RalphiusMaximus

I have it on reasonable authority that the Doggies will make an offer for Fitzpatrick. The fact that he's been playing in the backline will only add to his value to them. I've also kind of been wondering about Kreuzer. Spencer and Gawn are both being given the chance to show that they have what it takes, but if they fail we're going to be hunting for a ruck in that sort of age bracket. He's had massive issues with injuries, but when he's fit and in form he's pretty decent. I just have a feeling we might be able to get him for a reasonable price. It's obviously a gamble given how fragile he is, but it could be an answer to our ruck succession problems and I don't know how many others could be on the market who would be better options.

Either last year or the year before.

He'd be well worth a look. I'm sure the recruiting department are keeping an eye on him to see how he adapts to the game. How awesome would it be to have Lovett extract the ball, pass off to Stretch on the wing who nails the inside 50 pass to Lyon?

We go into the draft with two live picks and I'm backing Brayshaw and Lever to be the one's we take. Brayshaw has been a lock for quite a long time and Lever looks like he could be a great player with his impressive work ethic and athletic attributes (plus Roos likes the kid).

Petracca or Brayshaw look to the be the options, but Roos tends to surprise so I guess we'll see who he likes the look of.

I've been liking the look of him too. I know it's unlikely, but I'd hope if he slipped we'd snatch him up with our second round pick or if we'd traded for a later first rounder. Agree with this. The Saints are desperate for a quality tall forward so Nick isn't carrying the side on his own, but they also only have a couple of decent mids and their backline are all getting to their used-by date. They even need a ruck. There is seriously no area where they don't need players, so it's far from a sure thing that they'll take a tall early, especially if they can trade for one from somewhere.

Is Nev's lady pregnant? If so we need to get him up to the 100 game mark in preparation.

So if Mitch wants to go to the Saints as some are reporting, we'd want to include swapping pick 2 for pick one in the deal. Otherwise they get their key forward and Petracca and we're shafted again.

I saw him play once. He wasn't great, but there were a few flashes of awesome in there. When he gets in space his pace is blistering. He just needs to get a bit bigger so they can't just bully him out of it. Saw him do an amazing run down the wing and nail the pass to HF which led to a goal. Even if he doesn't play next year, I think we'll be keeping him on past his first contract.

The footage was interesting. He can take a mark which is always nice to see. He stands up in tackles and dishes well under pressure. His hand pass is good, his kick is long but average. Looked to be a fairly high trajectory which I don't like. It was hard to get an idea of his pace, but he seemed to have a pretty quick first few steps to get a little space. I'd say concerns over pace and kicking, but a legitimate ball-winning mid. I'm not sure I'd rave about him the way some are, but I'd need to see more than that clip.

They make him sound a lot like Dangermouse. He seems to have broken clear to be the highest ranked mid in the draft, and we could certainly use someone with those attributes. Sadly GWS also seem pretty set on him, so it could be difficult. What are the chances of the Saints surprising everyone and taking him instead of a tall forward with fist pick?

What we need is to put "leadership" and "potential" at the bottom of the list and "Able to play the game" and "Can hit a moving target" right at the top. It's a bit of a reversal on what we've done the last few years, but I think it could pay off.

SEN were talking up Wright as being the best tall prospect they have seen. They rate him higher than Danniher. It would be awesome to have Gawn rucking with Wright and Hogan forward. Imposing. Especially with Watts and Salem delivering the ball to them.

I actually really rate Cross. He may not be in the same league as Vince on the field, but he is setting such a good example around the club. Ask a Bulldogs supporter and they will tell you that he had a lot to do with the development of their young mids through is mentoring and training example. He's doing the same thing with our group now and we are going to see some huge benefits from it in the next couple of years. If we're lucky we'll manage to shift him from playing straight into a development/coaching role in a couple of years and continue to benefit from his skills in this area.

Did really well in the agility tests at the combine and has shown that he can play. We could do worse, but as has been mentioned, would probably want to go to a WA-based side.

I don't know about commentary, but I love Mick Malthouse on special comments. His insight into the game is first class.

Very nicely done WJ. I have no idea how you picked it. Can the guy actually play?

I've said it before, but I think a big part of it was that our previous coaching panel just didn't know how far behind the field they were. I couldn't believe how unprofessional our training sessions were. The biggest bonus to Neeld coaching us is that he's come from Collingwood, which is probably the most professional outfit in the game. He brings in the knowledge of how a high quality team functions and with luck can get it to stick with a playing group that has been coddled for the last few years.

I don't think we need to trade for someone. Cook and Fitzpatrick are building up and they are both pretty good from all reports. Bailey has already mentioned Fitzpatrick as being earmarked for the role when he puts on a bit more bulk. Over the next few years we should see a drastic improvement in our forward 50 as these guys get a foothold in the side.

I have only one question. Is part of the proposal that Tom Scully be employed to promote the club at around $500,000 a year? :D