DeeSpencer

They think he's soft, which he might be. Was moved forward to try to deliver some skill and goals when the wing wasn't working out for him this season.

Hey we can ask for the world and I hope we do but I'd also be willing to settle eventually. Maybe 1 quality piece is more important than finding multiple options but I'm yet to see what the very high quality piece in the deal would be unless they give us a top 5 pick and enough to get May. I think where we disagree is on Hogan's potential to be a generational player. I haven't felt that way about his since his first year. Whether that's injuries, confidence or personal issues or not I'm not seeing it.

10, 15, 68 for 37 and 43. Makes Lever's value at pick 7, although that calculator always overrated high picks and we took a risk that we'd finish strongly and the Crows wouldn't. Hogan's foot v Lever's knees. Hogan's struggles against top teams v Lever's struggles one on one. If Freo give us pick 5 outright and Port are willing to split it to picks 9 and 10 then we're off to a good start. Otherwise if Freo give us pick 10 and Langdon but we can upgrade pick 32 to pick 18 with the Suns then that's worth consideration. May, 18 and Langdon is turning 1 big piece in to 3 useful pieces.

How many quick classy outside runners in the comp are there? A couple at GWS, McCluggage at Brisbane, Stephen Hill on his day (who we should look in to), Gaff who's about to go to North for a fortune. It isn't a long list. Even with average skills a quick outside runner would be an upgrade on what we currently have. I don't think Hogan with a foot injury and only a year to run on his deal is fetching us 2 high quality assets unless you count mid to late first round picks. If May is 1 high quality asset then another useful player like Langdon and then something extra on the side ends up a pretty reasonable package to me. Edit: Just thinking about it I reckon we can probably get May for cheaper than I originally thought. I'd probably want the 3rd part of a May and Langdon deal to be a bit stronger than a pick upgrade. Maybe if we chucked in our own 2nd round pick and got back to the first round.

Nic Nat is on big money as their main ruck. Lycett is about to leave for cash and opportunity. Vardy was a cheap bargain buy back up. Kennedy should be on big money, Darling on just solid very good player money, he had a career best start to the year but otherwise has always been more of a B+ type to me. Eagles big money guys are likely Nic Nat, Kennedy, McGovern, Shuey and if he isn't already then soon to be Yeo. Then they have a number of solid guys like Hurn, Redden, Shepherd who should all be above average without breaking the bank. We could keep Tommy Mc, Weeds and Hogan. I think if happy Hogan would make big but not out of control money, same with Tommy Mc's rumoured 800. Weid's out of contract next year. The greater issue is whether they'd all play together well, what that means for team performance and if it justifies spending all the money on one position group. From a purely financial point of view I think spending Hogan's money on a key defender and an outside midfielder would balance the list and create a better side.

Think we should at least inquire about a pair of Jacks. Lonie - a far from perfect footballer but would be an option in the crumbing small forward role. Small, not blistering pace and a little soft but he has smarts. Would be about a straight swap for Kent Newnes - long kicking wingman who Saints fans really dislike after this year. Would probably need a pick thrown in with Kent

Or maybe the coach could've developed a side capable of winning elsewhere. The round 1 game was a typical round 1 shocker, they happen sometimes

That's the conversation they have to be having now. If Lewis has no interest in playing for Casey they should pay him a fraction of his contract to retire. If he's willing to admit where he is at as a declining veteran then he has value to the list and team.

Maybe they were sick of her drudging up the past with no new reporting. Maybe the fact that Caro leaked that her invitation was pulled and why is proof enough her time is up.

To be fair I should've put pace last in my list of concerns because it's not a big one but I'm not convinced by that number that he's anything more than average. I'd like to see a stat on career running bounces, properly quick players run and bounce the ball, I can't ever remember Hogan doing that. Altogether my point is he's not taller, faster, a bigger leap, a better kick or a better pressure player than the very best key forwards. He's a very good player with a lot of improvement still left in him but I'm just not convinced that the way he burst on to the scene as a 20 year old means he'll be off the charts good for the rest of his career.

Oh yay, 4 road faves, let me tip against 2 of them and lose this week. But for now: I love Josh Allen. That's my QB of the new guys. He's so damn big and dopey yet somehow gracefully athletic and fires the ball off. I'm all in. (I also love Mahomes and Baker, and Darnold is ok too but Josh is my guy).

1. His tank is great, on a long lead that's fine but I don't see him get space on a short lead or sprint away from opponents when the ball hits the ground. Often he'll gather the ball and try to turn back away from goal rather than take them on. I don't know exactly how Hoges would go in a 20m or 40m sprint but I think most gun key forwards would have him covered. 2. This one is the most glaring. I'm surprised you don't see it. He never connects with the midfielders when deep forward. I know our mids burn the ball but good forwards make it easy for them. Hogan is often just pleading for a long bombed kick. 3. Willing to agree to disagree but the way he kicks the ball so across his body means he only has a stab kick, no variation, he'll never be able to weight the ball over a defender 4. One on one body work he's great. But in terms of actually leaping at a pack mark I haven't seen it since year 1 or 2. I'm not sure if it's a lack of confidence in his knees or back or a lack of explosiveness but he's a wrestler not a leaper. McDonald and Weideman are both far better at really jumping for the ball. 5. Josh Kennedy defends, J Riewoldt defends, when he's fit and healthy Buddy defends. It's not the be all and end all but it's a knock. Tommy McDonald's ankles don't work so he doesn't do a great job of it and Melksham likes to stand and watch. It's easy to get to a critical mass of forwards who don't launch in and lay tackles if Hogan is in that group as well. Ben Brown is a more limited footballer than Hogan but he's exceptional and at leading, marking and being a big bugger. Jack Riewoldt is the best and most well rounded forward in the game, if the stats don't show that then chuck them out. Fair point about Tom Mitchell but he is the games best ball winner, that's his remarkable skill to go with doing enough in other areas. I don't know if Hogan's best traits are truly exceptional.

Premierships are won by the best defensive side. That's the saying. May would give us a rock at FB. Big body, quick enough to take a small if needed, strong marker, good left foot roost. Lever roaming around intercepting at CHB and can groom Harry Petty in a similar mold. Jetta back pocket. Hibberd flexible rebound and intercept player. Salem on a flank. Locked in. 3 way battle for the other tall spot based on needs out of Oscar, Frost and Joel Smith. Plenty of competition to see who plays on the other flank. He's exactly what we need. Much easier to add wings and small forwards in the draft and that could pretty much be our focus if we land May.

I think you're overrating Hogan. And I think the club agrees with me because if he was really a super dooper superstar we wouldn't even entertain the idea of a trade. My issues with Hogan are: 1. Pace - he's not super quick and so struggles to burn an opponent either on the lead or when the ball is on the ground 2. Leading patterns - repeatedly he gets out of position as a deep forward. Far better leading up the ground, but the way footy is played right now doesn't favour the lead up CHF. Similarly Tom McDonald is excellent in that role 3. Kicking skills - whilst his goal kicking has improved and is very good inside 45m the way he hooks the ball around his body means he struggles for distance and struggles to weight the ball inside 50. If he gets the ball 60m out it often ends with a turnover or dumped kick. 4. Lack of a leap - how often does he take the big pack grabs out reaching opponents - very rarely 5. Defensive effort - it's just not there. He tried much harder this year but it clearly doesn't come naturally to him. Poor tackler and again the lack of speed comes in here I think Hogan is an excellent player - runs all day, clean hands on both sides of his body, mobile like a midfielder around the packs, kicks his goals at a good rate, but I don't think he's the special kind of player that will get the whole farm in a trade. I don't want draft picks for him, I think most are in agreement there, but if the trade is Hogan for May and another best 22 player with upside then I'd do that. May and Ed Langdon is my suggestion.

Straight swap for Jack Lonie? (I just made that up). Would rather Kent stay than lose him for nothing but he's out of contract and probably wants a fresh start.

Petty's debut was more of a failure from the entire side than from him. Near impossible to play as an intercepting CHB when the rest of the side couldn't defend anywhere on the ground. He dropped a few marks he got his hands on, that's nerves, then was beaten for pace and tired out. We just have high standards for debuts after not having many young talls thrown in of late. The Weid got a couple of easy goals on debut but otherwise did nothing. Hogan was ready to play. Frosty, Max and Tom debut years ago. Joel Smith busted his shoulder on debut. Oscar was pretty trash on debut. And Petty really wasn't much different to Jake Lever's debut for us! After a good preseason or two and picked in a game where the rest of the side do their job I could see Petty playing an excellent 2nd AFL game.

Thought Mitch King showed enough early to do better in the VFL this year and kick on but once he was dropped from the VFL side that wasn't happening. Flip and athletic type but lacked any real AFL qualities and did nothing at Casey. Feel for Pat McKenna, had a terrible run with injuries and couldn't get anything going at Casey but even without the fitness if you've got an AFL future you should show something in the 2's. By all reports all pretty good guys and good team mates so we'll need to reload and go again at the drafts.

Bugg had plenty of chances to make it back after the punch. Kicking was unreliable Decision making was slow Lacked a yard of speed or agility to really be a good pressure forward And he never ever turned and looked to his left. I was a little surprised we never used him as a wing tagger like we did in 2016, he was very handy that year for us. But there's far better midfielders out there, and as a half forward ANB, Melksham and Spargo bring much more, yet alone looking for really talented forwards.

They're effectively getting 2 second round picks! It's just disguised. They might get a Tim Kelly and a Bayley Fritsch. Or a Mitch Hannan and Tom Stewart. This isn't progress at all.

Max can play forward. I'd be playing Preuss about 10 games a year against the taller sides and non finalists and having him ruck 50% of the game whilst Gawn plays forward. Then come the business end you go smaller and ruck Max 80% game time.

If we can turn Hogan in to: - May - Preuss - Ed Langdon Then we've filled 3 needs (full back, back up ruck, wing) with 1 player leaving. I'd do that for sure. It would be brutal but it's a brutal competition

Note the Barrett story specifically stating that these priority access picks are tradeable. Why would they include that stipulation if it wasn't going to happen? I have it on strong mail that Carlton will use that first choice to select Shane McAdam from Sturt. They'll then trade his rights to Adelaide for Mitch McGovern, with possibly some late pick swaps. He's this years Tim Kelly and valued at around 15-20. Gold Coast and several other clubs not happy they are missing him. I think all these players should be free agents and bottom clubs should just use spare salary to sign them, or if not let them pick guys to get for free but not until after pick 30 or 40. As mentioned above we've given up draft picks for Hannan, Fritsch, Vanders, Wagner etc. I don't want to lose a chance at Jay Lockhart. Wouldn't mind Corey Wagner either as a rookie.

Nice kick, uses both hands to get out of trouble well, good agility and excellent intercept marker who can read the flight and jump at the ball very nicely. He doesn't seem to have a lot of straight line speed and I'm not convinced about his one on one defensive skills, so there's plenty of room to improve but at least he has the standout traits. I wonder if he will be suited to where the game is going if he can plonk at CHB and be an interceptor, he looked like McGovern in the first half yesterday. I think he had at least 1 if not 2 clean grabs not paid and took a number of others. My concern is the game only gets quicker and the intercept markers get found out a bit if they can't close one on one. There also has to be a bit of question mark on whether Petty and Lever have similar skill sets and somewhat fight each other for the CHB spot or interceptor role. Who knows though, a couple of preseasons working on his speed and strength and he might cover the ground really well and become a valuable player. I'm certainly excited to see him develop.

Forget the glory days of drafting spuds, but even when Roos was at the club we picked up JKH, Hunt and Stretch looking for forward/back/wing players. Harmes as well. Picked up Garlett. Picked up Hibberd. This is while we also built up the midfield and talls. Two years ago we took 2 picks in the draft and used them on Hannan - quick forward flanker - and DJ (who was a pressure forward turned backman). Then last year Spargo - nippy half forward type, Fritsch - outside flanker/wing, Baker - speedy wing. I'm pretty sure the club knows exactly where the weaknesses lie. I'm sure they wanted more out of Garlett and Kent this year and more consistency from Hannan. Bedford looks an option. Otherwise we keep searching. We aren't the only team on the lookout. There's only so many Rioli's to go around! We need to look out for the Tom Papley and Ben Ronke types as well.

Salem only had 1 good game in the midfield - against the Roos, and he played on ball not wing. He's not an elite runner, the wing isn't the spot for him. He was much more consistent when moved to half back against Essendon and I think he'll feature really high in our B+F with a number of games where he did his job perfectly at half back. Fritsch is the most natural winger on the list IMO. It's just a matter of building his tank and teaching him some stoppage craft. Considering he wasn't in the TAC system or even playing regular at Casey (senior or development) he's come a long way this year and just got tired when asked to play backline late. If he can get his tank to AFL midfield standard whilst building some core strength this summer he could not only back up but go to another level next year.