Blistering

Austin Bradtke vs Adam Tomlinson Toby Bedford vs Aaron Nietschke Corey Wagner vs Oskar Baker Kade Chandler vs Steven May Trent Rivers vs Ed Langdon

It was mentioned earlier in the week that James Jordon had built up considerably over the off season. Here’s a photo from yesterday’s training. He looks like he has a bit of a way to go still. Would any of our track watchers like to give us a comparison of the development of these three young blokes drafted 12 months ago: • Tom Sparrow (2 games, injured for parts of the season) • James Jordon (0 games, would have been close to senior selection at times) • Aaron Nietschke (0 games, ACL early and out all year) I would imagine that Sparrow is the most advanced. What are their prospects for selection in 2020?

With our last pick coming deep in the draft, it’s worth looking at the state leagues. We took Marty Hore from there last year and he was one of our best recruits. AFL draft: The best state league prospects

GC17 aren’t going to stump up $1m for a reluctant player for a one year term.

I think I saw a photo of Jordon and I didn't think he had built up that much. Are there any pictures from training so far that someone can post here? Saty?

We seem to have gone into a shell. Are we associated with anybody at the moment?

Everyone is in raptures about the Saints’ recruiting to date but they’ve lost some handy footballers as well as having no presence left in the draft. This suggests to me that if a couple of their recruits get injured or don’t meet their expected standards, the club could end up with egg on its face.

Prefer others.

Gold Coast is said to be prepared to trade pick 2 for Brad Crouch and will give him a 5 years deal at $1m a year. Crouch can play but they’re spending far too much for someone who misses a third of a season on average through injury. They would cheapen pick 2 because of that sort of horse trading.

Jake Lever played in a Preliminary Final today for Ormond Amateurs in VAFA C Section. Also in the Ormond team was former Demon Simon Buckley and his brother who’s the skipper. Didn't help - they lost.

The from the NAB League website - MORRISH MEDAL Western Jets co-captain and rebounding defender Lucas Rocci has claimed his club’s first-ever Morrish Medal for the NAB League Boys competition’s best and fairest player. The 175cm top-ager averaged 17 disposals, four marks and five rebound-50s per game across 13 home-and-away matches. He polled 17 votes to finish clear of Sandringham Dragons skipper Ryan Byrnes on 14 votes, with fellow top-agers Ned Gentile (Calder Cannons), Mitch Mellis (Eastern Ranges) and Jay Rantall (GWV Rebels) rounding out the top five on the leaderboard on 13 votes apiece. 2019 NAB LEAGUE BOYS TEAM OF THE YEAR COACH Darren Bewick (Eastern Ranges) CAPTAIN Lachlan Ash (Murray Bushrangers) B Darcy Cassar (Western Jets) Sam De Koning (Dandenong Stingrays) Brodie Newman (Calder Cannons) HB Hayden Young (Dandenong Stingrays) Fischer McAsey (Sandringham Dragons) Lachlan Ash (Murray Bushrangers) C Noah Anderson (Oakleigh Chargers) Jay Rantall (GWV Rebels) Trent Bianco (Oakleigh Chargers) HF Jack Mahony (Sandringham Dragons) Josh Worrell (Sandringham Dragons) Sam Flanders (Gippsland Power) F Cody Weightman (Dandenong Stingrays) Brodie Kemp (Bendigo Pioneers) Mitch Mellis (Eastern Ranges) FOLL Charlie Comben Gippsland Power) Matthew Rowell (Oakleigh Chargers) Caleb Serong (Gippsland Power) I/C Samuel Philp (Northern Knights) Lachlan Stapleton (Eastern Ranges) Jesse Clark (Geelong Falcons) Mitch O’Neill (Tasmania Devils) Ryan Byrnes (Sandringham Dragons) Lucas Rocci (Western Jets) Back pocket: DARCY CASSAR (Western Jets) 183cm top-ager / averaged 25 disposals, 6.5 marks and 5.5 rebound-50s in eight NAB League games / represented Vic Metro in four matches Full-back: SAM DE KONING (Dandenong Stingrays) 200cm top-ager / averaged 11 disposals and three marks in 10 NAB League games / represented Vic Country in four matches / named in AFL Under-18 All Australian Team Back pocket: BRODIE NEWMAN (Calder Cannons) 191cm top-ager / averaged 19 disposals, 6.5 marks and 4.5 rebound-50s in 10 NAB League games / represented Vic Metro in two matches Half-back: HAYDEN YOUNG (Dandenong Stingrays) 188cm top-ager / Dandenong captain / averaged 22 disposals, four marks and four rebound-50s in 10 NAB League games / represented Vic Country in four matches / named in AFL Under-18 All Australian Team Centre-half-back: FISCHER McASEY (Sandringham Dragons) 195cm top-ager / averaged 12 disposals and five marks in five NAB League games / represented Vic Metro in four matches / won Vic Metro’s MVP award / named in AFL Under-18 All Australian Team Half-back: LACHLAN ASH (Murray Bushrangers) 186cm top-ager / Murray co-captain / averaged 23 disposals, five marks and four tackles in nine NAB League games / Vic Country co-captain / represented Vic Country in four matches / named in AFL Under-18 All Australian Team Wing: NOAH ANDERSON (Oakleigh Chargers) 188cm top-ager / averaged 27 disposals and five inside-50s as well as kicking 11 goals in four NAB League games / Vic Metro captain / represented Vic Metro in four matches / named in AFL Under-18 All Australian Team Centre: JAY RANTALL (GWV Rebels) 184cm top-ager / averaged 26 disposals and 6.5 tackles as well as kicking 10 goals in 11 NAB League games / represented Vic Country in four matches Wing: TRENT BIANCO (Oakleigh Chargers) 178cm top-ager / Oakleigh co-captain / averaged 25 disposals, 5.5 marks and five rebound-50s in eight NAB League games / represented Vic Metro in four matches Half-forward: JACK MAHONY (Sandringham Dragons) 176cm top-ager / averaged 18 disposals, 5.5 tackles and four inside-50s in three NAB League games / represented Vic Metro in four matches Centre-half-forward: JOSHUA WORRELL (Sandringham Dragons) 195cm top-ager / averaged 14 disposals and four marks in four NAB League games / represented Vic Metro in four matches Half-forward: SAM FLANDERS (Gippsland Power) 182cm top-ager / averaged 22 disposals, 4.5 inside-50s and four tackles in nine NAB League games / represented Vic Country in four matches / named in AFL Under-18 All Australian Team Forward pocket: CODY WEIGHTMAN (Dandenong Stingrays) 177cm top-ager / averaged 16 disposals and 3.5 inside-50s as well as kicking seven goals in five NAB League games / represented Vic Country in four matches / named in AFL Under-18 All Australian Team Full-forward: BRODIE KEMP (Bendigo Pioneers) 192cm top-ager / averaged 17 disposals and three marks in three NAB League games / represented Vic Country in four matches / named in AFL Under-18 All Australian Team Forward pocket: MITCH MELLIS (Eastern Ranges) 173cm top-ager / averaged 24 disposals and four inside-50s as well as kicking nine goals in 10 NAB League games / represented Vic Metro in three matches Ruck: CHARLIE COMBEN (Gippsland Power) 199cm top-ager / averaged 12 disposals, 3.5 marks and 10 hitouts in 10 NAB League games / represented Vic Country in four matches Ruck rover: MATTHEW ROWELL (Oakleigh Chargers) 178cm top-ager / averaged 27 disposals, 10 tackles and 4.5 inside-50s in four NAB League games / represented Vic Metro in four matches / named in AFL Under-18 All Australian Team Rover: CALEB SERONG (Gippsland Power) 178cm top-ager / averaged 22 disposals, six tackles and four inside-50s in two NAB League games / Vic Country co-captain / represented Vic Country in four matches / won Vic Country’s MVP award / named in AFL Under-18 All Australian Team Interchange: SAM PHILP (Northern Knights) 185cm top-ager / averaged 19 disposals and four tackles as well as kicking eight goals in 14 NAB League games Interchange: LACHLAN STAPLETON (Eastern Ranges) 177cm top-ager / averaged 20 disposals, five tackles and four inside-50s in 10 NAB League games / represented Vic Metro in one match Interchange: JESSE CLARK (Geelong Falcons) 188cm top-ager / Geelong co-captain / averaged 21 disposals and 6.5 rebound-50s in 10 NAB League games / represented Vic Country in four matches Interchange: MITCH O’NEILL (Tasmania Devils) 178cm top-ager / averaged 20 disposals and 4.5 tackles in six NAB League games / represented the Allies in four matches / named in AFL Under-18 All Australian Team Interchange: RYAN BYRNES (Sandringham Dragons) 181cm top-ager / Sandringham captain / averaged 22 disposals and 4.5 inside-50s in 11 NAB League games / represented Vic Metro in one match Interchange: LUCAS ROCCI (Western Jets) 175cm top-ager / Western co-captain / averaged 17 disposals, four marks and 4.5 rebound-50s in 13 NAB League games / Morrish Medal winner

This is going to be a tough one for track watchers because according to the mfc site, “the session on Friday, 15 February has been moved behind closed doors.” The question is whether there are any Demonlanders who are our flies on walls. Otherwise, the next open session at Gosch's Paddock will be held on Wednesday, 20 February (9.30am)

Jack Viney Sam Frost Jake Lever Christian Salem

6. Tom McDonald vs Mitch Hannan Jeff Garlett vs Billy Stretch Braydon Preuss vs Jayden Hunt

Is there anyone out there at Goschs Paddock other than people on the way to the tennis?

I agree - the song really is reminiscent of Colin - The Kid.

Now that Corey Maynard has been upgraded to the main list, we now have six vacancies for the draft but that number could drop if the club takes any delisted free agents or alternatively if it decides to limit the primary list to 38 or 39 (which would give scope to taking one or two more rookies). I suspect that if we are talking to DFAs then discussions would be well advanced and that we will hear about it by the end of the coming week. Sheridan and Townsend sound interesting.

And that’s the crux of the matter.

It seems that these days there are no rules about approaching opposition players during season and even when they are contracted for more than a year ahead. It didn’t worry Ross Lyon to approach Hogan and likewise, we should be keeping a close interest on Andrew Brayshaw over the next year or so and maintaining regular contact with him over how good life is with home and family in Melbourne.

Just reading this makes me think that the cupboard is pretty bare. Stuck in limbo: AFL players looking for a lifeline

Before he was dropped on the eve of the finals, JKH (174cm) played in the same team as Spargo that IIRC beat WCE and GWS.

Before the game, Casey assistant coach Sam Radford was interviewed on SEN. He said that the selection committee had decided to go with the smaller ruck group. This meant that there was no place in the side for King. I think Angus Scott was left out in favour of younger players like Collis and Machaya which also turned out to be a good move.

That's not what I wrote. Hawthorn have the experience to handle close games better than most but there is an element of luck involved and if you watched those games, you might have noticed. I think Melbourne might have turned the corner a bit as they showed both last week and a few weeks earlier against the Crows where they showed greater composure. In the end, it's the points gained from a win that's better than %age.

Yes, but even more important than percentage is the four points that go with winning the game. Of the other contenders battling with Melbourne, Hawthorn very narrowly won its last three games against Essendon, Geelong and St Kilda that went right down to the wire. Had they lost all three they would have been fighting today for their place in the top eight. Instead, everyone is talking about the genius of Clarkson. True, you have to be good to get up and win the close ones but there’s also an element of luck involved and the Hawks have had it in spades over the past month.

6. James Harmes 5. Jake Melksham 4. Mitch Hannan 3. Angus Brayshaw 2. Max Gawn 1. Nathan Jones