DeeSpencer

Liked the look of him last year, good to see he had a strong 19 year old season. His class shines through his highlights, draft him, work out if he has the physical tools or grunt later.

I think if you can bump Favre for Rodgers you can probably move McCarthy on! The man is surely set for life financially and in time should be honoured as a SB winning coach. 13 years is a long stretch, it's not like he's been replaced in a hurry. Today was an unusual game for the Bears. The defense absolutely dominated for a large part and get out to an early 2 TD lead, somewhat similar to the Bears v Packers in round 1. Trubisky made 2 head scratching intercepted throws which he hasn't been doing lately. Then Cohen has a really bad fumble. Just when you think the Vikings should get back in to it they give up some soft penalties. Bears kick a field goal to all but seal it but then let the Vikings drive on them just to keep it interesting. The Bears biggest issue right now is they have a thunder back - Howard and a lightening back - Cohen but the thunder back can't catch it and the lightening back can't make those down hill yards up the middle. O line isn't helping either, they're good in pass pro but can't get the running game going. If they could run the ball far more efficiently then they could ride out games getting the bare minimum from Trubisky. Right now they can't so they put him in some tricky spots. With Nagy's play calling he'll torch bad defenses but the good ones can adapt. The Vikings defense looked confused for a half today before looking in total control. Not overly impressed by the point differential, that is overhyped by blowing out Tampa, NY Jets and Buffalo - 3 teams that crapped the bed when faced with our defense. Beat Seattle when their defense was a mess with injuries. Scraped passed the Cardinals. Narrow loss to the NE Pats. Blew a game in Miami. 2-1 in the Division now. A final record of 3 and 3 in the Division wouldn't shock me, a tough back up for the Lions on Thanksgiving won't be easy and then Packers/Vikings down the stretch might depend on where those teams are at. .500 in the division is more of what the Bears are I think. Defense that starts absolutely great but can fade late if the pass rush is worn down or made obsolete by good play calls. Offense that looks great with trickery but where the QB struggles under pressure. That might be enough to win the NFC North this year due to the Packers malaise and the Viking's O line but it's a long way from the class of the NFC.

Valid point and it's nice to know we have a couple of very fit flankers in ANB and Smith and I'm all for fit guys on the flanks, but you need really good endurance to be a great midfielder. Or at least a midfield group with a strong endurance base. So far we've got Viney and Petracca in the rehab group. Oliver sure to join them when he's back outside. Harmes had surgery as well. Vanders too? So in terms of our first choice inside mids the only one out there running appears to be Brayshaw, hopefully he's in for a big preseason but he's a noted endurance runner. Then on the outside KK's obviously fit and firing and Jones was there early getting stuck in. Fritsch training. But Stretch probably not back to training yet? Oskar Baker? KK being an excellent runner is obviously one of the reasons why we recruited him and it lends more weight to the idea he's a possible solution to our wingmen woes. I'd just like to see a few more midfielders right up there running 6:30 2km runs as well.

Roll the dice and fire him Macca. What's the point in investing 30 million + a year in Rodgers and saddling him with a play caller he doesn't get on with? I've been critical of Rodgers for a long time being amazing at big plays and the scramble drill but lacking the consistent marching drives with high percentage throws. Yeah the TE and WR spots aren't good but there's enough to create some sort of scheme to get guys open. I'm a big believer in Mike Pettine coaching the D. Mike Daniels is a star. Blake Martinez is a really solid middle line backer. Jaire Alexander is a star. This is a defense that can be sustainable. Not world beaters but good enough. They made Brady look very shaky before the momentum changed with the fumble a few weeks ago. Held the Rams as well. Plus aside from that small stretch of slimmer Eddie Lacy the Pack finally have a running back - one that looks adept at getting yards on the ground and in the passing game. The easy choice on who to hire - John DeFillipo the Vikings OC. Worked wonders in Philly and doing well with a bad O line at the Vikings. You'd weaken a main division rival and get a very modern offense in. Lincoln Riley would be a bold choice that could work wonders. The Packers have the right veterans and organisational culture to make a change and not lose out. Hire an offensive guy and the offense surely can improve. Hire any other quality head coach and the game management can't be worse than some of the things McCarthy has done recently - punting, not throwing a challenge etc.

Looks like initial reports were incorrect and it will be just for previously AFL listed players. In which case Corey Wagner might be the most obvious candidate for Melbourne. A watch this space for the next few days and maybe a move will be made after the national draft but prior to the rookie draft if it's possible to do so that late.

Didn't get there today DL, will attempt to be there soon. Impressed that KK and Joel Smith were up the front of the 3km time trial, although it is a concern we don't have more fit and ready to go midfielders/running flankers right up there as well.

The injured year still would've counted towards his years of service. He's there by choice, but whether players turn up early or not says very little about their level of dedication. In fact I'm more impressed by the guys who do the whole offseason by themselves and turn up in good condition. That said, Tracc looks in decent shape from that picture. It's crazy to expect him to be super lean, he's a power player who relies on his strength, but he does need to take another solid step forward in fitness this offseason.

He meant Whitefriars for Anderson as well. At school level Whitefriars are in the ACC, where as Marcellin are the in AGSV. At old collegians level both have teams in the VAFA.

Pittsburgh, Houston, Carolina

I wouldn't tip the Chiefs because come crunch time the Rams have the smarter head coach. That said, I think right now the Chiefs offense is more explosive which gives them a better chance in a straight out shootout.The counter to that is the Rams can use Gurley to kill the clock and ice it that way.Will be interesting to see if the Rams are impacted by the fires and all the disruption, I wouldn't blame them.

After the first round I believe the discount becomes 197 draft points So pick 54 can match any pick up to 41 straight up. Adding in pick 61 allows up to match any pick up until 34. Sydney have 26, 33, 38, 39, 40 most of which will be swallowed up by 1 player. North have 42, 47, 48, 49 and 58 most of which will be used on 2 players. Collingwood have 41, 44, 57, 59 and 60 to use on 2 players. Pick 54 and 62 will likely end up as something like pick 48 and 53. When added to a discount that's enough to match pick 26

I agree. So it makes me wonder if we'd do something like: Out: 2019 1st round pick + pick 28 In: Adelaide's pick 16 + Adelaide's 2019 2nd round pick Effectively trading to get our own first round pick back. Given the Crows have 8, 13 and 21 they might have got the 2 kids they really want with the first two picks and be happy to slide back from 16 to 28 for a potentially very nice upgrade next year if they improve and we regress. Port and GWS could do entertain a similar trade. GWS in particular might be keen to move out of a pick around that mark to avoid Adelaide's potential bid for their academy ruckman. From the history of NFL drafts which are somewhat similar to AFL drafts trading up usually costs a heavy price and I don't recommend it. To get a pick 15 you have to pay pick 10's worth of value and then you hope you're drafting a guy who's rated almost top 5 to make that happen. Throwing in a first round pick ups that gamble even more. I'm not sure it should be us but I hope someone rolls the dice and makes some live trades on draft night!

Great work @Demonland

Blakey (8), Thomas (13), Quaynor (14) and West (20) means those guys are 3 or 4 spots away in draft order from our pick 23. Stocker is interesting. Lack of break away speed and average endurance isn't an ideal list fit but he looks a lovely kick on both sides. He reminds me a bit of Angus Brayshaw with the way he moves in traffic and uses both sides, seems to hit his targets more than Gussy. Won the Morrish Medal in a similar run of votes to Gus placing in the Brownlow. If he becomes a lovely kick on both sides at AFL level then he'd be able to play half forward or half back as well as the midfield.

The AFL love two things more than pretty much anything else (aside from cash): 1. Poorly thought out rules 2. Acronyms/Initialism And now with the pre-season supplement selection period which they've dubbed the SPP they have both. http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-11-15/new-rookie-rules-clarke-mumford-free-to-join-club-of-choice Any player who has been delisted or previously been through a National Draft can now be signed as a rookie from December until March as long as teams have an open spot. That's fair enough for Mumford and Clark, guys who have previous retired or being delisted and have played for years. It makes less sense for 19 year olds over looked in last years draft who should now enter this years draft, but as far as I can tell there's no rule stopping them Luke Foley from WA might be the best of the 19 year olds this year and a draft pick in the 20-40 range. I propose we get on the phone ASAP and advise him to pull out of the draft. We'll rookie him in December and promise him a hefty pay rise in a year or two. In a more likely scenario it also means for someone like Jay Lockhart or another mature age player we might fancy we can advise them to withdraw from the draft and sign with us in December.

Agree with most of that. Ely Smith seems a man amongst boys, has he played against men like Clarry did? McHenry looks like a scrappy school kid, hard to bring that to AFL level unless you're Toby Greene. Worse case scenario for Riley CD is he plays 100 games on a back flank but whether he's a gun midfielder is up for debate. Williams is risky as all talls are, agree I'd rather get a running player first unless there's belief he'd make a standout ruck down the track. McKenzie looks a solid no fuss wing/half back, ideally another for the 2nd pick or later. Butters is smooth as butter, he'll be gone. Zac Foot is one I'd really like. Reminds me of Rory Atkins who is one of my favourite players to watch when he's on. I think he's a later round prospect with class and footy smarts. Good endurance. I wouldn't be upset if we got him in the 2nd round.

Removing the elite 8 and the 5 academy/father son prospects - Blakely, Thomas, West, Quaynor and Scott. Also taking out Jones and Clark, too much top 10 buzz for them to last. 10. Luke Valente 13. Jackson Hately 14. Xavier Duursma 16. Sam Sturt 17. Xavier O’Halloran 18. Zak Butters 21. Ely Smith 23. Ian Hill 24. Bailey Williams 25. Ned McHenry 26. Liam Stocker 27. Jez McLennan 28. Curtis Taylor 29. Luke Foley 30. Riley Collier-Dawkins Worse case scenario 12 of these guys are gone by our pick. My guess is Hately, Sturt, Butters, Hill, Stocker and RCD are off the board. Same kind of names - Smith, Williams, McHenry, Taylor around the mark for our first pick.

I think we should have a look at Tom Berry, Jarrod's younger brother. For anyone who didn't watch much of Brisbane this year I'm very confident Jarrod Berry is a star in the making, as well as a captain in the making. Really good all round player capable of playing pretty much anywhere on the ground. Tom isn't as tall but has similar characteristics. If we're looking for versatile midfield depth then I'd be looking at Tom.

Judging from highlights videos can be fraught with danger but one look at this guys clips and I think he'll be way gone by the time our first pick comes around. Really good overhead, quick reflexes and a lovely kick. I doubt he makes it out of the teens yet alone to where our first pick will be.

Fair enough to say his form the last couple of years has been uninspiring and he's battled a lot of injuries but it's pretty clear what we think he has to offer isn't it? He has a lovely penetrating left foot kick, is a natural outside runner and has good size. We traded Tyson, Lewis is just about done and so is Jones. Adding a running player with a lovely kick to play wing or half back was a pretty obvious move.

Starting to see similar names matched to our first pick - McHenry, Williams, Ely Smith, O'Halloran. Yet to really fall in love with anyone tipped to go to us but there's some handy prospects.

From limited viewing I agree. Looks like the kind of player who usually drifts out to 30+, gets talked up in the media due to leadership and good performance. That said, it's often a fine line between the Jack Graham and Worpel types and the Mathieson/Dunstan types who aren't quick or skilled enough.

Falcons, Pats, Chargers. For the betting folk out there I think the Seahawks are too good to start with a 10.5 advantage

No I haven't. But I'm very suspicious of the idea that an 18 year old shouldn't eat until after 2pm. I get the point of fasted cardio before school, but what's wrong with breakfast at 8:30 before class, lunch at lunch time and dinner at dinner time!

Free agents are locked in to the cap due to the compensation and other factors. I raised that because you raised Buddy. Buddy's contract is locked in to the salary cap for the full length of the deal. See here: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/hawthorn/ty-vickery-salary-to-be-included-in-hawthorns-2018-cap-despite-retirement/news-story/56fc77cb474a66e7723c01df151ae8b8 The veterans list is completely outdated. Forget about that. Tippett had a dodgy ankle, didn't want to do the rehab, reached an agreement with the Swans to retire for a settled pay out instead of staying on the list in 18/19/20 and cashing his payment without ever playing. That's all fair and above board. The only saving for the Swans is the 80k that they would've spent on another rookie but now save by keeping Tippett on the rookie list using a spot. Mutually agreeing with a player for them to retire and then paying them out with a rookie spot is no advantage at all. Sydney and Hawthorn have done it because they have tight salary caps not as a form of getting around the cap. The Crows have done it as well. Other teams with more cap room have put retirement payments in to earlier years and saved a list spot.