Whispering_Jack

Chris 25's Phantom Draft - Post Trade Week Edition Phantom Draft first and second rounds are out now. It helps give an appreciation of how the bidding system works. I suspect that by the end of the second round the Giants are already in points deficit and might be reluctant to match many more bids on their academy players. Collingwood might be in a bit of a bind with points deficit too if they take Josh Daicos because they have other needs in the draft than the two f/s picks available. On the basis of Chris25's PD so far, I think we come in with our first pick at about 48. 2016 Young Talent Time First Round 1. Essendon - Hugh McCluggage (185cm, 75kg midfielder from North Ballarat Rebels) 2. GWS Giants - Andrew McGrath (179cm, 75kg midfielder/defender from Sandringham Dragons) 3. Brisbane Lions bid on Jack Bowes (GCS Academy*) Bid Matched 3. Gold Coast Suns - Jack Bowes (187cm, 78kg midfielder from Surfers Paradise) 4. Brisbane Lions - Ben Ainsworth (179cm, 74kg midfielder/forward from Gippsland Power) 5. Carlton bid on Will Setterfield (GWS Giants Academy*) Bid Matched 5. GWS Giants - Will Setterfield (190cm, 80kg midfielder from Sandringham Dragons) 6. Carlton - Will Brodie (187cm, 80kg midfielder from Murray Bushrangers) 7. Gold Coast Suns - Tim English (203cm, 86kg ruckman from South Fremantle) 8. Fremantle - Sam Petrevski-Seton (181cm, 76kg midfielder from Claremont) 9. Gold Coast Suns - Tim Taranto (186cm, 82kg forward/midfielder from Sandringham Dragons) 10. Sydney Swans - Griffin Logue (193cm, 92kg defender from Swan Districts) 11. Gold Coast Suns - Jarrod Berry (191cm, 80kg defender/midfielder from North Ballarat) 12. North Melbourne bid on Harry Perryman (GWS Giants Academy*) Bid Matched 12. GWS Giants - Harry Perryman (184cm, 75kg defender/midfielder from Collingullie) 13. North Melbourne - Oliver Florent (183cm, 74kg midfielder/forward from Sandringham Dragons) 14. West Coast - Jack Scrimshaw (193cm, 80kg defender/midfielder from Sandringham Dragons) 15. Adelaide - Sam Powell-Pepper(186cm, 83kg forward/midfielder from East Perth) 16. Port Adelaide - Todd Marshall (197cm, 87kg forward from Murray Bushrangers) 17. Brisbane Lions - Will Hayward (186cm, 76kg forward from North Adelaide) 18. Port Adelaide - Daniel Venables (186cm, 81kg forward/midfielder from Western Jets) 19. Western Bulldogs - Shai Bolton (177cm, 67kg midfielder from South Fremantle) 20. Sydney Swans bid on Jacob Allison (Brisbane Lions Academy*) Bid Matched 20. Brisbane Lions - Jacob Allison (194cm, 79kg midfielder from Aspley) 21. Sydney Swans - Jy Simpkin (181cm, 71kg forward/midfielder from Murray Bushrangers) Second Round 22. Essendon - Josh Battle (192cm, 90kg forward from Dandenong Stingrays) 23. Brisbane Lions - Alex Witherden (184cm, 78kg defender/midfielder from Geelong Falcons) 24. St Kilda - Alex Villis (182cm, 70kg midfielder from Norwood) 25. Geelong - Patrick Kerr (194cm, 93kg forward from Oakleigh Chargers) 26. Carlton bid on Brad Scheer (GCS Academy*) Bid Matched 26. Gold Coast Suns - Brad Scheer (184cm, 83kg midfielder from Palm Beach Currumbin) 27. Carlton bid on Kobe Mutch (GCS Academy*) Bid unmatched 27. Carlton - Kobe Mutch (184cm, 79kg midfielder from Bendigo Pioneers) 28. Western Bulldogs bid on Callum Brown (Collingwood father/son*) Bid matched. 28. Collingwood - Callum Brown (177cm, 69kg midfielder/forward from Eastern Ranges) 29. Western Bulldogs - Josh Rotham(192cm, 79kg defender/midfielder from West Perth) 30. Richmond - Brennan Cox (194cm, 90kg defender/forward from Woodville West Torrens) 31. Essendon - Dylan Clarke (187cm, 85kg midfielder from Eastern Ranges) 32. Port Adelaide - Jonty Scharenberg (186cm, 80kg midfielder from Glenelg) 33. Port Adelaide - Cedric Cox (184cm, 70kg defender from North Ballarat Rebels) 34. North Melbourne bid on Harrison Macreadie (GWS Giants Academy*) Bid matched 34. GWS Giants - Harrison Macreadie (196cm, 89kg defender from Henty) 35. North Melbourne - Jordan Gallucci (183cm, 75kg midfielder from Eastern Ranges) 36. North Melbourne - Jordan Ridley(192cm, 79kg defender/midfielder from Oakleigh Chargers) 37. West Coast - Zac Fisher (175cm, 61kg midfielder from Perth) 38. Fremantle - Harry Morrison (182cm, 73kg defender from Murray Bushrangers) 39. St Kilda - Tyson Stengle (171cm, 69kg forward from Woodville West Torrens) 40. Geelong bid on Jake Waterman (West Coast father/son*) Bid matched. 40. West Coast - Jake Waterman(191cm, 82kg forward from Claremont) 41. Geelong - Dylan Whimpress (186cm, 70kg defender/midfielder from South Adelaide) 42. Fremantle - Quinton Narkle (181cm, 82kg midfielder/forward from Perth)

I have posted this Phantom Draft elsewhere (the #47 thread) but it's on topic here as well - 2016 Young Talent Time. If you follow the selections, GWS are forced to bid for a few of their players in the opening two rounds and actually decline a bid on one of their academy members. Max Lynch did not attract a bid to the end of the second round. I will also look at Chris25's PD in the 2016 AFL National Draft Prospects thread a little later on.

Chris25 posted his latest phantom draft shortly after the article in the opening post was put up. At present, you can see the effect there of academy bids up to the end of the second round - 2016 Young Talent Time. He will probably load more shortly but based on his PD, I can't see #47 coming in earlier than around Picks 48 - 50.

The Saints at Etihad shouldn't hold any fear for our lads any more. Their aging stars have gotten them across the line on the last few occasions but they'll be a year older and we'll be pumped for action. I prefer that we play our home games against teams that draw the big crowds to add excitement to the game and also add to our bottom line. Bring them on.

I'm not exactly sure of the actual points formula but am led to believe it's going to work something like this:- After using pick 2 to draft McGrath, GWS have access to Setterfield, Perryman and Macreadie who are all considered to be prospective top 20 draft picks. If I read it right they will use pick 15 and picks in the 30s, 40s and possibly 50s to get all three of them. That's peanuts - and they still have access to more by being allowed to go into points deficit. The other clubs were up in arms accusing Melbourne who were pathetic on the field in 2009 either way you looked at it, of tanking to get 4 picks in the top 20. The Giants who finished third are able to play the system and get the same result and nobody's batting an eyelid.

OK, I get that Lynch is in the GWS academy. I get that the AFL has changed the rules limiting the number of picks the clubs can have in action and I get that a club can go into points deficit (presumably catching up on the points they're short by in the following year's draft). What I would like to see is how it all works as a matter of practicality. The Giants nabbed pick 2 to allow them to take a player before the bidding starts. That would allow them to take say, Sandy Dragon Andrew McGrath with that selection. According to reports, there are at least another five players in the academy who would be drafted in the 40 picks - Setterfield, Macreadie, Perryman, Mutch and Lynch. The picks they seem to have to get these players is seemingly endless- 15, 37, 39, 45, 52, 55, 57, 58, 59, 60, 77, 109, 127 BUT they are supposed to be limited in numbers so will definitely go heavily into points deficit. This seems to put them at an enormous advantage over all of the other clubs especially when, as pointed out above by Chelly, part of their academy area in the Riverina area is already a strong football area and doesn't need an academy. At some stage the other clubs are going to feel badly ripped off by the AFL and its love child. It's one thing to make the NSW clubs stronger but this smells of an outrageous compromise of the draft system to me.

He might currently have the number but he's never worn it in a game. He should try to take back his former number 42.

Link to the blog - Every day is like Sunday

One of our posters Supermercado writes a great blog for bigfooty and he's just finished writing his own book called "The Great Deepression" - I gather it's about Melbourne's recent hard times. Judging from his blog, it should make interesting and entertaining reading and would have to be better than some of the footy books I've read in the past (the bio of Peter Matera for example). You can order here and remember, when he wins the Nobel Prize for Literature you will be able to say you knew him when! I've ordered mine and will review it at some time in the future.

I tried a couple of years ago but the recruiters preferred others. Nobody else wanted him either and now, two more years down the track, I can't see him finding a suitor at Melbourne or anywhere else - A BIG POINT ON THE COMPASS

By jove. I think you might be onto something!

Drug testing is the AFL's business. If someone undertakes a course of action intent upon avoiding a drug test, then such action is also the AFL's business and moreover, if officials of that player's club act in collusion with such avoidance then it is clearly an issue of the AFL's reputation and very much the AFL's business.

I take credit for the upsurge in membership. Last week I registered the entire family, kids, their spouses, grandkids all at my cost. Exception being my wife who claims to be a Bombers fan (fittingly she's a pharmacist) but with Melksham and Hibberd on board, I think she could be convinced - especially if we creep closer to 40k.

Since Ron Barassi left the club at the end of 1964, the number has been cursed. We had Ray Groom take the number in 1965 and he was going well but left at an early age and eventually became Premier of Tasmania (a job that in itself would be a curse, I imagine). Paul Wheatley had a reasonable career but most of our 31's have either been duds or had careers that went backwards after taking the number. I agree with resting the number until we win our next premiership. The number has become like the Curse of the Bambino or the Curse of the Goat. It lives side by side with the Norm Smith Curse so let's exorcise it. When we win a flag in the next couple of years, it can make a comeback.

This bloke is a sports lawyer who maintains that Jobe Watson should keep his Brownlow Medal - Here's why the AFL can't strip Essendon's Jobe Watson of his Brownlow Medal I don't quite follow his "logic" in all this. Watson has been found guilty of an anti doping rule violation over a regime of drug injections that took place in the year when he "won" his Brownlow Medal. I don't think it would speak for the AFL's integrity if it relied on the loopholes suggested to allow Watson to keep one of the competition's most coveted personal trophies.

Callum Twomey has a crack at predicting every club's top draft target but when a club like Melbourne kicks off with pick 47 there is not much chance you're going to get it right (let alone when it's 88 as is the case of the Hawks ?): In the gun: every club's top draft target

Rocky is back at Vulture Street at least for the next twelve months but in 12 months' time he will be on the list of 2017 Brisbane Lions free agents: "Brisbane Claye BeamsRyan HarwoodTom Rockliff"

Although it's almost 12 months away, the shrewd recruiters are already planning for next year's free agency period. 2017 free agents: Fyfe, Dusty head big names I've heard that one club is already planning a major coup in securing Fyfe. It's never too early.

Jack Viney Day and a wet track for the time honoured Cox Plate. Going to Money Valley Red?

6, 14, 19, 22, 31, 38, 40 and 45 are the vacant jumper numbers for 2017 (assuming there are no swaps of numbers) 2017 Melbourne numbers 1. Jesse Hogan 2. Nathan Jones 3. Christian Salem 4. Jack Watts 5. Christian Petracca 7. Jack Viney 8. Heritier Lumumba 9. Jack Trengove 10. Angus Brayshaw 11. Max Gawn 12. Dom Tyson 13. Clayton Oliver 15. Billy Stretch 16. Dean Kent 17. Sam Frost 18. Jake Melksham 20. Colin Garland 21. Cameron Pedersen 23. Bernie Vince 24. Jay Kennedy-Harris 25. Tom McDonald 26. Sam Weideman 27. Liam Hulett 28. Oscar McDonald 29. Jayden Hunt 30. Alex Neal-Bullen 32. Tomas Bugg 33. Jake Spencer 34. Mitch King 35. Ben Kennedy 36. Jeff Garlett 37. Aaron Vandenberg 39. Neville Jetta 41. Mitchell White 42. Josh Wagner 43. James Harmes 44. Joel Smith Who gets which of the vacant numbers?

Possible additions to the list in 2016

If it's Fyfe then we are not the front runner. Another riddle might be needed to determine the club that has that honour.

So on my count, after today's delistings we are now in equilibrium. We have three vacancies on our primary list which is exactly where we need to be for the draft. If someone comes along who is a delisted free agent and we want that player, we would have to delist somebody. I believe (but stand corrected) that everyone on our playing list is now contracted and therefore we would have to negotiate a termination of a contract or delist a player on the understanding that he would be rookied in late November. We also have two rookie spots available assuming Mitch White and Mitch Wagner are retained as such.

Big Dee out as Melbourne cuts four more All gone with Chris Dawes. Thanks fellas ...

If the allegations are proven i.e that club officials were complicit in an attempt by a player to deliberately avoid a drug test then there should be a sanction against the Giants for bringing the game into disrepute. Take away their capacity to take part in the first two rounds of the draft and make it harder for them to recruit academy kids for a year or two. That's what I would expect from a competition with integrity foremost in its mind.