Posted Wednesday evening with, but for a few thumbs, no responses since.

We're not as excited?...

Edited December 30, 20213 yr by Timothy Reddan-A'Blew

I actually think he'll surprise a few and become more than just handy depth. May take a while for him to get his chance but when he does I think he'll take it. Was touted as a future captain early in his career and I thought he generally performed well at the Saints when I watched him particularly in recent years. His kicking often let him down earlier in his career but I thought he improved that but for whatever reason he was on the outer with Ratten.

I think it's an astute pickup by our recruitment team and if he ends up being nothing more than a solid depth player it's still a win and better than when we were 5 or 6 years ago when our depth players were guys barely good enough for VFL.

  On 30/12/2021 at 22:40, Dr. Gonzo said:

I actually think he'll surprise a few and become more than just handy depth. May take a while for him to get his chance but when he does I think he'll take it. Was touted as a future captain early in his career and I thought he generally performed well at the Saints when I watched him particularly in recent years. His kicking often let him down earlier in his career but I thought he improved that but for whatever reason he was on the outer with Ratten.

I think it's an astute pickup by our recruitment team and if he ends up being nothing more than a solid depth player it's still a win and better than when we were 5 or 6 years ago when our depth players were guys barely good enough for VFL.

Including former team, Stephen Powell-ish (quite an asset to us, including in finals, in his time)?

But it's so hard to see anyone breaking into this team other than as caused by (gulp) the 'i' word.

I’m excited about 2022 as well Luke. Reckon we’re going to go back to back 

I'm glad we got him but I'd prefer Sparrow remain in the side. But with Viney having missed a few games he is certainly great back up. I hope he's like Bbb and shows his old club their folly.

  On 30/12/2021 at 22:40, Dr. Gonzo said:

he was on the outer with Ratten

Assuming there is no major unknown issue, then being on the outer is a failure by the coach?

Remember the likes of Pagan who would talk up everyone.....

I dont know enough of other teams to assess his ability but I would be giving him a run as soon as form permits.

That said 5-10 games would be a good result for Luke.

(and no I am not excited I have to mow the lawn)

  On 31/12/2021 at 00:46, leave it to deever said:

I'm glad we got him but I'd prefer Sparrow remain in the side. But with Viney having missed a few games he is certainly great back up. I hope he's like Bbb and shows his old club their folly.

The more I see of Sparrow  the more I like him. Reckon Luke will play as part of about 6/8 mids and a few others thrown in at times to vary the mix eg Kossie.

I see him as an eventual replacement for a guy like Melksham, not best 22 but definitely part of the 30 or so squad of players who will get a run during the year and can play mid/half forward.

We already have depth before recruiting him. I don't think he has been recruited to play at Casey!

  On 31/12/2021 at 04:09, picket fence said:

We already have depth before recruiting him. I don't think he has been recruited to play at Casey!

We lost Vanders and Jones from our midfield depth and he's not better than anyone in the premiership 22. 

He's been recruited to fit somewhere between the 18-30 on the list and time will tell where that is. 

I remain somewhat skeptical of him as a pick up but with the covid situation as it is it looks very sensible.

  On 31/12/2021 at 00:46, leave it to deever said:

I'm glad we got him but I'd prefer Sparrow remain in the side. But with Viney having missed a few games he is certainly great back up. I hope he's like Bbb and shows his old club their folly.

Dunstan will be the benchmark, and any midfielder not named Petracca or Oliver will have to be better than Dunstan. It’s a good standard to set. Jordan, Sparrow, and even Viney, will have to bring their A-game to get more midfield minutes.

  On 31/12/2021 at 05:14, KingDingAling said:

Dunstan will be the benchmark, and any midfielder not named Petracca or Oliver will have to be better than Dunstan. It’s a good standard to set. Jordan, Sparrow, and even Viney, will have to bring their A-game to get more midfield minutes.

Is Dunstan very good? Do you think hes better than Sparrow? How would he compare to Viney ? Is he ahead of Jordan and Sparrow in getting a gig in round one as it stands today?

  On 30/12/2021 at 22:40, Dr. Gonzo said:

I actually think he'll surprise a few and become more than just handy depth. May take a while for him to get his chance but when he does I think he'll take it. Was touted as a future captain early in his career and I thought he generally performed well at the Saints when I watched him particularly in recent years. His kicking often let him down earlier in his career but I thought he improved that but for whatever reason he was on the outer with Ratten.

I think it's an astute pickup by our recruitment team and if he ends up being nothing more than a solid depth player it's still a win and better than when we were 5 or 6 years ago when our depth players were guys barely good enough for VFL.

Hopefully our VFL side will be 2022 Premiers! 🏆 Premierships all round for our entire list! 👍

  On 31/12/2021 at 05:44, leave it to deever said:

Is Dunstan very good? Do you think hes better than Sparrow? How would he compare to Viney ? Is he ahead of Jordan and Sparrow in getting a gig in round one as it stands today?

You dont get best on grounds in multiple games in winning teams against Richmond and Brisbane without being very good imo.  A first round draft pick entering the prime of his fitness and abilities with his best ever year behind him?!  He's unquestionably "better" than Sparrow, Jordan etc but is he better at playing the role the team needs? That's questionable. St Kilda have been diabolical with their list management in recent years. 

Cant believe he's on the scrap heap when depth is going to decide everything this year, if indeed a full season gets played with player (s) pulling out every week on the morning of games.  

Edited December 31, 20213 yr by Jjrogan

  On 31/12/2021 at 05:44, leave it to deever said:

Is Dunstan very good? Do you think hes better than Sparrow? How would he compare to Viney ? Is he ahead of Jordan and Sparrow in getting a gig in round one as it stands today?

If 2021 is anything to go by Dunstan Is very good. Viney at his best I think has more to offer, but Viney is rarely at his best, whereas Dunstan is ultra consistent, improving, and could possibly work better with our midfield. Dunstan gives our midfield more versatility because he can be first cab off the rank, which makes Oliver/Petracca harder to tag at center bounces as they would be on the move. It’s just something else for our opposition to worry about. Dunstan is a very good ball winner. He is a magnet to the footy, just needs to continue to improve his usage. For a large part of 2021 we didn’t use Gawn’s taps all that well. Dunstan may be the guy who gets better use of them.

 

2022 Ball at MFC

  On 31/12/2021 at 04:09, picket fence said:

We already have depth before recruiting him. I don't think he has been recruited to play at Casey!

He wouldn't have been recruited if VDB had opted to stay

  On 31/12/2021 at 05:44, leave it to deever said:

Is Dunstan very good? Do you think hes better than Sparrow? How would he compare to Viney ? Is he ahead of Jordan and Sparrow in getting a gig in round one as it stands today?

More upside than Viney, the others are kids in football terms.

  On 31/12/2021 at 05:44, leave it to deever said:

Is Dunstan very good? Do you think hes better than Sparrow? How would he compare to Viney ? Is he ahead of Jordan and Sparrow in getting a gig in round one as it stands today?

He is definitely good. Based on 2021 he is well ahead of both Sparrow and JJ. That being said we don’t yet know what the ceiling is for those two. His 11 Brownlow votes puts him well in front of even Viney if you rate that as a measure.

i am predicting we will use most of our list this year and where fitness and injuries were the measure of success for good teams in past years, depth will be the measure in 2022. COVID infections are going to hit every team hard, players will not be isolating and infection numbers will be closer to European levels than 2021 Australian levels.

 It is going to make for a very different looking season. I’m guessing it is going to favour team’s like the bulldogs who are constantly pushing versatility (often, in my opinion, to the detriment of themselves). I suspect it will also favour team’s with good depth and players who are well drilled to swing into a role.

i am also predicting that taking the whole list to Perth and spending all that time together is going to look like genius in 2022.

  On 31/12/2021 at 22:56, FlashInThePan said:

He is definitely good. Based on 2021 he is well ahead of both Sparrow and JJ. That being said

Thanks very much flash. I didnt watch many Saints games so my knowledge of LD is zip.

As for JJ and Sparrow I thought the former was  somewhat jibbed when TS took his spot but I now totally get it.

As for TS ceiling, I dont think I'm alone in saying it's very high. I get the feeling we have a future champion on our hands. At his age, his courage, strength and mature use of the ball are very positive and the two goals kicked off a step in the granny by him and Trac on the fifty, give me pause to think TS may follow the others footsteps.  I know that's a huge call but his gf efforts were fantastic for his age and that's why I hope he gets to play a lot of games next year. 

The Mfc has done a great job in the young players recruited and then entrusted many of them with a Gf birth. 

Given most of our elite players are mostly around 25 and all the young players we have, I can't imagine us not being a force for the next five to ten years. It's looking very, very, very good for four more flags...bang  bang  bang bang..... back where we belong..with the most cups.

#Deesbacktoback2022.

Edited January 1, 20223 yr by leave it to deever

  On 01/01/2022 at 00:08, leave it to deever said:

The Mfc has done a great job in the young players recruited and then entrusted many of them with a Gf birth. 

I think there might be lots of GF births in late June this year.  Bang bang bang!

I'm going to watch all or most of the games that Luke played in this year and so far I'm not convinced he's a better player than Tom Sparrow. He gets a bit of the ball but doesn't use it well and doesn't appear to have the desperation that our players have, he seems to just drift a bit through the game.

He may be a better player than I give him credit for, what would i know anyway, but I think he's a long way behind our mids in terms of skill and hardness at the ball and player, he may be a victim of the Saints style of play, which is pretty [censored]. They appear to be a rabble.

Great article that sums up the situation really well. 

https://themongrelpunt.com/afl-season-2022/2021/10/12/where-the-dees-get-even-better-in-2022/
Quote “In successful teams, there is always someone knocking on the door, and with Dunstan’s move from St Kilda to the premiers, he has made no bones about the fact that he wants to prove himself and make his way into this rotation. It puts the others on notice – step it up, or step out of the way.”

”Whilst a lot of the attention when talking about the Dees goes on the Petracca/Oliver combination, and rightfully so, however, the designated roles and the discipline to adhere to their allocated roles are an absolute strength of this Melbourne team that simply does not get the attention it deserves.”

  On 31/12/2021 at 22:33, Jontee said:

He wouldn't have been recruited if VDB had opted to stay

To be fair he runs rings around Vanders.