Gator

No, we haven't.

Off to work on my best 22 for 2018 ? We've just added a player who will immediately be in the top 10 on our list. Nothing to sneeze at.

For every top 10 pick in Oliver there's a Grant, Vickery, Butcher, Moore, Aish, Toumpas, Morabito, Conca, Gorringe, Gumbleton, O'Rourke, Morton, Buntine, Sumner, & Freeman. These are the more recent top 10 fails (injuries included), but there are also plenty who are just solid foot soldiers. Lever is the best young defender in the game with a decade ahead of him. He's only going to get better. He fits into a perfect profile in that he's in the same age bracket as Viney, Hogan, Petracca, Salem, Oliver, Brayshaw, Hunt, Osca, ANB, Stretch, and Weideman. That's a great core who'll grow together. You've got to give to get and I'll take the certainty of Lever over the speculation of pick 10 and a future pick in the teens. As we get better we'll also have other players keen to join the club. But I ask you, how many recent top 10 draft picks have Adelaide, Sydney, and Geelong had since 2008. Adelaide's last top 10 draft pick was in 2008. They also got Brad Crouch in a mini draft. So let's say two top 10 quality players in 9 years. Since 2008 Sydney have had 2 top 10 draft picks, plus Heeney, who would have been. Three in 9 years. Since 2008 Geelong have had 1 top 10 draft pick. One in 9 years - and that was pick 10 itself. Let's throw in Hawthorn. Since 2008 Hawthorn have had zero top 10 draft picks. Zero in 9 years. Melbourne ? Ten in 9 years, including Hogan from the mini draft. You can [censored] and moan about giving up pick 10 and a future pick in the teens, but we've had our time in the draft and it's now time to get proven quality players into the club and start making an assault on the ladder and competition. It was a no brainer and I couldn't be happier.

Rapt with this. Three AA squad members now in our back 6 plus the improving Oscar, speedster Hunt and developing Frost. Some outside speed and Weideman stepping up would help complete a very talented side.

As they should. Good player and worth around the Tuohy pick from Geelong.

This post reminds me of the howls of indignation during the 2015 draft period before Mahoney and co worked some magic, which netted two top 10 picks and our current Best & Fairest winner. How about we have a bit of trust and not climb walls every time we hear a suggestion, or even a deal ?

There's no way they'll make their offer worse. It's fanciful to think so.

That's great, mate, but imo there's not a hope in hell they'll do that. They also want to do the right thing by Lever, who's shown good faith in selecting the MFC as his club of choice. The club won't want Lever, or his manager thinking we're playing funny buggers. This is why we made a good offer to start with. You're welcome to a different view.

Adelaide are so pist off because they know how good he's going to be. He plays the modern zoning game to perfection. He reads the play better than anyone else, he knows exactly the right time to leave his own man, and he either takes a brilliant intercept mark, or kills the contest with his fist of fury. He's not fast, but he is agile, he usually hits his targets by foot, and he's renowned in Adelaide for his sidestep. He also has courage. We're talking about a guy who is 13 days older than Oscar McDonald. How much improvement has Oscar still got ? Lever's the same, only far more talented. Oscar can play with Lever for the next 8 years and he'll learn from him. Lever spent 3 years with Talia, which will only help. And let's not forget that Lever was made captain of Vic Metro as a bottom age player, i.e. too young to be drafted that year. Let that sink in. How many bottom age players are chosen to captain their state ? He captained Petracca and would also know Brayshaw well. This is a terrific coup for the MFC.

We've already put picks 10 and 27 on the table. There's zero possibility we'll recant.

Lever missed 5 games. On ave. votes per game he came 10th.

I'm not sure what the final top 10 is, but here it is with one game to go. He made the AA squad, but not top 10 in their B&F. Hmmm

Lever missed rounds 1 and 2 with a hamstring.

Adelaide knew Lever wasn't staying before the finals started. They still chose to select him to represent the AFC on their biggest day. To say that we'll select you for a GF, even though we know you're leaving, but we'll then block you from turning up to the B&F is about as small minded as you can get. That's why it's a plastic club.

What do you expect from a club that took back Jack Gunston's Mark Bickley award after he told them he wanted a trade. http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/crows-stripped-gunston-of-award/news-story/c710d976b084a311027f22c1cbd9dbf4

I didn't include Scully, because there were exemptions when GWS and Gold Coast entered the competition. Adelaide lost Davis, Footscray Ward, us the Rodent. So different circumstances, even if just as galling from a MFC point of view.

Whether it be Cameron Mooney, Leigh Matthews, or Dwayne Russell, many in the media are complaining about Jake Lever's decision to leave the Crows after just 3 years. I won't bother mentioning Scott Thompson, and I recognise there are some differences with his move, but what about Josh Caddy leaving the Suns after just two years ? He was pick 7 in the 2010 draft and wanted out after his two year contract was up. Not a word in the media. I know there will be other examples, but it appears there's selective outrage in the AFL industry.

Frost is a chronic fumbler.

I never said I was perfect.

I rejected it because I've seen him run around like a plonker when he's started forward at the beginning of games. Maybe you have a poor memory, but McDonald started forward in a couple of games with Roos and was shouse. He's always been better when it's happened mid game and there's been an element of surprise. This happened under Roos a couple of times (mid game) and it was ok when Goodwin tried. I was still skeptical he could be a quality permanent key forward after the West Coast game. Even now I'm not totally sold, but the evidence is mounting. I'm not sure even McDonald thought he could be a quality key forward tall a month ago. Anyway, enough. You're boring.

"I'm still not convinced Tom will be able to keep up his strong performances in the forward-line, but I'm a lot more open-minded than I was 3 weeks ago. I'd be silly to ignore the evidence."

OK, this is what I said,: "There is, of course, the question of what to do with the McDonalds and Frost if we were lucky enough to recruit Lever. My guess is that Frost would be traded. Oscar is developing well and at 197cms he has a tonne of physical development left. Splitting up the brothers is also problematic." This comment was made before Tom McDonald morphed into Peter Hudson on the weekend, where balls mysteriously landed in his hands in marking contests and he slotted goals that were once beyond his pay grade. To me, there wasn't much point securing Lever and retaining the aforementioned players when we also have the 191cm high leaping Joel Smith, who is also thereabouts. Has the weekend changed my views ? Yes, to an extent. Imo, Oscar and Frost have both been better without Tom down back with them. I don't like all three in the backline together due to their kicking skills out of defence*, plus, we now have enough evidence to suggest Oscar and Sam have grown without Tom. It's been win/win. I'm still not convinced Tom will be able to keep up his strong performances in the forward-line, but I'm a lot more open-minded than I was 3 weeks ago. I'd be silly to ignore the evidence. I agree with the need for outside speed and I agree the need for Lever is less than it was a month ago. But gee, Lever will be a star. *There is kicking and there is kicking. Oscar and Frost are becoming reasonably reliable in that they usually hit easy targets, but there is no flair or creativity in their kicking and I still have concerns with them under pressure or their ability to hit a difficult kick that's required at the right time and moment.