DeeSpencer

Got there late at about 11 and could only handle the heat for about 40 minutes. Rehabbers have mostly been covered I think but XL (no strapping, walking fine) and Spargs were just chilling with Choco by the time I was there. Salem looking more comfortable than last year to my eye. Sestan and Howes ran together and there body shapes are coming together too! Not seen: Gawn, May, Viney (by me), Lever, McAdam, Billings, Langdon, Chandler, Sparrow, Pickett, McVee Langford is a big boy, but no extra weight on him, he has huge feet (not sure what that means - big shoes!). Johnson clearly isn’t built like a full time pro just yet but he seems to have fit legs and athletic look to him, I reckon a good preseason and he’ll look the part. No strapping on the knee and completing gentle run throughs with Harvey with ease. Probably only about 16 in full training so doubt drills were all that insightful but first one I saw was the mids simulating a contest on the half forward flank then going inside 50 to a 3 on 3. Initially with a spare defender then without. Focus on getting to the corridor and kicking out to the fat side. Mids: Verrall, Tracc, Oliver, Rivers, Laurie, Bowie, Woey, Windsor. 5 on 3 so not a lot of pressure Tracc bursting from congestion. Clarry had a couple of trademark zips through. Windsor getting handballs inside 60 = a shot inside 40 in no time. Forwards: JVR, Disco, Jeffo, Kentfield A big focus on spade and separation. Kentfield took a nice mark on the lead and hit up Jeffo. He’s a large unit. Jeffo’s stronger, still need to iron out that spine. He came up on leads and forced contests a couple of times, he has a closing speed on leads and swooped on a crumb and dished handballs in a flash of an eye. Not fully willing to say it’s magician time just yet but it could be close. Backs: Petty, T Mc, fake Petty, Hore, AMW as the key backs out there Tommy had a good spoil and forced the ball over the line and was met with Clarry saying ‘gets better every year’ Next drill was 8 on 8 condensed in to a 60 x 30 rectangle on the wing just trying to get short kicks through the zone. If this is our game plan with these current players we might be in trouble! Turnover central! But it was 30+ degrees and over 90 minutes in. Bassett preaching the need to be up on opponents, clear with handovers and to take away the 45 on the mark. Not sure he knows about the stand rule tho so that will be interesting. Windsor about the only one to find space but a couple of sneaky Jeffo leads. Overall takeaway was I hope the rehab group trims down before Christmas but seemingly a good core out there. Interested to see what Chappy can do with these young key forwards.

Yeah I'm starting to come around. Still think he's more the kind of talent you get down for a training block but sometimes you just have to pull the trigger and get him in the full time environment. 7th in the Werribee B+F is impressive given they've got 2 star mids, Bice who was drafted 30 picks earlier and a lot of other proven performers. I'm still not sure this helps Casey. They have no shortage of forward talent and a big reason they struggled was because they didn't have quality runners. The best think to help Casey would've been to take a mature midfielder. I think the hope is it helps Petty play CHB and helps JVR stay out of the ruck! I guess my frustrations are we really are heavily reliant on our first rounders coming in and filling gaps because we only added Harry Sharp as a mature runner. And at the same time we haven't restocked the cupboard with the next wave of developmental kids, we are really backing in Howes, AMW, Sestan, Woey, Kynan Brown - we're going to need a few of them to play this year if we have anything like last years injury run

Didn’t miss with the elbow on the way down!

As perplexing as a I find it I do like former fat blokes, bald guys, and Bull Smith and Vanders were two of my favourites and we’ve missed having a hard country lad who isn’t afraid to crack a few private school heads. Maybe we can sort out the log jam on the list after this year and get some value from this pick.

Casey has a list for Casey players. I noticed this guy watching Werribee finals, he’s a heck of a vfl player given he had only played one game before this year. He has a red hot go in the ruck but he won’t be able to do that at afl level. We overload our list with tall forwards because they all get injured because we force them to play murder ball because we don’t have enough skill and run to play any other way. It might be Jefferson, Melk, Fullarton, Kentfield, Johnson all at Casey with no midfield to kick it to them!

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/14q7AfqUwV/?mibextid=Mk4v2M Season highlights

For the love of god please stop pissing away list spots on undersized forward/rucks because they’re tough. It’s not 1985

He’s an awkward unusual player and those half forwards can sometimes fail but that’s great value in Davis for the Eagles, reckon there’s a big winger who can stretch opponents forward with that profile

We don’t have the list spots, our third pick is all we have and clearly they wanted other players. Its not like we don’t have young kids developing but we do seem to hang on to guys as well as paying the price for top ups that so far haven’t worked. Im not even sure if we wanted Riak as cat B which does seem wild because he has more upside than Mentha IMO.

Not a surprise, club never were really linked with him. A fraction undersized and doesn’t kick well. That said, cost was basically the last pick in the draft. But we don’t seem to be a club that turns over the list these days.

I’ve changed my mind again. This draft was excellent with the talls to about 40 then got weird in a hurry with clubs going for all sorts of randos. Still would’ve loved one of those top 40 talls but the mids especially but even the flankers seem to run out quickly. The Freo trade down might’ve been the option.

With the academy kids dominating the top of the draft every side up until 20 was probably right to pass. Sydney and GWS passing with their 2nd and 3rd picks is very strange

Last year he clearly was a mile off his best, nasty arm break so couldn’t do weights for months, in to ankle and other stuff. He’s not playing Jetta’s position. We need to find a Hibbo replacement but if Judd can’t stay there it will be Hore, Howes or AMW based on the current list. Most sides have half back flankers who can’t defend a lick. Lindsay has ok height but isn’t much of an aerial player, I’d back Bowey over him to defend most half forwards. But both can be excellent rebounding half backs.

I disagree, he’s super clever in the air for his size and doesn’t need to win 1 on 1 contests in d 50, he should always have 2-3 defenders behind him. He didn’t give Bailey Smith an inch in the grand final.

Can’t help but feel like we went way too hard to get the extra first rather than try to maximise picks and list turnover by 3-4 picks in this middle range of the draft. Essendon might’ve cooked us here

With Lindsay probably starting half back and Langford likely starting out as a medium forward/rotational mid I still think the list balance would be well served with a running forward/mid. Especially if we get Riak through to the Cat B list.

Chews up more of their 3rd round picks. Right now they’ve got 46, 47, 49, a bid at pick 1 would’ve wiped them out. And earlier Marshall bid would’ve wiped out 56 and 59 too. They’re effectively still live with solid 3rd rounders because of the nonsense teams at 1-4.

It’s not a great sign that we drafted his replacement but if Salo gets through preseason I really hope he’s got more in him. If not I’d actually try to reinvent his role. I have so few doubts on Bowser. I reckon he was set for a big year before injury last year and early training reports are positive. With the shackles released on the game plan and a fit midfield he should show his smarts and skills.

PCL injury late August, assuming 3 month recovery should be just about right to get in to decent training. Should start at half back and keep Howes, AMW honest for the 3rd back flanker spot behind Salem and Bowey.

Strength and conditioning. A lot of these kids are now doing serious footy preseasons and extra in season training sessions run by professional fitness guys.

Wild post. Lindsay’s not particularly a pressure player. AMW hasn’t shown he’s afl standard yet. No mention of Chandler, Kolt and hopefully a healthy Spargo who are our pressure players as well as Windsor who’s a more brilliant chase down tackler. XL is here to provide run and ball use. I suspect it will be half back but it might be wing or forward. This is demons run and spread footy, not the 21 murder ball.

He struggled adjusting to the pace against men early but he hits 4 inside 50 targets in a row in the back half of the clip. Not his fault Samson Ryan can't mark and Sam Davidson drops a soda.

Except not really almost because he went pick 23 and our 28 is out to 32 and no one is trading down. North just gave up a future first to get pick 27. This is the deepest most evenly talented draft between 8 and about 30 that there ever has been, so it's not really a knock that a guy goes 23 over 11. Reports were something in the interviews didn't go well for Armstrong, or maybe some other part of the screening. On pure talent there's still a lot to work with. Richmond give him some cover by picking Faull who probably comes in and plays more early and zero expectations on them as a side. I fully expect if he develops well he'll be a very good player and it will come together pretty quickly too after a couple of preseasons.

The only thing we can trade is downgrading our future 2nd for someone else’s future 2nd, but even if we could, no. He’s a basketballer whose strength is racking up touches. But without the skills to really do a lot of with it or the elite movement of Luke Jackson. He’s very Stef Martin. Useful, but the not the kind of ruck I really value

FF: Toby G Lachie Keeffe Gothard HF: Thomas Cadman McMullin C: Angove Toby B D Jones R: Briggs Hannaford Daniels Heaven