burnthefushias

Also Lindsay was captain of the Gippsland Power.

Tholstrup turned 20 a few days ago, not every young player shows what they'll be one and a half years into their careers. He applies good pressure, is effective below his knees and is a strong mark overhead for his size. He also seems to have a great disposition that will lend itself well to him getting the best out of himself. There's enough there to be encouraged about. Between Tholstrup and JVR some Melbourne fans are extremely quick to hit the big red button but I'm not nowhere near that with either of them.

6: Melksham 5: Pickett 4: Petracca 3: Gawn 2: Rivers 1: Viney

There'll definitely be a lot of learnings to take out of this one. Namely not allowing the opposition a 37 point head start on the back of zero structure and effort.

Petty not having been omitted in two years despite poor form at times, and consistently getting games over JVR, is clearly Goodwin playing favourites. It's very unfortunate to see Melbourne prioritising a stop-gap forward over someone who has showed significant upside in that same position, and has to balance that as a back-up ruckman playing 65% game time whenever he does get a senior gig.

6: Gawn 5: Fritsch 4: Pickett 3: Bowey 2: Turner 1: Howes

Petracca, Oliver and Viney: Cannot stop fumbling Inside 50 kicking - Worst in competition Defending ball movement - Outdated zone defense Defenders: Have become fallible Simon Goodwin: Struggles to innovate Goalkicking coach: Pack your bags

Will Schofield asked Luke Jackson about him and Darcy going up against the premier ruckman in the competition in Tristan Xerri, and Jackson began his response with "Yeah, Xerri's probably a top two ruckman in the comp." Made me laugh because we know who Jackson thinks the premier ruckman in the competition is. His future teammate.

A very encouraging 4th quarter for Kalani, this should give him a lot of confidence going forward.

Prasad is averaging 16.5 disposals, 3 marks, 4.5 tackles and has kicked 9 goals in 8 games. He has very good skills, applies pressure and has a strong football IQ. I'm sure Melbourne are keeping a close eye on him. Below is a glowing summary of his last game at TAC Cup level and a reference to his overall consistency across the season. https://central.rookieme.com/afl/2025/06/04/scouting-notes-2025-coates-talent-league-round-9/ "The bottom-aged small just continues to get it done week in, week out, checking all the boxes required of a modern day forward. Prasad was hot on the footy, comfortable going against bigger bodies at ground level and in the air to gain possession. He also pressured fiercely around the contest, laying an equal team-high eight tackles. Prasad finished the day with three straight majors, one from a smart run at a forward 50 stoppage, another from a contested mark deep insider 50, and the last by catching an opponent holding the ball near the square."

He's still quite raw but he's a solid athlete, a good size and most importantly a willing competitor. His first few games were really impressive before his form tapered off but there's definitely something there. Apparently there were a few teams interested in him, so I'm glad we were able to lock him in for a few more seasons. The last thing we need is to see another fringe player thrive in different colours before we've really gotten a chance to see what they can do.

Disco showed some impressive albeit irregular flashes as a forward but he has emerged as a very exciting prospect since being moved to defense. Now he's converted those flashes of form into high-level consistently because playing as a defender allows him to utilise his strengths more effectively. In addition to that, the experience of getting to play alongside veterans such as May and Lever is invaluable for Discos development. Petty's future is likely in defense too but as it presently stands, we have more of a need for him as a key forward. He's no Wayne Carey but he does keep defenders honest due to his size and contested marking ability. I feel like him and Melksham in that forward line together give the entire team a bit of an edge. So I voted Petty in the forward line.

Kozzie is our best forward and is also a quality midfielder. He's one of the biggest game breakers in the AFL and if we lost him nothing we'd get back in a trade is coming close to replacing what he does for our football club. If Jackson does return to Victoria, it's not coming via a Kozzie trade and it will either be an extraordinarily messy break up or a hostage situation. Let's hope for the former.

JVR played 60% of game time and half of that was as a second ruckman, as has been the case his entire career. We draft a key with forward with genuine potential and don't allow him to play his natural position for more than 5 minutes each quarter. It's no surprise he's struggling, I'd like to see more from him too but he's clearly being mismanaged.

6: Gawn 5: May 4: Oliver 3: Bowey 2: Turner 1: Fritsch