Gator

You mean a first year player. Some adapt quicker than others. We'll see.

Why would Pickett be "raw" ? He's not new to the code. His skills look exquisite and I'm sure he's had a footy in his hand since he was a toddler. His endurance may not be up to scratch and he may serve an apprenticeship at Casey, but why is he likely to be raw ?

Drafts can't truly be rated for 5-10 years, but if we base it on who we targeted it has to be an A+. We wanted the first two we picked and ensured we got them and Rivers was universally expected to be gone by our third pick. Time will tell if our assessments of all concerned were accurate - in part or fully. There wouldn't have been too many clubs leave the draft that got their exact wishlist. We probably did (unless they were hoping for someone other than Rivers who slid).

If Young is a genuine gun he'd improve our side by a bit, but imo it will be as a defender not as a mid. But we're not a lot worse off by not having him if we have a fit back 6/7 who can string games together. If Jackson is a genuine gun forward/ruck he improves our list a lot and becomes irreplaceable. Not to mention he and Gawn would become the most dominant tall duo in the game. At worst Jackson looks like he'll be very good. An added bonus is that I don't see a long apprenticeship at Casey for this boy.

I'm not a Frost fan, so don't share your view. We all know his strengths, but he wasn't predictable to his teammates and I've heard he wasn't the most coachable player, which didn't help his efforts to be retained.

For me Lever needs to be the intercept third tall. He's much better when he's freed up to use his judgment and athleticism. May and one of Oscar McDonald or Petty need to hold down FB with May at CHB. As Petty is training with the forwards Oscar will be given first crack in the main defensive role. Duel hip surgery ruined his 2019, but he has a chance to make amends. If he's not competitive enough then Petty should move back. Petty's going to be a very good player, whether it's in defence or attack. I suspect Jackson and Pickett will be staples in the side sooner rather than later.

I'm certain Goodwin and his group would admit mistakes were made. It's hard to grow or improve if you don't make mistakes. And they were challenged by injuries like few teams before them, which is tough going considering the young list profile. Btw, this ''plan B'' talk is a load of crap. Everyone knew how Hawthorn played when they won 3 flags, they just couldn't deal with it. Clarkson didn't alter their game style in season, just as Richmond played to their strengths this year. Do you think Leigh Matthews had a plan B ? Ever heard ''From the Lips of Lethal'' ? Malthouse won a flag going around the boundary to minimise the effect of turnovers. He didn't suddenly start using the corridor during games they were losing. All clubs adjust their tempo at times during games, throw a 7th defender into the mix, match up on a dominant player who's got off the leash, move a tall defender forward, etc., but that's not having a ''plan B''. Flag teams don't worry about ''plan B''.

Thank you. For the dopes (and they are numerous) - Goodwin was referencing the operations and the fact that the entire midfield group had delayed/badly interrupted preseasons where they could barely do contesteted work before January (some February).

As you're aware, not all small forwards are the same. Pickett and Weightman look to be very different types. Pickett and Liam Henry are of a similar genre (Henry more advanced) and are a different type of ''small'' to Weightman. Imo, we need a Pickett or Henry type more than a Weightman. I like their flair, speed, agility, aggression, knock ons, etc. I'm not saying Weightman doesn't have similar traits, but from what I've seen not to the same degree. I don't see quite that buzzing excitement machine in Weightman when compared to the other two, who just seem more of what we lack and need.

I wouldn't take much notice of Buckenara. Great player, but a lightweight who now can't get a gig within the industry. In fact, he's recently been sacked by both the North Ballarat Roosters and the Frankston Dolphins. Hardly a glowing endorsement.

So you rationalise why they're doing it - if they do ? Btw, I don't see a high pressure small forward as "icing". They're crucial in the modern game. Surprised you don't see that. Fwiw, I'd prefer best available at pick 10, not Pickett. But I can understand if they pull the trigger.

After further thought... Melbourne don't consider themselves a 17th ranked team, in fact, they think they can win the flag in 2020 (courtesy of a recent lunch Goodwin attended with some supporters). So clearly, rightly or wrongly, they see the list differently to most footy pundits. With this framework in mind, if they see a player like Pickett as the missing ingredient in the forward half with his flair and pressure skills they have a dilemma. They'd recognise that he's probably not worthy of a pick 10 (or 11-12) selection, but they also know through the jungle drums he won't be available at their next selection (28). Do they take Stephens, Young/Ash or Serong, whose resumes read better ? Or do they take the player who's more important to the overall makeup of the team, i.e. Pickett ? They've got guys like Salem, Hibberd, Hore, and now Harmes earmarked for defence, so while Young and Ash would be great there's not as much of a need, and with the addition of Langdon and Tomlinson (hopefully vandenBerg) they can cope without Stephens. They'd love them all, but there's just one pick. You can't use a pick you don't have, so I get why you'd use the only pick you do have. And to add... I think most clubs would have taken note as to how much positive impact Flyin Ryan and Willie Rioli had on West Coast's last couple of years.

I'm conflicted. Pickett is exactly what we need, but a needs based top 10 pick ? I'll rationalise it as a broader list management decision that helps with the final touches.

I can assure you that Goodwin is aiming for top 4 and very much sees the opportunity for a flag in 2020. He said so at a recent lunch in South Yarra with a group of influential supporters.

But Ruprecht, what professional sporting organisation in the world foregoes having a game plan ? Being super fit with your best 22 gives the greatest opportunity to implement the game-plan to its highest and most skillful degree.

Like Pennant, I hope we retain pick 10 and pick the best player available.

As I said, I'll be surprised and exceedingly disappointed if we took Weightman at 10. He's simply not a top 10 talent.

No disrespect to Weightman, but if we keep pick 10 I'll be shocked (and disappointed) if we read his name out.

Taylor said in a recent interview that we won't slide from one of our top 10 picks unless we know that the player we want will still be available. Even if it's a gamble, it is very calculated. In his mind, pick 28 is virtually for free. Feel better ?

Not now.

It had crossed my mind.

Sounds good to me.

I'm far more interested in anecdotal evidence than testing results. I've seen players who've run very good 20 metre sprint times look slow at AFL level. If his coaches go out of their way to laud his ''in-game'' leap that's of more interest to me than testing. After-all, they didn't have to bring it up of it wasn't a strength. They'd just not mention it and focus on other traits they liked. You do have a habit of overthinking things. Paralysis by analysis.

It has nothing to do with being ''foolish'' if they don't bid on Green, but everything to do with their internal player rankings. Now, one can question those rankings, but that's a very different issue. Surely this makes sense to you.

Nothing will be ''confirmed'' until the draft, but media outlets are speculating that the Giants will pounce on Jackson and not match Melbourne's bid. I can't vouch for the veracity of the intel. I'm more than happy with whomever they choose. I've given up second guessing drafting decisions. The Dogs reached for Bontempelli a few years ago. It was very astute.