whatwhat say what

I stand by my call that the sanfl has slipped a long way as a competition and a breeding ground for young talent.

I wouldn't even say Strauss has an elite kick. He regularly misses targets whenever under a scintilla of pressure. Good at training tho.

i still think $cully should be a very good player. he has the speed and tenacity. it was interesting to read about how he was utilised at u/18 football compared to afl football - it would seem he was much more of a pure outsider, allowed to run and carry and use his speed from half-back. in the afl he's been much more of an inside mid at melbourne and gws, and tried as a tagger at the latter as well to help build his defensive game. he worked wonders for us - if we had him, i don't think we'd have clark, dawes, hogan, or barry.

I don't think Cuthbertson took another mark after he changed to (I think) #9.

happy to see fitz stick with 48.

Doubt it. No games in Adelaide on Adelaide Oval until round 2, pretty sure they only use the ground sporadically at best - they have their own grounds in the suburbs. I imagine the WAFL and NEAFL is the same.

Classic Demonland.

didn't whateley start his career as a race caller, like bruce mcaveney did in south australia? i haven't heard him call any races, but he seems to love his nags - as davis points out, he wrote a book about black caviar after all.

If it doesn't happen this time the club, it could be the death of the club. Hope not!

There's always 'bolters' and 'sliders' at this time of year. At the moment it looks like KK, Bontempelli, Freeman and Lennon might be in the former category, and the two SA prospects, Aish and Scharenberg, might be in the latter. It would surprise me enormously if either were available at pick 9 - for the last year they've been touted as 2 and 3 behind Boyd. I guess we'll know for certain in under a month.

I think I've got this right: Rodan to Melbourne, Morton to meth coke, Lewis Stevenson to Port, 88 started with Port then ended back there, 88 became 85 due to Crows' salary cap scandal and compo picks, Jonas upgraded by Port!

Could we, should we, would we? Are we in need of a new whipping boy?

I think it's a real shame. Looks like he had the talent but not the application.

Pretty sure Pete Ryan is a filth man unfortunately. Good dude tho. One of few in the media who actually know anything about us at all.

Nahas is hopelessly soft, wouldn't go near him.

100% true that gws selected players based on being teammates at junior level and friends. Source: recruiter at another club.

the only swans player who knew before they were knocked out of the finals was mcveigh. after that it went to the whole leadership group. they were the only players who knew before the deal was broken by cordy. someone must've talked...

The very notion of it seems absurd. And yet, and yet...

i would srsly wet myself if we got kennedy for pick 9.

matt jones and mckenzie will help add to the depth of the midfield in 2014. grimes needs a set position. his reading of the play is exemplary. if he's not forced to try to do two roles - both roaming half-back and grunt mid - then he'll be the player we want him to be.

I agree that gws must recruit Scharenberg, otherwise there was no point to getting pick 2... Unless of course they on-trade it, which has been mooted. They have plenty of a similar ilk to Aish, Kelly, Billings etc. Boyd and Scharenberg is the only deal that makes sense.

B: Clisby - Frawley - Garland HB: Grimes - McDonald - Terlich C: Trengove - N Jones - Vince HF: Hogan - Dawes - Howe F: Fitzpatrick - Clark - Byrnes Foll: Gawn - Cross - Viney I/C: Michie - Tyson - Watts Sub: Toumpas Emerg: Dunn - Jamar - M Jones Further depth: McKenzie Blease Strauss Magner Evans Kent Kids: Barry Stark #9 #40 #54 PSD #2 Various Rookie draft picks Not up to it (?): Pedersen Nicholson Tapscott Jetta Spencer Bail i'm not as sold on jamar being 'finished' as others. i'm hopeful that he can still contribute when required. he's a lumbering dinosaur, but they have their time. some would say i'm being harsh on some of those i see as not being up to it, but on the evidence thus far for me they're just not good enough to be afl level players. edit: just looking at my proposed side, we are crying out for a class distributor from half-back. hopefully toumpas can become that player.

We lost a player, have picked up two ready to roll mids, a hugely promising and highly rated inside mid, and still hold a pick in the top 10. Meanwhile, Barrett thinks a 30 year old outside runner is going to catapult his side from outside the top 8 into the top 4. Nuff said!

Why not select him as a delisted free agent, rather than use a psd pick?

Vince is one of those weird anomalies - a natural right footer who is arguably better off the left. I really hope the Cross rumour is true. Perfect bloke to help teach Tyson, Michie, Toumpas, et al just what's required in terms of professionalism to being the best midfielder you can be.