Lord Travis

Good effort from the Blues tonight. They’re not going to be an easy win for us in a few weeks time it seems.

Yeah you’d keep pick 4 and take it to draft unless it can be traded for a proven AFL gun (eg a star like Curnow or young gun like Noah Anderson). We haven’t heard about anything like that yet so doubt it’s on the cards. Those 2nd round picks look pretty worthless for our current list stage unless we draft more speculative young talls and hope for the best.

Thanks for the post. I said in another draft thread that this draft sounded heavily compromised and it may even be worth trading out to next year instead. Your analysis showing how far out our picks could be pushed makes me think either we go all in on Reid or partially opt out of this draft altogether. Good food for thought, and I hope the recruiters are working through it with a decisive plan.

If they got Sandwrs and the pick 3 as compo for McKay then that ruins any plan for us to trade up for pick 1. West coast will only trade down to pick 4 if they can get the local boy Curtain, who happens to be best KPD. If North get pick 3 compo, they’d then have picks 2 and 3, and would take Curtain as a tall with one of those picks as they’ve been handed a gun mid in Sanders. Basically getting pick 1 and therefore Harley Reid is only possible for us if North don’t get pick 3 compo for McKay leaving. Fingers crossed the AFL don’t butcher the amount of compo given for a 65 game 26 year old who has achieved nothing. At this rate would could’ve gotten rid of Oscar McDonald or Joel Smith for first round compo haha

If he does come in, let’s hope Petty plays a good game and is up forward. In 2023 our backline has performed better with Tomlinson. May and Lever seem to have more confidence to leave their man and intercept more effectively when he’s there instead of Petty. Our backline is nicely settled and I’d rather not disrupt it. The forward line is in flux, so try Petty there again if he must play. By contrast, Petty in 2023 has been below average and not deserving of a spot in the best 22. He’s clearly capable and should be in our team, but he’s not performed or earned it this year. Here’s hoping he finds form when it matters and turns his season around.

Underagers apply to play in the VFL and then get assigned a team for a match if it's approved. Most don't get the chance, the high profile draftees often get a few cracks at it. Be keen to see how Reid goes and if he plays a different position yet again.

I liked him pre-draft but he's struggled at AFL level. One of my best mates a Swans supporter, so I've watched more of their games than I'd have liked. He's not got great ball use, and doesn't really have a point of difference at the highest level. Swans supporters don't care if they lose him, which says a lot about a pick 5 a few years on. Unless he came very cheap, I wouldn't bother chasing him. He'll likely head back home to SA I'd have thought anyway.

He dominated against other underage draft prospects sure, but he's also playing against men in the VFL now. Go back a page or two and watch the clip of him playing for the Carlton VFL team. He was bumping, tackling, fending off, and taking down mature men with little effort. He's clearly got the competitive nature, loves physicality, has power and pace etc. He's not just a man child bullying kids, he's already bullying men too despite not being 18 yet. He's a seriously exciting prospect, closest player we've seen to Dusty, but more competent inside and less miraculous with goal snaps. If he's developed properly, he's the next Dusty; a dominant mid-forward. Draft order is based off position at the conclusion of the home and away season, not post finals. We're not finishing first on the ladder this season. We'd need Pies and Port to lose the next 4-5 games n a row and we'd need to win all 5. Chances of that happening are next to zero. We could still win the flag though! The more I've thought about this, the more I've convinced myself we should be all in for Reid. Having him develop under Gawn, Viney, Oliver, Petracca would hopefully mean he maximises his potential. He could rotate forward and midfield with Petracca as Trac winds down. It's a seriously exciting and unique prospect. To get him, we'd need to do a few trades. Ultimately we'd have turned Jackson into Reid at the end of it. 1. Gold Coast have 3 top prospects they can bid on and need points to do so. They'll likely trade away pick 5 to get more points. We trade 15 and second rounders. That nets them approx 800 more points. Unless another club trumps us, Gold Coast do this without blinking. We then hold 4+5. 2. We then trade 4+5 for 1 + pocket change. We get Reid. West Coast get local boy Curtain and another young talent with pick 5. It's a win win. 3. Profit. Get it done Dees!

They could at least get it right. He’s Butthead not Beavis!

Thanks for sharing. Strange though as Henry isn’t a small forward, he’s a rebounding half back flanker or potential wingman. He plays a different role to Chandler, so it’s strange they’re being linked.

Played mostly half back though pushed to the wing last week. Pinched coaches votes a few weeks ago playing half back. Seems to be his best role as a rebounding type.

Just get Trac to wave to their cheer squad and give them the old L symbol after we beat them yet again. Vile peasants.

Presumptuous they'll even be playing finals come September. They're a below average team and likely won't make it. Dees by 4 goals.

Tommo has been really good this year. He was again our best tall defender on the weekend. We seem to play better with him in the team as opposed to Petty. Lever and May are able to free themselves more when Tommo is there. Perhaps he makes them walk taller or feel more confident take risks. Petty has obviously struggled with injury, but Tommo has outperformed him in every way and deserves to stay in the team. Petty needs to earn his spot through the VFL now as he's been poor this year and is being stubbornly selected off past reputation at this point.

If Ben McKay is worth first round compensation, then that's what Tomlinson would be worth too if he was to leave. Fact is he's achieved more, is in better form and is more durable than McKay. I'm being sarcastic obviously, but also shows the insanity that Ben McKay is worth anything more than third round compo. Legitimate lunacy he's being considered worth first round compo.

Well done picking that out of the myriad of facts and evidence put forth in the post. Obvious indeed 🥴 That point aside, the other facts show they're not similar quality or experienced players and compensation shouldn't be comparable. On the Freo death ride, it seems very likely now that we'll finish with pick 4. They've got a bunch of players now being written off for the year or "managed", so it's unlikely they'll win many if any games from here. Their weak percentage helps too. Thanks to Peter Bell as usual. He's so ineffective as a footy manager that one could make a reasonable argument he's working undercover to sabotage the place!

Always good to lock away first round draftees. He's still got more size to put on, but all reports from Casey are he's developing nicely and is seriously capable in the air. Existing prospect for the future. Good onya Jeffo!

It's been discussed a lot on here already, but Frawley and McKay are not comparable and it's braindead that idiots in the media like Barrett keep referring to that compensation as a reference point for McKay. We might have got overs for Frawley, but he was a mile ahead of McKay. McKay is more comparable to Tomlinson at this point. Ben McKay has played 65 games across 7 seasons and is 26 years old soon. Frawley at the same point in his career had played 139 games and was All Australian, and won a premiership with the Hawks at 26. Frawley was also a runner up in our BnF and had multiple top 10 finishes. So more than twice as many games and achieved both individual and team success. McKay is injured more often than not, and when he does get on the park he’s not exactly lighting it up. He’s essentially a less durable and less successful but taller version of Tomlinson at this point. If he didn’t share genes with Harry, he probably wouldn’t be on a AFL list anymore. [censored] he's played less games and achieved less individually than Oscar McDonald did! On output and potential, he's probably worth a 3rd rounder.

We won’t have that many list spots available unless we do a big cull, which seems unlikely. If we can’t package picks up to get a high first rounder (think trading pick 15 and both second rounders for Gold Coast pick 5 as they need more points for 3 academy bids), then we’ll likely trade out both our second round picks for future picks or slight upgrades. We’ll likely take 3 players at drafts. Ideally two first rounders and a late pick for Kynan Brown.

Petracca is 28 next year. Whoever we draft likely won't be having a big impact until Trac is in his 30s and winding down. This is about finding our next Trac, and we're presented with a rare opportunity at the top end of the draft that we likely won't have again for many years to come.

Even in the footage there you can see how aggressive and explosive he is. He makes really good quick decisions with and without the ball. He's well developed physically already and was taking down mature VFL bodies at will with bumps and tackles! He might not be a huge accumulator, but he'll be a quality player with the assets he has. Very exciting prospect. Jeez you'd love him in red and blue... By comparison, Duursma didn't show anywhere near as much in VFL and I have more concerns about how he'll go at AFL level. He is less physically developed, but there's some other question marks for mine around competitiveness, best position, how his body will develop etc. Duursma hasn't shown much as a midfield type and plays more like an undersized marking forward. If we don't go after Reid, Mckercher is the best prospect but not sure he'll be available at our pick 4-5...

I thought with underagers in the VFL they apply and then get assigned to a club so they’re spread across the league. Duursma is assigned to Casey, the same way Reid is assigned to Carlton and Clarry was assigned to Richmond etc. Wouldn’t read into Duursma playing for Casey. It does mean we get an easier look at him though. I’m torn on what to do if we have the choice. Usually I’d just say take multiple players, but Reid is a serious talent and he’s very versatile too. He’s excelled as an inside midfielder dominating clearance. He’s also played at full forward when underdone returning from injury and went well enough there to be named full forward in the All Australian team this year. He’s also played half back in the VFL and did well taking intercept marks and rebounding off half back with his good explosive pace. He could wind up a mid like Petracca, a forward mid like Dusty, a forward like Toby Greene, a damaging half back like Jordan Dawson etc He’s got so much versatility and potential that he’s a unique prospect. He’d also be very marketable off field too. It’s a tantalizing thought him developing under Petracca, Viney and co. He could start as a forward or half back before moving into the guts when the senior players wind down. I can’t decide if it’s worth selling the farm or not. Would love to have him at the Dees obviously though, and if Jason Taylor and recruiters think it’s worth doing then you’d trust them. JT has a great track record with midfielders (not as good with key position types).

Both Brown and TMac are at the end. Both contracted for next year. Expect both to finish up then or retire early. Their bodies are shot sadly. Both great servants of the club and will be fondly remembered premiership players once they hang up the boots.

Rivers is nearly our best midfielder now. Hope we see him permanently in there going forward. Seriously competent inside and outside. What a ripper he is

Losing despite dominating. Let’s hope usual programming doesn’t resume here!