P-man

Really feel for young Abbott. This will be a tough one for him to overcome and I wish him all the best. Tragic day.

The law of averages says you're right but it then starts to enter a damned if you do or don't scenario. In the draftee interviews posted on the afl website, almost half picked Petracca to win the Rising Star, and they nominated him like it was an inevitability. I'm loving the hype, personally. I'm embracing it.

Given who we grabbed at Pick 40 last year, you bet it does

Every club wants this kid. GWS were falling over themselves to get him and they have midfield talent coming out the wazoo. It's easy to let our history with these picks make someone gun shy. I get that. But we're becoming a very different club to those days.

Our adults, sure. Not every adult. Are you advocating "serious doubts over kicking" from watching a two minute video, that conflicts with a separate few minutes of video? Not some doubt, mind you. SERIOUS doubt. Not meaning to pick on that particular poster, I just don't understand that attitude. With all the importance placed upon kicking in today's game, the touted number 1 pick who has been studied at length has a huge black cloud over this most fundamental skill, and in 2014, this has either escaped the attention of every recruiter, or they simply don't care?

As soon as we start to look even half decent, be that next year, or the year after, get ready for the accusations of success being gifted to us with AFL funding, hand picked CEO, Frawley compensation etc. They will come from all corners. Facts will get twisted. Lies will be told. Anything will be said to justify the Dees remaining down the bottom of the ladder where they belong. Once those accusations start to eek out, you know we will have arrived as a threat.

Got a chuckle from this. All so true. Sloane is quite possibly my favourite non-MFC player, but he is a certified helicopter pilot.

In the other highlights package he hits almost every target. So I guess based on THAT highlights package we can say that there are no doubts over his kicking. Huzzah, problem solved. With the amount of analysis that goes into Pick 1 these days, which has progressed further again from when Scully was drafted, I find it difficult to believe, nay, impossible to believe, that practically every recruiter would consider a midfielder who can't kick to be the number 1 talent in the country, especially when those expressing serious doubts over his kicking are doing so based on a two minute video.

Please just stop for a moment and think about what you're saying here. Pretty much everyone in the land whose opinion is worth more than a pinch of muck has him as a top 3 talent, with a majority rating him number 1, and you have "serious doubts about his kicking" based on a few minutes of footage. Think about it logically.

PICK 5. COLLINGWOOD Jayden Laverde (Western Jets) H: 189cm W: 82kg Jayden is the perfect fit for Collingwood. Not necessarily in terms of football but due to having the name ‘Jayden.’ Gold.

Not an issue. This still qualifies you as an expert under Demonland law. Section 5.3(a) of the Act stipulates that "any poster who judges a potential draftee using online video footage only is to be deemed an expert in the field of draft selection". It's all there in black and white.

He does seem to have a swagger about him, but by god, we need some of that.

If we land Brayshaw and Petracca.... I'm too excited to finish that sentence.

Gives you confidence that we might finally be competent in this area.

Agree, the unfortunate thing being that the prince doesn't really solve this problem either. Line breaking ability but an unreliable kick. Howe provided some improvement in this area but was still learning the ropes. Salem/Toumpas could be the answer. It is a black mark against the three you mention that we are still discussing this as an issue.

I agree to a certain point. He will be joining one of the lowest scoring teams in the game's history. Dawes lead the tally last season with 20. Jeremy Cameron in his debut season kicked 29. The bar isn't being set all that high for Hogan and/or McCartin to have an immediate impact.

Pretty much, yep. Whether he's returned as co-captain or not, he's an established leader at the club and the reality is it will take some pretty poor performances to budge him. Personally I'd like to see his position come under serious scrutiny if he doesn't perform to the level expected, which to my mind he didn't do this season.

FB: Jetta Frost Dunn HB: Garland Grimes McDonald C: Vince Jones Toumpas HF: Kent Hogan Watts FF: Garlett Gawn Howe Foll: Jamar Tyson Cross Int: Viney Brayshaw Lumumba S: Salem Normally would hesitate on a new draftee in Round 1 but AB looks as ready as anyone. Giving Toump a start due to overexcitement from training reports #notevensorry

Lock him in thanks Ed.

Good point. For all his faults, McKenzie is a proven performer at VFL level where he finds a lot of the ball. Riley the same. In that sense they will provide more pressure on those in the first team.

One thing you could never say about Tappy is that he played like Jane. His bump will arguably be the only thing he'll be remembered for.

A tad early to be putting a line through Hunt I would've thought, but otherwise I agree the sweep has been necessary and the list is starting to look a lot healthier as a result. Names like McKenzie and Terlich are starting to jump out when scanning the list, as opposed to being standard fare.

My main issue with Etihad is the results there. I don't see what all the fuss is about over it as a venue. It's perfectly fine, unless you have a particular issue with the roof. As for long cues...lol...at MFC games? Come on. I think the AFL are simply saying they are open to change. That's the gist of the article. They have seen the success at AO (despite the financial statements), and view fan engagement and experience as becoming a higher priority. It's all very well in catering to those who long for the old days, or think the professional league should look to local footy with tinnies in the back of the ute for inspiration, but there is a younger demographic that the game needs to grow and evolve with. There is absolutely a place for traditions to be upheld and the coin toss arguably falls under that banner, but as for pre-game build up in general, some changes are likely. As long as it's not the bugler, and we can possibly avoid music and fireworks after every goal ala Gold Coast, I'm going to keep an open mind.

He was the midwife.

Pretty sure it's JV. His head is already a battering ram. He looks as though he is in a hurry to have the body to match.