Gator

I'm going to make a massive call - Clayton Oliver will be our best midfielder since Ron Barassi (note Flower was a wingman in a very different era, so he's not included in my deliberations). When you work through it it's actually not such a big call, it's a logical call to anyone who's seen him play and is familiar with our lack of stars over the last 50 years. He's unquestionably Jason Taylor's best pick. To be pick 4 when you fail to make your U18 state team in the year you're drafted is incredible intuition and judgement by those that recruited you. The deal done to orchestrate two picks in the top 10 and make certain of the selection was just as brilliant, as it was the first time a deal of that nature had been done. We set the standard for other clubs to follow under the new points system. I'd say Hunt was his next stroke of genius in a long line of really solid or great decisions. And while there was a time I wanted to hunt Prendergast down he's done what virtually no other recruiter before him had, he recruited Gawn, who is a star of the game and should end his career as one of this club's greats.

People have a propensity to get nose bleeds at high altitude. In others words, he'd get a nose bleed for being taken so high.

"one talent spotter suggested Oliver “would get nose bleeds” if he went as high as the first round of the draft"

George was going nuts giving me warning points, so hopefully I'll stay low for a while.

Might have to change it back.

C. Judd

Possibly. I hope Oliver develops his outside game so that he stays around the 50% CP mark, but gets more of it.

Absolutely, and Parish won't get caught out in the heat of a final. We all know that Oliver is a contested ball winning beast and he came 60th in the league for contested possessions, which is terrific for a first year teenager, but Parish is no slouch in the cp department either. In fact he came 69th. 49% of Oliver's possessions were contested, which is an elite ratio, while 43% of Parish's possessions were contested, which is also excellent. The number 1 player in the game for CP (total) was Josh Kennedy, who averaged 54% and Dangerfield averaged 50%. By percentages Patrick Cripps is no.1 in the league at 62%.

Yes, Parish has a long career ahead of him. He's an unbelievably busy and smart player, who will really hurt teams once he gets a tank. He reminds me of a young Cousins and a young Crawford.

Which is not what you said.

That's not my recollection.

The last product they sold us took a year to fix. They can wait a year this time.

Not withstanding being inhibited by all of the club's woes I reckon Grimes was also a victim of a changing game. Early in his career he was rock solid across half-back where he was strong overhead, read the play well and played within his limitations. One felt comfortable when he had the ball in hand and he was a reliable general. But as the game has evolved the back-line has become the generator for attack. Speed and bold ball-movement by foot and hand has become the backman's weapon. It doesn't suit Jack's slow and steady play. Jack was dependable and reliable but struggled to adapt to a more attacking game. As his comfort zone changed his foot skills and decision making were increasingly challenged and put under the microscope. It never suited his game. One of the few players I'll remember very fondly.

I don't know enough about Smith, other than his impressive game yesterday, but I'd love him to develop into an Isaac Smith type wingman. Isaac Smith has incredible endurance and I have no idea how Joel goes in the endurance stakes, but Smith and Hunt running the lines is an exciting prospect. I actually want to leave Hunt in his current role, as I suspect he finds it easier playing behind the ball, so would be interested to know if a tall wing role would suit Joel.

Hibberd and Barlow came from the VFL, so it's certainly a reasonable pathway, but I think it's definitely harder for key position players. Keilty has a better chance than McInerney, but I wouldn't back on either making it.

Agreed. McInerney did nothing for me and I don't see an AFL quality kpp with Keilty. Liam McBean looked great at VFL level, but his AFL form exposed the gulf between senior and seconds football. Mitch Brown is a terrific VFL footballer and while he's shown a bit at the higher standard I don't project regular games at Essendon. He may get rookied, but I see little more than a depth player.

The great Dale Carnegie explained back in the 1930s that it's impossible to 'win' an argument. It is especially so when the other person is deranged.

Unlike some, including debates I've had with my Brother, I really do think we let down some previous draft picks with poor development. I suspect most were just bad selections, but development and a club's culture is ultra-important. I still believe that you can't make chicken salad out of chicken ***, but there's always that balance.

Not semantics, just a mistake. This business of people being "taken around" Hunt is an utter nonsense. Taylor only had access to players available at pick 57, not those taken before. Name ONE pick after Hunt that is any good. I'll disagree on Salem. He's a young player with tremendous class that is miles off his best. Let's talk when he's played 60-80 games. As for Kennedy-Harris and Neal-Bullen, neither does much for me either, but I don't expect him to nail every 40+ pick. Do you ? Steven Wells has plenty of failures. Taylor's record looks superb to me any way I want to slice it or dice it.

You do realise that none of those players were available to the MFC in the 2013 draft ? They were all rookie upgrades and selected in drafts prior to 2013 - Hunt's draft.

So it's not a myth then ? A myth is a false belief, but now you're saying the jury is out ? Btw, I don't agree with your evaluations and some of your judgments are either too early or wrong. Who was taken after Hunt that makes this selection anything other than stunning ? We were desperate to improve our midfield, so I can't see any logical supporter questioning the Brayshaw decision. He'll be a star in my view. Your concerns on Weideman at such an early stage seem very premature, but fair enough, your opinion. Oscar and vandebBerg are very good picks after 50 of the ND - "limitations" or no limitations. Oliver may go down as one of the best picks by a recruiter since the inception of the draft (1986). And no, it's far too early to call Salem a "disappointment" on the back of an injury plagued third year. He's already shown his class in his first two. I find your assessments strange. You'd have to go out of your way to take the negative position you seem to have.

I think you'll find that the Dogs just pipped us for least experienced with 60 games.

You're reading far too much into things. You're looking for smoke and mirrors. Before the season is over clubs virtually never concede anything in the media, He'll be a Dee.

It would have been nice and in no way do I think Roos thought he was compromising a win, but for me it would have been small fry in the bigger picture.

I know it's part of an apprenticeship, but I think you're overly excited about playing finals and just making up the numbers. Half the competition play finals. Ordinary sides play finals. How have those 3 straight years of finals helped Richmond ? I think it's a blessing in disguise to not play finals this year. There will be a drive over summer that will hold this group in good stead for 2017.