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I wonder if Collingwood, Richmond, Hawthorn or Essendon would do the gentlemanly thing and allow Carlton access to Martin, if they had the pick 2 in the PSD?

There’s a lot of talk round here that Melbourne should split its pick 3 with the GWS Giants and take pick 6 and something else but I’m suspicious of this because in car dealing language, the pick is a lemon ?! Check out the chart from the AFL Draft Guru site Historically, players who have been selected at 3 have played an average of 132 games compared with 57 for pick 6. At pick 7, the average is almost more than double at 133 games. Pick 6 is jinxed - we tell GWS no to that pick. https://www.draftguru.com.au/

If we have a bad year next year, heads will role regardless of our deal with the Roos

He wouldn't be a FA if he came to us.

We should split pick 97

This is a no brainer. Pick him. The kid is talented. He doesn't have off field issues. Injuries, inconsistency and mainly playing for a really bad team has stunted his style of play. Skills, quick, good mark and freakish ability. He has forward nous. Wait, isn't that what we are crying out for? He is not going to sit out for 2 years. Hoping we can convince him to come but we should take him regardless.

Harley Bennell would be a hell of a lot cheaper and if he can get back to his best, and that’s a big if but at his best he is twice as good as Martin

Where's the box for NFI

It’s funny how people see players differently, IMO he has no x-factor whatsoever.

Gone Young and Stephens. Young at 3 - best kick in the draft. Will be an elite half back. Could also play midfield if needed. Stephens - best outside midfielder in the draft. Will provide run and kicking on a wing or any flank.

Not on the footy field I hope.

These are the absolute blue-chip AFL superstars taken in the top-fifteen in recent draft years (my decision is final): Lachie Whitfield 1 Josh Kelly 2 Marcus Bontempelli 4 Patrick Cripps 13 Jordan De Goey 5 Clayton Oliver 4 Yes, we're all aware of the upper-end draft busts and low-pick steals. But outside of Cripps, of the highly touted: all top-five. Sure, others may enter the frame, but there's not many candidates from the 10 to 15 range in their respective drafts. Drafting is of course a crap-shoot, but having a top-five pick definitely helps in the potential of landing an outright star. So, unless we pull a serious surprise and package up to the Sun's number two, I'm of the mind we hold on to three. Hopefully to use on Young and Kemp - but that opinion is based entirely on footage of precisely one kick and briefly reading something something about Patrick Dangerfield and explosions . . . not including Kemp's recent anterior cruciate one.

Pathetic post, stereotyping. You know absolutely nothing about me or my background, if you did you'd understand how ridiculous your comments were about me, my parents and Grandparents are. I've seen and lived poverty mate, but it pales into insignificance to what my parents and grandparents went through. Absolute garbage

If I've set it up right you can make multiple selections but please limit your choices to 2 for obvious reasons. It's up to you how you base your vote, either your dream combination or who you think we'll pick. I voted Serong and Stephens but I've changed my mind several times and probably will again. I think Serong would be a walk up start as a small forward in our 22. According to reports he's strong overhead, good on the ground and loves a tackle and a goal. He could also provide a midfield rotation with time. Stevens provides the class and run we desperately need to develop to hopefully make Tomlinson redundant on the wing. Would be very happy with Young or Kemp as well. If we take any body but Serong at 3 I could live with Weightman at 8 if the others are gone. I like Flanders as well but worry he's too similar to Petracca, if he were still there at 8 it would be tempting.

I've got no interest in blowing any remaining cap space to sign this guy, but can't believe we'd go in the paper saying "we'll pick him if he wants to play for us". How about saying "we're keeping our options open and reserve our right to draft him if he's there at our pick" in the hope that he either comes around (preferably at a reasonable price) or it hopefully poisons the well by either influencing what the Blues do in the draft or even better convincing them to offer him more money that he's not worth.

I think i'd rather see Gold Coast take him and beat Carlton after a lengthy 'restraint of trade' arbitration process. Gil makes up rules on the fly, surely he can engineer them holding onto JM until he nets them RFA compo. Aren't we going to pick up Sam Murray in the PSD anyhow?

As they say rode him like he was the best horse in the race. Kept him out of trouble and trusted his ability to run over the top of him. Our middle distance and up hoses are hopeless when compared to the best European and Japanese horses. Ans the Japanese horses are brilliantly suited to our racing because unlike most European horses they can run slow then accelerate and the end of distance races

No brainer. Young and Kemp are the third and fourth best prospects in this draft. We'll get one of them at three and hopefully the other is around at 8.

2nd last and 8-10 wide around the home turn....Quite a run by M de G

Great ride by Damian Lane on Mer De Glace.

'Yes Yes Yes' wins the Everest. Glen Boss again on board. Wonder how Darren Weir is feeling right now! (he formerly trained the horse) At $9 starting price there was some money for the horse too (not mine of course) The 3yo prevails. Trecking backed up brilliantly so that Schillaci Stakes lead up was certainly no impediment. Beat a lot of good horses home. Track record too ... 01:07.32. That's fast! Plenty of horses disappointed but it was a crack field and they ran the time. Santa Ana Lane brave in defeat but all honours to the fastest horse in the land Yes Yes Yes! What a horse!

Blinkers have done the trick apparently with 'Thought of That' but the horse may go from a maiden winner at Donald to a Victorian derby winner within the space of a 25 days. Prizemoney 23k to $2Million. Meteoric rise. Whooda thunk-it.

Jason Richardson is simultaneously commenting on Racing .com and Ch 7. Nutz.

Its got a good chance.....

Had $5 left on my voucher so I dropped it each way on Mirage Dancer, for some reason each time I looked at the race the name popped out at me.

I noticed that Pick 4 has been a bit of a dud. The average is most likely influenced by us picking Morton and Toumpas at pick 4 and completely [censored] the average up.

Nice early collect for you Gorg ... I tend to ignore the earlier races but I did have an exacta in that race but no good. Small outlay only though. James Jordan's Morphettville tips are up on www.racing.com. There's a few value rumners amongst his tips. And JJ is in very good form lately. Gator's Caulfield tips can be found on racing.com as well (under the Best bets banner)

How's the strike rate for pick 97?

And we need to make the stand that Carlton took. Stevens went on to become a much loved and great player at the Blues.

Nick Stevens, wanted to go to Collingwood ended up at Carlton.

Outside of Luke Ball, when was the last time a player went into a draft saying "I only want to play for Club A"???? Martin doesn't have that right now. What Melbourne and GC do here could have a significant impact on drafting moving forward. If we pass on Martin, players nominating clubs in drafts could become far more prevalent. I hope we utilise the next month to change Martin's mind, but if his wage demands fit in with our list management strategy going forward, I'd be drafting him anyway without question.

Now that changes everything. Thanks for this invaluable information.

Take your point there. I would also bypass Martin if he 100% doesn’t want to play for us. But at the same time he’s not a free agent and therefore shouldn’t have the right to pick and choose which club he goes to. He hasn’t earnt that status yet.

My best bet is Race 5 No.3 (Soothing) $3.10 So what do we all like in the Caulfield Cup & The Everest? I'm with Mer De Glace in the Cup but not with any confidence. Taken an exacta with a few involved. And I'm sticking with Sunlight (E/W) at very good odds in the Everest but again, the race is a good one for the exotics. 2 big races in each State? I like it. A point of difference is fine by me and there are enough good jockeys around to ride on the good horses (in each State) I look upon it as increasing the interest across the board. Competition is a good thing as far as I'm concerned. The racing bodies in Melbourne will disagree but they'll get by. n.b. RSN (The Greater 3UZ) have got Peter Moody on for the next 2 hours live from Caulfield (from 10.00am)

No kid reaches their potential at Gold Coast. Not a single one has. Melbourne is the perfect fit for for Jack Martin. We have a brigade of big bodied mids to get the ball out to him and protect him. Come on Mahoney, make it happen!

Soon enough we will be on one of the betting agencies social media pages "how a lucky punter turned $5 into $30,000"

I have been struggling to land on my best. Vasilating between arcadia queen, royal meeting and brutal. But have landed on royal meeting. Caulfield race 8 no 2. Group one winner at its second start in Europe and is up against an average lot in a small field. $3.40 fixed odd atm so good value.

Where would he sit in your best 22? I can't envisage him at Melbourne unless I can see him in one of your best 22s.

Let’s wait and see what happens at Hawthorn but at the moment it just seems like a dumb decision. And if Frost does well at Hawthorn it will be a poor reflection on our coaches and footy dept. Very disappointing.

It always baffled me that we weren't going hard for him. This is a perfect opportunity to snipe him without giving anything up other than money. Get Steven May in his ear.

Nice to see a bit of media that isn't Andy Maher arrogantly gushing over Carlton picking him up in the PSD re manager interview yesterday

I'll tell you why it's a salary issue, he's reportedly looking for $650-700k per season. What has he done to earn that, nothing but potential and he's not a ball winning mid or key position player. It sets a bad precedent paying overs for a player who's not fully committed to the club Trac, Fritsch and Harmesy are all up for renewal next year. What do you say to them. I maintain my stance, chase him by all means but don't be negligent. If Blues want to throw coin at him he hasn't earned so be it

Is if possible we split the pick?

It’s still Young at pick 3/4 and then likely at pick 8 it’s choice of Kemp (hopefully) or Stephens or Flanders or Ash. Though likely Crows may grab Dylan Stephens first.

Interestingly he was happy to go to the Bombers in 2018, so he has had interest in other clubs.

This is hopefully the year where we can get 2 x elite talents into a pretty reasonable list We may not get a chance like this for a considerable time. Need to make the most of it. Everything the recruiting team has done, rightly or wrongly, has been done for a reason. so far they don't seem to have put a foot wrong - altho aside from maybe Oliver & Gawn we still lack a damaging game breaker like Martin, Danger or Cripps. It has to be an extraordinary deal to give away 3 and/or 8.

Stop talking sense. I have hated one club all my life and that is the blue scum. I don't hate the players, just the club and its supporters. Listening to them again this morning and their arrogance, just heightens my dislike of them. They are rejoicing in the fact that they are going to screw the bottom club out of a number 1 pick player and get him for free. Their unbridled joy is sickening in the extreme. Personally, I would be prepared to take him and let him stand out of footy for 2 years, if he wouldn't come to the party, just to stuff them up. However, you are talking sense. We would have to overpay a player who has not earned it and it could upset our culture, salary structure and our players and for that reason only, if we can't convince him to come to us for a fair deal, let him go and so be it. I hope another good player would then pop up that GC don't want ,or can't take and we get him instead. I then continue to hope that the blue scum fail for many years to come. Go Dees.

I don't get the fixed view that some hold regarding Harley. When was the last time he made a mistake? Injury aside. A long time ago. People change. Harley has a small family. His mistakes are in the past. Injury is the only concern, but I'd jump at signing him on a one year deal to see if he could get his body right. The Richmonds and Collingwoods of this world seem to have little issue giving players a second and third chance. (Cousins, Kraks). And even though some don't work out, they remain strong as clubs and continue to perform. Meanwhile, we have supporters who would rather the feel good Billy Stretches and ANB's of this world. Great characters, professional trainers. Yadayada. But will do very little for us in the way of influencing a game. Every team is trying to get a leg up on the other. It's about time we tried something against the grain.