Gator

It's Knightmare's comparison, not Jason Taylor's.

He's got a terrific broad frame/shoulders. Size is very easy to put on.

Not sure you'll get much of a response. The alarmists round here seem to be weather beaten.

Instead of an ice-free Arctic, we just had the shortest melt season on record – followed by record sea ice growth. Arctic sea ice extent is the highest for the date since at least 2004. Yes, it's still well below the 1981-2010 average, but 950,000 square kilometres above the record low monthly average for October that occurred in 2007. Arctic sea ice extent for October 2015 averaged 7.72 million square kilometres in spite of the fact that Al Gore predicted it would be ice-free by 2008. Only 7.72 million square kilometres to go. http://ocean.dmi.dk/arctic/old_icecover.uk.php

Firstly, I changed my view on Oliver in the space of 24 hours (Nov 19). The draft was 5 days later and there were no leaks from Melbourne. Anyway, I'm not swayed by club selections, although I have faith in Taylor and reckon he's earnt the benefit of the doubt. Secondly, recruiters watch highlight clips all the time. Do you recommend they not waste their time ? Obviously you'll say it's an adjunct to what they've already witnessed "live". And just as obviously, highlight clips give you an idea of a players ability, such as speed, style, courage, skill, aggression, etc. No-one has insinuated it paints the whole picture, so I'm not sure why you need to state the bleeding obvious. He didn't look "really slow" as you attest and other views that I've quoted are at odds with yours. Thirdly, Boyd and Weideman are not similar types. Snoop Dog even uses Boyd in an analogy to explain why he's not like Boyd. "Sam is a natural forward unlike guys like Boyd etc who have been drafted high in previous years. I think coaches really value key forwards that haven't got their success camped in the goal square clunking marks but rather kids who understand how, when and where to lead. He has real speed and many will find it hard to close space on him once he is ahead of them." Here's Knightmare's bio: 10. Melbourne (via trade) – Sam Weideman (VIC – KPF) Height: 196cm, Weight: 91kg, DOB: 26/06/1997 Recruited from: Eastern Ranges Range: 3-10 Profile: Explosive marking power forward. Reminds me of: Josh Walker I concede that the bolded is stretching it. This from Chris25: "I don't think it's out of the question that he would have performed better than Schache at the Championships. I think he's a smarter player and a better kick. I don't understand those saying he gets by on strength alone. That's so far from the truth." You won't change your view and I won't change my opinion of it.

I prefer to use my eyes and his pace/agility looks good in the clips I've seen. I don't take too much notice of the 20m sprint. Lachie Whitfield ran 3.15, but doesn't look slow. Jack Watts ran 2.82, but rarely plays with pace and rarely looks quick, although we all know his speed can be good. As for Quigley ? I like him, but his rankings are hardly a reliable barometer. He had Eli Templeton at 15 and he wasn't drafted. He was later rookied by the Saints. He said Tom Boyd was just about the best junior key forward he'd seen, which is fair enough, but right now Boyd is a mile off.

If he was slow with the turning circle of a truck why on earth would Taylor draft him in the top 10 ? It doesn't make sense. And if it doesn't make sense then I doubt what you say is true. There's not too much talk around the traps re his pace, but here are a couple of descriptions ... Snoop Dog: Sam is a natural forward unlike guys like Boyd etc who have been drafted high in previous years. He has real speed and many will find it hard to close space on him once he is ahead of them. Knightmare: He has a nice physical profile with his height and size. He is an above average athlete with reasonably good pace and leaping ability without being a freak athlete.

The Depths of the Climateers’ Deception https://quadrant.org.au/opinion/doomed-planet/2015/11/depths-climateers-deception/

You haven't read the terms of the bet correctly, Ron.

I'll respond as I see fit.

I believe there was zero interest from other clubs, so he'll get the opportunity to present his case in the final year of his contract. I'm not sure where you live, but on radio I heard Mahoney asked about Watts on numerous occasions and the answer was always the same, "no other club has enquired about Jack". It's pretty obvious where Watts stands in the broader football community. I'm genuinely astounded after all these years that there are still supporters that think he presents value to a football team. We've been crud for years and Watts' presence hasn't made an ounce of difference. And don't give me this crap that he'd be good in a better team like so many kid themselves. He doesn't make the grade in a good team. He'd be shown up even more.

Nah, 2016 is all about "competitors" and Watts is one of the least competitive footballers I've ever seen. If one looks at most of our recent draftees there's a distinctive hard edge, whether it be ANB, Oliver, Petracca, Brayshaw, Viney, Salem, Tyson (trade), and vandenBerg. The club made a statement by dropping him in the last game and the message from Roos has been clear ever since. He mentioned competitors in his B&F speech and just 3 days ago said, “There are some non-negotiables now for kids coming in. You give yourself a better chance if you are a competitor,’’. The messages are clear for those that want to read them. Watts is toast.

Depth.

You're welcome to refute any/all of them rather than snipe.

You'd been going so well this summer.

Great. So you're taking a 2 month sabbatical too ?

My Brother was there and commented on vandenBerg looking trim, taut and terrific. He was leading his running group. This time last year he was walking laps with his arm in a sling.

From Knightmare: 44. Josh Wagner (QLD – DEF) Height: 189cm, Weight: 80kg, DOB: 24/06/1994 Recruited from: Aspley Reminds me of: Adam Oxley Brief bio: Wagner is a skilful left footer who plays off a back flank in the NEAFL and has had a strong season as one of the more damaging players in the competition. He is a fairly natural fit into an AFL club off a back flank as someone who has the vision, decision making and footskills combination to allow him to set up some meaningful play by foot from the back half. His production has been strong this season and could be an immediate fit into the back half for a team. Athletically Wagner is below average with his endurance good allowing him to cover the ground fine but his acceleration is poor so he is not a someone who will breakaway or provide meaningful linebreaking as someone who will do his damage more by foot.

Yes, I've since sourced another graph that shows intensity levels have been higher of late, but overall less frequency. Tropical cyclones need warm water as one of a handful of environmental conditions to form, so the two go hand in hand. They also serve an important environmental role according to the U.S official weather service: "Therein shows the purpose of tropical cyclones. Their role is to take heat, stored in the ocean, and transfer it to the upper atmosphere where the upper level winds carry that heat to the poles. This keeps the polar regions from being as cold as they could be and helps keep the tropics from overheating." http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/tropics/tc.htm

https://vimeo.com/127122213

"Watts Watch"

Give me some facts, otherwise it just sounds like hyperbole. You may be right, btw, but I find your post far from compelling. Oliver went from 90 skinfolds to 59 in a matter of weeks and wasn't near peak physical condition in the 3 km time trial. I doubt the gap is as "massive" as you say to get down to a level that will allow him to compete at AFL level. Although, I accept not having a 'sub' next year doesn't help his cause.

Darcy Moore played 9 games last year (his first) and Joe Daniher played 5 in his first. Somewhere between 5-10 sounds about right.

I tell you what... I'll change my avatar to Binman's choice for 6 months from the day he plays his 11th game (won't happen) and you can dictate my signature for the corresponding period.