rjay

Not by much, we are talking about a grown fully developed kid. Not Cook or Watts, this guy already tops 100kg. Look at how Grundy is going at Collingwood, the steal of last years draft. If they can play, they can play...the development thing is a bit of an urban myth about falls, most of really good key forwards step up in the first couple of years, take Brereton, Dunstall, Lockett, Brown and Cloke as examples. We are not going to build a premiership list in one year, previous experience shows that trying to pick winners (fill gaps in the list or pick the style of play) with the draft doesn't work. You take the best available footballer, if we need to trade others out then we do.

Because of this.... ...and quality key position players are much harder to get. We have one, Frawley the rest are maybes or just going's.

No, because we delayed a pick from last years draft it doesn't come into it.

The unwritten rule of recruiting..."take best available". We didn't learn a lesson that was well taught by the RFC with Tambling and picked Cook. We're not going to do it again and that's got to be good news.

They might be missing a lot of their list by next year or at best still in the middle of a legal battle. I don't think anyone would be wanting to take that on.

Maybe! Good angle 'old dee', I'd forgotten that and you're right. Sounds like he might well be rotting in hell now, maybe some karma there.

ASADA has also found that Essendon staff failed to implement basic governance, management and medical practices to ensure players were not exposed to health and doping risks. It found that the club failed to follow its own protocols around the use of drugs suggested by Dank.Basic records about what drugs were given to specific players were not kept. ...How long were they supposed to keep them???

The old one about not kicking on the non preferred, this argument comes up a few times a year. Most players very rarely use their non preferred foot, they are encouraged not to use it and have been for decades by coaches who think it is too much of a risk, it was a team rule with Alan Jeans and probably still is with most coaches today. It's very unusual to see a player go on his wrong foot these days unless it's someone like Sam Mitchell (and maybe one or two other that slip my mind at the moment) who is exceptional on both sides. Most will use the side of their foot before going to the other foot. It still amazes me how players still get away on their left though, even in AFL ranks where they do all the video stuff, opponents still run to block the right. It's going to be the least of Kent's problems believe me.

There are a few that would definitely qualify as damaged goods, I can't see CS getting another gig in football. ...as for us supporters, yep definitely some damage there. There are still penalties to be handed down and an ongoing investigation at Essendon, I don't think I would be putting the welcome mat out too quickly.

It would be. Yes he is interested and the club knows he is interested.

I think anyone involved in the Essendon debacle would be damaged goods, fragile, handle with care.

I would be very surprised if Roos did.

Hogan, Boyd and Clark looks good to me.

Anyone that thinks we have a strong forward line is not thinking straight. We don't, our backline would stand up pretty well with Frawley and Garland but not the forward line. Reckon we should trade Boyd if we had a chance to get him, no way. We will pick up mids, trade and develop some. You just don't get the opportunity to get once a once in a generation forward line. Ask the doggies. I know our mids are weak, we all can see that but don't be blinded by it and think we are ok in other areas of the ground, we are not. There won't be any A grade mids on the table apart from free agents and pensioners so unless the dogs want to give up Griffen then I would say no deal. From what I see in the coming draft Aish is the x factor mid, the grunt is Crouch and another Vic country boy who might be a bargain buy down the list is a kid called Holman. Very tough and hard at it.

Can't agree at all on the forward line being extremely strong. Potential in Hogan, Clark not yet a proven forward and a better ruck man who can't get on the ground. Dawes a workhorse at best, Fitz not yet and Howe still to play consistent football. Our forward line is far from strong. We highly overrate our forward stocks.

No to Ratten for me.

It will be Roos Eade Williams Craig Ratten Parkin is on the sub committee and has a lot of respect for Ratten, I don't think we should go there. He just doesn't have the x factor to engender hope in the playing group and with the supporters. I think Craig is probably on the outer now, leaving 3 realistic options I would think.

There is always a younger one who is the better footballer. He is a hard at it mid though and if that's what we want then he's the one in this draft from my limited viewing.

I think we will be a chance to get him later and it would be good, he's a real goer like his brother.

I like the look of Crouch, admittedly on one game but he reads the ball in ruck contests well and is strong at it. Reminds me a bit of Joel Selwood the way he goes about it.

I think he is being overrated on here because he is a mid got a lot of ball in the carnival and kicked some goals. Missing the last part of the season with injury will hurt his ranking. It will be interested to see where he goes in the draft. Where was Crouch rated in the mock drafts? I like the look of him.

His disposal was a bit hit and miss from the start, still is but he is a much better player than he is showing at the moment. I think the he needs to go back and get his game together, forget the captaincy and the silly move to give him number 31. We really have had some DH's running this club for quite a while now. Brad Scott has learned a good lesson from our club in not jumping to make Zeibel the skipper while Swallow is out, a good hard footballer and on ground leader but Scott didn't fall for that one.

We really only have 2 in there 2nd year from the same draft as Wingard at the club given that we used our first pick for Clark (12), then had down the list picks in Taggert (36) and Tynan (52) who have both had injury problems then Sellar (54)..say no more. We could have picked up Taylor Adams, Devon Smith or Brandon Ellis with Clarks pick.

Yes, Jimmy is a different type of player but it's the comments from people like Rucciuto and a few other experts who continue to say don't worry the kid will be a gun that make me feel we have got it right. Lets sit back and watch, I think he is carrying the burden of Cook, Gysberts, Morton and to some degree Watts and it's unfair on him. ...and yes Wingard pretty much signed himself up as an AA with his effort for Port today.

Check out Jacksons interview on 'On the Couch'. edit; sorry checked it out and I must have been dreaming, swear I heard or have seen it somewhere. We will get it all the same.