bing181

Charlie Spargo replacement ...

Tom Matthews (Gippsland Power, small forward) The athletic forward was lauded for an enormous pre-season and a big start to 2025 earned him selection in the Vic Country squad at the U18s National Championships. Remarkably, though, he did all that with a PCL knee injury, suffered early in 2025 which meant he hardly trained, working hard just to get himself on the park on Saturdays. Eventually, the injury worsened and he featured in only half a game after early game - a wildcard round final for Gippsland where he showed his point-of-difference - forward 50 pressure - on a treacherous day for footy. The stymied year was highlighted by a four gaul outing in a Vic Country trial game against the Young Guns in May. Draft range: Late-rookie https://www.zerohanger.com/out-of-sight-out-of-mind-nine-injured-prospects-on-afl-draft-radar-170173/

I suspect it's because of the evenness of the draftees after the first couple and outside of the Academy and F/S picks. And given that evenness, that clubs are drafting for need.

Does it matter if he was, at least in part? Both will benefit, and as such, the club will benefit.

Yes, especially noticeable when all the male presenters have such perfect elocution.

Especially as that has never ever happened in the past.

Plenty of unknowns in all that. Henderson with a full pre-season under his belt and a different game plan, McAdam over his injuries and with his head in the right place, Mentha with a year in the system? Dovaston isn't Watson, and Pickett isn't Pickett, though hard to see either of those aligning with our current picks in any case. Dovaston tested really well, so could be a player, though not sure if it'll be for us.

This being the Pick 37 thread, how many of those were picks in the 30's? Though that's not what I said is it. I said "most kids drafted", which is a pool of around 70 players, more than a few of which will never even play a game. Cherry picking.

Of course you would. Meanwhile, in the real world, where most kids drafted hardly make the grade yet alone make a difference in their first season ...

Nairn will go first round, whether it's us or someone else. He's not going to be there in the 30's, or even the 20's.

We added 2 small forwards last year, Henderson and Mentha. We apparently have another coming next year as an Academy pick. We also have McAdam coming back from injury. Sure, none of those might be able to establish themselves in the short term, but nor would a first year draft pick.

Foxfooty: “Overall you probably would’ve expected an easier draw for a bottom-six team that should be taking a step backwards given its aggressive trade strategy.”

Thankfully.

"Nairn is shaping as an early call and is in the sights of Melbourne with its top-10 selections. Other clubs in the teens, such as the Giants and Crows, would also look at him if available."

They do. But they're not the only parties involved here. At least in internal circles, who's meeting who, who's said what to who, it gets around. Then there are the player agents ...

Because we want him and that's the pick we have.

Closest to the pin.

(Mods, please delete if inappropriate). Since updating to iOS 26 on my iPhone, I now have a floating navigation bar across the screen when browsing Demonland in Safari. It blocks the text and leaves me reading the tiny space above or below it. I’ve tried all the online tips I could find, but nothing seems to work — it’s making viewing the forums a bit of a nightmare. (This happens on other sites as well, though not always and not always as persistently.) Is anyone else experience this, and have they found a solution?

We've moved on the President, CEO, Head Coach, other FD personnel, 2 of our marquee players, etc. etc. If you think the only reason Richardson is still there is because he has a contract, you're kidding yourself.

Does anyone actually know that Richardson is in his last year? He has a contract for 2026, but do we know it won't be renewed or he'll leave (for whatever reason)?

The only thing amazing is the continued disconnect between Demonlanders and what's really going on at the club. Richardson is highly respected, both internally and externally.

Listen to the (long) interview with Darren Burgess post GF, he singled out Goody for his ability to delegate and the trust he put in the team around him. OK, new coach, exciting times, yadda yadda, but no point rewriting history.

Could that be because it's not not a recovery session ...

This was our man: Angus was a professional Australian Footballer for ten years and was in the leadership group throughout the resurgence of the Melbourne Football Club, ultimately winning a premiership in 2021 for the first time in 57 years. Angus excelled in driving elite standards in a high-performance environment to achieve team success, and demonstrated high level leadership, teamwork, communication and problem-solving skills. Angus owns a small business in the hospitality industry, which is a passion of his.

Is Latrelle Pickett an upgrade to Mentha? Not sure. Pickett has the name and heritage, but has he done enough to justify being taken in the first round?