Whispering_Jack

Why am I not surprised that this sensational piece of news from the world of art has been totally overlooked here?

Keeping the lid on it Saty. ?

It’s been a long time since I attended an MFC training session - mid January of this year in fact. I remember it well although I thought it was somewhat closer to the start of the season. Despite the significant numbers in rehab, I still waxed lyrical in my report on the session, believing that the team was building its way through the preseason and on the way to bigger and better things. All would be good for the first bounce, I thought. In the end, I was wrong. I completely underestimated the effect of having so many of the club’s key midfielders missing in action during the preseason. Jack Viney (foot), Angus Brayshaw (back) and Clayton Oliver (shoulders) were all on modified training programmes for most of the summer and Nathan Jones was troubled by hamstring issues at the time. When these players were taking their first tentative steps onto the field in full combat in the opening round against Port Adelaide, the realisation of just how important it is to complete the hard yards set in very quickly. Combine this with an injury scourge that went through the club from go to whoa and it’s not hard to figure out why the wheels fell off so early in the season and why it was impossible to recover fully. But that was then, this is now and the time for excuses is over. When I came down to Gosch’s there were still quite a few team members off the track but the rehab group doesn’t appear to be so problematic, especially as I was assured that some players are being rotated around and a tough session awaits the group tomorrow in some top secret location where the players will be going through a “closed session” to finish off the year. Others have already given their impressions of what transpired in the heat of the morning so I will simply give some views about the new faces. I begin with Ed Langdon, the running outside midfielder who comes out of the shadows of near anonymity that comes from playing at Fremantle. He was moving well and his disposal whilst not under match pressure was passable. Another man from Freo was quietly going through some light pedestrian work on the far side boundary. Harley Bennell was being barely more active than we spectators in the early days of a much hoped for career revival after years of calf problems, but he was doing a little more than last week and, in a brief moment of kick to kick, he showed that he still has the ability to hit targets from 40 metres with bullet-like efficiency. Of course, he has a fair way to go. The other newcomer from interstate was Adam Tomlinson, still in rehab from a calf injury. I didn’t see much of him so I can’t really comment. I’ve already been convinced about how beneficial a basketball background can be in the development of footballers. That became patently obvious when Luke Jackson sublimely grabbed the ball off the top of a pack and ran into goal. Don’t get carried away by this yet but it’s fairly obvious why club recruiter Jason Taylor says the club has had eyes on this former national junior basketballer for three years. Jackson was the first player on his interview list in February and I can understand why the club didn’t frig around playing games with the Giants at the draft hoping they wouldn’t pass on Tom Green. This kid can play a little bit. His mate from East Fremantle in Trent Rivers also goes alright - he’s solid, moves and kicks well and isn’t all that far from being AFL ready. Finally, you couldn’t miss our X Factor recruit Kysaiah Pickett wearing the number 36 made famous by Aaron Davey. Pickett has the lightning speed and run down attack of the man we knew as Flash and he promises to bring some excitement to the MCG in a place that last year was dull, colourless and boring.

Former Tiger who played during their lean period from the late 50s who was finally rewarded with a premiership flag in 1967, the year before he retired. RIP

So that’s it - a definite #6.

Lithuanian-born and lightning quick: Irish prospect stars at European Combine Nineteen year old Deividas Uosis is a Lithuanian-born footballer who could be the next successful Irish AFL export. His parents emigrated to Ireland when he was four and the youngster has played a number of sports including Gaelic football. Uosis was under the eye of scouts from Adelaide, Brisbane, Essendon, Geelong and Melbourne at the weekend AFL Europe Combine where he impressed with his athleticism and skill.

Why son of former tennis star chose Demons over basketball

Not specifically about JKH, but I am amazed at how some amateur clubs are managing to pick up players straight out of the AFL who are prepared to play for nothing while some very ordinary players by comparison can pick up good money playing in suburban competitions.

Would likely be grandchildren, not father/sons.

Will Phillips was an outstanding under age player in the Oakleigh Chargers NAB Boys League premiership. Anyone know anything about Ollie Lord?

This post rekindles some memories from the 2008 National Draft which Demon fans would know for better or for worse as the “Jack Watts Draft”. It was during the National Under 18 Championships of that year when Watts from Brighton Grammar and the Sandringham Dragons starred on the MCG at centre half forward for Vic Metro against Vic Country. Late in the game with mark a minute-and-a-half left he was three or four deep in the pack but clunked the mark and kicked the goal that won the game. From that point on, Watts was regarded as one of the likely number 1 prospects for the national draft, jockeying for that position with WA ruckman Nic Naitanui. During that period, he had a rival in schoolboy ranks in another key forward draft prospect Mitchell Brown who was also at the Dragons but attended Mentone Grammar. In August, 2008, it was Brown representing the Associated Grammar Schools who upstaged Watts for the Associated Public Schools in the annual match between the two schoolboy competition representative teams. The AGS won easily and the star of the game was Brown with 8 goals at full forward. It has been claimed that over the preceding 12 months, he has grown from rover size to 193cm. Early in the season he missed the cut for the Dragons and even played for Old Mentonians in the VAFA. His goal tallies for Mentone Grammar before the APS/AGS game were 7, 7, 6, 8 and 7 and he was eventually invited to join the Dragons in mid-season playing with them for the last five games. The eight goal haul pushed him to the forefront of recruiters’ minds and, after originally not being considered by most as a top-20 selection, Brown was selected by Geelong with their first round selection 15th overall in the 2008 AFL Draft.

I was looking for something else when I came across this interesting thread about Steven May.

On this issue of best player available v needs, I have this thought. During the second test in Adelaide, I heard an interesting discussion on the selection of Marnus Labuschagne into the test side a little over 12 months ago. When selected, the right-handed batsman had a first class batting average of well under 40 (he only passed that mark with his innings in his latest test) and there were plenty other young batsmen around with better records who could have been picked ahead of him. He scored a duck in his maiden test innings but the selectors saw something in Labuschagne’s technique that convinced them of his potential to succeed at the highest level. And that he has done in spades with a test batting average currently standing at 53.52 and two 150+ innings in the series v Pakistan and some fine hands in the Ashes series after coming in as an injury replacement for Steve Smith on day five of the second Test. I see the same sort of attention to detail in Jason Taylor’s draft selections. It hasn’t really been a case of drafting for needs but one of picking out attributes in two diverse types as Luke Jackson and Kysaiah Pickett that are likely to prove successful at the highest level with the right sort of patience and development. In any event, I certainly wouldn’t call this a case of drafting for needs or picking long shots as Gary Buckenara asserts. Both of those players were being considered by recruiters with picks close behind ours in each case. The bonus for the club is that for the past months, the popular view was that Melbourne was set to draft a line-breaking defender like Hayden Young or Lachlan Ash which was the type of player the club needed after a season in which the team broke down badly on the outside. Well, we didn’t go for the obvious but we did get a similar type player with our third and final pick who fits that mould. And what’s more, like Young and Ash, he’s also an All Australian and not far behind them in stature for that half-back role. And let’s not forget that Jackson and Rivers were members of the championship winning Western Australian u18 team that often gets underrated in a world that’s definitely Victorian-centric. It will be interesting to see how things pan out for this 2019 MFC crop.

Here’s AFL Draft Central’s Review of Melbourne’s Draft 2019 AFL Draft club review: Melbourne Demons

So the club has just about completed its drafting for next year and added three youngsters who are expected to make their AFL debuts in 2020 but we also have a few more players in waiting ~ Son of a gun, top-10 picks: The kids waiting for debuts at your club [Who’s the James ? boy?]

A Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with a Single Step ...

Don’t laugh. At one stage, he was close to getting a job at Melbourne.

Dunn, Bennell, Brown ... Who else will get a SSP lifeline? Although the drafting is done and dusted for the time being, there’s still some work to be done during the pre-season supplemental selection period (SSP) which closes in March. Melbourne has two prospects training with the club - Harley Bennell and Mitch Brown and has two places available on its list so both are a chance of the impress over the summer.

Apparently Melbourne has a few Next Generation Academy players in the 2020 crop but I don’t believe that they’re close to top shelf. Anyone know more? Here’s The Deakyn Smith Thread

I know that times change but here’s a pen pic on a young ruckman from WA from Inside Football in the lead up to the 2008 National Draft:- “NICHOLAS NAITANUI - ruckman, Swan Districts, WA DOB: 4/5/90 Ht: 197cm Wt: 95kg "Nicholas is just a freak. He's not a natural footballer but on pure athletic ability he is in a class of his own. Has great closing speed, is a great jump and is starting to learn more about winning the ball around the ground but there is plenty to come. Needs to work on his foot skills as they still, have a way to go but his improvement has been pretty sharp over the last two years. He's certainly not a natural footballer and you'd expect whichever club takes him to spend a lot of time with him developing his decision making, but we think he could play some AFL footy next year, although probably not a whole season. We juggled things around with him later in the year and played him in some key positions, including full back, and he did it very effectively. There is really no one like him and I don't think anyone has seen anything like him. Athletically he's one of the best players ever to come through this club. Long term he'll probably be a ruckman but that's not to say a club couldn't develop another string to his bow because he has all the tools to work with." - Swan Districts football manager Matt Peach. WA rep 2007/2008. All Australian 2007/08. From Midvale JFC” Naitanui was 197cm tall when drafted by the Eagles at #2 and now stands at 201cm, a mere centimetre shorter than Brodie Gundy. Luke Jackson was 196cm earlier this season and has been variously reported in the media in the past week as being 199cm or 200cm. Either way, I think Buckenara might be overstating things when he claims Jackson is “undersized”. POST SCRIPT This article from 1 April, 2019 by Chris Doerre (Knightmare) has Jackson at 196cm ~ AFL Draft Power Rankings: Giants academy prospect holds off chargers from Oakleigh. I’m not sure whether Bucky’s seen Jackson recently but if he’s grown to 199/200cm in the interim, there’s a reasonable chance he’ll end up at 201/2002cm plus.

ADELAIDE DRAFT PICKS 6. Fischer McAsey: 195cm, 86kg, Defender, Sandringham Dragons 25. Harry Schoenberg: 180cm, 78kg, Midfielder, Woodville West Torrens 28. Josh Worrell: 195cm, 74kg, Defender, Sandringham Dragons 42. Ronin O’Connor: 191cm, 85kg, Midfielder, Claremont 48. Lachlan Gollant: 191cm, 72kg, Midfielder, Calder Cannon ROOKIE PICKS 7. Ben Keays: 185cm, 89kg, Midfielder, Brisbane Lions 21. Ben Crocker: 188cm, 84kg, Midfielder, Collingwood BRISBANE LIONS DRAFT PICKS 22. Deven Robertson: 182cm 80kg, Midfielder, Perth 33. Brock Smith: 188cm 81kg, Defender, Gippsland Power 37. Keidean Coleman: 181cm 73kg, Forward, Morningside 59. Jaxon Prior: 188cm 79kg, Defender, West Perth ROOKIE PICKS 12. Sam Skinner: 198cm, 100kg, Defender, Brisbane Lions 26. Corey Lyons: 184cm, 184cm, 83kg, Midfielder, Brisbane Lions 34. Archie Smith: 203cm, 104kg, Ruckman, Brisbane Lions CARLTON DRAFT PICKS 17. Brodie Kemp: 192cm, 82kg, Def/Mid, Bendigo Pioneers 20. Sam Philp: 185cm, 80kg, Midfielder, Northern Knights 47. Sam Ramsay: 180cm, 72kg, Midfielder, Calder Cannons PRE-SEASON DRAFT Jack Martin: 185cm, 71kg, Forward, Gold Coast Suns ROOKIE PICKS 3. Josh Honey: 184cm, 79kg, Forward, Western Jets 18. Fraser Phillips: 186cm, 71kg, Forward, Gippsland Power COLLINGWOOD DRAFT PICKS 40. Jay Rantall: 184cm, 82kg Midfielder, GWV Rebels 45. Trent Bianco: 178cm, 70kg Midfielder, Oakleigh Chargers 55. Trey Ruscoe: 190cm, 90kg Defender, East Fremantle ROOKIE PICKS Nil ESSENDON DRAFT PICKS 30. Harrison Jones: 194cm, 75kg, Calder Cannons, key forward 38. Nick Bryan: 202cm, 87kg, ruck, Oakleigh Chargers 56. Ned Cahill: 178cm 77kg, Forward, Dandenong Stingrays 63. Lachlan Johnson: 175cm, 76kg, Forward, Calder Cannons ROOKIE PICKS 10. Mitchell Hibberd: 192cm, 87kg, Midfielder, North Melbourne FREMANTLE DRAFT PICKS 7. Hayden Young: 188cm, 82kg, Defender, Dandenong Stingrays 8. Caleb Serong: 178cm, 83kg Mid/Fwd, Gippsland Power 9. Liam Henry: 179cm, 67kg, Forward, Claremont 61. Minairo Frederick: 183cm, 71kg, Midfielder, Woodville-West Torrens ROOKIE PICKS 10. Jarvis Pina: 176kg, 71kg, Small Forward, Peel Thunder 20: Tom North: 183cm, 84kg, Midfielder, Fremantle 30: Hugh Dixon: 196cm, 96kg, Forward, Fremantle GEELONG DRAFT PICKS 16. Cooper Stephens: 188cm 83kg, Midfielder, Geelong Falcons 19. Sam De Koning: 200cm 85kg, Defender, Dandenong Stingrays 41. Francis Evans: 182cm 78kg, Forward, Calder Cannons 50. Cameron Taheny: 185cm 80kg, Forward, Norwood ROOKIE PICKS 14. Bradley Close: 181cm, 68kg, Forward, Glenelg 27: Oscar Brownless: 186cm, 75kg, Midfielder, Geelong 35: Lachie Henderson: 196cm, 98kg, Defender, Geelong GOLD COAST SUNS DRAFT PICKS 1. Matthew Rowell: 178cm, 74kg, midfielder, Oakleigh Chargers 2. Noah Anderson: 188cm, 86kg, midfielder, Oakleigh Chargers 11. Sam Flanders: 182cm, 79kg, mid/fwd, Gippsland Power 27. Jeremy Sharp: 187cm, 79kg, midfielder, East Fremantle 60. Jy Farrar: 190cm, 75kg, utility, Scotch Old Collegians ROOKIE PICKS 1. Josh Schoenfeld: 186cm, 84kg, Midfielder, Gold Coast 16. Connor Budarick:175cm, 72kg, Defender, Gold Coast Academy 29: Matt Conroy: 199cm, 85kg, Ruckman, Gold Coast Academy 37. Malcolm Rosas: 175cm, 70kg, Small Forward, NT Thunder GWS GIANTS DRAFT PICKS 4. Lachlan Ash: 186cm, 80kg, Defender, Murray Bushrangers 10. Tom Green: 188cm, 85kg, Midfielder, GWS Academy 51. Jake Riccardi: 195cm, 92kg, key forward, Werribee 65. Thomas Hutchesson: 177cm, 75kg, midfielder, Adelaide SANFL ROOKIE PICKS 15. Jake Stein: 195cm, 95kg, Defender, GWS Giants 28. Tommy Sheridan: 187cm, 82kg, Midfielder, GWS Giants 36: Zachary Sproule: 197cm, 92kg, Forward, GWS Giants HAWTHORN DRAFT PICKS 13. Will Day: 187cm, 70kg, defender, West Adelaide 29. Finn Maginness: 187cm, 80kg, midfielder, Sandringham Dragons 57. Josh Morris: 186cm, 76kg, forward, Woodville West Torrens PRE-SEASON DRAFT Michael Hartley: 198cm, 102kg, Defender, Essendon ROOKIE PICKS 9. Emerson Jeka: 197cm, 87kg, Forward, Western Jets MELBOURNE DRAFT PICKS 3. Luke Jackson: 198cm, 94kg, ruck, East Fremantle 12. Kysaiah Pickett: 171cm, 67kg, Forward, Woodville West Torrens 32. Trent Rivers: 188cm, 85kg Defender, East Fremantle ROOKIE PICKS Nil NORTH MELBOURNE DRAFT PICKS 31. Charlie Comben: 199cm, 82kg, ruck, Gippsland Power 34. Jack Mahony: 176cm, 70kg, midfielder, Sandringham Dragons 35. Flynn Perez: 187cm, 82kg, midfielder, Bendigo Pioneers ROOKIE PICKS Nil PORT ADELAIDE DRAFT PICKS 14. Miles Bergman: 186cm, 75kg, Mid/Fwd, Sandringham Dragons 18. Mitch Georgiades: 191cm, 78kg, Forward, Subiaco 23. Dylan Williams: 185cm, 79kg, Mid/Fwd, Oakleigh Chargers 25. Jackson Mead (F/S): 184cm, 83kg, Mid/Fwd, Woodville West Torrens ROOKIE PICKS 8. Jake Pasini: 192cm, 81kg, Defender, Swan Districts 22. Trent Burgoyne: 177cm, 70kg, Small forward, Woodville-West Torrens 32. Boyd Woodcock: 174cm, 70kg, Small forward, Port Adelaide 38. Riley Grundy: 194cm, 84kg, Defender, Port Adelaide RICHMOND DRAFT PICKS 21. Thomson Dow: 182cm, 72kg, Midfielder, Bendigo Pioneers 43. Noah Cumberland: 183cm, 79kg, Midfielder, Brisbane Lions Academy 44. Will Martyn: 183cm, 73kg, Midfielder, Brisbane Lions Academy 46. Hugo Ralphsmith: 186cm, 70kg, Forward, Sandringham Dragons 54. Bigoa Nyuon: 195cm, 87kg, Ruck, Dandenong Stingrays ROOKIE PICKS Nil ST KILDA DRAFT PICKS 52. Ryan Byrnes: 181cm 80kg, Midfielder, Sandringham Dragons 64. Leo Connolly: 181cm 74kg, Defender, Gippsland Power ROOKIE PICKS 5. Jack Bell: 200cm, 73kg, Ruckman, Sandringham Dragons SYDNEY DRAFT PICKS 5. Dylan Stephens: 183cm, 69kg, midfielder, Norwood 26. Will Gould: 191cm, 98kg, defender, Glenelg 36. Elijah Taylor: 185cm, 75kg, forward, Perth 39. Chad Warner: 181cm, 80kg, midfielder, East Fremantle ROOKIE PICKS 4. Brady Rowles: 188cm, 72kg, Midfielder, Bendigo Pioneers 19: Jack Maibaum: 194cm, 91kg, Defender, Sydney WEST COAST DRAFT PICKS 49. Callum Jamieson: 202cm, 86kg, ruckman, Claremont 58 Ben Johnson: 180cm, 68kg, defender, Perth ROOKIE PICKS 11. Anthony Treacy: 181cm, 80kg, Forward, Claremont 25: Mitch O’Neill: 181cm, 70kg, Midfielder, North Hobart 33. Brendon Ah Chee: 189cm, 88kg, Midfielder, West Coast 39: Hamish Brayshaw: 187cm, 90kg, Midfielder, West Coast WESTERN BULLDOGS DRAFT PICKS 15. Cody Weightman: 177cm, 73kg, Forward, Dandenong Stingrays 53. Louis Butler: 183cm, 74kg, Defender, Sandringham Dragons 62. Riley Garcia: 175cm, 78kg, Midfielder, Swan Districts ROOKIE PICKS Nil

And let’s face it, we couldn’t really draft both Young and Jackson because those names are synonymous with the hotel at the gateway to Melbourne known in the past for its bar room, loose women and the heavy imbibing of alcohol in the days of the six o’clock swill. The very suggestion of Y & J together at the same club would therefore contradict the essence of the club’s no [censored] policy - hence Young had to be sent across the Nullarbor and in return, we get a fine upstanding quality person in Rivers, a relative of a former Victorian Supreme Court Judge. My informants from the West tell me that he’s a very solid young lad who can definitely play football and, but for his illness over the summer which affected his preparation and delayed his start to the season, he might have been in top ten draft contention. As it was, he did very well to gain State selection at the National Carnival and make All-Australian. He won’t just be a half back flanker either - I’m told that he might end up as a very damaging midfielder.

Nor me ... having a week’s break up north. Might catch a sight of Stewart Dew’s boys but only if they’re training on the beach ?

Who will be the first to post pictures of the new draftees?

Time to look ahead again. 2020 vision: Cal Twomey's 10 young guns to watch