PaulRB

Happy days!!!!

Angus is going to be a ripper too... http://www.afl.com.au/video/2014-10-28/draft-trumps-angus-brayshaw

Saints are in damage control, as they lead their fans to believe Petracca was the No#1 and then changed their minds...

Assuming we get Christian Petracca, is it a good trade for Chip Frawley?

Petracca and Brayshaw is a HUGE win for the MFC!!! Both capable of playing majority of games next year with impact. Additions to team in 2015: Hogan, Lumumba, Gartlett, Petracca, Brayshaw, Frost. Quality, X-factor, scoring capacity, run, skill, and aggression.

The problem with standardised testing is that it identifies standard qualities but rarely the exceptional and unique attributes that might make a champion. Would Robbie Flower have been identified as a champion? Or Jim Stynes? Or Ablett Snr? How do you test a young man for their burning need to succeed and prove themselves? We're playing in areas of consciousness that is revealed by wise and experienced heads following their intuition, rather than a bunch of statisticians with testing devices trying to come up with the magic formulae. Petracca appears to have the natural talent plus hunger and aggression to do very well. Fingers crossed.

YES! and hopefully this time we can Kick Ass!

There is a recursive error in the logic of this analysis. Top picks go to the worst clubs after their worst seasons. So a top pick starting their career often has to deal with substandard club environment/culture/facilities (relative to top clubs), instability in terms of coach (bottom club often sack their coach or just have), a dearth of senior leadership on the field to model on or be protected by. intense and unrealistic pressure to perform early and lift his club out of the doldrums. All of these factors come (in general) with being a top pick, and it's these factors that retard their development.

Oh to have a pack of duds.

Its new and scary when something good happens to the MFC... Like, what's the catch?

watch his highlights on http://www.afl.com.au/draft/draft-machine as he hits many targets lace out, long and low or well weighted...

I've heard that having to hold it in does retard growth and development too! So we just need a porta loo and up the ladder we go... I knew it.

The Challenge the Saints have is they will be competing for the services of any power forward with several other Melbourne clubs (i.e. Carlton, Richmond, etc...) and are not guaranteed in getting their man, recruiting McCartin removes the risk. Also, I don't agree that mids are a dime a dozen, what we're hoping for with Petracca is a elite mid, and they are as rare as hens teeth...

Agree, was thinking they should have kept 18 for Stretch last year instead of giving it to Cross... Lack of foresight

Watched his highlights again today and his in close pack work is sublime plus he has grunt, burst and can mark. If the Saints pass, happy times.

McCartin's size and skills indicate he's a very capable forward, it all depends on how quickly he can build his engine and remain free of injury over the preseason. I'd have no problem him starting Rd 1 in the forward pocket along side MAxy with Hogan out at CHF... if he comes on over preseason.

given the evenness of the top 2-3 its almost a blessing not to have another player cursed with the No# 1 crown of thorns...

I agree, but think with the recruit of Garlett we've partially replaced Liam, as least on the ground around goal, and maybe on the break from a defensive flood. Garlett, assuming her returns to form is a 35+ goal player per season.

Jayden has my vote for Pick 3. Tall mid forward, silk, run and goes all day...

A decade of crappy football is stifling our growth, for which we, the MFC, not the AFL are responsible for. Last year how many rounds were Melbourne involved in the best game of the round? second best game of the round? third?... I happily missed games, why would the less committed bother, and why would the AFL schedule those to precious slots in the fixture? the fixture will change when we play decent footy, and it's been a while.

Its school yard stuff to accuse people who don't agree with you of falling for propaganda and being brainwashed, as if you don't fall for propaganda nor are brainwashed. i.e. Melbourne problems are not our fault, but a result of an AFL's unfair policies ...

Laverde appears to have more more arrows to his quiver than Blease, his forward marking, run and carry, and size are all equal or superior to Sam.

It seems highly possible that Bomber was fully unaware of the special program being run by others at the club, feels betrayed by the clubs refusal to give James the heave ho, and that the AFL's fine is unjust.

There are two separate elements to the fixture: commercial and football. From a commercial perspective its an average fixture, but from a football perspective its a ripper. So the AFL is acknowledging that the football comes first, and gives lowly clubs a hand in two phases, firstly lowly clubs get an easier football draw (and early draft picks), then if clubs can improve their football, the AFL then rewards them with more exposure (Friday nights, blockbusters) which results in a better commercial draw. Its a see-saw, as we rise our football draw will get harder (i.e. playing twice against top 8 teams), but our commercial draw will get better (more friday nights)... I think its a well crafted mechanism that makes sense. The AFL is responsible for promoting the best games played in a season, at the moment we don't put these on reliably enough to push other teams from these slots... in the meanwhile we get the benefit of playing other strugglers.