whatwhat say what

It's more what we give up to get him that concerns me. I think he'll help us add depth and skill, but I still say he's a solid but unspectacular player. Same as his old buddy Melksham who I would argue has more variable attributes which makes him a more beneficial depth player, whereas Hibberd should be a lock-down best half-back. However, he is completely one-sided and limited in terms of flexibility in a game that is increasingly becoming about variety of roles that can be played and skills that can be executed. If we pay more than our 2017 second round pick we've been gypped.

Shaw was a general at the pies and he's a general at the Giants. Hibberd is a solid foot soldier. He'd absolute be best 22 for 14 or so sides I would guess, including ours, but I fear we will way overpay for a solid player who is limited to only playing one position.

I still don't see the massive appeal of Hibberd. He's a 27 year old one sided half back flanker who has never been able to be part of the midfield rotation. In modern football more often than not yr back 7 consists of a genuine small (Jetta), three talls (Mac x2, Frost) then a rotation of ostensible midfield runners who rotate back. He strikes me as a classic 'good, ordinary' player and I cannot understand what massive benefit he would bring to our side.

Good kicks, smart kicks, and clearance players.

Don't see how - he's not going to win centre clearances.

Agreed, I said as much the same to the source - my guess is just a bomber trying to justify losing a best 22 player. Like the velvety sledgehammer saying keeping Hurley and Walla = more important than having those dudes plus Hibberd.

Got this from today someone involved at the bombers: "Rumours swirling that Hibberd has been offered around 725k for 4 years from the Dees" That better be a joke. No way he's worth close to that.

Loving his contribution to the team.

As a matter of interest, would the median age / games played provide a different perspective?

That's less of a blow that Viney. He picked a shocking time to break his hand throwing a punch.

That's nuts how young and inexperienced we are.

kid looks a jet in the making. should've nailed at least three of his four points today.

he would waltz into our forward line and provide a great chop-out for gawn. very, very good player.

Callum Mills should take out the rising star I reckon. Petracca and Oliver will hopefully split people on which Melbourne young gun to vote for...

i can't wait to see what this kid can do.

god i wish we'd recruited dunstall. imagine him as part of that late 80s / early 90s side alongside stynes, lyon, tingay, g lovett, b lovett, wight et al. anyway, back to oliver... was he better nab2 or nab1? probably more spectacular nab 2, with the mark and the big long sweeping handballs?

Back to Oliver... Some rumors around that Dodoro (Essendon recruiter) thinks he might be the best mid drafted since the Hodge - Ball - Judd era. No wonder they spat chips when we got him if he rated him that highly.

Back to Oliver - how much has he grown since being drafted? When he was being interviewed by Barry Hall on the weekend he looks almost as tall as him.

let's just remember, this is all nasher's fault. kid looks a jet. natural ball winner and knows how to use it from the looks of things. perhaps too prone to handball would be the one knock on what we saw yesterday. ability to win the contest as well as work super hard defensively and lay some serious tackles is massively encouraging.

agreed. he won't just play round 1, he'll start on the ground.

Will be going up against some serious players too. Let's see how he travels!

He got off on appeal.

just don't lie down in the middle of any busy roads robert.

Wilbur Green is the elder of the two I think - my son and he are in the same AusKick, and my boy is in the year below, and he's six. Has skills, but not as much as Buckley or Hird's kids, who look natural footballers. But they pale in comparison to Wanganeen's boy, who will be a star for Port in a couple of years. Freaking amazing talent.

i don't see jones as in selwood's class either. viney is the one who i think can get there - he has the same offensive / defensive mindset, and sheer will to win every contest in which he competes. i am hoping oliver (and petracca, for that matter) can become more like rockliff than like jones - high possession mids who also work well defensively in addition to hitting the scoreboard regularly.