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The difference between Kolodjashnij and the Viv Michies of this world is that Kolodjasnij was a genuine top 10 talent. At 190cm with good speed and a lovely left foot kick there are already AFL attributes for a club with good development to work with. Judging Kolodjashnij on any output in 2018 on the back of concussion issues and the demotivating workplace that was the Gold Coast Suns isn't the smartest reasoning. The fact that he came second in the 2015 B&F behind Ablett in just his second year shows his high level talent. His Brother, who wasn't considered to be as talented as him and went at a pick in the 40s, just finished 8th in Geelong's B&F. I reckon Kolodjashnij is a great get by the club and I'm very confident he can become an important player.

Even if Kolodjashnij turns out to be Viv Michie reincarnated, so what? The risk is super low but for the reasons outlined by ProDee above, the potential upside is enormous. The only thing at stake is the emotional well-being of fans who can’t cope with their own disappointment. I’m prepared to back him in; I think he will prove to be a great pick-up. If I’m wrong, oh well. This is sweating the small stuff.

There is a fair bit of meh factor about this for me. Clayton Oliver and Max Gawn were busy eating meat pies and left over pizza in their draft years and it hasn't exactly held them back. Is it possible that this bloke is only outperforming his peers at U18 level due to his ultra proffesionalisim, only to be overtaken once they get on the same programs? Maybe, maybe not. Good luck to him, would be interesting to come back to this thread in a few years time to see how it has all panned out.

? Classic handle @Ithinkimgawnalever

This story mentions "Chaos" so this sport HAS to be what he is studying doesnt it? (Did anyone else get sick of Fathead commentators always talking about "Chaos" ball late in the season during our games?)

Let's not sugar coat it. He was a steak knives part of the May trade for a reason. I wouldn't be judging his ability based on any games he played this year. The last two seasons have been pretty much written off by concussion concerns. His junoir years and first few years at the Sun's were good and he showed his elite disposal and decision making skills. He would have been very frustrating as a fan as he would show patches of great play and then could go completely missing for large periods of games. He often struggles to get the ball but when he does he can use it extremely well. We will be hoping that he can get his confidence back or he won't get anywhere. He has been in the system for 5 seasons now and will be reaching his prime physically. He had the skills we want and plays in a position we lack depth in. He cost us very little and in my opinion is a great pickup for us. It's similar to the Dean Kent trade for the saints. They knew that they could get him cheap as chips and if he gets a good run with injury, his form and ability will far exceed the price they paid. It will be a bargain. If not.. well they gave up bugger all for him so no big loss. Kade is the same for us. If he puts it all together in a good environment then we could have an excellent player for very little.

Partington got a few games in 2017 through sheer weight of numbers in the WAFL. He did about what you'd expect of a guy playing his first few games in a midfield that was slow and getting beaten most weeks. 2018 was meant to be his breakout year with no Priddis or Mitchell playing but for some reason didn't get a go. Did alright in the WAFL again - tied for club b&f. I think he could be a good pickup for someone. Karpany looks a little more flash in the pan small forward type. In the right environment could be pretty good, or could be a dud. Worth a shot for a team looking for a small forward who could just be a freebie gem.

Could add Baily Freitch to the list of potential players to step-up. He was great in his first year, but has alot of the tools to go from that to elite after getting his first season at the top level and another preseason under his belt. Kade Kolodjashnij is another with potential, not so much to step up, but more to get back to his best.

Harmes really is the success story of 2018. Others who are in the 2nd to 3rd tier group of players at the club must be looking at him and thinking ‘if that bloke can do it there’s no reason I can’t’. Harmes and Brayshaw stepping up big time and made such a huge difference to the side. My two picks to step up in ‘19 are OMac. Will go into the season as a 23 year old with 60+ games under his belt who should have grown into his 198cm body. Depending on match ups and with Lever and May coming into the backline Oscar may find himself on the likes of Brown, Daniher, Cox and Hipwood or even forward on occasions where he often played as a junior. He has improved every year he has been with us and reckon he can go to another level Stretch. It probably is bit of a make or break year for Billy whose star has fallen as best mate’s ANB has risen. Stretch was playing the best footy of his short career before getting injured. Hopefully something had clicked and he will pick up that form again next year. You get the feeling he won’t die wondering and will prove his worth

Sounds like a deadset peanut. No thanks.

Tracc has to become more accurate in front of goal. I thought his 2018 was pretty good, but for his goalkicking

And on Harmes, I'm hoping he doesn't take his foot off the pedal either and re-doubles his efforts to improve even further. If he gets to A grade, with a fit Viney, we'll have the best midfield in the competition (if we don't already).

You are a valuable resource for this site. Thanks for your work mate. Might be a struggle for the Dee 2's next season after so many regulars got the axe. Would be wonderful for our growth in the area if we could bring home a flag for the Cranbourne area. Best of luck to the new boy. Go hard Tom.

MELBOURNE champion Garry Lyon has implored Christian Petracca to return to training early, urging the hybrid Demons forward to replicate Max Gawn’s off-season example in order to get the best out of himself.

2011 AFL Round 7 Melbourne v Adelaide

I found that article about him troubling on a number of levels. OCD traits with high anxiety if you can take on face value what was written. I wish him well and hope he lands in a nurturing environment.

Reckon I might switch back to Sun/Mon overnight sports @Wadda We Sing @Dee Zephyr A lot of the better performed soccer teams in Europe play on Sunday's and that's where I usually try and find some value.

Complain that we should have won by more

I think it’s a bit premature to say Weid has made it he still has a way to go to be considered a real threat to opposition teams on a regular basis - few nice games but much improvement and consistency needed

Ugh, who wants to listen to a guy who brought Mark Neeld to this club. Petracca is traveling fine.

We plea for Trac to make improvements. Is this fair? Trac is most probably more aware than we are about the directions and milestones of his game and its improvement than we will ever be ... it is rational that this is the case given his superior proximity to the FD and the coaches/players with whom he plies his trade. He needs the drive, determination and opportunity to pull out something consistently, stunningly and expertly and to my mind, these elements have been demonstrated as singularities quite well so far and hopefully, will become augmentations to his game in the future. Opportunity is one of these major factors onfield, alongside communications and analyses with the coaches. We all have confidence in him so just maybe, 2019 will be the year?

I select is s dud product .the vic gov site is better if choosing gas and electricity. I went through all of my bills/ deals with Iselect and they couldnt better any if the deals id found myself , why? Because they only have certain companies they want to sign you up with , not a genuine ‘choice’ site But thanks for the sponsorship!!

He plays for the Shockers now...He will get stick like any other ex player. Hopefully our defence keeps him quiet, i have no qualms with MFC Members reminding him where he once was. We were very good to Jesse.....

Brayshaw realised he needed to do something and attached himself to Jones and did everything he did. Look how his season turned round this year. 3rd in the Brownlow and just dominated in the midfield. Petracca has the talent but I would love to see him in the midfield, so he needs to get his fitness up so he can get through games and just dominate. He can become elite if he chooses to or he could just coast along and be happy with where he is at. But players will come in and pass him by and suddenly Christian may find himself fighting for his spot.

How could you possibly compare KK to Balic, the guy played 4 games of AFL footy. KK came second in a BnF in 2015 and has a great amount more upside in his game. Your confidence and form drains in a unsuccessful environment and weak culture. He will thrive in a winning environment and strong club culture.

Our foward 50 operates more fluent with out Hogan. His goals will come from others. Exactly who? A number of possibilities. Our defence is now elite. Forward line is very dangerous. Now, ironically I think we lack that midfield depth weve enjoyed for a while..

Jeff's problems are off the track don't be surprised if he quits.

good post. i agree with every player listed here. i'd love to see jeffy back in the team.

I recon Oscar may just be a bit of a sleeping giant. With all the praise and attention on the rest of our now star studded backline, his steady progress has gone a little under the radar. His feild kicking is a definite strength compared to his brother. His continued maturity in strength, confidence and experience could help make our backline near impenetrable. If he is to play more forward though, it might help if he could kick his first goal at AFL level. ...I wounder how long it took Tommy to kick his first.

Roughly about one season 'Fifty'... Previous once in a generation players to name a few have been Lynch, Danniher, Hogan, Boyd, Moore etc.... The way once in a generation is going I'm pretty sure we can get it down to a week.

Take a look at his 2017 goals... Compare them to many of his goals from this year, where he was often looking to dish off, or played on to kick around his body. Also, in 2017 he kicked 26 goals, 6 behinds. In 2018 he kicked 19 goals, 23 behinds. It's confidence.

Agree mate. Don't get me wrong, I still love footy and going to the game is the ultimate experience. Despite my nostalgia, I don't hanker for the past. When the ball is bounced at the beginning of every match I still feel nervous and excited. However, I do find all the distractions a pain, such as the incessant advertising, entertainment, noise and other marketing ploys. I also think that due to the saturation of the sport (extended seasons/fixtures/matches played 4 and 5 days in a row, media coverage etc) the sense of freshness and anticipation we have when we go to a game is now a little blunted. Its like obesity,. There is so much food that people eat more, when less is better. Our health improves and we live longer lives by eating less.

Amazing, we have bemoaned the lack of professionalism and dedication of our players for the last 10+ years. There is a Tracc thread which leans this way at the moment. The dedication sounds amazing BUT you hope he can balance his own expectations and life to make sure he doesn't burn himself out.

Everybody should be replicating Gawn's fitness regime he's close to the best player in the AFL.

Confucius says, “the green reed which bends in the wind is stronger than the mighty oak which breaks in a storm.” At this rate he's heading for a fall...

Speaking about his goal kicking I think Trac seemed to lose confidence in front of goal. He seemed to always look to give it off when in range.

Maybe it's just me but I think Petracca's 2018 season was very underrated by DL posters. I'd rate his season as good as he averaged 20 possessions a game playing predominately half forward. He had over 40 shots at goal but was inaccurate compared to his previous year but all his major stats were up. He came with a lot of expectation and I understand some are disappointed he isn't yet a superstar but it's only his fourth season in the AFL with his first ruined by injury. What I find more disappointing is people questioning his attitude when the reality is I doubt many know and are just guessing. Questioning someone's attitude by guessing is poor form. As for Lyon's view - I couldn't care less.

I think a pass mark is top four finish in the regular season and then to make a prelim. B Making the Grand Final. A Winning the Grand Final. A+

Yeah fair enough. I’d probably try and get in touch with Wattsy.

Will watch the replay everyday until the next season.

Genuine excitement at our prospects next year? Dangerous thinking round these parts

I looked at the pics and wondered why the jumpers looked so good. I pine for the days before marketing, advertising and entertainment.

Wishes 23- Xavier O’Halloran (Bailey Williams, Ely Smith, Sam Sturt, Chayce Jones) 28- Xavier Duursma (Tom McKenzie, Sydney Stack) 54-Joe Ayton Delaney (Jacob Kennerley) 62-Toby Bedford *NGA 91- our smoky (Frank Anderson, Nick Rippon, Mitch Lewis) Rookie #15 Matt Hammelmann/ Hayden McLean/ Lachlan Waddell/ Hudson Garoni (Ruck/big forward options) #33 Jay Lockhart

AFLW and AFLX to fill the void? The key is satisfying the broadcast revenue. There's a fair way to go before they will fill it but it is possible and we could get to the fair 18 round with as others have suggested, more byes to cater for anomalies. I know the relatively short NFL season made me so hungry for it when I lived there.

makes so much sense on so many fronts. The only people it might upset are the stadium owners but with less games you would probably see a 10% increase in crowds per match is my guess.

And accomodate needs, like the 3 day Anzac break, 6 day back to back interstate trips and NT recovery requirement etc. Would prolong careers as well.

you can have two or three split rounds that would extend the season to 20/21 weeks in length. It would also give a little less competition for the prime time TV spots

Financially it's the best fixture we've had in a long long time. We're on the up on-field, we've been on the up off-field for years now, and this will only drive us further up off-field. We're going to make a lot of money next year and start becoming a powerhouse again if we can be competitive for years to come and maintain this sort of draw and sustained success. In terms of exposure in prime time night games and free to air tv, it's the best fixture we've had in 15-20 years. This fixture is brilliant for supporters. We get to see a number of quality games in prime time, and more games on free to air than we've had in bloody forever. Neutrals are going to see more of us and our hard attacking brand and we're going to get more positive hype, media and exposure as a result. In terms of difficulty... it's rough. Really rough. We're a top 4 team now, and we'll be made to earn it. If we make top 4 again based on this fixture, we'll win the flag. We've got one of the hardest fixtures by a mile, but if we show up each week then we'll be fine. This will be a good test for the youngsters to see if they're maturing properly of if there's still a ways to go.

Deservedly tough draw. We are a top 4 side. Other teams will not look forward to playing us. Huge from a financial perspective and brilliant for sponsors. Some huge games against big Victorian clubs will make for some terrific games and big game atmosphere. 13 FTA is massive as is the fact we gte get six stand alone FTA games (3 Friday nights, a Thursday night, the ANZAC eve game and QB). That's a brilliant result.