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100% this. I was down at EFFC last week and spoke with someone who has stayed in contact with LJ. He’s apparently very happy at the club and has no intention of returning home. People like to stir the pot and create false rumours to make themselves feel important.

If Beames was playing they would have exactly the same problem. All self-inflicted incompetence managing their salary cap.

OMG!!! Their CEO just said on SEN that they will go to the AFL to get some sal cap relief because of the 'unusual' circumstances, adding they hope they get a 'fair outcome'! Late Edit: To clarify. The sal cap relief talk was related to paying out the Beams contract. He has had mental health issues for several years. General chat is that he is owed $500k for the next two years. If AFL allows this relief it should for all other players whose contracts are paid out for any issue or injury eg KK for us. The rest of the league should be annoyed if an exception is made for them. Especially Sydney who were penalised with 'special, once-off Sydney only' trade restrictions for the Buddy contract. Post Buddy the AFL changed the rules if an FA retires early the full amount is still in the sal cap which is possibly preventing them from retiring him early. And the AFL didn't give extra sal cap space last year to GCS for the large list size, claiming the sal cap is sacrosanct. I have no sympathy for Syd or GCS but Coll should be treated the same. Pies wanted to fix their sal cap so they chase FA and OOC players. It will be an enormous advantage for them to chase these guys if they get sal cap relief. Self imposed damage. Pies, live with it like all other clubs do. @rjaydid I correctly hear what the CEO said about seeking sal cap relief from the AFL - wouldn't want to mislead DL's.

Hi guys I did a bit of research into a few players who look like they might be available at 18,19, or 28 in the draft this year. I've compiled a list of 10 player profiles who appear a chance to be available at our selections: Finlay Macrae Position: Inside or Outside midfielder Height: 186cm Weight: 78kg Club: Oakleigh Chargers Plays like: Jack Macrae Draft range: 12-25 Finlay, brother of Jack is one of the most classy midfielders in this years draft and plays very similar to his brother. Some of his best traits are: very good kick on both feet, clean hands, decision making, composure, vision, agility, work rate. Finlay is very good at chaining up possessions in the midfield and then lowering his eyes to hit up targets inside 50. Some of his drawbacks is that he is not overly quick or explosive, but he makes up for that with his endurance where he ran a 6:17 2km time trial. Finlay doesn’t do the flashy stuff but he’s a very clean, classy, consistent player where he didn’t get much midfield time for Oakleigh last year due to how stacked their midfield was with the likes of Rowell and Anderson. With good height and football nous, Finlay could step into AFL level next season on a wing or half forward/half back and have an immediate impact. Nik Cox Position: key defender, key forward, wing Height: 200cm Weight: 87kg Club: Northern Knights Plays like: Darcy Moore Draft range: 15-25 Nik Cox is one of the most unique prospects in this year draft, the AFL might have never seen a player like him with his skill set. Cox is a very good key position height at 200cm where he has played at either end of the ground successfully but he also played a fair bit of footy on the wing where he proved his capabilities at the combine running a 6:02 2km time trial, and a 2.95 second 20m sprint. Cox is ridiculously quick for his size and has an enormous tank, but add on to that he is very good kick on both sides of his body, and has very clean hands as well. Cox is dominant in the air with his overhead marking and dominant on ground level with his skills, he is just very raw at this stage but he possesses all the tools to be an absolute star of the competition. Cox will likely take quite a few years to develop where he needs to put on size to be able to compete 1v1 with bigger bodies of the AFL, but he possesses all the attributes to develop into a dominant intercepting CHB, a roaming CHF, or a unique wingman. Jack Carroll Position: Half back flank or inside/outside midfielder Height: 188cm Weight: 76kg Club: East Fremantle Plays like: Adam Cerra/Trent Rivers Draft range: 15-30 Carroll is basically a clone of Trent Rivers in his under 18 year in the way he plays and has played plenty of footy already with Riv and Jacko due to him coming from the same club as them. Carroll combines class, toughness, and athleticism to form a very ceiling for what he could become at AFL level. Physically Carroll possesses some very good attributes to become a great player in numerous positions, he ran a 3.018 20m sprint, 8.67 second agility test, and a 88cm running vertical leap. Carroll possesses a piercing left foot kick and always makes the best decision with ball in hand. Carroll also has very clean hands and at times somehow manages to find time and space where others cant. Carroll started the season off at half back where he was seen as just an outside player but in the second half of the season he moved into the inside midfield for East Fremantle where he showed a very good contested side to his game as well. Despite his light frame Carroll is not afraid of running back with the flight of the ball or crashing open a pack to win the ball on the inside. With his progression to a midfield he led the WAFL colts competition in contested possessions per game with 15. Carroll needs to add size to his frame and work on his endurance but he is also the youngest player in this years draft pool where he doesn’t turn 18 until December. Carroll will likely start his AFL career at half back where he can have an immediate impact next season and then could potentially develop into an inside midfielder in the long term. Brayden Cook Position: wing or medium forward Height: 189cm Weight: 82kg Club: South Adelaide Plays like: Jaidyn Stephenson Draft range: 15-30 Brayden Cook is this years biggest draft bolter when he shot onto the scene for South Adelaide this year where he took over games and won them off his own boot. Cook is an athletic outside midfielder who can go forward and kick bags of goals where he proved that by kicking 5.5 and collected 22 possessions in a 1 point win over Woodville-West Torrens. Cook is a really strong overhead mark and he boasts a 74cm running vertical leap. He is also just as good on the ground where he recorded a 8.45 seconds agility test where he uses that to be creative at ground level and then makes good decisions with ball in hand. Cooks field kicking and goal kicking could use some work, he kicked 26 goals this year but also recorded 27 behinds. Cook will also need to add strength to his frame where he is a very raw player at the moment but has a very high ceiling. Cook will likely take a few years as a wingman where he needs to build his endurance but he could have an immediate impact next year as a medium forward where he could potentially produce the same output as Jaidyn Stephenson did in his first year. Caleb Poulter Position: inside/outside midfielder or medium/key forward Height: 192cm Weight: 79kg Club: Woodville-West Torrens Plays like: Bailey Smith Draft range: 15-30 Poulter is this years tall midfielder who is capable of eye-catching plays with his ability to impact the game on the inside and outside and has the ability to use his size to go forward and kick goals. Poulter possesses a penetrating left boot and clean hands where he is just as effective at extracting the ball in and under, as well as chaining up possessions on the outside and hitting forwards on the lead. Poulter has a 81cm running vertical leap, 3.058 seconds 20m sprint, and a 6min38seconds 2km time trial which allows him to provide a marking option around the ground as a midfielder or up forward inside 50. He also uses his size and presence around the ball with a great tackling ability and has a knack of breaking tackles with ball in hand. At the moment Poulter has a tendency to drift in and out of games but that can happen when played in multiple positions, but he also needs to work on consistent execution by foot as he can tend to blaze away from time to time when in front of goal. Poulter’s ceiling is enormous and the potential to play just about any position on the ground, he may take a little bit of time to develop but he has all the tricks to be a star at AFL level and potentially make an impact next year. He also has an incredible Bailey Smith-like mullet that will attract fans to games with his looks and what he is capable of. Tom Powell Position: inside midfielder Height: 183cm Weight: 74kg Club: Sturt Plays like: Tom Mitchell Draft range: 15-35 Powell is the one of most consistent midfielders in this years draft where he won SANFL under 18 league best and fairest. Powell has the ability to rack up enormous amounts of possessions where has very clean hands and highly skilled stoppage craft. He is a good decision maker and excels at finding players on the outside. He is not overly quick but he does have great agility where he recorded a 8.35 seconds agility test. Powell is a great competitor who always gets the best out of himself and has great leadership qualities, and he applies good defensive pressure and tackling on the field. There have been questions on how much does Powell hurt you by foot which is an area of his game he continues to work to become a more damaging midfielder. Powell averaged just under 35 disposals a game for Sturt this year and will likely be a very, very good midfielder at AFL level but may struggle for opportunity in Melbourne’s midfield. Nathan O’Driscoll Position: inside/outside midfield or defender Height: 187cm Weight: 76kg Club: Perth Plays like: Ed Curnow Draft range: 15-35 O’Driscoll might just be the hardest working player in this years draft, where he influences games through his work rate and defensive work; he could be described as this years draft’s “Mr Fix It.” He is a running machine who recorded a 6:23 minute 2km time trial which allows him to play on the inside and outside in the midfield. O’Driscoll busts his guts on defensive and offence where he will tirelessly chase and negate his man on defence and then outwork them on offence. O’Driscoll will often run the length of the ground just to provide an option or to open up pockets of space for his teammates. O’Driscoll excels around stoppages where he usually racks up large tackle numbers and possessions himself. He started the season in defence he is able to shut down small forwards with his 2.931 seconds 20m sprint and 8.12 seconds agility test and provide rebound from half back. He also shown the ability to lockdown the best midfielders on the inside or outside when used in the midfield. O’Driscoll is also a courageous overhead mark where he uses his size to his advantage. The offensive side to his game does need a bit of work, with tidying up his kicking, improving his kick-to-handball ratio, and increasing scoreboard impact but he makes up for it with his enormous influence on games defensively. O’Driscoll could potentially be the best tagger in the league one day and is likely where he will start his career, but he also potentially could be one of the best lockdown defenders in the league. Bailey Laurie Position: small forward or inside midfielder Height: 179cm Weight: 78kg Club: Oakleigh Chargers Plays like: Toby Greene Draft range: 20-30 Laurie is the best small forward in the open pool this year who can carve opposition up with his creative skills more as a high half forward. Laurie is not overly quick for a small forward but makes up for it with his work rate (6:24 2km time trial), agility, smarts, decision making, and most importantly his evasion. He is an incredibly crafty player who is very hard to tackle and you feel like every time he touches the ball something good is going to happen. He is an incredible crumber who seems to always know where the ball is going to drop. Laurie’s defensive side of his game is just as proficient, he is a keen tackler works really hard to keep the ball inside 50. Laurie excels around stoppages where his incredible handball skills are on display, his vision and craftiness with his hands give him the potential to become a midfielder as well. You want the ball in Laurie’s hands going inside 50 as he has great skills and composure on both feet and has great finishing ability around goal and on tough angles. Laurie is packed full of X-factor but can drift in and out of games and does need to put on size. Laurie could step straight in next year as a small forward due to his great work rate and whilst he may not kick massive bags of goals he sets up a lot of goals as well chipping in a goal or 2 game himself. Zane Trew Position: inside midfielder Height: 185cm Weight: 80kg Club: Swan Districts Plays like: Clayton Oliver Draft range: 20-40 Trew is a dominant contested ball player who thrives at winning his own ball and then feeding it to receivers on the outside. Trew is a very good size for a midfielder which allows him to influence stoppages by winning possessions and is a good tackler. He is quite agile (agility test time of 8:39 seconds) and has a bit of toe (3.034 seconds 20m sprint), but his best asset in his midfield craft is his clean hands that almost every time release a player on the outside. He also has excellent poise with ball in hand and is a reliable kick by foot. Trew doesn’t have much of an outside game at the moment but that is an area he could develop where he can hurt the opposition on the scoreboard with his sound kicking. He also has had an injury interrupted last few years where he has struggled to string together runs of matches. Trew is a reliable high production midfielder who would be ready to step into AFL next year due to his size but like Powell Melbourne’s midfield would be a hard one to break into. Kaine Baldwin Position: key position forward Height: 193cm Weight: 90kg Club: Glenelg Plays like: Charlie Curnow Draft range: 20-60 Baldwin is one of the biggest unknown commodities at this draft, he was one of the most promising youngsters at the Under 16s National Championships, but since he has done 2 ACL’s. As a player Baldwin can play either as a mobile centre half forward or a close to goal key forward where he possesses a real strong contested mark. He is a one grab player who is aggressive in the way flies for the ball and attacks the contest. He also covers the ground really well and gets involved in link up play where he is a really good kick going inside 50. His ground level ability also brings the potential for Baldwin to run through the midfield. In his Under 16s campaign for Glenelg he averaged 21.8 disposals, 9.6 marks, and 2.8 goals a game as a key forward. The obvious drawbacks with Baldwin is the unknown area around if he will be the same player he was post injury, and how well his body will hold up in the long term. However due to his untapped raw potential and versatility he looks certain to be drafted but it is highly likely he won’t feature at AFL level next season as a club will look to build his body up and ease him into things.

He was 22 and had played just on 50 games, then we didn't get to see him anywhere near back to form until he was 27. 170 marks, 60 goals in a season, there's a chance he could've gone to the Carey level of 200 marks, 80+ goals, just dominating the comp. But even if he didn't and '94 was his best it's such a shame we never got to see more of it.

Watch Schwarz in 94, he was at his best then

Jackson isn't going anywhere in the short term. like Jesse he'll get chased every single off season by both W.A clubs but so will Rivers and Kozzie. any half decent interstate player is going to deal with that most of their career. Everything i've heard about LJ is he's incredibly happy at the club, excited for the future and the club thinks we've got ourselves an incredible talent. I personally think LJ's first 4-5 years are going to be mostly flashes of brilliance with a gradual build in strength, fitness and consistency before absolutely exploding onto the scene and ripping a season apart. gotta keep expectations in check for the young man but he does look the goods

Fair points but why should concussion or mental health be treated differently for sal cap purposes than retirements for career ending, physical injuries. None of them are foreseeable. If relief is to exist in sal caps it needs to be based on a considered policy in consultation with other clubs not a knee-jerk reaction to a Coll problem. With adequate protections built in so retirements aren't misrepresented by clubs.

Took it in all his stride this year did Jacko. I remember an interview with Sen i think after his RS nomination? And Dwayne asked how he has settled in with the hub etc. Jackson response was something along the lines of "loved every minute of it so far and the boys are like brothers to me". Knew then he was in it for the long haul.

Don't get caught up with how and what the original post, and the following responses from that poster, had to say about LJ. It was classic "click bait", knowing that it would cause responses. All of it was based on nothing other than an opinion, written as though it's based on insider knowledge.

Will only work properly if 20 minute quarters are restored. Not the Geelong friendly 16 minute ones from this year.

Never saw close to the best of? I saw him kick 9 goals straight at the SCG. I'd say that was close to his best.

Collingwood-and-afl-closing-in-on-medical-payout-for-Beams "A settlement could fall under the league’s medical payout allowance rather than the Magpies’ salary, with the club finding themselves “in no man’s land” and forced to move on four players in the trade period". @La Dee-vina ComediaIts looking like that 'secret herbs and spices' situation you alluded to. They have just had several million sal cap relief over the next few years by trading players. If Beams payout is outside the sal cap that is another $1.0 m sal cap relief over the next two years. They will have their 'fighting fund' to achieve their stated goal to aggressively target FA's and OOC players to stay in premiership contention. Just like the clubs that have incompetently managed finance, recruiting or list management have to take their medicine so should Coll for incompetent sal cap management. I wonder if Freo and Jesse might have considered a medical payout from the AFL. It would be about 2-3 times financially better for Jesse than the one year contract he has at GWS. I wonder if Sydney will consider retiring Buddy who like Beams has had mental health and injury issues and barely played for several years. Tricky precedent for the AFL to allow termination payments outside the sal cap. Hope other clubs are quietly lobbying the AFL to ensure Coll carry the Beams cost in their sal cap.

in my 45+ years of tough Demon love, Schwarz in '94 was the only MFC player (including the likes of Flower, Lyon, Neitz etc) that I thought could be so much better than anyone else that he could drag our battling club to multiple premierships - like Carey did for North a few years later. As per Dusty, you don't often win premierships without these sorts of players. Not sure CP on his own can be this player, but if LJ could be something near the Ox at his peak, the two of them could get us there by the time CP is the age that Dusty hit his peak.

For some time I have thought Trump the biggest [censored] going round. But No. It seems the Pies management now have that honour. How could they possibly ask for salary cap relief? This is of their own making pure and simple. At the time of the Grundy contract I was wondering how they could afford that in their salary cap. Even from the outside it looked strange.

Collingwood, the richest club in the land who were within a goal of winning a grand final 2 years ago, are asking for handouts. Shameless club. Essendon-like scum.

Collingwood need to familiarise themselves with the concept of moral hazard. Proper list management goes out the window if the AFL starts subsidising bad TPP decisions made by clubs. The pies chose to bring back Beams and they chose to back end their contracts. They need to live with the consequences.

I'm something of an outlier but I don't believe the game's spectacle is so bad that rule changes are necessary to "fix" it. I don't agree that scoring = better product, either. But, if we are looking to reduce congestion, there are three things I would do before making changes that IMO will have unintended side effects (like reducing the game to 16 per side or capping interchange rotations): Get rid of the ruck nomination rule Properly adjudicate holding the ball and, possibly more importantly, holding the man. The biggest one here is gang tackles/stacks on. Make it one tackler allowed. If a team adds a second tackler, you're penalised. Why do we need two players jumping on top of the player with the ball? We don't. Start, within the current rules, penalising players for wasting time when they've conceded a free. How often do you see a player get caught holding the ball, but take an eon to get up, or pretends to be stuck on top of the ball without it, or whatever. All the while letting his teammates flood back. The rules prohibit time wasting so let's enforce them properly - if you don't get up, off the opponent and off the ball, immediately, you are penalised (either bring in a 25 metre penalty for these sorts of offences or just hit them with a 50 metre penalty)

And Neitz was AA in his second year as a centre half back vs some of the best CHF the games seen. Schwartz would have been the best player in the league if not for his knees. Oliver will go down as a great MFC player and a very good AFL player on form. I hope he gets better but he needs to work on a lot of things other than raw numbers.

That's the problem with most people's opinion they don't take the time to research things, they just parrot what others say, Ben takes most of his marks at the highest point, this myth that he needs the ball on his chest is unfounded, I watched all his goals in 2018 video, and there are heaps of overhead marks

I would take1 flag in my life time

Interesting... can’t see it with Berry being inside mid, but if we do keep both picks and 28 he def is talented enough to go there. But I’d be more akin to players like Connor Donnie, Archie Perkins, Macrae (I think we may move up little further to secure him personally, unless mail Is that he will be around at 18 which is possible but with his exquisite foot skills maybe not) O’Driscoll is another I thinks a big chance to be in red and blue, good user and decision maker, line breaking speed AND can go inside as well as outside contest. Others I believe in frame are Archie Perkins who’s got a massive ceiling but is raw & could go anywhere from 7-37. Carroll is def on the radar for sure, Bailey Laurie another id be keeping eye on, a Smokey for 28 I think he can potentially fall that far if we are lucky. B.Cook is another who uses ball well and could be a wing or insider, even flanker. Poulter I like a lot and can see that one being a potential pick but one I’d have ahead of him is a JT Smokey unnamed at this stage but let’s just say he’s not in top50 frame anywhere else at this stage.but he ready for it should he be selected with 28. Hopefully we get him with 50 but I’m hearing we won’t risk it. Zac Dumesny is also rated v highly by JT’s team , another one he’s said to taken a real shine to is Tariek Newchurch, whom oozes X factor dare dash and can play midfield minutes which is the dimension I think appeals, in similar vein to why Joel Western is also in consideration, sublime skills and a fed who could become a mid so expect a bid to come for him. Lastly, I can almost guarantee that if Henry Walsh is available with our last pick #50 (around 57-62) the Dees will jump on him. Talented Ruck (brother of Sam) who has more genuine ruck craft and tapwork than Jackson, so far more a genuine ruck where Jackson may end up more a mid-fwd, but Walsh is improving below knees & is a kid who could become a great ruck/fwd and would add some talent to our lean (bodied) ruck-stocks. So bids on Newchurch, Western and McInnes for sure and who knows we may be able to land one of them.

Jurrah is the most freakish footballer I have ever seen. Jakovich was the definition of mercurial, and Schwartz was just a bloody good footballer that we never saw close to the best of (which is a scary thought). The three players you mentioned have skill sets that I just don't think Jackson should be mentioned in the same breath as. If you are looking for the best comparison, then try Grundy (Collingwood), but I think LJ might have a couple of extra things in his arsenal than Brodie, which is what makes LJ a super exciting prospect.

Yes and no. Bailey Laurie is stronger already in the upper body as a 17-18 year old. Could play next year after a decent preseason. His tackle is better. Laurie is 180cms v Spargo 173cms.

where are all those people that say he needed to be dropped etc? Comes top 10 in the brownlow and AA squad. Geez some people have no idea about football.

Thanks. I expected the Dayne Beams debacle would figure highly. In effect, Collingwood might be trying to make "use" of Beams' mental illness (I hope that's the appropriately sensitive term to use) to explain why they have found themselves in this position. If that's correct, I think they might be making an argument with broader application than just themselves. I can see the possibility of a global rule change where players forced out of the game through mental illness or concussion have their payments fully or partially discounted from the salasry cap. That would then make it easier for clubs and players to resolve these forced retirements expediently and without adding to the psychological strain on the players.

That’s the same Collingwood that objected to Melbourne getting draft relief after two years of barely winning a game. Collingwood’s “unusual circumstances” have manifested this year - if they want relief, let them wait another three or four years before it gets onto the AFL’s agenda.

That's your problem right there: an oxymoron.

Wow thanks for sharing. The game against Gippsland his delivery into I50 was exceptional and from the highlights must've been close to BOG - a real difference with each possession. I often find these videos being nothing possessions from accumulators but this was really impressive. Great find Adonski, would be thrilled if I saw him name fall to us at one of our picks.

Reckon Laurie is the go at pick 19 or 28 should we retain them, his tape even more impressive than Macrae imo

Encouraging footage. Looks leaner. Spun and swivelled without any obvious sign of discomfort. There’s hope yet perhaps! Keep up the hard work TMac.

Do you think Collingwood might add some "Make Collingwood Great Again" caps to their merch?

No it doesn't... It helps bring the game back to being the positional game it was meant to be rather than a running maul type game it often is. The basic idea of the zone is that a certain amount of players need to be in the forward half at any ball up or throw in. Players can still access the whole ground but they will need to be aware and not everyone will be able to crowd a contest. We already have limited zones in the game (centre square and kick out) and they've in my mind worked for the betterment. People are too scared to change though...I get that. Tinkering around the edges with interchange numbers and other minor rule changes is not going to make much difference...to really get the game working it zones are the answer.

In the past I've been critical because he doesn't impact the scoreboard enough. So I had a look at some of his 'heat maps' and he spends nearly all his his time in the middle or d50. It made me wonder whether he does not have licence to go inside our fwd50 too often. So the answer to my criticism of lack of score board impact could be the role he is asked to play. Will keep a closer eye on this next year. Given the rumours around him at EOS he and his role will be interesting to watch next year.

What do you say A gun! Needs to really hurt the opposition with better disposal. Love watching him play.

Love this guy

But they knew his situation before he was resigned. The risk was easily identified Buyer Beware

If they didn't do the correct due diligence or they thought the upside was worth the risk on Beams that is on them ala Melb with KK.

Yes absolutely but can't see it materialising that way. Be a hard call at 18 and 19 pucking 2 because I think taking both Carroll and Macrae leaves you without real burst speed. They both look like good ball users can win their own footy and make good decisions. To me Perkins wouldn't be one I'd pass up as he has that x factor and I think can be a game changer, so if he's there at 18 and 19 you are taking him along with Macrae IMO, hoping Carroll somehow slips to 28 Wood could be one you consider as a developing wing option or you consider Laurie at 28 If we get 2 of the 3 at picks 18 and 19 weve done well

TMAc could provide the ideal Big Man Interchange package. He has experience at both ends of the ground. Remember he was touted as a possible AA at one stage, then went as a FWD , but has been injured the last year and a half. Prior to his injury he was THE endurance athlete of the club. SO !!!!!! he is big enough and strong enough and quick to cause some damage coming down the ground. OH... by the way he is a very good lead and a good overhead competitive mark. I am really looking forward to TMac's 3rd coming. This forum seems to give everyone a chance as long as his name does not start with McD...

His foot is either fixed or it’s not. In the Instagram shots he seems to be moving very well. Here’s hoping the foot injury is no more

Last team to touch the ball before it goes out of bounds - turnover! It’ll stop congestion and you won’t need to reduce interchange cap because everyone will be kept moving. And it will eliminate any discretion or adjudication on the deliberate out of bounds fiasco. You’re welcome.

This feels like a draft that I would prefer to have 3 shots between 18 and 30 than 1 between 6-10 or even 2 between 10 and 20. Looks like talls at the top end and hardly a small forward in sight. I would load up on the 3 best ball carriers with polish and trust that JT will find us a star or 2 strong role players at minimum. I know nothing but on possible around the mark and summaries I have read will hope for Carroll, Cook and Winder.

Does the extra 5m now mean the player taking the kick in can run all the way to the 50m line without bouncing the ball before taking their kick?

I’d be happy with pretty much any of the players listed from 13-29. Apart from a couple of the pure inside players like Powell and Trew, the others fill a list need of some description. This indicates that there’s plenty of diverse options and we’re perfectly placed to take whatever falls at 18, 19 & possibly 28. We shouldn’t be too worried if we don’t end up trading to get further up the order, there’ll be plenty in our range to fill out the list.

It’s not a possibility that at least two sides will drop out of the 8. It’s an absolute definite that at least two sides will drop out and has been since 1995 when the final 8 was introduced the year before. Anyone from this year’s finals can miss, even Richmond.

As with anything, you could make an argument about any of those sides and why they could drop out: Port Adelaide - Their best players are now all over 30 (Gray and Boak will be 33 during the season, Rockliff, Dixon, Jonas and Hartlett are over 30), so while they've got some of the best kids going around, it wouldn't take much for their veterans to drop off. Brisbane Lions - They've had a really good run for the last 2 years, and were blessed with a massive home ground advantage this year, what happens when they go on the road again, and how much time will Daniher and Cockatoo waste of the medical team. Injuries will happen at some stage. Richmond - Complacency during the season would be the biggest issue, Dusty is deliberately about 10x the player when it comes to finals, but if the whole team played like that they could struggle (they are the least likely to drop out) Geelong Cats - Age, they've sold the farm to try and get Danger a flag, but they've got 10 key players who'll be 30 or turning 30 during the season, eventually the game can make everyone look old. West Coast Eagles - They get a huge home ground advantage, but looked very suspect away from WA, so a few off games could hurt them badly. St Kilda - There team is build using others development, I can't recall a team doing much damage that has been trade for as compared to built, so the team harmony and connection might not be as strong as other teams. Western Bulldogs - they probably have the best midfield in the comp, but the forward line will rely on a 21 year old coming off injuries and a pretty ordinary year, while their backline is pretty weak too. Collingwood - they just [censored] the bed at the trade table, and while hold some class, most of that is older (outside of Moore and Adams) and the forward line struggles to kick a score. Conversely the question needs to be, well there's reasons why teams will drop out - why will the Dees come in? My answer is that our core group of players, Max, Trac, Oliver, Viney, Gus, Harmes, Lever, Salem, Langdon, Lever, May and BBB have all played between 85 and 150 games, so should be entering their prime, 7 of them have played all their games together and outside of Max, May (both 29) and BBB (28) all will enter next season aged under 27. Add in a few veterans and role players (Hibberd, Melksham, AVB, Jetta, TMac, Tomlinson, ANB, Hunt etc.) plus the youth of Weid, Baker, Petty, Spargo, Kossie, LJ and Rivers and we've got a nice balanced list that should play finals.

It's almost like Collingwood became disorientated, walked out the wrong door and found themselves in the street.