Gawndy the Great

I don't get the hype around this kid (yet). He may run laps around his opponents at VFL but has time and time again fallen short of the mark at AFL I do hope he gets a few more chances to prove himself though and if he's anything near the capability of Kozzy and Spargo as some say, then there is that to look forward to but i will keep my enthusiasm in check for now.

Yeah that is the worst kind for sure.

Will be a cracking game. I hate the arrogance - but they deserve it. I wonder what that must feel like :)

WHat? Really? Do GWS/Suns/Sydney Swans have exemptions from this rule? I swear they always get their 'academy players'. What about the doggies with the 1st pick last year? Wasnt that on the basis of academy selection? Confused :S

The Round 2 scout report is here (from last week) https://afl.draftcentral.com.au/category/scouting-notes/. Very promising to pair up with LJ in the years to come.

6. Gawn 5. TMac 4. Lever 3. Salem 2. Langdon 1. Petracca

Was there today. Didn’t mind it too much have to say. It’s clearly the direction that game day experience is heading. What did really irk me was the car park queues. Took an 1 hour to get from the punt road bridge to gate 6. Surely it wouldn’t be too hard to open another gate or have pre purchased car park tickets as the hold up was the 30 seconds for each car having to pay by credit card.

I dont know about you all, but there seems to be a different kind of ruthlessness about the group. I hope they dont take their current situation for granted and attack the game with the same vigour and aggression that they have in the first couple of games. I think most of the team will be very aware of this and and it will be talked about a lot. I wouldnt be surprised if we step out onto the park with high levels of motivation and kill the game in the 1st half.

Hopefully this will give Salem and Trac enough incentive to sign soon given their well publicised mateship. I also cringed when he said that it was 'never in doubt' - he was clearly looking at other offers. He needs a bit more maturity - similar to Trac's transformation in the past 2 years.

I somewhat disagree here. You can always play hardball and match the offer and unless destination club is in the bottom four I think the club will have the advantage.

Yep - i just read the rules on the AFL website. He would most likely be an RFA. On the same basis, that would also mean Oliver is a RFA as well then. That certainly changes my outlook on his contract situation.

That only matters if he is a restricted free agent.

Merrett is a good player that would certainly tick the box in ball-use. I would like to know how they fit him in the salary cap though. I think it's more of a plan B if one of Oliver, Brayshaw, Trac or Tmac are taken off our books.

It’s the most unnatural arm movement as if he was searching for him.

We have certainly got a lot of press coverage this week i.e. premiership contenders, super stars in the squad etc. I would love to see some real maturity and team ethos in the group prevail on the weekend against the Hawks and go 5-0.

Would that act cause that much damage though? I think there may have been a bit of intent with the swing. Did he intend to break his face - I don’t think so, but he should be sited for recklessness.

Agreed I think it probably effected him mentally for the rest of the game too once he saw what he had done to him.

Love his work. I think Jacko will prove a masterstroke in time.

I think I highlighted in both my previous posts that I think Oliver is a gun. I am under no illusion that he is an inside and contested beast. However I also don't think he is the absolute superstar that you make him out to be. Our team has constantly come under fire for ball use and forward 50 connection. Granted that is not his role per se, but if Merrett or Josh Kelly or Whitfield is getable, then i'd have a long hard look at it. Do i want to get rid of Oliver? Not for a second. But who else on our list has enough currency to get any one of those players onto our list?

I never said Oliver is a dime a dozen - i said inside mids are a dime a dozen. Yes Oliver is great - never said he wasn't, but we have plenty of inside mid stock (Trac, Brayshaw, JJ, Sparrow, Viney, Harmes) and what we really lack is outside speed, foot skills and intelligence. I don't think Oliver is a generational player. Does he have the potential to become one? Yes he does, but he lacks in several areas atm. One can hope he takes a leaf out of Petracca's book to really stamp his authority on the game and take a step to influence the outcomes of games like Dangerfield, Neale, Shuey, Cripps and Bont can - they, imo, are generational talent.

What would you all say if Oliver leaving meant we were able to acquire the services of Zac Merrett? It is no secret that: 1. Right now, we lack silk and speed on the outside; 2. We are tight on salary cap and hence would have to trade out for this move to be possible 3. Zac is not happy at Bomberland and could be convinced to leave if the price and destination were right. Dont get me wrong - i rate Oliver highly but have always said that inside mids are a dime a dozen. I just dont think we have any other player (aside from Trac) who would get us what we need to secure Zac.

Will take 3-0 any day and am pumped for a shot for 4-0 as I was thinking 2-3 after 5 was a pass mark for Goody to keep his job. Nevertheless Cats will be a better reflection of where we are at as opposed to the first 3 rounds.

Careful there - it’s a sensitive topic here. I think he is good but not worth more than 800K / year. A superstar nails both those goals.

If he commands big dollars he has to nail those set shots.

It’s a blight on the game. I also think the father son has to be further dialled back in if not eradicated entirely - yes it’s not a popular view and I get that there is a bit of romanticism about the tradition. But we will have another pick 1 go to a non wooden spooner this year and in the interest of ensuring an equal competition - is counter intuitive.