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Ok, so I went for a look. I can rarely make training (maybe twice a Year) so not sure how much value my observations are. Some quick observations: - seemed to be far more fluent in moving the ball from end to end than I observed last year. They had an end-to-end match simulation with two sides. I didn’t see much of this contested type work previously. While they were not bringing blokes to ground they were hard at it - a few shoves/niggles here and there/good to see. Footies our all the time, no running sessions like I had seen previously. - most blokes in full training. A couple (weid, bradtke) participated in all bar match sim. VDB, petty restricted duties. Tomlinson there but didn’t see him do anything. Sorry might be others on limited duties that I’ve forgotten. - they do look in very good nick I must say. Petracca noticeably leaner, weideman bigger. - the usuals suspects oliver, Jones, Harmes, Brayshaw in everything. May and lever combining well in passages (would not want to be a forward with may on me - powerful, quick and aggressive). Fritsch sublime conversion up front. To all the Oscar critics, he might surprise this year, looked more composed with ball in hand. - some younger guys that I had not seen much before, looked pretty good. Sparrow as hard as, doesn’t care who it is - still needs a bit of polish with his disposal but looks to be improving. - probably the downsides I noticed were Langdon turning it over twice in a row. Down on himself and he then got involved in some better passages. Lockhart also a couple of turnovers but willing. Ask me if you want any comments on specific players.

He was at Bullcreek-Leeming until I think u14s or 15s (won a flag with my bro). Then there were some issues and that's when he moved, along with Jackson I believe. For what it's worth my brother called him last night and he is absolutely pumped to be picked up by Melbourne. He thought he would be going to one of Brisbane or Gold Coast, so it was a big surprise.

An interested observer, casually leaning on a tree, Sam Mitchell My new smokey in Nietschke, motoring up and down a wing in the kicking ball movement drill. Was known in junior days as an aerobic beast

A few answers to questions of my training post. - No draftees sadly. I also didn’t see KK out there come to think of it. - Bedford has some good pace, got involved, disposal a bit ‘loopy’ with handballs I thought at times. Reckon he is playing more like he belongs this year. With Pickett coming to the club I reckon he will fight hard to earn a round 1 small forward spot. - chandler and Jordan to be honest I didn’t notice much in the match sim (and they are not as recognisable to me as I have barely seen them play before) but i was distracted at times with work calls/emails so that could explain it (how dare work gets in the way of my maiden training report I know!). - oh yes tommy Mac looks back on town as well. Moving extremely well and marking everything in sight up front. If he can stay fit will bounce back this year. - and finally there was a drone over the players. I’m assuming it was the Melbourne technician and not an opposition spy

I always consider these types of things to be a pointless exercise but understand it’s meant to feed all things AFL. Any sane assessment should be done at a minimum of two to three years from now but I do like our approach more than anything. Therefore, I’m not voting.

Monday for the draftees and if normal they will wander out, watch trainng, maybe a handball or two, Wednesday will be the day, Bennell and Brown then as well Lewis was there today, did some kicking instruction on players non preferred

I like the look of all 3. All competitive players who love the contest. Just some thoughts on Weightman v Pickett; Weightman reminds me of a Dalhaus type pressure forward, works hard, chases hard but nothing in his highlights shows him to have any real x-factor, no special qualities other than work rate. Pickett is an excitement machine, looks the real small forward we've been looking for. Jeffy with mongrel...I can understand why we rated him. Jackson is exactly what we needed to compliment our forward line...he's going to be a real hard match up and gives us some real versatility being able to give Max or one of the mids a chop out. With Fritsch, Trac & Melk...2 of Weid, Tommy & Pet plus Pickett we're looking a lot better than we did in 2019. Rivers; these picks are always more speculative of course but I love his attack on the footy, looks like he knows what to do with it as well. Has the attributes to be player, good size & skills. If he matches those with attitude then he should get there.

I had a chat to Luke Jackson today while on a break from work in front of AFL house and he is a friendly, easy going, and level headed kid. Was more than happy to chat and spoke genuinely about the opportunities at MFC and is smart enough to know he is a good fit for what our team need and is super excited by it including working with Max. Was going to chat more until a friendly 3AW dude jumped in (who was equally as excited for MFC as he was also an MFC supporter) asked him a few more questions. He has also spent a fair bit of time in Melbourne through rep sides for basketball and footy so aren't concerned by the go home factor with him at all ...

From Mick Ablett. Trent Rivers, I’d like to mention, is one of the most elite kicks in the draft. He’ll be a half back for a little while, but I think he can also fit into the midfield at some stage.

Gosh some people are worry warts. Being from WA doesn’t automatically imply they’ll want to go home. There are heaps who haven’t. I’ll stress out about the go home factor when I see evidence of it happening. All I’ve seen in Rivers and Jackson so far is two excited kids, who had long mentally prepared themselves that they might have to move, who can’t wait to pull on the red and blue.

A bit of a random topic, but as I get older I really like this time of year. You see these kids, just out of school, and all elbows and knee caps, suddenly thrust into the limelight, cameras thrust in their faces, and they ummm and uhhh as they are asked a million and one questions (and you can see them thinking 'Can't I just say "I like footy?'). Fast forward ten years from now and those teenagers are now hardened warriors. They are used to playing in front of thousands of people. They are big and strong, and have mixed it with the toughest the game has to offer. And interviews... they take it in their stride as if having a news crew following you into work is what happens to everyone. It's fun to sometimes remind myself that the tough guy just won a big game off his own boot was, not that long ago, a nervous teenager that had no idea what life had in store for him.

De-composing ?

For me it was when I realised that if I was good enough to play footy at the highest level I would be retired by now.

Knightmare: Melbourne pick 32 = Trent Rivers. A surprise to see Rivers drop this far after talk he would go somewhere around 20. Displays class off half-back and can win it when pushed through the midfield. A good pick here. #AFLDraft

Just been waiting for my coffee in Horsham and fell into conversation with the happy indigenous gent beside me in a MFC tee shirt. He turned out to be the very proud father of Kysaiah having a pit stop on the way back to SA. He wasn’t afraid to talk the boy up. Said he has a fantastic attitude. anyway I left him talking to Frank Giampolo (ex MFC footballer). Really looking forward to seeing this kid play

What becomes more evident as you get older is just how young 18 is. It gets harder and harder to reconcile how 18 can count as “adult”. The interview with Jackson was one of a kid in a man’s body bouncing off the walls with excitement (which I loved by the way). Unsure at what point I officially became an old fart but it appears to have happened.

Getting the Band Back Together

I think you have to say our recruiting team is doing a great job. They are open, easy to deal with, give a little here get a little there, innovative, occasionally smart and ahead of the curve and ultimately get who they want. You set out your plan, you look at what you have to sell in terms of picks and players and you go after what you want. By and large we get the job done. Sometimes we give away more on the surface (a la Hogan) but we as supporters dont always know the facts behind the trades. We generally end up in a better position than before we started. Other clubs deal with us because we don't play games, are genuine and commercial. Compare that the Dumbdoro at Essendon* who would drive me insane as a supporter. Whether we pick the right players is another question that will play out over a few years but I think you have to give the recruiting guys a high mark for achieving what they set out to do. * check this out Hawthorn also selected former Essendon swingman Michael Hartley in the pre-season draft after the Bombers refused to delist him. The 26-year-old had a one-year offer from Essendon on the table but delisted himself to join the Hawks. What a goose Dumbdoro is

MELBOURNE Players drafted: Luke Jackson (3), Kysaiah Kropinyeri-Pickett (12), Trent Rivers (32) Mick’s take: Luke Jackson, fantastic. He was worth Pick 3 every day of the week. I know there was debate around the ruckman … I think Luke’s going to be an outstanding player. He’s your modern day Nic Naitanui-type. Obviously Kozzy Kropinyeri-Pickett … they moved up, Melbourne, to acquire him. They wanted him, they’ve got him through the door, that elusive small forward. Trent Rivers, I’d like to mention, is one of the most elite kicks in the draft. He’ll be a half back for a little while, but I think he can also fit into the midfield at some stage.

We went in with a plan, and got what we wanted. That's an A. How these kids turn out is anyone's guess, but we've targeted what we think we need to go the next step (drafting and trading), and are backing ourselves to be up there next year. I like it. Big ballsy moves aren't the thing I really associate us with. Now if only the footy gods smile on us.

Thirteen of the first 15 players selected in the draft are going interstate to play. Obviously clubs don't rate the "go home factor" as much as you do.

If those three players are duds, then obviously we lose. If they end up being good players they'll probably go home to Perth.

B+ for Draft. I think there were better players available with our top two picks, but not unhappy with how it turned out. Rivers with our second rounder was a steal and he’ll be good long term back flanker. All players drafted have tools that give them a higher than average chance of making it, so decent draft period. Trade/Free Agency period I’d give a B. We missed out on our main target Jamie Elliott who would’ve come free of trading. We sold the farm pick-wise to get Pickett. We gained Langdon, who I’m a big wrap for, but needlessly swapped second rounder as part of that trade. Tomlinson in is average. Bennell as potential rookie is a winner, as he’s obviously a huge talent and high risk high reward. The ins are decent, but like previous Mahoney years I think we overpaid. Overall I’d give us a B+.

If he's anything like Enright let alone better...Well, Enright is one of the great HB's of the modern game.

But in a broader sense: Ins Outs Tomlinson Frost Langdon Stretch Jackson Garlett Pickett Walker Rivers Lewis Bennell Maynard Brown Smith With the exception of an ageing Lewis we seem to have improved our class across all areas. Now they just have to perfom on the field.

Young went at 7 to Freo. 7 is before 8. It's likely we knew this was going to happen, next we wanted Pickett, knew he'd be there at 10 and got Rivers for "free". Your post makes no sense.

Pale with red hair and freckles?

There’s a nice little clip which I’m having trouble posting here for some reason on the club’s social pages of Trent and his family reacting to his name being called out. Judging by his reaction it took a while to sink in he’s now an AFL player. The best reaction came from the family dog, thought it was going for a walk.

This was where the well known draft watchers had Rivers in their power rankings: Draft Central: 13 Knightmare: 20 Cal Twomey: 23 Looks to be a good get at pick 32.

Bit of a question mark over his decision making. Said he was keen to play footy at one of the big Melbourne Clubs but went onto choose us.

Found this on bigfooty. Pick 22. West Coast Eagles. Trent Rivers . 188cm 83 kg. Utility. East Fremantle. Get ready folks this kids an ascending player he is rising up draft boards at a rapid rate. Thrilled to get the contested ball beast with this pick. Came into the Championships with a bit of a flurry and I was given the "heads up" that he was rated very highly down at Moss Street. East Fremantle Football Club has been a production line for quality midfielders over the years. Patrick Cripps, Paul Haselby, Ben Cousins, Daniel Kerr, Simon Black to name but a few. So when I was told to "watch out" for him by East Fremantle connections...... it was duly noted. Rivers has shown versatility and been played in a variety of positions and whilst at the Championships he played off a half back flank and through the middle I see him projecting as an AFL midfielder. An old fashioned, footballers footballer, who thrives at the coal face, the kids a hard nut. His solid Championships gained him AA selection and as quite a few draft watchers have already noted, keep an eye on him as he goes back to the WAFL and completes the season. First week back in the Colts after the Championship he hasn't disappointed, this morning , with a 26 disposal game, 5 tackles and 3 goals. If he continues in this form in the Colts, I can see his being given a debut in the Seniors very quickly. Bill Monaghan, the League Coach, has never been shy giving young kids a run at the highest WAFL level and I will be watching for this to happen with Rivers. He may well be playing himself into first round draft calculations. When considering who to select here, I was impressed with just who was still available as : Mead ( who will be Port bound as a F/S pick so I left him ), Trent Bianco one of this cohorts best users of the ball by hand and foot, the AA CHB Fisher McAsey, and Dylan Williams were available and considered. In the end I just couldn't pass on Trent Rivers, a home grown talent, who fills a need for West Coast as quality midfield depth is short at the Club.

Thanks Mdemonski3 & Saty greatley appreciated........................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think I'm in the minority, but I still hold high hopes for the Weed. Has the traits you look for in a key forward - tackles to hurt, good set of hands and is a lovely kick of the footy. Had a shocker in 2019, but wasn't on his own there. He's still only 22 and played 31 games. Admittedly, we'd want to see solid improvement in 2020, but his best footy is still a few years away yet.

Have they spoken to the catering contractors? Seem to me they would sell substantial less in a ten break vs a twenty minute break. Are the AFL going to reduce the fees they play to compensate? Let's not kid ourselves this 100% about the TV companies and as usual the fans / players are running a bad second.

Not a bad summation there Bbo. I think to expect a big contribution from Jackson in year one maybe expecting a bit much. However we should see Pickett gives us some help down there, could he possibly give less than Spargo? The Weid, yep last year for him, it is put up or on your bike IMO. If he cannot kick 30+ goals in 2020 then I am afraid he is not an AFL level talent.

Just a quick question 'dazzle'...which Mick?

I have it an A. Recruiting Rivers who I rated a top 25 pick was a bonus. The beauty about this draft compared to last year is all 3 are all ready to go and could all play round 1. We knew last year that the likes of Bedford, Jordon and Neita were all going to be playing VFL all year for development. The way I look at the Jackson pick is that we are bring him in as a key forward more then anything. Watching his highlights the way he flies and clunks his marks reminds me a lot of Tom Lynch from Richmond. A 200cm key forward alongside Weideman and McDonald will give our forward line a whole new dynamic. Jackson coming in allows McDonald to play that 3rd roaming tall which he is best suited to. I expect Weideman to fill out more and play the stay at home forward alongside Jackson. Smart and screwed recruitment by Jason Taylor and his team.

I don't have a view either way on Jackson or Pickett and I hope they are both 200+ game players for the club. The highlights packages are encouraging, but I could come up with a decent highlights package for my 9 year old son after 2 years of football too. Rivers addresses a key need with Hibberd declining fast. It is a risk taking interstate players, particularly at the top end of the draft. That said, I am firmly of the view that ruckmen don't win premierships, and I'm not convinced that small forwards do either, so I am not thrilled with these choices. It has now been four years since we have taken either a genuine midfielder or key position player with a top 25 pick. That is not only dumb, it is bordering on being negligent. We have no depth in these parts of the ground and we are in a world of trouble if the likes of McDonald, May or Oliver are injured at any stage of this season. We painted ourselves into a corner by resigning a bunch of C graders in September, which limited our options in the lead up to the draft. I would have loved to have split pick 12 into 2 later picks, but we didn't have the list spots to make use of them. Other clubs were able to make use of live trading to get the players they wanted. I find it hard to believe that Pickett wouldn't have been available later on, and perhaps we could have had a crack at Robertson or Kemp as well. And for a club who supposedly doesn't leak any more, our trade and draft priorities have been widely known well ahead of time. If we didn't broadcast to the world that we wanted Pickett, perhaps he would have still been available in the 20s where he was originally rated. Other clubs are much better at keeping their cards close to their chests.

That is extremely optimistic. I hope you are right!

I rated it ‘A’: we got who we wanted with our picks 1 and 2 We got a slider who we rated higher with our pick 3 we were shrewd in moving resources around, from next year to this year, and from 8 to 10 plus 28. we didn’t get sucked in, or bullied into a bad deal. we got needs met that dovetailed with the trade period, and the 2 train with players. cant know how good they will be, but I rate the process and outcome highly.

I like the look of this boy.. looks big enough to play straight away and free up Salem... for those still bent and twisted about not taking Young ... here’s Taylor’s answer.. could he be an Enright clone?

I'd be thinking Pickett gets 36, close enough to Nev's locker but after a certain great former indigenous small forward in Flash. Would love to see Aaron present him with his guernsey!

Not quite junior club DD, That's their WAFL Club Rivers is from Willetton Junior Footy Club same as Kane Lucas, Aaron Sandilands, Shaun Mcmanys, Dom Cassisi, Rhys Palmer and Richard Hadley Jackson hails from Bullcreek Leeming who produced a couple of Brownlow Medalists/Premiership guns in Simon Black and Ben Cousins Rival clubs from the South East of Perth right next to each other, so you're correct no go home factor all 3 new interstate boys can bond together

A+ I wanted X factor and flair and I got it with LJ and Kozzie. Pick 32 was a nice pick with Rivers sliding a bit and gives us another halfback option with Hibberd slowing down and KK a big question mark.

The warning signs being...geography?

From East Fremantle which is the same junior club as Luke Jackson! Goodbye go home factor.

Yessssssss. My brothers mate! We are all pumped about this. Not super quick but apparently runs all day and an elite kick. Edit: apparently our media team think he's quick so maybe I'm wrong haha