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The latest from Knighmare - phantom draft who I usually have a lot of time for but I don’t believe he’s thought this out very well - AFL Phantom Draft: Rounds 1, 2 His picks for Melbourne are:- 23. Melbourne Ned McHenry (VIC) Height, Weight: 176cm, 71kg Profile: McHenry is this year's premier forward pressure specialist, leading the Under-18 Championships in tackles and pressure acts as a small forward. An elite endurance athlete, McHenry can also push up the wings. 28. Melbourne Sydney Stack (WA) Height, Weight: 177cm, 72kg Profile: One of this draft's most exciting and impactful players. A prolific ball-winner and tackler who hits the ball at speed and accelerates away. As well as those profiles read, I can’t see us taking two smalls with these picks given that we have Charlie Spargo, Jeff Garlett and Jay Kennedy Harris and will at least be considering taking Toby Bedford further down the line in the draft as a NGA player. Here is his assessment of Bedford ~ Melbourne *bid on Bedford likely to come 30-50 Toby Bedford (VIC - Melbourne Next Generation Academy) Height, Weight: 176cm, 65kg Profile: Line breaker who often runs the ball 30m at speed before disposing of the ball. Prolific tackler with his application of forward pressure among the best in the draft. Knightmare would therefore have us picking three players between 172 & 176cm. with our first three draft selections. I don’t think so.

People have been asking that the thread be closed from as far back as page 2. Probably a good thing the mods didn’t listen back then.

Before someone changes it......

Just got around to watching a couple of his interviews post-trade. He legitimately seems very excited to have joined us, I think his best footy is yet to come.

It's watching him at training, at Casey and at AFL level. It comes to me a bit quicker, chap. I grew up with the game.

Seriously tough. He was great in the 2017 Casey losing grand final. Lacks too much polish for me at AFL level, but he's handy depth.

I spoke to Kevin Sheedy at a marketing function in Sydney in early 2014. We’d each had about 15 beers, but my recollection of the conversation is crystal clear. He said, unequivocally, that he couldn’t believe the deal we negotiated, and that Kelly was going to be a legitimate superstar. I said it was ‘a win, win’ because we got two top ten draft pick players for the price of one etc, and he just laughed - said Tyson was tres ordinarie and kept repeating that Kelly would be an absolute gun. He maintained that GWS ‘won’ the trade, which I didn’t accept (obviously). This chat stuck in my mind ever since. I really rate Salem, but given that Tyson is now at North - perhaps Sheedy was right (even though it seems we would’ve picked Billings anyway).

I dont think its a good idea to have Best bets in the same race BM? Thoughts? Its not a rivalry thing as I see it. Or perhaps you didnt see other peoples bets. Good pick by the way.

Can’t see the $1.40 lasting too long on the tote for Winx.

Missing friends in Melbourne. Freo have said he is able to be in Melbourne midweek on compassionate grounds. Had a coffee & a dart with Goodwin, discussed coming home to Melbourne if a deal could be worked out

Only if we can call him Simon . He could do Wonders.

Bernie a genuine Diamond in the rough, he bought into our club and bought a lot of footy nous with him, my family and I will miss his cheeky grin and hard at game style................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Good on you Bernie !!

I was thinking the same thing Mono, with 55 years on the clock and minimal AFL under my belt there is still hope that I could become a 100 gamer?

Ok now ive got some coverage at last. Mooney Valley Race 6 No 1 El Dorado Dreaming Plc $1.95 (sorry about the odds but i couldnt find them) Mooney Valley Race 7 No 9 Siege of Quebec Win $3.40 Mooney Valley Race 9 No 4 Avillus $2.90 I got 22/1 boosted so its not bad at all. Good luck punters.

Best Bet: Mooney Valley Race 6 No 1 El Dorado Dreaming Im also keen on a place bet, but i cant get a price here. Wondering around Pom....(didnt see that coming)...peii. God its huge!

Is it not too late for us then??

For me agree it’s down to 6 Bailey Williams - Dandenong-Big forward/ruck, Agile, Skilled, Goalkicker. Likely to go 15-19. Xavier O’Halloran-Western- highly skilled ruck rover. 187cms. Inside/outside. Classic modern midfielder, A leader. Likely 23-25 pick Ely Smith- midfield bull, competitor, clearance king, Pace, toughness, ready to go. Likely to go 15-23 Xavier Duursma - Gippsland- pacy mid, takes game on, attacking mid, inside/outside competitor. Likely 23-25 pick Tom McKenzie- Northern- the runner. Outside midfielder. Very skilled. Good competitor. Perfect fit. Likely pick 23-28 Chayce Jones - Tassie- another outside running mid. Wingman. Classic footballer. Good skills and decisions. Likely pick 25-29.

Last year we traded Balic in on a one year contract but not sure if that is allowed for a Rookie upgrade. Its worth noting Maynard is already contracted for 2019, as a Rookie. The announcement is silent on contract term so on the face of it, it looks like a change of status only, giving him better income. I hope his contract was extended - if good enough to be upgraded then good enough to get an extra year or two. But it is odd the announcement didn't indicate such. Edit: we will use draft pick #91 or #104 to upgrade Maynard and counts as one of the three minimum draft picks we are required to take.

More than anything this is saying we want 6 main list spots and 2 rookie spots. 7 and 1 was always going to be hard to fill. 4 draft picks that we rate on 2 year deals. 2 rookie draftee pick ups on 1 year deals if it doesn't work out. 2 more list spots to fill some other way. I like Maynard as a depth option. Excellent size, really good athleticism and hard at it. Moving him to the main list is recognition for his professionalism and in some ways an incentive to get back, play some good footy and stick with us. Will have to improve his kicking and feel for the game to be a long term player but I think he'll be handy next year and in the short/medium term even if he doesn't.

A few things because one size doesn't fit all and not everything is black and white. The signs were there against the Hawks that we were starting to look fatigued Don't underestimate how much the previous back to back 4 must win elimination games we had effected our players emotionally. We were on a knifes edge coming in against the Eagles. They should have been done week 1 at home against the Pies and without the week off Kennedy would have been in trouble, but somehow they dug out a win. Good luck to them they hung in and the Pies ran out of legs In the prelim we started nervously and bang it was almost gone. Players come out after quarter time in their shells and bang bang two quick goals and that is it, the mountain is to high and we were officially cooked. We had the weaknesses down back going in which were magnified by us getting smashed at the clearances allowing them easy delivery. I like our game style it stands up but needs some tweaks and some greater outside polish. We saw in the later part of the season much improved delivery inside 50 and cohesion moving forward in waves with quick ball movement. Not finishing top 4 cost us dearly, I honestly believe with the build up and emotion we brought into week 1 of the finals that we would have beaten any side in front of us, but we shall never know The ball moves quicker than any player will and you never look slow controlling the game. Take the prelim out of it and I seen a lot to be pleased with and a lot, which I have seen in previous contenders just before they hit their straps. Lewis has been great for us as was Bernie but the baton started to be passed this season with many of the younger players becoming on field leaders and taking the game by the neck. I expect Lewis will be depth come mid 2019 and when we get the 80-100game mark into our nucleus we will see flexibility in our side, we will have the combative game style but we will see players controlling and taking the sting out of games regularly. The biggest hurdle we face next season is for the player group to not believe in natural progression, if we do we will be caught out. We were the hunted in the Prelim and didn't deal with it. We must work hard from the outset, set standards in workrate, preparation, discipline and hardness. We have the cattle, we have the gamestyle and are so close now but nothing comes easy no matter how good you are

Pace is handy and people get caught up in it, but personally I'd rather someone a little slower who can hit targets. Salem definitely isn't slow, he's quite quick but can't use that as a weapon playing the role he currently is. How many of Frost's pacy runs end up with a kick that hits a target? It looks good but achieves very little IMO.

Maybe a couple of questions about his playing career which seems one of perseverance. Undrafted originally, traded, delisted then drafted by Port with one of the last picks which led to the ultimate glory. Seems a long time ago and it would be great to hear about his determination to succeed. How did it feel having a premiership medallion around his neck?

What I liked about Robbo and Bernie was the dignified way they finished their careers. No recriminations, acceptance that the end had come, and such a positive attitude of their careers and their attitude toward the club.

Wow. The star pulling power that Demonland has is impressive. I noticed that Maxy also gave Demonland a bit of a shout out in his B&F speach. That these players and officials of standing keep rocking up to give interviews is a real credit to the manner in which the moderators and administrators at Demonland run the forum. Well done guys.

People can rate trades now, but it is just opinions and gives us something to talk about. No-one can argue they are right or wrong until later. For example, my opinion is Plough is not just wrong on our trading but also Richmonds. He had Richmond as an A. I don't see it. Richmonds biggest problem in 2018 was they suck at contested ball and clearances and covered that well for most of the season due to being the best pressure team. Collingwood exposed them in clearances in the prelim. Richmond have done nothing to address that. They had to create salary cap space to get Lynch and shed 5 of their better depth players. Maybe some player discontent as well. Time will tell but I think we did better in the trade period than Richmond because we addressed some shortcomings. Richmond strengthened an area that they were already good (2nd highest scoring team). I hope we play both Max and Preuss on ANZAC eve to totally destroy Nankervis, starve the Richmond forwards, and expose what a useless critic Plough is....

He needn't have been worried. I reckon Mahoney planned his entire trade meet around bringing in big May, and as such, it was always a massive chance of happening. When you have a bloke who is willing to upset the nuffies, and take "unders" for a supposed star, and then pay "overs" for his target, he usually gets what he wants. I am confident everyone on 'Land will be beside themselves once they realise just how good this animal is....

You're a hard man , have you ever lost someone ? have you ever had to care for someone as they passed away , how about living with cancer ?? I am 51 and lost my wife and now live with cancer , its something you NEVER get over. Statements like yours make me so bloody mad, come sit with me and my kids ask them how they feel , when they don't have a mum anymore , or watched me ... I hope you never ever have to find out what its like. Don't pity me and say sorry , I don't need it , I get up everyday and do what I can , my kids keep me going , go to a cancer ward and see for yourself. I too believe we won on the trade and wish Jesse all the best , as i have when I have spoken to him. Mark.

I did indeed want to keep jack. One of my favorite ever dees players. Certainly that was a factor but so was the fact that he was our best kicks and we lack good kicks. His second last season with us was his high water mark and he made valuable contribution. Something that you might well remember I predicted. A prediction you took issue with leading to a losing bet and your jacky boy avatar But I also made clear on multiple occasions that I understood and respected the decision to trade him and haven't complained once since it occurred. And besides we all get things wrong PD. You for instance, in your inimitable way, dismissed completely my belief tmac could make an excellent forward when it was first tried. In fact IIRC you were quite adamant he could never be a forward's boot lace and the experiment would be short lived I on the other hand, with my strong football analytic skills and many many hours of watching him live, was adamant that not only could he be a good forward he might even play that role going forward. I mean it was pretty obvious he had the ability if you were to take of your confirmation bias glasses. Looks like I might have got that one right pd. You - not so much.

On a selfish level, im curious to see how many pages we can get up to over the course of his career.

Lot of single women on here Ernie. I am sure they know how to boil up a pot of tea.

Is that Clint Stanaway?

His last pre season was excellent, hence the Rd 1 spot, was developing nicely, as Mahoney said, but crueled by the hip injury Last time I spoke to him, was way ahead where they expected him to be in rehab As other topics show, you don't have to be a superstar if you have the attributes Goody wants and you play your role

I know Jake as we are from the same town. Absolute ripping bloke who is from a great family. Plus also hard as nails. A massive tick from me.

Can we now close this thread? Castigation and innuendo serve little purpose and Jesse, the FD/MFC and our success may still warrant our respect?

Best Bet Moonee Valley Race 7 No.9 Siege Of Quebec Win $3.40

Can't post up the links until this evening Wadda but go to Racenet.com if you can and then follow the links Ciao!

Best Bets Spanish Primera Division Sunday at 05:45 Atletico Madrid v Real Sociedad Winning Margin: Atletico By 2+ Goals $2.50 French Ligue 1 Sunday at 05:00 Lille v Caen Lille Win/Over 1.5 goals $1.85

I will look out for it on Sunday DZ ... as well as that race the $200k Sale Cup looks an interesting race with DK Weir having a couple of runners including 'Plein Ceil' which would have to be a decent show. In other news 'Latrobe' is out of the Melbourne Cup and will instead run in the $2Million McKinnon Stakes on the last day of the 4 day Carnival. Decent prizemoney for a alternate race hey? Would Winx run in the McKinnon? Anyway, read more at ... RacingPost.com

G’day Macca. There’s a strong chance the horse will be scratched tomorrow. They will go like last week’s pay in this 955m dash and being drawn in the middle might present some difficulties in terms of where to settle the horse. Not an ideal first-up race. Too much pressure I believe. ‘El’ has also accepted at Sale in the last race on Sunday. This presents a better first-up assignment, less pressure and a bigger track. Prize money is obviously much better tomorrow night but the aim is to have him firing for the whole campaign. Edit: They weren’t expecting to make the Moonee Valley field with the low rating but when they did it would’ve generated some strong discussion for the best and most logical option.

@Dee Zephyr 'El Magnificence' running in the 5th Race at the Valley tomorrow night?

Best Bet Saturday Moonee Valley Race 9 No.4 Avilius $2.70 (Place Only) Assuming all 8 horses start in the race.

A chunk of steel that's dragged thru the mud behind a tractor? Fitting.

At the risk of sounding stupid, why?

Let's say that C is a pass. 9th is half way. Top 3 is top 17%. To say D+ is patently showing the writer's bias. I am accepting that TGR and yourself are negative characters, but I am happy with the direction of our club and you naysayers can have your negativity I simply disagree.

Strongly disagree that the numbers show that. The numbers show that most of the elite key position players explode in season 3 or 4. Jesse has continued at a similar level since his initial season. His numbers I would imagine are similar to Jack Darlings. Goals in 4th season: Riewoldt 78 Roughead 75 Walker 63 Cameron 63 He is a good player, but he isn't close to the player some on these boards talked him up as from season one.

Is that near Cairo? BINGO!

Is that you Krausey??

I expect Tom McDonald, Jetta and Lever to be under serious consideration. I think they'll give May a year to just settle and not give him any leadership titles. Play your role and lead by your own standard.

I've had the pleasure to listen him speak at a few functions since he has arrived and as you said he just oozes leadership. I was extremely impressed at the player sponsors function at the beginning of the season when he just came up to a small group of us and introduced himself and started chatting. In all my time going to functions with players in attendance not one player has ever done that. Having said that I don't expect players to do this but it was a nice surprise for a young player at his first official function.