DeeSpencer

Please not another player just for leadership. Lewis won't be in the best 22 if or when this team is challenging for a flag unless (touch wood) we pull out something special this year. He should still have value on and off field but the best players need to become the best leaders. I think it's getting closer to the time where you bring in a risk-reward player like a Stewie Dew or Brian Lake, who could do nothing but also could fill a specific need in September. I'm not sure Crameri could be that kind of player but he has some things that work in favour. He can kick a goal, at his best he was a superb athlete with a rare combination of endurance, speed and size and might be able to play different positions.

Nope. Maybe for Lever but more often than not you have the top teams paying their A graders good money and their depth kids stay developing in the 2's and are happy to bide their time on fair contracts. Meanwhile the bottom sides who have lots of young talent pay them all big bucks to stay whilst they don't perform yet and then they cut and run when they are about to perform. It's very rare to have a Lever situation. Geelong and Hawthorn both lost Ablett and Franklin at their peak which no doubt helped keep things together but otherwise they didn't push the guys they wanted and didn't lose quality. They certainly didn't lose quality whilst they were on the way up, they had each won 2 flags before the superstars left.

The clubs should fight back in the next CBA. It doesn't help them to have to pay big money for 21 year olds to stay. Or the 700 players copping less cause Boyd gets 1mil a year Only helps the managers

I get what you're saying but the AFL has: Unrestricted free agents - 8years or 10 years for top 10% paid or whatever it is Restricted free agents - 8 years - deals can be matched by another club. If they aren't matched that player moves for free. Delisted free agents They don't call uncontracted players as 'free agents' because they aren't technically free, they have to be traded for and their original club has to agree to the trade. But in other sports that would be called a restricted free agent. I think we should do away with the Lever style uncontracted players and make all uncontracted players restricted free agents, then put in place ways for clubs to keep on to them and trade them as part of a reasonable trade deal. Club options for 4th years, franchise years, restricted agent offers, a tender system....there's ways to allow clubs to keep someone like Lever then do a trade. As it stands it's better to just call Lever an uncontracted player not a free agent. Don't confuse the terminology.

Good skills Poor endurance Average speed Not overly physical I think he's a half back flanker and I'm not sure why the Tigers didn't play him there in the VFL if they clearly weren't putting him in their AFL team as a forward. Not that he'd make their backline at AFL level which is a strength but at least he'd show something and develop his game. If we had a heap of spare list spots I'd take him and play him half back with the knowledge he can play forward if needed but we don't have the spots so I'm not all that interested. Some team is probably getting a nice enough player.

Read my post above that one. I'd take Crameri to play on a wing, with his forward work a back up. Either way it would be if the footy department decides someone like Kent is worth paying out. He was their leading goal kicker something like 4 years in a row and had come from a mature rookie to a settle senior player. Not like he escaped the drug ban anyway!

Delisted free agency seems the poor mans trade week now. Cloke just got a pay out. Lindsay Thomas is apparently in negotiations to get paid out and join Port. Other teams around the league are making late changes before the draft. I know all our players are contracted so we can't just free a list spot up but it might be that we are in negotiations to pay someone out a percentage of their wage to have them either be delisted / be delisted and picked up by another club. I haven't heard anything about this but the obvious one would be chopping Kent for a portion of his wage for him to join a WA club.

Brendan McCartney and he had a great relationship given he walked out on the Dons to join Macca when things were pretty good for him at Essendon. I wouldn't be too interested in having him as a 3rd tall flanker. We just traded out one of them who's a far better ball user and I like the idea of going a bit smaller and playing guys who tackle and pressure ie. a Harmes, Vanders or maybe Smith. Plus Melksham seems pretty good as a mid sized half forward, if smaller than a Crameri type. If we do sign him I'd have a little bit of interest in him if he got super fit and came in to the side as a wingman. His overhead ability, pace and aggressive style would give us something on a wing if his body has anything left.

Gosh I hope not.

The business started as liquor run - they delivered alcohol on scooters and Joel even drove the grog himself. A good idea but low margin and I'm sure with regulations it wouldn't have been easy to turn profits. I think even Joel would admit there was a huge amount of luck in hiring the right IT guys to set up the software which became incredibly valuable at the right time and is now the business. Full credit to him for recognising that and growing the business, especially with the way he's gone overseas and really taken it on.

The whole thing is a bit of a fluke but good on him for starting a business and getting lucky. Strauss and Bail were also involved, hopefully they kept their shares. Also it's not real money if you can't sell your shares, so it might be a little premature.

Seemed to struggle in the first half of the year when moved around a bit to fill needs then found some very good form when settled down back before trailing off towards the end of the year. Still only young so hopefully he's got a lot of improvement left with his body and that translates to being stronger and more dynamic on field.

Seems an overly mechanical kicking style on short kicks but looks good in stride which is what you want from an outside runner and he has some penetration. For all the junior coaching these guys get you can count the number on one hand who are consistent quality kicks with great technique and I'd draft some of them to play half back flank. With players who play other positions I'd just hope for good decision making and the desire to improve their kicking.

Carolina Tenn New Orleans

Chris Grant stepped in after Beveridge and others trashed Stringer early in the piece. I didn't see anything about Watts said that was nearly as bad as this: That's a stinging comment. Then the guy had his dirty laundry aired in public about his cheating, gambling and poor preparation/rehab. Once that was done the Dogs could only say nice things. Melbourne could've been a touch wiser with Watts but from the get go it was a list management decision far more than it was about Jack's personality. The comments about his commitment to training etc were still about his footy and not about his character. I do agree with the sentiments that Watts handled himself very well.

Should we bring Denis in as our chief negotiator and use his Travancore real estate knowledge. There's no rules against underquoting in the trade game. But the Crows low balling Lever made him look around! Bit worried that Denis values Matt Lobbe as a big in.

Including Cat B rookies it's 47 on your list. So it has been ok to 4 rucks if one of them is a Cat B or you've got a useful player like Maynard on your Cat B list. The issue is how to development them now the VFL Development league is gone. Filipovic or any other really young ruck would be better off playing local footy now than sitting on the pine for large parts of VFL games. I think that's a factor in our decision to keep 3 and not have a Spencer type mature ager. If we had Spencer again then King and Filipovic would do nothing, they'd almost have to rotate weeks off. Now at least the young guys can share the ruck time. King has shown me enough that in a year or two he can be a solid back up. Find a Pedersen replacement in the next year or two might be harder to do.

Lever. I like Lever. I'd love him if he could play on a tall forward or if his body was reliable. Time will tell but he's a good get. I can understand giving up next years first for him, that's a gamble probably worth taking. Would've like something better than moving pick 10 back to pick 36 but if pick 10 isn't that flash anyway it's more bearable. My thoughts that it wasn't the best deal don't counteract that he's a good pick up. Watts out. It was time. Better a year early than a year late. Again, felt like we could've made Port work for it. We trade him and then they go on a salary dumping spree. I think they had more in them. Even 36 for 34 would be a small win worth haggling for. Balic. I'm a fan. You get a good reputation as a team on the rise and you get a guy like this sign with you and make you better. Draft picks. We needed to take some kids. You have to have that next wave coming through. If the trade targets for outside runners and small forwards weren't there you turn it over to your recruiters. Bernie, Lewis, most likely Garlett pretty soon and eventually Jones need replacing. Again, getting a bit more back in the Lever deal and a bit extra in the Watts deal might've made the difference in November. A little surprised we could move the last pick to next years draft or combine it with higher picks in this years draft but that means it's 4 picks within 47.

Who else was available is probably a fair call. I like the cheap deals for Darcy Lang, Harry Wigg and Logan Austin. But all 3 are probably players you have to promise opportunity for. They all need footy and won't improve without it. They probably needed good cash as well. It depends on how you rate our depth players. I like Jarman Impey as a risk that could've paid off in a position we need more depth in and for a pick we had. Dev Smith is worth the risk for the Bombers given they got him for a very good deal in the end. He's someone who could've helped us on a wing/half forward. Not sure we did enough but not sure it was there for us either. Lever and Balic for Watts and keeping a lot of our players on short term deals surely has the salary cap in good shape, there's flexibility to have a good run at free agency and trades next year.

I like him, but if the footy club loved him they should've signed him now and traded 47 for a pick next year. Got to wait until draft night and see what's available at 47 before signing anyone now I think. We owe Jason Taylor a chance to really assess the draft.

Our man Fritsch has to be in our thoughts with one of the 2nd rounders. After that it looks a list of later round guys but every year a few bob up in top 40 contention. Luke Ryan and Tom Stewart stood out last year though as gun defenders, not sure there's any of them this year. Midfielders are a bit dime a dozen. Our last pick might be one where we really take a flyer on a mature age guy. Interesting to see Dom Barry on the list. We need a pacey wingman with elite endurance. That would sure be a shock to bring him back.

No we don't. We played better with Tommy Mc and Pedda than we did with Gawn, yet alone playing the Spence. Mitch King will come on a bit next year and be there if we are desperate.

FB: Jetta Frost Hibberd HB: Lever Oscar Hunt C: Jones Oliver Melksham/Stretch HF: ANB Hogan Hannan FF: Vanders T Mc Garlett Foll: Gawn Petracca Viney Int: Salem - back Brayshaw - wing/mid Balic/Tyson/Melksham - high half forward/wing/mid Harmes/DJ - pressure forward Happy with the back 6 or 7. Vince and Joel Smith in reserve. And Wagner who I don't mind in the right match up. Keen to see Paddy McKenna play as well. Most of the starting midfield pick themselves. Time to pick Tracc as a mid who goes forward not the other way around even if he's close to 50/50 split. 2nd wing spot worries me. If Brayshaw gets fit he could lock it down but I think he's still best as a contested player on ball or back. Salem could move to a wing but it's asking him to run a heap which is his weakness. When he doesn't have to run his tank low he plays well. Melksham started to lock down a half forward spot but he has the tank for the wing. Balic and Petracca are all suited to rotate midfield and half forward more than wing. ANB you just want to leave in that high half forward spot where he covers ground and tackles. No Lewis for a month. No way he has 22 games in him anyway so let him rest whilst the pace is off. He'll get suspended anyway belting someone faster than him. Forward it's all about the pressure and spread and speed. No Pedersen/Weeds unless we want to get freaky and move Tom McDonald through a wing. Vanders 3rd tall. A couple of midfield types up on the flanks with high work rates. Then 3 amigos of Garlett, Hannan and Harmes.

Jones has an above average kick rate per Champion Data and was using it as well as anyone in our team and better than most of the comp pre injury. He hasn't been a long bomber for a long time now. What he sometimes is - is a conflicted player around the packs where he won't kick originally because it's not the game plan but will try to handball and when it doesn't work he'll get caught with it and bomb it as the only option. Viney does similar. Tyson is the most long bombing of that trio because he'll do it in space. Get Jones in space and he's a beautiful kick.

That's fair but any hypothetical reasons to trade someone will get spun in to negatives I think. Short of Jack wanting to set up a surf shop in Glenelg there's always going to be a challenge from the media and fans. Attitude, role, salary cap, injuries, age, future form. I'd have stuck with the truth but played it a bit softer and nicer.