DeeSpencer

Mahoney- "if a player has been in the system for 20-30 games and his 24-25 yeas of age that would be pick 2 worthy. That must be a misquote. If we want a 24-25 year old mid we want one with 60-100 games ready to go not one that barely played.

That would be a huge win for us. Keep a high first round pick and give a second rounder for Gaff. Can't see West Coast going for that. I certainly think it will have to be a trade back into the first round for us like your one above. There just isn't any out of contract top liners out there.

Roos is going to trade pick 2 for some B grader and win a total of 10 games over his 2 years. Walk away and leave is with a middle of the road list and without a great prospect that we could've got with pick 2. That's my worry. Viney and Jason Taylor better exert their will on these decisions and Mahoney better stick to administrating and leave the decisions to the big boys.

Essendon are on more than peptides if they are giving him a 3 year deal. Hamstrings are screwed. He should've taken the 10 game contract. He might just have been playing well enough to get more games and you couldn't leave him out of a final.

I think he'll be great next year. The weight of expectation with this contract and knowing he was off to Sydney would've tolled on him heavily this year. Next year he'll be relaxed in a new city, his new home boys to chill out with, be tapping Jesinta Campbell and be partying it up all without the mass hysteria that happens when he goes out in Melbourne. My concern is how they renegotiate his contract because I have severe doubts he'll make it to 33 yet alone 35. They either hope they get their 10 mil worth in the next 5 years or they renegotiate which will in turn make a mockery of the free agency and particularly the restricted free agency process.

I thought there was a rule against trading a guy in the first year after signing a new contract. If someone knows if this is correct or not please advise. Either way I don't think we will trade anyone of value. Instead this will be a rather unremarkable trade period aimed at bringing in a couple of midfielders through trades otherwise we will hit the draft. Roos will go for the old Sydney way of trying to find value with 2nd and third round picks. As for DL7's post about Boyd it's interesting. But I wouldn't believe the young kid as an expert. If he played for the Dandy Stingrays I bet that the coaches all tried to tell them Boyd could be defeated and wasn't that great in order to psych them up for the grand final. No doubt a lot of gun forwards carry attributes that give them an advantage at under 18 that they lose at AFL. Tom Hawkins was the best example of a man child who then started to do what he did in under 18 at AFL level it just took 5 years. Jesse Hogan will struggle next year I'm pretty sure to kick more than a goal a game average.

If Hawthorn get Mumford out of this they'll probably see it as a win win. They get the ruckman they desperately need and Tippett goes into second ruck duty at the swans. Tippett is the most dangerous forward to Hawthorn as he can get right on top of Lake. Franklin will be an upgrade but I bet Josh Gibson is confident he can still do a job on him, impressive games on Franklin is what got him to the hawks in the first place.

Mumford and White already leaving because the Tippett and Franklin money took it all off the table for them So now Sydney will be: Ruck: Pyke FF/ruck: Tippett CHF: Reid or Franklin +/- Goodes Compared to before: Ruck: Mumford FF/ruck: Pyke CHF: Tippett +/- Reid, White, Goodes So Sydney will have lost a lot of depth (who's their back up ruck if Pyke goes down) and placed pressure on the rest of the list financially.

What a joke. Obviously the cost of living had zero impact on Buddies decision because he's happily going to move into a Bondi pad. They should scrap the COLA immediately or change the rule to give rookies and draftees and extra 5,000 over the first year to help with rent differences. Every other player on an AFL list besides first and second season rookies and draftees makes over 80,000 if not more at which point cost of living is a load of crap. They aren't scraping by on 30,000 a year. The AFL have out cheated themselves on this one.

I'm keeping some of mine from the last few years because i plan on doing the same thing one day. Just need the wife and kids eventually! But good luck I hope you get them and would love to see the finished produce. Boys will love it (once the team gives them some reason to love them).

So half our team would stand up on grand final day yet we won 2 games this year! My list: Nathan Jones - but not if he's tagged by Crowley Viney - in a couple of years when he's matured Frawley Garland Putting Hogan on that list is ridiculous. As is Howe for different reasons. And the others haven't consistently played well in regular home and away matches. Not sure what makes you think they would in a grand final

Love his on field character and competitiveness. Not convinced about his off field, not that I've heard anything bad but the fun ones make you nervous

You might mean under 18 champs. Hard to remember him in a competition he didn't play in. He's been asking for more midfield time for years at the bombers and can find the footy. Has a big heavy build and waddles around a bit but sure can roost the footy. I wonder if he has the quickness in close to win clearances though. But Jobe Watson used to move like a boulder but now glides through stoppages using his bulk, strength and quick first step.

Give me a break Jumbo. Show me the big thighs on Gunston in either of these photos: http://www.google.com.au/imgres?sa=X&rlz=1C1NOOH_enAU484AU484&es_sm=93&biw=1366&bih=667&tbm=isch&tbnid=wT2M8OnEngc7DM:&imgrefurl=http://www.afl.com.au/gallery/2013-05-04/afl-2013-rd-06-adelaide-v-hawthorn&docid=Pdi2XsiP0YSTjM&imgurl=http://www.afl.com.au/staticfile/AFL%252520Tenant/Media/Galleries/Matches/2013/AFL%2525202013%252520Rd%25252006%252520-%252520Adelaide%252520v%252520Hawthorn/286087_gp.jpg&w=438&h=620&ei=OAZJUr2LJsmslAWehYDYCw&zoom=1&ved=1t:3588,r:5,s:0,i:97&iact=rc&page=1&tbnh=232&tbnw=183&start=0&ndsp=17&tx=107&ty=83 http://www.google.com.au/imgres?sa=X&rlz=1C1NOOH_enAU484AU484&es_sm=93&biw=1366&bih=667&tbm=isch&tbnid=BijdqEqQJv-27M:&imgrefurl=http://www.fiveaa.com.au/audio_crows-2nd-round-draft-pick-jack-gunston_95325&docid=X4COrJ8lEw5cBM&imgurl=http://www.fiveaa.com.au/lib/images/audio/normal/crows-2nd-round-draft-pick-jack-gunston-99649.jpg&w=310&h=398&ei=OAZJUr2LJsmslAWehYDYCw&zoom=1&ved=1t:3588,r:9,s:0,i:109&iact=rc&page=1&tbnh=232&tbnw=194&start=0&ndsp=17&tx=51&ty=34 Or Fyfe http://www.google.com.au/imgres?sa=X&rlz=1C1NOOH_enAU484AU484&es_sm=93&biw=1366&bih=667&tbm=isch&tbnid=crLttJ6vkoOSKM:&imgrefurl=http://www.fremantlefc.com.au/news/2011-07-27/nat-fyfe-contract-extension&docid=BNayjNNj2-i_0M&imgurl=http://www.fremantlefc.com.au/staticfile/AFL%252520Tenant/Invisible%252520Archive/Images/Static%252520Files/fremantle_images/2009_Promotion_Pics/fyfe-resigns246a.jpg&w=246&h=316&ei=LAdJUsWJFsfMkwXp2YCICw&zoom=1&ved=1t:3588,r:56,s:0,i:254&iact=rc&page=3&tbnh=186&tbnw=143&start=42&ndsp=24&tx=32&ty=80 Look at this imposing build http://www.google.com.au/imgres?sa=X&rlz=1C1NOOH_enAU484AU484&es_sm=93&biw=1366&bih=667&tbm=isch&tbnid=6JDXstJoD6_j5M:&imgrefurl=http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/nathan-fyfe-pick-20-2009-nd.656368/&docid=hAg3k9aaFnZydM&imgurl=http://mm.afl.com.au/Portals/0/images/AFL/AFL%252520K-O/FYFE%252520Nat_draft_246_meeta.jpg&w=246&h=316&ei=LAdJUsWJFsfMkwXp2YCICw&zoom=1&ved=1t:3588,r:0,s:0,i:78&iact=rc&page=1&tbnh=188&tbnw=143&start=0&ndsp=19&tx=82&ty=111 You are right it's about attitude, development, work ethic and footballing skills. It's not at all about how many kg's of muscle they carry when they are 18, just finished most of their growing, not even finished puberty and really shouldn't be doing any heavy weights training. Port Adelaide fitness guru Darren Burgess doesn't even let his first year draftees do weights. He builds up their fitness and core strength first and that seemed to go ok for Oli Wines, Jake Neade and Sam Colquhoun.

Stop overrating him. He's good at ground level for a behemoth, but still has a heap of work to do there. He's not as good as Sandilands is at ground level. He uses the ball well by hand. His foot skills are ok for what you expect from a guy of 208cm but he needs to work on his goal kicking a lot. His marking is promising but not outstanding. He has to make sure that his current European holiday that he's on doesn't take away from him making big fitness and strength gains before next year. And he needs to stay healthy. He could be the next Sandilands or he could be the next Robbie Warnock.

Cale Morton entered the AFL with only slightly different build than Nat Fyfe who was top 5 on ground Saturday and is 22. Jack Gunston is only 21 and has a super skinny build but was second best on ground. Can't deal with the no skinny kids attitude

Because people like us listen. Because Hutchy has found enough advertisers to pay for a couple of B grade presenters to do some talk back that doesn't cost much And because clubs and managers are happy to provide content which they use to push their argument or distribute misinformation

Yeah Shaw plus pick 10 for pick 2 is yuck. We get a slightly better but much older half back flanker than Terlich, Clisby, Strauss and Grimes and lose our shot at a midfield star. Pick 2 should only be for elite/semi elite but perfect in other category types like Sloane, S.Selwood, D. Swallow.

Had a very good year and dominated VFL whenever he was at that level. Just needs more work into the body to translate to consistent AFL performance. With Gawn and Spencer so far as our rucks for the future Roos will have to adapt and change to a 1 primary, 1 back up system I believe rather than the sharing role he preferred with Ball/Jolly, Mumford/Pyke at Sydney. Big Maxy and Spencer just don't get the job done up forward with the lack of mobility. But luckily we have Fitzpatrick and Clark both who can perform that second ruck role very well.

A fully fit Clark and Freo might be interested if we added a lot to the deal. But currently Mitch has no value and we shouldn't trade him anyway. I feel we will be left disappointed by this years trade period. We have no leverage except Roos and that will only get us so far. We wont be in the Taylor Adams race. There isn't much else going. We might over pay Heath Shaw which will probably be a bad move. What I want is to fast forward to this time next year. It might still be a long season on the field but I can't help think we will be in way better shape this time next year and will have a vision to sell some possible recruits and some players to deal to make it happen.

Cheney? The only apprenticeship he's been serving is the one he's about to embark on for his post footy career as a Nurse. Decent hard nut footballer but not defensive enough to hold a spot as a true defender, lacks height to play tall and small and skills weren't up to it at Melbourne and isn't at Hawthorn either. Same as Spangher he's never going to be a regular best 22. If Franklin leaves he might see game time but they might use Hale as a forward more, develop Grimley, trade for a ruckman (ie Mumford or Billy Longer) or just play Gunston as a slightly small full forward and kick it to him and watch him get a 50 plus goal season. These type of players are the ones you have on your list when you are close to a flag and you need depth to be able to step in just in case you get a late injury crises. When you are in the situation like we are you hold one or two extra players over as kids who might not make it instead. Either way the likes of Spangher have GWS and Gold Coast freeing up 88 extra AFL list spots and taking 40 top quality kids between them away from the other 16 teams.

Limited coaching resume. No experience outside the Roos and Lyon game plan unless you go back to his playing days under Eade. And you sure he can speak fine - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKlE5ICe5rA He'd make a good assistant under Roos but I want the senior assistant to be someone who can help Roos develop an ongoing plan for the list, for the game plan etc. I get the feeling Kirk would just roll with Roos' / Lyon's plan and then be found wanting when he got the job. All culture wont make a difference if you don't have a successful, diligent and well worked plan. Simpson comes from a great culture at North when they were shinboners to Hawthorn where they are smart, skilled and ruthless. I wouldn't worry about that. We also can't implement the bloods culture because we aren't the bloods.

Yze brief isn't only goal kicking coach. He's a very involved runner on match day, which I consider cheating but is within the rules and good luck to him.

That's not right. It was McPharlin and Croad for pick 1 (hodge), pick 20 (didn't make) and pick 30 something (Sam Mitchell). It shows that there list was actually ok at the time but they couldn't hold McPharlin and made a big call on Croad and in turn got 2 champions who were the back bone of the 2008 flag. They also went down hill for a while in 2004 as you mentioned. Which coincided with Mitchell and Hodge turning into guns just after that. Very good timing! I'm not sure what the Croad trade back was for but it was much cheaper than what he was sent off at. McPharlin and Croad deal for Freo wasn't too bad. It's just they didn't have the culture and professionalism at the time to turn those guys into the book end talls that they could've been together. Instead Croad didn't work out but McPharlin certainly did. If Freo had their time again they would've picked Hodge and traded pick 20 and 30 whatever for just McPharlin. Swapping Hodge to the other team might have been enough to make the difference yesterday I'm pretty sure.

Yeah but they had all the youngsters that made them such a massive attraction. No different to Collingwood bringing in Jolly and Tarrant. They certainly got their picks right in guys like Hale and Lake. They paid for them and took them in and even improved their form. But Gunston was a massive freebie just like the cats getting Caddy last year. Both teams underpaid for them as well but as is the nature of trade week the original club (ie Adelaide) had to take the offer on the table or lose Gunston for nothing.