TeamPlayedFine39

Racking my brain for the specific things he did wrong in the first half outside of the two poor kicks in the first quarter... (dare I say the first half of the first quarter)

Played well today and gets judged much more harshly than others in the team. Got a lot of faith in O'Mac being a very good player for the club.

Still a quality player with plenty to contribute. In a team such as ours, you get exposed when you're out of form. For the hawks he could be carried without the attention and scrutiny. He needs to work harder, but he's quite a ways off being dropped.

That's a pretty unpleasant stat.. perhaps every time the ball is near him, he's the one that wins it?? (every time except for three)

May would be a fantastic get and is more primed for an immediate impact than Lever is. However, we may have picked the wrong year to poach from Gold Coast. They're going to demand a lot for him as he's a co-captain of the club, a very good player and vital for their structure. Brisbane and GC are going to have to put their foot down one day and make a stand or else players and other clubs are going to continue to pick away at their carcass. Every year there's a lot of talk from them, but it never gets seen through. I'm not saying we have to overpay, but I feel we'll have to pay what he's worth. First rounder (10-14) and a player (ANB, Kent, Stretch)

It's a concern that our gameplan seems to match Etihad, better than our home ground. We are yet to play anywhere near our best football at the 'G but the sample of matches is still probably too small for us to say there is a definite correlation. The fact of the matter is, we have been in a winnable position for all of these matches this year. We are yet to win an ugly, close fought match; I'm not convinced the location is what's losing it for us.

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.

I have never seen a player, let alone a Melbourne player, with hands and vision like he has; it truly is extraordinary to see the things that he can do. With that said, he is still undersized for his position and when he starts to utilise his strength and breakaway speed a little bit more, he will be in the top 10 players in the comp.

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.

West Coast were on to him early, if not a tag then they were watching him very closely at the clearances. Played a lone hand in the midfield until Jones moved in there in the last. Best game he's played.

Hi game has definitely changed from what we have seen so far this year. Last season he would try to immediately move the ball on with a handball when in traffic. The last two weeks he's made space for himself more often and looked to kick with precision, when the option is on. This variation will make him even more dangerous in the clinches.

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.