I think after the non competitive stuff Schache dished up against Sydney at round 1 this year, I think the coaching department knew straight away our forward stocks were completely [censored] hence why they have now gone out and recruited a brute key forward that can at least stay engage and hit a pack or six.

 

I like him...big boy and looks very competitive, reckon he'll go alright we need a bit more mongrel in the club look forward to seeing him play!

I just hope he doesn’t scare our boys to much. Lol.!!

2 hours ago, Hawk the Demon said:

I understand we could have matched the bid with our pick - seems we were focussed on taking "AJ" at that pick no matter where Riak landed.

And Fairy Nuff, too.

13 hours ago, Redleg said:

If we don’t, that is a worry.

Been pondering  over this.

It's  a double sided coin I feel.

On one side...  well it does call into question how some are travelling and they're re-evaluation ( possibly 🤔  ) 

The flip side is... is it not comforting in a fashion that they are  and steps to remedy the imbalances are taken ? 

If some are not for the big game or likely to more time than first thought then I applaud the f.d. for taking reality on and making adjustments. 

Be more concerned  if they didn't. 

42 minutes ago, Davos said:

Reckon the coaching staff got sick of watching Petty get out marked every time the ball went inside 50 last season. 

That, or they're thinking about relieving JVR of his ruck duties next season.

I think the latter is more prominent but also this allows a discussion around Petty as an amazing swing man or to just send him back.

17 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

I think after the non competitive stuff Schache dished up against Sydney at round 1 this year, I think the coaching department knew straight away our forward stocks were completely [censored] hence why they have now gone out and recruited a brute key forward that can at least stay engage and hit a pack or six.

 

Yes, and also KPF is one of the most transferable roles from the state leagues to AFL. The speed of the game is less of an issue as forwards can dictate how they engage in contests and the defender is impacted by their movement as opposed to the other way around. Fitness is also something that has less of an effect than an on ball or box-to-box role, or a defensive role against someone who ‘will work someone over’.

1 hour ago, napster said:

The main source of opposition droppings will be from the sight of AJ bearing down upon them. Will take some clearing, as I suspect they’ll mostly be liquid.

Tasteless suggestion but absolutely, beautifully posited. We are starting to produce some levelling playing field arrangements ... some mantras scream '...mids, mids, mids...' whereas a more useful mantra for the Demons' fans could be '...mongrel...mongrel...mongrel' and '...poor bugger fancied his chances...'. 

Slightly peculiar pick, but picks that late often speculative.

Other players (former/current) derided on here for not having or showing enough mongrel, seems we've done something.

At the end of the day we wanted Derksen and were offering a late pick, seems we used the late pick and got a similar player anyway.  So it was clearly a void the football department wanted to fill

1 hour ago, SthSea22 said:

This is a Casey pick

VFL team has been depleted, and he helps

Goody ain't turning up to personally present him with a jumper.... if he's gunna be a Casey player.

That was a very decent gesture 👏 👍  Respect 

Left field pick up but after the Initial surprise most posters are coming around to the reasoning behind  picking AJ.

His playing style will keep him involved in a game.

Just as there are inside and outside mids there are also inside and outside KPFs. The insiders stay involved via contest, crashing packs and physicality.

JVR is an inside KPF who can also play outside 

We got Kentfield as an inside KPF but he is still learning the caper.

15 hours ago, Whispering_Jack said:

A mature age (24 years), key forward/ruck from Werribee via Lavington in the Ovens & Murray League. Johnson is a 193cm athletic brute who imposes himself on the contest. 

1 minute ago, Doug Reemer said:

Don’t mess with Mr Inbetween

3 hours ago, old55 said:

I like the way he pushes Crossley over in that centre bounce highlght.

There is a little 'hidden message' in that image. Let's hope that he writes a few more messages after training hard and developing.

The negativity towards a guy who was taken late in the draft but has worked his [censored] off to get his opportunity, is peak Demonland. Let the man play a game FFS.

1 minute ago, Heart Beats True said:

The negativity towards a guy who was taken late in the draft but has worked his [censored] off to get his opportunity, is peak Demonland. Let the man play a game FFS.

 

I don’t want to wait!

2 hours ago, dazzledavey36 said:

I think after the non competitive stuff Schache dished up against Sydney at round 1 this year, I think the coaching department knew straight away our forward stocks were completely [censored] hence why they have now gone out and recruited a brute key forward that can at least stay engage and hit a pack or six.

 

Do you think it’s going to work tho? I’m coming around to the pick as I reckon AJ has some sneaky athleticism and reads it better than most vfl players too but…

Who was the last key forward to actually make a living bashing and crashing? Frampton did a defensive job in the grand final. Townsend 2017. Mihocek has some of that but he’s really good hitting up on the lead too.

You might be able to get a Lever or Harris Andrews on an off day, but overwhelmingly footy smarts, mobility and leap at the footy is the way to impact a game. The Schach had a hardness probably but he also had no speed and no leap. 

Feels like we are chasing a type of key forward that rarely exists when we won a flag with BBB, Jackson and the last of T Mc’s mobility.

The Derksen comparison in the thread is a good one, we would have traded something like 68 or earlier for him and no-one here would have batted an eyelid.

The romantic in me is thinking we drafted him for one particular club.

Hopefully he is a diamond in the rough . Good if he ended like James Podsially ex Cats player. 

For a minute, I thought he was Broden Kelly getting his heart's desire.

Edited November 22, 2024Nov 22 by Demonised
Clarity

Could he be a Martin Pike style third tall hard nut who complements the likes of JVR and Disco?

Until we lost patience, Pike was an integral part of our forward line alongside Lyon and Schwarz. He then played the same role in winning 4 flags at North and Brisbane.

Don't judge him yet. Let's wait and see.

Love a key forward who scares the living daylights out of opposition teams without even having to touch the ball!

15 hours ago, bing181 said:

I think that some here underestimate the importance of a strong Casey team. It's one of the keys to developing all these younger players on the list and keeping our depth players AFL- ready. If he helps straighten us up and adds a bit of backbone to the team it'll be a plus. (And no, you can't just get players like this direct to Casey.)

As for the rest, who knows, though I suspect he's going to need at least a season to even start getting up to speed. 

This x 1000.

One key aspect of having a decent seconds is being able to replicate the optimal structure and systems used in the ones.

It's super important because players who are promoted are better prepared to slot in to an analogous role and adhere to the systems and structures.

It means almost having a mirror team in the seconds.

So, Campbell is Max. Johnson is roo. 

You know what, give him a crack. Because if he gets a chance he won't waste it. 

I sense he knows he's been given this opportunity  & would definitely want to grab it with both hands.

But imagine him ringing his boss last night saying sorry can't come into work tomorrow, I have to go to training at the Melbourne football club.  Best excuse ever.