Whispering_Jack

Back in the days when we used to win every week. MELBOURNE B: M. Hibberd 14 S. May 1 J. Lever 8 HB: C. Salem 3 H. Petty 35 J. Hunt 29 C: A. Brayshaw 10 C. Petracca 5 E. Langdon 15 HF: Kysaiah Pickett 36 T. McDonald 25 J. Melksham 18 F: A. Neal-Bullen 30 B. Brown 50 B.Fritsch 31 Foll: M. Gawn 11 C. Oliver 13 J. Jordan 23 I/C: J. Harmes 4 L. Jackson 6 Trent Rivers 24 C. Spargo 9 Sub: K. Chandler 37 Emerg: N. Jones 2 T. Sparrow 32 S. Weideman 26 In: K. Chandler J. Harmes H. Petty Out: O. Baker (omitted) N. Jones A. Tomlinson (knee) SYDNEY B: D. Rampe 24 T. McCartin 30 J. Dawson 34 HB: J. Lloyd 44 R. Fox 42 J. McInerney 27 C: Parker 26 O. Florent 13 H. Cunningham 7 HF: T. Papley 11 H. McLean 41 C. Sinclair 18 F: S. Wicks 45 L. Franklin 23 W. Hayward 9 Foll: T. Hickey 31 J. Rowbottom 8. C. Mills 14 I/C: E. Gulden 21 J. P. Kennedy 12 C. O'Riordan 38 C. Warner 1 Sub: N. Blakey 22 Emerg: K. Brand 2 G. Hewett 29 D. Stephens 3 In: N. Blakey R. Fox L. Franklin D. Rampe Out: R. Clarke (omitted) I. Heeney (ankle) L. Melican (hamstring) D. Stephens (omitted)

Ellison has nominated for the mid-season draft. Wonder if there’s been interest in him.

With those changes, I suspect that the team might struggle against Frankston who are a fairly solid outfit.

Steven May played less than a quarter and finished with more possessions than Melksham and Weideman.

We have Fremantle today and the Swans next week. What happened last time that the Demons played that combination in consecutive games?

Bigfooty’s Davo-27 has updated his top 50 Rankings following the Academy game - 1. George Wardlaw - Oak - 182cm 2. Will Ashcroft - Sand - 180cm (Brisbane F/S?) 3. Jhye Clark - Geel - 180cm 4. Elijah Tsatas - Oak - 188cm 5. Elijah Hewett - Swan Dist - 186cm 6. Adam D'Aloia - WWT - 181cm 7. Jedd Busslinger - East Perth - 197cm 8. Anthony Munkara - West Adel - 190cm (Essendon NGA?) 9. Tom Scully - West Adel - 204cm 10. Oliver Hollands - Murr - 183cm 11. Mitch Szybkowski - Dand - 186cm 12. Harry Sheezel - Sand - 184cm 13. Harry Lemmey - West Adel - 199cm 14. Luke Teal - Oak - 191cm 15. Olivier Northam - Geel - 195cm 16. Aaron Cadman - GWV - 194cm 17. Jackson Broadbent - Peel - 201cm 18. Kobe Ryan - West Adel - 183cm 19. Lachlan Cowan - Tas - 188cm 20. Brayden George - Murr - 185cm 21. Isaac Keeler - Nth Adel - 197cm (Adelaide NGA?) 22. Henry Hustwaite - Dand - 194cm 23. Max Clohesy - Murr - 179cm 24. Bailey Humphrey - Gipps - 184cm 25. Jed Hagan - East Frem - 175cm 26. Seth Campbell - Tas - 182cm 27. Matthew Jefferson - Oak - 195cm 28. Kane Bevan - West Perth - 192cm 29. Taj Campbell-Farrell - Dand - 185cm 30. Jaspa Fletcher - Bris A - 184cm (Brisbane F/S +A) 31. Ted Clohesy - Geel - 182cm (Geelong NGA?) 32. Charlie Clarke - Sand - 182cm 33. Josh Weddle - Oak - 192cm 34. Max Michaelanny - Norw - 190cm (Adelaide F/S?) 35. Lewis Hayes - East - 197cm 36. Al Davey Jnr - Oak - 181cm (Essendon F/S) 37. Jaxon Binns - Dand - 182cm 38. Jonti Schuback - Gipps - 183cm 39. Rye Penny - Cald - 185cm 40. Luke Lawrence - GWS A - 183cm (GWS A) 41. James Van Es - GWV - 196cm 42. Cam MacKenzie - Sand - 187cm (St Kilda NGA?) 43. Blake Drury - Oak - 178cm 44. Will Dowling - Nth Adel - 187cm 45. Mattaes Phillipou - WWT - 188cm 46. Luke Michael - West Perth - 186cm 47. Cooper Harvey - North - 180cm (North Melbourne F/S) 48. Harry Barnett - West Adel - 202cm 49. Nick Madden - GWS A - 204cm (GWS A) 50. Steely Green - Sth Frem - 178cm The question marks? In the case of father/sons, these won’t be confirmed until closer to the national draft. In the case of clubs outside the four “northern states”, they can not match bids for these players within the first 40 selections in the national draft.

This one goes back 102 years to this very day in 1920 — 26th May — and it doesn’t even involve Melbourne which had a bye in this particular round. All four matches in the round were played on a Wednesday — to celebrate the visit by the Prince of Wales who later became Edward VIII before he abdicated to marry American divorcée, Wallis Simpson. In order to accommodate the visit, two of the games were played in the morning and the other two in the afternoon. Regrettably, the Prince’s boat was running late and didn’t arrive in Melbourne until the following day!

Congratulations to Kynan on making the Rookie Me NAB Under 18 team of the Week. Great effort given it’s his first up performance in the competition!

The NAB League rules permit some overage players to play for the Under 18 clubs. He turned 18 in December 2021 so he’s pretty close to the age limit any way.

Yes … at one stage it was reported that we were interested and that he might be a 2021 draft bolter but nobody picked him. This is what AFL Draft Central’s writers said ~ Anthony Caminiti Height: 196cm Weight: 83kg D.O.B: 09-12-2003 Leagues: NAB League Boys POSITION: Tall Forward SNAPSHOT: "A mobile tall forward who shot on the scene this season, showcasing sound overhead marking and shrewd leading patterns. The Northern Knights were stoked to bring Anthony Caminiti into their program this year, and it was easy to easy why after his five-goal NAB League debut in May. The athletic key forward slotted into Northern's front six when Carey Grammar had a bye during the APS season, and did enough over both competitions to that point to be a late inclusion in June's Victorian representative trials. With more promising form, he earned a draft combine invite and looms as a tall prospect with high upside among this year's cohort. STRENGTHS: + Mobility + Leading Patterns + Overhead Marking + Clean Hands + Scoreboard Impact IMPROVEMENTS: - Strength - Exposure Caminiti was a difficult player to deny given his goalkicking record in the APS competition, and he took full toll once given an opportunity in the NAB League. His five-goal debut for Northern stamped his status as a consistent scoring option, having strung together several multiple-goal games for Carey Grammar. At APS season's end, he was named in the competition's Merit Team for 2021. As a mobile type of tall talent, Caminiti is quick off the mark and constantly gets separation on the lead. His mix of athleticism and smarts makes for some really promising attacking play, as Caminiti reacts first to the flow of play and can begin moving into the right space before the kicker makes a decision. With good delivery, he can be really dangerous. The other factor on the end of Caminiti's leading patterns is his overhead marking. He showed many times when operating as a lead-up option further afield for Northern, that he could reach higher than his opponents and cleanly clunk aerial balls. With a bit more strength and size on his 83kg frame, Caminiti could even clunk more contested marks while AFL-level defenders match him for athleticism and smarts. Caminiti's clean hands extend further than his marking too. With good movement for his size, the 196cm talent is comfortable on the ball and looks to move it on quickly to runners passing by. He is able to contribute at ground level with composure and often proves quite unselfish inside 50, creating opportunities for others by hand and foot. One question mark over Caminiti's ability to make the next step may be his exposure to high levels of football. He played six game's in Victoria's leading school football competition this year, but only three at NAB League level. Five of his six NAB League goals came in one game and he could not quite find the goals in his Victorian trial dig. His movement further afield may be a factor, but Caminiti certainly found his best goalkicking form in the APS. DRAFT PROJECTION: Late/Rookie SUMMARY: In a draft crop dominated by midfielders, clubs may be more willing to take chances on developing talls a little higher up the order. In Caminiti's case, he'd be an ideal late-round or rookie option given his upside and rate of development, with exciting traits which can be enhanced at the next level. He is mobile and comfortable in possession, adding a bit of dynamism to go with his goalkicking and marking ability.

HOLE LOT OF LOVE MELBOURNE Ladder position: 1st List spots available: 0 What they need: Ruck depth, lockdown small defender The Demons won’t have to worry about next week, with the club not having capacity for a draft selection at this stage. But the one area to look at in the national draft, where they could become vulnerable, is in the ruck if Max Gawn or Luke Jackson went down, with no other recognised ruckman on the list. AFL Academy member Jackson Broadbent, one of the leading ruck prospects in the pool, will be on their radar. [Note: this is behind the Herald Sun’s paywall and I’ve found that sometimes these stories can mysteriously shift] I agree that we don’t have to worry about next week but here’s Chris Doerre’s power rankings - AFL Draft: Mid-season Draft top 10 Power Rankings

How every Australian Academy player who took part in the game fared vs Collingwood VFL ~ Scouting Notes: 2022 AFL Academy vs. Collingwood VFL

Neither Melbourne nor Narrm have won a premiership under a Labor Government since 1948 under Ben Chifley's Prime Ministership. It's time for that to change!!!

You have poor comprehension skills. There’s a difference between asking questions about a player and “knocking” him. We seem to both agree that Knightmare and one or two others are “plonkers” and neither of us rated him top 15. That’s great because one club took him at #5 and while it might not have been a wasted selection, other clubs reaped the benefit. As it turns out, I believe we’re one of those clubs.

You’re a strange cat ‘Daz’. My beef’s not with you but with the so-called experts who did a strange 360 degree turn in a matter of a week. Knightmare on 25 April, 2021 (the day after the game):- “The team got pumped by 100+ points. I wouldn't read too much into anyone's performances. No one starred, and I can count on one hand those who I'd consider to have rising stocks as a result of the game.” A week later, Andrew has come from nowhere to be in the top 15 in Knightmare’s power rankings. I think I was entitled to think that to be most unusual. As for Howes and JVR, I agree that both had quiet days but who wouldn’t given they were played in the forward line for the entire match in a team that lost by 130 points? According to my notes, JVR presented well and had a few good moments. Not longer after the game he was diagnosed as having glandular fever. Despite that I declared on Demonland nearly three months before the draft that I preferred him to Andrew. And you have a problem with that?

You’re 100% right ‘Daz’. I will continue to say what I think and not follow like the sheep proclaiming a promising player with some upside as the best thing since sliced bread. My mail on Mac is that the Suns are pretty happy with his development where he’s being used as a key defender and with mixed results to date. No hurry and no immediate plans to use him as a senior player. I might have a look at him tomorrow at the AFL site’s live stream of Footscray VFL vs Gold Coast game. Cheerio!

The game that traditionally brings the top draft prospects to the fore is the game between the AFL Academy and a VFL team, this year being Collingwood. The Academy team generally fares well in these games. Back in 2019, it defeated a Casey Demons team (albeit not at full strength) and before that I recall a win over North Melbourne. Last year’s match up was something of an embarrassment with Geelong’s VFL handing out a 130-point thumping to an Academy team that included all of the big name players (Jacob Van Rooyen and Blake Howes played). Mac Andrew also took part and, despite being virtually unseen for the first three quarters, did enough in the last term to have some draft watchers salivating. Hoping this year’s event will be more of a contest. There’s a fair chance that if you go to the game, you’ll see Neville Jetta running around in the black and white. NAB AFL Academy squad announced for clash with Collingwood VFL

LISTEN: The clear top-three contenders, No.1 chance chats Road to the Draft: The Petracca-like prospect, father-son Bomber

I’ve expressed the view elsewhere that it’s becoming increasingly unlikely that Melbourne will participate in the MSD. The one area which I would see worthwhile addressing is in finding a ruckman to have in reserve and to possibly train for the future but the cupboard seems pretty bare as far as this draft is concerned given that the Sandy Dragons’s Max Ramsden is expected to go early and if we entered the draft, our pick would be low. The AFL has given the go ahead to a number of players who previously would not have qualified. I still don’t see anyone tempting enough to consider putting a youngster like Blake Howes on our long term injury list to make space for the club to qualify for the MSD. Permission granted: Eight more players given approval for MSD

While I do believe it would be worthwhile for the club to cast an eye out for a young ruck understudy to Max Gawn and Luke Jackson, I tend to agree with this. There doesn’t appear to be as much ruck talent around in mid-season draft calculations and, if the MFC entered the MSD, it’s pick would be too far down the pecking order to get Sandringham Dragons’ ruckman Max Ramsden who should be taken in the first two or three picks. Other than that, we can fill our needs from our current ranks so I also am swayed to the view that we’ll sit this one out and bide our time till November to find some ruck talent.

For some reason, the second Young Guns game received very little coverage. Here are the Rookieme scouting notes:- Scouting Notes: Young Guns vs. Vic Country U18s

Jack Riewoldt is 193cm and David Schwarz is 195cm. There are plenty of quality key forwards within that range.

Almost six months down the track and I think it’s fair to say that while JVR still has a long way to go, the Demon recruiters did well in November to select him with their pick at #19 in the National Draft. His performance which involved six goals plus a number of goal assists and classy efforts suggests that he has a bright future as a key position player at AFL level and has even drawn comparisons with a young David Schwarz. The Ox played 173 games (244 goals) for Melbourne between 1991 and 2002 and overcame 3 knee reconstructions to win a club best and fairest and represent Victoria but I had the advantage of seeing him play as a young man prior to his senior debut. In 1990, a couple of players from my eldest son’s footy club were picked to play for Melbourne’s Under 19s and joined a strong team that included a young David Schwarz from Sunbury. The pre-ACL Schwarz was dynamic, strong and athletic for his 195cm and within two years rose through the ranks to a regular senior players and by 1994 was one of the competition’s star key forwards. I’ve seen a lot of that young Ox in JVR. Schwarz made his VFL/AFL debut in 1991 and played 6 games for Melbourne that year. I’m comfortable in comparing JVR with the Ox of 1990 - again, that’s not to guarantee that he’ll make it but I’m buoyed by the fact that at the same stage in terms of age, JVR has played senior WAFL games and now kicked multiple goals at VFL level. The big question is when will he make his AFL debut. If he was at North Melbourne or one of the others at the foot of the ladder, he would probably have already played. But the beauty of being at Melbourne, is that he will get the time necessary for him to be physically and mentally prepared when the day comes.

Never take your opponent for granted. That was the lesson we learned when the Demons went down to Blundstone Arena last year. They trailed the bottom-of-the-ladder Kangaroos by 19 points at half time and only managed to shake them off with their superior fitness in the final term. NORTH MELBOURNE B: A. Bonar 16 B McKay 23 S. Atley 18 HB: J. Ziebell 7 J. Walker 19 A. Hall 43 C: L. Young 17 J. Simpkin 12 J. Stephenson 2 HF: K. Turner 28 C. Taylor 5 C. Zurhaar 44 F: Jack Mahony 1 N. Larkey 20 T. Thomas 26 Foll T. Goldstein 22 B. Cunnington 10 T. Powell 24 I/C: A. Bosenavulagi 15 T. Campbell 42 C. Lazzaro W. Phillips 29 Sub: C. Menadue 31 Emerg: E. Ford 40 B. Scott 8 D. Tyson 21 In: A. Hall C. Lazzaro Out: L. Davies-Uniacke (personal reasons) C. Menadue (omitted) MELBOURNE B: J. Lever 8 S. May 1 M. Hibberd 14 HB: C. Salem 3 A. Tomlinson 20 J. Hunt 29 C: O. Baker 33 C. Petracca 5 E Langdon 15 HF: J. Jordon 23 T. McDonald 25 J. Melksham 18 F: C. Spargo 9 B. Brown 50 B. Fritsch 31 Foll: M. Gawn 11 A. Brayshaw 10 C. Oliver 13 I/C L. Jackson 6 A. Neal-Bullen 30 K. Pickett 36 T. Rivers 24 Sub: N. Jones 2 Emerg: K. Chandler 37 H. Petty 35 In: O. Baker B. Brown Out: K. Chandler (omitted) J. Viney (toe)