deelusions from afar

Saw Bo Allen highlights from WAFL - looks a good size with a lot of attributes. But didn't see him hit a target. Is that a fair criticism and if so do we want / need another midfielder with sub par kicking skills when Clarry, Trac and Viney all struggle in this area?

Obviously we have no real idea - if we pick him then obviously JT sees something in him that others (including me) are not. I would hope we are not picking on needs with 5 or 9 - we have enough gaps in the list that we should (surely) be going best available. I'd much rather go best midfielder at 5 and then unless we are set on someone special at 9 that will be next picked (eg Tauru is still there) then split it and get 2 more players in the top 20-30. We could then get a KPP (Shanahan?) and add some class / speed. The draft quality seems far deeper and more even than usual. I think there's been more players touted as a top 10 pick than ever before - we might be able to snar 3 of JT's top 10-15 in the draft!

I thought he showed he can play back as well? If so that adds flexibility because it's unclear where Petty / Disco will end up - largely based on how Jeffo and Adams come on.

What happened to that guy George who some thought might be a smoky draft choice for us who played a couple of games this year.

Still has those highlights in the Geelong final which is a lot more than (I assume) we all on here have!

I remember when we used to get A / A+ for trade and draft ratings through the 2010s... we know what that amounted to. Generally the most improvement for teams year on year comes from within which is something that isn't as easy to rate or write about for these "journalists"

I imagine this stuff can only really happen on draft night if there ae players wanted by other clubs that will be picked at 9 or just after and we don't want those players? The way people talk, the draft seems so deep that it would make sense to split it. But ultimately it will probably come down to who JT rates and how that compares to the clubs with picks in the 10-15 range.

I feel like Brock got the most out of himself. But always wondered what Col would have been if he entered a better system - I reckon he could have been Petracca level (with dedication, development and injury luck)

How does it work if he wants to go somewhere else but no one trades for him (and we still want to keep him). They no longer have the pre-season draft do they?

Yeah it's interesting to know what our strategy is eg is it: A. "We have our eye specifically on someone who will be there at 9-15" (as we seemed keen on 13). Maybe - but this draft seems very unpredictable so would be hard to be sure of anything. B. "This draft has so much talent - to have 2 picks in the top 10 means we could get 2 stars" C. "We don't have a set plan but top picks are a premium - we can use them like that, slide 9 back for another in the second round or even package them for 2 and another first round". D. Something else again I suspect its mostly C and A - we probably have about 15 different scenarios war gamed out!

He might be one that can helpf with culture - he was the leader when Trac and Clarry etc were coming through so they prob still look up to him. But he doesn't strike me as someone that will have fresh ideas in terms of gamestyle / strategy (at least not without having spent some time at another club)

I'm coming round on this. When we signed Petracca and Oliver to long term deals they had both been extremely durable. In some respects the long contracts have saved us in keeping them. But to get the long contracts, you are paying them big coin which - if they continue to play at the high level - is worth it. But some players are not going to stay as hungry when they have that security. I'm not saying that applies to Trac and Oliver - I'm backing them to have big years next year. But they've both had significant injuries / trauma / battles to deal with in recent times - if they don't deliver then we won't be able to trade them (without paying a bulk of their salary). At the same time - they would've looked a fairly safe bet when we signed them (on output to date) and probably had rival offers that forced our hand.

Who's "Irish" - is that a reference to one of the Irish players that tried out? I'm also scratching my head with how we fill all the spots. I've been wondering if because we finished so low, we get close to first dibs (compared with previous years) in the Rookie draft and mid-season draft. Maybe that's coming into calculations?

While I love the thinking... They've said: Essendon trading pick 9 and a future third-round pick for Melbourne's future first-round pick and picks 28, 40, 46, 54 and 65. So where are these picks coming from? And is there no longer a rule about needing to have the list spots available (or something similar) if you're using a suite of picks to match points for a player (ie to stop teams stockpiling late picks)?

True... but if you know the Don's list you know they're crying out for a small forward - so they need him. I think they want to ensure they get him and another 1st round pick (whether that be this year or next it doesn't really matter). I guess the saints may be more attractive - who would they see as more likely to jump up the ladder next year out of us or them?