Vanilla Gorilla

I think it's time to take the tin foil off your head WJ.

Had a chat to Clarry Oliver on the night. I put it to him that his hanger against the Doggies was a ripper - to which he coyly replied that he "didn't even get off the ground." Either the guy is seriously humble, or we have the next Nic Nat on our list...

Demonland meme game on point

The more I think about it, the more I feel we'll pull the trigger on Weideman at 3. It just fits in with the mould of the type of players we've been attracting over the last 3 years - and the type of targets that Taylor et al have said they're chasing - that is, competitive beasts. Hogan, Viney, Brayshaw, Petracca, Tyson - each of these guys has competitiveness in spades. The AFL is too unforgiving these days to be anything less than 110% committed and aggressive every time you take the field. That's not to say Parish is not aggressive. He has a good mix of inside-outside play and a high contested possession average through the TAC Cup this year. He has some great attributes; excellent decision making, great disposal on both sides, impacts the game (rated no. 1 for metres gained). But no recruiter would say that raw competitiveness is his number one attribute. In fact, if you watch the 2 VFL games that the Academy boys played, he never really threw his body into contests and seemed slightly reticent to tackle, let alone hunt players down. This is backed up by his poor 2.8 average tackles per game despite playing as a full-time midfielder. As an alternative, Weideman IS a competitive beast. He has virtually no bulk on his frame and yet throws himself into packs ala Hogan. He tackles hard, chases and generally just plays at a highly aggressive level. Sure he has lots of other attributes too, but if the recruiting team were to continue the current trend of picking competitors, Weideman seems like the logical choice. The one caveat is obviously whether he passes his upcoming fitness test with us.

The narrative hasn't changed. There was never a "strong" indication that Jesse would sign an extension. Rather, the narrative was that we've opened up discussions with him about the possibility of an extension. One step at a time my friend.

I just watched the AIS Academy vs Northern Blues game - and I must admit - very impressed by Weideman. Presents well, good leading patterns, strong mark, good set shot, very competitive and gets into the contest when the ball hits the ground. He's got a lot of attributes that are well suited to the modern game.

Anyone think he has a bit of Robbie Flower about him?

Michie to be rookied?

What I find fascinating is JKH's ostensible drop in training standards. Many here will recall his first pre-season after getting drafted, where he trained like a man possessed. Posters from this site (who's contributions cannot be understated) consistently described his overall effort, intensity and enthusiasm at every training. He was in everything and it was no surprised when that translated into exceptional form in the season proper. What is interesting is that there was little-to-no mention of any of that type of intensity by JKH over the last pre-season. One has to wonder whether he was trying to build respect in his first year, and simply rested on his laurels over the last. In his defence, and as mentioned previously, second year blues of that nature are typical of young players. All-in-all, it's clear that there is enough talent there that he could potentially be an above average AFL player. I'll be watching with interest to see the way he attacks the upcoming preseason.

Dude - Tambling ahead of Buddy. No contest.

This kid looks like he has the potential to be David Mundy 2.0. Parish at 3, Francis at 7 would be dandy.

Can anyone who has seen him play please explain whether Parish is a tough competitor? After all, thats what the FD have consistently claimed they're targeting. Based on the highlights he looks like the second coming of Lachie Whitfield. Surely we'd be after players who have more of a mongrel-type aggression than that...

I said it around draft time that year, but I'll say it again. Someone I know very well played in the Sandy teams through U16 and U18 with Salem. Consensus amongst all the players was that Kelly and Salem were the 2 best players there - and both streets ahead of Freeman. Also side note apparently Kurt Heatherly (the NZ rookie selection - now at Hawthorn) was a beast of a defender, and at that stage had only been playing the game for 6 months.

This was a VFL game he played earlier in the year: http://www.collingwoodfc.com.au/video/2014-08-05/vfl-ben-kennedy The stat line read: 38 disposals, 9 clearances, 7 inside 50's, 3 tackles (and a goal judging by the video). In other news, Toumpas fails to get a sniff at VFL level. Let's hope Toumpas' reputation in being a prior Pick 4 gets the deal over the line.

Howe for Seedsman? Howe and our 3rd rounder for Nathan Freeman? Interesting possibilities.

Spot on. It's amazing how quickly people on here dismiss a guy like Melksham when our midfield group is so poor and shallow. Before the ASADA saga was exposed, the guy was playing very decent footy and was on-track to becoming an easily above average AFL midfielder. Being Melbourne supporters over the last 8 years, we all know that a draining cultural environment can have a significant impact on players' development. Essendon is no different. Im sure the guy can play at least 30% better than he's been over the last 2 years. Provided we can get him for the right price, I'm on board.

The final win against GWS has made the last 5 weeks seem palatable. In reality, the preceding 4 weeks were deplorably bad. Remember, people were calling for Roos' head not 2 weeks ago. Have we improved this year? Undoubtedly yes, albeit modestly. But Roos still has plenty to prove in 2016.

Ummm Armitage went from a serviceable midfielder to potential Brownlow medallist in the last 12 months. There's no reason why he wouldn't continue that trajectory over the next 12 months and beyond. Steven the same. He is 26 - just entering his prime. Plenty of improvement to go. Both of these guys are well ahead of our midfield (minus Jones and Vince).

I like your creativity. But the issue with a luxury tax is that it would further exacerbate the discrepancy between rich and poor clubs. With so many clubs struggling to break even and pay 100% TPP, the idea of finding funds over and above that is impractical. It would mean that rich teams who bottom out would have the opportunity to rebound quicker than poor teams because of their strong balance sheet. Luxury tax works in leagues like the NBA, where the teams are funded by private owners. The oil barons and fund managers who own the teams can decide to inject their own personal capital into the team and pay however much of the luxury tax they feel comfortable paying. Unfortunately AFL teams don't have that same option.

All true - but Natanui would have retreated back to his native WA within 4 years of being drafted - guaranteed. At least Wattsy stuck by us and signed a long contract during the height of our incompetence.

Maybe.

He's undoubtedly worth the punt. If all goes well, he recovers from injury and becomes the bona fide champion that everyone thinks he is. If all goes badly, he's cruelled by injury and has minimal impact. What's the opportunity cost? Our first draft pick this year (pick 6ish) will probably get it done. Chances are we draft another limited player like Toumpas or Watts anyway, or that draft pick himself gets injured (ala Trengove/Petracca). Even if Pick 6 is not a spud AND stays healthy, there is no chance that we could develop him to be anywhere even remotely as good as O'Meara might be. Point is - the potentially benefit far exceeds the cost. Get it done.

When was the last time the Dees had more players in the team of the week than any other team?! This is why I love footy.

I doubt he'd have the balls to do that again... …. ….

Yesterdays game more than anything proved that the gap between VFL and AFL keeps widening. Neal-Bullen and Stretch were completely out of their depth. That's not to take anything away from them - they're both young, talented players that have bright futures at the MFC - but they were found out yesterday. It's interesting that these "kids" can dominate in the VFL, and come no where near translating that form in the senior team. And this trend applies to our perennial journeymen - Bail, Matt Jones, Mckenzie (even going back to Magner and dare-I-say M. Newton) - all of whom can tear it up for casey and yet look totally out of it at AFL level. Does a 30+ disposal or a 5+ goal performance in the VFL really mean anything these days?