RalphiusMaximus

Obviously most of us had a moment of "Who the [censored] is Aidan?" when this was announced, but looking at the footage we have, I'm kind of encouraged. He's got great pace for a bigger guy and looks to have a really good vertical leap. I think he'd be a really handy extra mid when he's rucking on top of being able to crash packs and take marks. Obviously there are no guarantees, but what we've seen so far is pretty encouraging.

van den Berg will forever have my admiration for his stunning hit on Pendlebury. A classic example of how to deal with a player dropping at the knees to milk a free.

It's simple. He was fourth last in the 20m sprint rankings at the combine. That indicates a serious weakness in his game that could have a massive impact on his ability to adjust to the top level. I've said all along that this worries me, and I stand by that. I really hope they have a plan to improve his acceleration.

Well, it's no secret that I have concerns about this pick, but he does look like a powerful bugger and a competitive beast. I just hope they have a plan to work on his explosiveness. He needs to add a burst of acceleration to his repertoire.

Fantastic pickup with our second pick. I'm thrilled with this one.

Happy with this pick. We always want good ball-users.

Well, hope I'm wrong...

Bizarre trade by GWS and the Lions.

So after half an hour we get exactly what we were expecting.

They need time for the self-important twerps to get up and tell everyone how important they are.

I'm glad I'm not watching/listening. Sounds like it sucks.

Wasn't this supposed to kick off at 7pm?

I'm really not liking the push towards Langford. Where exactly are Trengove, Toumpas and Tyson these days? All highly rated juniors who had everything going for them except speed. I'd be absolutely furious to see us blow another top ten pick on a guy who looks amazing at u18s, but can't keep up at AFL speeds. Especially with so much talent left on the board.

I keep going back to that interview Oliver did just before trade period. They mentioned Patrick Cripps and Oliver's comments about him just being too big and powerful to stop have really stuck with me. It also reminds me of something one of the St Kilda mids said about Melbourne in '20 or 21, that our players were so much more powerful, they basically ignored attempts to tackle them. That's why I really want us to bring in Smillie. The thought of having that midfield titan who is just overpowering for opponents is so tempting. Someone the size of Cripps but with better speed and kicking? Lets grab him and get him in the gym to start adding muscle.

Honestly, I expect him to want to stay up north. That's kind of obvious. What 18 year old is going to choose to move across the country rather than do the same job for the same pay in his backyard where all of his friends and family live? Assuming both clubs want him, he'd be insane to pick Melbourne.