Whispering_Jack

Like others, I wonder at the timing. The way the news cycle operates these days, the story is ancient history and, as a consequence, has no impact. Sadly for the Age, it’s a sign of the times and yet another example of a once great newspaper on the decline.

First mystery injury of the week award for 2018.

Injury report: pre round one This one interests me. No mention at all of the metatarsal injury - so it’s either migrated from the toe to the metatarsal and back to the toe or it was always the toe and there was no hot spot? Tom McDonald (toe) – test “Tom’s just had a bit of a sore toe for probably four to six weeks, and we’ve been managing his loads. But we just felt we needed to bite the bullet and get him off legs for 10 to 12 days. We’re going to start to load him towards the end of this week, and just see how that goes. We’ll make a decision on Tom next week.”

True - the sky’s falling.

While you blokes have been ranting on about nothing in particular, you’ve missed some major BREAKING NEWS. Eyes on the ball please.

There seemed to be more of the little kids there but less teenagers. Possibly a venue like Luna Park would appeal to them a bit more than the G. The club might look at possibly alternating the venue to cater for that crowd.

Epitaph from the Swiss Supreme Court.

Two men and a dog at Durban to watch SA capitulate at the end of the first dig losing about 5 for 12. Fascinating to watch. I visited the Kingsmead ground in December and there were more people in our tour group than spectators yesterday and today. We should win this one.

This kid can play just a little bit ~ Lukosius stars in top draftee showdown

Wow. I didn’t realise you were so old Redleg. You make Old Dee look like a absolute whippersnapper.

Tassie has been in the news lately for all the wrong reasons. Here are a couple of youngsters from the Apple Isle who are hoping to make an impact as the year progresses ~ Pair poised to ease Tassie's long draft drought

Says who? I told you about Bailey Fritsch months before we drafted him when he was just a kid with a dream playing in the VFL.

That wouldn’t be Phat Phil, R & B. According to my NSW informants, he can’t fit into the change rooms at Giant HQ. Not only that, it’s rumoured that he’s involved in pre-production for the Ten Network’s forthcoming new lifestyle series, “My Three Tons”.

I wouldn’t be relying on Mr Leg if I were you OD. He was last seen on a banana plantation in Pago Pago holding court with the locals and was apparently so impressed with the place that he’s considering migrating to Western Samoa and laying down his roots there.

Precisely. The thread’s been completely derailed for the last 700 or so pages and it’s time to get back on topic. I’m surprised, no shocked ? that nobody has picked up on this comment by Deeman on the AFLW thread about last week's game v GWS Giants:- “I understand the concern about Mifsud’s absence for us but what I really want to know is why [censored] wasn’t playing for them!”

Superdraft or superhyped? Early view on 2018

The AFL website’s Callum Twomey is a little bit behind us but he hasn’t wasted much time getting into the 2018 draft prospects. The next batch: Looking ahead to the 2018 draft

And now ... the family connection. Charlie Spargo’s great grandfather Bob Spargo Senior played with the Melbourne Football Club, although it was just for two games during WW2. Bob Snr. stood at 175cm and weighed 69kgs. He played most of his career with Footscray (1934-41) before moving to the Demons in the twilight of his career in 1942. He was a professional athlete who finished third in two Stawell Gifts (1936 & 40). His sons Bob Jnr. and Ricky also represented the Bulldogs and the latter was fifth in the 1974 Stawell Gift. Bob Jnr. played in the team's 1961 Grand Final loss to Hawthorn. Bob Jr's son Paul Spargo played 81 games with North Melbourne and 9 with the Brisbane Bears. During his time with the Kangaroos he was a teammate of Mark Brayshaw, father of our own Angus Brayshaw. He was an assistant coach at Richmond for a while and had a great record coaching in the Ovens & Murray Football League with involvement in multiple premierships. Paul Spargo is Charlie's father. With a great pedigree in football and foot racing, Charlie had a fantastic junior career and two years ago was outstanding in the national carnival. A year ago, he was one of the most highly ranked of the country's draft prospects and headed for a possible top ten selection until shoulder surgery curtailed his season. Don't let his size fool you - Charlie Spargo can play and it's in his blood.

The top two 2018 AFL National Draft prospects are South Australians ~ both considered exceptional.~ Firstly, Izak Rankine AFL Draft prospect Izak Rankine catches talent scouts’ eyes while playing for SANFL side West Adelaide and South Australia Then there’s Jack Lukosius U18: Bottom-ager Lukosius stars in SA's big win And Connor Rozee goes all right too. That trio are all in the AFL Academy squad which is where the better prospects can be found. No wonder the Crows fought tooth and nail to extract our future first round pick for Jake Lever.

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

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.”

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."

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.

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.