Wells 11

Highlights or main points? He’s my preferred target now.

He sounds like a super knowledgable but personable guy. He was really positive about the mind set of the boys. Said they were very focused and determined. Players he hadnt met yet calling him from overseas to ask about preparation. Also said only 2 or 3 would be starting late due to surgery this year as opposed to 16-17 last year. A good listen.

Sad...but true in football and politics as well.

yawn.

yes, your right. drafted 2007 and first played 2008. and yes, when compared with the others from that draft its not that clear who the best of that group is! What a year that was. But still the point is valid. We went with Cale because everyone thought he was a top 5. It almost made me weep looking at the others from that draft. So I think you need to be able to think at least a little bit freely with picks.

I think most of us agree we go young at 3. But Im not sure we have to stick with a formula til 2021because a key forward seems to have been sadly over estimated. Weid will get his chance this year and I hope Im surprised, but aside from ONE game I havent seen him look like a key forward. Not in the air and not on the ground. I just cant see him being a key in a premiership.

wasnt worth 29 either

Cyril rioli went at 12 in 2008 and was real part of the reason the hawks won the flag that year. Was clearly the best of that draft...yet had the dees chosen him instead of Watts or Natanui the club may have been burned down. Of course it didnt need supporters to do that as it did it to itself a few years later. But I think these days you have to be shrewd in your picks and think freely. Choosing Oliver up the order from expected was the best thing we've done in years (Still imagine how we'd be now If we'd picked up Curnow next to him) Im a fan or both Pickett and Jackson for our second pick or for splitting the pick to pick up Pickett and another after young.

Just checked and your right. My memory playing tricks. 3 kicks, 5 handballs 1 behind , 1 mark and zero 1 % ers An outstanding debut still talked about to this day!

Agreed Jack looked waaaay underdone. It was an embarssment we've lived with ever since. But he still kicked 2 goals . Of course there was that Geelong discard full back in Neelds time ( forgot his name) that looked grown up in body but in no way was ever an AFL player. And Petty against the saints in 2018 also comes to mind, at least of recent times. But I still rank Chandler as the least ready.

He looked to me like one of the most under prepared players to play a game for us that I’ve ever seen.

Yep agreed. If he went to the national soccer team or cricket Australia that would be one thing. If he marched into collingwood or the tigers that would be next level embarassing. Heres hoping he has some loyalty in his charecter and gives us a decent few year run. Might be he just wants to see if we're a basket case or a real thing. After 39 years supporting Im not sure I know myself!

If we were to pick up Bennell and Murray ( and if they get picked up the presumption is they are off drugs and will play) then I think Jackson at 8 is a good move. I dont know much about him except the comment made that he would be a better forward next year than Weid. IF thats so then Im all for it. A forward/ ruck rather than a ruck/ forward. Im returning to the camp that I existed in pre the geelong final in 18 that I dont think Weid is going to make it. Or at least not as a 1st or 2nd forward. We're missing a big precense up forward and you dont usually get them with anything less than an early pick. Happy to be wrong again with the Weid...but putting all our eggs in his basket feels to me like a bigger risk than going with Jackson.

Interesting. It’s depressing about Sam though. Really hard to stomach that we chose him ahead of both curnow and Keogh now. both of whom look like future stars to me...well Curnow sort of is one now already. Preuss was a mistake and only good if max goes down so we do need another more mobile tall.

Someone like Martin falling through to the PSD is a hugely rare event. I’m quite sure the dees are exploring every option and every method of persuasion behind closed doors. At least I hope so.

Compensations? Don’t be crazy. You’re forgetting our place in this world. This is the dees we’re taking about not the hawks or the pies.

Jesus we’re a depressing bunch on here lately. This is a bad as I remember it ever being. Although on the positive everyone seems in agreement on the depressing sentiment so there’s little arguing. Im going to go out on a limb here. Melb has an industry acknowledged wealth of talent.. we were absolutely crucified by injuries last year and a lack of prep preceding that. People know this. Goodwin still seems to be held in high regard and our facilities aren’t [censored]. There not like the pies but they’re not [censored]. If im Elliot and I get to train really close to where I used to, get a better deal with a side that may come again with a rush ( I’m a believer) in 2020 then why not us?

Which is why it’s only happened once in our entire history. Im struggling to see your point. Even IF what you allege is accurate , and it well might be, you can be damn sure all clubs do that . But your anger seems very directed at our club only. Re Frost, he clearly divides opinions. Personally I love him and wish we could work around his assets more as they’re very unique. But as coaches and casting votes post game, how the hell do you rate his brilliance against his deficiencies and how well he gets the job done. I’m sure votes for him are wildly divided also. Do u rate his 6 excellent intercept marks and 5 running bursts from the backline higher than the 5 times he gave up goals thru poor positioning or turnovers. Top 10 finish is about right for frosty imo.

On the positive, I remember how we all spoke about melksham.

That was a year that felt as long as 2013. One good win against the swans at the scg when I thought... ok, now we can start. We didn’t. One good qtr against the bombers when I thought...ok now they’re clicking. We never did. One stupidly close win by a point in the final second... but that didn’t really count as a good feeling because it was against the bottom side who lost 19 games straight. Shocking run with Injuries then more injuries... then a backline formation, game style, that made us look like amateurs. Then injured players re injuring themselves because we played them too soon. Continual and systemically Horrible kicking for goal that regularity cost us games and a miss after the siren as if to just add salt into bitter wounds. 2019 can just [censored] off fast.

Marlin picket is going to be a sensation I reckon. Wish we’d had the guts to go there... but I hope we go there w Harley.

If we deserved one so do they as they’re in worse shape than we were. all their stars leave... and will continue to. the problem being that I I think the afl need to accept that this project is a failure and they won’t. What they really need is to start again, get gifted about 8 afl B+ players from top 8 clubs as well as extra draft picks. But no one would tolerate that. They’re rooted anyway so I hope they get pick 10.

I’d feel good about it if we had other better ideas to make money. Id like the Alice game to stay. Darwin was always a crap idea but watch the suns get a bye the week after straight up.

Yep.... truly horrible how fast that ended. Memories of the 88 gf...which was actually way worse. Mainly because I was there and stayed to the end. But even then we were in front half way through the first qtr. ie we at least turned up fr half of the 1st qtr. That was the official end fr me of the dream that started in 87. But as has been pointed out in other threads now we DID win 2 finals in 18. the lions bundied out in straight sets would be hard to bear.

U mean the game that but fr crap kicking fr goal , [censored] umpires and a freak Liam Ryan mark we would have won. We dominated them that day....so who cares what they said.