MadAsHell

I know we made a profit in 2014, but I've said it before in other threads about the possibility of Melbourne playing their VFL team out at Punt Rd, I don't know where we're going to find the money to pay Richmond to let us use their ground let alone take over Punt Rd! WJ's suggestion about Prahran would be a little more realistic, or Victoria Park, seeing as it's not owned by Collingwood anymore. But personally I'm now living in one of the houses right next to Casey Fields, a 5 min walk from the ground. So I hope the Dees stay here for the next 20 years plus!

It will be very interesting to see how the Adelaide Test plays out when it begins on Tuesday, and the manner in which it's played. Will be working so won't get to catch a big deal of it apart from the final day. Cricket Australia, the BCCI and all the venues and partners deserve a lot of credit for the way they've handled everything during a difficult time.

Personally I think we're ok for 2015, however for 2016 the ruck and outside run are the two areas I'd mainly be focusing on. Jamar should be good for this year but it could be his last. We'll also know one way or another where Fitzpatrick stands by the end of 2015, and may have seen enough of King to make a call on him also. Daniel Gorringe made noise of trying to return to SA during trade period but a deal couldn't get done and he seemed quite upset with both Adelaide & Port over it. He's OOC at the end of 2015, and I'd be targetting him big time, especially given Gold Coast have recruited Peter Wright. We could then also look at recruiting maybe a developing ruck and a mature age state player to set ourselves up for 2016 and beyond with the possability that none of Jamar, Fitzpatrick or King will be on the list by then. I'm more keen on us targeting a rebounding tall/flanker defender and another key forward in the upcoming rookie draft.

http://www.afl.com.au/video/2014-09-16/draft-prospect-daniel-capiron Hadn't seen much of him before, but he looks like the tall rebounding half back that we could use.

I was originally keen on Tanner Smith, but with us landing Oscar, I don't see him as someone to go after anymore. As the first poster mentioned, Keenan Ramsay with Pick 2, rebounding defender with good run and ball use, and can also play a 3rd/4th tall. Brett Eddy Pick 20. We need something in the bank in case we have any injury issues with Dawes/Hogan

Pick 2: Christian Petracca Eastern Rangers Pick 3: Angus Brayshaw Sandringham Dragons Pick 40: Daniel Howe Murray Bushrangers Pick 42: Billy Stretch (F/S) Glenelg Pick 53: Jackson Nelson Geelong Falcons Pick 83: Neville Jetta (Rookie elevation) Melbourne Demons Rookie Draft: Pick 2: Tanner Smith Fremantle Dockers Pick 20: Brett Eddy South Adelaide

I'd say Hazlewood is as good as home to make his debut. I'd say the only chance Siddle has of making the XI is if Rhino doesn't quite get up if he's sore after his comeback Shield games. I'm suprised they haven't named a replacement for Clarke already, I'd be amazed if he's fit to play the 1st Test. I just pray if not Shaun Marsh or Phil Hughes. Hughes should only come back in once Rogers time has gone and Marsh just isn't good enough. His first class average (for someone who's 30) suggests as much. I'd rather as I said early, see Peter Handscomb given a go, or failing that Joe Burns or worst case scenario one of Callum Ferguson or Adam Voges given the chance to see how they go at the next level.

I haven't posted on this thread for awhile for some unknown reason: But for the first test, assuming Haddin & Harris are fit to play and Clarke is unfit I'd be going with: C. Rogers D. Warner S. Watson S. Smith P. Handscomb M. Marsh +B. Haddin* M. Johnson R. Harris N. Lyon J. Hazlewood 12th Man: P. Siddle Firstly I'd certainly keep Rogers in place of Hughes. Rogers had a shocking 2nd test v Pakistan but was solid in the first. I'd expect the plan with Rogers is for him to play until the end of the Ashes series next year given his knowledge of English conditions. There for I'd expect he'd be given the first two tests v India to score some runs. Watson to bat at three, as he's the best option we have for that spot at the moment, and I'd also move Smith up to 4 and make him vice captain. Give him some good responsibility without throwing him to the wolves as captain just yet. Haddin to be given the captaincy gig as he's the obvious choice, especially as it's only going to be on a short term basis and Lyon for mine holds his spot just from a quiet challenge from Fawad Ahmed who's taken 14 wickets @ 27 in 3 Shield Matches so far. Lyon bowls at his best in our conditions, but please lets not take him on a tour of an asian nation again! But as for my two biggest inclusions. I'd favour Josh Hazlewood over Peter Siddle who unfortunatly I think is cooked. He seems to have become ineffective in test cricket, and with Hazlewood's extra pace and bounce, I think he'll compliment Johnson & Harris nicely. Given we also have the medium pace of Watson & Marsh to call on, I think the stock bowler of Siddle is less necessary then what it once was. And finally, the man to replace Michael Clarke, I've gone with a left field choice of young Victorian Peter Handscomb. Reasons being that after 3 Shield rounds he's the leading run scorer with 348 runs @ 116.00, 24 more runs then equal second place Joe Burns & Callum Ferguson, despite the fact Handscomb has batted two less innings then both. With two centuries and a 50 in 4 innings, Handscomb is well and truly in form and at only 23 years of age he's a true batting talent that we haven't seen a lot of recently. He's capable of openning the batting and batting in the middle order, as you'll see from his first class matches over the years. He's a good fieldsman who can also keep wicket, and despite the fact that his career average so far is only 35.73, Michael Clarke made his test debut with a similar average due to his huge potential, and we've seen how his star rose. Otherwise our other options suck as Ferguson, Doolan, S. Marsh & Khawaja with all similar first class averages, hwoever all in the mid 20's to 30 and scope for improvement not as great. I don't think Handscomb will be picked, they'll likely go with Ferguson, but I think this is a real opportunity for the selectors to be bold and pick a young player on the way up at just the right time.

I'd beat Freo to the punch and convince Tanner to enter the nationl draft and take him at Pick 53. http://www.afl.com.au/news/2014-11-13/dockers-dump-defender He was pretty highly rated as a junior and was expected to go top 30, fell to pick 36. I reckon if we land Tanner Smith (anotehr player who can play either end and has a few years in the system) then our key positon stocks minus anotehr ruckman are well and truly cpmplete. Time to pay Freo back for the Hannath scenario.

Sorry for the delayed response DL, haven't been on this thread for awhile. Plan is that no trains on the Frankston line will go through the loop. They'll go as far as South Yarra and then head off to the new Fishermans bend station (once done) and onto Southern Cross. Typical Liberal thought process. They don't want to make Cranbourne/Pakenham line go through there due to the growth = a lot of new voters, and they certainly wouldn't target the Sandringham line given the higher income earners are on that line, so it's Frankston only to no longer go through the loop.

Disapointed to see that we aren't playing a game out at Casey Fields. Was looking forward to walking the couple of 100 meters with my 2 year old to watch them play.

Brayshaw & McCartin. We move on.

Mature age pick up here for mine. Taylor Hunt, Mitch Robinson or James Polkinghorne could all fill a role.

I'm optimistic that Oscar McDonald may slide through to pick 40.

McDonald instead of Cockatoo.

As I said earlier, still don't think we'll use this pick. We've lost Clark, Frawley, Byrnes, Clisby and Nicholson replacing them with Lumumba, Garlett, Frost, Stretch and Jetta to be upgraded which gives us just one rookie spot available. Delist Blease, Tapscott and Strauss allows us to use picks 2, 3 and 40 and also delisting Georgiou gives us a 2nd rookie pick. If we then delist Evans but re-draft him with our last rookie pick if no one else picks him up like we did with Newton and Meesen then that allows us to use pick 53. I don't see us getting anyone in the PSD of note that we wont be able to land in the national draft. Also we must be planning on using it, otherwise we'd have not worried about having pick 53 added to the trade. Also I don't like the idea of delisting contracted players. Don't see it as a good way of attracting players from other clubs to come play for us. At worst you move them onto the rookie list, but just sacking them with no behaviour issues is a dangerous thing to start doing IMO.

We wont take anyone in the PSD. We'll use our 6 picks in the national draft (including stretch/jetta picks) and two rookie draft picks and that will be all. I suspect we'll use pick 53 to target a mature age player however, eg Mitch Robinson, Jason Tutt or Taylor Hunt etc.

It's a pass mark for me. We got Garlett for next to nothing. Lumumba should cost us no more then Clark and then Frost should sort itself out. As others have said, Pick 23 is overs, so I think Fitzpatrick is the man most likely to be traded to a 3rd club (Carlton or Bulldogs) for something to be passed onto GWS and Frost sent to us. Frost for Fitzpatrick sounds about fair to me. Blease, Strauss & Tapscoot all OOC so they'll just be delisted. The only other dead weight on our list that I really want us to clear out this off season is Evans, and that could still happen for something like Pick 87 etc. Roos looks to be addressing our need for outside run and some tall man depth which we need with Frost's ability to play forward and back as a replacement for Chip. We could still go to the draft with Picks 2, 3, 23, 42 (Stretch) & 83 (Jetta). Grab Brayshaw, McCartin & at 23 maybe someone like Cockatoo as you've suggested or maybe another rugged midfielder like Maynard and have another father son on the list, although Brayden's dad fell 92 games short for automatic qualification.... But I'd take McCartin over Wright as Wright's not a natural ruck as I've discovered doing some more research. He's more a CHF, and if we're going to draft a key forward, we may as well go for the stand out one in the draft which is McCartin. McCartin at FF, Hogan CHF & Dawes as the 3rd tall chopping out in the Ruck (I know he left Collingwood to get away from that role) looks pretty good to me in the future. So, so far it's a pass for me with still plenty of time left in trade period as long as we don't get ripped off in the Lumumba & Frost deals.

While Frost did play 14 of GWS'S first 15 games, he was left out of their side in 5 of the last 7 games, so I fail to see how they can then demand a pick as high as 23??? I think Fitzpatrick is our best bet of getting Frost, even if it's through a three way trade where we send Fitz to Carlton for example as a cog in that Jaksch/Pick 7/19 trade and we got Frost out at the end of it?

How about this proposal: Christensen is heading North. So if he goes to Gold Coast, the likely trade there is Christensen for Pick 15. We trade Mitch & Pick 23 to Geelong for Pick 15 & 35. Trade Pick 35 to GWS for Frost. Trade Pick 15 to Pies for Lumumba & Pick 30.

Yep, spot on. And even pick 23 is probably overs for Frost I'd say. I can smell a complicated three way deal involving Carlton coming up with Jaksch, Frost, Garlett & Picks flying around all over the place in order to get these players to their destination.

Disagree on Hrovat. Reckon he's a good young player. But can't say I blame anyone for wanting to keep 2 & 3.

Ok, so my current wishlist of trades/player signings. Clark to Geelong Varcoe to Collingwood Lumumba to Melbourne Fitzpatrick, Blease & Pick 61 to Carlton Garlett & Pick 46 to Melbourne Pick 46 to GWS Frost to Melbourne Pick 3 & Evans to Bulldogs Pick 6 & Hrovat to Melbourne Delist: Tapscott, Strauss, Georgiou Delisted Free Agent Period: James Gwilt National Draft: Pick 2: Angus Brayshaw Pick 6: Liam Duggan Pick 23: Oscar McDonald (Take the punt) Pick 42: Billy Stretch (F/S) Pick 79: Neville Jetta (rookie upgrade) Rookie Draft: Pick 2: Jesse Watchman Pick 20: Brett Eddy

I still like the idea of doing a swap of picks with the Bulldogs as long as they are willing to take a contracted list clogger off our hands. We trade them Pick 3 & Evans for Pick 6 & Hrovat. Still allows us to take Brayshaw at 2 and can take Duggan at 6 and Hrovat walks into our 22 for forward half pressure and rotating through the midfield. Doggies get McCartin at 3, everyone's happy and we get another available spot on our list. Bulldogs can sell the addition of Evans as a like for like replacement to their supporters. They don't need to know Pickles is no good.

Fitzpatrick, Blease & Pick 60 for Garlett & Pick 46. We then have Pick 46 to trade for Frost.