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Welcome to the Demons Mark, we already have a number of good young players on our list and will have another 4-6 depending on who Taylor and Co pick up in this years Draft, we are going to need at least 6 young guns to step up in 2021 to help our older brigade out. So I and a lot of others here on Demonland will be watching their progress with much anticipation. No Pressure But..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think with our top 2 picks we will take a outside midfielder/running defender with one and a small forward with the other. I'm not sure what we do with other 2 picks, I've compiled a list of 9 players in order of preference that would be well suited to our needs, a few of them could potentially slip to our pick 28 as well (Laurie, Bowey, Poulter). I think worst case we end up with 2 of of Poulter, Laurie, and Bowey (could potentially snag all 3) which I'd still be happy with but hopefully Carroll is on the board at our first pick. I'd like to pick up one key position player which I think it's actually more likely now that Baldwin could still be on the board at our 3rd round pick. I didn't include Macrae because I think the chances of him getting to our pick is extremely slim but he would be number 1 if he was available. Outside midfielder/running defender 1. Jack Carroll (WA) – 188cm, 76kg, plays like: Hugh McCluggage Carroll is one of the classiest players in the draft pool, he combines elite decision making and disposal efficiency to break open games either at half back, on a wing, or as an inside mid. He has a penetrating left foot and his decision making makes him deadly with ball in hand. Carroll is just as classy as he is tough, he successfully proved himself as a midfielder this season where he displayed his courage around the ball by throwing himself at packs, he averaged 15 contested disposals per game this season in the WAFL Colts which led the league. He never shirks a contest and is prepared to go back with the flight of the ball where his overhead marking is another strength of his. Carroll also has a range of weapons athletically, he stands at 188cm, ran a 3.018 seconds 20m sprint, a 8.67 seconds agility test, and possesses a 88cm running vertical leap, add onto that he is one of the youngest players in the pool which indicates a lot more room for growth. Jack has tremendous upside and will take a few years to build his endurance to a level where he can play on a wing or inside midfield, but he can definitely have a big influence early on as a running defender. In my opinion Carroll is the missing piece to our midfield or defence, he is exactly what we are looking for and already has connections with Riv and Jacko where he played a lot of footy with them last year at East Fremantle. 2. Nathan O’Driscoll (WA) – 187cm, 76kg, plays like: Cam Guthrie In my opinion O’Driscoll is one of the most underrated players in the pool due to his ability to play just about any position/role for the team. O’Driscoll can: lockdown the oppositions best midfielder, lock down the best small/medium forward, or collect 25+ touches at half back, on a wing, or as an inside mid. O’Driscoll might just be the hardest working player in the pool where he works up and down the ground really hard on offence and defence. He is a highly competitive and courageous player who is a strong overhead mark and sticks to his man like glue if required to. His kicking isn’t as bad as some people make it out to be, he hits easy targets and plays within his limitations most of the time, if he was able to improve his kicking to hit more difficult kicks he could become a seriously good player. O’Driscoll shines athletically where he stands at 187cm, ran a 2.931 seconds 20m sprint, a 8.12 seconds agility test, and 6:23 minutes 2km time trial, which his size, athleticism, and competitiveness give him the versatility to play on taller and smaller players. O’Driscoll is also a great character, he’s very easy going, is well liked by all his teammates, is a natural leader, he’s just someone you’d want to have around your club. The key benefit of drafting Nathan is his versatility, he could fill Nev’s role as a lockdown defender, he could play on the opposite wing to Langdon where he runs all day, or he could provide rebound off a half back flank, he’s someone who is very high on my list of wants. 3. Brayden Cook (SA) – 189cm, 82kg, plays like: Jaidyn Stephenson This years bolter Brayden Cook has shown the ability to turn games on their heads this year where he has kicked big bags of goals as a wingman or medium forward. He has the build of a prototypical modern footballer where has grown to 189cm and possesses a handy 74cm running vertical leap, which allows for his point of difference, his overhead marking ability. He is a terrific one-on-one mark, and is also capable of taking a pack mark. He is incredibly clean on ground level, knows where the goals are, and has a nice bag of tricks. Whilst not being an elite kick, his kicking is good and is well complimented by his excellent decision making and vision. He doesn’t have elite speed either but is nimble where he ran a 8.45 seconds agility test, and has a nice tank which he ran a 6:48 minutes 2km time trial. Cook is a quintessential link up player who can either impact at the start, middle, or finish of a scoring chain and is a very versatile player. Likely starts his career as a medium forward but I suspect he could even play off a half back flank with his overhead marking ability, and can eventually move to a wing once he improved his strength and fitness. 4. Caleb Poulter (SA) – 192cm, 79kg, plays like: Bailey Smith Poulter is a modern day tall midfielder who hurts the opposition on the inside and outside. Poulter’s upside is enormous where he has the class, athleticism, and point of difference to one day be an absolute star of the competition. Poulter is a classy, penetrating left foot kick and is an excellent decision maker where he regularly lowers his eyes going inside 50. His point of difference is his 192cm frame which he uses around the ground as a marking option where he has a clean set of hands. He also uses his large frame around the ball to win clearances and is a keen tackler which he can be intimidating around the ball at times. He also has really clean hands and can effectively execute long handballs which release teammates into space. To go with all that Poulter ran a 3.058 seconds 20m sprint (very impressive for his size), has a 81cm running vertical jump, and also ran a 6:38 minutes 2km time trial. Poulter can be utilised as either as an outside or inside midfielder due to his tank and class, where he often gets involved in offensive chains where he doesn’t stop running. Poulter just needs to work on his four quarter consistency and if he can add size to his frame he will be a force to be reckoned with. He probably plays his best footy as an inside midfielder but also very capable as an outside midfielder, or potentially at half back due to his overhead marking. If he kept growing he could become a key position player size whilst at the moment he can also effectively play as a medium forward. Potentially could be a flight risk, but he presents enormous upside and might be too hard to pass up on if the players above are already taken. Would also be impossible not to talk about Poulter without giving a shoutout to his incredible mullet, which he will stand out as a future cult hero. 5. Jake Bowey (VIC) – 175cm, 67kg, plays like: Shai Bolton Bowey might just be the most skillful player in the draft and is extremely versatile which he can play as outside mid, small forward, or a rebounding defender. Bowey’s best asset is his elite kick, and he is a sound decision maker, he might be the best player with ball in hand in this years draft. He can rack up disposals where every one of them hurts the opposition on a wing or at half back, and has shown he can regularly hit the scoreboard as a small forward. Bowey’s obvious drawback is his size which is why he will be overlooked early which he is no doubt a first round pick with his skillset. However he makes up for his lack of size with terrific athletic traits, he ran a 2.95 seconds 20m sprint, a 8.07 seconds agility test, and possesses a 88cm running vertical leap which he showed in the futures game on Grand Final day in 2019 he can get up for a hanger. Bowey also shows a lot of toughness and courage for his size where he’s a keen tackler who will look to bring down any player despite his size. Bowey just has to work on the contested side of his game and add some size so he doesn’t get knocked off the ball as regularly. Jake would be a great pick up and his skillset is exactly what the dees are looking for, which he could be utilised most likely as a small forward at the start of his career and then potentially push up the ground as he builds his endurance base. Small forward 1. Blake Coleman (QL) – 181cm, 79kg, plays like: Liam Ryan Coleman is tied to Brisbane’s NGA Academy, however they could potentially pass if a bid came earlier than expected at one of our first rounders where the Lions have a pick shortly after and have other academy prospects to bring in. Nevertheless, It is unlikely the Lions pass on a bid for Coleman, but he has a lot of exciting attributes as a small forward where he could form a damaging partnership with Kozzy. Coleman is deadly at ground level, he appears a lot quicker than his 3.072 seconds 20m sprint, he is an incredibly smart crumber and is capable of kicking those incredible goals. He also has incredible agility, is a great kick with ball in hand and a great decision maker where he also has the long handball skills to open teammates into space. Coleman’s point of difference is he’s just as damaging in the air as he is on ground level, he is a really strong 1v1 and even contested mark, and is clever at deciding whether to go fly for a mark or stay down for the crumb. Coleman also applies relentless forward pressure where he uses his speed at ground level. Coleman just has to work on his endurance and four quarter consistency but he has all the tools to be a really dangerous small forward. Coleman is best utilised close to goal and would be the perfect small forward to partner Kozzy if the Lions didn’t match a bid. 2. Bailey Laurie (VIC) – 179cm, 78kg, plays like: Zak Butters Laurie is a classy small forward/midfielder who plays his best footy in that high half forward role. Laurie is a high impact per possession player where he uses his lethal kicking and decision making going inside 50 creating scores for his teammates and himself. He is incredibly crafty and hard to tackle which is aided by 7.97 seconds agility test where he in games he really uses that agility to weave in and out of tacklers. Laurie does great work around stoppages, his poise and footy IQ really stands out where he consistently makes good decisions under heavy pressure. Laurie is a natural crumber up forward and whilst he’s not a dominant overhead mark he has a knack of knowing where to run to get on the end of a chain. The defensive side of Laurie’s game is also good, he’s a good pressure player where he uses his strong endurance base (6:24 minutes 2km time trial) to keep chasing defenders. Laurie’s only downfall is that he doesn’t have elite small forward speed, he ran a 3.06 20m sprint so he still has some toe but he makes up for a lack of speed with his high footy IQ and nimbleness. Laurie’s a very versatile player who could partner Kozzy up forward, play Melksham’s role as that high half forward, or I suspect he could even play on a wing with his strong endurance base and kicking skills. In the future Laurie could also run through the midfield where he has that high impact per possession skills that not many of our mids have. 3. Jake Bowey (VIC) – 175cm, 67kg, plays like: Shai Bolton See above 4. Errol Gulden (NSW) – 175cm, 75kg, plays like: Karl Amon Gulden is tied to Sydney’s NGA academy but there is a slight chance they may not match a bid if a bid came earlier than expected due to them having a few similar players and the Swans were to go into draft points deficit next year which would affect their first round pick. Gulden can be utilised either as a small forward or outside midfielder. Whilst his 3.10 seconds 20m sprint and 8.55 seconds agility test may not indicate that he’s super quick, on the field he shows lightning pace which he uses to cause chaos for the opposition. Gulden possesses high footy IQ and is a very classy player, he also knows how to rack up a lot of disposals as a midfielder. Gulden plays with a hard edge where he is a relentless tackler up forward and operates well at the feet of the tall forwards. Whilst he often hurts teams with his penetrating kicks, his decision making can be a bit scratchy sometimes where he tries to bite off too much. Gulden is a highly versatile player and whilst he probably ends up at Sydney he’d be a suitable small forward partner for Kozzy or could play on a wing or half back.

Thanks to both Gawndog98 and Goodoil for your bravery in committing to a phantom draft. I like Goodoil’s lateral thinking on the potential pick trades. The one for Collingwood is particularly interesting - I think the way the Reef McInnes pick plays out is going to be an interesting aspect of the draft. The Pies need a lifter and getting Elijah Hollands along with McInnes could be an important boost to their stocks and morale at the moment. I have a bit of a tradition of my own at this time in the lead up to the draft where I pick a player of interest* and I’m going for Jake Bowey at pick 18 or 19. In some respects, I’m going against my grain because I think we have enough undersize players at the club already (nothing against Kozzy or Charlie but I have a view that there’s a limit to the number of smalls you can have on a list and I think we’re about there). I usually try to get to a few NAB Cup games and like to make it for the finals. I have an association with the Sandy Dragons going back to the start of the competition and saw one or two of their games from last year. I’ve also seen plenty of vision of Bowey as an underager and I think he would be one of the draft’s bargains if we can secure him at 18/19. Despite his 175cm stature, he ticks all of the boxes you need for a small forward. Persistent attack on the footy, excellent disposal and consistency. He could just about be right to go from the start and can see him hitting Ben Brown on the chest. With Kozzy and Bowey at the big forward’s feet, the pressure on opposition defenders is going to be enormous. I think the comparison with Shai Bolton is not out of order and Bowey might also find himself playing in the midfield. * the first time I tried this exercise at draft time, I picked out Nathan Jones and a year later I went for Chip Frawley but I haven’t picked a Demon since.

Ugh! Can't we just use names such as North, Collingwood and Essendon? (Not that it matters, but I have no idea who the Chardonnay Sippers are meant to be). Honestly, the continuing use of these so very unclever nicknames really irritates me.

If 2020 was a full 22 game season, the following players would have kicks 40+ goals: Hawkins, Kennedy, Gunston, Dixon. So you're saying that it's unacceptable if Weid isn't in the top 4 goalkickers in the league next year? Even though he'll be playing as a second tall with Brown? If you look at the second forward for each of the teams those players played on, only Darling was more productive than Weideman. So you're thinking Weid's production will increase when Brown comes into the team, and so much so that he will be one of the top 4 most productive key forwards, even though he will be playing as the second tall option? And anything less than that is 'not acceptable' ...... ?

Unlike some on the Trade and Draft in Time of Covid forum this poster can confidently say...

AFL is a dichotomy. On the one hand, for supporters, it's all about loyalty. It is impossible for a true supporter of any club to switch alliegances. On the other hand, for the clubs themselves and their players, it's a business. And that's OK. Supporters just have to appreciate that "club loyalty" is the domain of the supporters, not those who work in the industry. As supporters, all we should expect is that when the player is playing for us, he (or she in the AFLW) is loyal and gives his/her all.

Pretty tough ask as we are still two weeks out from the draft and given the year we've had. We're likely to hear a lot more whispers in the days leading up to the draft. I'm no draft expert and haven't watched any of these kids play live so I'll put that caveat out there but I'll put my two-cents in from what I've read and gleaned from various phantom drafts and so called experts. Club rankings are likely to vary widely more so this year due to the lack of exposure so it wouldn't surprise me to see someone ranked in the top 15 slide out to our picks or have a name or two that most aren't familiar with pop up in the first and second round. Kids Unavailable to us ranked in the first or second round Jamarra Ugle-Hagen - Western Bulldogs NGA - tipped to go between 1-3 Braeden Campbell - Sydney Academy - tipped to go between 5 - 10 Lachie Jones - Port Adelaide NGA - tipped to go between 8 - 15 Reef McInnes - Collingwood NGA - tipped late 1st to early 2nd round, Cal Twomey has suggested he is being considered to be "bid on" by Essendon at one of their picks Conner Downie - Hawthorn NGA - tipped to go 2nd round Errol Gulden - Sydney NGA - tipped to go 2nd round I expect all clubs to match bids for these players. There was some suggestion that swans could pass on Guldon depending on where a bid lay but with a change in the draft rules and Sydney now stockpiling late picks I expect they will pick him up. Gold Coast pre-listed players ranked in the first and second round Alex Davies Joel Jeffrey The players that I expect to be gone before our picks. Logan McDonald Riley Thilthorpe Elijah Hollands Denver Grainger-Barrass Will Phillips Archie Perkins Heath Chapman Nik Cox Finlay Macrae Zach Reid Tanner Bruhn Oliver Henry The next group that could be in the mix for our selections Tom Powell Brayden Cook Nathan O'Driscoll Jack Carroll Zane Trew Zavier Maher Bailey Laurie Caleb Poulter Zac Dumesney Conor Stone Sam Berry Eddie Ford Corey Durdin Jake Bowey Matt Allison* Kaine Baldwin* *I could see us taking a tall and have included the next best ranked talls I could see. Sorry, its probably not exactly what you were after but it's the best I can do at this point. Perhaps someone with good mail might be able to give more insight into our possible draft selections @Yokozuna

It feels like Weideman has been around a long time, but it's worth remembering that only played 40 odd games. Only the Buddy Franklin's of this world are dominating matches at that point of their careers. Yeah, there's a bit of chicken and egg, because if Weidman's form had been better, he would have played more senior games. But most of the matches he's missed have been due to injury, and most of his extended periods of poor form have coincided with lack of fitness. Also, people need to temper their expectations of a top ten pick. The average #9 draft pick plays 94 games. Provided that he doesn't have any further major injuries, Weideman will exceed that when he's 26 and entering his prime. Scott Gumbleton, Mitch Thorpe, Luke Molan, Lucas Cook were busts. Sam Weideman is not. I don't think he'll ever be in the discussion for the best forward in the league, but he'll be an important player for us for the next 8-10 years.

No point now that Hogan’s gone...

Yes so many options! The AFL must love how 'pick trading' has mushroomed into a fan and media sport in its own right. More click bait. Re your question: ...holding list spots over for the mid year draft next year (is that a rookie or senior list spot btw?) Mid season drafts require vacant rookie list spots. But there is no reason a club can't promote an existing rookie to the senior list, if there is a senior list spot vacant. If there isn't a senior list spot a senior player could be put on the LTI list or one could retire to create such a spot. Mahoney said he would keep a list spot open so we will be able to take one or two players in the PSSP (also for rookies) or mid season drafts.

This is just one piece of the fallout from the late announcement on the salary cap and list sizes. Blame the AFL and the AFLPA....

He has 46 goals 25 behinds for a career accuracy of 65%. Ridiculous comment.

Weideman's 2020, holds up well or even exceeds his draft class. (2) Schache 2 goals. 2 games. (9) Weideman 19 goals. 13 games. (10) McKay. 21 goals. 13 games. (14) Hipwood. 24 goals. 19 games. (16) Himmelberg. 15 goals 16 games. We're probably marking him harshly because he showed so much at the end of 2018, and had a disappointing 2019. His progression this year has been on par with his peers, some of whom are very overrated when you look at their actual output.

Also here's an update to my phantom draft from last week, if you want to check out any write-ups for the players I've got us picking they shouldn't be too hard to find in this thread or a few other threads. Overall with our first 3 picks we pick up 3 really classy and quick players who will compliment our inside grunt really well. Then have us picking up a long term key forward with our last pick who would've been a top 10 pick if he hadn't been injured. R1 1. Adelaide – Logan MacDonald (WA) – key forward 2. Western Bulldogs (NGA) – Jamarra Ugle-Hagain (VIC) – key forward 3. North Melbourne – Elijah Hollands (VIC) – balanced midfielder/general forward 4. Sydney – Denver Grainger-Barrass (WA) – key defender 5. Hawthorn – Riley Thilthorpe (SA) – key forward 6. Gold Coast – Will Phillips (VIC) – inside midfielder 7. Essendon – Archie Perkins (VIC) – balanced midfielder/general forward 8. Sydney (NGA) – Braeden Campbell (NSW) – balanced midfielder/small forward 9. Essendon – Nik Cox (VIC) – tall utility 10. Port Adelaide (NGA) – Lachlan Jones (SA) – general defender 11. Essendon – Zach Reid (VIC) – key defender 12. Adelaide – Tanner Bruhn (VIC) – inside midfielder 13. GWS – Oliver Henry (VIC) – general utility 14. North Melbourne – Heath Chapman (WA) – general defender 15. Fremantle – Finlay Macrae (VIC) – balanced midfielder 16. GWS – Nathan O’Driscoll (WA) – balanced midfielder/general defender 17. Collingwood – Brayden Cook (SA) – outside midfielder/general forward 18. Collingwood (NGA) – Reef McInnes (VIC) – inside midfielder/general utility 19. GWS – Jack Carroll (WA) – balanced midfielder/general defender 20. Richmond – Tom Powell (SA) – inside midfielder 21. Hawthorn (NGA) – Connor Downie (VIC) – outside midfielder/general defender 22. Melbourne – Caleb Poulter (SA) – balanced midfielder/general forward 23. Brisbane (NGA) – Blake Coleman (QL) – small forward 24. Melbourne – Bailey Laurie (VIC) – small forward/balanced midfielder 25. Sydney (NGA) – Errol Gulden (NSW) – outside midfielder/small forward 26. GWS – Eddie Ford (VIC) – general forward/inside midfielder 27. St Kilda – Zavier Maher (VIC) – inside midfielder R2 28. Adelaide – Zane Trew (WA) – inside midfielder 29. Adelaide – Zac Dumensy (SA) – outside midfielder/general defender 30. Gold Coast – PASS 31. Fremantle (NGA) – Brandon Walker (WA) – general defender 32. Melbourne – Jake Bowey (VIC) – small utility 33. GWS – Jackson Callow (TAS) – key forward/key defender 34. North Melbourne – Sam Berry (VIC) – inside midfielder 35. Fremantle (NGA) – Joel Western (WA) – balanced midfielder/small forward 36. Carlton – Corey Durdin (SA) – small forward 37. Richmond – Matt Allison (VIC) – key forward 38. Carlton – Patrick Walker (TAS) – outside midfielder 39. Essendon (NGA) – Cody Brand (VIC) – key defender 40. Adelaide (NGA) – Tariek Newchurch (SA) – small forward 41. North Melbourne – Liam Kolar (VIC) – key forward R3 42. Hawthorn – Max Heath (VIC) – Ruck 43. Hawthorn – Jack Ginnivan (VIC) – general forward/inside midfielder 44. Melbourne – Kaine Baldwin (SA) – key forward 45. Geelong – Henry Walsh (VIC) – Ruck 46. GWS – PASS 47. Brisbane – Shannon Neale (WA) - Ruck 48. Western Bulldogs – Isiah Winder (WA) – small utility 49. Brisbane – Luke Edwards (SA) – general defender 50. Port Adelaide – Connor Stone (VIC) – general utility 51. Richmond – Fraser Rosman (VIC) – outside midfielder

Thanks for this but this actually made me feel less confident about Tommy. His lateral movement doesn't compare well to any of those boys. I really hope we can get him up again because it will give us a great option at either end.

The fittest I've seen him for a long time.

Tall fwds don’t grow on trees, although, I’ve gotta say there is a high proportion of key position talent this year. Every year the draft gives you a bit more of particular player type than usual, last year it was half back playmakers, this year it’s talls. Recruiters tend to go nuts when a draft skews toward quality midfielders. I’m always happy to grab at least one of what a draft has in abundance, would be keen for us to grab one with our third pick. Baldwin, Rosman, Lord and Allison all appeal and have good athletic traits with versatility. Rosman probably the most impressive athlete.

Goodwin wasn't at Ess when Corrigan joined them. Corrigan took over as coach as their VFL team at the start of this year but there wasn't much of a VFL season. He seems to have a really solid background in development so from the outside it looks a good appointment. Mahoney could be on vacation. Now that the trade period is over he may not be needed much before the draft.

Another kid who would be perfect for us but will instead go to a top 4 team under the ridiculous academy rules. The AFL draft - the worst draft in world sports.

I agree with that, I'm just saying it's a shame he never had that development stage. He was pretty much a starting member of the side from age 20 and then when things really started to stall over the last two years he didn't get that confidence boost and to establish that he's too good for VFL level. It's not the perfect metaphor but if Oscar was a cricket batsmen he might've had a couple of 50's and a century in year 2 and was then promoted to the test side. And once he was dropped he didn't get that summer making 1000 runs to show he's ready to come back in.

The other day you were banging on about "loyalty to the club", yet here you are saying that a player is only committed to a club 100% while they are under contract. As Frawley was not, as you stated, under contract at Melbourne, and had retired from Hawthorn (ergo, not under contract), he is free to do whatever he pleases without any consideration of club loyalty. I doubt very much that Frawley approached St Kilda, offering his services. It is far more likely that St Kilda offered him a contract based on the fact that he was a defender who still, in their opinion, had something to offer... plus they probably saw some good marketing value in the Frawley connection to the club. Frawley would have given it his consideration before accepting and was probably encouraged to say the things he did to St Kilda supporters, again, as a marketing exercise (after all, if contracted, he is the club's property, is he not?). I certainly hope that you were/are a volunteer worker and that you never changed jobs, as taking a position for money is, in your opinion, BS!

Do we ever remember it !! Anyone who saw Jakovich play would be salivating at the prospect of another Jako. He could probably do much of what he did then with two defenders hanging off him even in these days.

AFL Draft Central’s 2020 AFL Draft Preview: Melbourne Demons. An interesting look at the forthcoming draft from Melbourne’s perspective. I think many of us have reached conclusions as to the road our recruiters take. As spirit of Norm says, “time will tell”.

No supplement-ary income?

No jab, no pay?

Don’t ruin the fun DJ!! Why is it only ESS that this has come out about? From the article they’ve screwed the pooch on this one, take your staff through it before a group email to tell them of a pay issue. The next employee engagement survey will be a pearler.

It is a given that the posters who do the phantom drafts, and the others not on Demonland, who do the same, HAVE a better knowledge than me of the players coming through. Love reading this stuff but the research, and the points thing up and down, this draft and the next, its beyond me. TBO. Could someone average out the different Phantom drafts, remove the players 1-16 say, we have 18 and 19, and perhaps get to say 25, and then we or I could look at say a list of 10 players, of whom we might take 2. Has someone got the time, patience, and perseverance, let alone computer skills, Even better if someone who has "inside knowledge" might suggest a target like Jackson, when he was mentioned only a week or so before the draft last year, before that I cannot remember him being spoken of. If you do you have my grateful thanks, and I can think of interesting things for a day or so. Go Dees even paid my membership the other day on the back of BigBB coming on board. Was not going to, I thought I would wait, but I have.

I hope Xavier Campbell (as well Adrian Dodoro) have long term contracts at Essendon. Loving their work. Really kicking goals down there at the hanger.

No wonder players are leaving Essendon like a sinking ship. When Oscar left Melbourne he thanked us for the opportunity. Won't happen at Essendon.

For the first time since 2004, where I predicted Melbourne taking Matthew Bate and Jordan Russell, I've decided to post a return of the Goodoil Phantom Draft. Here is the first round, with the rest to follow next week. It includes bids and trades to add a bit of silliness to it. 1. Adelaide Crows - Riley Thilthope - 18, 201cm 102kg - West Adelaide The Crows are in an interesting spot. Thilthorpe, the local product, makes a lot of sense, but taking him at one doesn't necessarily juice the most value from the pick. Trading down is a possibility but if they do that they will want to position themselves to get extra draft material and still get Thilthorpe, which would probably require another trade back up with a third party and it could start getting messy. Trading one pick back with North, who could then facilitate another trade for themselves is a possibility, but in the end just straight up taking Thilthorpe, who is a promising South Australian ruck/forward ends up the pragmatic thing to do. He has Matthew Kreuzer-like ruck potential but also good forward craft in a strong athletic frame that could cause AFL defenders problems for a long time. Number one draft picks get financial perks and it would be a strange decision if the Crows bid on Ugle-Hagan and denied their own player those benefits just to hinder the Western Bulldogs by 300 draft pick points. NGA Academy Bid - North Melbourne bids for Jamarra Ugle-Hagan - matched by the Western Bulldogs. 2. Western Bulldogs - Jamarra Ugle-Hagan - 18, 196cm 85kg - Oakleigh Chargers The Kangaroos bid on the best talent in the draft and the Dogs have no choice but to use the flawed points system that benefits them greatly to take Ugle-Hagan, a highly skilled and mobile key forward from the Warrnambool area. He will likely slot straight in as the third tall forward for the Dogs and wouldn't shock if he is in the 25-40 goal range in his first year at Whitten Oval - a very exciting player! Trade - The Kangaroos trade Pick 3 and their future second round pick to Gold Coast for their first and second round picks in this 2020 draft and their 2021 first rounder. 3. Gold Coast - Logan McDonald - 18, 196cm 85kg - Perth North hold highly valuable draft stock here but I think they trade out of it with a host of teams willing to pay a premium for access to McDonald. Here the Roos drop effectively three spots to get Gold Coast's first rounder, they also get the Suns' redundant second rounder this year and a very nice looking 2021 pick swap (based on current ladder positioning). The Suns with all the AFL help they've been given are happy to sacrifice draft capital at a loss to get blue chip talent onto their list and McDonald fits that line of thinking His performances at WAFL senior level have been ground-breaking and he meshes prototypical key forward physical attributes with genuine footballing ability, along the lines of Tom Boyd, who had one of the strangest AFL careers ever, but was talented enough to be paid $1 million per year at a point and went close to winning a Norm Smith Medal. A McDonald-Ben King combination is a salivating prospect for Suns fans, if any exist. 4. Sydney Swans - Denver Grainger-Barrass - 18, 195cm 78kg - Swan Districts It wouldn't shock me if the Swans are in the Logan McDonald trade up sweepstakes, but Grainger-Barrass is a nice mix of need and best available and would be a good pick for the Swans if they stay pat at this draft spot. A rangy centre half back with strong intercept skills, he should slot straight in to Sydney's back 6 and be a long-term fixture there, projecting to be one of league's best defenders in time. NGA Academy Bid - Hawthorn bids for Braeden Campbell - matched by Sydney Swans 5. Sydney Swans - Braeden Campbell - 18, 180cm 73kg - Pennant Hills Hawthorn annoys the Swans and forces Sydney to take him at pick 5. It's a no-brainer for the Swans. They get a two-sided midfielder/half-forward that will step straight into their best 22 and were it not for Matthew Rowell being eligible, likely be a debut year Rising Star contender. 6. Hawthorn - Archie Perkins - 18, 186cm 77kg - Sandringham Dragons Will Phillips and Elijah Hollands are still on the board, but the jungle drums beat loudly that Perkins is Hawthorn's man. From a needs basis, Perkins makes more sense than Phillips and the similar Hollands has an ACL tear in his medical history, so those factors may be in Hawthorn's reckoning, but Perkins brings X-factor, pace and run to a team in desperate need of some reinvigoration. It would be an interesting pick and if it unfolds this way, comparisoning between Perkins and Hollands will be a thing the Hawks have to deal with. All in all, though, you can see why Hawthorn would go in this direction. Trade - The Kangaroos trade the current pick and Pick 30, along with 2021 third and fourth rounders to Collingwood for original picks 14 and 16 and their 2021 first rounder. 7. Collingwood - Elijah Hollands - 18, 190cm 84kg - Murray Bushrangers Collingwood's unusual offseason gets stranger as it executes a trade to get it one of the consensus top five players in the draft, the highly skilled Hollands. They give up their two late first rounders which are vulnerable to Reef McInnes bids and their redundant future first which they want to discard before a bid comes for 2021 father-son prospect Nick Daicos. In addition, they get points in both years to service bids with. North sacrifice access again to a top talent but they still have a very strong 2020 draft hand and now have three first rounders to play with in 2021. The Pies hope Hollands' flair and skill will help Pies fans forget the losses of Jaidyn Stephenson and Adam Treloar. He is a very talented player, especially around goals, but the ACL history is worrisome, especially considering what the Pies are giving up to get him. 8. Essendon - Will Phillips - 18, 181cm 79kg - Oakleigh Chargers The Bombers mop up the slider from the accessible consensus top 5 in Will Phillips, the hard running inside midfielder from the Oakleigh Chargers. It's a great result/pick for the Bombers, he helps in the area they are weakest and he has leadership intangibles that will be of benefit - a likely round one contributor for the Dons as a two-way,, inside-out midfielder. 9. Essendon - Nik Cox - 18, 199cm 82kg - Northern Knights At 9, Essendon goes with a less steady pick and takes the incredibly athletic 199cm Cox from the Northern Knights. It's hard to project what position Cox is best suited to play but as a mound of clay, he is an exciting project for new coach Ben Rutten to work with. The Bombers would have loved to be able to get hold of McDonald via but their picks were in a trade no man's land sufficient to entice Adelaide or North. In time they hope Cox can have an impact up forward with his endurance and unusual elasticity for someone of his size. Trade - Essendon trades the current pick to GWS for what were originally GWS's picks 15 and 20. 10. GWS - Zach Reid - 18, 202cm 82kg - Gippsland Power Essendon trades its third first rounder to get a couple more players in the door slightly down the order. GWS jumps up to get a future cornerstone defender in Reid, who has nice kicking skills to match his wiry 200cm frame. He will take time to fill out but with Phil Davis now at age 30 and with Sam Taylor struggling to get on the park in recent times, it seems sensible to invest in the position group. With GWS strong draft hand in terms of volume of picks, they can afford to take what might be a bit of a risky trade jump on a player whose physical one-on-one strength development will be a pivotal factor going forward. NGA Academy Bid - Port Adelaide matches Adelaides bid for Lachlan Jones 11. Port Adelaide - Lachlan Jones - 18, 184cm 87kg - Woodville/West Torrens No surprise that Port matches the bid that comes for Jones from its cross-town rival, a well-rounded half back who could play straight away for the Power and a steal for what they will give up for him under the broken points system. 11. Adelaide - Tom Powell - 18, 180cm 70kg - Sturt The Crows go down the local path again and select the son of Matthew Powell, the nuggety midfielder/half back who played 16 games for Adelaide in the 90s. His son is a different type of player, a smallish accumulating midfielder with neat skills who has dominated the SANFL junior scene in the last 12 months. He may take some time but once he fills out, which he should given his dad's muscular physique, Powell should be a nice cog in the Crows midfield going forward. Adelaide will be hoping he can have a Caleb Serong-like impact in time. 12. GWS - Heath Chapman - 18, 193cm 81kg - West Perth The Giants again go to the defensive well and select West Australian Chapman. Though they play in the same third of the ground, Chapman brings a different role to the table than does the earlier-picked Reid. He is a mobile intercept marking type who likes to take the game on, carry the football and deliver by foot. Some would think it's excessive for the Giants to in effect use three first rounders on defence but down the line a defence of Reid, Chapman, Taylor and Nick Haynes could not only be impassable but also outstanding on the intercept and in delivery. 13. North Melbourne - Finlay Macrae - 18, 186cm 72kg - Oakleigh Chargers The Kangaroos finally make a pick after executing a few trades that will no doubt get tongues wagging on draft night. They take Macrae the smaller younger brother of the Bulldogs midfield star. Similar in a lot of ways to his brother, this looks a nice pick for the Roos as they start to replenish their list with the surfeit of picks at their disposal over the next two years. Fin Macrae could be one to really blossom and play at a level above his draft status, as even though his brother was a high draft pick, he was an enormous improver once he entered the AFL system. 14. Fremantle - Oliver Henry - 18, 187cm 77kg - Geelong Falcons The way Freo's list is set up, I think this has to be the pick as the Dockers have a dearth of forward 50 marking options. Henry is a mobile third type of forward who should be a nice fit alongside Matt Taberner and Rory Lobb. I think ideally the Dockers would like to go with the local midfield product Jack Carroll at this point but the marriage of need and best available makes the Henry pick a sound one all the same. 15. GWS - Sam Berry - 18, 181cm 81kg - Gippsland Power After hopefully shoring up their defense for the next decade with their first two selections, the Giants go to work on their midfield and take the tough tackling, inside operative Sam Berry. With Callan Ward nearing the end and his likely successor Jye Caldwell now gone, he will help bring a hard edge to the Giants' core that has probably been lacking in recent times and in effect takes Caldwell's spot on the list as his direct replacement. NGA Academy Bid - North Melbourne bid for Reef McInnes which is matched by Collingwood. 16. Collingwood - Reef McInnes - 17, 193cm 86kg - Oakleigh Chargers North cheekily use Collingwood's original pick and bid for McInnes. Collingwood match and get an intriguing midfield prospect with excellent size, speed and versatility potential. With Hollands and McInnes the Pies have done well to replace some of the spark lost during its controversial trade week. Trade - North trade the current pick for Geelong's 2021 first rounder and the second rounder they have that is tied to Essendon. 17. Geelong - Tanner Bruhn - 18, 182cm 75kg - Geelong Falcons After bringing Collingwood to account, North then add an unholy fourth 2021 first rounder and a valuable second rounder to its books and executes a trade with the Cats. Geelong get a local product they rate a lot higher than this spot in the draft and the Kangaroos are playing the long game under new coach David Noble. Bruhn has been on the nose in recent times, maybe clubs think he is more of an outside player than is desirable, maybe it's because he is so underexposed, I'm not sure. All the same, with this ball skills and poise, he seems a nice pick here for the trade backwards then forwards Cats. 18. Essendon - Nathan O'Driscoll - 18, 187cm 76kg - Perth Here the Dons go with the West Australian midfielder and in adding him and Phillips they've added a physical edge to their midfield. O'Driscoll is a big-bodied mid or half-back who is a fierce tackler and a decent left footer. When you think about how interested Essendon was in trying to get Josh Dunkley, O'Driscoll is the kind of player that can shore up the kind of weaknesses that the Dons were looking to solidify with that failed trade attempt. 19. North Melbourne - Brayden Cook - 18, 188cm 74kg - South Adelaide The Kangaroos, with all eyes on them and a probable draft documentary deal brewing, elect to make their second selection of the draft and not add to their 2021 pick haul by adding South Adelaide talent Brayden Cook. Cook has torn the SANFL under 18s apart this year and with his dash, high marking and goalkicking acumen, will be an exciting addition for the Roos. With Tarryn Thomas, Jye Simpkin, Luke Davies-Uniacke and now Macrae and Cook, things probably aren't as bad for North as they appear, especially with what they can now do in the 2021 offseason. 20. Richmond - Bailey Laurie - 18, 180cm 75kg - Oakleigh Chargers Having lost Jack Higgins, the Tigers find what could be a direct replacement in Bailey Laurie, the diminutive midfielder/forward with game-breaking ability and punishing footskills. He might find access to the best 22 difficult early on, but long-term he seems the perfect type of player for the Tigers's forward half systems, with midfield versatility down the line an added bonus. 21. Melbourne - Jack Carroll - 17, 188cm 79kg - East Fremantle The Demons add the talented West Australian midfielder from the same WAFL club as Trent Rivers and Luke Jackson. A left-footer who can cover the ground quickly and with plenty of upside, the Dees will be pleased to add some running power to its midfield on the outside, whilst he further develops his promising inside game. NGA Academy Bid - Melbourne bid for Blake Coleman which is matched by Brisbane. 22. Brisbane Lions - Blake Coleman - 18, 181cm 78kg - Morningside Brisbane hold on to the exciting and quick half-forward Coleman, the brother of Kaidean Coleman, who gives them another speedy operator inside 50 to combine with Charlie Cameron. Melbourne would have loved to add him to Kysaiah Pickett as a crumbing forward combination. 23. Melbourne - Jake Bowey - 18, 175cm 66kg - Sandringham Dragons With their second first rounder the Dees take the small but very evasive and neat kicking small Jake Bowey. The son of ex-St Kilda rover Brett Bowey, Bowey will bring an element of dash to Melbourne and with his kicking efficiency maybe add that dimenson that will help balance Simon Goodwin's ball-winning brigade, whilst also helping the Demons' inconsistent small forward play if deployed in attack. Trade - Essendon trades the current pick to Hawthorn for Hawthorn's second rounder and 2021 third rounder 24. Hawthorn - Max Heath - 18, 204cm 88kg- Sandringham Dragons The Hawks trade up a few spots to avoid coughing up a pick unnecessarily to a Connor Downie bid and take a swing for the fences with Heath, a developing ruckman who could be their long-term solution to the ruck position. A giant man with a physical approach, Heath is very much a raw ball of clay but in time could be worth the investment. With Downie to come, the Hawks take the view that this in effect a free hit and take a risk that could pay off in spades. 25. St Kilda - Cameron Fleeton - 18, 192cm 81kg - Geelong Falcons With their first pick, the Saints add developing Geelong Falcon key defender Cam Fleeton. A more long-range project type player, Fleeton can take a mark and has shutdown defender potential as well. Raw in some areas, the Saints hope he develop into a quality key back and will give him time, something they can afford to do as they've once again bolstered their list with proven commodities, Brad Crouch and Jack Higgins.

I’ll meet you there on those thoughts. He has a good action so I think it comes down to a little confidence. I just really hope he and Brown are able to work well in tandem to ease the pressure on each other.

He missed some extremely gettable goals this year for a forward that actually has a good kicking style, and also kicked quite a few from point blank finishing the good work of others (good work from him too to get into that position). The Brisbane game in particular I remember him missing a couple of fairly standard shots, we lost that by a goal, and vs North he should’ve had a massive bag but finished 2.3. True over the course of his career he’s been a decent set shot.

I'm not sure that's a correct assumption. I see it more as being that the club saw 2021 picks as being overvalued by the market, and 2020 picks as being undervalued by the market. As a result we have sold our expensive 2021 pick for some bargain 2020 picks. I think it's a value trade, most of all.

This could be the first time in his career that Dawsey has been compared to Buddy.

I wanted to see Hawthorn defence Chip, Frost and OMac. Howe and Dunney to round out our team of ex Dee defenders with Stef Martin dropping back

It continues to be somewhat of a relief that Melbourne's chronic ineptitude of a decade ago has rivals as we head into a new decade in the form of Norff, Filth, the Chardonnay Sippers and off course the gift that keeps on giving, Essenscum.

nah, just more of "whatever it takes"

By comments with regards to the 2’s were in the context of the talk before trade period of TMac staying to fight for his place. To dissuade him of this notion I would have been very clear in conversations with him that a) He’s not best 22 b) The youngsters such as Jackson and Petty will be given playing time before him That being the case a year in the 2’s beckoned for him unless he was traded. I suggested he take a pay-cut to stay or secure a move. Those views were shot down in flames by the majority. There was obviously a meeting of minds as he did in fact explore his options. There were no takers. The market verdict was clear. My comments were not intended to be disrespectful rather a realistic assessment of his situation. If my tone was curt, it’s because I expect $700k players to perform (injuries aside). I don’t know too many premiers who’ve carried a highly paid passenger. Cap is precious and we’ve wasted a chunk on TMac. With respect to the weight gain, has this been substantiated by anyone at the club or is it something his management is saying. The implication is the club have mismanaged him. Big call seeing as he’s had Burgess, one of the best in the business, for a year trying to get him right. Sounds to me like someone making excuses for themselves. I’m encouraged to hear he’s dropping the weight and is looking sharp. He appeared to be moving freely in the short snippet of footage I saw. He’ll provide depth and cover injuries to our KPP’s (hopefully won’t arise). IF he does regain his spot and produces 2018 level form I’ll be delighted and more than happy to come on here and say well done. But for $700k a year his 2018 form is what he’s expected and paid to deliver.

Dr D. Settle down. It’s a supporters thread. Neither would @gawndogor @goodoil . Has Herald Sun journalist sat through the recruiter meetings or psych tests. Really. No poster here is. I based my opinion on watching 2019 under 18s games. Bendigo pioneers. From what saw, I’d take Jack Ginnivan who showed a lot more class and footy IQ in the 3 games I saw. It’s an opinion. FFS. Shutdown all opinion based on your view. Shutdown all views on our games given we don’t sit in match committee or watch 100 hours of tapes a week. We have our opinion. I think recruiters may go for more SA, WA, QLD kids this year based on what they have seen. Unfortunately many Vic metro and country kids may not be given the best possible chance and many are likely to slip through to the rookie draft spots. That’s an opinion.

just looked at mine, its april 2019 over here

Is it an Eveready Battery ? Is it a Duracell? No It's an Energizer . Lasts longer.

An interesting hour with Trac Podcast Trac with Dylan Buckley

I wouldn't even bother with a phantom draft this year, even the clubs themselves acknowledge that the draft boards are going to be so different due to Vic not seeing games. i think JT and co would have their eyes on some good talents they've seen building for a few years and they'll take a calculated punt that they would have pushed strongly into the first round had games happened, but slipped because they didn't

Assuming our draft picks remain as they are then picks #18 & #19 will probably turn out to be around #23 & #24 after academy and f/sons. If we follow the AFL Draft Central picks we would miss out on Finlay Macrae but we would get Jack Carroll and Brayden Cook. I think that would be fair and reasonable for the hand we have at the draft.

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.