Whispering_Jack

This is what his VFL coach said of him ~ Coldstream product Bayley Fritsch continues rise to the big time with VFL club Casey Demons

Not bad - Spargo (who 12 months ago and before his shoulder injury would have been top 10) and Fritsch who we developed through Casey and is now the third graduate from the ranks of our VFL affiliate to be drafted over the past 12 months.

Huge upside ~ an Under 18 All Australian. ESPN’s Chris Doerre (aka Knightmare) had him at 16 in his October power rankings:- Harrison Petty (VIC) Best position: Key defender Height, weight: 195cm, 82kg Recruited from: Norwood Projected draft range: Second round Similar to: Robbie Tarrant October Ranking: 16 Rationale: Named South Australia's MVP during the Under-18 Championships. Petty is a relatively untapped talent who has improved significantly this season and is still growing, having shot up 5cm this season. Petty's potential as a still growing key defender with a late-year birthday sees him hold firm despite others rising. Strengths: Intercept marking Reads the flight of the ball early Takes marks at highest point Clean at ground level Effective ball user Composure with ball in hand Rate of improvement Strong performances from limited exposure Weaknesses: Keeping balance in one-on-one contests Strength solid but not as advanced as some of his peers Capable but not a freakish athlete According to Snoop Dog:- “HARRISON PETTY – NORWOOD / KEY DEFENDER / 195cm Tall defender from SA that wasn’t really on my radar leading into Champs but was super impressed with him through them and in the subsequent games I saw. Just reads the footy so well and happy to peel off and intercept. His hands are assured and his ball skills are very good to. Seems to play the game with a lot of composure and could be a steal this late.”

While we wait for the names to be called out, here's an interesting insight into the draft - In this year’s AFL draft, it’s just a number not a sentence

Looks like they've all battened down the hatches in readiness for tonight's draft.

The openness of the draft beyond about pick ten works to our advantage in my opinion. It's no compensation for a first rounder but to have three second round picks could still land us some good player particularly now that we're much better at developing them than we were 5 to 10 years ago.

They’re back on track this morning at 9.30am.

So today’s the day when it all unfolds and the Demons pick up four new players. Follow the day and night’s action here. TV - Fox Footy Channel from 6.30pm Radio - SEN from 6.45pm Melbourne’s first pick is likely to be read out at some time after 8.00pm.

Callum Twomey doesn't have him in his top 30. Others rate him a top 10 but Twomey comments that "there are questions on his running." If he was available at 29 or whatever, I would personally handcuff him to the draft table and claim him.

29 Oskar Baker 31 Jack Petrucelle 36 James Worpel 47 Toby Wooller

And here's what his Queensland club's football operations manager said about him in Inside Football:- Oskar Baker DOB: 25-05-98 181.9cm, 75.6kg Apsley “Oskar was cut from the Lions academy in January and made his way to Apsley as a rookie, but due to a raft of injuries he got his opportunity early in the year and never looked back. His ability to take the game on is his strength - even against the AFL-aligned reserves he looked to tuck the ball under his arm and run. He has skill, is good overhead and is mentally strong. One of the better state league prospects.” - Apsley football operations manager Mark Perkins

The name has been mentioned in dispatches a few times in recent weeks but when two well respected observers in the media nominate a previously obscure draft prospect as Melbourne’s first draft selection in their mock drafts, there’s a fair chance that they might have some inside knowledge about the club’s intentions. It’s surely no coincidence that Oskar Baker was named at #30 (number revised to allow for an earlier matching father/son bid) by both Brett Anderson and Callum Twomey so it's time o sit up and take notice. This what Twomey has to say about him:- "OSKAR BAKER POS: Midfielder, Ht 182, Wt 75kg, DOB 25/5/98 From Aspley The Aspley flyer with the flowing red hair has caught attention this season playing in the NEAFL, and with his pace and ball-carrying ability could add another element to Melbourne's midfield mix. Baker, who was previously a member of the Brisbane Lions' academy before being cut and thus making him available to the open draft pool, was overlooked at last year's draft but had a terrific season to stake his claim for a spot on an AFL list."

Matt Balmer’s Final AFL Draft Power Rankings Part 2.

Snoop Dog from bigfooty has issued his 2017 Phantom Draft including Rookie Draft. It’s a little bit different to many of the others and has some interesting selections (eg Bayley Fritsch) going later than most would expect.

I like Charlie Constable. He has an arresting personality.

Likely to be Matthew McGannon's grandfather. Based on that item about him, Cliff made his senior debut at 13 years of age - a fair effort. Amazing how times have changed if he grew homesick whilst trying out at Geelong. Now his grandson could end up at Fremantle or even worse, out in the backblocks of Western Sydney with Tom Scully and the "no" voters.

... and it still irks me remembering the times when the MFC took risks and spent time, effort and money on the Irish experiment and was rewarded by a Brownlow Medallist who went on to become Club President in Jimmy Stynes and a great footballer in Sean Wight who also served on the club committee after he retired. These days, we don't seem to be interested. AFL draft 2017: Carlton set to sign highly rated Irish youngster Cillian McDaid

Do you know if he’s training with the Casey boys Drunkn?

Off topic a bit but I’ve never been to Fish Creek. It seems to me to be the quintessential name for a charming but sleepy Aussie country town. Does it live up to that image?

Preseason training ramps up a bit more as from this Monday with the official return of the most experienced players for that all important month before the New Year break and then, before we know it, footballs will be kicked in anger once again. ? Even though most players have already been putting in the hard yards for the season ahead, this is always a bit of a milestone week on the calendar when the squad gathers together and of course, it ends with the addition of new blood on Friday night. Looking forward to the reports and analysis and let’s keep it in good spirit.

I believe that Tom Couch who has joined the coaching panel might also put in some games. Could be an experienced team which is what generally wins this competition nowadays.

The big one is out - but I’m not convinced that the Demons would use two of their four draft picks on 196cm potential tall key position players - Knightmare's November phantom draft: The first three rounds

Matt Balmer of AFL Draft Central has done us Demon fans a favour with his Final AFL Draft Power Rankings Part 1. The reason for that is he’s running down from 50 to 1 with this first lot therefore covering players ranked 26 to 50 which covers the range of all four MFC draft selections in 2017. I will link the less important ? power rankings when they come out next week.

54 Trevor Korn - only played about 3 games in 1981 under Ronald Dale Barassi but I've known him since he was a little kid. The club must agree with me because, like 31, they've retired the number until someone else suitable comes along.

Won't end up at Melbourne but Darcy Fogarty might well turn out to be the best pick of the draft.