Tony Tea

EVERYTHING went right for Richmond in 2017, plus the flag was ripe for pinching. The Tigers only need a few injuries, especially to Rance or Dusty, and they will need a parachute.

People think “first round pick” means “top ten pick”. Pick 10 and Pick Teen is what Melbourne gave up if the Dees improve in 2018. Bottom half of 1st round is not much better than the top half of 2nd round. Even if 2018 is a superdraft. ("Next year's draft" is always a superdraft.) Chuck in the pick flips and we have done well picking up a highly rated 21 year old with exposed form.

Hardwick and Beveridge both play Clarko Footy, which is based on every player doing a job. That's 5 flags in a row to the Clarko School. Goodwin, although not a Clarko School graduate, obviously has the same philosophy. If we'd stayed fit and had a full list all year we would have given the flag a shake given 2017 was most definitely a weakish year with a flag waiting to be pinched. Pity it was the Tigers who had everything go right. Everyone seems to be focussing on what the Tigers did in 2017, but they only did what several teams did previously. I still reckon we are better than Richmond.

$750k to $800k is not massive overs when you consider that Lever would have been on $550 to $600 at Adelaide and you nearly always have to pay a premium to lure a player out of another club. The salary cap will also increase next year. 10 and 27 is eminently fair for a key defender who can play and who should give 10 years to the club.

And in the same season Scotty Thompson retired.

http://m.afc.com.au/sites/AdelaideCrows/news/2017-10-03/statement-jake-lever

Conformation that there is something amiss at The Demons. The "1,179 others" are all the people who have ever played for Melbourne.

Adelaide are reported in the Herald Sun to be reluctant to take 10 and 27 for Lever. No doubt it is only a coincidence that Adelaide refused Carlton's demand for two first rounders for Gibbs last year. IS Jake Lever’s expected move to Melbourne on the rocks?

Could make sense if Tippett wasn't Tippett.

Goodes was a powerful runner who just kept moving to give options. Watts doesn't seem to know how to continually present, especially when the Dees lack cohesion, and demand the ball.

I thought we were after Balic, not Impey. The former likes contested footy (apparently), the latter us a bit of a flake. We don't need flakes.

Derpy derp derp.

I was shattered when the Bulldogs won. I was absolutely shattered when the Tigers won. I swear the Tigers aren't that good and just had a year where absolutely everything went right.

Non, meet sequitur.

Why does everyone think Waldron is a troll? He probably knows a lot of what goes on. He probably knows about the same as most every other media footy pundit.

I sincerely hope there is more to Goodwin that tricks like the diamond defence. The way we dismantled the Dogs makes me confident Goodwin appreciates AFL level intensity. The way we finished the year leaves me pessimistic we have been sussed. Either way, we need more talent and development. (And I still maintain we are better than Richmond.)

Every player has his price. If you could get Dusty for Watts you'd do it. Watts has been put up before, but the Dees got no realistic bites. If Collingwood gave us a first round pick for Watts, would you do the deal?

Further to my previous. Misson's mission has got to be a long term affair. The continued development of a young list into a resilient, game-conditioned and physicallg strong group will take time. Naturally, I have no idea about how to condition professional footballers, or even how long it takes, so I really have no idea about whether Misson is doing a good job.

I wonder whether our lapses are less to do with fitness and more to do with opposition changes to which we are slow to respond. Probably a bit of both. Probably also to do with rotations putting wrong players (lesser and less intense players) in the wrong places. Hopefully we are weeding out the lesser and less intense players. All it takes is one weak link in a full court press and the opposition can stroll through to get "out the back here". This occurred late in the year, but hardly at all early in the year when we were in good nick.

It gets right up my goat that in a season where several teams may pinch a premiership, we got slaughtered by absences while the Tiger Sash Trash are virtually scratch-free.

I'd prefer to see the Tiges beaten in the Prelim. after the siren.

I don't like GWS, I don't even think they should have been started, but I hope they beat Richmond.

Whas dat?

These days footballers certainly go over the top. There is an enormous pile of garnish on that article. He punched him in the head, got suspended. Move on.

From what I saw last night, Coniglio.