Deespicable

Dropped in again today and saw most of the match sim. There were two highlight plays - both discussed already on here in brief. Trac, who was everywhere intercepting and creating plays like he was in his midfield breakout year of 2020, intercepted a Clarry handball that spilt into general play and then raced to try and win it, when he finally did amidst about five players he bounded out of defence only for his own give to be intercepted by Oliver who started a brilliant chain that led to Laurie's goal on the run. Trac nicely gave Olly a high five congrats on the play - a nice sign of respect. Both Trac and Olly played far more in the middle corridor than normal - both on each other I suspect - so they had a bit of latitude and really just had to use their smarts to win the footy, which they both did on countless times. They are clearly the cream of our midfield. Sadly Olly got a little sore towards the end and came off - not sure whether it was a significant injury - suspect it was pretty minor as he was standing around the tent area. The other was the goal from boy George, who spun out of a tackle and snapped beautifully from about 40m. It should also be noted that he dropped a chest mark in the same play prior to getting tackled. Kossie and Trac were the two stars out there - just so quick and clever. It looks like Kossie, when he resumes in rd 4, will go straight into our midfield rotation this year. His days as a small forward may be done - at least until our goals dry up. Harry Sharp was quite prominent on his wing, although he did get brought down by a huge tackle from Sparrow at one stage. We do have a plethora of wing options this year and that's even without Caleb Windsor, who will be a match winning line breaker down back. Billings is looking good, Ed is everywhere, Woey when he goes there looks good also and Xavier Lindsay will probably be in contention soon when he stops running reps and joins in after X-mas. Across half forward Fritter and Kolt were also lively and Roo's mobility and clever Tommy Hawkins-style gives makes him a standout. I haven't commented on Harvey, but if I did it would be the same as last time. He is still finding his feet with the extra pace making life tougher than in his junior career - but he has some significant tools that will come into play this season. Let's wait and see how he fares after a X-mas break - I reckon he will comeback feeling more confident in the new environment and will make the pace adjustment. It's incredibly hard on a guy being thrust straight into a mid role - Trac had four seasons as a forward to learn the ropes before graduating to that role.

Attending training today was not quite as exciting as it was two weeks ago when the newbies were on display for the first time and the odd player was being trialled in unusual positions, but it's still good to see what's going on and who's making inroads. I was particularly interested in the match sim work, which lasted about an hour and generally saw 14-a-side lining up - so plenty of space and plenty of running. As I said last Friday, it's hard not to be impressed by Caleb Windsor as a defender. He gives us the line-breaking pace and decision making that we need. Salem, Bowey and even McVee are all generally safe disposers and capable players in their own right, but adding Windsor into the mix will give us that dash we've been lacking allowing us to transition on occasions with real venom. So far this pre-season Kossie is spending the majority of time with the mids and he's nailing it. It's like watching Aaron Davey in his prime - his ability to baulk and weave out of trouble is amazing. Last year his forays into the middle were also dynamic, but he kept turning the ball over. Hopefully with a full summer he can iron out his gives, because he now wins the majority of the contests - even more than Trac and Ollie. With him no longer playing forward, it seems Jack Viney has been assigned the task of being an extra small up forward and you'd be surprised how good a mark he is for his size and you'd hate to be the defender that turns the wrong way and gets nailed in a tackle by him. Disco Turner looks to be mastering the art of forward-play and looks at home in the role now. Our key forwards are in a battle for spots this year and you'd be doing well to predict our round 1 trio. Jeffo had a day out in match sim kicking about four goals but he still gets pushed off it by bigger defenders. Aidan Johnson is starting to look the part, he's quick and physical and he definitely will be considered for round 1, although he'll need to nail our practice games. Petty keeps swapping roles, but spent most of today as a forward and with Jed Adams clearly on the improve, it may be that he will stay up front after all. JVR is finding the going tougher this year - he's got the yips with his kicking for goal routine and I suspect it's sapping his marking confidence. But he still looks a brute and is mega determined - the only issue being that Turner and AJ are similar models. The class and variety that Fritta provides was clearly missed today, while Melky was on light duties. Don't be surprised if Tom Campbell plays quite a few times this year. As good as Gawny is, big Tom is beating him in the ruck tapouts contests, although he can't match him in marking duels around the ground. Tom was huge at Sandringham in the VFL last year and he has made a huge impression so far at training. He's mobile in the Brodie Grundy mode, but he has extra height, which means he can monster the throw-ins. Given there's 23 in a squad these days, surely it's time to take the pressure off Gawny a bit this season by occasionally playing TC as well with a view to subbing him out for fresh legs at three-quarter time. As to Will Verrrall, he laid a couple of ripping tackles today, but he's up against it, conceding about three inches and 10kg to TC and Gawny. If I was giving votes at training today, then I'd be considering Ed Langdon - there was one magic bit of play where he just kept running to provide the spare and after a chain of quick handballs it finally to fell to him. He pulled a 90-degree kick that found Viney lace up for a shot on goal. Such was Ed's form that I barely noticed Harry Sharp who was often doing his best to keep up with him. Our other newbie mid Harvey Langford won a bit more of the ball today, but I suspect he's still trying to adjust to the extra pace and will enjoy the X-mas break to recharge. Kynan Brown spent much of match-sim as a small forward and got a few nice touches. But I think he needs to play on the wing or half-back to make it. As mentioned by others, Clarry and Trac had a nice chat about body positioning after match sim, and both are clearly a step ahead of our other mids (aside from Kossie), barging and baulking their way out of stoppages. If they can keep in a good headspace all season, then there's no doubt that with our draw we will challenge again.

Ok, I went down to training and after writing a lengthy report for you on Monday was going to quietly avoid putting fingers to the laptop. But then, the shot that was heard around the world happened and I thought you'd enjoy knowing about it. Ok, what shot. Well here's a test guess which player I am talking about from this detail. The ball heads long to the wing and Roo looks set to mark but in comes this strong looking Dee with hunger and nudges Roo aside and takes a really strong mark. He then goes back to kick with his left foot and seeing Roo overcommit on the mark, beautifully baulks him and charges down field, get his balance and sees a player 65m away hoping for an over the back in the goal square. He balances after the baulk and then thumps his left footer over the top to his waiting teammate. It was by far the play of the morning and given I was standing on the far side of the ground, I had to check my glasses weren't fogging up. Could it be No.26. Surely not. I looked again as he made his way back and yep it was No.26 - Jed Adams. The same Jed Adams who only minutes earlier before match sim had completely fumbled and left the ball behind in a drill. The same Jed Adams who I, like many of you, had put down as one of Jason Taylor's handful of misses. The same Jed Adams who later on in the one-on-one forward drills looked confident enough to outpoint anyone. Yep, there are signs that in his third season since being taken with pick 38, that the 20yo is finally making headway. He's not about to push out Steven May or T-Mac for rd 1, but there's no doubt he's starting to show enough to get an AFL game at some stage if we get injuries. With Tommo gone, the queue for key backs isn't quite as long and even with Petty looking likely to play there, he's only two hammy twings or twangs from being named. While Adams had that 'moment', there were three clear stars on the track that you couldn't help but notice on a regular basis. The first was Clayton. Yep i know how frustrated we were with him the last two seasons, but right now he is back having fun and looking like a Brownlow Medal runner-up again. He kicked goals, he gave one off to tricky Ricky Mentha and he intercepted passes, made strong leads etc etc. He's probably 100-1 for the Brownlow right now, but given our draw, he might go close. The second was Kossie. He may not be playing until round 4, but watching him weave and turn his way out of trouble was mega exciting. On what we are seeing so far, he may end up playing quite a bit in the middle as he is mega fit. The third and most important of all is the positional switch that is going to make us exciting again. And I'm not talking Petty back to defence. In match sim, there's probably just 15 a side and so there are only five defenders. No prizes for guessing T-Mac and May with Petty, who may well be just there until Jake Lever is back over his knee soreness. Jed McVeigh and his precise kicking is also there again after a late (somewhat baffling) dabble in the midfield last season. And the other small down there is our No.6 Caleb Windsor. Those of you who are Robbie fans will recall that Barass even sent Tulip down to full-back so Goody's move is only somewhat revolutionary. Caleb waltzed off half-back like he was doing cone drills and at one point he flew across in front of Roo for a nice mark. Caleb has more height than Bowser and Salem and he has more pace and he's also a damn good kick like them. he also seemed happy to switch the ball - was it just me, but I reckon our defence switched way more often than last year - another positional adjustment for those of you looking for what we are doing differently. Well there were quite a few other things that happened and yes I saw some improvement from Luker Kentfield and I reckon Woey looks quite a bit faster than last year and Aidan Johnson looks strong and promising and Disco Turner is up there with Olly for passion to win the footy. And I could go on all day, but I walked away from training second guessing one thing and I had to go back and ask a fellow track watcher one thing. 'Did you see Jed Adams take that mark over Roo on the wing?' I said. 'Yep' said my colleague. 'That was No.26.'

Toby looked an absolute ripper at training today - a slightly bigger version of Jack Viney and with similar confidence. Reports do not completely confirm that he's our Academy kid, but if he is then we finally may have got payback from the system that stole Mac Andrew from us. He definitely looks top-10 material to me and given he doesn't turn 17 until Dec 11, he should have plenty of upside. Given we have already given away our top pick for 2025 draft, we will need to be shrewd finding enough points to cover for him. And what a coup if we also get Kalani as well next season.

It's always nice to go down to a December session and see the newbies who do the odd drill, but spend most of the time looking from afar as they are handled with kid gloves - they are 18 after all. For me there were a few standouts that my eyes were drawn to on more than one occasion. One of the first to the track was a thinner, younger looking T-Mac and during all the drills, and the running he looked sprightly - It's ben a long time since I've picked him out as one of our best at training, but there you are. His protein diet must be working because he looked skinnier in the legs. The second player that I kept spotting was Kynan Brown. He was noticeable in the 2km run when he was second to Harry Sharp and he was crisp and evasive in all the drills, his only problem being a couple of errant bounces where he must have chosen some hard turf as the ball sprung back past him twice. I was bullish about Kynan last year when I felt he deserved a proper game (not 30 seconds off the bench as sub) and I am going to be even louder now. He looks ready and Werridee, it's time to amend your team (version 7656) and get him in. The third player you can't keep your eyes off is Clayton Oliver and it's not just the copious amount of sunscreen he wears. He seems to be making an early point this build-up to say, I'm a tackling god again, take me on at your expense. Sure he isn't the fastest in the 2km, but he is the fastest at reading the play - poor Toby Sinnema happened to be in his group when one of the few drills with tackling permitted happened and was taken down like a lion devouring a young deer. Clayton was back to his omnipresent self, a real livewire at training and I suspect his in-jest tackle on serial sidelines pest, Leo McDonald, will make the Herald Sun tomorrow as their photographer got a lovely shot of him taking on the 3yo. Congrats to Toby Sinnema who dusted himself off from Clayton's attack and then made two great tackles himself. Sinnema is from Dandening and is 16 and presumably was brought down to keep Kalani company. If he's part of our academy, that's great but if he's not, then unfortunately you will need to go down to Punt Rd to see him play in 2026, as he's a top-5 cert in my eyes - unless he doesn't grow. As with others, spotting Kalani White was easy - he's 200cm tall, looks like a young Sam Darcy and he kicks like his dad Jeff, giving the ball way to much hangtime. But that will be trained out of him, especially if he hangs around Steven May rather than Dimma and co. He also has the White-family leap, so he's a project to behold. But sadly though if you were a betting man, then you'd say he ends up staying with his mates on the Gold Coast. But that's a topic for others. Kalani was a little tentative and that's OK, he just turned up for his first session with a bunch of men, most of whom he's never met before. But gees, it would be great if he chose us. The other person to draw your attention was Trac, who was back with his trademark smile along with quite a bit of gasping, especially after the 2km time trial. He's lost a bit of fitness, but I reckon he'll pick it up again pretty soon and he clearly had that air of a club great about him every time he got the ball in drills, spinning it around like Andrew Gaze between each kick. He also imparted a bit of wisdom on Harvey Langford and Ricky Mentha - he's not too shy to hand out a few instructions, which is great and a sign of leadership that we need. The other highlights that I saw were a supersonic goal on the run under pressure by Trent Rivers, it's your guess where he will play, and a bit of Kossie magic, spinning in and out of trouble as he does with the tribunal regularly. From a haircut perspective, the big change came from Kade Chandler, who has gone for the In the Navy look, although maybe it was part of a charity cut. I better mention Harvey Langford, who is a strong looking individual who did most of the drills with the team, despite being a newbie. There's no way he'll be held back this year. Our other high pick, No.11 Xavier Lindsay, just did running drills, which was fine when he had Shane McAdam and Fritter to keep him company, but he had to go solo with no fitness trainer, for his final 10 run throughs. I know sometimes it's hard to have enough staff and players have to be resilient, but I couldn't help thinking you don't leave an 18yo in his first session at Gosch's Paddock in solitary confinement. Imagine he goes back to his parents place and they say, "how was training?". Does he reply "Great" or does he express his isolation. Finally, there was no real gp distinction with most of the drills today, so positional switches will have to become apparent in later session. But Goody did take all the players (bar the newbies) for one final full-ground session and explained a revolutionary new tactic. It's called the man-on-man defensive strangle. Amazing. Players actually had to man-up. Don't worry, that will never catch on!

Draft is live on Kayo from 7pm - both nights. It's been really interesting to see how much variance pre-draft prognostications have this year and clearly clubs are busy handing out misinformation to AFL journos because it may assist their chances of getting the player they want. To me it's pretty clear that there are seven elite midfielders and one exciting tall - who are the so-called cream of the draft - although there are plenty more players who may end up being bargain buys after that. Of the seven mids - that figure includes Ashcroft (Brissy) and Lombard (Suns), wile Tauru is clearly an excitement machine - albeit a flawed one at this stage with his kicking skills. Of the five available mids all have potential flaws - Langford (pace), O'Sullivan (poor 2024 output), Smith (size and scoring ability), Draper (kicking skills) and Lalor (injury prone). But I reckon given North is clearly into Tauru (the fact that they are willing to consider a fall to pick 4 with Adelaide tells you that), then we have an interesting decision to make on our pick 5, as there will be two gun mids left and Richmond will want whoever is left at pick 6. As I said in my original rant, I still think the Tigers are mega keen on Jagga Smith - I suspect they have been playing the game of seeing whether other clubs are deadset keen on him to determine if they can get him at pick 6 or not. And i still believe that if we are keen on him then we should take him at pick 5 - obviously if North didn't go Tauru, then I'd take hime before Smith - as I reckon we need excitement and unpredictability that he provides in the air, more than anything else. But in the most likely scenario we get a choice of Langford or Smith and hopefully Armstrong with pick 9. I've watched enough of Armstrong's video and he clearly is an elite kick and his agility rating is high, which means that we will just have to drill him hard on tackling and pressure. If we do get a choice of Langford or Smith, then I'd hope our interest in Smith is such that we can illicit Richmond to offer us picks 6 and 23 for 5 (ie Smith) - thereby giving us Langford, Armstrong and another slider - or should the Saints throw a spanner in the works and take Armstrong, give us Langford, Allan or Travaglia and the best tall slider - I still really like what I saw of Jonty Faull. Langford will not provide us with pace, but he still looks almost a complete player - a great mark, a lovely clever kick and courage. He has a huge tank, so as long as we have pace around him, he will do fine. As stated earlier, I suspect Carlton has just given out the misinformation of being interested in Draper to reduce O'Sullivan interest and ensure he gets to pick 3. The Crows in return are mooting moving to pick 2 in return and going for O'Sullivan - but I suspect that's just a tite-for-tatt play - they are both comfortable with O'Sulllvan (Carlton) and Draper (Adelaide) I reckon because they are both exciting players based on what they've shown thus far. The biggest unforeseen spanner in the works now would be if the Tigers took Jagga at No.1, leaving Lalor to fall. I hope we have done our homework on him as well just in case of this eventuality as he could also fall to 5. He looks a ripper, but once clubs have a fixation on a certain player, it's hard to get them to reconsider their pre-draft night rationale.

Huge chance he gets through to No.5 if Richmond uses its No.1 pick on Sam Lalor as many are now predicting. If they do, North will go Tauru as they don’t want Smith because they already have enough quality small mids. The Blues are committed to O’Sullivan and the Crows want Draper which leaves us deciding between Smith, Langford and Armstrong. In that scenario, if we want Smith then the Tigers will offer us either picks 6 and 23 to get Smith or picks 10 and 11 and to be honest I think I’d make the trade. But I would also be happy with just taking Smith - there is no doubt he can play.

Thanks for this and yes I agree it's not a great advertisement for him - but it's worth looking at other videos of him as well as my understanding is that he got injured early in the GF and that may have affected his poise under pressure and increased his quick panic releases. As I said in my opener, if Smith fell to pick 5, then it would be hard not to go him, unless we really loved the counter offer from the Tigers. Smith and Tauru would be the dream draft, but I can't see it happening.

How it may work out – the top 15 picks and the potential phone call that will rock Tim Lamb Dees stance on draft night Having agreed to give up next year’s top pick, there’s no doubt in my mind (and I’d say any sane person’s mind) that the directive from Tim Lamb to JT will be to draft both the best tall and the best mid/small fwd with picks 5 and 9. I mean last year we chose a pacey mid (Caleb Windsor) at the expense of the best mobile forward (Nate Caddy) and we backed that up with another promising mid/small forward in Koltyn Tholstrop. We’ve also already given priority to a every-ready back-up mid (Harry Sharp) over a classy but untried back-up tall (Wade Derksen). And we’ve offloaded talls Adam Tomlinson and Josh Schache, so there’s clearly room on the list now for another tall. Based on videos I’ve seen, it’s hard not to be excited by the exploits of the Striking Viking Alix Tauru – who has an incredible leap and is only just getting used to playing as a forward after spending his early days as an intercept defender. And dare I say it, but his Nic Nat leaping style is something we need more than anything to spark the lads up at training. There’s nothing quite like an exciting teenager to take your mind off the club’s problems. As to our other get, it will be interesting to see whether the rise of HokBall means we will want the quickest livewire mid/small to go with the big. I have no doubt JT was planning to take Murphy Reid, although his fear at missing out on Tauru probably means we will most likely miss out on Reid and have to look for the next best player left – and from what I’ve seen so far, on video, I’m actually tipping that JT’s love of the west means he will take Bo Allan with that pick. Here’s how I see it unfolding and some of the big dilemmas facing clubs, primarily Richmond. 1 Jagga Smith (Rich) There’s been a lot of talk lately that the Tigers are more interested in Sam Lalor with pick 1, but that option defies belief. Smith is a livewire, small clever mid – an even better version of the clever Murphy Reid you might say – and he starred in the Tigers VFL side in two of his three games that he played this year. He’s trained with them and they love him. To risk losing him would be a big, big call, but it’s possible given North, Carlton and Adelaide won’t take him (they have other priorities), leaving us as the only potential spoilers at pick 5 before the Tigers pick 6. If North don’t take Tauru at 2, then JT would face a tricky decision on whether to pass on Smith as well if he fell that far and get Tauru at 5, but if they do take Tauru, then my tip is that we will go with Smith and add Armstrong, Shanahan or Jonty Faull. Whilst in a more logical world, I have Tigers taking Smith at 1 and North taking Lalor at pick 2, if the Tigers decide they want to be risktakers and try and get both Lalor and Smith and go Lalor with pick 1, then I reckon North then goes Tauru and we will have to decide if we take Smith or Reid at five, which we should until … the phone rings on draft night. Tim Lamb then advises his team that the Tigers are willing to offer us picks 10 and 11 for pick 5. They may also offer up pick 11 and their first rounder for 2025 – which is a likely top three pick, which would be even more tempting. Lamb would have an interesting call to make in that eventuality. But I’m tipping the Tiges will go the more orthodox route and make Jagga their No.1. And if they do, then the phone call remains a figment of my imagination. 2 Sam Lalor (NM) Unlike Smith, Lalor has a bit of size about him at 188cm (6ft1in) and he’s shown he can be both the tough mid and the clever leading forward (that crunching pack mark for Vic Country that is on almost every video of him was a super highlight). He also has more goal sense than most of the other mids – he kicked seven on return from injury at APS level. He’s been compared to Dusty (hence why Tiger fans rate him) but I reckon he’s more in the Matthew Larkin in his prime mould – similar vision and awareness, although he’s a better mark than Larkin ever was. Being a bigger mid/fwd, it means the Roos will like him because Wardlaw, McKercher and Sheezel aren’t big-bodied like him. The Roos should also be considering Harvey Langford, for exactly the same reason – he has size (190cm) and a thumping left foot kick which is a point of difference for their mids, but his lack of raw pace may see him slide a bit. As stated earlier, if the Tigers take Lalor then the Roos may decide to take the big gamble and go with Tauru at pick 2 – a player they apparently like the look of as well, but two months ago he was rated a likely second-rounder at best, so the risk factor is there. The other possibility is that the Tigers offer up picks 10 and 11 for pick 2 – meaning they are guaranteed Lalor and Smith. Would the Roos take it, given they could then go two quality talls or a mid/tall combo. I reckon they should, but most clubs don’t as they are inherently conservative for fear of ramifications. 3 Levi Ashcroft (Bris) The Tigers won’t bid on him at No.1 because they need the marketing power of keeping the No.1 label, so it’s then up to North or the Blues to hold the premiers accountable. The Roos did bid on Will Ashcroft back in 2022 and Jed Walter in 2023, so I reckon the Kangas might pass on him this time as he isn’t what they require position wise. And if that’s the case, the Blues will definitely bid on him to keep the Lions honest – especially given they are also in the same window. 4 Finn O’Sullivan (Carl) The Blues have already given up picks 12 and 14 to get this pick and it’s no secret they want him – Carlton always goes with the footy bloodlines and being Sam Walsh’s cousin will have Lygon St salivating. They will be a little scared that the Tigers will snare him at pick 1, but his VFL form for them, aside from two neat goals, wasn’t exactly exceptional. He did however stand out at testing, so everyone is aware he has upside and he will start as a classy, quick half forward for them, which is what they crave right now. 5 Sid Draper (Adel) Have a look at his highlights video and you know the guy is quick, smart and strong, although he still needs to work on his kicking prowess – he has a bit of the Clayton Oliver’s about him with his preference to handball. But as SA skipper, he seemed more aware of the importance of using his line-breaking ability at the carnival and his pace is top tier. The Crows will consider the best midfield bull in Harvey Langford, but I’m tipping they go local – big ramifications if they don’t and he turns out a gun. 6 Alix Tauru (Melb) As stated above, JT will be told to take a big as a priority and if Tauru is still around because North overlook him, then I reckon we have to take him here. The Saints will surely take him as one of their two picks if we don’t. He still looks a bit like a dear in headlights with his goalkicking routine, but I’m sure with good training from Chocco and our new forwards coach, he will get into good habits. And if he can’t find the goals, he’s a walkup start as an intercept defender in the James Sicily mould down the track (May and T-mac are not exactly young). And the best thing, for those of you fearful of another Jack Watts or even Matt Jefferson is that he loves tackling. I suspect JT had been thinking of using this pick for Murphy Reid, but solving our tall problem should be the priority. The proviso on this is what happens if Jagga Smith is still on the table or North gambles on the striking viking at pick 2. If North does go Tauru, one of Lalor or Smith will also still be around, and if it’s Smith I reckon that phone call from the Tigers may be made to us. And Tim Lamb better be ready. 7 Harvey Langford (Rich) With Lalor and O’Sullivan gone, the Tigers will turn to their attention to a player who they have trialled in the VFL and one who finished the season for Dandenong Stingrays like he was Marcus Bontempelli. He’s a powerful extractor with a booming left-foot and being bid-bodied will compliment Jagga Smith, who is the exact opposite. He’s also got a huge tank, but the only doubt about him in this modern HokBall world is that he lacks pace. But Patty Cripps doesn’t have pace either and he’s the best in the game. 8 Isaac Kako (Ess) You have to assume Essendon had inside word that the Saints would bid on him, otherwise their decision to give up pick 9 to us is bizarre. I doubt he is better than Murphy Reid, but he certainly has pace and leads up well. He also has that dynamic Kozzie-type aggressive style, so he should make an impact in a couple of seasons. 9 Murphy Reid (StK) I reckon the Saints will be jumping to get their local Sandy lad who has that touch of Gryan Miers about him. That’s a shame because we would definitely take him if he fell to our pick 9 (which will most likely slide to pick 11 or even 12). If JT’s intel is that the Saints aren’t into Tauru then I reckon we will flip and take Reid at pick 6. 10 Harry Armstrong (StK) With Jack Steele 29 next month and more of a lockdown player, the Saints will consider Josh Smylie, but I suspect a few clubs are wary of his low-tackle count and Ross and Smylie would clash big time I reckon. And Matteas Phillipou showed good signs late in the year and is a player earmarked for the guts, so another tall option up forward for the Saints would be smart. Armstrong’s high agility rating also would help their confidence as that was Nate Caddy’s strength as well last season. Armstrong looks a classy kick, but I didn’t see too many hangers in his highlights. But he’s quick on the lead, so that’s not crucial anyway. Being another Sandy kid helps the Sainters community appeal as well! 11 Leo Lombardo (GC) This guy is freakishly quick and agile and has high skills, but he’s a tad small – a bit like Caleb Daniel in his heyday. He looks to me like a cash cow for your SuperCoach teams next year and will play round 1 for the Suns barring injury. The Saints should have bidded on him to ensure the Suns lose their two second rounders before their third rounder. But I suspect if they bid on Kako they may not want to go again for a player they don’t get, so I reckon it will be left up to bid on him with our next pick. JT loves smalls like him anyway, although the Suns will match our bid in a flash. 12 Bo Allan (Melb) One of Reid, Smith or Lombard would have been the perfect player to combine with Tauru and solve most of our shortages and help counter Hokball. But alas, I doubt that will happen. Allan is the last of the players who I reckon are certainties to be high-quality impact players and being from WA, it’s a happy recruiting ground for JT. He’s a tall left-foot mid who moves really well and is a decent kick and he’s tough enough to play in the middle as well as off half-back where he will play for us for at least a couple of seasons until he’s ready to go inside. He reminds me a lot of Adelaide’s Jordan Dawson. He’s already had a taste of big games having been handy in the WAFL grand final and as captain of WA ticks all the boxes. In fact he’s so good a prospect, that if the Tigers did come knocking for our pick 5 in exchange for picks 10 and 11, I think I’d have to say yes because we still would get him. 13 Luke Trainor (Rich) Having set up their midfield with Smith and Langford, the Tigers surely will look at long-term bigs and Trainor is regarded as the best tall defender. You’d have to think West Coast at pick 15 would want a replacement for Barrass at their pick if the Tigers don’t pounce here. 14 Jobe Shanahan (Rich) He’s got a bit of the Michael Roach’s about him and is a very accurate kick. Given his size, I reckon the Dees would also be considering him, but Tauru is more exciting. I really like the look of Jonty Faull as well, but Shanahan’s games at VFL for Essendon won me over. As a footnote, if we did accept Richmond’s pick 5 trade offer in my imaginary world, then we’d take Allan, Shanahan and have a decision to make on Travaglia or Hannaford. 15 Xavier Lindsay (WC) I reckon West Coast would be a little [censored] that we took Bo Allan and Trainor would have been the right fix for their post-Barrass defence. I can’t see them going Faull or Hannaford, and McQualter will want clever ball movers and Lindsay is a bit of a Christian Salem freak with his precise kicking and will most likely start on the wing or half-back for them.

I suspect JT felt the draft top end extended to about pick 15 (including Ashcroft and Kako) and as a result we were heavily into getting pick 13 from the Suns, but they were considering a few options. When Tim Lamb realised Essendon would be willing to part with pick 9 - thereby negating any Kako early bid worries, they were willing to offload provided a club could stump up enough points - which we did via getting Adelaide's third rounder in exchange for our future one. The Crows were very generous and helpful this draft period - probably felt guilty for the McAdam deal! As to why we needed pick 9 - it gives us the chance to draft both the best mid/fwd still available (O'Sullivan, Lalor or Reid) and also the best tall options (Striking Viking or Harry Armstrong). And that in turn with Windsor and Tholstrop should help secure our future beyond this current down cycle. Yes it means both the Sharp and Derksen deals may not go ahead - although we still have pick 49 so at least one of them will get done.

I'm a bit tired of reading about Zak Butters on this year's draft thread - not sure why some threaders feel compelled to go off-track. But I certainly would be interested in what Demonlanders think we, or rather Jason Taylor, should do with pick 5 this year and I'll open it up by giving my 50 cents worth. Last year I was somewhat bullish about Nate Caddy and I have a player in mind this year that I know will be howled down by some of you. Before I get to him, let's make a few things clear, so you know the off-track spoilers when you appear. The following three players - Jagga Smith, Harvey Langford and Sid Draper - will be gone by our pick and Levi Ashcroft is a Brisbane bound father-son. At present it is unclear whom North will take with pick 2, they'd like to offload for two top 10 picks but Saints aren't interested, but I suspect they will be forced to consider upgrading tall forward Harry Armstrong or taking Finn O'Sullivan, both of whom impressed at the Combine. I have six players in the mix for us, so please let me know which one you think we should or will take. The six are: Finn O'Sullivan - Injured a lot this season, he's a clever 182cm midfielder who is classy enough to play forward and, as was shown at draft combine, has huge leap potential, is quick and has a tank. He played a couple of games for Richmond VFL and didn't dominate like Jagga, but he was pretty handy. My view: He's got great athletic ability and he could be a Harry Sheezel type, but I'm not sure he's who we want. Harry Armstrong - Injured early in the year, he's a genuine key forward (195cm). He came back and kicked plenty of goals for Sandy, including four in the grand final and five in the U18 game against Vic Country. He's a thumping left-foot kick. My view: He's the best credentialled big forward, but I am not sure he's an aggressive enough pack mark. His did well in agility test, the same test that Nate Caddy fared well at last year, so he's worth considering. Sam Lalor - A midfielder./forward with a touch of Dusty about him at 187cm, he's precise with his kicking and can mark well in packs - he kicked seven for Geelong Grammar one game. Got injured again late in year, but his highlights are mighty impressive. My view: As with O'Sullivan, he could be a superstar, but with no combine testing, I reckon he's a risk at such a high pick. But I'd take him in a flash if he fell to pick 13, assuming we get that pick. Josh Smillie - Rated the likely No.1 pick early this season, he racked up big numbers in the midfield for Eastern and at times has a touch of Jason Horne-Francis about him, but he was unable to cope with the extra quality around him in the Vic Metro games. My view: He's 194cm and I can't help but think he's an early developer who has beaten up the little boys, but is now struggling a little at the higher level and I suspect he may lack a bit of pace. He didn't make the top 10 in any of the combine lists, so any info here on his actual athleticism would help me. I did like the way he looked as a long-kicking defender in one Vic Metro game - so he may still make it, but for me i wouldn't risk him at pick 5. Murphy Reid - Only 180cm, but as with Gryan Miers, he makes up for his lack of size with smarts and a clever mix of chip kicks and overhead handballs. Missed the combine testing with an ankle injury, but I suspect he would have rated highly on athleticism. My view: If you like Hokball, then you have to rate this guy highly and I reckon JT will pull his name out at pick 6 (Ashcroft should go at pick 2). And as with Caleb Windsor over Nate Caddy, he'd be a very good choice, but not my choice I'm afraid. Alix Tauru - The striking viking with Swedish background wasn't on anyone's lists until recently, so I decided to have a look at his tapes and see whether he was worthy. He is 193cm with the biggest leap in the draft and had impressed as an intercept defender until Gippsland Power's coach decided to try him forward. His kicking isn't AFL level yet, but there's nothing wrong with it - he just looks like a shocked defender in front of goals at the moment. But he leads well (I suspect he's fairly quick) and he flies like Isaac Heeney. He also likes to tackle - which separates him from any Jack Watts comparisons. My view: He's the most exciting player in the draft and he fits our main requirements - being a tall who can assist JVR. And if he can't understand forward craft, then he's a sure thing down back as a long-term replacement for May or Lever. He may not be as impactful as Erling Harlaand, but if JT thinks his personality is OK, then he's the one I'd take at No.5 and he will bring the excitement we need. Let me know your view - I know some DLers actually go to the CL games - and here's hoping we snaffle pick 13 as well to give JT more chances.

Hard to believe that the boy who wore spectacles in games as a 16yo and then worked at Thorold Merrett sports store in the city has been gone for 10 years now. He just was poetry out on his wing and I still think he should have made the Team of last Century on a wing with Doug Hawkins his only real rival - Keith Greig won two Brownlow's but was never as good.

I reckon the most interesting draft trade (outside of what we do) is North Melbourne with pick 2. Given they have spent all their high picks in past three years on mids - Phillips, Wardlaw, Sheezel, McKercher and Duursma, they now find themselves staring down taking another one, unless they can somehow trade with the Saints (picks 7 and 8 - Battle) or Freo (picks 10 and 11) and get two picks of slightly less value. Last year the deal would be done easily, but this year with very little between the likely top 10, both St Kilda and Freo would be reluctant to give up two picks - the Dockers will have to give one away anyway for Bolton. So North, who would love to get two talls rated in the 6-15 category (eg: Armstrong and Trainor) in exchange for pick 2 - are stuck with deciding whether they take Langford (tall left foot mid) or O'Sullivan (classy mid/fwd Sheezel style) unless a club makes a nice but somewhat bizarre deal with them.

Whilst I was initially surprised we are even thing of bringing in a soon to be 33-year-old three-club ruckman in Tom Campbell, I have tempered my feelings somewhat after checking his file. Firstly he is regarded as a great clubman - won Saints award in 2023 - and we need that sort of person. Secondly he had a super final two months in VFL once he returned from injury - on stats by far the best VFL ruckman during that period torching Southport's mature age prospect Brayden Crossley and Willy's Tom Downie and pretty much breaking even with Essendon's Nick Bryan. As I've stated elsewhere, we need a high-quality mature-age VFL standard tapman to be our back-up for a Gawny injury whilst we wait and see if Will Verrall develops into an AFL quality ruck. At the end of 2025 season we should know if Will is going to step up to that level - he's nowhere near yet but another big pre-season may make all the difference. Aside from Campbell I would have said the other options via the rookie draft were Crossley, Norwood's Margarey Medal winner Harry Boyd or even Coburg's Cooper Keogh - the latter of whom rarely takes a mark, but can tap. As a result Campbell is probably a better option for the one-season back-up quick fix.

Like others I haven't ever seen him play, so thanks for videos from his pre-GWS days and he does look the goods - but so do many that have junior video highlights. But a quick look at his numbers in the VFL for the Giants tells me that he is a moneyball pick of the highest order - potentially a pick that will save Tim Lamb's job. How many forwards take 12 marks and have 25 disposals - as he did in a loss to Willy. The week before he was quieter in a 50-point loss but still kicked a couple. The week before it was 17 disposals and two goals in a one-point loss, although he did have a shot at a matchwinner. He was prominent against us the week before - 19 disposals, five marks, three tackles. That's a lot of disposals for a tall. His height is somewhere between 194cm and 197cm - that's tall and he can play back-up ruck - tick. He can kick it a long way based on the videos and with both feet - tick. He is still only 23 - that's way better than drafting/trading in players who are at end of career such as Membrey or Taberner and given that he has been in the system for two years is ready to play AFL - tick. He can play both down back and up forward, which means if jnjuries happen to our ageing tall defenders, he can be sent there or Petty can. He is from a club that boasts the best talls - Taylor, Buckley, Cadman and Hogan - tick - which explains why he didn't get an AFL gig. He has at least one mate at club already - AMW - and apparently has family in Melbourne - tick. If anyone has any major doubts then let us know - he may not have high tackle numbers but nor do many talls. So what do we give up for him? I'd say we'd have to give up our second rounder or the pick we receive from Adelaide for ANB - any deal involving our pick 5 should be immediately shut down. And given that he looks ready to play, the length of his contract should be three years, just in case he struggles with the extra expectations of playing AFL. I'd imagine he is on somewhere between 200-250K at present, so his deal should come with a new $400-$450K salary. To me, it's the first good trade news we've had since Ed and Ben.