Lord Travis

Interesting we're keen on Philipou. We originally may have put a lot of time into him and planned to land him at 13, but now his stocks have risen we want to trade up to get him. If we do trade up, we're essentially burning all the Jackson compo and opting out of the first round next year (bar losing high end talent in future etc) to land this player, so they better be damn sure he'll be an elite player. Anything less will be considered a list management stuff up of the highest order. He'll need to produce and become more Petracca than Weideman. Philipou looks a good prospect as that mid/forward impact player, though his field kicking is hit and miss. The Bont comparisons aren't overly accurate IMO. I'm more hoping we trade up to get Sheezel, who looks pure class and has big impact on games up forward. His kicking and footy IQ is elite.

Cadman and Sheezel would be the right options for us, as we need forward half players who hit the scoreboard. Cadman is pick 1, so he's out of reach. Sheezel will go pick 3-4, so we need to do the trade with North to get one of their pick and a handshake they won't take him with the other one if the pick traded to us is the latter pick. If you were North, would you trade pick 3/4 for two future first picks in the teens and a future second in the thirties? It honestly seems like a poor trade for both parties. I'd be angry giving up that much as a Melbourne supporter. And as a North supporter I'd be angry at trading away a top 5 pick. Maybe that means the trade works after all? I'm stumped! If we don't get Cadman or Sheezel though, then trading up seems a fruitless and costly endeavour.

Hate this if true. Two firsts from a strong draft isn't worth compromising for this weaker draft. If anything, trade two future firsts for one future first tied to a likely lowly team like Hawthorn or North. If we aren't landing a Cadman or Sheezel to add to our front half, then it's not worth compromising for. Those two players will go pick 1-3, so we'd need to land a pick 1-3, which we won't. Hoping the list management team aren't going down this path.

New video up on AFL site with Elijah Hewett. Seems a level headed, confident and ambitious young bloke. Looks like he has all the tools to be a gun mid/forward type. If he isn't a flight risk, then he looks the best option at 13 if he's there IMO. Class of 2022: From baseball to the AFL, explosive mid a hot draft prospect.

Not a fan of this move this year. Next year is supposedly a super draft, and we’d be trading a pick that will be anywhere from pick 10-18 in that draft for pick 19 in a weaker draft. Usually a fan of trading forward as we’ve done previously as it enables you to get a year of development into a youngster. Not this draft period though.

Still don’t understand why Hewitt is potentially sliding out of the top 10. He’s powerful, very agile, quick, composed, hits the scoreboard, wins inside ball, links up on the outside. In terms of physical attributes and potential impact, he’s in the top few of this draft and up there with Philipou as the mid/forward weapon (Dusty, Trac, Bont type) all clubs dream of. Philipou is going as high as 4 now and won’t make it past Hawks at pick 6 (they flew him and his family to Victoria for a meet and greet this week). Is there off field stuff with Hewitt that hasn’t circulated? Can’t understand why else he’s sliding.

He's the best demon in my lifetime and he's still got many peak years ahead!

Kozzie. 21 years old. Back to back 40+ goal seasons. Game changer and match winner. Already read the article this morning so know the answer though.

I'd be disappointed if we traded 13 and 37 for 20 and 26. We lost Jackson for 13 and a future first rounder and had to fight hard to get those two first round picks. To then get rid of one in 13 would further dilute the compensation we got and the possibility of replacing him with elite talent is reduced even further. We should take 13 to draft and grab the best talent available. Whether that's Jefferson, Hewitt, Hollands, Allan etc I don't care, but that top tier talent will be there at 13 and won't be at 20+. We need elite talent now while we're in our window.

Maybe that’s why I’m so keen on him! 🤣 I’d love Philipou, but seems like he’ll be gone for our pick. Could be gone as early as pick 5 now.

One could say you’ve just described Luke Jackson. He’s a big man with small man skills. He’s lauded for agility and ground ball skills for a tall, but ironically his weakness are his big man skills such as marking and using his body in contests. I haven’t seem enough of Keeler to pass good judgement, but his skill set and output seems fine for his size.

Massive slider if true. Must have off field issues as on potential and some output shown, he’s a first round prospect. Big watch this space with him it seems.

He's a star and had another great season.Even on a broken leg at the end he was still one of our best players! He's lead the league in score involvements over the past three seasons now. When he gets going, he's unstoppable both around the ball and forward half of the ground. If he can tidy up his set shots for goal, he'll be the undisputed best player in the league. It's the only flaw in his game, which is otherwise outstanding. Love what Trac brings off the field too. He's very friendly, marketable, and a good role model for the youngsters. Great to have him signed up long term!

If he’s still available at our pick 37 then he’d be a perfect target to develop long term as either a tall forward or ruck. Think he might fall between our picks on the night though.

I’m confident Gawn and May will, but have concerns on TMac and BBrown as they’ve both struggled with injury. Foot and knee injuries being carried the wrong side of 30 mean they likely wont have long careers. I doubt either will play more than 1-2 season from here.

The Crows have decided not to nominate Keeler as an NGA. I suspect it won't matter as he'll likely be drafted before pick 40 when he'd become eligible to them. What would be the logic of not nominating him? Surely it's a free hit for a decent prospect later in the draft... https://www.afl.com.au/news/864695/key-forward-in-open-draft-pool-as-crows-opt-against-nga-nomination

Had another great year and was a rock down in defence again. His mid year concussion and then drunken fight were a low point and set the club on the wrong course which was disappointing. Still a great year by May. His game against Buddy in week one of finals was possibly the best game I've ever seen from a defender. He absolutely embarrassed an all time great that night, and Buddy is still stuck in his back pocket months later!

Sounds a decent kid Hewett. I’m hoping he’s there at our pick and he’s top of our list. He’s got the traits to be a mid/forward type who impacts games, and he seems physically ready to contribute in the near future during our window too.

Gus had a great season and showed his versatility. Should've been AA half back flanker IMO and I didn't know he had it in him! No idea what role or position he'll play next season, but I do know he'll do it very well. Gus is a very good footballer, plain and simple. The fact he's able to play such a variety of roles successfully is testament to his footy IQ, skillset, and attitude. He's a truly loyal team member who does what the team needs him to and I've got huge respect for the way he goes about it. His new contract was a big win for the club, as he's hugely important from a cultural perspective as a leader and mate. Looking forward to what Gus can achieve over the next few season as he's in his prime as a footballer.

No good KPF's the right side of 30 up for grabs unfortunately. The only one we'd consider is Hipwood, but he's not great and isn't a strong contested marking type. Missing out on McKay was a bummer. We were chasing him, but he wound up signing a long extension with the Blues. He would've been a great acquisition. Seeing the Tigers get Tom Lynch as a free agent really hurt. Big salary isn't an issue, it's getting a gun in without even having to trade for them that's the key.

Jackson spent his first few years in covid hubs and lockdowns. Like most of us here in Victoria, he wouldn't have enjoyed his time here and it would have made it hard to settle and build a connection to the place. With the offer of big cash to return to his home state of WA after that experience, I'm shocked he stayed with us as long as he did! JVR hopefully has a better experience living in a more normal version of Victoria. We have more chance of him staying longer term as he can properly settle and build a life here. We need him to become a key player in our forward line the next few years. Hoping we see lots of him in 2023!

[censored] yeah! That’s a great result. With the recent loss of Jackson returning to his home state of WA, I was worried JVR may follow suit in the coming years. Good to lock him in for a few more years and give him a chance to settle into normal life in Vic and lock down a KPF role.

I'll put my hand up and say I thought we "reached" with drafting him high at pick 12. I was massively wrong. He's a gun and is super important to our team both offensively and defensively. He's already had back to back 40+ goal seasons as a small forward, which is an incredible achievement. To put that in perspective against other current gun small forwards; Charlie Cameron is 28 and has kicked 40+ 3 times. Papley is 26 and has kicked 40+ once. Kozzie is 21 and has now kicked 40+ twice. He's out of contract end of next season and we need to lock him away. He's the most important of our young future core IMO.

No doubt Gysberts was a product of the woeful Melbourne environment then. The club was a train wreck in that era under Neeld. Gysberts burst onto the scene and then got "Melbourned" like many other highly talented juniors that were unlucky enough to be drafted to by Melbourne during those years. Any kid who is ripping out 26 disposal, 8 clearance, 5 tackle games as an 18 year starting his career in a team getting belted with bugger all senior support has clear talent. Neeld and the poor development of the club at the time ruined his career. If he were drafted now, he'd be a 200 game player. I feel sorry for those kids whose careers we ruined back then. As for pick 37 now, I'm hoping someone like Keeler may be available as a bit of a project player. 13 needs to be ready to go IMO.

Bit of chatter that Hewitt could be the slider this draft. Looked a bonafide top 10 pick all year, but reports he could slide into the teens or early 20s. Does anyone have any insight as to why he's possibly sliding? Is it behavioural issues? Consistency? On my limited viewing and reading, he's got the physical assets to be the best player in the draft. His agility and composure are next level. He's like Pendlebury in the packs, dances through traffic, creates space, always makes good decisions, then bursts away to be a linking option. His agility, speed, power, skill and flexibility make him an intriguing prospect. I really hope he's an option for us at 13.