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They are in the mix. Hell, for all you know I could rate them 6th and 7th best mids at the club. But I haven't seen them play at AFL level yet, and until then - we have 5 mids and a number of auditions...

The top 10 mids at the Demons would be nowhere near the top 10 mids at Port. I think that Newton would back himself to win a spot in our rotation... 1. N Jones 2. Tyson 3. Vince 4. Cross 5. Viney From there it is M Jones, Bail, Michie, Riley, Toumpas, Trengove, McKenzie, Kent (Fwd?), JKH, Salem, Petracca, Brayshaw, Neal-Bullen, and Stretch. Some limited players and a bunch of kids. Newton should back himself to play a few games...

Redleg is simply saying that if we get another two kids on the RL that the LTI to Trengove will mean that Harmes is best placed to be the player elevated at the start of the season. Harmes needs to show something before he is to be considered for proper elevation like Jetta. I would get a Panos-type for this circumstance.

Yes, it is almost a bit surreal to think of the handwringing (my own aswell) over that trade - it now looks to have swung around entirely...

Yes, I remember it being a nuanced discussion, various opinions were: - it's not advisable to terminate contracted players, or to do it often more to the point - the rookie list is not seen by those on the primary list as a similar-in-all-but-name destination - that we should simply move on entirely and not bother offering a RL spot but 'honour the contract' - that we MUST offer the RL spot as 'honouring the contract' I am not certain there were many solidly against the use of termination and taking ND53 to the draft.

Agree, I like that we got value back from the ND23 trade too by using those picks. I don't like it when we lose value in trades by not using picks returned in a trade. It's quite a haul for ND23 now by the looks of those that fell to 40 and 53...

Barry was the vacancy that opened up ND40. Evans was ND53. Your point stands but its poor list planning to have to delist contracted players. It's not advisable to do it often.

'Best 22' 2014 vs 2015 OUT: Frawley, Pedersen, Terlich, M Jones, JKH, Salem IN: Frost, Hogan, Lumumba, Garlett, Frost, Newton I have Grimes saving his career as a ute, Howe as a ute, Bail on the wing, and McD, Frost, Dunn, Garland, Jetta and Lumumba in the backline. Garlett, Kent, and Watts with three talls - Gawn, Dawes, and Hogan. IMO of course.

Updated.

Ok, well Hunt was ND57 and our next pick for Strauss and Tapscott would have been ND82 and ND90 after ND72 was involved in the Tyson trade. I guess we could have picked up some DFAs or state level players but doing so would mean we would lose 2 of the players we have got this trade/draft period. So 2 of Lumumba, Newton, Garlett, Frost, Petracca, Brayshaw, Neal-Bullen, Stretch, and McDonald would not have been recruited. Instead we would have had a couple of delisted players, state players or young players at ND82 and ND90... You might be right about Salem and JKH but, really, it's not so simple to say 'we should have got rid of him a year ago' when you don't properly discuss the opportunity cost it sounds a bit superficial.

What was the missed opportunity?

Frost is ready to go, Oscar is an embryo.

Ahem... And Oscar.

I guess history will be the ultimate judge but what do those that were miffed we gave up ND23 for Frost, 40 and 53 think at this point? We look to have secured Frost, Alex Neal-Bullen (an impressive inside mid the 'experts' say) and Oscar McDonald (and impressive tall the 'experts' say). All for ND23 (and Barry and Evans of course).

Probably misspelled backwards Tomato. No, that is what I meant to type...

Ok.

Yes, but what happened to all my Demon friends who wanted another key forward?!

Everyone seems so at ease (read excited) with us taking Petracca now that we have the 'inside word' of what the Saints are to do. Are there any people on here who still would prefer McCartin?

We all appreciate the reports of OUR club and we should all realise that reacting to belittling with more belittling is pointless and self-defeating. Saty can ask the players whatever he likes, the players can politely ask him to GAGF or talk to him, posters can have any (non-defamatory) opinion they wish, and all of this can happen without this BS.

I have hope, just no time for the hype...

20509 on the 26th of Nov. We passed 20k at a similar time last year. Context: 10/12/2011 - 19,656 10/12/2012 - 19,393 11/12/2013 - 22,105

That's not to say I am not excited by the fact we look to be getting two mids who know hoe to get the pill. That's what we need. It's hopefully what we get.

I'm baulking at it. The way the 'experts' talk up these kids belies the fact that the junior footy infrastructure has never delivered players further away from being ready for AFL then they do today. The gulf for these teenagers to bridge is so massive that I really do struggle to get excited by the so called 'best players' that we have access to with ND2 and ND3. We just don't know what talents we are getting. I am hopeful, but the hype makes me nauseous...

It is hard to believe that adults, whose job it is to judge the abilities of children, have trouble doing so. Yet here we are.

It's good recruitment. It's favouring the right things in players, it's finding out who wants to play football for a living, and whose body will let them do it, and whose style of play means they can win contested footy. I would say we are getting better at favouring the right things, but I can't deny there being luck involved, they are teenagers asked to immerse themsleves in a vocation they have little idea whether they will excel at.