DeeSpencer

Surely Melb: 8 for 10, 23 Freo: 10, 22 for 8 Adelaide: 23 for 22

Fair point on speed, the testing numbers largely don't reflect game play. But he averaged nearly 40 hit outs out muscling or out jumping fellow 18 year old beanstalks, the coaches are going to talk up his leap whether he's the next Nic Nat or a 35 year old chained to the ground Jamar. The numbers aren't biased (unlike Sumich desperately chasing an AFL job) and support that he's got a good but not great leap, particularly when allowed a run at it. All I'm saying is the numbers and watching him play point to a player far more like Grundy - decent but not dominant at hit outs, extra midfielder around the ground - rather than a Nic Nat like athlete.

Agree with most of that. Height doesn't bother me. Reach would be a fairer measurement anyway. Give me a guy who's 3 cm shorter but has 4cm longer arms. On his leap: Draft profiles are nice but hard facts are better. According to one of the draft watchers his jumping numbers are: Standing 57cm / Running 78cm That standing leap is pretty ordinary. So at around the ground contest he'll have to use strength control the taps. But hit outs from ball ups with 20 guys around the ball aren't easy to do much with anyway. The running number is much better, not quite elite but easily well above average for a tall. Still along way from Nic Nat who did 78 standing and 102 jumping, so I don't think Jackson will be jumping over AFL rucks and winning clean hit outs. But no one bar Nic Nat ever does! Grundy didn't make the top 10 in either standing or running leaps so the comparison might be similar there. Cal Twomey said yesterday he's spoken to a number of clubs about what he thinks Melbourne should do with pick 3 and there were a variety of options but several had said take Jackson. Unless they are bluffing GWS appears to be 1 of those. Anyone who thinks this is Jason Taylor out on an island is ignoring some strong reporting.

I think we need to drastically scale back his training loads and build a game plan around him sitting deeper at full back. Many dreams of changing his body shape and game style are just that, dreams.

May wasn’t on the track by the time I got there.

If you think Green is Cripps then draft him, but if you think he is Matt Crouch and you think Jackson is Grundy then you go with Jackson.

Clayton Oliver’s laid more tackles and won more contested ball than any player his age in the modern era. Absolute nonsense to have him aggressively tackling and tackled in November. Save that for Feb/March. They can still do wresting and grabbing drills and whatever else they need to train tackling.

Intercept marks are the marks that matter for key defenders, I would've thought that was obvious. Otherwise you are just pointing out that he can play kick to kick without dropping the ball. Wonderful. If the Suns are so bad at giving away inside 50's then why isn't he taking more intercept marks? The balls coming in a million times a game. Watch him play this year and see if he spills a few that it looks like he should hold.

I'l leave the cobbling to the cobblers and carry on with the squabbling. Although I've often thought about a big long email to Matty Egan with all my developmental ideas. The other one for today - Toby Bedford surely can't wait to have Lewis coming on as a kicking consultant. He needs belief and repetition with technique.

I know he's played forward and in other roles but he has a career average of 1.6 intercept marks which is barely above Oscar McDonald's 1.4. There was no shortage of the ball in the Suns backline for him to chip around kicks and marks. From what I saw last year I stand by my comment that he has hard hands. Maybe a full preseason and health will see him hold more this year. But one of the biggest failings of the Melbourne football club pretty much in my entire lifetime is that we are happy with good players being good and we don't develop every aspect of their game. If these guys are out there training in November I want ever single part of their games dissected and improved on and I think for May that means marking technique.

Yes I'm judging from one photo, hence why I've called it my technical whinge. But you extend your arms to the ball as it comes in, they only need to be at full stretch when the ball arrives. May has hard flat hands and drops a few too many marks he should take. His use of the body and spoiling is off the charts. Given his strength in the contest his marking is not.

Also possibly of interest it was revealed this week that a whole heap of the sports science industries studies have been based on awfully flawed methodology. So im glad that are: 1. Using data to evaluate our sports science with Mr Regan 2. Using data to evaluate our performance with Mr Younger Because we might find a whole lot of new numbers out there to give us the edge

One look at his CV and it’s a pretty solid but standard sports science guy. Knows his strength and conditioning but also knows how to use the GPS numbers. Don’t forget, Burgo is a GPS king! Not overly impressed with Dolphins and Mets, the yanks were years behind us. But international experience is good too. Here’s a video that explained his role with the Dolphins. https://youtu.be/ZW3IaNiVIhQ Interesting to note the Dolphins have since become so data driven that they are performing the Fish Tank to load up on draft picks. Unfortunately they’ve been too bad at tanking and have won 2 games and currently won’t be getting the number 1 pick.

Wasn't Petracca? And he was a gun junior goal kicker. Once again, I'm pro Jackson as a great ruck prospect who can be of use forward and contribute early in his career. But all the athleticism and upside in the world won't convince me a goal a game at WAFL colts is any kind of goal kicking forward. Best case scenario as a forward is probably more like Josh Jenkins and that's best case.

The number 1 target better be the guy who kicks the goals or the system isn't working. At his best Cox is an important part of the Pies make up but it's Jordan De Goey and sometimes Stephenson who get the good kicks directed their way. If you isolated Pies inside 50 targets that we directed to players and not safe long bombs I think De Goey would be miles ahead of Cox. I'm pro Jackson, but you don't take a guy at pick 3 because they might be able to chip in with a bit of grunt work. Too much is being made IMO about JT saying Jackson can play forward as he develops. It's no difference to if JT said Gus Brayshaw or Clarry would play forward in their first seasons. It's nice. But it's not at all why they were drafted with top 5 picks. Structurally Cox has his moments of importance but Collingwood's forward line functions around getting the ball to JDG one out. The big yank serves his purpose on slow plays but it wouldn't take much for Preuss to do that job. Jackson should be able to do it better, but that's just a way to develop him until he takes the number 1 ruck role. We're drafting him to be the next Grundy not the next Cox.

Added comments for the first 12 taken. The upside guys like Bont - excellent, Lennon - fail. The highly skilled - Billings -tick, KK - fail, Salem - ok. The low risk, solid as a rock footballer types - Scharenberg - fail, Aish - meh, McDonald - meh, Sheed - good. Cripps was meant to be so one dimensional that a Carlton recruiter quit when his colleagues picked him. But his one dimension is off the charts ball winning and he does everything else well enough or at an improving rate. What is best available? What makes a superstar. I think it starts with ball winning - if you don't have the footballing and physical capabilities - size, strength, speed, fitness etc - to win the ball you won't ever be a star. But for every Cripps there's plenty of Matt Crouch's who can win as much if not more of the ball but aren't as dominant. And there's Patrick Dangerfield types who start their careers slowly and develop ball winning to go with the elite physical traits. Then again there's Nat Fyfe who's a skinny half forward flanker who becomes the comps best midfielder. From that list above Fyfe was probably most like Lennon as a draft prospect. One's a 2 time Brownlow medal winner, the other is punting for Utah.

Today's technical whinge: Steve May skills more marks than he should because he doesn't get his hands close enough together and he also doesn't allow enough cushion by way of bending his elbows. Locking your elbows makes your arms stiff and heavy, keeping them bent allows for more movement and you can pluck the ball from the air. Weid's and Tommy Mc have far better technique.

I don't think Bennell was ever getting a spot from anyone, train on and see how he goes is surely what every team was thinking. If he's right we'll offer him the spot. Similarly with Brown, if a team wanted him as a delisted free agent he would've been picked as one. If we do leave 2 open spots and have these 2 train on then I'd hope we bring in at least another 18 year old rookie type to have the summer as well. Unfortunately the chances of a long term injury are high and we need the youth coming through.

Hawks just made a trade that seems their first round pick from next year back in the game, I'd expect they now chase a pick in the teens as Port did. Not sure if they would consider trading up from 11 to 8, but I'd suspect there's going to be a lot of movement between 8-20 on draft night.

Do we have to leave 2 spots open for Bennell and Brown? We could leave 1 spot open and let the best man win.

Don't agree with that. Jackson has no goal kicking pedigree. His best use up forward would be creating contests at times but otherwise just staying out of the way by occupying a man. That's how West Coast, Brisbane etc other successful teams with 2 rucks play. On the other hand Tom McDonald put up 1.5 seasons of high quality key forward play. He had 2 excellent finals both with goal kicking and up the ground play and paired well with Weideman. He's not a dominant goal kicker like Lynch but he's capable of doing it up the ground and inside 50 and we need to find the 2nd, 3rd and even 4th goal kickers to play alongside him so that we've got options. Fritsch is one option. Weid's and Petty competing for the other. A small forward needed for the 4th. Then you work the match ups and game style and find the guy who's day it is to kick the goals. Tom's versatility is a strength not a reason to doubt him.

The wing was really a gamble with KK. He’s never played it. Given his concussion issues a back flank where he can see the game in front of him and pick and choose contests is far more sensible. Anything we get from him from here is a bonus. Ideally he finds his best footy and takes over from Hibberd. Harmes at half back worked against the Roos in round 23. It worked against the Dogs in the game Lever did his knee. It gives us an elite runner who’s strong in the air and on the ground and can attack the game. Might be a few kicking errors but decision making at half back is pretty easy which minimises errors. The Crisp or Vlastuin all around versatile defender. It also allows Petracca and others to play an attacking skilled midfield role, whilst Viney tags/restricts smaller mids and Brayshaw should get the bigger guys. If that’s not working then an easy swap is Gus to half back and Harmes tagging.

A shoulder/neck injury that pinches or stretches the nerves in the brachial plexus that results in a burst of pain down the arm but most often no long term damage.

Changed to a t shirt and stuck around to walk off with the main group. Not distressed in any way but not swinging his left arm as he walked

Main session done. Corey Wags and Preuss are doing some kick mark. Harmes running goals tracc set shots Beford, Salem and JJ are working on a quick kicking drill. The second time I’ve seen Salem and JJ doing touch skills after a session.