DeeSpencer

We needed all the talls as well and the earlier you get them the better, but certainly it's time now to start drafting more players who can win the ball, run, use the ball and pressure. It's interesting that the Dogs senior side isn't really stacked with superb ball users - there's a few quality ones particularly Bont - but mainly it's a lot of contested ball winners who have been trained to play with run and skills (particularly by hand). I wonder if we draft some quick and skillful kids if we'll get benefit just from the push along from a raise in skills at training even if those guys don't immediately break in to the side.

We only got him for a late round pick, swapped him for Toumpas and he's just better than the Toump. Collingwood gave a lot more for Howe. He's ok for depth. Seemingly will never be a consistent ball user or decision maker. Wins the ball pretty well. A lot depends on his preseason and if he can build his tank. If he can and then develops a stronger forward pressure game he'll be handy.

Hulett has a bit of spark. I'd love to see him play centre half back. He has a penetrating and accurate kick that can be useful. Keilty and Tim Smith are more promising than the rest of our AFL players. Ben Kennedy and ANB both have something to offer but are a long way off. I'd love to see Ben Newton with an AFL tank and work rate, he has a lovely kick on him but there's just no sign that it's going to come.

Awful 3rd quarter and beaten all day. But really Dogs had more to play for, were playing at a ground that's the home ground for their senior players, had the bigger more vocal crowd and have young exciting talent. Why should Dunn, Garland, Grimes, Spencer, Michie, Terlich, Newton, Trengove or Matt Jones step up and deliver in a big game? They never have in their AFL careers and most of them have little to play for. Michie, Terlich, Newton and Matt Jones will surely be delisted, probably in the next week. Grimes won't be offered a new deal either. One of Dunn or Garland gets traded. Trengove is getting another year just based on being a good bloke and Spencer is getting another year because we are stupid. Some of the Casey players had a crack, but due to lack of injuries they weren't exposed all that much during the year and so really the only guys who were regular performers were Keilty, Hutchins and Smith. All had a decent crack but they weren't in the midfield when the game was hot. Oliver was BOG. Weids did his job although he needs to just clunk a few more marks,should've snapped and goal the 2 shots from tight angles IMO. Hulett looked like a young player tiring at the end of a year but offered a bit. ANB and Ben Kennedy were poor but did find the ball. Joel Smith was hot and cold. The Dogs had 2 experienced ruckmen and young up and coming players on all lines. They had guys pushing for a chance of an AFL grand final. They had a true leaders from their VFL list. Get rid of the list cloggers and get some more young talent in the Casey side and hopefully find some more talented experienced VFL players if they lose guys to the AFL and Casey can push forward from here. Still a good year from Casey, but a year built on too many guys who aren't the future.

It annoys me but: 1. Were we the first? 2. Did we do anything about making it unique to us. Can't copywrite it but maybe lodge it with the AFL that it was our thing. Port sing the INXS song, no one could copy that as it would be a blatant rip off but the hells bells is different. Really would like to get it as just our thing or to move on to something else.

Firstly there was no need for the 17 year olds or the mini draft selections. All those player should've just gone in regular drafts when they were 18. Then I wouldn't have given them such a stack of top 5 picks. Why not give them a good spread of extra picks throughout the draft. So pick 1, 2, 10,11, 21, 22, 30, 40, 50 for example. Why did they need more elite talent than they could deal with? They could've had extra 2nd and 3rd rounders for a number of years instead of the mini draft which gifted them top 5 picks. I would've banned them from signing any player in his first 5 years as start up player ie. Ward, Scully, Davis. They could've traded if they wanted those players and otherwise they could spend big contracts on mature ready to perform players. Why did it take them 3 years to get Mumford, Patfull and Shaw when they could've had those types from day 1? I'd remove the Riverina from the academy zone. It's a footy area that's always produced good players. GWS didn't discover footballers there. Lastly I'd remove the COLA they are still getting. Pretty much the AFL gave them too much after panicking about all the players leaving if they weren't successful and then the GWS officials took the advantages that were unchecked and ran with it. The lack of regulations on what they could do with signing start up players and banking mini draft picks was a particular oversight.

The Giants got the 4 extra mini draft picks that they traded away for a swag of extra top 10 picks and not for mature players as the plan had been for them. The Giants got better 17 year old access players in Cameron, Shiel and Treloar where GWS got Matt Shaw and Mav Weller. The Giants didn't attempt to win in their first few years by signing questionable veterans like Rischitelli, Brown, Warnock and Brennan not to mention an elite player in Ablett. Instead they signed Scully, Ward and Davis as their high profile signings knowing all 3 weren't even going to be in their peak despite being the leaders of the club. Pretty much the Gold Coast came in and looked like a struggle (although they were going to make the 8 before Ablett was injured a few years back and have plenty of talent on their list). So the AFL gave GWS more concessions and instead of the GWS staff trying to spend those concessions on fielding a competitive side they went even deeper than Gold Coast on the youth policy and created a super list that has ongoing excess talent year after year. Oh and then they got gifted the most amazing academy zone. It's pretty much the leagues biggest condoned tank job and they lost something like 12 games by 100 plus in their first 3 years. People would've gone to games and watched them lose by 100 plus and never gone back. Now they are hosting a home prelim and could only sell 6,000 tickets to members whilst the Dogs fans bought 8,000.

Sure. But the finals system has never been set in stone so if a change is for the better and is well established then I'm fine with that. Geelong played a bit like they were flat, but they also won their share of contested ball and clearances all night and dominated inside 50's. Sydney had far more balance around the ball, their backline nullified Geelong's limited forward line both as individuals and with team structure and the Swans forward line is an amazing match up against the Cats older, taller, slower backline. The Swans had to do review and rehab and prepare for a 6 day break with travel to Melbourne. The Cats sat at home and prepared all week nice and fresh with plenty of time to be physically and mentally prepared.

He was very good, except for a nervous patch in the 3rd where he got away with running too far a few times and his composure wasn't as good. His ability to pick up a loose ball or a backwards handball receive and motor to the outside and get the ball moving forwards is fantastic. He also kicks the ball low and hard with great penetration. Doesn't have the accuracy of a great back flanker yet but the way he runs and can kick means he'll keep getting better. Makes me wonder if we continue with someone like Harmes from half back even if his kicking and decision making is shonky because he has the same burst and attack and can also kick a ball with good penetration even if the accuracy isn't there.

Wouldn't matter if he only had 3 possessions if they were 3 goals and all the tackles and clever moments he had. He's very classy, hard at it and plays the modern day role of a forward pocket to perfection. What I'd give to swap him for Jeff Garlett. The Swans ability to find quality unheralded role players is amazing. Papley is great. Naismith doesn't win a lot of hit out but he makes the other ruck work and his follow up is great. Xav Richards isn't special but he does a job. Aliir Aliir is special in his intercept and spoiling. They've got some beauties who are very underrated players. Of course I hate them because they've also got Franklin and Tippett for free and Mills and Heeney for cents on the dollar.

Houston Arizona Pittsburgh Will likely regret tipping against the Pats at home on a short week but seriously a 3rd string rookie QB against a good defense. At least I'll see the wizardry of Belichick once again. Couldn't bring myself to tip anyone else, Atlanta and San Diego the best I could think of and they aren't very good.

I'd have them if they are free but wouldn't pay for them. Langford's regressed quite a bit and makes bad decisions. He's really only good as a defensive forward or tagger these days. Shoenmakers keeps getting injured and doesn't touch it up forward and isn't really a defender. I think the Hawks would like to keep him as well because if he does find fitness he could be useful at either end so I'd rather them keep him than pay the price for the risk.

I must admit last Sunday I did start to question the decision, but I'm willing to give him a pass on one bad game and see what he can do this week. Even if he doesn't play well it's not the kind of decision to get overly upset about. We've got plenty of list spots this year with the reality being that we are unlikely to fill them all with quality. If Spencer is on the list next year it's hard to be too upset about Trengove.

Minson is the example of a good older player who does certain things better than the younger options who has been routinely left out for young more athletic alternatives. The Dogs have mostly used 2 key defenders with Wood as a 3rd tall and a bunch of small rebounding flankers. Sometimes only 1. Rarely have they played 3 genuine talls. Morris is a great CHB and then they've played Adams, Hamling or Roberts at FB depending on fitness. If Dunn was at the Dogs I think he'd be fighting for that one spot as well. Bevo has done a great job with Picken, Wood and some other older guys in new roles. But I doubt he would've had any interest in a half fit immobile Dunn that was playing at the start of the year. His strong finish to the VFL season is papering over the cracks that were evident in his AFL form. Which means either he's found form and fitness as the year has gone on or the VFL is just such a step down he appears that way.

He'll probably go on an all time great run now and make me look silly but I can't help but think there's something not right about Rodgers. I thought he fixed it in Arizona last year but he still seems to be jumping around way too much in the pocket. Moving in the pocket is great, but if the line is blocking well then just step up and make an accurate throw. I don't think he's selfish in any way but it looks like he's trying to create the great play and has lost confidence in his receivers and isn't getting the ball out and trusting them. Maybe the offense needs a tweak and some new plays mixed in to freshen things up. I'm super impressed with Stefon Diggs. He'll make Bradford look good all year. And if the Vikes O line can click in to gear and run the ball then they'll be a force. The Texans have impressed me and now get the luxury of the Pats playing an injured player/3rd stringer or guy off the street at QB on a short week. They should go up there and win and get to 3-0. Panthers still looking like the team to beat in the NFC. Nice to see the Cards bounce back. Some other teams I'm a bit up and down on including the Giants, Seattle, GB and the Vikes. Steelers looking the class of the AFC, with the Pats always in the equation and I expect the Texans, Denver, KC and Cinci to challenge in a strong conference.

The same Beveridge who has only rarely played the slow and unathletic Will Minson in the ruck despite him being by far the Dogs best tap ruckman? Or who has routinely played barely 1 key defender and no lock down back pockets and backed his rebounding defenders to play a zone and attacked based system? I like Dunny. I'd love to keep him as I think he's fitter now than earlier in the year and with a big preseason could take his spot back from Frost or Oscar, and would at least be depth. But if we are lumped with Garland and we can get something from Dunn then I'd understand why moving him on is the right result.

I'm not sure he's as quick as someone like Hunt and I don't think he'll be a wingman, but his first few steps and agility impressed me plus his leap. And his willingness to tackle was great. I could see him becoming a rebounding half back, a lock down defender, a defensive forward or maybe even an inside midfielder with the ability to go 3rd man up in the ruck and to provide some burst to the contest. Half back is the best spot to train him up in and I think next year he could become a consistent VFL player and push to debut and play a few games, then it's a matter of where to from there. The big unknown with any mature age recruit and with any athlete from a non footy background is you can't tell how much they will improve. If he improves the same way Hunt did then we'll have a great player on our hands.

Kicking would have to be a big focus for him over preseason. I thought his action was fine if a little stiff, but given he's played all of about 10 games this year I didn't think it was too bad. His one kick to Dunn was perfect, others not so great.

You often can't go half hearted in to a change like zone defending. The price we paid for the aggressive change were the goals out the back. The trade off when we scaled it back was our scoring slowed down in the 2nd half of the year. I too think Dunn would be valuable as the kicker at the back of the defensive set up but he has to run and he wasn't covering the ground at all well at the start of the year. Yesterday at VFL level anyway he was excellent in his zoning and positioning. Looked fitter as well. The speed of Frost helped cover us over the back as well and Dunn will never be that quick. Similar to Travis Cloke I think Dunny simply got too big and not fit enough for AFL footy and when combined with a few injuries he just couldn't keep up. Assuming they've realised that and changed a few things up if he has a big preseason he could bounce back pretty well next year.

Seattle Baltimore Green Bay Really wish I did the tips earlier and took the Jets. The Bills are a dumpster fire. They scored 31 and lost then sacked the offense??!

I can't remember him kicking off his left aside from a nice snap out of a pack. He does kick nicely on his right and part of him going back to the VFL I think should be to encourage him to kick more. The other thing I really want to see is him handballing on his left. If he can use his left hand then with his vision and movement in close the sky is the limit.

Hogan's defensive work and kicking need work, but let's not get carried away. Hogan kicked 39 goals in 15 games as a 17-18 year old. Smith's 25 and has kick 28 goals in 18 games in his best year. I think he'd compete with Vanders as the 2nd medium forward alongside Watts. Smith can take a bigger grap and kick straighter but otherwise he doesn't have the midfield ability and who knows if he can bring the tackling and pressure game to AFL level. Yeah Watts could play up and Smith deeper than Vanders and we don't have another medium forward type on the list so that could be a positive. I like his combination of pressure, tackling and one on one wins on the ground and in the air. So I'd love it if he got a shot. But I think he's also going to have a few knocks on him and there's a reason most 25 year olds aren't drafting. The step up between VFL and AFL is so big that if he wasn't drafted I'd understand that. If there was room for 60 players on AFL lists not 44 I'd have signed Keilty, McInerny, Smith and Hutchins today, all look like they have a lot to offer. But there isn't so I'm not expecting too much.

Fair enough, looked hard on tv. Thanks for checking it out. I didn't think it was a dirty tackle, just a strong one and a difficult position for Salem getting pinned from behind and no where to go. Maybe it's the trade off to the deliberate rule where in the past players would just paddle it on or pump it long.

Would love the club (be that Melb or Casey) to put a complaint in to the VFL about the surface. Those practice wickets looked like they were ready to play on.

Can't mark, doesn't spoil with authority, missed a simple set shot, gave away a bunch of silly frees. He cracks in and makes his presence felt but even at VFL level he doesn't have any footy smarts. The young fella showed more footy smarts in short bursts than Spencer has in 5 years. And his hit out numbers are bogus because he doesn't have any control of the contest to hit to advantage. He limited the VFL's best ruckman and an important player, but I expected more. Campbell's not in great form and will play forward a fair bit but I expect Minson to work Spencer over in the ruck duels. Despite being one of the most physically imposing guys he still has very little strength in ruck contests. He's only a few cms shorter, has plenty of leap and is probably stronger but Gawn smashes him at training just as Jamar used to.