Young Blood

Your idea non-existent depth at the midfield position seems to go against the trend of everyone believing we are top 3 for midfield depth in the competition. I don't think that's as much to do with who can fill midfield roles from Casey as it is who can fill those roles within our best 22. Ie if one of Oliver, Brayshaw and Viney were to go down with injury you would see the likes of Jones, Petracca, Salem, ANB, Harmes, AVB spend a greater amount of time in the middle. Those second tier midfielders (who I think are very strong) would slide in to more time in the middle with the likes of Wagner, Fritsch, J.Smith, Stretch and other solid fringe filling in other areas. I do agree with you about tall forward depth. You have to wonder if Tmac and Weid were to get injured if we would potentially swing another backman forward. I think Lever would be best suited to this. Other more shaky options being Frost and J.Smith but I think a forward line with Tim Smith/Lever and a resting ruckman, while not ideal would be serviceable. With that being said I can see Melbourne trying to play more mid sized forwards next year anyway to try to really push Petracca's effectiveness and continue Melkshams along with Fritsch and Hannan.

I can't see Frost playing further up the ground. Yes he is quick over 50-100m but he's buggered everytime he does so. Hence why he plays predominantly within back 50m. He would need to really build up his endurance to play wing. Like Tom Mcdonald his straight line kicking is good which he can get away with as a backman but would need to really change his style to be more dynamic with his disposal.

Didn't know he had that height. Makes him our tallest midfielder. Long strides, good length in marking contests. He seems to run and really good pace over 100m. Can't wait to see him really improving our run and spread on the wings which we badly need.

Having Hibberd, Jetta and May is going to be something special. There's compeditive backlines and then there's just mean, physical players who use their bodies incredibly well to beat their opposition. We now have 3x the latter. Give these guys a look at finals where one on ones are crucial and it just gives you chills.

I wouldn't be at all surprised to see J.Smith train with the forwards through pre-season. With May our backline depth is looking solid. He's the next best option to step up and create some depth as a marking forward who competes well in the air. Has the ability to impact further up the ground like a Darling light. I think its a good option while he continues to try to find some continuity in his kicking where turnovers are less costly. Excited to see him have a full preseason and really challenge the likes of Hannan and AVB as the third tall/HF. I think his pace would also be beneficial if he can use it in the forward press putting opposition backlines under pressure.

He's added a lot of bulk which might have impacted his speed. I think its worked for him with him dominating a few games this year for Casey and in the seniors he seems to be sticking tackles a lot better which was always his key strength when he was drafted. I'm still not sure of what his position is in the seniors. Was hoping he could become more a small key defender in time with his good tackling and contested work. Just needs to spend a lot of time one on one with Nev and learn the ropes.

I think he's the type of player we need if he can get back to the consistent form he had back in 2015 where he was third runner up in GC best and fairest (not a huge feat at GC but he was only a 20). You only need to look at his stats that shows how much he marks the ball demonstrating how well he spreads to find space. He's not lightning quick but has solid speed and athleticism. Really builds up speed well. I like the idea of him on a wing or half back with his ability to really spread. Uses the ball well too.

Yes this is very true. I was going to post earlier in regards to why Pruess would even consider Melbourne I think you have answered a potential reason why both player and club would be interested. There is a greater need for two ruckman. Along with potential rule/interchange changes you only need to look as far as the last two teams left playing in the GF. Both teams play with two ruckman (I know Cox is predominantly forward). It definitely gives you more options.

Would Freo not just wait another year so they don't have to pay overs and pick him up in free agency? Gives them more time to sort out their key pieces before then.

Bayleaf*

It's a tough pill to swallow for Bayley. He does so much right. He uses the ball so well and competes in the air but he's not a natural defender and his one on one work (where finals are won and lost) has not developed yet. I have no doubt Goody would have told him he's got a long career ahead of him. Such a natural footballer who already has so many of the attributes for him to build on in the coming years. Smith is the perfect player to run with Darling. He can run with him further up the ground where Darling is so damaging and match his athleticism. It's a big task of someone with very little big game let along many afl game experience.

I agree. I watch Trac and definitely think if he dropped even a few kg's he could be so much more damaging. I think with Weid coming on and Tmac as main forward option the most obvious thing to do would be to train Hogan as a CHF/Wing who can be dynamic in the middle part of the ground and drift forward when needed. We know he has the tank and showed in the first few games he can perform around in and around the contest further up the ground. He will probably need to be a little bit lighter again and work more on the defensive side of his game. Would love to see Hoges work with Vanders in the off season to become more the two way running player that Vanders is.

- Slight role change to start the season - Injury set backs / couldn't put together solid string of games - Only 23 with plenty of time and potential He has a competitiveness that makes me confident if he can get his body right and carve out a role in this young team he will be best 22 for quite some time. Clean up his disposal and decision making and he's well on the way.

Or maybe even some shields? like the colours on this one.

The most pleasing thing looking at the bigger picture is there's guys that could potentially (but probably doubtful) play that could round out an even better bottom 6 and maybe be ahead of JKH Hunt, Joel Smith, Pederson, Bugg, Garlett, Wagner Not to mentioned the injured that won't be available: Lever, Vince, Kent, Stretch Thats some depth right there.

Are these lists based on current form? Or overall this season? Importance to the team? If it was based on form and importance right now Harmes would be top 5 and I don't think Jones would crack the top 10 to be honest. He's playing his role well but not influencing games as much as others.

He deserves a lot of credit for this clubs recent success. He came across because Roos was going to be coach and saw some hope and opportunity for growth. There aren't many players who are playing close to their peak that would do that. I think he's had a huge impact on the young playing group. The way he attacks every contest (bar a few high ones) is exactly the type of player you want influencing everyone. I've always enjoyed Bern's honesty and professionalism in front of the media. He will be missed. I don't think he will take up a role at the club as he has a real estate career/business waiting for him.

James started off with some real strong foundations and had some key elements of his game which made me think he was definitely worth pursuing. He's always been good in the air with strong hands in a marking contests. I've always thought he uses his body really well in each contest and tackles with ferociousness. He also bleeds red and blue having barracked for the club since childhood and you can see it with his passion for the contest and when he smiles when he got selected and after wins. He's developed steadily and I think this preseason season he built his tank to allow him to run out games better and work on his finishing and polish with the ball. He'd be one of our most confident and consistent players this year. I think his ability to stand up in a tackle and get his hands free is what has really stands out to me. He adds to our other players who do this so well in Oliver, Brayshaw, Trac, Hibberd. You just know they're not going to give up. Would be in our top five most important players now I believe.

Trade a 23 yr old key position forward while he's developing and before he's even close to reaching his prime? Laughable

I think people tend to forget the importance of Hogan's presence. Even when he's not playing well he still demands the oppositions best key back or even two. This allows Mcdonald the freedom to lead into other open spaces and gives small forwards the opportunity to be proactive knowing Jess is more likely to try to bring the ball to ground when he has two opponents. I don't mind if Jesse is having an off day not marking or finding the football as long as he makes a strong contest in the air and applies pressure around the ball in forward half thats all you can ask of him when he's not at his best. I know Jess has been down on form the past two weeks but if fit I think its key to keep improving our forward structures and keep the team playing together with that predictability and trust as well as continuity in our game. I think that's really important at this time of the season.

His marking on the weekend stood out to me. Hadn't seen him clunk them that well this season but he really committed and took some beauties on the lead and contested. Will need more of this going forward.

Yeah why are we talking about De Goey? He's not an outside mid. He's more an inside mid/forward. We're currently developing one of those, his name is Christian Petracca and its taking a bit more time but he clearly has the tools to be a De Goey type. He is our X factor along with Viney. You outlined Gaff's strengths perfectly which I agree with and is exactly what we need! but I disagree that he hasn't performed well in finals. Wait he did have an average game against Carlton during his first season in 2011.....

Well if you're after De Goey he just re-signed there so feel free to change into the black and white. I'll happily hold onto Brayshaw. He's not quick but he runs all day. He had an average game on the weekend. But he uses the ball well and generally makes the right decision. Kid is 22 and the game has already slowed down for him. He has time and space with ball in hand and doesn't panic when tackled. I think he is a future Pendlebury type.

You're right I don't think its our no.1 priority to have another KPD. Oscar has developed well and will continue to do so if our midfield apply the right amount of pressure. With Lever we had a really good balance in our backline. We have developing KPD in Petty and Keilty of which I think at least one will be serviceable in the next year or so.