DeeSpencer

Forgot all about tipping! Damn. Would've certainly gone GB and liked Miami and Carolina as well. Oh well. Everyones an expert in hindsight. Better start remembering for next week. Watching the highlights now, Bears did enough to show they might at least be a physical football team this year. Definite rebuild on the cards needing to draft most of a new secondary and eventually make the big call on a QB. But hopefully in the mean time we win some games. That or finish dead last and get the first pick. The same old story shaping up in the AFC I think. NE, Denver, Ravens.... Steelers don't write off San Diego. Teams with the best QB's. The Colts still way too reliant on Luck but also still in the weakest division unless....Mariota can keep having 4 touch down games. Bucs fans wouldn't be happy right now. Fix that leaky run defense and the Packers will be favourites for the NFC but I feel it's probably more wide open than the AFC if Seattle's struggles, particularly with the O Line continue. Although if your O Line is your weakness the Rams aren't a fair guide.

If the bombers have offered him a 2 year deal then we'd have to do the same and I'm not too keen on that. If he gets delisted he'd probably be better than most and worth a shot at taking one of the last spots on the list. A benefit of having AFL level fit and semi skilled (ie he can kick a reliable drop punt) player finishing off the list compared to a late pick in a bad draft is probably reasonable. He's the kind of player you consider late in trade week not in early September.

He's very ordinary and doesn't have a fixed position. Too short for a 2nd ruck, too slow for a key defender, not agile enough for a midfielder.

FB: Garland Dunn Jetta HB: Salem McDonald Stretch C: Toumpas Jones Watts HF: Vanders Hogan Kent FF: Brayshaw Pedersen Garlett Foll: Gawn Vince Viney Int: Tyson Newton Lumumba Petracca Back: Frost, Grimes, O Mc Mids: Michie, ANB, M Jones, Trengove Fwds: Harmes, Dawes, JKH Ruck: Spencer Extend as Rookies; White, King Promote: Harmes, Vanders Delist: Jamar, McKenzie, Hunt, Bail, Riley, Fitzpatrick, Cross, Terlich Trade: Howe – pick 15-25 or equivalent player Out: 9 In: Draft: 1, 2, 2, 3, 4/PSD DLFA Rookie: 1, 2, 3 Matt Jones is very lucky, he could easily be delisted or dropped back to the rookie list. Hunt I think has to be delisted and should train on with the club in search of a rookie spot. We shouldn't be afraid to carry more than the 4 rookies this year, we should in fact aim for the 6. If the draft is weak then just use the valuable picks in the first 3 rounds and stock up on rookie spots. Especially if we are keen on guys as depth talls. I'd certainly explore the trade and free agency markets but I still think the draft is our best shot at finding the skillful hard running players we need whilst experience or role playing types can be brought cheaply.

Terrible batting performance and the start with the ball not much better. We really have been stiff to lose the great Ryan Harris before this series. I don't know what the answers to our batting problems are but I'm pretty confident it's not S Marsh or Voges. We need young players who are committed to test cricket and the technique and mindset required. The hitting that works in limited overs cricket just isn't the same as proper test match batting.

Better in the 2nd half but terrible first half. Agree that we can't have Jetta, Cross and Garland in the same backline. Not the current Garland who can't run the ball out as he did in 2013. Injury and resultant lack of fitness have killed him. Would let him go for a 2nd rd compo pick. Would consider it for a 3rd rounder as well but the draft is shallow.

Needs to play forward. He's lost the plot down back. 2 of Daniher's goals were really Dunn's fault but overall Tom just can't stick with a smart opponent on the lead, he isn't making any semblance of smart decisions down back with the ball and his confidence has completely eroded.

That kick wasn't too difficult though. It was a medium risk kick for anyone other than McDonald or Jake Spencer. Whoever it was in the corridor had room all around them and all the kick needed to do was clear Nic Nat. You can't play in the backline without attempting those kicks. Not unless you are some kind of defensive stopper made out of a combination of Scarlett, Silvagni and Glass. Burning that option kills momentum which in turn discourages team mates from running to receive the ball and eventually all you do is chip the ball nowhere or bomb it down the line. As Clarko likes to say 'If you can't kick you can't play". So McDonald has to keep trying kicks when it's that combination of risk and reward but he has to make them. It was a bread and butter switch not exactly some kind of thread of the needle. My biggest concern is he doesn't even see the field of play well enough to know what is risky and what isn't and where he has to miss the kick if he is to miss safely.

The only problem is what to do with Dawes! McDonald 2nd ruck against Essendon would be a winner as well. Tire out their ruck until Gawn comes back and all he can cover the ground like an extra midfielder.

Not silly at all. Think he could 2nd ruck as well. After all that was the role BP recruited him for! Might not even have to wait for Frost to come back. Fitzy, Dunn and Garland might be enough to take the Dons forwards. We could use Tom forward this week.

Just staggering that you can be an AFL footballer and keep missing simple kicks but 20 or so metres. He picked the right option clear in the middle of the ground and left it 20m short and straight to Nic Nat. It's staggering that it keeps happening and eventually it will finish Tom's career. His defensive work rate is great but his defensive body work is sadly lacking still.

Maybe I was right.

A speedy defensive forward with midfield potential sounds good to me but I get the feeling he'd be contracted and whilst we could offer him more money and opportunity to play games I doubt he'd leave his home city, the club his brother captains and such a successful club. Not at this stage when he's still young enough that being in the 2's wouldn't really deter him. I don't know the exact rules or if they still exist but I think his brother was eligible for game ambassador payments as well. Being the sons of a local rugby league legend I think the AFL are very keen to keep the Jack boys right where they are!

I agree. Although personally I'd class Ottens as a big fish. He was highly rated as a forward at the time and then became a gun ruck (which also highlights how nothing is for granted). But the cats had already made a prelim on the back of youth by the time he came. The last 3 flags have also been won on the back of significant trades - Kennedy, McGlynn, Gunston, Hale, Burgoyne etc. So as you've said trading to fill roles is certainly part of the list building package.

Terlich's player profile on the club website says 2 year deal. I know his 2013 was very good but it's staggering that after his drop off last year they felt necessary to give him 2 more years. In some ways the Matt Jones deal to the end of 2016 made more sense as it came in January 2014 so after a good first year they thought he'd still be around for 3 more. But it looked overly ambitious then and it certainly is now. 2 players who will now have to be paid out or will in all likelihood be battling away at Casey for most of next year. Hopefully Matt Jones takes some belief from his current ok patch of form and works hard to improve because dead wood on the list is a real downer for everyone else IMO.

Right now I wouldn't trade either of them. But they are 2 players who might have currency and might also want out for a fresh start. Toump is out of contract as well.

I'm a fan of both Howe and Garland. I'd prefer to keep both. I think versatile medium tall players are very valuable and you don't know how much so until they are gone. Delist: McKenzie, Bail Pay out: Terlich, Matt Jones Retire: Cross, Jamar (Neither are certain yet) Monitor: Trengove Watch: Spencer, Fitzy - not sold on either yet. Riley. Hunt. Potential trades: Toumpas, Watts, Grimes (not saying we should trade any of these guys). Rookie upgrade: vanders Rookie hold: King, Harmes, White The tall guys - Jamar, Spencer and Fitzy are all dependant on what we can find in a trade period and/or mature recruitment. It would be silly to axe any of them if you can't find worthy replacements. The same principle probably applies for the contracted Matt Jones and Terlich. It's expensive to move those guys on and doesn't achieve much if you're just adding different limited depth on longer contracts. Hunt and Trengove would both be candidates to move back to the rookie list due to injury. I like how up in the air it is at the moment. We've got plenty playing for their immediate future but at the same time there's not a lot of inevitability about anyone on our list right now. Bail and McKenzie might be the obvious ones but they've both had a shot in the team recently. There's 2 thirds of the year left and every player can provide at least some case for staying on. I think that's a key reason Casey are doing better this year.

Maybe what Mooney means is his speed with the ball in hand. He's really quick to get it. Needs to find the ability to accelerate with ball in hand, then steady and kick. That's not easy. Either that or repeat speed with fitness. I totally agree he's not slow at all.

Repeat speed maybe. Not speed. He's super quick for a man of his size. Easily runs passed some quick players. Disposal sure. But he makes the right options. He's a player. If he's only 80% fit then he might be even more than that.

Yeah I was wrong. I thought I would be when I heard Tom talking about aiming to improve his speed over preseason at the end of last year. It gave me a clue that he knew he had to work on his glaring defensive weakness. When Salem was moved to the backline and Grimes got dropped before round 1 I thought hooray, the coaches have realised we can't keep blindly turning it over from half back as well. All credit to Tom, he's done a great job. Now maybe he can get some of the others to join him. There's a long list to take his spot. He could start by getting his key defensive buddy Lynden Dumb to play a little better. He's gone right back to gross stupidity and brain fades.

Best corner in the draft. But it worries me when a player gets kicked off a college team. Especially such a good player who knows he has a lot at stake. And he had an experienced quality coach. Boom or bust I guess

1. TB - Winston (QB) 2. Tenn. Trade to the Eagles for pick 19 (acquired from Cleveland for Bradford), pick 20, Eagles 1st Rd 2016. Eagles pick Mariota (QB) 3. Jack - Dante Fowler (DE) 4. Oak - Leonard Williams (DT) 5. Wash - Vic Beasley (OLB) 6. Jets - Amari Cooper (WR) 7. Chic - Trae Waynes (CB) 8. Atl - Bud Dupree (OLB) 9. Giants - Brandon Scherff (OG) 10 St L - Kevin White (WR)

Never knew Stevens' misses was paying for it.

No problem with your post and I think you're right! But vanders is now forming part of the midfield rotation. Playing wing, half forward and in the guts! Not sure who that means he's keeping out but it's bloody brilliant. He's rotating with the likes of Newton and Michie (when he was subbed on) and giving Brayshaw the freedom to develop on a half forward flank.

Can't believe the speed of him. Ran straight passed Grigg who's not exactly slow. You can't be 190cm, probably 90kg, strong, fast, hard and with decent endurance and be playing in the NEAFL. That's just not freaking fair. I get how he had 60 touches, now I just don't get how he didn't have 60 a week!