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Saty I don't post here much any more [for the same reason] but I do read selected threads. Your posts especially. I consider your posts are the most informative posts on Demonland.' Your inside info is second to none. Just ignore the Dheads, and and take pleasure that there is a great number of us that really appreciate the time you take out to provide info re training and the players. Your posting is the main reason I look at this site. Please reconsider your decision not to post your reports.

I noticed we didn't have any really for last week and found these for Friday 24/11/17 on Big Footy by Proper Gander. Not much to go off but better than nothing. Without delving further into the interesting area of the relative merits of adding bulk v drinking beers while on holiday - here is my general impressions of training. Also Starc just got Jake Ball’s wicket, which is nice.Notable absentees were Jack Viney and Michael Hibberd (unless he was in the rehab group on the far side, and I never saw him, but I don’t think he was there).In his own group, doing the special older guy with 4 premierships routine was Jordan Lewis who was doing laps early on checking his time every now and again. I gave him a supportive smile every time he passed that he totally ignored, which pleased me no end. He left soon after 10 AM and wasn’t seen again.The rehab group being tortured by Crossey for the day consisted of Kent (shoulder), Jones (something), Filopovic (why not), Lever (post premiership loss related angst), Joel Smith (things), Tim Smith (other things), Weiderman (eating disorder), Wagner (who knows), TMac (surgery for things) Buggy (pest patrol) and anyone else who was in the rehab group that I have forgotten. I think Jeff didn’t join the main group today - I saw him running a bit with the rehab guys at one point but he seemed to have left the field by the second hour so he probably went to have beers with Jordan to talk about how to get 4 premierships. TBH this group started early, and were doing things with Crossey with music on the far side of the field next to Punt Road, so I never got that good a look at them unless they were running the perimeter.The main group rocked up at about 9:35 - 9:40. Tardy buggers.Now to add a further layer of complication to the who is big, who is small debate for Topkent to argue about, my body shape observations are that other than Kent who looks to me much as he ever has only with bandaged shoulder, everyone appears to have come back in decent shape with some looking very good indeed. Max Gawn, as reported elsewhere, is leaner. Stretchy is really hard looking - this was evident last off season too. He seems to have one of those body types that shows muscle definition clearly. The ripped award goes to Joel Smith who was running with TMac at one stage, both wearing those silly GPS bra things. He looks like one of those Olympic sprint swimmers - washboard belly with clear 6 pack - and makes Tommy look portly if that was ever possible. Wagner in great shape too, but when is he not? His concerns do not include skin folds, which is just as well because in my view he has other issues to contend with.Channel 7 reported Petracca as ‘lean’ a few weeks back, which to my mind is media puff because he looks much the same to me. He is a big lad who has borrowed May West’s thighs, after either winning or losing a bet depending on your POV. He trains really well and is generally smiling, except during running drills where he looks like a guy hefting around 90 plus kilos who still has endurance work to do. The coaches are all over him, and Mitch Hannah who also struggles with running drills, but Ancient said Trac has improved already from a few weeks back where he was struggling to keep up, so maybe he can spend the summer shadowing Ollie shadowing Stretch and create a kind of domino effect premiership side.Clayton Oliver looks like a different person to the guy we drafted. He’s lean and has muscles and stuff, and is very focussed and effective all through the session, and the big surprise is none other than Mitch King who really has gone from ‘LOL you’re kidding’ to the heights of an interesting theoretical possibility. Hogan looking good and has come back relatively lean, in a big forward type way, and Pedo looks heaps better than last year post surgery when he was puffing his way though hours of Crossey type punishment.Goodwin also absent, but I think the draft might be held in Sydney this year so he’s probably heading there.I am now going to make a cheese sandwich and will return with more once I’ve eaten it and can recall some drills and stuff. The cricket has gone to [censored] again, so I will continue.The main group warmed up on some silly drills. They played soccerish stuff with a round ball which everyone seemed to enjoy. Our best soccer player is head-and-shoulders James Harmes who was having a Beckham-like blinder, and Dom Tyson isn’t bad either. Welcome to the next International Rules match boys. Then they play cone dancing for a bit - kind of footspeed, balance drill with players in turn having to skitter inside a diamond of different colour cones towards the colour cone yelled by a coach. Everyone okay at this. Of course there is the routine hilarious moment where the coach yells “red!” And everyone falls over their feet because there is no red cone. Wacko. What with the soccer drill then the invisible cone dance this all looks to me like a super way to do an ankle. By now I take two paracaetamol because my temper has taken a sudden nose-dive for no good reason.Then some real drills in ball movement. Interestingly with a spot of light body work, so we’re ahead of the curve, but no full tackling, just some friendly nudges. The players have split into three rough groups which are the defenders, forwards and mids (loosely speaking). I was closest to the mids. Thinking back to preseason a few years back, we look a much sharper, more experienced and generally better unit then back then. Plus Dawes isn’t here which is a relief and works even better than the paracaetamol on my head. Harmes is killing it in the midfield for sharpness and intensity. I’m pleased about this. His best footy is really valuable - read 1st quarter against Saints last we played - but like a true demon his consistency hasn’t been great. But he looks the real deal ATM so I’m hoping for a big year. Also he has terrible tats and his hair is achieving new heights of dodgy so I’m thinking breakout, Dusty type Brownlow year for the Horse.I check out Balic’s work and thought he looked okay, certainly not out of place. He has a good size and body shape for midfield, though looks a bit softer than some of our returning players which is hardly surprising given he is pretty young and hasn’t had much of a run at AFL game time as yet. I will watch with interest. He has an awesome totally deadpan expression, like a police officer reading from his notebook in the Federal Magistrates. His flat affect will no doubt drive Bigfooty posters to extremes during the year and I’m looking forward to it. Given he was a low pick, injury riddled past, only a year contract, and isn’t best 22 yet he seems totally the perfect character for a Melbourne sponsorship. Whoever goes to the BBQ has exactly 1 hour to make him smile or pay everyone here $50 (photo or it didn’t happen).We also did some full team drills where the Simon Goodwin changing lanes special is on full display. Skills are pretty sharp overall, though as Sir Hugh pointed out Jesse did some real worm burners from time to time. I like to think it was intended to sharpen the ground ball skills of his teammates, such is his generosity. But on the whole we look like a functioning unit rather than a group of randoms who showed up for a spot of kick-to-kick which is encouraging. Petracca is loud and somewhat ADHD but a few more running sessions quieten him down eventually (his recovery is very good - he is a complete goose again before home time). Track also does his tongue out thing at seemingly random times, so I’m now convinced it is totally unconscious. I hope he doesn’t get a surprise tackle while like that. All in all, I think we can be reasonably confident that the change lanes thing should be executed well in 2018. Hopefully in the season we can add in the taking marks thing, the not spoiling each other thing, the kicking goals thing and not going missing during random quarters for no obvious reason thing.JKH is training well, though I should point out that every time I have been to training he is going well - he’s very focussed and generally upbeat in training. But full marks for effort even though I’m not convinced he will make it as an AFL player - he won’t die not knowing, so good for him. Harmes is the dynamo of the day though - he is completely on and wins the intensity award. Also smiles a fair bit; but his teeth are pretty big so it’s probably just more comfortable to display bits of them from time to time and give his lips a rest.Late in the session there is some goal practice. Jesse redeems himself with some excellent kicking in set shots from various angles. He is also putting a fair bit of time now and after the session in practicing snaps for goal, so maybe this year he has decided to shrink and become a crumbing forward in the hope of winning over Ando. Jake Melksham has paired up with Jesse and misses virtually everything. Someone needs to get in his head and tell him its neck and neck in the 4th. Christians 1 and 2 both look good. One quiet and one loud. I’ll leave it to you to decide which. Oliver goes about his business like a pro. There are some nice moments where everyone is lined up watching the goal kicker and generally sledging to put the man off his game. So its a general testosterone competition of gruff swearing and raucous HaHa-ing - passing dog walkers glance over thinking its international pirate day. Harmes hasn’t tailed off yet and his goal kicking is solid from all angles.With some more running just for fun, the last bit consists of some positional work in pairs. Max has taken Mitch King off to one end and they do some light contested stuff. Max wins mostly but Mitch doesn’t look utterly out of place any more which is a step in the right direction. Jesse is working hard on getting some distance on his man (OMac), pushing off or out-bodying. He looks great now, and OMac not doing a bad job. Close by Pedo and Keilty are doing similar work but with more comedic misses and general pointless running about, falling over, scrambling etc, but who knows what the coaches are asking for so whatever they are doing could be perfect for all I know. So lets say it is perfect and give both a big hand.Some other coaches are doing contested midfield work tapping it to players taking turns in offensive and defensive roles. This group are all travelling well, even Balic who looks like a footballer (but still hasn’t smiled or for that matter twitched). He is getting a fair bit of encouragement but that could have been to get his face to move.And so it ends. I head off towards a tram. I try to hang by Christian Salem and Melksham who are in conversation to find out what interesting things footy players chat about. What I found out is that Jake reckons sessions like that are the pits for changing shoes from spikes to runners. He’s right. They all should get a pay rise. I slope off when both become aware that they have attracted a third person to their conversation and give me some WTF looks.Overall the dynamic looks good and we will probably get a premiership this year

Our policy is clearly that differing views on subjects brought up in these and other threads are allowed and accepted but the problem is that some people like to cloak their so called "differing views" by means of posts that are actually attacks on others. This won't be tolerated and the discretion on the matter lies entirely with the moderators. Those who don't agree with this policy should in particular stay away from the training report threads. Thanks.

Can we please go back to abusing each other instead of talking about old actresses?

Yea do we have to go through this every year? Any and every pic and report much appreciated from the other side of the globe. Forget the haters

Lewis finished equal third in our B&F this year. And, as everyone knows, he missed games through suspension. Had he played in those, I reckon we would've won some of them, especially the Fremantle game, and those games would've translated into more votes. In short, Lewis is not past it. He remains a super important player for us. I will be stunned if he does not (at the very least) play out his entire contract at the Dees i.e. barring serious injury, he will absolutely play next year. Like Hibberd, such a valuable pick up for this list.

It's somehow comforting, in a weird kind of a way, to see that MFCSS extends beyond the firewall of Demonland. If nothing else, this does prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Ox IS one of us!

I am still stoked we landed Fritsch. I thought at beginning of trade night, if we walked away with Fritsch I'd be happy, anything more is a bonus. I don't know much about the others. I have only seen Fritsch play a handful of times - but he looked impressive. I remember watching Mitch Hannan play most of his games the year we drafted him, and I was happy we landed him, he did it against men, and his frame wasn't a limitation. I don't expect Fritsch frame to limit him at all. I think he may play early. There is nothing about his game that suggests he has to put on size (at least in respect of contributing at AFL level - size will naturally come in time). So its a good get for mine. Hope he does well.

Barry McFlurry played four games in 1927.

This seems like an 'I'm still annoyed about them trading Watts' type of comment from the Ox. It's strange. He says we'll go south if we get injuries to Hogan, Weideman and Lever - any side that loses some of it's important key forward and defensive players will struggle, but he fails to recognise how we battled plenty of injuries last season and were still competitive throughout. Weird stuff from the Ox.

I'd say we had a few injuries to key players last year as well . . . AND . . . moved up the ladder.

Extra points if you pronounced it 'looxury' in your head.

On the footy field he was a wasted talent. However, there are many out there who never fulfill their potential and talent. That's sport and that's life. However, his off-field stuff is a major problem. From all accounts, he can be a very pleasant and nice guy. Some years ago when I was bemoaning his wasted footy talent, a friend who knew him off the footy field told me that he was a lovely guy who had great respect for family and friends. However, it appears from his actions that there is another side. Many of us have a bit of a JekyIl and Hyde character, at least in a mild or moderate way. Behaviours and actions can vary from appropriate to inappropriate or from good to bad. How often do you hear family or friends say "that's not like you". The downside can involve risk taking, poor judgement, extreme or inappropriate conduct. And of course, in Mr Hyde's case, much worse. Actions show that there is no recognition or acceptance of societal or personal boundaries. Today, a psychiatrist would say that Mr Hyde suffered from mood swings. Highs and lows. The condition is not helped with alcohol or illicit substances, but these substances are a symptom of the condition. Mr Hyde was clearly a psychopath as are all serial killers. Violent people can be very charming, and, at times, gentle people can become violent when they are consumed by psychopathic rage. No one is suggesting that of Colin. However, many of us suffer from mood swings that can be mild or moderate. Most people can live happily and have family and friends and be able to function normally in society. Some people never improve and their life takes a downward spiral leading to the breakdown of personal and family relationships, inability to hold down a job, breaking the law, and, in extreme circumstances, self harm and prison. Our jails are full of people who would not be there if they had sought help, been helped and they had been treated for their mental health conditions (rather than been viewed as bad people who need to be jailed). Unfortunately, our jails are not mental health institutions and only the extreme cases get treated. It's why so many prisoners never make it back to a normal life. The ones who improve do so by way of a personal epiphany (this is the value of organizations such as AA) or by way of treatment and medication.

Good lord, you can't be serious. If so this is perhaps the best example of confirmation bias on DL. Ever. And that is no small feat.

There's a big difference between abusive posts attacking others/name calling and posts expressing different views with valid, evidence based reasoning. I am hoping to get to training either this week or next with Uncle Bitter, followed by a pub lunch, and look forward to any responses or questions. That is, if I survive the day.....

Terribly sad, and one with such terrific potential, once. Let's stop the name-calling and redundant criticism of him to allow those about him, and himself, recover and reset his wheels. He did many very good things for us as supporters, remember? AFL pressure is something that I would think few of us could endure, at best.

That is correct. When he took the 1yr contract he was told he may have Casey time to give developing players game experience and he was ok with that. Re some other posts in this thread on Lewis and Vince. They are over 30, past their best and slowing down. Our youngsters have yet to reach that critical 5 pre-seasons mark, that is generally considered when full AFL conditioning is reached. So imv Lewis and Vince still have an important role - to keep the opp honest and 'protect' the youngsters from snipers and man-handlers - opp will be out to work over our young stars next year. (Hopefully Lewis, Vince et al can do that without suspensions). It is not something Jones does often and he turns 30 in January so his days are numbered (if age is the criteria for a mid fielder). imv neither Vince or Lewis are in our bottom six and until they are I'm happy to see them on the ground. And they aren't the worst 'butchers' of the ball in the team. We still need their experience in all facets of the game not just possessions and kicks etc.

I read it more as Lewis is too slow for the midfield so will now just sit across half-back and get cheap kicks. That's a role he played for much of 2017 anyway so nothing is really changing.

I know Saty is a fan boy. I can read his reports and not need to attack him for his positivity, his enthusiasm or love of his team. I welcome his reports- I get a different insight. If he has stopped posting because the crap he cops to do so, then we are the poorer for it.

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2017/11/30/ox-these-two-clubs-at-huge-risk-of-going-south-in-2018/ Of dropping down the ladder .... IF .... we have injuries to key players. In other news the sky is apparently blue.

think you will find the pyramid texts pre-date the vedas by 1000-1500 years ernest but yes, if you only include current religions

Apologies this is in the wrong forum however to ensure this gets to the maximum numbers I have inserted this here. Just in case you have not noticed any social media announcements, the AFLW Clinic has been rescheduled for Saturday 9th December. I believe training will still be at the scheduled time on Saturday 2 December but there will not be a Clinic conducted due to the worsening weather forecast for the day. The hours advertised will remain the same for the 9th December training and clinic. If any of you with children would like to attend the Clinic on the 9th just call the Club or enrol on line.

Well that just proves if you want to avoid being beaten up by a sword fish you should wear a white t-shirt.

Reference to the term actresses suggest that posters are full bodied of good vintage. Although I prefer the term actors and actresses but of course I am full bodied but of dubious vintage.

My suspicion is that he is young. An older person might have known how to spell her first name correctly.

SIMON GOODWIN’S SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS by Whispering Jack Melbourne’s selections during the 2017 AFL Trade Period and at the National Draft bear the imprimatur of Simon Goodwin and clearly demonstrate the direction in which the club’s head coach intends taking the club into the future. To be clear, the final decision as to which player was taken with any given selection was made on draft night by national recruiting manager Jason Taylor but the direction was laid out by the coach and his coaching panel. The emphasis is firstly on players with pace, good skills, especially in terms of disposal and decision-making and most importantly, on character and competitive instincts. And in the main, the club’s recruits are not the sort players who have been given an easy ride into the elite level of the sport or on a silver platter but rather, they’ve done it the hard way. Jake Lever spent his draft year recovering from ACL surgery and was forced to watch from the sidelines as his Calder Cannons and Vic Metro teammates went through an entire season in the hope of catching the eye of an AFL selector. It’s well documented how hard he worked on his rehabilitation and that he used that time to learn as much as he could about the game from being around his club. Harley Balic came out of the same TAC system but a serious wrist injury that required surgery followed by bouts of homesickness and a hamstring tear which soured his time with Fremantle but it’s clear that commitment to improving his game never wavered. Melbourne’s selections at Friday’s draft meeting in Sydney were - Round Two: 29 Melbourne – Charlie Spargo (Murray Bushrangers/Allies) 31 Melbourne – Bailey Fritsch (Casey Demons/VFL) 37 Melbourne – Harrison Petty (Norwood/South Adelaide) Round Three: 48 Melbourne – Oskar Baker (Aspley/Queensland) Twelve months ago, the diminutive Spargo who hails from a strong footballing and professional athletics background going all the way back to great-grandfather Bob Snr. appeared headed towards the Giants via their Academy but the AFL changed the GWS zone and he became available to all comers and would have been a top ten pick but for a shoulder injury that kept him from producing yet another consistent season in junior ranks. Fritsch was considered too slight of build to get into TAC Cup ranks but his perseverance with local club Coldstream finally earned him an invitation to play at Casey. After two injury-riddled seasons he had a standout 2017 to win the Fothergill-Round Medal - the VFL equivalent of the rising star award. Harrison Petty wasn't really on the radar as far as many SA judges were concerned earlier this year but a superb national championships saw him win All Australian status and an MVP for his state. Oskar Baker was dropped off the list at the Brisbane Lions Academy so he walked into NEAFL club Apsley where he was given a rookie position at the start of 2017. He took his opportunities there, made the senior team and starred kicking the goal of the year and producing some breathtaking football. The commmon thread among the four Demon recruits from this draft is hard work, competitiveness, pace and good disposal skills. It won't be easy for any of them to break into the AFL straight away but the fact that they have all come through the school of hard knocks should hold them in good stead.

Bub, if you are attempting to make us jealous by posting pics of your luxurious, cold drinks whilst we swelter in windy 35 degree heat, I can tell you emphatically and on behalf of everyone on TSBS that it's working. B@stard!

Generally agree with all of the above. I think Bernie sometimes cops it for spraying the ball, but I'm guessing that he often unloads upfeild when he feels like he is under the pump and would probably turn it over holding the ball or trying to dish off a handball to a teammate already under pressure. How many times have you heard supporters say "just kick the bloody thing" when we handball and dither in defence. I think being the senior player he is, Bernie is given a bit of licence to have that bomb up the ground when there are no other options and is secure enough in his own ability and place in the side when the bomb gets turned over. When in time and space, Bernie can be a pretty good user of the ball and those cute little kicks into the centre of the ground often create something really damaging when they do come off. I also don't think anyone should underestimate the value of Bernie playing for Casey and developing our younger players, particularly given we have lost Grimes, Dunn, Garland and Trenners that were playing that role down there so well. If I were a developing young player, I recon I'd love playing there with Bernie and he will love the role of mentoring, passing on some footy smarts and helping our youngster walk a foot taller when he plays. Similarly, I've observed that Lewis is usually a pretty good user of the ball and has a good knack of repeditively getting to the right spot where we need someone to be to link up and form a good chain of disposals and he seems to particularly do this at times the team is struggling to maintain possession and composure. If he can teach that to some of our other younger or even somewhat experienced players like Jetta (I like the Hodge comparison someone made), then that could be a real boon for the side in years to come. Conversely, Lewis does occasionally have his days and moments where he is horrendously fumbles the ball and occasionally completely butchers it by foot. People went off at Tom MacDonald for his shocking turnover last round against the Pies, but I watched Lewis do something just as bad in our game in Darwin against the GC when the game was on the line. At the end of the day, even the best players are all human.

Appropriate comment and for supporters who should be uniting in a common interest, a very good moment of reflection. This site is capable of improved quality and value to us all; thank you, WJ.

Well said. I agree. Less pressure on them and less whinging from all of us. I am guilty of expecting too much too early off of draftees, and I think part of it comes from the mediocre performances off of our senior blokes. We are always looking for some youth to step in - because our seniors are letting us down. Since we have had Roos we have improved I believe. 5-6 years ago I'd be hoping Petty was the next big thing because we needed him to be. Now it feels as though it doesn't matter as much. We appear to have a ready made list now. There is no excuses for the guys in the side. Best MFC team I have seen in a long time. I do get ahead of myself but our side looks really promising. Hopefully Petty just develops at Casey and gets to learn his craft without expectation. We still have key position back in Keilty who will be ready before he is. That should ease the pressure.

That's because swimmers and cyclists don't have to run. Put them on a footy field for 10mins and see how fine they are 'bing'. ...players need endurance and match fitness for a contact sport. Sport specific training is very important at any level let alone the elite level.

What I learned from that article: they're persisting with Vince in defence unfortunately.

Don't forget all the hungry jacks. Lost a few to Port Adelaide but Viney is still tracking for round 1.

2017* and there's some truth in this. The AFL app actually had Lewis as one of our hardest attacking runners so he was constantly working to get in to space, but clearly his defensive running was badly lacking. I like the idea of him setting up the defenders, especially if he's got 3 weapons in Lever, Hunt and Hibberd to work with across half back. It probably means Salem and Brayshaw in particular have to get super fit so they can play midfield and rotate forward if Lewis gets the half back role.

To clear up any confusion, I have stopped posting training reports because I got bored with the constant negativity displayed by some posters and decided not to feed them anymore I will continue to post pics on Instagram 2 notes to leave you with Tyson is now pain free in his knees for first time since arriving at the Club and is running his best times Bradtke is there to develop big man agility, Stafford will continue with ruck craft

Swung by for a quick look. It was unbearably hot in the sun. Forwards: Hogan, Pedersen, Fritsch, Bugg, DJ, ANB, JKH Doing some kicking to position and blocking Mids: Huge group with the 3 rucks - Jones, Oliver, Petracca, Brayshaw, Harmes, Balic, Maynard, Tyson, Stretch, Salem, Baker Doing a stoppage and spread drill Backs: Oscar, Frost, Lever, Wagner, Keilty, Lewis, Vince, Jetta Some kicking and also some lightly contested marking or spoiling. Really the focus was on early body work and movement not on the contest Not sighted: Vanders, Viney, Weeds, Hannan, McKenna, J Smith, T Smith, Hunt, Garlett, T Mc, Hibberd, Melksham, Kent, Spargo, Perry Troy Chaplin was coaching the backs. Max Rooke the forwards. Benny Matthews the mids with Egan watching on I believe. Macca and Goody floating around. They broke in to a talls group who practiced contested marking and in close agility and and a couple of groups of smalls who did some kicking work. I left when they started to do running. Looked like Stretch, ANB, Wagner got an icy pole and were excused from the running. Maynard and I think Hogan as well. I think all of the midfield group aside from Balic and maybe Baker went and formed the best running group, plus Vince, Lewis, Jetta, Bugg, JKH. The first few runs looked like a good pace and the groups stayed together.

Luxury.

'Summer lovin, had me a blast'???

Turned up to training early, naturally they thought he was a burglar.

Red hair Country lad Late entry to the elite talent pathway after relocating to boarding school Underdeveloped physically Standout games with standout attributes Unpopular pick due to already having similar players on the list with many wanting a needs based pick Not overly quick but elite agility (for his position, 8.29 according to AFL draft central) All of those criteria apply to Clarry and to Petty. I remember many on here saying we should've picked Parish because we already had Viney, Tyson, Petracca, Brayshaw etc and didn't need another inside midfielder. Talls take a little longer but if in 3 years time this guy is looking good and playing regularly there won't be any complaints. Personally, I think we needed a key defender, but even if we didn't I like the pick.

Lever and Balic ARE young talent m11 You use your picks to bring in talent, either by drafting or trading. We are loading up for a flag tilt, and were always going to trade top picks for top established talent at some stage. Some people seem to prefer the excitement of the unknown. Give me a (quality) known quantity any day.

Highlights package = grain of salt. But there is some tremendous judgement of the flight and one grab marking in that package - it's hard to fake.

Some BF profiles... https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/2017-official-big-footy-phantom-draft.1181789/ 33 Sydney - Harrison Petty Height, Weight: 194cm, 81kgPetty was a stand out for the SA side in the Nationals. Has a great intercept marking game. Whilst I am not saying he will become the next Rance he has the ability to become a very valuable player for the Swans. He can swing forward as well. the Swans could do with a reinforced back half as they have an ageing Grundy and some dash and run from Rampe. With Rohan on the decline the Swans need a steadying influence who can mark, intercept and run out of the backline. If you read the below passage from the AFL website it clearly explains why the Swans cant let him slip through the net.Some clubs rate Petty as one of the best tall defenders available at the draft, with his strong overhead presence and good rebound making him a contender to break into the latter stages of the first round or early in the second round when names are called.Part of Petty's appeal is the view from various recruiters that he is relatively untapped, with this season his first in the elite talent pathway after coming from a regional background. The 17-year-old averaged 12 disposals and four marks at the national carnival but did not complete any of the athletic testing at the national NAB AFL Draft Combine after rolling his ankle in the kicking and goalkicking trials on the opening night.Some Swans supporters may be critical of this selection but a good defender can make or break you when coming up against the 'Gorillas' of the competition. https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/knightmares-2017-draft-almanac.1161261/ https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/snoop-dog-2018-phantom-draft-incl-rookie.1182255/

If we take Parish over Oliver we don't get near finals If Smith and Spencer don't get injured against Richmond we probably win and play finals If St Kilda took Trac instead of Mccartin we struggle to win QB It's full of what ifs Thank god the FD looks forward not back

^^^ This the so called superdraft next year is based on having plenty of depth in terms of going very deep in quality players A high number of quality talls On another point our FD was one who got their heads around the Academy points system quicker than others. Don't be surprised if they have also prepared for live trading coming in fairly soon

Let me simplify it for you... Maybe none of these players are good enough. The FD would seem to think that's the case. We don't need more list cloggers but we can develop quality for our own needs and for future trade bait. You are looking at things in a very one dimensional way and we are far from done and locked out of trading or drafting in 2018...