DeeSpencer

Cheney - has to play a few good games OR improve speed OR skills otherwise will be too far down the order to persist with Bartram - has to play a few good games AND show an improved skill level to persist with Bell - has to play some good games AND show improved skill and decision making Miller - has to show improvement, particularly getting more possessions and kicking more goals Mcdonald - body will be in trouble, he'll need to stay fit and play 12 or more decent games Johnson - Alot depends on other ruck prospects, but at the very least will need to play 12 AFL games. 08 form will probably be adequate Bail - needs to show something, consisted footy for Casey and possibly at least a couple of AFL games might be needed Rookies Meesen - will need to recover from injury, a lot depends on other ruck prospects Spencer - once again depends on other ruck prospects, but will need to regularly play good VFL footy and show more at AFL Newton - needs a miracle Healey - needs to be playing Casey seniors and rivaling more highly rated midfield prospects who will be playing for Casey (ie. Gysberts, Jetta, McKenzie, Strauss) Hughes - anything short of an AFL debut will not do enough

Jack Fitzpatrick - Bruno - Might be only me and I don't want to cast assertions on his sexuality but I can see a definite likeness

Hold your horse Nasher, this draft has so so so much more to offer! 1. Melbourne (Macdonald) 2. Richmond 3. Fremantle (McPhee) 4. Sydney (Bradshaw) 5. West Coast - delisted Tyson Stenglein 6. Essendon - for losing McPhee Will Richmond pounce on McPhee or Bradshaw (not a chance in hell), but what excitement as we wait to find out!

If Garland is done and dusted we may need another tall, but I have all confidence in Frawley, Garland, Warnock and Rivers if fit and so I'm happy we didn't bother for a KPD in this draft. All 4 will be big enough to take any forward in the comp even though we will aim for Warnock and Frawley to do that. I'm expecting more improvement from Riv this year, he had good games and bad. Warnock is only serviceable but even in a terrible team in the last 2 years he has rarely been embarrassed. For the flanker roles Joel Macdonald steps in, Bruce will play there this year and after that it is whoever you want. There are just so many talented players who can fill the rest. I'd like to see Bennell given first shot on most of the crumbing indigenous forwards this year - Rioli, Neon, Alwyn Davey etc. If he adds a really strong defensive aspect to his game then we a looking at a hell of a player. The other position we might need to settle is who to play on the dangerous smaller marking types - Popyz, LeCras, Medhurst etc. We used Frawley in that role but I think he has more important things. Garland if fit excels in the position. We could try Joel Mac or Cheney and Bell if they found there best form could be handy in that role. But after giving him a good shot in the midfield it might end up being Grimes' spot.

He didn't do the testing at draft camp, I doubt they just thought oh really, thats ok. No doubt they have investigated it and come to the conclusion that it is fine. If anything they might have thought having the manage a groin injury meant he could produce even better footy that what he did this year. Sounds like a well balanced, determined kid - with a hint of personality which I think BP takes a bit of a liking too. After taking Jack and Tom you need someone with a bit of character! Reading about Big Gawn he seems the same way.

Benny is a great bloke, I was hoping in some way we could get him as a rookie. Such a shame he is at the filth, maybe he can lay low for a while and then make his way over in a couple of years. Any idea how many games his old man played for us?

I think it is crazy how tall all the recruits are. The entire first round all dwarfed their coaches! Trengove looks like a freaking CHF in that post! Gawn will just look like a freak show!

Macdonald Warnock Bennell Grimes Frawley Bruce Morton Moloney Scully Green Bate Sylvia Watts Jurrah Petterd Jamar Davey Jones Martin Trengove Rivers McDonald Lock in the bolded players if they are fit and have uninterrupted preseasons.

Brendan Van Schaik? Ruckmen out of contract end of 2010: Jamar, Johnson, Meesen ®, Spencer ® Ruckmen out of contract end of 2011: Martin, Gawn, Fitzpatrick (key forward?) If the 5 on our list as of yesterday weren't working their backsides off, they will be now!

In regard to Talia by all the way to Adelaide you mean we passed on him and Carlton passed on him. He didn't get far! I have a feeling if we went for Lucas then Carlton would have snapped him up, but just like us they found the midfielder too promising. First 4 we took the best available, there is no denying that. We will see how good those selections are in years to come. We needed a ruckmen, we went with Gawn, we got him at a good pick. Pick 50 - no doubt we probably would have like the big forward to slip. I feel we must have deliberated hard on Troy Taylor, in the end we went with Fitzpatrick who has the athleticism to be a very good player forward or in the ruck. If we hadn't heard of this guy and he didn't look like such a dopey clown then I bet we would have been over the moon.

I couldn't stand looking at Paul Connors and his smug face. Why anyone signs with him is beyond me. Likewise Pickering.

Although in reality they are announced months before and then confirmed on the night. It is to give the guys a number as described on foxsports. Because they really need numbers!

I believe we have 2 options. One option is keeping them. The other option is getting sued by the players and in serious [censored] from the AFL.

Watching his youtube footage, his tackling looks a prominent feature and I fancy it would be one the would impress the recruiters. What was the injury the kept him out of the testing at draft camp?

well played!

From my tommy sauce: Broken wrist, no touching a footy for 6 weeks. Also rear ended his car today, only minor. Editorial: Very dedicated to his footy, was nice and fit after surgery etc. But certainly isn't the brightest tool in the shed.

No this is Scott Simpson not Dawson Simpson who is the 200+cm young ruckman at Geelong. I think Scott is originally from Dandenong Stingrays so it makes sense that he'll play at Casey. A Geelong supporting mate thought he goes pretty well, but his kicking for goal isn't great. So I'd be a little worried if I was a Casey supporter about him and Newton in the same forward line. Might need quite a few scoring shots to win games.

Don't think this is confirmed yet? If he is training: Could be a nice guy to have during preseason. Coming from Geelong he is probably fit, strong, fast and dedicated. Should push a few along in the preseason drills. Come December, thanks but no thanks Kane.

These 2 picks effectively replace 2 rookie picks. 34 you can't complain about too much can you? As for 50, we might decide to take 2 guys in the PSD - say Thorpe and McDonald. If we do use 50 its still not the worst thing. We got Jetta at 51 last year and if you say this is a weak draft then you can compare 50 to a normal rookie pick - where we have picked up many gems over the years.

He reminds me of Jake Spencer - but by the time Spencer is 24 he will be just as big and strong and whilst I'm never expecting him to have great skills I think he will be a step above Shae, plus he will be much better at reading the game, tap ruckwork and generally understanding footy. Also I think this guy sent a video to all clubs.

I hope all 3 of them only get one. Whilst I really like McNamara and think the others are okay they could end up a long way from best 22. Cheney has to improve his skills and speed to get a game in a decent team and McNamara needs to add strength and hardness. If they dont do part of this next year they will be list cloggers for their second year if they did get 2 year deals.

So this looks like the starting 6 as previously posted Sylvia Bate Watts Green Jurrah Wona The problem I have with the we are short a tall so Miller must play line is the whole reason behind having talls. Talls are useful as they provide a focal point for others to work around, a physical presence and they take contested marks. I believe Miller (and Newton) rarely do any of those things. So for the 7th spot on the bench - it is Petterd all the way for me. He will be fitter and stronger after a preseason and should play FP, HFF taking 8 marks and having 20 touches a game. He is also one of our most effective set shot for goals (it doesn't always look pretty but it goes through). Also as mentioned Jamar and Martin (my preferred ruck combo for round 1) both are useful as forwards. I don't want them to take away from the development of Watts, Jurrah, Bate and possibly a kid from this years draft (Black please) but they can compete adequately and if required.

I would argue that the most balanced teams have 7 defenders, 5 permanent forwards, 2 rucks and 8 through the middle. But making it tough does make it more interesting. I'd be inclined to pick 7 mids in my best 22 (2 rucks, 7 defenders, 6 forwards), but have Green (strangely missing in most Demon peoples mind at the moment but I'm sure he's in the forward line) and Sylvia as part of the forward line. I'd go McDonald, Moloney, Davey, Jones, Morton, Scully, Trengove. Disappointed to leave out Lynden Dunn, I do like him as a tagger. A Grimes/McDonald half back and midfield switch might be a good ploy for several of our games. Was Ricky Petterd in the forward line set up, did I not read him in the options.

Do you have any secrets to make a good choc ripple cake? A touch of vanilla essence and icing sugar in the whip cream?

FB: Rivers Warnock Bennell HB: Bruce Frawley Grimes Int: Garland Thoughts Garland:might not be available for round 1 in which case others come into thinking, and I want to try him forward at some stage but the first thing I'd like to see is him back to being a versatile athletic defender. 4 talls: Saints had Fisher, Dawson, Blake + Gilbert, Geelong had Harley, Scarlett, Taylor, Milburn - I believe we can easily play 4 talls but it will be important to get run from them. Frawley and Garland have this in their games already but need to step it up. I really rate McNamara as a mid-tall player and he might end up being best 22 ahead of one of the others Bruce/McDonald/Grimes half back: I like Bruce off half back, he reads the play well, knows when to attack and defend and unless his kicking is off uses it well. Where as I still think Junior will have a role leading the midfield (not in terms of minutes played or being the number 1 player but I think it is where he belongs). That should definitely stay the case if we don't get Ball. I also have concerns over his pace in a deep back pocket. Grimes probably deserves a shot in the midfield but he is just so great off half back and good teams have superb players in this position. Bennell/Strauss/Bartram: I like Bennell as the small defender and we need to train someone up to play on the (generally indigenous) quick crumbing small forwards. Strauss is another possibility for this position but Bennell has him covered at the moment due to exposed form. Bartram is a good defender in this position but I don't see him holding a spot without improvement in skills McNamara/Cheney/Bell: I think these guys are competing with the 4 talls for the shut down midsized defender who plays on guys like Mark Williams and LeCras. McNamara needs to work on his body to primarily improve his defence, Cheney needs more skills and speed and Bell needs to get back to playing something like his best footy.