Gator

They said we'd agreed on our second round pick, which is currently pick 25.

Probably means nothing ? Why do you think it could mean something ?

Chris Pelchen, who's been doing this for a long time at 3 clubs, said a week ago he thought Melksham was worth in the vicinity of pick 20-25.

He used to like Juice Newton...

Pick 25 is a steal for 2013 Jake Melksham and it's overs for 2015 Jake Melksham. I suppose I have to back Goodwin's assessment of how he thinks Melksham can be developed.

Chris from Camberwell has been ringing in for over a decade - SEN/3AW. His whiny voice is arguably the worst ever heard on the airwaves and he is always, and I mean always, asking incredibly inane questions.

If the Dees love Francis, and clearly I have no clue, they may like the idea of trading Howe to the Suns for the 6 > 3 swap.

You mean you actually have to play good footy ?

Trengove had a better first year and was a full year younger. Actually, he was 16 months younger. Trengove's next year, i.e.the same age as Brayshaw this year, was far superior. Btw, this isn't a knock on Brayshaw, who I reckon is a future star, it's merely fact.

Clearly it depends on how we rate the top 6. I'll back our recruiters. Howe won't take this club anywhere or stand up in real 'heat'. He never has.

Rubbish. Roos was on record saying that only one of those picks was ever on the table.

It was because he never plays in front and always wants to mark from behind. It's one of the reasons he's been a hopelessly inconsistent forward.

This guy is an immense talent. He just looks a jet. I'm surprised he wasn't able to cement his spot, but he has had injury concerns.

I cannot see Howe at Hawthorn. He wants overs and they won't pay overs. They also already have a quality forward-line.

You reckon Toumpas is worth more than Melksham ? I have no idea how you process that. Fwiw, Chris Pelchen said he thought Melksham was worth in the vicinity of 20-25. He said he's an untapped talent that had the excellent combination of speed and endurance and had the lowest skinfolds in his draft year. I keep harping back to 2013 when in his 4th year he averaged 20 possessions and kicked 16 goals. He finished top 5 in the B&F and Essendon finished 7th. If a trade was mooted at the end of that year he would have been worth pick 10 and Essendon would not have traded him. How much has coaching and ASADA ruined the last 2 years ?

Howe's not a competitor, has never played one 4 quarter game and always tries to mark from behind, which is hopeless for a forward. As a football club we're moving beyond Howe types.

Won't happen, because Howe isn't worth anything like 16.

Clearly positional play is different to years ago, but most people would understand that it means a strong running key tall with exceptional aerobic capacity that marks on wings, turns his player around and also spends time closer to goal. Hogan had our third most inside 50's, which is evidence of his work ethic. I'm not sure why this needs explaining. But then I remember the poster I'm answering. A petty bickerer.

Every team will have a different makeup depending on available personnel. I'm glad you brought up Hale and Sinclair. We already have our own version - Max King. Max King is going to be at least the equal of these 2 players. Callum Sinclair is 200 cm, which is the same height as King and he's 26. He was recruited from Port Melbourne. King won't be ready to be a forward/ruck next year, but in a couple of years I reckon he'll be a revelation. I'm far more excited by him filling the forward/ruck void than Casboult. I accept there's a waiting period, but with King in the wings I wouldn't be chasing Casboult. Now I'll hear about "no guarantees", "exposed form at AFL level", etc. Whatever, Casboult isn't the answer. I'd rather make do with Pedersen. EDIT: I'm also keen on sending Dunn back forward as an agile tall.

Bugg would fit in any teams "structure" if he's good enough. That's the question.

I said "we need agile marking talls". Kennedy and Darling are agile marking talls. So too Gunston and the Cobbler. Nick Reiwoldt is an agile marking tall. Buddy Franklin is an agile marking tall. Taylor Walker is an agile marking tall. Jack Watts could be an agile marking tall, but unfortunately he doesn't have the stomach for it. Casboult is not an "agile marking tall". Tom Boyd is not an agile marking tall.

I can't get too excited by players that are rated 20-26 at the club they're leaving.

You're the one who first used stats. Stupid stats. 4 possessions per game is significant when you're a power forward. And FFS, it was Hogan's first year. Everything improves from here. Hogan won't be targeted more than he was next year as opposition clubs knew he was the main man from the get-go. The Bulldogs dropped Boyd because a more mobile forward-line works well in the current climate. We need agile marking talls to complement Hogan. We need players that can keep the ball in when it's inside 50. We need a contemporary forward-line. We don't need Casboult. Carlton may not think they need him either.

I believe it's the club who wants Howe out. Most clued on supporters know that Howe is poor in a contest, but Dermie summed him up perfectly the other day when he said he won't mark in front, it always has to be from behind. And for me, that's the main reason he's so unreliable as a forward and always has these long quiet periods. Gunston is a great mark in front and in front of his eyes. Watts and Howe aren't. Howe is a $350K player looking for $500K. Bye.