stevethemanjordan

Sounds like a 'land dweller wrote it...

Why is this a thread.. Man's an opposition player now. And one who has to climb Everest before he starts playing to the level he did with us.

I think it's time to let it go big fella. It's just not catching on.

The fact that they are both much more physically mature than both Scully and Trengove, (especially Scully) is one of many reasons why these two are much more likely to have a genuine impact early. I'm pretty sure both weigh more than Scully and Trengove even now. Not only that. These two are much more aggressive in the way that they play.The other reasons are obvious. They'll be developed appropriately. They'll be playing in a deeper and more competitive midfield. Under the tutelage of competent and driven leaders. The list goes on. Supporters have the right to be excited. I find it baffling that there are still comparisons of these two with drafts of previous years. There are differences on so many levels. They just don't compare. We were always bound to get our club to a stage where it is ready to develop the right talent. And I'm confident this will be it. We've never been in a more solid position.

That's understandable. But surely we're due to unearth a couple of stars? Surely? Almost every club except our own has been able to develop A grade AFL players at some point over the last 10 + years. I've never seen the club in as good a position to do the same. Have you? There's really no comparison in my eyes. So much has changed in terms of the quality of personell in both our coaching/development and our playing list in general. Tyson's season alone last year counters any argument against our club being able to develop. Forget the past. It is completely irrelevant now.

Except he's not a [censored]. It's clear he is self driven. Something Sylvia never was. The fact he is confident in his ability is a positive. Landing Petracca and Brayshaw under our current FD format and environment will, in my eyes, be the break we've been longing for. It's time.

Agree. Glad we're not in the position of the 'aints. All three of Brayshaw, McCartin and Petracca have had pretty dominant years and it's hard to split them.

Would love to see Salem play halfback/midfield next year. The lack of footskills evident in most of the back six in the prospective round 1 teams on this thread is still a major concern for me. A half backline of Grimes, McDonald and Garland doesn't fill me with a huge amount of confidence. Defensively there's no worry, but none of them can split teams open with a 'one kick' play. Vince, Watts and Salem all have that ability and we need someone there to be able execute it. It's one of the reasons why Malceski would have been such a great pickup. We're a competitive team now. But we're still well behind when it comes to footskills. Even having a look at the replay of Gold Coast vs Melb from this year you can see how easily they move the ball from one end of the ground to the other. It's about being skilled. And knowing it. Grimes and Garland are perfect examples of players who doubt their ability to execute and therefore never go for kicks to leads that we need them to. They decide to go long to a contest or pointlessly backwards or sideways. Conversely, if you see some of Vince's kicks this year, he is confident in his ability and therefore regularly seeks those leads and targets that are in much more advantageous positions. Or at the very least, in positions where we see a 'metre gain'. I'm sure others won't agree with how simple that explanation is and that other factors come into play. But from my experience playing, and from what you can visibly see with attributes, it's really as simple as that. We need footskils in our backline if we're going to see a marked improvement in this competition.

Eminem's 'lose yourself' song before the start of games at the 'G' as well as the countdown. Seriously? SERIOUSLY? It's a disgusting joke. There's nothing better than the slow build up of the voice of the crowd before a bounce at the 'G'. But now that's lost. It makes me physically ill how americanised the game is becoming.

Although I was against it, I'm realising that McCartin may indeed end up at our club as much as I thought we wouldn't draft him. As long as this desire to compete and aggro that people speak of is there then it's a positive. Still worry about his goal kicking yips. And would still rather two mids.

You're a goose.

I know I'm stating the bleeding obvious here, but if we're going to land a star through FA next year we're going to need to see a big jump up the ladder. We can no longer be talking about incremental improvement. Neeld belittled and patronised the players in that way when talking about how far behind the 8-ball we were. Roos at the very least injected some belief and confidence. It's now up to the players to take it a step further. Signs are good early considering we almost have a full squad ready to attack the pre-season. We've strengthened our backline. We'll have a more potent attack. It's time the football gods gave us a chop out. Because if we land a star or two at the end of next season. Make no mistake, it will be a game changer for this club. Go dees.

Good thing he can play...

You're right.It's not every day, it's every year that a player from the draft is compared to a bonafide star of the AFL. And I can guarantee you there'll be another forward next year who will draw comparisons from some other AFL star forward. I can also say I'm supremely confident we won't be drafting McCartin given the fact that our club is stuck at the bottom because of our lack of midfield depth and talent. Don't know how people continually miss that fact. Petracca Brayshaw Lever If cockatoo were selected, I'd also be over the moon.

Not true.For where our club is and what it needs right now, we are better off without him for the simple fact that as a senior player, his work ethic and desire to do everything possible to help this club on game day was non-existent at times during games this year. That is absolutely toxic for the younger guys at our club to see and one of the contributing factors to why our 'leaders' have been questioned at times over the years. Comparing the number of possessions or stats on gameday is irrelevant. The fact is, Roos will be bringing in ANOTHER strong character and presence to this group to add to the changing culture at our club. And that my friends, is all that matters. We know we won't be drafting another Gysberts or Cook. We'll be drafting another soldier. We did the right thing.

And he got one in Lumumba.

The biggest of facepalms.

I said that results from that particular test in isolation are ambiguous. So yes, in that sense it's pointless.Overall, I'd say that part of the reason the draft can be such a lottery is because of things like the combine testing. There's far too much emphasis put on these isolated tests. So much so that it is advantageous to those players who are perhaps more of an athlete than footballer and if they do well in the testing, their draft value will soar whilst those who don't have as many athletic gifts will drop away, (even if they're the better footballer). That's my view anyway. It's only a recent thing that they've now introduced football specific skills like kicking etc. As for the comparison of Lever's speed to that of some of the elite AFL midfielders, I think it's a very relevant rebuttal to what your main argument is. Regardless of position. They're the living proof that a 20 metre sprint test can be of little significance when determining one's overall footballing ability. I have my own views on a players ability to play certain positions anyway. The fact that Lever hasn't played through the midfield means little to me. Petracca is an example of someone who has moved seamlessly from the forwardline to the midfield in one year and will now most likely go pick number 1 after such a dominant year. To play as an inside mid you need to have particular playing traits. In my view Lever has those traits already programmed. It's the physiological aspects of his game that will need to change, which come if you are willing to work extremely hard. (Something that both Lever and Petracca do). Lever is bound by nothing except his desire to become fit and strong enough to play through the midfield. Everything else is already ticked off in my view. He has footy smarts He is competitive beast with aggression He is skilled He wins contested ball in the air and on the ground He tackles hard Midfield strategy, running patterns, positional play are also secondary and are learnt intensively at AFL level so that's a non-issue for me too. You only have to look at Fyfe for an example.

Is it that hard to come up with some sort of alternative strip that are coloured only red and blue? I don't care about the design so much. Just as long as it's a red and blue kit. Or is that not allowed?

It amazes me that posters get so worked up about posters trying to be experts, (who completely know they're not) analysing which players have the best attributes from watching a highlights tape. It's a football forum. What do you expecccccttttttt...

I'll tell you what doesn't make sense.The fact you're so sure there are question marks next to Lever's name yet McCartin will be a '15 year 'gun' full forward. Demonland @ it's absolute best.

Use my brain you say?You're pushing an agenda to the point where you're now looking foolish. You've pointed out that Brayshaw isn't considered fast, yet he recorded a 20 metre sprint time of 2.82 seconds. Guess who also ran those times? Jack Watts and Nathan Freeman. Are you aware that this test in isolation gives possibly the most ambiguous results out of any test at the combine? Anyone who looks at an isolated test like the 20 metre sprint and concludes that a player who runs what is considered an 'average' or 'below average' sprint time is too slow for AFL football has peanuts for brains. The variables and skills that make you quick at AFL level are a lot more complex than the ability to run as fast as you can in a straight line for 20 metres. It's not a game of tag. I think you might need to reconsider some of what you've been spinning and maybe use your own brain to realise how silly you're spunding along with the rest of the posters that are of the belief he's too slow to make it. (It even makes me cringe re-writing it). Other posters have given several examples of players who would test average or below average for the 20 metre sprint. Kennedy Watson Mitchell Hodge Mundy Hayes Etc Those names alone make whoever is pushing this argument look like a dang fool. We get that you don't want Lever at pick 3. But you're looking very silly by continuing to push this point of him being 'too slow'.

Please.

What does that even mean?! Slow when compared to who?! Usain Bolt? It's like saying Nick Reiwoldt is not an accurate kick for goal when compared to Lloyd. So nobody should have drafted him. This 'slow' talk is absolute fluff.

It's a tough gig trying to convey sarcasm on DL at times.