DeeSpencer

Defensive ability will be crucial but fitness might be just as important for Lockhart. Because I see him playing pretty high up as a flanker and having to cover the ground. I don't expect him to really compete with Nev. Salem and Harmes have been positioned for that job but if Lockhart takes it up a notch we then get to move one of those 2 around. Most likely Harmes back in to the midfield mix. Nath Jones is down to start the year with the forwards as a high half forward.

Sandringham Dragons key forward apparently.

Garlett and Lewis probably had great statistical value last year despite being completely finished. I wonder how they’ve valued Jones. The good news is apart from Gawn who surely can’t go up another level again we have so many players who can improve. Not sure the Dogs are 2nd but I think they belong in the top 5. After that the gap between 6-17 can’t be all that wide. North won 10 games, Freo won 9. Unless Hill and Langdon are now Judd and Ablett the gap between the lists can’t be all that big.

I could've replaced Dusty this year and they still would've won it. They lost Rance, moved Grimes in to his spot and didn't miss a beat. Mid season they decide there's no longer room for him in the forward line and move Caddy on to a wing. They move a young small forward flanker in Baker to a sweeping defender spot. Shane Edwards and the undrafted Stack held down the back flanks for a while without Short and Houli. They play Cotchin at half fitness because they can. They play 2 rucks off the bench, 50/50 game time each because they can. They debut a guy in a grand final, because they can! The way they pressure without losing their shape behind the ball is incredible. The way they run with the ball and forward handball is amazing. They way they have 22 fit and fast athletes ready to perform to their best is off the charts. It's way more than just Dusty.

You linked to 2018, they aren't the numbers I have for 2019.

Mihocek 1.5 goals to Brown 1.3 1.5 contested marks to 0.5 1.8 marks inside 50 to 1.1 2 tackles compared to 1 In many of the most important stats Brown fall short. That's why he's depth. Maybe I should be more appreciative of fit, skilled and available depth. But he's ageing, he's soft and he's defensively ordinary. There's no moneyball hidden value here. And unless he's the answer down back I can't see the Cam Pedersen unexpected role player like when Cam went in to the ruck with Gawn out.

By the way, todays fairly low contested but fast moving match sim was probably ideally suited out at Casey where the runners would have to cover far more ground. Not great for track watchers but I hope they will move some sessions out there before the season to prepare the team for games at the MCG.

Weideman has had his time at Casey. It’s time for him to get an extended run. Moneyball also implies there’s a skill we’ve identified that Brown can contribute that makes him undervalued. I don’t think there is. The undervalued skills for key forwards as far as I see them are: 1. Forward pressure. 2. Being able to split a pack and not get outmarked. 3. Versatility to go in to the ruck. The moneyball parts of Brown’s game are accurate goal kicking - but I don’t think he can generate many shots on goal - and a supposed ability to go down back.

Hibberd played on Fritsch for a bit of the match sim and made on great closing spoil and took a nice mark. Fritta got him once or twice as well. He looks fitter and still has more defensive smarts than most of our players. He had a few nice kicks as well, it just seems like he's off in his kicking on the run. Not sure if that's fatigue, feeling perceived pressure now he's lost a little speed or a confidence to technique error. I'd like to see him balance up and go for shorter smarter targets. He expects to outrun opponents and launch it 60 like he used to and I don't think he can do that with the same reliability.

Trying to work out why I hate this signing so much and I think I've got it. He's the key forward version of Lewis. He's old, so even if he came in and had one good year he'd be done within 2-3 years - so he's sucking up development time that keeps others in the 2's. He has ok endurance but otherwise no significant athleticism. He has good skills but how much will he use them? He doesn't like the contest - the majority of the marks on his highlights are chest marks. And defensively he's a liability. Essendon got rid of him because they want to play aggressive front half football with defensive pressure under their new coaches. They also probably know that when you have a Mitch Brown you play a Mitch Brown and that gets you absolutely nowhere long term. Drafting Pickett and Jackson is a clear sign we want to bring more athleticism and pressure to the forward line and in Jackson's case around the midfield as well. Why are we adding a poor mans Jack Watts' who's one dimensional and averages 1 tackle per game?

T Mc rolled an ankle on Monday. Don’t think it’s anything more than that. Viney’s done enough training for pre christmas. If they shut him down until January I’d be happy.

Weid coming off with blood all over his face from the grappling

3 consecutive missed kicks under no pressure from Hibberd, Gus and Nietschke. its very uncontested match sim with 2 players going both ways in white vests. They are covering the ground well but butchering it

I'm not trying to be negative, I think we'll be a lot better and have done some nice work to get better. We'll be fitter, we've made sure we at least have decent options on the wing, we've freed up some run from the backline and made an aggressive move for a small forward. But I'm still not sure we've got the mix right between ball winners and quick ball users in the midfield mix and I think that's far more important than a 29 year old 5th string key forward.

I have nothing against all those players. Langdon is a good pick up who will play a lot of games, he's just not a very good kick. Rivers is a really good draft pick, maybe he'll surprise me and be ready early but the coaches are clearly thinking they'll ease him in down back. Not a huge Tomlinson fan but at least he's fit (or was until he got us ) and reliable. I'm a big Baker fan but he needs 1-2 full preseasons to build the tank required to play AFL midfield, instead he has a mystery injury or illness. JJ could be something in a year or two and Nietschke is the kind of hard worker and ball winner every list needs. A plan to fix it? I'd cut Josh Wagner, doesn't have the speed or skills to play half back, no idea why he's still on the list. I'd cut Corey Wagner, we've got ANB, Spargo and Jones in the high half forward role, we don't need 4 players with limited skills or forward craft. I'd think long and hard about cutting Jones as well, either way, at least one or the other. I'd have traded Brayshaw for another top 30 draft pick and used that to trade or draft a skilled and fit mid. And I'd pay Kade Kolo to retire too. That's 4 list spots freed up. Then if we use a spot for Brown we've still got the spot for a depth key defender and 3 spots for skilled runners. But it was too late for that because we locked in a whole bunch of depth players in positions we don't need them. So I'd have waited on signing Brown until March and had the 2 best skilled midfield runners that missed in the draft down to train with us until then too.

We did pretty much the same thing with Corey Wagner last year. Clearly it was arranged to have him out of the drafts, but more of a suprise that we didn't add him as a delisted player. Maybe some salary cap relief if you got the extra rookie.

Tommy Mc, Melksham and Fritsch are all very good lead up forward options and Petty has the required skill set. They mixed and matched but I'd say more often than not T Mc hit the wings and Hogan stayed deep and that's not a role I can see Brown doing with good success, he's not a dangerous match up one on one. I think a fit and confident Weideman still has better pack marking or pack splitting ability deep and if not him then Preuss - with some rucking time and minimal forward type providing a target as he did against the Swans or even Jackson are likely to be of more overall use to the team. It's really Melksham and Fritsch as excellent medium marking targets plus the plan for Petty forward that make me see Brown as not a requirement if we enter the season without major injuries. The part of the ground where the drop away between Brown and the other options is steeper is the other end of the ground. After May, Oscar and Lever we have nothing in terms of key defenders. Hore and Smith as 3rd tall options. But is Brown the best defensive tall cover available?

It's not easy to find the answer but it's even harder if you don't try. I would've given Connor Menaude a chance to train with us. And apart from that I would've offered the best couple of outside mids not drafted to come down to training. A few weeks training and suddenly concerns over fitness, disposal or hardness could be gone. I just think what the Tigers did with Stack last year was super clever and I don't like using one of our last free list spots right away without having a good look at what we need and who's available. What's the point of flexibility if you aren't going to use it?

Langdon - nice winger, not skilled. Tomlinson - depth type, not a long term fix, neither quick nor skilled. Rivers - good half back until he builds his tank Baker - currently walking laps JJ - slow, an ok inside midfield option Nietschke - slow with the ball in hand and I kick better than he does. Half back depth. Langdon’s the only genuine linebreaker and there’s not a player you really want kicking the ball inside 50 from any of our mids. Key forward depth would be nice but we already have a stack of options. We used pick 3 on a guy who can do something forward if needed. We didn’t use a single pick or trade for immediate midfield skill.

I dislike this. We have T Mc, Petty, Melksham and Fritsch who can provide lead up options better than Brown. We have Weid, Preuss and Jackson who can sit under a high ball. Brown offers nothing for forward pressure or genuine contested tall work and can he really still play key back? We need genuine key defensive depth to push Oscar and cover May. And we need the scope to add skilled midfield runners because we haven’t done it during the draft or trade. The only skilled runner we’ve added is Bennell and he might never play again.

Exceptional photos DL, where are they from?

And if you read the next line: . Please check this page on the morning of each session to confirm the time and date. I’m fine with them not even advertising regular sessions. But if they are going to do it they should get it right. Don’t bother with a members forum with fancy PowerPoints until you master the basics.

He’s not tall but remember he’s standing between Greg Stanford and Matty Egan.

Almost certainly, although the jumper sizes would also fit very well with JKH, Frost and Maynard. We might operate just like local Footy, you get the number that fits!

As part of the craft rotations they had a drill where they stood back to back, run to a cone 5m away, spin and then try to beat the tackler. I didn't notice any particular special coaching on it.