DeeSpencer

I can't find any rule that limits the draft to 5 rounds, nor the picks attributed to rookie players any longer. Last year GC, Coll, Western Bulldogs (2 rookie upgrades), Geelong (2 rookie upgrades), Port and Melbourne all had 5th round picks and rookie elevations. Toby Bedford was our 5th round pick last year. So what pick did we use to elevate Corey Maynard?

Hard to overcome lack of ability but he had a hip operation to recover from last year. If he’s fitter, stronger and faster he has a chance. Then it’s on the coaches to train some intensity in to him. When he plays with a bit of belief he usually does ok. Cant say I’m confident but I haven’t ruled out all hope.

I'm far from a fan of the trade but back in the real world if we play finals next year and hand over a pick outside the top 10 then it's about even. The fatal flaw with the points system is that you can't add points from completely different rounds of the draft together. They are practically a different currency. A top 10 pick is a fully built house. A 2nd round pick is a block of land. A 3rd round pick is a stack of timber.

I'll put it another way, if we wanted Phillips to play half back we may as well just get Sam Murray for free and get the same result. Tom Langdon can play half back but we have Jake Lever (and Hore as back up), he'd be excellent for our backline in a variety of roles but he's not replacing Salem as the efficient kicker every team needs. There's no system of play that doesn't require a good kicker at half back. I'm sure every Collingwood player was somewhat on the table given their salary cap pressures next year but if they've found homes for guys like Scharenberg and Aish who are at best fringe 22 they'll move them first. The Tom's would be on the table for a price and it's not a price I want to pay. Nor can I understand why we'd trade out the 2nd and 3rd round picks that could form the basis of a deal (along with future 2nd/3rd rounders) to get pick 8.

Couldn't play Phillips at half back, he's a butcher when not free running and making easy decisions, if anything I think Ed Langdon and Phillips would rotate wing and half forward in the ANB role. Tom Langdon another poor kick, his best work is his intercepting and lock down ability, would be a handy Frost replacement and could reduce the need to play another tall alongside May and Lever. The only way to move Salem is to find better kicks to replace him not worse! But I don't think either are seriously available this year. I think the Pies will deal Aish and Scharenberg and try to win the flag this year before moving guys like these 2 on next year to free salary cap space. Trading away best 22 players early doesn't make sense to me. I'd certainly be adding Tom Langdon to the list of Pies to target next year.

For some reason we like to keep a glut of useless flankers on the list rather than cut the cord and use list spots on developing players. That said, it is what it is for this year so I wouldn't bother using one of the precious list spots we have left on a back up to the back up. The big fella who played at Casey last year, Wale-Buxton? He looked more than adequate as a VFL ruck. And we've got the preseason and mid season rookie periods to add a state league option if needed.

He's also really really bad. Awful decision making and approach to the contest. That he's managed to be a useful player who's racked up a lot of games has only prolonged the pain. I feel like had we had more picks in the 20's and 30's over the last 5 years we'd have got more Fritsch's (high talent, high upside, needs to round out his game) and more ANB's but with enough polish to be long term players (good foot soldiers, always fit and healthy, plays every week ie. guys like Harmes or Langdon).

Taking out pick 50 we just gave up 2 useful picks (26 and a future first) for 1 pick. We did the same with the Oliver/Weideman deal - giving up the Howe pick and a future first for Weideman. We gave up a lot of useful picks for short term help when rebuilding (Vince, Hibberd) and a really valuable pick for Frosty and junk picks that have failed us (ANB, Stretch). I just think we don't value getting multiple quality shots at the draft. Not only does it give you more rolls of the dice it also strengthens the list by bringing in high quality prospects who have good healthy fit bodies and skills. Rather than later picks who are often guys with attributes but weaknesses who need a lot of work to get up to scratch. We started this trade period with pick 22. I thought great, we can see who falls out of the first round or we might be able to trade that back like teams did last year and bank another second rounder. Instead we've chewed it up completely with a little on Langdon and moving next years pick to this year and assuming a big risk/reward. That doesn't seem like maximising the value of the pick. If pick 8 flops then we've thrown away a 2nd rounder for nothing. By depth I don't mean useful VFL players who can play a few handy games, I mean the wave of talent in those 10th-20th spots on the list who do their job week after week. We've traded for Tomlinson and Langdon because we hope they can be those kind of players but how many others like that do we have on the list? Not nearly enough.

Don't love any of them, but's early days. Sparrow has speed, strength, goes in hard and a decent tank but the sum of the parts might not come together as well as the stand out attributes. I thought he'd be a tackling machine but he seemed to slip off them. I think South Australia had the right idea using him at half back to simplify the game. But at 182cm he won't take intercept marks at AFL level and the decision making/kicking will cause problems. If he were 190cm or if he had that elite zip rather than just good burst then he'd make it on athleticism alone but he's just lacking something special given the deficiencies so we'll have to work at it. He's a huge job for the development coaches to clean up his skills. There's some Harmes and Vanders about him though so in a year or two he could look pretty useful. Jordon's kicking is good but not great from what I've seen at VFL level and he's messy with his hands in tight - like most Melbourne players. If he's the skilled inside mid then lets see some sharp dual sided handballing. Lack of top end speed means he'll struggle to really excel back or forward. At 186cm and rangy he's got more scope at half back but he'll have to take some marks and use it very well. A bit of watch and wait to see how he comes out this year given he was so young and underdeveloped last year - which means potential to take a leap but that has been overplayed I think. Nietschke seems a smart ball winner but without speed or good kicking I just don't know what he is at AFL level. Hopefully he has better luck next year and can show his stuff at Casey. Long term - maybe a wing understudy to Tomlinson. Bigger body (think he plays taller than his 184cm) wingman who runs hard and does good team things? Maybe is more efficient than he looks?

'We believe in this playing group' Outside run was the priority, mentions 15 players on the wing again Won't talk about who they like at 3 but mentions they have 2 or 3 that they like at that pick Andy Maher now taking 3 hours to ask a question. Or ask a statement

pick 3, pick 8 not to be used on players, taken to the draft But then says trades can occur up until the draft, 'worse case scenario we use pick 3, 8'. I'm thinking they'll be pushing GWS right up until the draft

Think you can always just upgrade rookies or use picks at the end of the draft. Salary cap is probably the bigger concern, to land someone big we'd have to trade someone out. 2 deals from nowhere in the last 24 hours of trade period - seems unlikely

I’d rather have both, which we would probably have if we just patiently waited a year. Then our list is stronger. Stronger list = stronger training on the track and in the gym, competition for spots that breeds a culture of competitiveness, not risking injured players etc etc.

Why do we have no depth? Because for years we’ve given up 2nd round picks: - Vince - Hibberd - Melksham - Oliver/Weid trade ups - Frost Our drafts have been all top picks and 3rd round or later from 2012-2016. The last 2 years we’ve worked our way back in to the 2nd round but without first round picks. Apart from the fact that the first round pick could go belly up we’ve given up yet another 2nd round pick and the chance of building quality depth in the list.

Would North roll the dice on Ben Brown? He's nearly 27 and they have a really nice group of young talent, maybe it's time they go for a proper rebound from a fairly stable position and build around Tarran Thomas, Larkey, Davies-Uniacke, Zuhaar, Simpkin? That said, re-singing Goldy and Higgins don't really fit with that plan. And whilst some coaches would've pushed for a rebuild I don't think Rhyce Shaw will.

The cult of Hutchy. Serving up hot takes that are more fiery than hell! Even the fireman Cornes can’t put them out.

Drafting for needs is dangerous at any spot. The most important objective with pick 3 is to get a high quality player regardless of position. If we can do that at pick 6 (and I think we can) then that’s good too, but pick 3 gives us more certainty. 11 is more likely to get a nice player than 26 but not by a huge margin. To take the risk at moving back from 3 I want certainty with the other half of the deal. Yes we lack quality in the forward line but we are more than 1 or 2 kids away.

Maybe we finished 17th more because of lack of togetherness and selfless football rather than because of lack of talent. Jenkins would be a missionary keen for a media career. A self promoter and not exactly a team player. Do you think he'd be happy at Casey? I don't. I just can't see Jenkins being successful enough to bother. If we want depth then go find someone younger with upside, we found Tim Smith, there has to be a younger version of someone like him out there in the state leagues. If we want someone clearly better than Weideman then make a move for that kind of player.

Hawthorn giving up far too much for a couple of late 2nd/3rd round pick types. I could see the Hawks doing 11 and late picks for GWS' future first and Bonar/Patton instead of pick 26, but you don't go from 11 to 26 without something valuable thrown in. Bonar/Patton just aren't worth that level of drop. I wouldn't be overly keen on 3 and 26 for 6,11 because I'm not sure in this draft if 11 and 26 are all that different. We'd have to get some upgrades to use 3rd and 4th picks if that's the case.

Heath Shaw, Paul Seedsman, Rhyce Shaw, Heath Scotland, Sharrod Wellingham, Paul Williams. Even Josh Mahoney! Not many and they are pretty good at selling lemons. And we liked buying them. Aish will go to Freo, and we should always be buyer beware with all players up for trade. But I wouldn’t automatically rule out Pies players.

We just sunk over 1M and a 2nd round pick in to Langdon and Tomlinson purely to be hard running accumulating mids. Phillips would be another 600k and at least a 2nd round pick, too much to spend on one position. I’d only be spending that on a forward, a very underrated defender or a versatile skilled mid.

Signing a decent player who’s turned his career around under their new coach and knows his system isn’t reflective of that.

Fair enough, but the guy can play. The Pies don’t want him because they can find useful half back flankers on their list and their salary cap is under the pump with 3 guys about to make 1M per year. They have to dump someone. We tried for Elliott. I’d try for Mihocek. I’d probably have a look at Scharenberg. There’s a few young players I’d ask about - Flynn Appleby, Nathan Murphy, Tyler Brown I’d try to grab as well. Press them when they’re under the pump

Was soft at the Lions and took a while to become a man, that happens. He was very handy at half back last year for the Pies. Smart, skilled, hard running and far better overhead than I’d given him credit for. He’s better than ordinary but injuries, cost and ease to replace is why he’s on the table.

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