Lord Travis

If we can’t get Reid, then wouldn’t bother trading up for pick 2. None of the other top picks seem like they could be that absolute game breaker mid forward type. Duursma perhaps, but less likely as he was disappointing in the midfield this year and is less competitive inside. We’d be better off taking multiple first rounders to draft or trading them. A real shame, as a Reid/Petracca combo was a tantalizing fantasy!

Our attendance numbers are phenomenal compared to other clubs with higher membership numbers. The old fair weather gone skiing stereotype is well and truly wrong now. Dees supporters turn up and are more loyal than any other clubs supporters. Any talk of disappointing crowds or low numbers at Melbourne games is flat out wrong and disrespectful. Some spuds in the media like Caroline Wilson and Damien Barrett are flat out liars and owe the club and its supporters an apology for the way they speak about our crowds. Hats off Dees fans. We’re the best!

Poor signs early but plenty of time to steady. Thank god for Trent Rivers. He’s having a great year off half back. Wish I could say the same for his mates, but Salem and Bowey have both had poor years and don’t deserve a game at present.

Correct. It would also be poor budget management from us to spend over $600k on a backup ruckman who plays VFL. The Gawn and Grundy partnership doesn’t appear to be working, and it’s best for both Grundy and the Dees if he’s traded elsewhere now unfortunately. We can spend far less on a backup for Max until we have a proper successor.

He sure is good at beating up on the bottom teams eh!

Saw a post that Kynan Brown won Vic Metros best and fairest award. Can anyone confirm? Though he’s small, looks like we might be getting a decent talent with a late pick. He’s a very hard worker and hopefully can make it in the red and blue!

Any new bird related rumors from The Riddler?

Easier said than done when he routinely gets half that amount.

Yep agreed. If we wind up with our pick being in the 15-18 range and don’t trade it, he’d be one I hope slips to that range for us. Promising tall defender with good size and ability who fills a longer term need.

Reportedly asking for 800k. For that price good luck to him literally anywhere except in red and blue.

It’s a shame he likely won’t be available as he likely would’ve been around our pick. He looks a really well rounded player and probably the lowest risk option in the top 10. Competent inside and outside, accumulates a lot of ball, brings teammates into the game, doesn’t mind taking a run himself, neat disposal, hits the scoreboard. He’s got leadership qualities too. Might not wind up a star, but hard to see him not having a solid career at worst. Very likely type and wouldn’t be disappointed if he was our pick if available.

If the compensation rules were black and white and players contracts more visible, then sure there'd be nothing to worry about. The issue is the AFL deliberately keep the compensation rules vague - "secret herbs and spices" is always referenced, even by AFL list managers - and players contracts private. It means the AFL can then do as they please in terms of compensation. Clubs can also manipulate the system as a result. Any club willing to pay $800k for Ben McKay, a broken down poorly performing key defender who plays less than 10 games a year at 26 years old, is mental. Good on McKay if he can get money he's not worth, similar to Scully back in the day, but it's a laughable figure for him as a footballer. If North get pick 3 compensation for him, then clubs should riot. I mean would we expect first round compo for the likes of Tomlinson or Neal-Bullen? That's essentially what would be happening.

Can we find a tall forward please? Just bloody anyone. Play Jefferson if we have to. Anyone who has any sense of forward nous. Gawn and Grundy are both good ruckmen, but the combo doesn’t work and we missed the extra small around the ball tonight. We got torched on the outside too with one less runner. Hard call needs to be made as time is running out.

I'm still holding out hope for Reid. He's the game breaker mid-forward who could have an impact immediately while we're in our premiership window, and then take over the number 1 mantle in a few years as Petracca winds down. Curtin looks a gun, but he'll go before our pick 4, and I'd rather Reid at 1 if we trade up. Not sold on Duursma with pick 4. Looks very good as a half forward type, but was disappointing in the midfield this season. His stocks dropped this year as recruiters were hoping to see him take his game to the next level in the midfield and it didn't happen. Has been great since moving forward again though. Questions around his competitiveness and ball winning ability up the ground, and IMO you don't use a top 5 pick on a forward flanker. Sanders looks the goods, but will likely get handed to North through NGA rule change cheating by the AFL. It's absurd that clubs aren't allowed to match bids on NGA prospects before pick 40... but the AFL will just make an exception and hand him to the Roos! Not sold on Mckerchers ceiling. He's talented for sure, but he projects as more of a smaller running type rather than a game breaking match changer that you'd hope for with a top 5 pick. Could be wrong, but not convinced he'll be a star. Watson is a real goer and would be awesome paired with Kozzie up forward or to allow Kozzie to move more into the midfield. He looks a good option to me, but it would mean we have some really really short players on the list. Ultimate I'll support whoever becomes a demon, but I'm hoping for Reid. A Reid & Petracca combo is a hell of a fantasy!

The North compo pick really dictates the early draft. Their list manager (Rawlings) made comment yesterday that 'end of first round or second round compensation is not what we're after', and that they'd rather match the offer as a restricted free agent than lose him for that. They're really pushing for start of first round compo, so pick 3. If they got pick 3, then Eagles are less likely to trade pick 1 backwards and we'd lose access to Reid. Or, if we didn't trade up, our pick drops and we potentially lose access to someone like Mckercher, Curtin, Duursma that we'd targeted. Fingers crossed for us and the whole league that North don't get pick 3. On the potential for pick 3 for the Roos, in no way is Ben Mckay worth a first round pick as compo. On 2023 form, he's lost 41% of one on one contests, which ranks him as the worst key defender in the league. Outright statistically worst tall defender in the league. He's only averaged a bit under 2 intercept marks a game. For context, May has lost 21%, Lever 25%. Tomlinson surprisingly has been our strongest defender in the contest, and has only lost 12% of one on one contests and averages a bit over 1 intercept mark a game, including matches where he's been subbed off. If Ben McKay is worth a first round pick, then so is Tomlinson, and we all know neither are. I'm still hopefully we'll be able to put picks together to trade for pick 1 and land Reid. He looks like an incredible prospect and it would be so damaging and exciting having him form a rotation of devastation between midfield and forward line with Petracca.

That was terrible analysis and vision as evidence! There was no difference in the poor vs the good. Also “no one can go with them when they’re like that”. Bulltish. How about the midfield that piled on 3 goals in 30 seconds in a grand final with the most devastating centre stoppage work in the history of the game? I reckon they might be able to go with them…

He’s put on a bit of size recently but still has further to go adding more muscle to his frame. He’s developing as expected for a first year skinny tall. He’s shown he reads the ball really well in the air, contests aggressively in the air and is sound overhead. Decent kick and agility once it hits the deck. He just needs more time to develop. No chance of debuting in the next few weeks, but I expect we’ll see him at some stage next year, especially if we have injuries.

Looks like a blend of Sam Walsh and Luke Shuey in that clip. Very good runner and slick agility. On the smaller side for a modern midfielder and not an elite kick. He’s a good prospect but don’t believe he’ll be a superstar. Sanders on the other hand looks more rounded. Reid also looks to have far more scope in a variety of positions. Think Mckercher will wind up at North with pick 3 if they get it for McKay…

If they wound up with picks 1, 2 and Sanders there would be major outcry from the clubs. If that were to happen, I’d hope we go get in Larkeys ear and pick that carcass of a club dry. Such an irrelevant club.

Bont coming home strong and is favourite IMO. Trac in with a chance if he finishes the season strongly with a few 2s and 3s. Viney has been very good since Clarry went down and will get some votes too. If Taranto wins it, then just cancel the award. He's bog average. Racked up some big numbers, but in terms of impact you wouldn't have him in the top 20 midfielders in the league, let alone top 20 players. Definition of an accumulator with no hurt factor.

100% this. Smith is a liability in defense. He’s exactly like Frost was, a good Steelers but a poor and unpredictable footballer. Even May said as much when interviewed last year. Paraphrasing but May essentially said he spends more time trying to bark orders to position Smith than he does playing on his own opponent as Smith is not coachable. He also feels less confident leaving his own man as he doesn’t trust Smith to beat his. Smith either plays as a forward, a sub, or not at all. Tomlinson should be in his place in defence.

Tomlinson into the backline. Smith to the forward line. It’s the most realistic option with fit players available.

Ah MFCSS. That funny feeling.

Disgraceful effort that quarter. Defensive effort was poor and ball use was messy. Really shameful effort against a below AFL standard team. Hopefully Goodwin walked into the huddle and started backhanding them one by one to wake them up.

We’ll be second tomorrow. You beauty!