Fat Tony

I think we missed a trick not playing Disco Turner earlier in the season in 2023. I hope he is given the opportunity to start the year in the AFL in 2024. I think he has all the ingredients to be a very good player.

Howes has two years on his contract, so 2024 is probably not make or break. He looks very classy at times in the VFL but he needs to get stronger and show a bit more desperation in the contest to be ready for AFL (which is probably also related to his lack of strength). I think he will make a good AFL player but he has a lot of competition, albeit B-grade competition on the flanks and wings.

I just spoke to the club and they are about to send out an email with barcodes for Gather Round.

Another ruckman would make more sense IMO. I am not sure Hore has the pace and agility required and he kicks the ball without sufficient penetration. That said, our recruiters must see something I don't and they are often correct.

Ran 6.17 for the 2km time trial which was 10th at the Draft Combine. I think he’s actually a decent runner.

We have seen how important the wing position is in modern footy, particularly on the MCG. He looks to be a very skilful and speedy wingman with a big leap.

Our existing small forwards are B graders except for Kossie.

Summary: West Coast will take the No. 1 pick into draft night as North Melbourne's hopes of claiming Harley Reid fade. The deadline for clubs to swap picks has been reached, meaning clubs can't do any deals until the first night of the draft on November 20. The Kangaroos and Demons have made multiple efforts to strike a deal with West Coast on pick one in a bid to keep Reid in Victoria. West Coast is set on taking the powerful Tongala midfielder after North Melbourne's surprise last-round win over Gold Coast handed West Coast the No. 1 pick. The draft will be held across two nights on November 20-21. West Coast also has picks 23 and 37 and could snare next generation academy livewire Lance Collard at pick 23 amid clubs fears Collard could become homesick in Victoria. Collard is rated a top-15 player on talent but the man who has been likened to Collingwood’s Bobby Hill could slide to West Coast’s second pick. Geelong has pick eight and has attracted interest from North Melbourne in the Roos’ bid to move up the order. Essendon’s pick nine has also been targeted by clubs who have picks in the teens and want to jump up the order.

Harley Reid, a highly anticipated draft prospect in the AFL, is almost certain to play for West Coast in 2024. Rival clubs are racing to offer the Eagles an out-of-this-world deal to trade the No.1 draft pick and get first access to Reid, who is seen as a clone of three-time Norm Smith medallist Dustin Martin. The Eagles have not had any proposals from other clubs that were yet to catch their eye, despite several being interested. The picks only trade period ends on Friday, leaving only opening draft night on November 20 for a deal to go through. North Melbourne and Melbourne have been the key players offering at least two deals to get a trade done with the Eagles, including an offer of pick 2 and two of their late first-round selections (15, 17, or 18) for 1 and 23. Melbourne have also come hard for the pick, putting forward 6, 11, 42 and a future first-rounder for just pick No.1. Both deals have not made the Eagles move, making it more likely than unlikely that the wooden spooners will hold onto the pick. Tongala prodigy Reid is almost certain to head West, having long been touted as the best prospect in this year's draft. Reid will automatically sign a three-year deal instead of the previously normal two-year contract under the new CBA rules, giving West Coast strong bargaining power should he request a trade back to Victoria. This will be the third time the Eagles have used the No.1 pick, having previously picked up dual premiership player Drew Banfield (1992) and former All-Australian ruckman Michael Gardiner (1996). However, the Eagles are likely to buck the minor trend unless they pull a shock move and pick Tigers utility Daniel Curtin with the first pick in the draft. Curtin is almost certain to be picked inside the first half a dozen selections and was invited to the first night of the draft alongside Subiaco forward Koltyn Tholstrup.

We would want more than a future first for #6 but we should definitely consider any trade which gives a better long-term result.

Professional scouting is no where near as good as you suggest. Take a look at the current top 50 players in the AFL (https://www.statsinsider.com.au/sport-hub/afl/player-ratings) and where they were drafted. The draft will always be very inefficient because we select players when their bodies are not yet mature and junior footy is so much inferior to AFL. Rank Player Draft Pick 3 Lachie Neale 58 4 Zach Merrett 26 5 Zak Butters 12 7 Jordan Dawson 56 8 James Sicily 56 9 Toby Greene 11 10 Charlie Curnow 12 12 Jack Sinclair Rookie 18 Patrick Cripps 13 19 Jai Newcombe Mid Season 22 Shai Bolton 29 23 Dan Houston Rookie 25 Tom Stewart 40 26 Max Gawn 34 28 Tim English 19 29 Rowan Marshall Rookie 31 Chad Warner 39 32 Sam Taylor 28 37 Touk Miller 29 38 Rory Laird Rookie 40 Bailey Dale 45 41 Luke Parker 40 43 Jarrod Witts 67 45 Charlie Cameron Rookie 50 Zac Bailey 15

MELBOURNE Draft picks after trade period: 6, 11, 42, 93 Melbourne has moved their pick 14 to pick 11 during the trade period, giving the club two of the first dozen selections heading into November. The club is considering making a play for pick 1, having shown interest in Harley Reid. However, other clubs are better placed to twist West Coast's arm. If it holds pick 6, Melbourne could consider mid-sized marking forward Nate Caddy, gun onballer Ryley Sanders, hard-running wingman Darcy Wilson, and key defender Ollie Murphy. The Demons also have access to father-son Kynan Brown, a potential late selection.

Do the finals count in this?

I think we would want another late first round or early second round pick.

That looks a bad deal for us. Effectively swapping Curtain plus #11 & F1 for Duursma plus #18. It puts a lot of value of the upgrade.

We would want more than a F1. A good deal might be WCE F1, and pick swaps for F2 & F3 plus #23 in this year's draft.

We played two or three defenders each week this year, so key defenders are only 9-15% of the players in the 23. So I think we have about the right number on the list, especially given there is evidence that Petty and/or JVR can go back. We are better off focusing on drafting high quality players at any position and trading next year to keep the balance in our list. I also don't think you need to plan too far ahead given the amount of player movement these days. We have another window before 2025 if we have an issue. Anyway, it looks like we will not be taking three picks in the draft according to Tim Lamb.

K Turner's kicking looks below the level required IMO. We already have a lot of depth in the key backs plus we are good chance to pick up another tall defender (O'Sullivan or Curtain).

Not sure if means anything on our chances of moving up to get Reid. I assume we will want to slide our pick in the 40s lower and/or give up a future fourth round pick for Billings, as we need to preserve our future second and third round picks in order to be allowed to trade our future first round pick. Picking up Billings might mean that we think Kynan Brown is only worth a rookie pick, as we might not have enough senior list spots.

I think Salem is a high half back only. It is the easiest position on the ground and suits his exceptional ability to read the play and hit targets. He does not have the engine required to play ANB's role or play wing and I don't think he is big enough or quick enough to play inside midfield.

I could see Billings being used off half back if Salem cannot regain form next year.

Chocko will straighten him out 😉

Good news is he is able to play golf after his foot injury.

NRL is playing matches in Las Vegas that weekend.