djr

Thanks Rusty

Last year I was able to watch the replays free from afl.com.au. Now it appears you need to subscribe to watch live football and also the replay. Is this new this year or is there another way around this to watch the replays free on the net? I don't have foxtel.

How do you know Goodwin fired them up. He doesn't come across as that type of coach. It appeared to me that the endeavour was there in the first half but the game plan was not been adhered to. I would have thought he would have pointed that out and urged them to take on their opponents and run while other team mates man up defensively.

Was there evidence of these low raking kicks to a player that apparently they have been practicing? If so who were the best / worse exponents?

I assume Goodwin is free to coach this year.

Your opening paragraph is the same as saying "I'm not a racist but......". You devote 5 words to Martin and the rest is a rant about women. Your post has a misogynist feel to it.

The probability of a draft pick in the high 20's being a 100+ player is quite low. The probability of that player being a star is even more remote. JM has already played over 100 games and a there is a chance that he might actually turn into a very valuable player. Even if we don't see him this year (re WADA) I think its a risk worth taking.

I always find it interesting that clubs have to teach young players so much about the techniques of the game outside of any game plan. GRRM mentioned above how Rowlings was showing a seasoned group how to take a one on one mark and Dawes showing King how to kick a ball. Why aren't these skills taught at TAC level and even earlier. In my opinion 90% of these techniques skills should be addressed before they enter the AFL system especially kicking, both left and right foot. I would of thought that clubs would prefer to just concentrate on their game plan drills instead of spending so much time educating their players on the basics. Maybe the reason is because the recruiting age is so young but that said I would like to know what they teach them at TAC level. Just my thoughts.

I just hope they have a Plan B for if Goodwin gets suspended. It will be a significant black mark against Jackson if there isn't. Maybe the Plan B is that Roos has agreed to stay on if Goodwin is sanctioned.

Big question, does he have a right foot? Every kick was on his left.

He will take a number of spots if his hunger and the talent is there. That applies to any player on our list. That said you underestimate JW's talent.

I seem to recall that Bontempelli shot up the charts from nowhere a couple of years ago. He hasn't turned out too badly. What names do you have in mind that have failed?

He looks like he has a bit of puppy fat to shed. it will be interesting to look at his body shape after his first pre season. He could be difficult to tackle as he looks to have a nice burst of speed from a standing start.

Gee, Oliver fed off him quite a bit.

It is expected that we will nominate Callum Mills as our first pick and the Swans will match it. if in the unlikely chance that Sydney do not match it how good is Mills compared to Parish or Oliver? Would we be over the moon if the cards fell this way? It would also provide an additional player to choose from at P7.

Sorry I posted this comment in the Callum Twomey thread. Is Parish a similar type to Scully? They appear to have similar body types at the same age. Both were elite ball getters at junior level over a couple of years. Has Parish got better skills than Scully at the same age?

Is Parish a similar type to Scully? They appear to have similar body types at the same age. Both were elite ball getters at junior level over a couple of years. Has Parish got better skills than Scully at the same age?

I guess the question is whether Oliver is a natural inside mid like Mathieson. Can't really tell from the footage. I'm pretty sure we will take a natural mid with one of the first 2 picks.

As I said before would a Weideman/Matheson combo be as good as a Parish/Curnow/Francis combo? If Matheson is rated just below Parish and Weideman is as good as what a lot of experts are saying then wouldn't the Weid/Matho combo be the best outcome and the most gettable?

If Weideman passes his medical and we pick him at 3 would we be that worse off as a combination by picking Matheson at 7? If Weideman is that good then he won't be around at pick 7. So the question is - is a Parish/Curnow/Francis combo better than the Weid/Matho combo given that Matheson will be there at 7? Others might suggest Oliver but is he a pure mid like Parish & Matheson?

Reminds me of Ben Brown of Nth Melb hopefully without the brain fades.

Gems like this makes up for all the crap you read on Demonland.

5. Melbourne Charlie Curnow Club: Geelong Falcons Position: Key forward/midfielder Height: 191 cm Weight: 95 kg Player comparison: Jake Stringer Curnow looks like a probable top five pick. He can be a bit lazy, often looking to engage in one on one contests, rather than leading up and using space. Having said that, hes an elite runner with a very high beep test score, so clearly hes got a strong work ethic. He gets by in under 18s with his strength, and obviously coming off that knee injury he wasnt able to show his running strength. There seems to be a common observation amongst these so called draft experts that Curnow's a bit lazy. If this is true and the club is seriously considering him then the recruiting staff must think he is not lazy or believe they can change him. Big IFs there. I can imagine the supporters over the next couple years being constantly frustrated at the fact that he doesn't make a lead and he doesn't chase. It has an all too familar ring to it. It seems that he has a huge amount of natural talent but has he got what it takes to be an elite AFL footballer which is what we would expect for a No.3 draft pick? From the comfy chairs at the back I do have some doubts.

You really missed the point. Trades can easily be made when two parties trust each other. Obviously Geelong and Adelaide had enough trust in each other to make the trade beneficial to each party. You give credit to Geelong and Adelaide because of the systems they have in place and the right people they have at the helm. Because of this things move very quickly. I now believe the MFC have the respect and trust of the other clubs to negotiate win/win trades. Even Essendon by their standards were reasonable with the Melksham trade. The trade was agreed upon very early. The trade was "pretty easy really".

I believe the main thing holding JW back from taking the next step is his lack of endurance. He is not a gut runner. If, and it's a big IF, they can improve this aspect of his game he can easily be a Gunston. His defensive skills will improve also. He would know that there was not much interest in him during trade week and that he is on his last chance. Because of this I'm sticking my neck out and say that he will be one of the real improvers next season. Fingers crossed.