Jump to content

Featured Replies

2 hours ago, Palace Dees said:

We must be looking at a different player. In the u18 Championships, he took every mark one grab. It really stood out. 

His school coach, Matthew Lloyd, says he's the best one grab mark he's ever seen as a junior.  

Whatever knock you want to put on Armstrong, marking is not it.

He’s clean at times but there’s a lot of two grabbing or the ball going off his hands.

If he was an exceptional mark to go with his rare athleticism for a tall and straight set shot kicking he’d be a sure thing top 5 pick. 

Lloyd is pumping up his guy, not really an unbiased opinion.

 
3 hours ago, picket fence said:

Armstrong is a two grabber most times, a HUMUNGOUS NO! 

Luke Jackson says hi 

1 minute ago, joeboy said:

Luke Jackson says hi 

If Armstrong has Jackson's hands, he may never play a game!

 

For me: 

Pick 5: Langford, Smith, FOS, Tauru (in order)

Pick 9: Tauru, Travaglia, Reid, Hotton, Armstrong, Shanahan, Allan (in order)

Edited by Willy's Warriors


Our draft hand has a direct connection as to whether Petracca & Oliver stay or go, post 2025.  And there's a good chance that the club won't know for sure, either way

And then there is the form of both players and whether either or both get back to their best

A safety first attitude would be to draft 2 mids and then if everything works out well, we find a way to manage 5 or 6 dynamic mids

Nice problem to have and it should be remembered that Viney only has a few years left and Petracca can play various roles in the forward line (with stints in the midfield) And we'll be looking to cover for the loss of Brayshaw & ANB 

All things considered, I reckon we'll draft 2 mids and hope that a forward line line that contains 2 or 3 of JVR, Petty, Turner & Jefferson can somehow work to a high standard

Looked at in another way, we probably won't be wanting to risk having a B- midfield in the future

Our chance to rebuild a stellar midfield is right now

Edited by Macca

1 minute ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Hears anything from your end @goodwindees?

Draft night is like Christmas, once you open the presents all the mystery is gone.  I love the speculation and this year is special.  Don't ruin it @goodwindees, we can all wait and enjoy the suspense.  And if you do have quality mail, keep it to yourself, it can't do any good by releasing it but there is a very small chance it could do some harm. We'will know soon anyway!

Patience grasshopper.

 
3 minutes ago, Macca said:

Our draft hand has a direct connection as to whether Petracca & Oliver stay or go, post 2025.  And there's a good chance that the club won't know for sure, either way

And then there is the form of both players and whether either or both get back to their best

A safety first attitude would be to draft 2 mids and then if everything works out well, we find a way to manage 5 or 6 dynamic mids

Nice problem to have and it should be remembered that Viney only has a few years left and Petracca can play various roles in the forward line (with stints in the midfield) And we'll be looking to cover for the loss of Brayshaw & ANB 

All things considered, I reckon we'll draft 2 mids and hope that a forward line line that contains 2 or 3 of JVR, Petty, Turner & Jefferson can somehow work to a high standard

Looked at in another way, we probably won't be wanting to risk having a B- midfield in the future

Our chance to rebuild a stellar midfield is right now

Yeah absolutely agree.

In my eyes it's incredibly simple; we've lost Brayshaw, Harmes, Jordan, ANB- we have Viney in his twilight, question marks over Oliver's psyche and Petracca's commitment. These issues outweigh and are far more pressing then any concerns over our forward depth. 

We need midfield doggedness before prospective KPPs. 

Langford/Smith and Allen/Travaglia/Reid like combo is an absolute must. 

 

4 minutes ago, Macca said:

Our draft hand has a direct connection as to whether Petracca & Oliver stay or go, post 2025.  And there's a good chance that the club won't know for sure, either way

And then there is the form of both players and whether either or both get back to their best

A safety first attitude would be to draft 2 mids and then if everything works out well, we find a way to manage 5 or 6 dynamic mids

Nice problem to have and it should be remembered that Viney only has a few years left and Petracca can play various roles in the forward line (with stints in the midfield) And we'll be looking to cover for the loss of Brayshaw & ANB 

All things considered, I reckon we'll draft 2 mids and hope that a forward line line that contains 2 or 3 of JVR, Petty, Turner & Jefferson can somehow work to a high standard

Looked at in another way, we probably won't be wanting to risk having a B- midfield in the future

Our chance to rebuild a stellar midfield is right now

I think that is right for pick 5.  At 9, I am not so sure. 

The mids still there are likely to be Allan, Reid, Hotton, and Lindsay.   Allan (disposal and decision making), Reid (speed and contested ball) and Hotton (ACL) all have questions marks over them.  Lindsay seems to be less risk, but also doesn't have the same damaging traits as the others.  

Travaglia, for example, would be a safer pick. 

I am happy to trust JT at pick 9 - if he thinks the best player is Reid, or Hotton, or Armstrong, I wouldn't have any issue with that.  


Just now, Mouseymoo said:

Yeah absolutely agree.

In my eyes it's incredibly simple; we've lost Brayshaw, Harmes, Jordan, ANB- we have Viney in his twilight, question marks over Oliver's psyche and Petracca's commitment. These issues outweigh and are far more pressing then any concerns over our forward depth. 

We need midfield doggedness before prospective KPPs. 

Langford/Smith and Allen/Travaglia/Reid like combo is an absolute must. 

 

But for every argument about our declining midfield depth and future doubts on current guys I think you can make the exact same argument for our talls. BBB gone, May, Max, McDonald not much left. Even Lever not a consistent force any more.

The top line midfielders available at 5 are seen as very high level prospects. Personally I think the reason no one can decide who goes 2 and who goes 6 is because they’re all good without being great.

The second tier mids are obviously considered by consensus another level lower.

At some stage if they aren’t rated all that highly and one of the talls are then we should go the better rated tall. Even more so if we can get a sneaky trade back too.

I believe the club are super high on Rivers. Add in Windsor and pick 5 that’s the basis of the next wave of mids. Plus Kolt. Depth is iffy right now but rebuilding midfield depth isn’t as difficult as finding stars. 

9 minutes ago, Slartibartfast said:

Draft night is like Christmas, once you open the presents all the mystery is gone.  I love the speculation and this year is special.  Don't ruin it @goodwindees, we can all wait and enjoy the suspense.  And if you do have quality mail, keep it to yourself, it can't do any good by releasing it but there is a very small chance it could do some harm. We'will know soon anyway!

Patience grasshopper.

But it's okay for guys like Cal Twomey and 50 other journalists to do so? Have you emailed them and advised them to keep their mail and information to themselves as well? Probably best not to read Cals phantom draft tomorrow. 

It's all a bit of fun. That's why the draft has become a popular spectacle. Now we're seeing heaps of YouTube channels trying to get one up with phantom drafts and information. 

1 minute ago, dazzledavey36 said:

But it's okay for guys like Cal Twomey and 50 other journalists to do so? Have you emailed them and advised them to keep their mail and information to themselves as well? Probably best not to read Cals phantom draft tomorrow. 

It's all a bit of fun. That's why the draft has become a popular spectacle. Now we're seeing heaps of YouTube channels trying to get one up with phantom drafts and information. 

The afl probably shouldn’t pay for Cal to fully ruin the draft. Honestly he should get a few in the top 10 and more in the top 30 wrong just to make it more interesting!

That said, I’ll read every bit of it and I’m happy for any classic demonland mail!

11 minutes ago, Willy's Warriors said:

I think that is right for pick 5.  At 9, I am not so sure. 

The mids still there are likely to be Allan, Reid, Hotton, and Lindsay.   Allan (disposal and decision making), Reid (speed and contested ball) and Hotton (ACL) all have questions marks over them.  Lindsay seems to be less risk, but also doesn't have the same damaging traits as the others.  

Travaglia, for example, would be a safer pick. 

I am happy to trust JT at pick 9 - if he thinks the best player is Reid, or Hotton, or Armstrong, I wouldn't have any issue with that.  

Yes, it's one thing having our own opinions but the MC & JT may well be happy with a mid and a position player with the 2 picks

In the 12 years with us, Taylor's track record is fantastic with draftees, so if there is a left-field pick, I'm quite happy to back JT in

But if it is 2 mids, we will need Turner and/or Jefferson to come on.  Injury-free, Petty is an excellent target and JVR should keep getting better 

16 minutes ago, Macca said:

Yes, it's one thing having our own opinions but the MC & JT may well be happy with a mid and a position player with the 2 picks

In the 12 years with us, Taylor's track record is fantastic with draftees, so if there is a left-field pick, I'm quite happy to back JT in

But if it is 2 mids, we will need Turner and/or Jefferson to come on.  Injury-free, Petty is an excellent target and JVR should keep getting better 

We certainly need something in our forward line, that is for sure.  

One thing I have noticed is that in the last few years we have been really keen to trade up to secure a forward who would make immediate impact.  We went pretty hard at Bailey Humphrey in his draft year in 2022, then Harley Reid and Nick Watson in 2023, before trading up to take Kolt.  All mid/forwards. 

There are quite a few in this draft: Lalor, Langford, Reid, FOS, and Hotton.  

I wouldn't be surprised if we take, say, Langford and Reid, in the hope that one of them develops in the mid/fwd we have been searching for.  But if the last few years is any indicaiton, I don't think we will draft for need if there isn't a player at our pick that we consider good enough to warrant it. 

Edited by Willy's Warriors


22 minutes ago, DeeSpencer said:

But for every argument about our declining midfield depth and future doubts on current guys I think you can make the exact same argument for our talls. BBB gone, May, Max, McDonald not much left. Even Lever not a consistent force any more.

The top line midfielders available at 5 are seen as very high level prospects. Personally I think the reason no one can decide who goes 2 and who goes 6 is because they’re all good without being great.

The second tier mids are obviously considered by consensus another level lower.

At some stage if they aren’t rated all that highly and one of the talls are then we should go the better rated tall. Even more so if we can get a sneaky trade back too.

I believe the club are super high on Rivers. Add in Windsor and pick 5 that’s the basis of the next wave of mids. Plus Kolt. Depth is iffy right now but rebuilding midfield depth isn’t as difficult as finding stars. 

Yep I also agree with you. I guess we can flip a coin as to what the more pressing needs are. 

If we took Tauru/Armstrong at 9 or split that for a Hynes/Armstrong combo I'd I have to back the man JT. Passing up on the mid that slides to 5 would be a travesty. 

26 minutes ago, Mouseymoo said:

Yep I also agree with you. I guess we can flip a coin as to what the more pressing needs are. 

If we took Tauru/Armstrong at 9 or split that for a Hynes/Armstrong combo I'd I have to back the man JT. Passing up on the mid that slides to 5 would be a travesty. 

I can only justify passing on a mid at 5 if they think Tauru is a cut above the mids AND they think the selection of top bracket mids stretches to 9 - which is possible if you think Smillie, Travaglia, Allan, Reid etc are on the same level as the top guys.

1 hour ago, dazzledavey36 said:

But it's okay for guys like Cal Twomey and 50 other journalists to do so? Have you emailed them and advised them to keep their mail and information to themselves as well? Probably best not to read Cals phantom draft tomorrow. 

It's all a bit of fun. That's why the draft has become a popular spectacle. Now we're seeing heaps of YouTube channels trying to get one up with phantom drafts and information. 

You missed Slarti’s point.

If Goodwindees has inside mail it can only harm us to release it. Surely you understand that.

The media are guessing from bits of info that could be correct or not, even planted by other clubs as well, or just using their assessment of clubs needs.

The media speculates and that is fine.

We don’t need to harm our chances by spilling the beans to the whole AFL world.

3 hours ago, adonski said:

Wishful thinking or something more, D11?

Just a whisper I’ve heard.  I’ve heard we want a combination of either Langford, Allan or the Viking

Edited by Demons11

2 minutes ago, Redleg said:

You missed Slarti’s point.

If Goodwindees has inside mail it can only harm us to release it. Surely you understand that.

The media are guessing from bits of info that could be correct or not, even planted by other clubs as well, or just using their assessment of clubs needs.

The media speculates and that is fine.

We don’t need to harm our chances by spilling the beans to the whole AFL world.

Yeah I'm sure recruiters are falling over themselves to get inside information off demonland..

Look, you've got a well respected journo who is well connected to the draft and has the best draft intel going around in Cal Twomey who's literally about to release a phantom draft tomorrow to the whole of Australia outlining the inside mail coming out of the dees camp on who they may take at pick 5 and 9.

Marc McGowan from the AGE literally did the exact same thing last week. This is literally no different. 

You also do realise that even if the club has a particular player in mind for both our picks, it doesn't mean it set in stone now. There are always last minute decision changes or that particular player gets taken early or slips through.

As I said, it's all a bit of fun.. 


21 minutes ago, Demons11 said:

Just a whisper I’ve heard.  I’ve heard we want a combination of either Langford, Allan or the Viking

Langford at 5 and one of Allan/Tauru at 9 would be ideal

No Tauru at 5 though pls 

Edited by demoncat

Just now, demoncat said:

Langford at 5 and one of Allan/Tauru at 9 would be ideal

I reckon the top 5 looks like this (excluding Ashcroft)

1. Lalor 

2. FOS

3. Jagga

4. Draper (I think there is a chance Crows take Langford)

5. Langford or Allan (depending on the above) 

3 minutes ago, Demons11 said:

I reckon the top 5 looks like this (excluding Ashcroft)

1. Lalor 

2. FOS

3. Jagga

4. Draper (I think there is a chance Crows take Langford)

5. Langford or Allan (depending on the above) 

Surely we wouldn’t pass on Draper at 5 if Crows take Langford? 😱

Edited by demoncat

 
1 hour ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Yeah I'm sure recruiters are falling over themselves to get inside information off demonland..

Look, you've got a well respected journo who is well connected to the draft and has the best draft intel going around in Cal Twomey who's literally about to release a phantom draft tomorrow to the whole of Australia outlining the inside mail coming out of the dees camp on who they may take at pick 5 and 9.

Marc McGowan from the AGE literally did the exact same thing last week. This is literally no different. 

You also do realise that even if the club has a particular player in mind for both our picks, it doesn't mean it set in stone now. There are always last minute decision changes or that particular player gets taken early or slips through.

As I said, it's all a bit of fun.. 

Who are you hoping for?


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...

Featured Content

  • GAMEDAY: Rd 17 vs Adelaide

    It's Game Day and the Demons are back on the road for their 3rd interstate game in 4 weeks as they face a fit and firing Crows at Adelaide Oval. With finals now out of our grasps what are you hoping from the Dees today?

      • Thanks
    • 37 replies
  • WHAT’S NEXT? by The Oracle

    What’s next for a beleagured Melbourne Football Club down in form and confidence, facing  intense criticism and disapproval over some underwhelming recent performances and in the midst of a four game losing streak? Why, it’s Adelaide which boasts the best percentage in the AFL and has won six of its last seven games. The Crows are hot and not only that, the game is at the Adelaide Oval; yet another away fixture and the third in a row at a venue outside of Victoria. One of the problems the Demons have these days is that they rarely have the luxury of true home ground advantage, something they have enjoyed just once since mid April. 

      • Thanks
    • 2 replies
  • REPORT: Gold Coast

    From the start, Melbourne’s performance against the Gold Coast Suns at Peoples First Stadium was nothing short of a massive botch up and it came down in the first instance to poor preparation. Rather than adequately preparing the team for battle against an opponent potentially on the skids after suffering three consecutive losses, the Demons looking anything but sharp and ready to play in the opening minutes of the game. By way of contrast, the Suns demonstrated a clear sense of purpose and will to win. From the very first bounce of the ball they were back to where they left off earlier in the season in Round Three when the teams met at the MCG. They ran rings around the Demons and finished the game off with a dominant six goal final term. This time, they produced another dominant quarter to start the game, restricting Melbourne to a solitary point to lead by six goals at the first break, by which time, the game was all but over.

      • Clap
      • Thanks
    • 0 replies
  • CASEY: Gold Coast

    Coming off four consecutive victories and with a team filled with 17 AFL listed players, the Casey Demons took to their early morning encounter with the lowly Gold Coast Suns at People First Stadium with the swagger of a team that thought a win was inevitable. They were smashing it for the first twenty minutes of the game after Tom Fullarton booted the first two goals but they then descended into an abyss of frustrating poor form and lackadaisical effort that saw the swagger and the early arrogance disappear by quarter time when their lead was overtaken by a more intense and committed opponent. The Suns continued to apply the pressure in the second quarter and got out to a three goal lead in mid term before the Demons fought back. A late goal to the home side before the half time bell saw them ten points up at the break and another surge in the third quarter saw them comfortably up with a 23 point lead at the final break.

    • 0 replies
  • PREGAME: Rd 17 vs Adelaide

    With their season all over bar the shouting the Demons head back on the road for the third week in a row as they return to Adelaide to take on the Crows. Who comes in and who goes out?

      • Thanks
    • 213 replies
  • POSTGAME: Rd 16 vs Gold Coast

    The Demons did not come to play from the opening bounce and let the Gold Coast kick the first 5 goals of the match. They then outscored the Suns for the next 3 quarters but it was too little too late and their season is now effectively over.

      • Sad
      • Like
    • 231 replies