Mad_Melbourne

But it was also common knowledge that we were most likely ending up with 2/3 players. In this draft we could end up with any 2/10 almost and it makes it harder to get excited as it is less likely to be able to pick who we get, thats how I feel about it. I am underwhelmed by the key position talent after the first two who look like they will be stars, but there are still up to 20 players in this draft who interest me and the possibility of getting some more top end talent is exciting. Jason Taylor is yet to do poorly, so im backing him in to bring us high quality picks that are ready to be developed.

I am really keen to see a situation like this unwind, especially to see a club with an academy not match the bid in order to grab one of the other players. Obviously therefore meaning they rated player unbid on higher than they rated player bid on.

Frost is already being said as a defender, but I think he will continue to play that ruck forward role and see him using his athletiscism to cause damage forward of the ball. Its hard to say who the surprise packet would be because its all relative to expectations, I think Hunt will end up breaking into the side at some stage and hope that he can use his pace to be a line breaker that our side sorely lacks. He would be spewing the sub rule has been thrown out, because that would have been his perfect opportunity mid next year.

If my aunty had balls she'd be my uncle. But on this, I still think that Hawthorn would have won the flag, because it was the system that won them the flag, combined with good players all over the ground. Addam Maric, may have been a premiership player with a more clearly defined role and better coachind and leadership associated with the Hawthorn football club. But who knows.

Competitive consists of all of the above, and whilst il be the first to admit he is prone to drop marks, his onfield leadership, his movement around the ground and his ability to compete in most contests when fit allows for him to still be a starting 22 player. Do I think he is exceptional, definitely not, but a serviceable second stringer for the time being, especially when his body is right, and a key player in our best 22. Hogan definitely, McCarthy also, Boyd will be a bust at the bulldogs, i think he has such poor movement that he would and will struggle to play AFL level and found it incredibly difficult this year and McStay would have played but over a fit Dawes I doubt it. I agree, but as we get closer to success drawing in recruits will be easier, i think at least.. . He had only spent 3-4 games in the forward line before suffering injury, i am almost certain that he will start in our forwardline and play back up ruck in round 1 at the very least and know this was the role he was brought to the club to play by Roosy. I think his athletiscism makes it much easier for him to play as a defender but i also think he is the prototype for future forwards and will be able to take advantage of mismatches whether it be speed or height. I think his forward experiment will work out, but he can always fall back on being a defender. I agree, in this years draft, if Brisbane for some reason pass up Schache then we will jump on him with pick 3. Mckay is the forward i have next in line in my eyes, but at pick 7 i dont know. Curnow has potential to be something, but i can also see him being a flop, just looks clunky, so I would take a mid ahead of him and Wiedeman reminds me too much of Tom Boyd and i think their lack of genuine athletiscism will affect their careers. Only opinion, but its just how i see football moving forward. I would love for us to invest in a 205 cm athletic American that is available and try to teach them the game, because it could be plenty handy.

Whilst I agree they do come early in the draft, most clubs who are looking for key forwards will attempt to trade them in, this is where i think we can do our best work towards a more open premiership window is look to bring in a forward target. Dawes is still well above competitive and is easily in our best 22 and would not be replaced by any of the younger forwards in this years draft, but I still agree that we are definitely in need of a developing forward. The problem with this years crop is that 2/3 of the available prospects have suffered from injury throughout the year and the third and best option (IMO) is still really raw and who knows how he will develop. People keep excluding Frost from our forward line and it is evident through what we saw of him last year and multiple instances of players and coaches mentioning him as a forward. Our key forward stocks look like this: Hogan, Dawes, Frost, Pederson, King as developing, Spencer and Gawn if we play two ruckman. We do not need to be hasty with selection of a forward and if we do not think that they will fit into an AFL system or their body will not hold up to the rigors of AFL then we should not risk it. Personally: 3 = Parish 7 = Oliver or McKay or Curnow. but that said would be happy with 2 mid selections

So would re picking Viv Michie with pick 3? Why would we not pick one of those that you stated and still have the possibility of another and Oliver wt pick 7.

We still need depth through the midfield and not even depth, but quality. having 10-12 quality players that can rotate through there plus necessary depth is the best way to go. I still think one of either Wiedeman, Curnow and definitely McKay will be available at pick 7. I think the later is the best option, but will back the club in on whichever they take.

Im basing the pick 7 for Clayton Oliver purely on this as i havent seen enough on him, the fact that he has clearly shed weight, improved his enduracne which was questionable in the 1 game i was able to see at the start of the year and his size is good for a new age midfielder. In terms of Parish, I saw a little bit of him last year, in the vic metro tournament and again this year and for the most part he looked like the premier mid out of the group from my thoughts. Clean and just seems to win the football both on the inside and outside, Gresham is also a good but I personally think that Parish is the premier mid in the draft and I think its the same around most football circles. The top 10 midfielders in this draft are all pretty hotly contested, especially from the 3-10 mark, personally I think Hibberd has the potential to be the best midfielder from the draft, but i think his body is a big questionmark.

As the draft gets closer I am continually changing my mind, but I think Parish is a lock at 3 and then I would be happy with either of McKay/Oliver and less so Curnow/Mathieson. Im basing my Oliver prediction on his 'pick me' video and his highlights, but he also chucked up really reasonable numbers in the TAC cup and the fact that he has looked to apply himself massively in the off part of the season and trimmed down. McKay is a viable option as he adds the height up in our forward half, Hogan is a shorter Key Position and can play the role up and down the ground. McKay will provide that difference in our forward line through height. The other reason I am putting McKay in at 7 is that he is a younger member of this draft, only qualified by 8 days, the fact that we traded a future first round pick could point to us thinking that we can get on the boat early and bring in a player who would have been a top 3 draft pick from next years crop.

taking 4 draft picks is the way to go and if there are any early injuries he will be easily upgraded, and im not to sure about the rookie list but he can surely be a nominated rookie. Of our rookie list last year, three were able to play games with Vandenberg playing round 1 and both Harmes and White earning a spot in the side later in the year, so it has no effect on his ability to play in the 1s. Terlich being contracted meant that Melbourne had no other choice and it would have been stupid to not take a shot at a 4th pick in the draft. No doubt would we have asked Terlich if he wanted to be paid out of his contract but the offer was obviously not as good as one more year of AFL for Terls.

O'Kearny or bust. If he is available we will come out with the highest quality midfielder in the draft, parish, and one of the most accumulative mids in the draft O'Kearny

I was pretty sure he already had been offered a spot on the rookie list, but with the happenings in the trade period i think they would much rather pick up two rookies so thought to promote him. still think we will try to take 4 live picks into the draft, so possibility of Michie or Terlich copping the schnip

The 18-year-old averaged 28 disposals a game at TAC Cup level (16 contested and 12 uncontested), plus seven clearances and five inside-50 entries. Main thing i took out of that article. I remember reading something about Steele Sidebottoms combine, check it out if you can find it, but his results were pathetic, but he can play that guy

Sam Wiedeman, I think he is a bit like Tom Boyd, who I also think has too little athleticism to develop into anything more than a solid bit part player. Also like the fact curnow runs a 14 beep. Especially with the fact they are cutting rotations.

regardless of your top 20 and how you made the right call on Toumpas, he was definitely considered a top 10 prospect at the very worst, and was not a surprise pick up. Jordie Gysberts on the other hand was one from left field, "a clearance machine" with the new age prototype for height, just had the inability to try in the gym and on the track. i am just hoping we call Parish with the first pick and then take the next available, hopefully Curnow as i dont think much of the other one

id honestly rather Max King push in for a game if our injuries require it and at pick 50 take a speculative pick on an athlete rather than someone with poor movement and a real lack to actually do much with the football. He was a player who benefited from playing people his own age in 18s and was much larger than most, but had no real athletic prowess leading for him to stagnate at AFL level. Can kick the footy well.

Far country Victoria, closer to SA than Melbourne, then got a scholarship to a school out Adelaide way. AFL website video on the draft players is pretty interesting!

that is true, but a glaring deficiency on our list is also the players who can dispose of the ball really well and win it themselves, Parish whilst not being big bodied has the ability to win his own football, despite also winning a fair amount of possession on the outside. He tackles hard and is a genuine competitior, a similar mould to salem on our list in that he is not necissarily the biggest body, but still is a genuine competitor. We need quality disposal and quality footballers and Parish is one of these. That said, I am happy with a combination of any of Parish, Curnow & Francis and I think by selecting Parish with pick 3 we give ourselves the best opportunity for that.

I don't get why, we can take the best midfielder and 1 KPP (hopefully Curnow). It is clear that GC are looking a bit outside the box, if be thinking Milera but who knows. Essendon will take Francis and one other so we will still have our pick! I think

Because Parish wouldn't be available. Wiedman or Curnow would 100% be available at 6, one of them at least. Half a chance to slip to 10 dependent on clubs opinions. But the move to me seems like a move to select Parish

O'Kearny or something similar to that is a chance to be available around that mark, or even grabbing a player from WAFL or VFL. 25 and 29 are much of a muchness, at the end of the day I was a bit eh about the trade, but now after todays business i think we have done well overall this trade/free agency period

good result, we are going to have one last dip into the draft and hope that we are able to develop these players into the backbone of our list. We can still trade to get back into the first round next year and hopefully sign Prestia as a restricted free agent (i think he qualifies) Parish was our go to from what i hear and essendon were heavily invested in him, Saints really really wanted Curnow now they have traded that off he might slip to 10.

Heard from a really good source that Dangerfield is in Victoria at the moment... who knows what could happen

I meant to write online rather than on here but auto correct came in, although a few people on this site would fit under the germ category. Jack Watts is often used as a whipping boy for lack of effort or just about anything that the MFC does wrong on game day. There is nothing more frustrating than sitting on here and reading examples of a skill error made by Watts and it being described as horrendous when execution errors made by other players are allowed. Match day at the ground is even worse when he is often lamented and bood by Melbourne supporters which is absolutely disgusting. Do I think he has had periods of play where his effort could be questioned, yes. But I also have seen games where he has made continual repeat efforts that hardly get a mention as opposed to a lapse. Personally I think he is pivotal for our success as we have probably only 4-5 players who can dispose of the ball at an elite level and he is one of them. But at the end of the days he has flaws but he is hardly as bad as everyone suggests and it is just because he is easy to dig the boot into due to being a #1 draft pick that it happens.