Its Time for Another

16/3/16 - 32,623 16/3/15 - 29,510 15/3/14 - 30,421 14/3/13 - 26,751 14/3/12 - 26,791

OMG! I was so excited about this trading and drafting list, I don't want to use the term "premature" posting on the back of your reference to "wet himself" but how I could have left out the rookies Vanders and M White is hard to otherwise explain.

Must you. Don't agree with thinking any of those years were going to create dynasties. 2009 I'll get to but I'd argue 2008 looked more like a dynasty maker and we know how that worked out. 2008 Draft Watts, Blease Strauss Jamie Bennell Nev Jetta Rohan Bail Pre Season Liam Jurrah Chris Johnson Rookie (Interestingly there were 74 rookies picked that year) Jordie McKenzie Rhys Healey (Anyone ever heard of him) Daniel Hughes 2009 (Except for the first two I wouldn't say any expectations of a dynasty from this bunch) Scully = Jesse Hogan (In the Club's words at the time. "A player you can build a team around." Trengove = who knows, but signs are very promising that he could come back to his best. Hey, why not be optimistic until proved otherwise. Gysberts never understood this pick at the time and since. Not going to go into who we could have had instead. Tapscott also didn't understand this pick at the time. Max Gawn. Say no more now but speculative at the time. Jack Fitzpatrick (Highly speculative bust) Joel McDonald (Pre season draft-No expectations at the time) John Meesen (Rookie draft - very low expectaions

True but few of them are starting from such a low base as we have been trawling in over the past few years. We don't have to do a real lot to make a quantum improvement. Things like know our basic game plan. Have the fitness to run both ways. Have big enough bodies to compete to get the ball. Basic understanding of where to position yourself on the field. Basic understanding of the game to be able to anticipate where the opposition are likely to kick the ball rather than waiting for it to be kicked and then chase after it and hope to hit the contest. Have a basic structure of competitive players in every position rather than having gaping holes with no competitive players. Like our forward line over the pre Jesse era. We have already seen plenty of these things appear over the preseason. It's not overnight. They've been building since Roosy arrived but now the full package to whatever standard that is at present, is ready. Who knows what it'll translate to in wins. But it is clearly better footy. And there's a lot more depth of talented, knowledgeable, adequately conditioned, skilled players.

Totally agree with you on Varcoe but it was never on. We were bent over on this one by Clarke and lucky to get something when it looked like it was going to be nothing. Let's see by the end of this year whether it was a bust or not. Not like Cats did too well out of it either. ANB demonstrated all the traits that were described as a junior. Good contested player who can get his own ball, elite running capacity, excellent reader of the play. He continually bobbed up in the forward line to create options that we never used to have. He did that by reading the play a hell of a lot better than a lot of the outside runners we have had around the place for a long time. Knew when to gut run into the forward line and create options and kick goals. Eg the Geelong game. I really don't understand the lack of love based on what he did last year.

Apologies. It was just the Scully like feelings towards Goddard hit a cord.

Cats Tigers Suns Saints Blues Potentially Cats, less likely but possibly Toigs, could be fighting for a place in the top 4. Hawks, Weagles, Swans, Dockers might be very effected by this. Teams fighting for home final at 5th & 6th perhaps Kangas, GWS, could have to deal with Toigs or even Suns. Saints and Blues won't effect anything but all games should be against bottom 5. The AFL should really decide this after all teams have played each other once. The only way of guaranteeing it would be irrelevant.

Spoken like a true Saints supporter

Strange combination of statements. ANB who played some great games last year especially against the Cats is going to be a FAQ. For some reason you think Stretch offered more. Newton overcame injuries and played some great games in the last weeks of last season and showed he may well make it but according to you he's a bust. Lumumba was injured so you write him off for having a bad season. You write off a whole lot of first year players as not best 22 without giving them a chance. Excuse my ignorance what's the LM?

You're getting caught up in end results of Premierships. I'm not even going there. I'm looking at the quality of the players recruited in this one period. They alone won't make a dynasty. Obviously you need 22 players on the ground. Plus another group of equally competitive players to cover injuries. Plus everything else needs to be right. Development, coaching etc. However, for what it's worth I think this group has the makings of a group that are virtually all going to be around for a long time and will form the nucleus of the team for the next 10 years. That's what I call a dynasty. I use the Cats of 2000 as an example because they had a group come in the one year who formed a nucleus for the next 10 or so years.

According to Essendon the players weren't given anything illegal. The only reason they can't prove this is Danks failure to have kept records that I would assume would have been the minimum requirement of his contract with the Club. If I had contracted someone and they were this negligent you bet I'd be suing them. They should have insurance to cover this sort of negligence. So the question then arises. Why aren't Essendon suing him? Hmmm, maybe just maybe, it wasn't him that lost them. Maybe just maybe it was someone else in the Club. Why would that be so. Only one reason I can think of.

I can see that.

Not sure why you've taken this topic to be a discussion about how well Jason Taylor does his job. It's about the players. I agree there's lots of luck involved, always is. It's irrelevant to whether this group are all going to be the makings of a solid team for the next ten years. I'm sure you don't have to lecture people on here about luck in drafting. 2003 we have picks 3 &5 and picked the best available, who to this day look like they were about right. Who were they? Sylvia and McLean. The next year the Hawks have basically the same draft picks and who are best available? Roughead and Buddy. If they'd been available a year earlier who knows where we would be now. Although knowing the recruiters at the time they probably wouldn't have picked either. It was luck Petracca and Brayshaw were available in this draft. I agree it was luck the Saints went McCartin but that's the way it happened. If we'd had those picks this year the result wouldn't have been as good. Who cares. You can go mad thinking about all the reasons why. I'm happy just to accept they've arrived and what they have to offer not who should or shouldn't take credit.

The topics about the quality of this one draft group. Not necessarily how many Premierships we are going to win. We need a lot more than just this group to make that happen and quite a few of the others are starting to emerge. I just think it's proving to be a particularly good group of quality players all of whom look like they are going to make it and who play all over the ground and have given real depth and skill to the team. Especially relevant in light of previous recruiting and drafting.

15/3/16 - 31,434 16/3/15 - 29,510 15/3/14 - 30,421 14/3/13 - 26,751 14/3/12 - 26,791 So still around 2000 ahead of same time last year. Let's hope we end up further ahead than that. Spoke to the membership department today and they are expecting a good increase over the next week with lots of telephone evenings and a few other initiatives.

It's beginning to look like the group we brought in are going to create a Geelong 2000 like dynasty. You can effectively add Jesse H into that group as he debuted with them. Traded in Jeff Garlett ( Had a few behavioural question marks and was coming off an ordinary season, by his standards.) GUN!! Heritier Lumumba (Carried ankle injuries in his first year, so juries out. Will know by the end of the year but reports are promising) Sam Frost (Injury ruined first year. Looks like he will hold down a position in the team for the time being.) Juries out. Ben Newton (Free Agent) (Started to show very promising signs in the last few games.) Juries out Drafted Christian Petracca Going to be an absolute gun. Special X factor Angus Brayshaw GUN!! Alex Neal Bullen Bit of a smokey and a surprise at such a late pick. Got much more game time than expected in first year and showed he's going to be a solid long term contributor. Billy Stretch Same as above except not smokey as was Father Son Oscar McDonald Rookie Draft Aaron vandenBurg GUN!! Mitch White Shows great promise off half back. Tall, athletic, skilled. Plenty of development to go.

If the Club were smart, they'd switch this to Gosch's. They're likely to get a crowd with these two playing. They could set up a membership tent, do a sausage sizzle. Offer Casey members a discounted entry to the MFC game. It would be the only way to see both games and a great opportunity to get some more memberships through. Clearly if he's about to play a game there haven't been any hiccups in his training since he resumed. They must know by now with all the work he's subject the foot to that it's going to be ok or they wouldn't risk him already. That's absolutely huge news. I must admit I was hopeful but not optimistic about hearing this at all and hearing it so soon is a big surprise. Although this is exactly the timetable Trenners spoke about some time ago. So assuming it works out that he is in fact over the injury I wonder how many games he will play at Casey before we see him at MFC. From what I've read about how good his touch is at training it wouldn't surprise me if he does 3 games at Casey. I would have thought that's a minimum. 5 is probably more realistic. Would be great if he and Petracca were back in round 3. I've just booked everything for the Hobart game.

Wonder what they are doing compared to us to get their membership turning over better than us when they finished behind us and their prospects don't look any better than ours.

I watched part of their game yesterday. They were very very good. I didn't rate them and thought they were due for a decline this year as they really hadn't done much trading in but they are a good team, playing very good footy. they're fast and don't turn the footy over. Can we beat them? Yes, but only playing our best for 4 quarters. We haven't been able to do that yet this pre season. Let's hope we see it today.

Mate, you are a legend. What a great offer. I did this for years until both my kids were over 15. I don't need the Junior memberships anymore but this is a great idea. I'll have a think about anyone I know. I really hope someone else takes up your offer. Well done.

Yea we can. Iyiu have to have so many first round picks, I think over a four year period. We used 2 last year. So are placed well. They already have our first rounder this year so getting another extra one the year after might suit their list management even more. Just get the wins boys that'll get him, especially if one was against the Hawks. Hey they could all get gastro on the morning.

I wondered if it was something like a 400. They're crystal clear. You've got a great knack for getting action shots at a good point. I guess a motor drive as well. I live in Sydney so really appreciate your pics especially of new players. Gives a great sense of what they are like physically and some skills execution. Oliver's and Weideman's size. The Weid looked much lighter in the upper body than I expected for someone already 91+ kgs. But your shots show he has a really light touch and feel for the ball. He looks from your photos like he could be something special. Also interesting seeing Tracs kicking style. Very unique to him and looks very consistent from the photos. He looks like a beast. He and Mumford would be the only recruits I've heArd of who have to lose weight not out it on. Mummy was mature age when he started. Great stuff. Thanks again. I'm thinking about buying something but I'd be lower end than you. Possibly a 750D or maybe the new 80D. Will use it for a bit of videoing as well. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

As usual excellent photos. Just out of interest what do you shoot them with.

AVB not ANB.

Interesting no Dawes again.