter. This is an area of their game that is currently being played out as if they were all completely panic-stricken.

        • Thanks
        • Like
      • 0 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland
    View All