stevethemanjordan

Agree, of all the contested-heavy type of players I saw at Tac cup level, North impressed me the most.

A fair point, time will tell and all that. But as others have already alluded to, I think contested-heavy, one-paced and average-skilled mids are the least of our needs at present. We already have several and it becomes problematic when there's not a lot of attribute diversity between them. Aside from Oliver and Petracca, nearly all of our mids share similar strengths and weaknesses.

Lolsies

Where the whingers @?

Impressed you in what way WJ? I also saw him in a couple of occasions and he possesses nothing that we need And of all the talked about inside contested players I saw, he was the least impressive.

“Nahhh but we took wayyy unders for himmm”.

That’s the way. Now you’re getting the hang of it.

I hope you’ve considered that they were highlights from a single game. One. His technique and decision making are generally sound and you’re pointing out two execution errors from a game which also displays two very difficult-to-execute kicks. One an inside kick into the corridor which is a clear example of both his skill level and vision. The other a beautiful weighted kick inside 50 whilst running at top speed. The two you’re pointing out were clear execution errors and one of those is because he rushed and kicked whilst off balance. A very simple thing to address. Having seen him play on a few occasions this year, I can tell you that these are rare occurrences. Much like when you see Salem miss an easy intended target. When you see players hit difficult kicks with precision, it’s not so worrying that they miss an odd short kick, especially if it’s an execution thing due to kicking off one step/rushing. It would only be a concern if it was vision of him missing both short and long targets, easy and difficult. Ling is a great ball user, I’ve seen him on several occasions this year.

No.

A gun footballer doesn't get dropped in a team that possesses the weakest and least experienced key defensive unit within the AFL sorry. Gun is another word that is thrown around far too loosely. Frost is a developing player with some glaringly obvious weaknesses to his game, he is most definitely not a "gun".

It has. Except that one time you called Frost a "gun".

"But he's not a keyyyyy defenderrrrr" Shut the hell up.

A good point.

But mainly: http://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-10-21/the-trade-periods-best-player-ratings-recruits Eat it, all you whining ninnies.

I'm not sure if you're jesting, but incase you're not, I disagree. He is a speculative pick in the 50's who is young and developing but does not possess the talent levels or attributes of any of those players I mentioned. Mainly because they were all top 10 picks. (Bar Viney because of f/s and Lever because he didn't play any of his last underage year. Both would have been top 10 easily if not for those variables). Oscar is in the 'maybe' make it camp atm. It's Weideman. The list was based on high end talent. And both players were top 10 picks and were highly rated for a range of reasons. I've said my piece regarding Sam many times already. Supporters are incredibly short-sighted, impatient and generally clueless about Sam and the circumstances surrounding him as a player. There are young and developing players like Oliver. And there are young and developing players like Jayden Hunt and Weideman. Oliver leapt onto the scene and has been playing at an incredibly high level for someone his age. Going into Hunt's third year, he hadn't yet debut at AFL level let alone dominated a game at VFL. Do you understand why though? Probably not given your criticism of Weideman. I'm not sure how many times posters need reminding, but Sam (just like Hunt with his back injury) was so far behind the 8-ball with his body and we've been lucky enough as a club to have the forwardline depth to keep him at Casey where contrary to some views, he's been developing nicely. Going into his third pre-season and first full one, he will now be prepared to have a genuine impact at AFL level. I'm not saying he'll dominate, but his body will allow him to at least contribute at AFL level while he finds his feet and it's going to be a confidence thing before he starts performing on the big stage. He has the perfect set of attributes to play as a power full-forward.

From the Falcons, just made a post about him in the "Jack Petruccelle" thread. Reported on him under instruction from a club so he'll be considered if available I imagine. Is a very good player and despite the fact that he looks to be predominantly outside, he possess an aggressive and competitive edge which stood out to me. Would love him.

Because IMO he is exactly the type we're screaming out for and I'm hopeful he'll be there at our first pick. Again, didn't set the world alight at state level but I saw him in Geelong's first final against Gippsland and he was super impressive. I think it's a good thing if he slides. Played most of the year at HB for the Falcons, is lightning quick with a precise left-foot and great spatial awareness. But what impressed me most in that final were his defensive efforts and his desire to scrap really hard when the ball was in dispute. I was expecting to see a player of his profile to be predominantly outside but he recorded 6 tackles in that first final, spoiled with intent and you could clearly see he had the hunger to defend hard as well as attack. Really good sign. I think he could be groomed to play wing at AFL level. I love him. Should have his own thread and sorry to derail this one.

Landing Ling at 29 would be a dream. I love him.

Have seen Jack at TAC cup level a few times this year in the flesh and he certainly provided some amazing moments. Some of the best from any individual I saw this year at Tac cup level. His high quality attributes that would stand-up at AFL level are his speed, jump, agility and hands. I agree with others in that he doesn't really address our kicking issues, although I don't believe his kicking is as bad as some suggest. I would say it's similar to Hunt's. Both need to learn to use their eyes and decision making but I think for Jack, that will come when he is on a list given his lack of exposure to these elite teams. In fact, I see a few similarities between he and Jayden in that sense. He played one Vic metro game I'm pretty sure and it's the one that's been posted on this thread. Hardly a highlights package given he was fairly quiet that day. At 29 I wouldn't entertain it, but for one of our picks in the 30's I would. I really liked what I saw this year. Would be an excellent small pressure forward who would possess great goal sense, contested pack marking and isn't afraid to throw his body around for someone weighing so little.

Another who fails to recognise the obvious talent and value of an opposition player, but happily overvalues one of our own.

Haha good one

Make me a mod and I’ll merge the thread, mods.

Agree I thought it was a hugely successful trade period for us. To the whingers, a coupla things: 1 - Jake Lever. You clearly have NFI how good this kid is and how big a coup it is for our club to land him at 21 years of age. Some of the lack of opposition player knowledge is genuinely embarrassing. 2 - The reason next year's draft is predicted to be a 'super' draft is purely because of how many potential quality top 10 picks there'll be vs this year. There will be many more potential number 1 picks next year. This year there are still plenty of players who are hard to separate from picks 15 -35. The club obviously believe there will be some quality remaining at 29, 31 and 36 and that it'd be smarter to take three second-round picks to the draft vs one late first round and later picks. Our chances of landing some good players at those three are very good. Our development program, the coaches and leaders we have mean that any new talent coming through will be given every chance to shine. I think we're in a very strong position. Our 'core' now comprises of: Hogan (51 games) Weideman (10) Salem (46) Petracca (39) Viney (88) Brayshaw (36) Oliver (35) Hunt (41) Lever (56) That's a beautiful spread of talent across all lines and that group coming through together have the potential to really take this club to the top. There are plenty of great support players underneath this group who I haven't named. But I think people forget how young and inexperienced these guys are. Look at what Viney is doing at game 88 and now imagine what Petracca, Lever, Hogan, Oliver etc will be like when they reach that point.. Or 100 games.. We just need to keep adding smartly in and around this group. Looking forward to the draft.

All the best Jack.

As would I. I think those four will go fairly early in the second round. Domic impressed me in all the games I saw of him. (Think it was three). He was heavily involved in all of them and there was one game in particular against Murray at Ikon park where he kicked a handful playing mid. He doesn't look particularly flashy but consistently finds the ball and does everything 'well'. Hard to see any glaringly obvious weaknesses. Farrell I saw twice and whilst he didn't have a huge impact, there were definitely glimpses of quality and high level attributes. He was quick, possessed great agility and a nice left-foot. Probably wasn't involved enough in the games I saw, but was also moved around a lot positionally which I could see made it difficult. Had some nice moments, just wasn't dominant. Of the two, I imagine Domic will be snapped up before Farrell. Just my guess. Hard to say. As I've said, some of those names are more highly rated than others. I just gave that list because I was asked under instruction to report on a few of those names which indicates the club was/is interested. It depends on what we're after player-wise. For our pick 29 - If we land any of Ling, Floyd, Miers, Garner, Mclean or Domic I'd be happy. Ling and Garner are highly rated half-backs. Personally I'd love Ling as I think he has the capacity to play wing and possesses what our side needs. Speed and foot-skills. For a player of his size and slight build, he showed great competitiveness and aggression at the ball and man which was a big + given he looks typically outside. If we landed Ling at 29 I'd be stoked but I reckon he'll be gone by then. Miers is a small forward from Geelong who kicked a bag in the granny and was always dangerous in the games I saw of him. Floyd is a wingman who was prolific for Geelong this year but I'd prefer Ling for his versatility. Mclean a big forward/ruckman for Sandy who would be a decent second-round choice for a back-up forward/ruck. Had one big game that I saw of him but drifted out of some games also. Domic a reliable midfielder that we may target for depth. Does everything well without having a super standout quality. Just a smart player though. Impacted in most games I watched of him, great tank and had an amazing game against Murray when GWV came back from a 40+ point deficit at three-quarter time to win the game. Domic kicked the first three of the last quarter and played midfield all day. Carried his side. Pick 31 and and 36 - I'd have a crack at Jack Petrucelle if he was still there at either pick. Jack Petrucelle was definitely the most eye-catching of that group and has infinite potential but also poses a risk given how raw he is at this level. X-factor player who played both deep forward and through the midfield for the Knights. I saw him feature against SA in one of the state games where he was fairly quiet, I don't think he played any others although I may be wrong. But on a few occasions at TAC cup level I saw some amazing moments from him. Some incredible pack parks and some amazing blistering runs that resulted in goals. He frequently drifted in and out of games however, but there's a lot to like and I'll keep a keen eye on him wherever he ends up. Farrell, Stoddart, Federico or Murphy are the others I'd be happy with. I think we need to keep targeting players with foot-skills and running ability but who also possess the right competitive mind. Farrell, Stoddart and Federico are similar players. Half-back/midfielders who can run and kick really well. Stoddart probably less physical than the other two. Murphy is the cricketer/natural sportsman who's a versatile tall that we may opt for. 47 - For two smokies who didn't feature much/at all at state level would be Mynott and Porter. Both impressed me at Tac cup level and I reckon both have great potential and were unfortunate not to feature heavily at state level. And just on that, I can see now how difficult it is for recruiters. Oliver similarly was overlooked for Vic country but look at what he's been able to do at AFL level. I'm not comparing Mynott and Porter to Oliver, but it's clear that some boys are incredibly unlucky if they don't play well either at the state trials or in their first games at state level. Mynott is a class player and I reckon he'll do well in an AFL environment. My two bob.