Little Goffy

Well, that settles it, I'm now officially on the 'trade down and trade up' campaign. Ideal result would be something like picks 8 and 12 instead of 3 and 21. I wonder if Carlton might be interested in getting pick 3 just to annoy the Crows?

Speaking of unnacceptable and unbelievable: The Blues had to sack their coach after poor performances in the first-half of the year, with the club reaching the amount of wins many expected by the end season. But with just two wins from xxx rounds, the writing was on the wall for Bolton who had to be shown the door. Someone got paid to write this. The first sentence makes no sense. The second forgot to actually include the only fact in it, which just highlights that the rest of it is just two cliches run together. Yes, people make mistakes when writing. In an email to a friend, or even a post on a hallowed footy forum, but to spit this out when it is supposed to be your job is just an insult to the thousands of us who would very enthusiastically take the job and do it properly. Actually, I've read back over the whole Carlton section and it is just packed full of high-school level errors. Unncessarily repeating terms twice in a sentence, wacky mixed use of past & present tense, some near-random punctuation. It even misses some key football observations about the Blues, like the younger Curnow having very mixed form and then being injured Tom McDonald style just as he had his one superb game for the season. Carlton will be desperate for improvement from their young very-high draft picks like Petrevski-Seton (pick 6) Lochie O'Brien (10) and Dow (3) who are all still just ok, because the Blues have a surprising number of important players close to 30. Carlton only won one game of the 7 they played without Kruezer, and with Casblout and Phillips, there's no ruck alternative under 28. Murphy, Simpson, and Thomas provided priceless class in a team which struggled for efficency, and Ed Curnow remains the Blues No.2 for tackles, clearances and contested posessions. There you go, a spontaneous five minute typing-speed rant just provided more insight into Carlton's prospects than whichever of the 'Staff Writers' banged that together for Foxfooty. Give me the job. Rant Over.

Ahh, but you see, we've twisted the system and have created an opening here. Every club was looking to improve in 2019, but we broke with convention. Now, everyone else has to try to improve all over again, while all we have to do is look to get back to where we already were!

If he was what we needed, he'd be a good acquisition. Here's me with the deep insights, but you all know what I mean so why go into more detail?

I don't see the value - I'm not at all convinced he will deliver more than whichever turns out best of our little collection of 'junior' options. For example, neither of Lochkart or Dunkley have even had an AFL pre-season, let alone an interrupted one. I'd rather see a kid get chances than an unreliable (both form and injury) 30-year-old cling on. Plus, need space for Viney to play forward pocket.

Bookmark it. Basically, the Trent Croad trades all over again. Or even better, the Chris Tarrant trades.

At the price he'd require (in trade and cash), and with the obvious risks involved, and with his goalkicking accuracy a bit iffy, nope. Restricted free agent next year, that might make things interesting if the injury situation starts to look less chronic. Every reason to wait and see, no reason to chase now.

Knows how to run, and run with the ball, and kick the ball in the right general direction. Yes please. Well spotted Demon3.

Pick 2 slides back onto the table. This is going to be a really annoying (or really glorious) trade period.

He's going alright for a 19 year old effectively taken as the next-to-last selection in the rookie draft and who didn't get a preseason. I think it is a bit early to say this particular piece of the sky is falling.

If I'm not mistaken, part of Anderson's appeal is that he is also a highly effective De Goey style forward/half forward? And can play a bit outside the contest as well? Might be more precise to say that if the Demons take Anderson, Spargo will be on the move to Freo! Flippant, for sure, but realistically, if we can't find a place for a gun kid ahead of or by shuffling around Stretch, Wagner, Wagner, Spargo, Neal-Bullen, Baker, the retired Lewis, Hannan, Hunt, T. Smith and Garlett, then clearly we are a lock for the 2020 premiership. Another way to look at it, is when playing forward Anderson gives us everything we like (and very little of what we don't) about all three of Neal-Bullen, Hannan, and Tim Smith. Except in one body. With better disposal. Of course, I also like having Petracca in attack, and am very interesting in seeing Viney spend time as a hunter-killer inside 50, so my overall picture has a lot of room for the likes of Anderson to rotate midfield-forward.

I am shocked and appalled that our proud club is not only using a chalk blackboard (so not up with modern football) but also wasting it with juvenile noughts and crosses games. Where is the professionalism? #sackthemall Seriously though, good luck to Lewis. Meanwhile, on the same day Melbourne have been nominated as one of the clubs interested in Jordan Roughead in a forward coaching role... coincidence? Well, yes, probably. but you can see the phone call; "Hey Rough, I've been playing up forward here for a few weeks and they are a real mess. Structure gone, no confidence, can't do set shots. But, there's a bunch of actually pretty good players and I reckon you could whip them into shape in no time. Easy first gig? I'll send you my notes..."

Ugh, this topic is making me mildly ill, just thinking about how impossible it is to assess list needs when every part of your list is so far away from what might be their realistic form. If McDonald/Weideman 2018 is the 'normal', then Anderson for sure. If Mcdonald/Weideman 2019 is normal then absolutely go after King. Same thoughts in reverse for 'if Brayshaw/Oliver/Viney' best vs worst. And defence, are we going to write down the value of our two big defender trades and go for yet another (such as the frankly worrying Keath rumours?), or plan for the better result of Lever & May getting preseasons and some form and structure together? Are Michael Hibberd and Neville Jetta still top-quality defenders who have had poor run lately, or are they both sliding towards retirement at barely 30? It even makes the later draft selections a challenge - what do we make of the likes of Hunt, Hannan, Kolodjashnij, Vandenberg, Nibbler, Smith, the Wagners and even Lockhart? All of them and more are hugely variable prospects, whether by injury issues or the sheer fluctuation from 'frustrating but useful roleplayers' right to pointless list-clogging depending on which season, moment or mood your happen to observe them. I do not envy Jason Taylor as he tries to organise a draft strategy out of this mess.

So, what you're saying is, he's been through the Bailey era and the Schwab continuous crisis, the tanking investigation, the appointment, failure and dismissal of Neeld, the selection of Roos and the process of Roos hand-picking his own coaching group, the transition to Goodwin and this year's mid-season purge, served under the boards of Stynes, McLardy, Bartlett and Pert, ... and yet he's never been subject to any real scrutiny. I'm impressed.

Israel Folau would look at the Melbourne Football Club now and for half a century, and immediately be inspired to quote scripture; I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation. - Deuteronomy 5:9 But I doubt there's any real danger of attracting Folau, we just can't fit the necessary shekels under the salary cap.

Well, since you're asking, and nobody else seems to want to, alright, I'll do it. But you owe me big time.

I think at this point it is very suitable to quote Bartleby the Scrivener. "I'd prefer not to". Sums up the situation, really.

I'm actually a little concerned that Fritsch is hiding under a blanket on the back seat of your car. He seemed to start well but has been completely missing for an hour. Did I miss an injury, or, is it just a Demons-in-August special night?

I know Melksham took at least one ruck contest. As well as either kicking or setting up our entire score. How is it possible for that to be the case when he doesn't even seem to be having a particularly good game?

That the bias in favour of West Coast has been sustained over such an long period is just completely horrifying. My first thought glancing acros the lists was to wonder to what extent it has ebbed and flowed within that 22 year period. Some years North did very well, some the Bulldogs scooped the free kicks. This season, for example, the Magpies are a mile out in 'first place' for free-kick differential, followed by the Bulldogs and Crows. Last season it was Magpies, North and the Eagles. It would also be interesting, but too much work for an amateur, to pick apart how much individual players affect the team balance of free kicks. Lance Franklin, particularly in his Hawthorn days, was notorious for giving away frees, even cracking 3/game in 2008. Joel Selwood only managed a measely equal 12th finish in his debut season, but has made up for it by finishing first in 7 seasons since then and never, ever, being outside the top 3. Having said all that, I think the free kick stats at footywire.com must be all messed up or something, because I can hardly see Adam Goodes anywhere...

Had a less than great couple of years after the major injury interruption which appears to have kept on pestering him through 2018 and 2019. Personally I still rate him, especially because he is a player who has proven in the past that he has an instinct for hunting opponents to get a tackle rather than just waving his arms at whoever comes near. Real question marks on him right now but I am confident of his resurgence. (touching wood regarding any further injury problems or complications). I do like the idea of using him a bit as a trouble-maker in the forward line. He has a deceptively good first few steps of acceleration and I'm sure would make a few opposition defenders a little nervous.

Would just Pick 2 be enough to get him though?

Given the make-it-up-as-you-go... er... 'spontaneous excutive authority' model of AFL management, I wonder if we could drop some hints to Gil that we would be interested in trading pick 2 as part of a deal to get King, and that way GC still gets to do their '1-2 buddy draft' without needing a start-of-draft priority pick. Ah, yes, similar lines to what binman just posted. IT all relies on shady deals that once upon a time would have been called draft tampering but which are now 'operations management'!

Wow. There are some people who really just believe the world ought to be arranged to suit them. I really hate the smug expression 'check your privilege', but geezus, there's a man who needs to check his privilege. This is even more inappropriate than the dancing in the Freo changerooms moment, that was at least just a tasteless celebration of a 'good commercial outcome'. Gil is actually putting pressure on a player regarding a significant personal decision.

Yeah, it would need to be a quality player, but for that part I am basing it on Gold Coast's serious need for mature quality. No good having all the top draft picks if they all want to leave right away... which bring me to the second point! I hesitated even as I posted because Ben King for 'new' pick 20 and 'move' of pick 8 to 2 sounds pretty limited. I think it is partly wishful thinking but also partly the problem of what can a club do when a player definitely wants out and as a club you don't have the credibility to force them to stay. Not without causing a ripple of irritation through other players. Half the club is eyeing the door anyway, there's very little sense of a club bond, zero tradition, and I don't think anyone really believe the club will become anything serious any time soon. It isn't really possible to stare down a kid who might very happily walk back into the draft the next year, knowing that they'll almost certainly land at a victorian club as they wish. Anyway, I just chose 8 to be the rebounding pick as a lucky number. Let's imagine, uh, 11 and hope that it seems more reasonable!