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Just posted a write up on our list and my personal opinion on who we could and should pick this year for anyone who's interested: http://chaserj.blogspot.com.au

I paid good money to get into a Dionne Warwick concert about 20 years ago.

Two blokes I owe apologies to: Lynden Dunn: other than his first handful of games where he looked like he'd be a good HFF, all I could see was a bloke that was prone to brain farts and who was more interested in being phoney tough than playing football. "We'll never be a good team as long as he's in our 22" was something I was pretty fond of saying until not that long ago. I don't know if it's maturity; him finding a position that suits him; the right word in his ear at the right time or shaving off the mo, but I'm pleased that he is comfortably picked each week and is someone dependable in our backline. Clint Bartram: "Why the hell is he getting picked at all? Bloody useless. We'd be better off a man short." Yeah, that's what I thought of him for his first couple of years. But geez at the end he was the shutdown king on small forwards. If his knee had have held up we'd be a 2-3 goal a week better side with him in it (that is 2-3 goal we don't have to worry about getting kicked on us side). On the other end of the scale: Tom Scully: Yeah I was seduced. I thought he was going to be the Fyfe of the new Melbourne era. That 18 touch last quarter against Footscray seemed to prove the point. But he's proved to be a very expensive good ordinary player. Still he saved us $300 million a season and got us Hogan, so I can't hate him for his backstab. Nah, who am I kidding. He's still a turd, but lucky for us he's not our turd.

I fear my confession would fill several pages of this thread.

I once remember the words " you could build a side around Mathew Bate" somehow escaping from my mouth. Totally Prendergasted that one.

Got free tickets to Andre Rieu and wore a cardigan!

I am not really Steve McQueen.

I wont pretend to know u18 football but nevertheless I'm on board the Parish and H.McKay double for posterity.

I thought Brent Grgic was going to be a silky smooth star

Most reports have Curnow at 191cm but I'm told that he is now around 193cm tall and not much shorter than Hogan. I don't know why this is so but as far as I'm aware, the only results from the Draft Combine that haven't been made available are the height and weight statistics. They will be interesting when they do come out.

Someone says "will be an Essendon boy very soon" re Parish. Twomey replies "more unlikely than likely", meaning he'll be a Dee in his opinion.

I was the 2nd gunman on the grassy knoll. I also happen to be the Lindbergh baby.

Parish is broadly acknowledged by those who should know and whom have been watching the current crop for years, as the best available mid. We need more quality mids. That there's some doubt in some people's minds as to if we should pick him indicates they are misdiagnose get why we are languishing low on the ladder, I.e they've missed that we need to improve our midfield. On pick 7, I'd love a genuine tall forward rather than Curnow, I feel with Petracca coming in as a solid HF / mid we don't need another as much as a Clark type forward/ruck...

i once thought greenies lived in the country

Please don't tell us anymore, BBO. I don't want to be an accomplice after the fact... Um, jeez, I don't know - about every player I suggested during my cringeworthy Flag Core © madness from a few years ago... Morton and Gysberts the most laughable. But the ones that were the reverse - wrote off Garland after Rd 2, 2008. Dunn has stopped jumper punching and pulled a career out of the fire I didn't think he would be able to get. Not many of these... I was right onto Viney and Hogan. Knew Viney would be this good when his mum had parents of older boys complain to her about how he played his footy. And as soon as I saw some footage of Hogan before the Mini Draft - it was by any means necessary... So it's not all delusion and stupidity.

Sure you'll get plenty of vision if you google his name and you tube. I kept Knightmare's write up on my iPad:- 3. Christian Petracca (VIC – Mid/Fwd) Height:186cm, Weight: 92kg, DOB: 04/01/1996 Recruited from: Eastern Ranges Draft range: 1-3 Best position/role: Rotational midfielder/forward. Strengths: Front half talent –Petracca can play both deep in the front half as a marking target and off a forward flank to a high standard when playing forward. Deep in the front half Petracca provides strong scoreboard impact and is an imposing marking presence with his 1v1 strength, overhead marking ability, marking on the lead and superior ability to read the drop of the ball. He can deep in the front half also win the ground ball. Petracca can also play off a forward flank and have a big impact, he can on a forward flank accumulate the footy in bunches, do damage with his footskills, present as a strong marking target, provide strong scoreboard impact and push up the field. Midfield talent – Petracca is an improved midfielder this year having improved his endurance and decreasing his skinfolds. He’s got a nice mix between inside and outside game. He’s a very good contested ball winner and stoppage player and these areas of his game can continue to improve given his size and strength. He’s a strong ground ball winner. He’s also got a rare power to him not only with his strength to bully guys inside the contest but some real explosive power where he can burst through a contest, come up with the ball and break away from the contest at speed. He’s also got excellent evasiveness and can sidestep guys and burst away with some real explosiveness. Outside the contest Petracca shows that he can find the footy but also use it really well utilising his damaging footskills and vision allowing him to find damaging targets up the field. Scoreboard impact – Forward or through the midfield Petracca provides strong scoreboard impact and is capable of kicking multiple goals and breaking games open with his scoreboard impact in any given game. Strength and power – Not many 92kg midfielders going around and even fewer with the explosiveness and power of Petracca. He wins his own ball and can either burst through the contest or run around you with ease. He stands up through tackles and has the strength through his core and hips, he can shrug tackles and give a strong don’t argue. In the 1v1 contests he can take advantage of anyone who isn’t key position sized. Versatility – Petracca because he can play not only through the midfield but also on a forward flank or deep in the front half as a marking target gives you options and this versatility should also help him receive on any team immediate senior games. Footskills – Has an excellent mix between footskills hitting his targets around the ground with consistency, vision allowing him to find some really damaging targets in great position, decision making with his ability to choose the right options but also he’s got the finishing ability and set shot goalkicking to allow him to provide the scoreboard impact. Marking ability – Few if any medium size types have the marking ability of Petracca. He’s got the 1v1 marking ability, contested marking ability and ability on the lead to take his marks and he’s got the strength overhead to take them consistently. He also reads the drop of the ball exceptionally well and uses his body well in the contest allowing him to effectively protect the drop zone making him incredibly hard to defend particularly if he can isolate a smaller player defender deep in defence. Weaknesses: Endurance – His endurance is building and has improved significantly this year to an extent where he can now play full games through the midfield but if he hopes to eventually become a full time midfielder further work is still required. Skinfolds – Like with his endurance his skinfolds have reduced but his skinfolds still appear relatively high and also need to decrease. What I expect will improve: I expect Petracca to continue to improve his contested ball winning and stoppage work and take that area of his game from good to eventually excellent. I also expect his endurance and skinfolds to improve. Whether his endurance and skinfolds improve to an extent where Petracca will be played as a full time midfielder that is the question I still have. Who he can become? I anticipate Petracca to develop into a player largely similar to Dustin Martin but without the personal issues. I see Petracca mostly playing as a damaging forward flanker who will at times push deeper into the front half and will split his minutes between playing through the front half and midfield with those midfield minutes increasing as his endurance improves. When will he be ready to play? Petracca is season one, round one ready to play. He’ll start off season one mostly playing in the front half and by season two or three likely play more a split between forward and midfield minutes. How to best utilise him? Petracca today is best utilised in the front half because he’s just so damaging forward of centre. The hope will be that he becomes more a midfielder but I’d look for him to split his minutes between the midfield and front half long term. Interpretation of his numbers: Petracca well and truly has the performances on the board and is one of if not the best performed player in this draft class based on his form these past couple of seasons through the TAC Cup and U18 championships. He’s finding the footy but also providing heavy scoreboard impact at both levels which such suggests he’ll provide both a strong immediate impact at AFL level but also that he will become one of the best to come out of this draft with those high production power midfielders who can provide heavy scoreboard impact of strong value to teams. I also had a SuperCoach write up that says he averaged 129 points during his two TAC Cup years kicking 63 goals from 29 games. As a bottom age player he scored an astonishing 210 SuperCoach points in the 2013 Preliminary Final collecting 9 contested marks, collecting 23 disposals and kicking 5 goals, 5 behinds. I don't think there's a player in this year's draft coming anywhere near to matching this bloke!

Former Don takes club, AFL to court over supplement documents If so, one would expect Hird and the senior players involved to have some knowledge of the substance injected as part of the programme.

My immediate reaction is that Collingwood is playing tricky buggers.

Parish and Weideman would be a pretty strong get for mine. My preference is Weideman over Curnow if both were available as I do have a concern that the latter could be a jack of all trades, master of none. I'm generally wrong.

The only aspect of Satyricon's training reports that had any merit was when he outlined who was in the main group, who was walking laps and who was in modified training. That's it. Everything else was cringeworthy. Such as him saying to vandenBerg after he missed a goal on the run, "you took one too many bounces", or telling Salem that he "trained about as well as his soccer team" that had just lost. He reckons, "Tyson asked me how I played against Freo. I told him". It was the pits. In any other workplace they would have got a restraining order. The players must have thrown a party when they heard he'd landed a job. Mind you, if he spent less time accosting players and more time looking for one he wouldn't have had to spend his life blaming Abbott. In one of Joeboy's preseason "3 word" threads he lambasted the "noisy minority" for not having Grimes, McKenzie and Bail in their best 22. In March he put out his own best 22 and left out Viney, because he'd had a poor preseason. Naturally, the opposite was true. Yet idolaters hung on his every word. They kept asking him about selection and game plans. It would be laughable if it wasn't true. I just hope the players can rock up on Monday free from his ineluctable presence.

Sounds like you were very much a victim of Demonland group think at the time.

I was given a free ticket to see The Commodores (with Lionel Richie)... and went

This also tells me that you like making rash conclusions

Funny thing is I reckon Curnow is a genuine tall. He's certainly got the bulk and plays like one. I know what you mean re height, but I reckon he's well and truly big and strong enough to hold down that second tall position.

My expectations are exactly that, mine. I've seen extensive videos over two years, seen him train and noted Goodwin's comments that he's never seen such an exciting talent through his football journey. There's a reason he was pick 2 and touted as pick one for most of the year. The guy is a bull with speed, a fantastic mark and can kick 70 metres. No-one loves Hogan more than me and this guy equals Hogan in the talent stakes and possibly shades him. You don't like my comments or "expectations" ? Please yourself.

Yes! I do this every year. While watching Parish's highlights and getting excited it occurred to me that this is completely irrational. I recall how excited I was by the highlights of Morton, Blease, Toumpas, Tapscott, Gysberts and even Lucas Cook (so mobile for a big bloke, good hands, good skills). It's fine to be interested in what type of player we might be getting and what their strengths are, but getting one's hopes up on the basis of those tapes is utterly pointless.

Not a player, but I thought Neeld was going to be an excellent coach!

Wow

Human League to be bigger than The Beatles Darren Cuthbertson to win a Brownlow Brian Wilson is no good

I would've walked on by Biffen. I did, however, buy a Glen Campbell greatest hits album and I still like it and anything written by Jimmy Webb. Felt Luke Tapscott could be Rene Kink - like if he could get on the park. He's doing very well for Sorrento.

Something worries me about Curnow. Just a gut feeling.

I've so many I don't know where to start. Jack Viney: thought he'd be too small and skills too scrappy to be any good. Nev Jetta : same. Luke Tapscott:...but he looks so strong and likes hurting people...if only he could find the ball.

Cale Morton. I still believe with the right weights program and in a decent team that didnt destroy his confidence he'd have been ok

This may be more suited to the 'differing opinions' thread - but you know what JR, this is what Demonland needs - a little self deprecation. Everyone's become a [censored] expert on this site. We should have a confession thread. I'll start: I too thought Toumpas would be good. I thought Lucas Cook would be part of the answer to our forward line problems and I was staggered Dom Barry wasn't at least a poor man's Cyril Rioli. I am now thinking Curnow could be fools gold and Weideman may be the next Pavlich. Go Dees.

I think the odds are that there will be a better secondary choice option available as a KPF at pick 7, than there will be as a midfielder if we pass on Parish at pick 3. I'd rather Parish + Weideman/McKay/Curnow than Weideman/McKay/Curnow + Mathieson/Oliver/Francis. Parish certainly doesn't last til pick 7 unfortunately.

Disclosure: I'm a proud sponsor and confident that Max will rise to the top four of AFL ruckmen to which he's aspiring:- Max factors himself into elite ruck calculations

On a more serious note what I like about Parish is that he seems to have the speed of thought and awareness that will make teammates around him flourish.

What on earth are you talking about? I have lived here for 26 years and have not came across anything you have said.. You are quite the [censored]! 3820 represent

I am sold on this kid and really hope we select him with our pick 3. I know that taller midfielders are all the rage at the moment and some think that Parish is too short. Cast your eyes over this list of current players that are within 2cms of Parish or shorter and hopefully it will allay any fears; Rory Sloane: 183 Marc Murphy: 180 Steele Sidebottom: 180 Lachie Neale: 176 Joel Selwood: 182 Jaeger O'Meara: 182 Gary Ablett: 182 Dion Prestia: 175 Stephen Coniglio: 181 Dylan Shiel: 181 Sam Mitchell: 179 Nathan Jones: 180 Jack Viney: 178 Andrew Swallow: 182 Brent Harvey: 167 Travis Boak: 183 Robbie Gray: 183 Jack Steven: 180 Leigh Montagna: 178 Dan Hannebery: 181 Kieran Jack: 178 Andrew Gaff: 181 Luke Shuey: 183 Not too shabby a list that!

Here you go, mate.

Poor kid doesn't even stand a chance with that 'religiously judgemental and narrow minded train of thought'..... We've all read the poisonous bile and nasty vitriol you spew at the current government in power in the general discussions forum and most let it go (because its, well, you), but bringing an innocent kid into it is hitting way below the belt in my opinion. Save your political opinions for the general discussions forum please.

Thank you JR. I'm hoping to make some outlandish predictions totally without merit very early in the new year. They'll be mostly based around Max King.

Strange analogy to Tony Abbott. Even setting aside political animosity it is an odd one. A man who was known for being disorganised and impulsive throughout his career, and who operated entirely on emotion. I'd be impressed by anyone who could find a single thing he did that was either well planned or based on careful review of evidence instead of 'feelings'. In contrast, Neeld had a 'linear pseudo-rational empathy-deficient' plan and stuck to it no matter how many screaming tormented waifs and alienated veterans piled up in the delisting basket.

Ridiculous comment...........Hogan will win the Coleman

"I cannot forecast to you the actions of Jack Watts. He is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma: but perhaps there is a key. That key is playing him as a permanent third tall." Winston Churchill

What a parasite. It finds a host, it feeds, it embeds itself and has to be removed, only to find another (stupid) host.

Agree with Nutbean. With Saty's reports, you do what you do with any report: take from them what's useful to you, ignore the rest. I just don't see the point of castigating someone for not doing what each of us would do, and as someone who can't ever get to training, I appreciate reports from anyone, no matter the shape or form.

Anyone?

It seems that Max now realises that he's an AFL player rather than a standup comedian. If he focuses all his energy into becoming one of the premier Ruckmen of the competition, (which I genuinely believe is possible) then he'll be huge for us. Agree with others he needs to work on his tank clearly. Part of that is putting his head down and working really hard over pre-season without any interruptions. Tapping to the advantage of our mids is also a massive one. Needs to be really aware of it and we have to see an improvement in this area for next year. Needs to look at tapes of Goldy. Must be conscious of where he's trying to tap at every contest. Get those two things right for next year and he'll be a huge factor in the improvement of our side.