Whispering_Jack

That's a cheep joke Biff.

This is an interesting contribution from AFL Draft Central's Matt Balmer:- Matt Balmer’s 2017 AFL Draft June Power Rankings Meanwhile, over at 9's Future Stars, Plough has come out with his first TOP 20 draft picks 1. Darcy Fogarty 192cm/88kg MID/FWD 2. Cameron Raynor 187cm/88kg MID 3. Jarrod Brander 195cm/83kg FWD 4. Luke Davies-Uniack 187cm/85kg MID 5. Jayden Stephenson 189cm/76kg FWD 6. Lochie O'Brien 184cm/75kg MID 7. Sam Hayes 203cm/93kg RUCK 8. Connor Ballenden 199cm/95kg FWD/RUCK 9. Adam Cerra 186cm/75kg MID 10. Hunter Clark 186cm/79kg HALF BACK 11. James Worpel 185cm/84kg MID 12. Charle Spargo 173cm/75kg SML FWD 13. Jack Higgins 178cm/78kg MID 14. Joel Garner 183cm/81kg MID 15. Paddy Dow 184cm/78kg MID 16. Matthew Ling 182cm/74kg MID 17. Patrick Naish 180cm/67kg FWD 18. Callum Coleman-Jones 199cm/98kg RUCK 19. Lachlan Fogarty 179cm/75kg MID 20. Jack Petruccelle 184cm/73kg MID

I think you've ingested too many bananas.

Could you at least hang in long enough to arrange the annual dinner you've been promising to organise?

More Road to the Draft

And how could we forget Knightmare who does his power rankings on ESPN these days? Knightmare's Power Rankings April Knightmare's Power Rankings May

I always like following those left of field prospects like this one from the Northern Territory. Then there are the potential players who, like Jayden Hunt were more at home at schoolboy football.

... and more of the series

Our record at the MCG is becoming a mini-embarrassment. We've lost three on the trot there this year (all of them very winnable) after beating Carlton in Round 2. Time to knock that one on the head along with the big hoodoo against North

Yee of little faith. Shame on you.

BTW Redleg when are you going to get around to re-organising our 2016 annual dinner?

Picturing Old Kev Murray running around for the Roy Boys on the hallowed turf at Brunswick Street is fine but Roosy - definitely not. It was a dark day in 1966 that the Fitzroy Football Club moved its home ground to Princes Park before heading off to the Junction Oval in 1969 and later spending time at at Victoria Park and back to Princes Park from whence it was banished to a place far north of the border so Roosy never played on the ground. Back on topic (well, sort of) to Ajax, the Royboys have opened up an early three goal lead and if you're holding out for the replay ... look away.

It was one Under 19 practice match and, apart from a magnificent goal (kicked when I was 40 metres clear of any opposition player), it wasn't so auspicious and I never threw any elbows. I was too smart for that! Since there's no MFC game on in town today, I will probably get down to the old Brunswick Street Oval where Ajax is playing Fitzroy. Yes, that's Fitzroy which used to play VFL in the 60's. The ground looks magnificent these days with one grandstand (a little rickety) still intact, a magnificent atmosphere where you can close your eyes and imagine the likes of the late Lou Richards and Butch Gale running around - and taste the delights of one of the best canteens in the VAFA. Why would anyone want to go to Adelaide?

It seems that he did well in testing at a special draft combine for NZers. Surely with our NZ connection (Max Gawn is from there), you would think we would snap him up as an international rookie if we possibly could?

This excellent series returns in 2017 - Road to the Draft

According to some, this kid could go #1 - Country star emerges as top-five prospect Meanwhile, the AFL Academy faced Peter Jackson VFL team the Northern Blues at Etihad Stadium on Saturday, with Western Jets midfielder/forward Cameron Rayner appointed captain of the Academy team for the night. AFL ACADEMY 4.2 5.2 5.3 6.3 (39) NORTHERN BLUES 4.1 9.6 16.11 17.12 (114) Goals AFL Academy: Cameron Rayner (Western), Charlie Spargo (Murray), Jarrod Brander (Bendigo), Changkuoth Jiath (Gippsland), Jaidyn Stephenson (Eastern), Hayden McLean (Sandringham) Northern Blues: Gallucci 4, Jaksch 3, McKay 2, Glass- McCasker 2, Kerridge, Polson, Boekhorst, Smedts, Sheehan, Phillips Best AFL Academy: Luke Davies-Uniacke (Dandenong), Lachlan Fogarty (Western), Jack Higgins (Oakleigh), Rayner, Hunter Clark (Dandenong) Northern Blues: Kerridge, Polson, Cuningham, Smedts, Jaksch, Boekhorst

A little belated but here's a report on that AFL Academy game ~ MCG curtain-raiser a glimpse of the future

Brett Anderson has an interesting item on the SEN site - A FIRST LOOK AT THIS YEAR'S INTRIGUING DRAFT CROP

And if you follow the Kinks (as someone of your vintage would) you should know that Lola ain't a woman.

The talent scouts will be out in force on Sunday afternoon at the MCG when a special NAB AFL Academy 20th anniversary celebration match as the curtain raiser to the Carlton and Essendon clash. The match will highlight members of this year's national academy prospects and will include players eligible for the 2017 and 2018 drafts. I know there were many Demonlanders lost interest in the drafts last year because the club ultimately went into the 2016 AFL National Draft without a selection in the first two rounds and that we're aiming for high places in the competition in the new Simon Goodwin era but it's still important to replenish your supply of talent no matter where you finish. This is the time when talent scouts get a chance to see the top ranked youth pitted against each other in a competitive outing and it should be worthwhile keeping an eye on who does well in the games involving the best of the NAB AFL Academy talent - Two years of talent on show in MCG curtain raiser The squads for the game are:- TEAM WEITERING 1. Charlie Spargo 4. Izak Rankine 5. Lachlan Fogarty 6. Rhylee West 7. Jack Powell 8. Connor Rozee 9. Luke Valente 11. Lochie O'Brien 12. Buku Khamis 14. James Worpel 15. Jack Bytel 16. Hunter Clark 17. Dominic Grant 18. Luke Davies-Uniacke 19. Darcy Fogarty 20. Zane Barzen 21. Jarrod Brander 22. Oscar Clavarino 25. Kwaby Boakye 27. Max King 28. Ben King 29. Changkuoth Jiath 32. Connor Ballenden 33. Callum Coleman-Jones 34. Hudson Garoni 35. Sam Hayes TEAM DANIHER 2. Cameron Rayner 3. Chayce Jones 4. Jack Higgins 5. Sam Walsh 6. Patrick Naish 8. Kane Farrell 9. Jake Patmore 10. Aidan Quigley 12. Jye Caldwell 13. Joel Garner 14. Jordan Houlahan 15. Jaidyn Stephenson 17. Tarryn Thomas 19. Jackson Hately 20. Andrew McPherson 21. Sam Taylor 23. Thomas Schmusch 24. Jack Lukosius 25. Noah Balta 30. Tom De Koning 31. Paddy Dow

By golly, that's right. And as nice a guy as JT is and as much as I want him to succeed in his comeback, we have really missed out on a gem.

It was said at the time of the 2014 AFL National Draft that Melbourne was heavily into getting Lever who would have been rated even more highly but was coming back from an ACL injury. The word was that the club offered up Jack Trengove for a trade with Richmond just so that we could get in a position draft Lever (as it turned out the Tigers' pick would have been insufficient). It would be nice to get him to the club but can we do it?

Just on the question of the club's intentions going into that draft, I was at the pre draft talk at the club with Jason Taylor and Todd Viney and they basically had it down to taking two of Petracca, McCartin and Brayshaw but the way they spoke it sounded very much like they believed the Saints would take the truck, spending a lot of time talking about Paddy's attributes. They even mentioned how he dealt with his diabetes and the need for him to manage it with rests during games. There was also the matter about Alan Richardson being close with the Petracca family and how he knew Christian from when he was a young kid. There is a lot to suggest that the Saints changed their minds in the eleventh hour. I think we might have lucked out on this one.

Following Melbourne's win over St Kilda last week, a poster on Saintsational sparked some debate with this offering:- "Petracca is a gun who will be a superstar of the competition for the next dozen years. McCartin is an injury-prone, under-sized key forward who doesn't kick goals. He can take a great grab, but does little else. We are having to try to turn him into a lead-up forward because he isn't good enough in the goalsquare. I know hind sight is a beautiful thing, but there have been few more important decisions that the club has had to make over the last 6-7 years. It was crucial that we picked well at the 2014 draft. With the number one pick it was our biggest opportunity to pick up a star for the next generation: our next Riewoldt, Goddard or (dare I say it) Judd. From the media reports at the time Petracca was the clear number one choice in the lead up to that draft. If we were drafting on ability instead of perceived need it was a no-brainer. I understand our logic - we thought we needed a key forward - but McCartin is no Tony Lockett. I say this with all due respect to McCartin himself who seems a great young guy, and to our recruiting team who has generally done a great job over the last five years, but sometimes mistakes are made, and when they are we have to recognise them, deal with them, and only then can we move on. I think McCartin can and probably will be a really good player for us, but he won't give us what Petracca would have. As ever, I am happy to be proven wrong." I don't think he will be proven wrong but it's far too early to write off McCartin. Key forwards take their time in development. The discussion however, did mirror some of the standard debate generated here whenever we look at failed draft selections from the past.

... and now that tyre company has not only lost lots of customers among Dee fans but also has the longest losing streak in Melbourne/ St Kilda games - 15. Losers!!!