Ungarieboy

Always go with best available with first round picks, particularly top 10. Good coaches will adjust the game plan to suit. Good clubs will trade in players to fic gaps. Note premiers often have players traded in to fix gaps i.e. Brisbane with Daniher, Collingwood with Howes, Geelong with Tuohy, Dee's with Brown, Tigers with Lynch. The trick is to identify where the gaps are likely to be, before they evolve. Unfortunately Brayshaws early retirement and possibly Smirh's unavailability could not be foreseen (throwing future planning into chaos).

Is there so.eone I could name drop a potential rookie to the club (a kid who was considered best on ground by many in AFL first grade grand final as a 17 year last year - but injured since)

The interesting thing is, could Smith be the tall forward option we are looking for. Has he been suspended, how long is his suspension. Maybe he is rookied, for 12 months and comes back after that. How long do you need to be out of the AFL to come back as a Cat B rookie?

To be honest if I was in Clayton's position, I to would have been chatting to other clubs, if I got wind of the club shopping me around for the second year in a row (i.e 2 can play that game). At the very least taking some control of the situation and being proactive in the finding a preferred destination. As for Pert, what was he hoping to achieve? Oliver had as much right to refuse any prospective trade, just as much as Melbourne has/did - so for Pert to be successful he would have needed to get Clayton sufficiently disillusioned to leave (agree to being traded).

Wasn't he highly rated, where would he fit in, what's his point of difference or weapon?

Something doesn't feel right. Why would Pert reach out to Geelong, a club without the draft capital and salary cap space to make it a viable option. Just as an example - Richmond, North and Eagles makes more sense!

As to the Northern Academy's, if they didn't exist then talented players don't get to train and play with/against enough good players to improve (at the same rate as AFL states). E.g In Melbourne there could be hundreds of kids (majority of a team) who can kick a ball properly on the run at the age of 13/ 14, providing greater opportunity to enhance their marking skills (can't practice marking the ball, if it doesn't get to you). This means these Victorian's are getting exposed to more complicated and better training drills far earlier than their Northern Counterparts (without the academies). Even at the 18s Victorian's train and play at the Coates league level for the entire season, while the Nortern Academy's get a handful of games in April/May. Then back to uncompetitive club football. What a lot of people don't understand is without the Northern Academy's, these players won't get the necessary development to be drafted, or at best be drafted late or as rookies. Consequently the 4 Northern clubs would have to pick more of the best Victorian, SA and WA kids - diluting the pool further for the other clubs.

Having more good players in the academy lifts the standards and the quality of the academy (other participants) - so there's still benefits of him being there.

In the bargain bin - is Owies, but it's not a bargain if we don't use it (we do have a few forward flankers already).

Significant improvement is not going to come from other clubs discards! Yes a bargain can be found, but the majority are at best maintaining the status quo or on the decline (they are discarded for a reason). We need to identify and target the good players, regardless of contract i.e. Gegordies, Callaghan, Miller, Brayshaw, Reid, Flanders, McCluggage, Rowbortom, Hewett, etc Clubs like Brisbane, GC, Blues have more potential top end talent coming in, so shake the tree and see if a quality midfielder falls out - we should have the cash to make things interesting (or as North did with us/Viney tighten our salary cap to help future raids)

I'm struggling to remember, but Mackin Chaplin Zanker Campbell MacNamara Heath

An easier draw can also reduce the wear and tear on players (opposition intensity and maturity not as high) and can help build confidence (young players and out of form).

We should be advantaged by a far essier easier draw, for as a bottom 6 side we should play 2 of the bottom 4 twice and one at worse 2 top 8 sides. I'm predicting Richmond (due to Anzac eve game) and West Coast. We are likely to volunteer for (Adelaide/Port again in gather round.) so expect the Crows as a double up Then it's two of the next group outside the 8 - we host Collingwood this QB so they're likely to be one ( plus the AFL likes a potential drama story) which would leave one of the lower ranked teams - I'm expecting Gold Coast but would prefer the Saints. Lastly two sides in the 8 (1 from top 4) probably Port or GWS for the Alice game And then bulldogs, though as we have potentially a lot of interstate double-ups, we'll likely request a bigger club (for crowd revenue) so perhaps carlton or Essendon. Tigers, Eagles, Crows, Pies, Suns, Port, Bulldogs double ups: In theory this is as hard as the draw should get. But it could easily be Tigers, Eagles, Suns, Saints, Dockers, Pies, Hawks

Hore Mackin Gold Macca Gillard Pearce

Go Saints, Pick 5 would be nice!!

Gawn Picket Tmac Langdon Rivers Turner + note not saying they are all in the "best", but at least not in the worst!

Trac to GC for Miller and there first rounder, then throw 2 top 10bfirst rounders and the future first rounder at Reid (WC). Oh plus lots of dollars!!!!!

Viney Langdon Salem Gawn Turner Kolt

Langdon McVee Gawn ANB Picket Petty

Langdon JVR Rivers McVee Tmac Fritsch

Why won't our midfield tackle? Are they bringing back bruise free football!!!

Langdon Chandler McVee Picket Moniz-W May Our midfield got beaten for 3 quarters of the day and many disposal were inflated by unclean rushed disposals!

Teams are starting to expose Boweys lack of height in the backs, but against GWS this shouldnt be a problen - so he gets a reprieve. What GWS had is speed and in form Hogan. Salem should play in the midfield or be given a rest. We have to tag Tom Green (note they ate not a high inside 50 team, so restricting Green is a must). On a brighter side, they wouldn't have a clue who Bedford should go and tag!!!!!

Langdon Chandler Windsor Mcvee Billings Maybe Kolt - he didn't get beaten my much in the 2nd half!!!!

Haven't had the chance to read this thread, but a simple fix (in principle) * acidental (legitimate footy act I.e well executed spoil, tackle, smother, etc) results in concussion - suspension is the same time as the concussed, but emain eligible for brownlow. * careless (mistimed footy act) - suspension is the time of the concussed plus one week * reckless (unrealistic attempt of a footy act) - suspension is the time of the concussed plus 2-3 weeks * intentional (non footy act such as a punch, elbow, headbut, etc) - minimum 5 weeks, but grading should start at 8 and work up/down from that point Note some may say it's unfair to lose a week for an accident, as it was legitimate footy act; but it is also unfair on the victim to lose a week - sometimes in footy you can just be unlucky (in this case both players).