Leopold Bloom

The whole business of draft pick trading is a bit strange. I’m thinking that Melbourne must have conceded that someone is going to take Mac Andrew inside 20 because it doesn’t seem to be making an effort to accumulate picks if that doesn’t happen.

Possible rookie at best.

There are lots of intriguing aspects to this year's drafts and this guy adds to the intrigue. The NAB Boys League Team of the Year has two players named in key forward positions who between them kicked 3 goals for the competition. This bloke kicked 9 in just two games. Makes you wonder what criteria the judges over there apply when they pick players in their Team of the Year. The bio is fabulous. He sounds like a real contender with lots of upside. I note that he comes from a sporting family with father representing NZ in basketball. I wonder why he isn't in somebody's NGA? I have discovered that he was invited to the Draft Combine. This means that he's going to be at that trial day at Sandringham on Monday.

Merchandise sales would go through the roof for starters.

He’s on SEN this morning 28/10/21

Just changing the subject, there’s an article in the Adelaide Advertiser AFL Draft 2021 ultimate guide: Every club’s picks, list needs and targetsWhat draft picks does your club have? And, more importantly, what will it do with them? We look at every team’s picks, list needs and targets. Here’s what they say about Melbourne - Melbourne Draft picks: 17, 37, 49, 57, 94 List needs: Outside run, key forward depth Who could be available at first pick: Campbell Chesser, Mitch Owens, Tyler Sonsie, Jacob Van Rooyen, Jack Williams, Blake Howes Could be in the mix after that: Cooper Murley, Judson Clarke, Sam Banks, Jack Avery, Morgan Ferres, Jordan Lukac, Josh, Rentsch The premier has a well-balanced list with stars on every line so, if they don’t look to package their first two selections for one higher up the order, the Demons might just wait to see who slides. Chesser’s run-and-carry and Sonsie’s midfield class will appeal, while the athletic Howes would give Simon Goodwin’s side a new look on the wing. As would bolter Owens, who has grown 15cm over the past two years. And calling his name out inside the top 20 means St Kilda will not be able to match the bid for the NGA prospect. WA tall Williams would be a terrific selection if he were to slide outside of the top 30, while Murley and Clarke would add another layer to Melbourne’s ball-movement. Ferres is a mid-sized forward with strong hands, who is often a step ahead of opposition defenders with his running patterns. Rentsch, on the other hand, is a powerful, 197cm forward, who tied for this year’s Morrish Medal in the NAB League, if the Demons still need to add to their key-forward stocks late.

On the Mac Andrew thread, Action Jackson compared the statistics of Andrew and Jackson in their Under 18 year. There’s no evidence that Andrew is a clone of Jackson - the difference is light years.

An interesting one from the Inner Sanctum AFL Phantom Draft 2021: Round 1 begins to take shape

Oh that’s right … he’ll be a champ in 2026 at his third club. Cool.

Prefer Chandler and the small forwards who we have on our list at the moment. Next!

Yes and we’re reminded by you that a kid who hasn’t been BOG in any of his games is being touted as a top 10 ruck prospect.

Believe it or not, there’s a game of footy in Adelaide this Sunday. Not sure about its exact status but it’s between SA and WA U19s (they even have an U17s). How lucky are they? The team lists for the game which starts at 1:30 PM ACDT are - South Australia B: Max Litster Zac Becker Blayne O'Loughlin HB: Jase Burgoyne Oscar Adams Shay Linke C: Brayden Calvett Adam D'Aloia Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera HF: Morgan Ferres Lucas Cooke Cade Kennedy F: Jacob Owens Harry Lemmey TBC Foll: Oscar Steene Mani Liddy Matty Roberts I/C: Lachlan Grubb Harvey Harrison Alastair Lord Max Michalanney Jared Parish Emerg: Dane McGary Zac Phillips Hugh Stagg Luca Whitelum Western Australia B: Judd McVee Jarrad McIlvinney Finn Gorringe HB: Bryce Watson Jack Avery Rhett Bazzo C: Arthur Jones Kade Dittmar Corey Warner HF: Brady Hough Jack Williams Lochlan Paton F: Jesse Motlop Eric Benning Ethan Regan Foll: Josh Cripps Angus Sheldrick Taj Woewodin I/C: Joshua Browne Max Chipper Zac Fleiner Kaden Harbour Luke Polson I’m guessing that the game will be streamed on the AFL site

The media is virtually speechless about Melbourne’s role over the next month or two.

To be exact, the number is seven at the moment but the club has the capacity to upgrade a player or players from the rookie list (which I expect to happen at least with James Jordon) and delist further players before the draft.

Possibly our last pick in the rookie draft or alternatively an invite to take part in the pre season as a possible supplemental draft pick in March.

Worth a look? The delisted players who could get a lifeline It’s not clear to me if AVB is a delisted player or are we shopping him around to try to get a deal. Seems to me that he might be of value to one of those clubs that are looking for someone with a bit of strength to look after their younger players while they develop.

The Blues have got Hewett over the line. DONE DEAL: Former Swan links up with Blues

Brisbane had already delisted him. Pity he retired because he was a certainty to make it into the top 20 of Knightmare’s chart.

50 Ben Brown and Ken Jungwirth.

Where are our Western Australian Demonlanders? Surely not at training 24/7?

It’s been widely reported that Jackson combined football and basketball when younger and ended up choosing AFL ahead of an international basketball career. That doesn’t mean he didn’t play football as a junior. The point is that Jackson was already at state level at 16 and then remained at state level at 17 as an under age under 18 and then at 18 where he made All Australian. To get what I mean by football nous, it would be worthwhile watching Andrews’ two games linked in this post. In the second game, he barely contested in the ruck and he often looked out of position and lost in the second half. Apart from a purple patch in the second quarter when he looked very good, his performance was not what you expect of someone at the elite end of the draft.

Where did you get that piece of misinformation from? Jackson was in the WA Under 16 squad in 2017 and in the WA Under 18 national championships in 2018 & 2019 and played for East Fremantle Under 18 Colts during both years. He also played in the ruck for the AFL Academy vs Casey Demons in 2019 where he was super impressive. There’s You Tube vision of him in many of those games. He won All Australian selection in 2019. None of that was enough to get him a berth in most draft list top tens until the time of the draft combine in October. Andrew has played 6 NAB Cup Games, the Academy game v Geelong and the challenge game for Vic Country v Vic Metro, all of which happened this year. No games last year. That’s nowhere near Jackson’s record. Before that he was in the Stingrays squad but didn’t get a game. He’s raw, only plays well in bursts and has yet to show the necessary football strength or nous over a game. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have potential but top 10? Give me a break.

Usain Bolt was the best athlete ever. He won eight Olympic gold medals including the 100m and 200m at three Olympics and still holds the world record at both. He was tall and fast and incidentally could leap too (I’ve seen him slam dunk a basketball). When he retired from sprinting in 2017, he declared to the world that he wanted to become a professional soccer player. None of those attributes was enough to even get him a spot at the Central Coast Mariners let alone Manchester United for who he dreamed of playing. Those physical attributes will take you only so far. Bolt also was physically mature, strong and muscular and of course, had great mental strength, all of which Mac Andrew can only acquire with a good few years of hard work. Bolt failed in the end to make it even at one of soccer’s minnows in a lowly competition by world standards because the thing that he really lacked was football “nous”. Does Mac Andrew have that?

The Gold Coast is a destination that might suit Sam the best. He needs a decent run at it to regain his confidence. The problem at Melbourne is that there’s no guarantee he’ll be able to break into the team with its current set up.

A comprehensive guide to what we learned in the game vs Brisbane MELBOURNE V BRISBANE – WHAT DID WE LEARN?