dazzledavey36

Pretty sure you've missed @Its Time for Another point here. He's not saying that Sharp will come in and have the immediate impact that Nibs did but more so that eventually he'll play that role well and potentially be an upgrade over time because based off his observations he feels that he's got a better skill set then ANB. It's interesting that you're comparing a 21 year old Sharp to a 28 players that's played over 150 games at AFL and a premiership player. If you go back to around the same age bracket as Sharp, then ANB was pretty much in a similar position to where Sharp is now. He was a battler who was in and out of the senior team. Don't forget also that we put Nibbler on the trade table at the end of 2020 when he was 24 years of age and by luck we had no club interested in him at the time. Respectfully, @Its Time for Another did also say there is no guarantees that Sharp even gets to that level, purely based on observations and opinion.

Enjoy.

A great insight. Thanks Kevie.

Played against this bloke years ago just after he left Collingwood. Without doubt one of the most naturally gifted players I've come across at country league level. Really sad that he had to retire from AFL level with his heart condition.

Ok

There is no way Sparrow is in our best 22 once everyone is up and firing. He was dropped at the back end of the year when our midfield was pretty depleted and that to me was a big statement. He hasn't shown an ounce of improvement since 2021 and with guys like Tholstrup, Langford, and Sharp all coming in as extra mid/forward depth then he's no way guaranteed a spot every week.

You could make a good argument for Mentha also.

I'm making this assumption based on zero information. But I think we actually 'hid' George this year. I think we invited him down to Casey to get some exposure and see how he'd go, then realise soon enough in his performances that he had AFL traits immediately which meant we then had to hide him again. If some remember he played a couple of earlier games then completely vanished without any fuss. We've then told him not to nominate for the draft as that would have increased the risk of him being picked up by anyone in an open draft with the promise that we would be inviting him down to trial for us. It now makes sense why we chose not match the bid on Riak Andrew and I have absolutely no doubt that we still wouldnt have selected Andrew even if he had gotten through to the rookie draft. We deliberately kept that Category B spot open with the thought all this time that we would be inviting George down to then trial and have fitst dibs on him. This is all guesswork on my behalf.

If there is something being finalised by Alan Richardson that would mean he's getting paid to train full time as it a potential rookie. What Richardson would be finalising is an interim contract wage to compensate for whatever employment he's had to put aside while he trains with us full time. I only know this from a mate that trained at Richmond two years ago as a SPP selection.

Considering its literally the only spot left on our list I presumes that's why he's been invited to train for a spot on the list? I don't know the exact details of a cat B entitlement but there's obviously something in there that makes him eligible.

I am very excited to hear that Roy George has been granted permission to train with us over the pre season for a Cat B spot. When I heard he was playing for Casey this year I tapped into my connection at the Tyntynder Football Club where he played majority of his footy this year in the Central Murray Footy league. 'Genuine freak' with freakish and exciting traits which was relayed back to me. Had one game where he apparently tore shred and kicked 6 and then another 4 another week. I watched a few of his Casey games this year where I was surprised how well he adjusted. I remember thinking this kid shows some genuine footy smarts that cannot be taught. Evasive and agility was top notch and you'd think with a professional environment around him he could be an absolute smokey to watch if he applies himself well. Really hope he does well.

Could very well be a NGA prospect or a AFL Academy propsect completing his placement.

I have always been a big believer of this as well.

Not necessarily. Some improve, some don't and end up being delisted. All kids are drafted based on potential and talent. There are no guarantees with any draftees once they hit the system. All comes down to the individual themselves and how hard they want to work for it.

I've watched him in the flesh at the under 15's stats national carnival when he represented QLD. He's an athlete for sure but was pretty raw at the same time as most tall players that age. You could see those athletic traits indeed but at the time watching his performance, he didn't do much that got me overly excited, but that level isn't about who's going to be the next AFL star. So much water to go under the bridge. The thing with Sam Darcy is that it was his last year of top age that really put him at the top end of draft calculations. Had a number of big games early on the 2021 season with Oakleigh Chargers and School Footy that really got recruiters talking. Just remember with Sam Darcy, he missed out on under 16 selection for Vic Metro where as Kalani White was an All Australian defender at that level. So just goes to show why you can't exactly determine a young players full talent at minor junior level.

I'm guessing this is aimed at my post? I never said that depth is filling talent for talent. You're never going to replace guys like Gawn and Petracca but you can fill them soldiers that can come in and still impact fairly well at AFL. Unfortunately we didn't even have those. We got rid of those soldiers in Harmes, Jordon and Dunstan and replaced them with no one. If you look at Brisbane as an example they did that with Kiddy Coleman and Linc McCarthy as soon as they went down with ACL injuries and then with their number one ruckman in Big O when he went down. Darcy Fort was able to come in and not only compete but nullify Grundys influence The timing of Luke Dunstans career was unfortunate. Felt like he would have actually been handy depth this year in the midfield. Someone that could have provided solid experience, bigger body and able to win you 20-25 touches of the footy and take a load off Oliver and Viney. Timing is everything.

Thought Harry Boyd was incredibly stiff not to get drafted. I think with our recruitment of Campbell, we probably didn't need another mature age ruck but I hope he gets his chance. Has been invited down to St Kilda for a SPP trial which is a good step forward.

I'm confused by this response @rpfc? If you want me to break it down further then I will, only because that what you were elaborating too. When i say its a big year for our whole playing list, i say that to include the regular depth players at Casey. I'm not someone that sees those guys as simply filling in the numbers. Now days depth is just as important then ever before. For our team to take the next step further into finals, we need everyone playing at their optimum level week in week out. Now i know this is difficult on the more younger players so you alter your expectationonnthose guys. But pressure for spots could not be more crucial for 2025 then we've seen over the last couple of years. We saw the complete lack of depth when we were hit with injuries this year and guys like Fullarton, McAdam, Laurie simply failed to step up when we needed them too. When Gawn went down with injury the fact we had to use a makeshift ruckman in Petty/JVR ahead of both Verrall and Fullarton just shows that if you're not in form at VFL level that it has a huge ripple effect on our senior team. Clearly they have identified this as a need and went got Tommy Campbell. Guys going into their last year of their contracts such as Billings, Spargo, Fullarton, Woewodin, McDonald, Melksham, Hore, Sestan, Verrall are fighting for their careers and I would hope this gives them the extra motivation to really push themselves. If they're putting pressure on our senior AFL players through their own form at VFL level then that's a healthy place to be in. In terms of our main AFL regulars. Majority of those guys simply need to stand up and perform next year if we are aiming to get back into finals. Guys like Salem, Oliver Sparrow, Lever, Bowey, Petty all simply had a poor year through combination of injury and inconsistency of form. Realistically majority of the names listed haven't performed at their best since the 2021 season so I think the microscope is going to come hard on them if they dish another poor year. We need another spike of incline for guys like JVR, Windsor, Rivers, Pickett, McVee, Tholstrup, Turner and I'll even add Matt Jefferson because we saw a huge improvement this year in his Casey performance compared to year one, so he's definitely on the track track. These guys could play a crucial role in taking that next step. I could easily see JVR kicking over 40 goals next year. Another year where's he's gain valuable experience and more maturity in his body. He wants to be the top dog and he's certainly got all the attributes to be. Then it's guys like Gawn, Petracca, May and Viney. We just need them to be doing their thing once again. They've carried and performed on such a consistent level for a number of years now that you just become accustomed to the level of expectations. If all four can stay fit and healthy throughout the year then it will go a long way to determine if we can play finals.

Well it's true.

The whole playing list.

It's been like that since the poor kid was 12...

It's starting to click on... @Adam The God 👀

Bugger.. had I known it was at Myrtleford today I would have called in a sickie and made the trek down the highway with my young fella.

Says it all.