whatwhat say what

We play a zone defence; we're not likely to recruit a gorilla tamer - I don't think it would suit the game plan as it stands If are are able to get Lever plus hold onto Frost and the Macs, our defence will be built around closing down space and interception I think if we are fortunate enough to get Lever we are ensuring that T Mac will play forward on a more permanent basis, but he can be thrown back if required So the backline will be formed out of three 'bigs' in Lever, Frost, and O Mac, then the interception and rebound of Jetta, Hibberd and Hunt (plus Lever who also adds excellent rebound kicking to his defensive responsibilities) plus the rotation of Vince, Lewis, Jones, ANB and I think probably Brayshaw and I am seriously excited about our defence It's more about what we have to give up from the midfield / forward structure that will see how our game plan is effected with the addition of Lever It's why I am totally unopposed to giving up 17 and 18 first round picks - ideally getting something 'back' from Adelaide (say, 2018 second round pick) I am REALLY excited about the idea of getting Lever, But not sure why this thread isn't just part of the general Lever discussion...

from a crows' supporting mate who is increasingly concerned they're losing lever, mcgovern and cameron at the end of the year:

crows will demand a seriously good player and a first round pick if a club isn't prepared to give up two good players lever will be one of the best key defenders in the competition for the next decade

it would be tricky to se it happen; you'd think dogs would see tippett primarily as a ruck who can play forward in rotation with boyd and to a lesser degree roughead could easily be more complicated that just dees, dogs, and swans involved - given that both melbourne and footscray are being discussed with regards to lever, you'd think he'd be part of any trade that also saw jones, tippett and 'something else' moved around

The advantage of Tippett is that you can make the Swans pay the majority of his salary The disadvantage for Tippett is that he's still Tippett...at his best a seriously good player and at his worst not quite as bad as Vickery...not quite

lever is all class; easily worth two first rounders will in the conversation as the best defender in the competition for the next decade all the word i've heard is that it's the dogs, us and the pies into him in a big way

i am sick to death of everyone raving about the carlton youngsters best on the weekend were, according to the esteemed judges at afl.com.au: Kreuzer, Gibbs, Murphy, Curnow, Docherty, Casboult, Kerridge other than curnow and docherty, not one is 23 and under their youth is talented, but their senior players remain their best players that carlton are so low on the ladder for the last several years is an indictment upon these senior players; the likes of kreuzer, gibbs and murphy are absolutely brilliant footballers and should be leading the blues much better than they have been

blues are also chasing hopper, big time everyone will it was absurd that he was part of their academy; the kid basically lived in ballarat from the age of 12 onwards, and leeton is closer to melbourne than it is sydney for goodness' sake the zone that gw$ has access to is far, far too large

mitch cleary on 3aw reckons the dogs are the favourites to get him but no one will know for certain until an announcement is made

according to my crows supporting cousin who is a teacher in sa - teaching contracts for 2018 have not been offered as yet might be different for a private school of course

joel garner sounds like a likely sort

$800k a year for Lever is a bargain

very harsh on frost. has been playing as #1 key defender in the #9 defensive side has the speed and strength to play on the best forwards in the game, and takes the game on going the other way

$4m over 5 years is not a huge amount for a 21 year old key back who looks like becoming one of the best defenders in the competition if the dogs are offering that sort of money, either they're not keeping jj or two or three of boyd, the elder, murphy and morris must be retiring...or both jj wants $800k himself, and there has been some talk that essendon might be keen...three way deal in the offing?

agreed, he has improved markedly since being made to earn his spot and having his role changed - he's much more damaging as a negating player up the ground than as a half-back flank

can't see higgins falling as low as 13 either. scouts i speak to rate him the best 'pure mid' behind uniak in the draft. and i 100% agree re fogerty - he's a half back swooper, not a mid

Yeah, I am presuming he'll stay, too Let's go get GW$' Kelly!

O Mac was magnificent today I honestly think Lever would make us a better side...but where does he fit in? 2x Macs and Frost, plus Hibberd and Jetta, then rebound in Hunt and Salem, plus Lewis, Vince and Jones rotating through defensively...how does Lever fit in?

Robbing Peter to pay Paul

Crows supporters super confident Lever is going nowhere; just waiting for cba to be settled Those doubting the value of Weed need their heads read; key position talls are pretty rare these days, look at the value and desire for Schache as an example...plus Weed is going nowhere seeing as he recently signed til end of 2019 and will be a huge part of our forward structure in coming years

arguably one of his best five games for the club...and he could very well be dropped due to team balance next week if gawn or spencer come back in

sounds ideal for a zone defence to me

lever, in a heartbeat. kid is all class

what was the injury? i gave up watching he was looking very, very good when i was tho

word i have heard is it's closer to an average of $750k per annum over the course of the three years, so slightly over $2.25m total value, not the reported $2m over three