deelusions from afar

I heard Richo say on the weekend that the defensive part of Farmer's game is strong but he still needs to work on a few things in the offensive part of his game. I found this interesting as often it is the other way round for small forwards. I wouldn't write him off yet - given the long term injury list, I'd be happy to rookie him and allow him to battle with our other small forwards to win a spot on the list next year.

Haven't watched enough of Majak forward to know how he goes at this but I don't think being the stay at home key forward is really TMac's strength. Brown is great on the lead with his height and reach but isn't really the long range get out kick. Weid has shown flashes of potentialbut not consistently. What am I saying? It will never happen but as Max is our best contested mark, if he was playing deep forward then that would give opposition defences much more to worry about - you wouldn't actually need many more talls around him (esp if Fritsch, Petracca and Jacko are around). If I was a defender and Melbourne were bombing it in long, he would be the one I'd be most worried about.

You're entitled to your opinion (none of us really know) but if you think that a savy operator like Jason Taylor is going to spill the beans on a fan podcast then I don't know what to tell you. If you listen to his interviews, he talks up the players he's drafted as if they are the best players in the draft - I don't have a problem with this as clearly he rates them very highly. But it doesn't mean he doesn't rate other players higher - if he comes out and says "yeah we really rated Holmes and hoped he'd slip through to our first pick", it would lead to a meltdown on here - supporters would be saying we traded away next year's pick to get a player we didn't want, and for Laurie / Bowey they're essentially told the club wanted someone else. Some players wouldn't handle that very well. It's just not going to happen. It's probably all mute anyway - I for one am very happy to have two great decision makers and kickers as additions to the side. And I suspect with his freakish running ability, that Rosman has some similar attributes to Holmes - maybe we wouldn't have gone for Rosman if we picked Holmes? It might have looked more like Holmes, Bowey and Carroll. Who knows?

I don't think that's right DD. They're not going to telegraph in a club video that we missed out on who we wanted. My read is that Laurie and Bowey were always rated highly but prior to Geelong getting Holmes, they were only thinking of taking one of them. Taylor saying "I'm happy with those two" to me sounds like he is saying, that although it's not the plan they talked about these two will be a great fit. Love how Taylor goes about it - but just because he says we weren't that interested in Holmes as the media made out doesn't mean it's true - if he said the reports were true then he and all involved would have egg on their face. I think he has a list of players in order of who he wants to take and essentially crosses them off the list as they go - there's no guarantees and so given the way the draft panned out, Laurie and Bowey were good gets for us at those picks.

Some really interesting insights from that which is surprising given they only show you what they want to show you. Seems like we would have picked Holmes if he was not taken ahead of us. But as Taylor said (multiple times) - we've got the 2 best kicks and decision makers in the draft in Bowey and Laurie. Also said "they like footy more than anyone else - probably why they don't make mistakes" I'd heard Bowey talked about as a halfback, small forward and winger. Interestingly Taylor indicated he noticed some Sam Mitchell type qualities in Laurie too.

I assume they think Max is more likely to mark the ball kicked by the opponent than if it kicked by a teammate!

Would love that to be the case. We've all seen the cycle before - a young kid having big expectations on them and when they don't live up to those expectations they become the new whipping boys for supporters. Let him play first!

I agree - haven't seen him play (only seen his highlights packages) but the fact that he can run (quickly and all day), has size and can take a grab makes me think he must have a few other things to work on (otherwise why didn't he go top 10?) Like all of his cohort, he's essentially missed a year of footy - let's not put too much expectation on the kid before he's even played a practice match!

You might be right - but unless you're one of the players, how could you possibly know whether the "quiet word" from these players is any different than from anyone else. My sense is that for a young player, it would help to hear it from someone who is seen by the football world as a start of the game - which Petracca and May are - but so is Gawn. They're all doing it - does it make a difference if they're captain when they're doing it? On a related note, it think this is another reason BBB will make a big difference to our forward line - having been one of the leading goal kickers in the comp for a number of years in a row. Compare that to our previous leaders in the forward line - Melksham and McDonald who have both struggled (for various reasons) to recapture their 2018 form.

Are you just guessing what it says? seems about right

Not solely directed at you tiers as many here share similar thoughts but I think this is pretty unfair on max. Does anyone here really have a good sense of who are the best leaders at the club? People were crying out for Max to be added to be captain prior to last season and now we think he isn't the best leadership material because we didn't finish where we wanted to. It's not the be all and end all but to me it makes a difference that he's a captain that doesn't talk in cliches - love/d them all as players but Viney, Jones, Green etc never inspired me because confidence/words weren't their forte. Which you don't need to have to be a good player but I think it is important as a captain. And it's not as if Gawn doesn't back it up on the field. While he didn't necessarily stand up when we needed him most last season, we now know he was carrying some big injuries - if anything shouldn't have been playing at all. Gawn understands what it is like to struggle - with injury, in the VFL, being on the fringe of the list etc and also through hardwork has become a star of the comp. It is well documented the homework he has done on ruck craft, opposition analysis, diet and fitness to become elite - and has been at this elite level (aside from injury interruptions) since Roos final year. I'm not against Trac and May being part of the leadership team in some form - but is it really just because they were our best / most consistent players last year? If Trac can't keep it going / isn't suited to longer quarters - does he go out next season?They're big bodies and players that impact games. But I don't think so any more than Gawn - he has saved us with critical marks in defence in addition to his ruck craft consistently for years. I take your point about other captains, but in Trac and May you seem to be going for the best players in the last year aren't you? It's interesting how prior to the tiges winning premierships, Cotchin regularly got criticised as a player (his possessions don't count) and captain (isn't one of the boys / doesn't live and breathe footy etc etc) In my view, Gawn is best suited to be our captain but if we think leadership and captaincy changes is where we are going to make up the lost ground in catching up with the 8 / top 4, then i think we're on a hiding to nothing!

Yeah sorry you are right - I often get mixed up due to that last goal he kicked v Hawthorn in the 2018 final.

I disagree - I think he offers something with his field kicking ability and speed that many of our mids don't. He's obviously also very capable in the air and in one-on-one situations. Given he's a left footer, could he be a genuine option as the other winger to Langdon? I know people have said that Baker, Hunt and even the new kid should play this role but I think he offers more than Baker and Hunt at least IF he has the tank and has the desire - last two years he has looked like a player that's only willing to play on his own terms.

Yeah you only really should be back ending contracts if you are in the window or have some big contracts about to finish. I don't think either applies to the pies

For those that are unhappy with the first two selections (mostly due to their size) consider the following: 21. Melbourne: Jake Bowey Position: Small midfielder/forward Height: 175cm Weight: 67 kg 22. Melbourne: Bailey Laurie Position: Small forward/midfielder Height: 179cm Weight: 78kg Here are some of the players they have been likened to (at current playing size and weight): Caleb DANIEL (pick 46 in 2014) MEDIUM DEFENDER 24yrs 168cm 72kg Brent DANIELS (pick 27 in 2017) FORWARD 21yrs 170cm 74kg Shai BOLTON (pick 29 in 2016) MEDIUM FORWARD 22yrs 175cm 77kg Lachie NEALE (pick 58 in 2011) MIDFIELDER 27yrs 177cm 85kg Tom PAPLEY (Rookie 2015) MEDIUM FORWARD 24yrs 178cm 76kg

I felt the same... but apparently the knock on him is his kicking - not terrible but not consistent. Seemingly elite kicking was a non-negotiable for our first two picks

Don't like the tactic but i think it's been executed perfectly - if an interstate club was 50/50 with him and another player it will be enough to sway them. If they're set on him, I don't think it will make much difference.

Had to do a covid test i think

Isn't that Tim Lamb's job i.e. contract management?

Having a guess at what we might pick based on needs - obviously there's limitations when trying to fit some of these player in particular boxes. And of course there's the live trading of picks which I haven't taken into account. I think if any of the players in group 1 (wing / outside midfielders) are available we will select them with our first two picks but it's unlikely that more than one will still be there at our pick (and potentially none will be) Once all from group 1 are gone, I think we will try to find someone to help out Kozzie with forward pressure and improve inside f50 entry (essentially Spargo's position but maybe also Hunt / ANB). There seem to be a number of great options here - most likely one or two would be gone. Then there are a bunch of players that could be great value but don't exactly address a need eg an inside mid with explosive speed / excellent skills. Or a key forward that will take time to develop / the greatest player ever that JT has hidden through covid. I don't know a lot about Max Holmes but it sounds as if we are very keen on him. By the sound of things he might not last to our third pick (but who really knows), but if we picked him with our second, then small forward types like Bowey / Winder are still likely to be there for our third. So i'm thinking it might be something like: 1. Cook / Carroll 2. Holmes 3. Bowey / Winder Group 1 - Winger / Outside midfielder - Finlay Macrae - classy, composure, evasive - everything we need - Archie Perkins - explosive, x factor, run and carry, inside 50 kicking - Jack Carroll - classy LF, evasive, inside / outside - Brayden Cook - tall speedy winger / half forward with goof aerial ability Group 2 - Small forward / outside midfielder - Errol Gulden (Syd Academy) - speed, agility, crumbing, precise kicking inside f50 - Bailey Laurie - speed, agility & evasion, lowers eyes before entering f50 - Blake Coleman (Bris Academy) - speedy, high pressure, classy skills - Jake Bowey - speed, agility, evasiveness - Isiah Winder - athletic, good composure and skills Group 3 - Other / Smokies - Caleb Poulter - tall explosive midfielder - Max Holmes - speed & endurance - Connor Stone - medium forward with tricks, run and carry - Sam Berry - aggressive inside midfielder with great acceleration and precise kick - Ryan Angwin - competitive contested utility with great endurance - Kaine Baldwin - dominant KPF that has suffered 2 ACLs - Fraser Rosman - Key position size player with freak speed and agility - Jackson Callow - key position utility who excels in one on one marking

So are we taking 3 or 4 players - I thought with the players being shifted to the rookie list we could now take 4?

From what I observed Mahoney was a quality person that Jackson had groomed to be his replacement. Bartlett and Jackson didn't see eye to eye and so when Jackson left, he brought in one of his mates (Pert) rather than someone who had been mentored by Jackson. There's more than one way to get from A to B so it doesn't mean this is a terrible thing - Mahoney has been here a long time. But given what Jackson was able to do, I would have felt better had his choice got the gig rather than Pert. Once that decision was made, it was going to be hard for Mahoney to stay on long term. I don't feel particularly confident with Richo or Pert - especially when you look at where they've been and how they present in the media - but with all of this I'm only seeing the tip of the iceberg and i hope to god (or the devil ?) they prove me wrong!

I wonder if they had to negotiate Josh's salary? ?

Love your work - I haven't seen any of these boys live (so what do I know) but the idea of getting Macrae, Carroll and Winder from what I have read and seen would be a steal! Definitely addressing our biggest needs.

I remember you (and I think others) saying he's exactly the player we need much earlier in the year before many on here had heard of any of this year's draftees. Class, composure, skills sounds great - but the fact that he's actually winning a lot of his own ball and isn't known to be especially quick... does he really fit our need? I know to label players inside or outside is too simplistic but if you say he reminds you of Simon Black, wasn't he the guy that got the ball out at the bottom of the packs (admittedly had great finishing skills too)? Not being critical of your opinion but you've seen him a bit so can probably explain for the rest of us. The last thing we want is someone who we're hoping will play halfback / wing who ends up being an inside mid like Jordan (as he'll end up being behind about 8 other players). I'm probably also fearful of what happened with Trengove - was meant to be a class player that could do it all (inside / outside) but seemed to be a bit slow for AFL to show it in the end (obviously injuries and our development at the time played a huge part).