DeeSpencer

I'm not over the moon about our depth and I think depth in general is a little overrated. Most teams have similar players in the 25-32 range who aren't regulars for a reason. Injuries to top players are very hard to cover, injuries to middle tier players are best covered by the top guys still playing well! One thing that impacts how depth players are viewed is more mature depth players are often given little patience by the fans. I know I do that. The inherent bias is they are no good so you're waiting for them to stuff up. Where as younger players are often viewed positively when they come in. For example Dean Kent and Dion Johnstone could both come in and play the same game on a forward flank and Kent would be labelled a failure and DJ a success. Similarly the young guy might get a few weeks to prove himself whilst the older guy gets 1 or 2 games. Our list isn't really full of young kids so I think we'll at least have a variety of options if they stay healthy and there's about 6 or so who played on the weekend who might miss round 1 and have something to offer - Wagner, Brayshaw/Vince, Maynard, Stretch, Pedersen, and one of the small forwards. I'm also very keen to see Spargo, Baker, Joel Smith, DJ and Balic start playing some footy at Casey.

We do have some versatility but I don't actually mind the idea of keeping a back 7 largely together, keeping a forward group with maybe 4 or so permanent forwards and then just mixing some mids and forwards for different stages. Goody did a nice job of settling guys last year. Some versatility but not needless chopping and changing.

I hope we'd get rid of all high contact being a free, it's lazy umpiring. So often the duckers are rewarded. There was a few nice occasions both ways on Saturday when the umps yelled 'play on ducked' and even an holding the ball against a North ducker. In this case Salem had the ball, a high fend is a free kick, but I don't think that's what Salem did. What he did was the equivalent of a forward raising a knee in a marking contest which I'm fine with. If in doubt, I'd always lean towards the guy with the ball rather than a tackler.

Doesn't have the endurance. Which is probably part of the reason he isn't playing now either. Fitness is vital at the start of the year. Frost has speed and effort. His best spot is deep down back, using his pace to defend and force contests and we'll need him through the year. If we don't require him down back he's a chance to play the defensive forward role as he did a few times in 2015/2016 I think. His lack of skills will hurt him there but it's an option and I'm surprised late last year at least in a few games they didn't move him at half time. He's behind a long list - Pedda, Weeds, Tim Smith and probably Vanders - but he's more of a chance there than in the ruck.

The AFLW played jumped up and put the elbow out prior to being tackled. Salem was bracing for contact and had the North player run in to his elbow, it shouldn't have been a free kick.

Getting tackled, throwing the ball on to your left and having it sail through is nice but it was through sheer force more than a particular skill. They all count the same of course but he's not going to kick goals like that nearly as much as natural forwards like Buddy, Daniher, Josh Kennedy and Jack Riewoldt. He competes on the ground - backline training drills that in you, but again, he's not the lateral moving and quickness athlete to be a star pressure player. Bit of a tangent now but forward pressure is spoken about by a lot in the footy media as an effort contest, and effort is a huge part of it, but there's also a coaching factor to it, a coordination with team mates factor and just natural talent. Richmond were the best last year because they were giving it their all, coached up, coordinated (so often the same players) and they were the right athletes. Macca provided a really good description of his kicking. As a young player he used to kick mongrel punts that were somewhat effective. Then he learnt a methodical kicking action that got the ball to spin right but it wasn't natural and so depth perception was the real weakness. So often he'd actually pick a good option but have it chopped off. Then as Tom alluded to recently he became very stressed when disposing off the ball under pressure. Set shots allow him to keep the very straight and methodical style and just aim for the goals and make sure the ball has the distance. As long as he kicks a good percentage and stays with the routine it should work. Cale Hooker kicked 40 goals in 21 games last year and averaged 7 marks and at times plenty thought he should go back. That's about the standard I think is realistic for Tom. As fans I think we have to be prepared for when the suggestion is made that Tom goes back. I hope Goody is ready with a strong answer that avoids the distraction.

Big, fit, strong and competitive. It made sense that he start out a backman. I think we need to calm expectations a little on Tommy as a forward. Good defenders who read the play as well as he does will make life hard for him, he won't out reach, out power or out sprint them and he doesn't have a lot of tricks at ground level. He has a decent sidestep but that's about it, he's unlikely to snap goals or go on his left. He'll also chase hard but won't be a super agile forward pressure player. His ability to run all day, compete in the air, lead hard at the kicker in between zones and hopefully reasonably consistent goal kicking can make him useful but he's the foil for Hogan/Petracca/Fritsch/Hannan etc more than being the main man. There's going to be times during the year the media will say he should go back and even games when he does go back.

Might not be a natural defender but I think he's a natural for half back. Strong in the air for his size, one of the best tacklers in the team, very good one on one, one of the still all too rare players in this team who can handball with both hands and in time he can clean up his kicking on both legs. I think if we left Gus at half back for a month or so he'd grow in to the role perfectly. The other obvious position to me would be to use him as a tagger. A few weeks following around the best players in the game would sharpen him up. The missed footy takes a toll but the other thing I want to know is how hard the coaches are pushing him. I've watched him at training closely and he puts in and does enough things well that he's working hard, and at training he has a lot of kicks that float to where they need to go or he has that slight waddling run as he gets to a contest. He reminds me of Nathan Jones at a similar age who could clearly play the game but had concerns over his speed, kicking and position. I don't know what changed - maybe it was Neeld - but all of a sudden Jones was faster, kicking flatter and a much improved player. If he's mentally over his concussions I'd coach Brayshaw hard.

It took him a year and a half to settle! Lost the first year and was rubbish down back in the second. I still don't love the trade but I think the value in the deal was trading for a 24 year old who was reaching peak physical condition and finding a player who was unsettled - on and off field. First position change didn't work but second time hopefully does.

Preuss is better than Goldstein but Brad Scott doesn't want to admit it yet. Wood was the main out. He's the type of player who causes us issues. Jamie MacMillan is a very good player and maybe even North's best defender. He's their other main out. Garner is ok but has had a lot of injuries. And of course Simpkin. Fair to say we had more out but not by a huge margin. It's also important to note that they would've been a 3 or so goal better side if they sat Majak on the pine all day instead of playing him full back. At close to full strength North will probably be competitive - they have good players in the most important spots, and I'm hoping that was the case in the first half of yesterdays game where we couldn't really open a big advantage. The second half was indicative of them resting/rotating some good players and their younger players dropping off.

Needs to find more of the ball and up his defensive game to lock in a consistent spot. That's a reality of a mid sized forward in modern footy. But his upside and nose for a goal is probably too good to leave out. What I liked was how many smart little things he did: - the crumb where he's read the flight and stayed down - the low and fast kick to a lead - the quick play on to dish off a goal and my favourite of the day - the punch when caught behind 2 opponents that set up a goal

Robbie Gray?? No. ANB has a nice little stop and go move that can get him out of trouble but he doesn't have anything like Gray's vision, skills or movement. Had no problem with Hannan hanging back. We don't need 5 guys going up for a mark. One of the best things Fritsch did was read the play and snap the goal from Tracc's torp. Hannan tried the same thing, the bounce didn't get to him and so he looked a bit silly, that's fine. Calculated risk. Hannan's probably competing with Bugg for a spot and his advantage is he provided a very good run and link player when in the midfield. The competition for the last forward spot looks pretty tight. Hogan was bad for his first 3 or 4 centre clearances, mainly because he was fumbly. Half a chance he read the press about his midfield time and was nervous. But then he improved and got some clean handballs away. He's far from our worst decision maker or disposer. The midfield time will force him to tackle and compete at ground level which will improve his forward game. He's an unusual trainer - likes to coast early in the runs before finishing strong but he does most drills well. Has nothing to do with trading Watts. Either way, wait until the main season. We play North in round 3, nothing wrong with trying a few things today to make them prepare for and then not even using them in the real stuff.

Today has me leaning towards just playing just one tall and Lever. But Oscar did a good job in a number of one on ones (or the modern equivalent that still has others in the area) on Ben Brown. Probably better than he could be expected to do most of the time, and Lever was able to play off Waite very well most of the time. Still, he was made to pay a couple of times and he really likes playing loose, which is fine, he's great at it. But he can be made to pay less and give more attack starting on an opponent with less ability. Lever also showed some really nice run and attack, which has to be factored in to 3rd tall argument. If he's attacking, if Oscar is using the ball well and if Frost is sprinting hard are we losing much in attack? I'm still nervous about the Geelong match ups. North didn't have any mid size quality today - Wood and Garner were injured. So I'm not quite ready to concede just yet.

Backline: Lever was sensational - it's just a matter of how to get him, Hibberd and Hunt in the best positions and surrounded by the right players. Oscar started slowly and was lucky Brown was off early but he got stronger as the game went on and he's a nice kick around the ground. Bernie and Wagner both started poorly and improved Lewis was good, but not 100% DE! Brayshaw looked solid off half back Predicted 7 for Rd 1: Oscar, Lever, Hunt, Hibberd, Jetta, Lewis, 1 of Brayshaw/Wagner/Vince Midfield: Gawn was great. Clarry started slow but built up. Jones' fast kicking in space was great after some early rust. Petracca explosive. Salem silky. Harmes consistent and strong. Stretch not strong enough but his run opened up great options, it's a matter of weighing up what he produced. Maynard crash and bash and not far off it. Predicted 8 for round 1: Gawn, Oliver, Petracca, Viney, Jones, Salem, Harmes, 1of Tyson/Stretch Forwards: Tommy presented hard. Hogan had some great moments and leapt well and looked to impress at the drop of the ball. Fritsch was flighty early but classy, his attacking game looks up to standard, it's just a matter of what he can bring defensively. ANB very solid. Melksham with some quality. Bugg worked hard all game. Hannan did some nice things. Pedersen limited game time it seemed. Predicted 7 for round 1: T Mc, Hogan, ANB, Melksham, 3 of Hannan/Bugg/Garlett/Fritsch

Am I biased in thinking the wind picked up that quarter? Looked like a crossbreeze with a slight advantage in q1 then became a gale in q2. Out the back goals a problem but some have been caused by silly turnovers. Some good and bad patches. The main highlight has been the kicking overall looks up to a reasonable standard. That's important because I don't think you can fix that. Making game plan adjustments and match ups are easier than fixing a bad skill level. I'd like to see the defensive pressure around the stoppages come up and I'd like to see more separation from the forwards this quarter.

Not team first is a very unusual call. There's not many players who don't work both ways or have a crack in this side. Too many suspensions is a lazy narrative as well. Hogan was unlucky to even be suspended. Vince and Lewis are old and stupid for sure, but they aren't 'bounty hunters and Bugg was a momentary lapse. Did anyone else even miss games? Melksham one VFL game I think. Come off it. As is blaming a bad opening quarter against Collingwood as some wider symptom. We came from behind and overcame bad quarters in a lot of games and going in to round 23 we were 1 win short of finals and served up a [censored] sandwich against a team with no pressure. We also outplayed them for 3 quarters that day but didn't get the breaks in terms of free kicks (McDonald was manhandled all game) and goal kicking. It's more than fair to put some blame on that day but it's lazy to make it the headline story. The loss to North was worse. The last 15 minutes against Brisbane was worse.

Yep. Sorry poor wording but I think the 6 who will miss out are as follows. 3 are very unlikely to play - Petty (age), Keilty (others preferred) and Tim Smith (fitness). 3 would be unlucky and for me those would be Bugg, Maynard and JKH.

Having watched the replays of AFLX Wagner made 1 bad mistake deep in the backline that coughed up a goal but otherwise was very good with the ball, with his spoils/intercepts and with what I saw of his positioning (which isn't easy to see on tv). He's looked very good on the training track this summer and got some harsh criticism for games he played out of position on the wing last year. He's no world beater but I think he pushes for round 1. Not surprised to see him picked for this.

Can't see Tim Smith or Harry Petty playing. Nor Keilty although I'd like to see him get a chance. Not sure on the other 3 who get left out. Think you'd want Pedersen to spell Gawn and the key forwards. Similarly I'd be playing Frost so you have the option of 2 stopping talls in round 1. I'd be leaving out Maynard, JKH and Bugg and having a look at Balic and Fritsch

Whilst his chasing and pressuring when the ball hit the deck inside 50 hasn't been good his work rate getting up the ground has been exceptional since his first game. You don't kick 40 goals in your first season and be right up at the top of marks taken if you don't work bloody hard. That said, a leap up CHF - no matter how good - is very predictable these days. You put a good key defender on them and allow other defenders to block the leading lanes and it limits their impact. Tex Walker might be the best - especially due to his precision kicking - and even he is a disappointing player at times. Jack Riewoldt is very handy but it's his work for the team - both work rate and defensively that gives him value not his possessions and goals. The really dangerous key forwards are either bigger (Brown, Daniher) or faster (Buddy) or exceptional at leading in confined spaces (Kennedy). To have a reliable mark on the lead go in to the midfield you then open up a lot of opportunities with the ball. Say you've got the ball on a back flank - Gawn can get down the line for the long kick and Hogan can lead up the middle and either get used or draw attention. In case people haven't noticed our game plan is based around kicking and moving on angles and creating space. At our best we don't bomb it long nor do we madly run and carry. So I like Hogan in the midfield because it suits our game plan and I like him in the midfield to get him involved if the ball isn't coming to him. It's a win win if used properly.

They usually play a big schedule of practice games starting at least in the week before AFL round 1 and continuing most weeks until the VFL season starts. Hopefully @KC from Casey or someone can confirm.

Thanks for the updates Saty, much appreciated. How are the Smith's and Jeffy going?

I think most teams keep a stable back 7 so it's really about 8-11 or so going through the middle. Zac Smith is a good ruckman, Blicavs a very handy utility 2nd ruck. Scott Selwood does a job as a tagger and Menegola is a handy 5th mid who can play inside or out. They might fall away with the last couple of spots but I think the addition of Ablett and some development of younger guys answers the depth questions a bit.

As for our midfield. I expect Gawn to bounce back and win or draw most weeks in the ruck and just as importantly I expect our stoppage set ups to utilise his advantage far better than last year. It's hard not be excited by the idea of Oliver, Petracca and Viney together and if they work with Gawn then we're off to a good start. I'm confident Jones will find his spot playing a mix of inside and outside footy and his form before injury last year was as good as any of his career. I find elite a silly word in footy but those 5 guys are by any definition above average players. I think there's really only a bunch of truly elite midfielders - Martin, Dangerfield, Fyfe, Pendlebury, Selwood, Josh Kennedy. The difference between the 10th and 30th best midfielder at any time is form. A fit and in form Viney is far closer to 10th than 30th. The question will be what happens with the last few midfield spots, especially given we couldn't find a good game plan and stoppage set ups that really utilised the wingers last year. Tyson, Stretch, Brayshaw and Harmes probably compete for 2 spots in the midfield mix and maybe a forward spot. The ability of those guys to contribute each week will be important in taking us from a middle of the road midfield to an above average one. The final spot is pencilled in for Salem and I hope he gets an extended run of midfield footy to see if he can make it as a mid. He's the quality player to take the midfield group up a level.

I laugh that a statistical analysis company comes up with ranking lists based purely on the number of players ranked in the 'elite' and 'above average' categories. I'd think you'd start with rating the individual players with a numerical value relative to a replacement level player, then place a grading on last years important stats - be they clearances, contested possessions, tackles, disposal efficiency, score assists etc and then make some projections based on age, additions and subtractions and so on. Maybe Champion Data do all of that but they sully their brand by releasing crap like this to the public.