Fat Tony

I think it's an easy question to answer. N Jones, Viney, Oliver and Tyson all play 70-80% game time as centre square mids and are not really suited to playing elsewhere. And they are all obviously bonafide AFL footballers. Unless we trade one of them out for a better option, I don't see how another inside mid is required. Added to that we have Brayshaw, Petracca and Vandenberg who have all shown potential to become AFL standard inside mids. Plus Vince, who is still in our best eight players and still seems to play his best footy in the midfield. On the outside we have Stretch, Bugg and M Jones. That's not to say I would say no to Fyfe or Dangerfield.

I think our inside players are all around average except for Tyson (who is slow) and Viney (who is just above average). At Hawthorn, Hodge, Mitchell and Lewis are all slower than Tyson. For the Swans, none of Kennedy, Parker and Mitchell are speedsters. IMO we need to add some outside pace and class to compliment our engine room.

I know that clubs get it wrong from time to time, but surely Freo wouldn't be letting him go now if his WAFL games showed more than an inkling that he could get back to AFL level.

Big yes from me. Lyons is 24 years old, has decent pace and seems to play taller than 184cm. He has had his best year in 2016, averaging almost 22 possessions and 4.6 tackles per game over 18 games and also kicked 14 goals. His average Supercoach points per game this year of 90 would rank him sixth on our list and almost equivalent to Dom Tyson. Worth more than a second rounder, which is what we would get him for.

At his best, Hartlett is a classy mid with decent speed and good penetration. But I worry he is on a big salary for a player who is prone to soft tissue injuries (and Port will want to shift all of the cost). I would want to know why his 2016 was so ordinary. And as much as I am comfortable for us to trade our first rounder for the right deal, it comes at a big risk if the season goes pear shaped and we have a lot of injuries.

I don't think Freo have offered him a contract, so he could potentially be a Delisted Free Agent. Good player and certainly deserves a new contract. His form after coming back into the AFL was pretty good.

Is Clarke a good enough forward? I would say he's not. With Gawn playing 80% of the game as a ruckman, the second ruck role requires 60% of game time as a forward. Personally I think we would be better off going with a key forward first and ruckman second rather than a player who is not quite good enough to play as a genuine forward. Ideally we would recruit someone like a Jenkins, Wright or Lobb, but they are extremely hard to find.

Watching him play, I don’t see Oliver’s pace as being exceptional. Oliver hits the clearances on the move and has great hands. He will be a fine inside player, but he won’t be a line breaker. Trengove had similar sprint results and he never looked quick at AFL level even before his injury. FWIW I wouldn't say Wines is quick either.

I love the look of Oliver but he needs to kick more rather than handball backwards all the time. I also think his pace is only around average for his role and I think he needs to build his tank. IMO he will develop into a similar player to Cripps. The point I am making is that Tyson and Oliver will be a better player with fast, skilled players around them and Thompson is not fast. (Hence my lukewarm yes.)

I understand the point you are both trying to make, but I don't see Thompson as a straight swap for Bugg or M. Jones. The truth is we need to find better skilled outside midfielders to compliment the likes of N.Jones, Viney, Oliver, Tyson, Brayshaw etc. Our midfield lacks line breaking ability and FWIW I would have M. Jones in our best 22 as it stands because he plays a complimentary role to our other mids. (This is a problem I agree, but we don't have an Issac Smith on our list.)

I love the idea of veterans because they cost nothing in terms of draft picks and tend to deliver more than developing players. Thompson is certainly a player worth considering and he is still playing good footy. In terms of average Supercoach points, Thompson 2016 season (88) ranks behind just six Demons. But he would make our midfield slower and I can see problems in playing Tyson, Thompson and Oliver in the same side. It is a lukewarm yes from me, although I would prefer Harvey despite his age, because he adds pace and skill on the outside, which I feel is our greatest need.

Maybe R1 2017 plus Wagner

Boomer because has pace and skill, which we lack.

I see nothing! 1000px-SgtShultz.webp

The risk I see with O'Meara is not the first round pick and steak knives he would cost, but the contract. He is just asking for too much money and long a contract for a player who hasn't played for two years.

They did, but I think GWS can loophole the loophole by trading this years picks for future picks.

Why not come to Melbourne and do a Brian Lake?

Harvey is a no brainer "yes" for me despite his age. He is the 26th best player in the AFL according to Champion Data. And he has pace and skill, which we lack. I wouldn't go after Petrie because his production has waned this season. And I think we need to get AFL games into Weideman. Dal Santo is still producing good numbers but would make our midfield slower. He is still worth considering given his skill level IMO.

People have been known to change their minds. Such a silly decision IMO. Still a top 100 AFL player.

As I have said on other threads previously, I would seriously consider looking at adding veterans to round out our list provided they didn’t come with outrageous salary demands. While I older players get slower and their production declines, I feel that clubs are making dumb decisions to cut older players who are still playing good footy. It makes sense to offer veterans a one-year deal as they don’t cost anything in terms of draft picks and only take up a list spot/salary cap space. Steve Johnson has been talked about as a potential All Australian this year and has been a bargain. Geelong should rue the decision if they come up just short this year. Harvey (92 Supercoach points per game) and Dal Santo (90) are both still in North Melbourne’s top six players statistically and are still playing good footy. In comparison, we have only Gawn (121), Viney (98), N Jones (98), Vince (94) and Tyson (92) ahead of them.

I think it is correct to say we would need everything to go right to win the flag. But we also need to be quick enough and skilled enough to compete with GWS, the Bulldogs, Saints etc. and this is what I am more worried about.

I know the midfield is where most games are won and lost, but it is not priority IMO. I think Oliver could become every bit as good as Cripps. Brayshaw will also eventually develop into a top line inside mid IMO. Petracca will hopefully eventually be able to take turns in the midfield. We need some pace and skill on the outside for these players to give it to.

Certainly worth thinking about. I think he is dominating the NEAFL. I am not sure Steele is lightning on the outside, but he looks a good outside player who will go when it is his turn. Unfortunately we don't have a lot of currency to trade and our salary cap is difficult to manage given Hogan's indecision.

I agree 100%. We need a classy wingman with pace. Our best outside midfielder with pace at the moment is Matt Jones. Stretch is coming along well but isn't really quick. Bugg lacks class. Salem may move to the wing, but isn't quick enough to break lines. Melksham may play the role, but hasn't been classy to date. The problem is every club is after an Issac Smith or Josh Kelly type.

Surely the clubs it hurts to the most are the northern clubs.