DeeSpencer

The issue I have with Brown and Weid is about fit. 2 big talls who don’t offer a lot of possessions and defensive effort. Jackson complements either of them individually. But alone they have value. Brown’s value is obvious as a 60 goal forward. Weid’s 2020 apart from Cairns he crashed packs, kicked goals at a decent clip and took strong marks. He was a solid afl player and the best and fairest reflected that, with a couple more touches he’d be a very good afl player. After that it’s a matter of fit with Brown as above.

I think positioning and not getting enough easy ball are far bigger problems for Weid than toughness or presence. The lack of reliable second option meant he had to be up the ground, and the game plan to get goal side for long bombs to the square left him sprinting deep. The Jackson - Weid combo worked briefly before Jacko went down. Personally I’d rather stick with that but the Brown-Weid combo should be able to produce similar results. But part of that is Weid finding easy ball when he’s up the ground or even leading inside 50. Add a couple of uncontested marks each game and another half a goal a week and he’s right up with the best forwards.

The major factors for whether a kid can play early are whether they are physically and mentally prepared for the intensity and whether they can run. Rosman looks more of a project so I don’t expect him to play but there’s no concern over his athleticism and hopefully his size protects him from the heat. Bowey and Laurie are strong runners too. If you can run you can do a job. It’s a big ask of a coach to start a small light body in Bowey on a back flank but I think he’ll get his chance. They didn’t rush Rivers in so much so my guess is coaches are more conservative when it comes to defenders. Laurie should certainly get chances if the likes of Spargo and Pickett are a guide from their first years. Is he going to be a better option than ANB who’s rock hard fit and a super worker? My guess is not straight in to round 1 but pretty early in to the year he’ll put good vfl from on the board.

Rivers would do very well to be in AA contention yet not finish in the top 2 in the Rising Star.

We're going to get smashed, then they'll be an overreaction, then in a months time everyone will realise Freo were actually good so it's not that bad a loss. We can't score against a Longmuir defensive set up and we'll get frustrated, make mistakes and leak goals because that's what we do. Unless....... The forward pressure is spicy and dialed right up to start a season AND The midfield learn to work together and use the ball smartly.

They’re both tall athletic left footed wingmen. Obviously a lot of differences too but I’m fine with people daring to dream.

I believe you mean the VFL/East Coast Second-Tier Men’s Competition! 15 games against half decent opposition might be optimistic

If we’re aiming for Isaac Smith why not aim a little higher? And a big physical wingman who took time to learn his craft (as Rosman will) with 99 games in the reserves? Let’s see if we can make him the next Dipper

Q: Who finished second behind Dusty in the 2017, 2019 and 2020 Norm Smith medals? A: Houli, Houli, Short. If he can handle afl pressure and get a dozen kicks across half back then he’ll prove his worth.

Jetta is a unique player, so strong one on one and in the air for his height. I don’t think we should be looking for nor expecting his role to be taken by a small in the future. A medium type with pace is the most likely to take over the lockdown jobs, whilst also providing some aerial value and versatility in the zone. Short term that should be Hibberd, longer term it could be Joel Smith. Otherwise we need to recruit for that role. 3 talls, 1 lock down medium, 3 runners is how I’d set up. I see Lockhart, Bowey and Chandler fighting for a spot to add to Rivers and Salem. If they’re good enough we can play a 3rd running flanker. Rivers’ size and Salem been good enough one on one allows it. Lockhart short term, Bowey long term if it works out. The 3rd tall battle is between Tomlinson, Hore and Petty. I’d like Petty to nail that spot, if not I think Hore will push for it, we’d lose some height but a competent all round defender like Hore provides more than shaky talls. All that said, Hore, Smith and Hibberd could all switch between roles and then the depth and make up of the backline changes entirely. I’d be recruiting a key defender and be on the look out for quick 187-192 lock down type to develop.

Hibberd took most of the lock down jobs and on a couple of occasions Smith. Lockhart and even Jetta were played as pretty standard back flankers in a lot of games and restricted to limited minutes to protect against their lack of fitness. Rivers took over Lockhart's spot in the side and averaged 13.3 which is significantly more of the ball than Lockhart's 8.8.

Can I have that again in English?

Simply doesn’t get enough of the ball at this stage and if you’re a small back flanker who doesn’t rack up disposals you better be elite at everything else and he’s not. He’ll have his chance to get his spot back over summer and I really like him but the coaches haven’t done anything wrong with him.

It's an easy decision from a depth perspective and maybe that's the most important consideration. I liked Petty at Casey as a defender, he's a very talented mark but I'm worried his lack of speed could be costly at AFL level. And his forward play was a really pleasant surprise late in 2019. The most important thing is to get him fit and healthy, but after that we need to do develop him well because his size, marking and reading of the play are valuable tools.

European migrants took up Aussie Rules because it was the only thing going at lunch time in the playground. These days African, Middle Eastern, Asian and even white kids are more likely to play basketball or soccer at lunch, and can watch Liverpool, the Lakers and the Mumbai Indians on tv just as easily as watching the AFL. Just like music, tv and other hobbies sport is going to be more fractured and less of a monoculture as society becomes more global and connected by the internet. Houli and Saad might be the only practising Muslim’s in the AFL. Aliir and Chol only Sudanese guys getting a game. 3 recent recruits in this draft in Davies, McInnes and Downie who are half asian but given 12% of the Australian population is Asian that’s a tiny fraction. Lin Jong and Peter Bell still come to mind as Asian afl players. It’s increasingly difficult for the afl to capture these audiences.

We typically haven’t had a lot of players training on. I’m not sure we’d try to fill all 6 potential spots. And I’m not sure Taj counts. Clubs usually get father son / academy players in for a look the summer before their draft, that’s different to train on players. Smith might still be cat B eligible. Farmer is obviously a special case. Otherwise I’d expect only guys they are serious about adding to the list rather than a trial group

The most interesting parts for me: - Bowey is going to start with the defenders. Which I like. Confirms what I saw in his footage that his best attribute is his ability to change angles and kick quickly and accurately. - Laurie will be with the forwards but has midfield potential. Great spacial awareness and ability to release a team mate in space - Petty resuming training with the defenders - Nietschke always finding the ball at training (which I’ve witnessed). Will be with the wingers - Sparrow made good progress last year Is Deakyn Smith still eligible to be added as a cat B rookie? If he is I’d imagine he’s a decent chance to get a year if he trains well.

I don’t think I need to apologise to Jason specifically. I still think there was way too much smoke about a bolter with no form at all. But if he wasn’t so high on our board I’ll say I was overly critical of the football department staff and I’d withdraw some of those comments.

In normal years there’s a few players drafted on their under 17 form but mostly it’s assessing guys in their 18th year. In theory there should be a handful of Clayton Oliver, Bontempelli type bolters who would’ve jumped up in addition to next years crop. So possibly a few players per round in the draft more than usual. The counter to that is those guys are eligible for the midseason draft as far as I know. So if they come on strongly in the early games they could be snapped up mid year.

The club has done this for the last few years. They have draftees stay with a team mate for the first week or so. I assume it's for things along the line of getting to know a team mate as a mentor, getting some tips on routine and a chance to ask all the questions they might be afraid to ask without that closer bond. Probably just cuts down a lot of anxiety about when/what to eat, when to wake up, what to pack, which way to drive and where to park etc etc. Given all 3 are from SE Melbourne they'll probably all go back to living with mum and dad next week.

I'd rather walk in the middle of the Monash than hear the horrendous noise of a basketball stadium, no one should be subjected to that constant thump thump thump. But yes, basketball stadiums are good community facilities, well done. No one works in these areas, just subdivision after subdivision, everyone has to commute for work. Slowly as the cheap home builds start to fade and without any investment in infrastructure the area will become increasingly soulless and more unappealing. I'd have more respect for the people that live there than the property developers who raked in millions then got the heck away from it and the councillors that allowed it to happen. I'm not anti the outer suburbs or the people that live there, I'm anti how little time, money and sense has been put in to making them succeed because if they don't succeed they are going to cost everyone. For a start I'd build the transport to be ready for the housing not 30 years later, heck I'd even build a Frankston, Cranbourne, Berwick train line so these suburbs are connected to a relevant hub in Frankston that isn't an hour away. Then instead of allowing row of home after home I'd mix in some medium density apartments and townhouses around the transport hubs and some business zones to attract jobs. Maybe even get lucky and get a restaurant that isn't a McDonald's. Then I'd spread the ovals out around the suburbs so everyone has easily accessible green space that doesn't involve driving to the same facility. At the moment all they leave is a wetlands which is just code for 'this area was too boggy to build on'. Building every sporting field together is a cop out and if there's not even good transport or surrounding businesses I don't see how it helps the community. To make it sound better they've gone out to sign professional teams but so far are looking at 1.5 training bases. Good for them if they can get Melbourne City to actually play games there but the Dandenong boutique stadium makes far more sense, so I'd be hoping they can get the funding to get that happening.

Imagine it how? The entire project is a tremendous rort. Instead of building community facilities throughout the new housing estates (aka future slums) they've taken the development money and put it all in one place. Then they've splashed out on getting semi professional teams and training bases instead of actually providing the community with what they need spread around the suburbs so local businesses can merge in with facilities. It's the sporting version of an awful suburban shopping centre with the same crappy parking and soulless vibe. Just maybe when they build the train line in 30 years it might stand a chance.

They have potential for a Bulldogs style short term super rise before it falls back to earth IMO. Brayshaw, Cerra and Serong are that good that they can carry a midfield in the same way Bont, Macrae and Libba did at the Dogs in 2017. Particularly if Darcy gets fit and takes a leap. The right midfielders only need a few preseasons to go from below par to a really strong group, it's not like the big guys who need time. If the young guys carry the midfield it allows Fyfe and Walters to be a 2 man forward line rotating on ball when needed, or supported with Taberner, Lobb and Sam Sturt. Alex Pearce getting healthy would be huge for their backline, but if it doesn't happen and they are just Luke Ryan, some top end kids (Young, Chapman) and a bunch of misfits they are still so well drilled up the field that they'll be decent. Young midfield takes a big leap + reinvigorated high end talent + well drilled role players is the method for unexpected success

Both teams rebuild at the same time. The Saints rebuild went haywire earlier, so they added King, Clark and Coffield. Then topped up with the likes of Brad Hill and co. Melbourne stayed on track, but fell apart in 2019, so we added Jackson, Rivers and Kossie. We've gone for Ben Brown and added a few more picks rather than trade ins. They've got more depth, but the argument for us is May is better than Howard/Carlisle, Petracca is better than their best mids and our young talent fills the gaps they've plugged with imports the last two years. They certainly aren't too old or lackings kids though. That's a bad take.

5 grand finals in 22 years is something we could only dream of. The easy argument is he should’ve called time around 2011 ish. A premiership, 4 grand finals, a home base and financial riches. But he’s also guided in the Buckley era and 90 seconds from winning the 2018 flag. Their footy department has made errors since losing Balmey, that’s hardly a shock, and it’s time, but hard to be too critical. Same goes for staying until the end of 2021. It’s disappointing for members that clubs aren’t democracies and boards get to handover power but a smooth transition works best if you get it right. And there’s not a single club that seems keen on elections anyway.