TeamPlayedFine39

Didn't have a great game, but he certainly made plenty of contests which is more what I was responding to. He's not ready yet but he's shown enough for mine.

We traded ourselves into a position to draft Weideman because he wasn't going to make it to our next pick, he was the best available. He attacks the ball in the air with ferocity, he's clean with his hands and he's both a good set shot and field kick. What he needs is 10kg so he's not move off the ball so easily both on the ground and in the air. I have no idea how you've come to the conclusion that he has 'no hunger for the contest'?? In the games he's played this year he's been battered from pillar to post flying for marks against 28yo, 95kg, KPDs. He's made the contest and brought the ball to ground. The one match he struggled to get the the contest, he had a corked thigh which kept him out of the team for the next round. Weideman was on the radar for pick 6 all year, I fail to see the desperation.

Thought he was a player at essendon, but wasn't overly impressed by his preseason and Casey form for us. Figured he'd need 6 months to fully hit his straps after the suspension and injury. I was completely wrong. He intuitively understands the speed of the game at senior level and reads the play like it's a Grug book. A fine addition to the team!

Being the second best footballer in the Jones family certainly doesn't make you a dud.

I feel he is quite highly rated by Sydney who took him early in the draft and signed him up for an extension very early on. He's a significantly better player now than then, so if they're letting him go, the salary cap situation must be pretty dire. He's finding the ball a lot more this year and his disposal, while at times sloppy, is also improving. Nathan was a bit of a butcher by foot early in his career if memory serves correctly. Would take him at the Dees.

The injuries this season have made me sad. The suspension have made me furious. Hogan played like a guy who hadn't touched the ball in three weeks and when he tried to handle it in the wet, you could see the time out had effected him. While we talk about injuries effecting matches, the absence of Lewis, in tight finishes such as round four and last night, has been very telling. We traded him in for those exact circumstances. He will be a big inclusion and he owes us big-time. And yes, Hibberd was well worth the wait! GUN.

Exactly. A lot of trash being dished to a 19 year old, injured, key position forward.

There is waaaaaaay too much premature back patting going on here. I too am very happy that the Saints went for McCartin over Petracca, however it's too early in their respective careers to call it a win and it's definitely too early to call MacCartin a dud pick. We're sounding a little bit like: Fremantle supporters over Rhys Palmer. Carlton supporters over Matthew Kreuzer. Brisbane supporters over Daniel Rich. Port supporters over John Butcher. Melbourne supporters over Gysberts, Morton, Grimes, etc. and, dare I say, West Coast supporters over NicNat... Petracca will be a star, but it's too early to scream it from the rooftops. Give them all (Brayshaw included) time and an injury free run at it. I'd take Paddy McCartin at the Dees in a heartbeat!

That's a fascinating list with some of the best key defenders of the last ten years! It's interesting that not only are they developing later, they're also not being drafted til they're mature age. You could add Rutten and Fisher to your list- all mature age pick-ups.

I have a very high opinion of Lever and he would be a great addition to any team. Trading him in would be a luxury, not necessarily addressing an urgent need. With that said, I think that OMac and Frost are very promising long term KPD options for us going forward. We also tend to forget how young TMac is- hasn't even reached his peak yet.

You're being very generous to Plowman, but I take your meaning.

I think if this was suggested, they'd just cut us out of the deal. Lever for Gibbs.

Would be a big get- every club would be into him.

This is a well written and considered post (I'd hate to see some of the responses he received). Hindsight of course is 20/20 and we should also be careful to jump the gun and claim victory in the 2014 draft. Very early in both players careers and either one could succeed or fail from this early stage. I can tell you though that at the time it started to leak to the media that the saints were taking McCartin, I didn't believe it. Then, when it happened, I was equal parts shocked, equal parts ecstatic.

Personally, I despise the Giants over all others. We will build rivalries when we are once again seen as a threat... hopefully soon.

Little was, without a doubt, the worst possible choice on God's green earth to fill that position at that stage. His pugnacious, bullying attitude works when you're the most powerful person in the room, however outside of Essendon, Melbourne, Victoria and ultimately Australia- his voice meant nothing. They needed someone who was a strong communicator, diplomatic and most importantly, someone who could inspire empathy... he was and still is none of these things.

I just don't get it. How do some people not see that: a) Dank is a nutcase and was given too much freedom without sufficient checks. This is an acknowledged fact by all sides but seems to get lost when some are looking to point fingers of blame. b) He gave the players banned substances. You can argue all you want about what the players knew, but Dank sourced it, purchased it, imported it- with the intention of using it. c) The AFL had no motivation to see Essendon found guilty. d) The AFL had no motivation for the ordeal to drag on for years. e) The 'saga' spread over 2 governments and 4 prime ministers- it was apolitical. f) The only body to clear the players was the AFL tribunal. Every other legal and sporting/anti-doping body found they had done wrong. Most Essendon people don't want this dragged up again- the people who do refuse to acknowledge any wrongdoing by the club at all- even having Dank running amok. We can laugh at them from afar but I don't want Melksham and Hibberd focusing on anything other than football for the Dees.

Personally, I thought he had a huge amount of talent and could have been an outstanding AFL footballer... if he wanted to be. Four coaches and two clubs couldn't bring that desire out from within him.

At least those two make it onto the field - I was very keen on Freeman while most were praying Scharenberg would slide to us. A lot of talent in this draft, but also a bit of a minefield.

Hoping not to derail the thread, but my understanding was that Roos said that Melbourne would not have taken Kelly with pick 2 if we had of retained it... weren't we looking at Billings??

It is usually regarded as a win/win trade and I tend to agree with it. It satisfied a need for both clubs at the time in that Melbourne was trying to introduce as much quality to the list as possible, while GWS was reducing their list and concentrating on moving picks down the draft order to maximise their efficiency. Both teams could have blitzed this deal however with GWS passing on Bontempelli (pick 4) while Melbourne could have collected Cripps (pick 13). It is what it is, and if Salem can reach his potential, we've done very, very well.

Correct me if I'm wrong... but is it now all over..?

He's been so brave.

Generally curious; what's the politics involved here? This case has spanned 2 state governments, 2 federal governments, 4 Prime Ministers, 2 AFL CEOs, an Australian court appeal, a National anti-doping body, an international anti-doping body and an international court of appeal. It does see like everyone outside of the AFL that has come into contact with this case has found Essendon to be at fault. To my understanding, the only body in the world that has sided with Essendon has been the AFL tribunal.

To those who know Hibberd better than I... will we be looking for him to play as a third tall/intercept marker or as a mid-small defender off halfback? To which role is he better suited??