Lucifers Hero

This is the first year Hawks haven't had Graham Wright heading their recruitment so they have a rookie Recruiting Manager and a Rookie Coach. To a large extent Wright kept Clarkson under control, well to the best anyone possibly could but it seems Mitchell is off the leash. It is bizzare that Mitchell has gone rogue and personally shopped his players to other clubs. Not only is that divisive and disheartening for the players it also is for the Football Department. Not even the most experienced and most revered coaches behave like that. Selfish, lack of respect and lack of trust; all are culture killers. Recent history hasn't been kind to favourite sons/brownlow medallists coaching their club without getting much experience first: Voss, Rattan, Hird, Buckley. Mitchell is acting as 'he knows best' and is blowing up his honeymoon period before it even starts. I wonder how many years he will have before getting his marching orders. Can't see them winning a flag with him at the helm.

There is that something about him that he will. It is a frightening prospect for the competition. Great for us! I like the 'big labrador' comparison. He started as a lovable puppy; all playful and boistrous and now has grown up a little but is still lovable and boistrous. Great energy for the team.

There will never be a better time to sell a covid health/hospital management plan. There is enough fear of illness and lockdown frustration, especially in Victoria for people to accept almost anything. Afterall, Victoria added a 'Fire Levy' to home insurance policies about 15 years ago which iirc was supposed to be temporary and it has never been lifted (now lost in 'general revenue'). Something similar but health related? Divert monies form some low priority/non productive ventures....

You two need to 'Get a Room'!! 😐

I know, hence my comment about having had 18 months to prepare. But it is what it is. It is where we go to from here that is the question. Because, open up we will; domestically and internationally, ready or not. On resources, I read recently that we are fast tracking the recruitment of thousands of international medical staff to cope with the covid case surge when we open up. The question is how we best use those people and the equipment and people that are currently in the covid units in our hospitals. Can't help but think those units are currently taking valuable resources from other in-house units, are competing with other hospitals for the same scarce resources and that there is a fair amount of covid related duplication of equipment and people across the health and hospital system. We need hospitals to get back to pre covid levels of treatment. We can't if they are trying to deliver and cope with a surge in covid services. So my idea is use this time to set up a dedicated facility. It is a better use of new and existing resources and reduces the risk of a hospital covid outbreak closing the other services that hospital offers. My idea isn't radical or new. We had the Fairfield Infectious Diseases Hospital until 25 years ago. It dealt with a variety of epidemics/infectious diseases during its 90 years, including the Spanish Fly, Polio, Aids etc. When closed its departments were sent to different hospitals around Melbourne. As you mentioned, covid is here to stay. We need to deal with that in a health and economically effective way.

But will the use stay at 10% when we open up? When we open up there will be a lot more demand on hospitals and icu from the usual life events. I was referring to a dedicated facility for all covid cases not just icu.

I wonder which came first. Roffey saying to Goodwin 'you are a good man, the players love you, be yourself' Or using the 'This is Me' song at the club. Either way it is a beautiful and powerful song. I can imagine a lot of motivational work for players was combined with hearing that song during the year. Perhaps each player finding something different and unique within themselves to draw on. During the finals several times Goodwin was asked what advice he had given players. Response: 'Be yourself' It seemed odd at the time but it now makes sense. Almost as if it was code for the each player to draw on what they had found within.

We've had 18 months to prepare covid ready hospital facilities but so far has much happened? Early last year wasn't there a 'covid surge health plan' to convert Jeff's Shed to a covid hospital with high levels of ICU capacity? To me a dedicated covid facility makes the most sense as it would concentrate covid health resources in the one place, allow existing hospitals to continue as pre-covid and greatly minimise the risk of covid escaping to staff, patients and visitors to those hospitals. The buildings to create a dedicated covid facility are there. It is a matter of converting and resourcing them. Let's not burden an existing stretched hospital system with more resource intensive cases; covid.

Did Roos' see Oliver's tapes first? My impression was he poured over lots. Not sure that he actually stopped looking at others as at the time (July 2015) we didn't have pick 3 and there were others considered for our first 'natural' pick that year. Oliver wasn't thought to go that high. JT and others thought he could go anywhere from the high teens to the 50's!! I think our first 'natural' pick was #9 so Oliver wasn't in the reckoning for it in July 2015. Look at the dates of the articles I quoted one of which was April 2017, when Oliver had played only a dozen games. At that time there was no history for Roos to rewrite. What he has said since and reported since supports comments back then. Recruiters don't work in a vacuum or in isolation. They build a list that maximises a coach's game plan. From the first Roos' was committed to building an elite mid-field and have 10-12 on-ballers. Methinks you are short selling Roos' role in Oliver's recruitment and other premiership players recruited while Roos was coach. TBH, I have been really impressed that the likes of Roos, Jackson, Macca, Bartlett and many others that were involved in the rebuild of our club and our team, haven't tried to step into the limelight of a premiership. They have humbly stayed in the background. Anyway, we are diverting from pick #17.

GWS seem prepared to let Hill go if they get a small forward back, specifically Chad Wingard. He won't go there They were prepared to give Hawthorn pick #13 for Wingard if Hawks paid some of his salary. So what happens next? Essendon offered 2 picks between 50 - 60 or in a pinch their future 2nd round pick 30+). Collingwood have put their hat in the ring but they they may not the trade currency to get a deal done. But HIll wants to go to Essendon. Makes one wonder about his true motives for coming to Vic if he won't consider other clubs. He said he wants to play in the Dreamtime game and ANZAC Day game... From what I'm reading I don't think Hill's attitude is a good fit for us (but that could be worked on) so not canvassing for him. But I do think it is a shame that one of our small forwards: Bedford, Chandler, Smith could not form a trade with GWS having just extended their contracts. It wouldn't be pick #13 as Lobb staying means they wouldn't need to offload Wingard's salary but a three club deal could have been done. While being contracted doesn't make our players untradeable it would be very strange for that to happen now. We aren't that sort of club. Perhaps we extended their contracts a bit early as the trade period was still open. We have a lot of, a surplus even, of depth in the small forward department. Every chance Hill stays at GWS. Or if Wingard is prepared to go to another Vic club a deal might get done.

Here are several articles that talk about Roos and his early viewing of Oliver vision: olivers-twist-how-the-dees-smoothed-rough-diamond "But as he kept poring over the vision, Roos was drawn to Oliver’s clean hands, his strength and power at stoppages, his sharp decision making in tight and the 187cm midfielder's physical presence. The redhead was raw, but the veteran coach knew he was watching a natural footballer who would complement the previous year's top draftees Christian Petracca and Angus Brayshaw nicely". (April 2017) from-a-parma-and-chips-to-an-afl-star "Five months earlier, Melbourne coach Paul Roos strolled out of his office and asked Jason Taylor if he could take a look at the 2015 draft crop. Essendon had just defeated Melbourne by nine points at the MCG in James Harmes’ debut. It left Roos’ men with just four wins after 15 rounds. It was time to look ahead to 2016. By mid-July, Jacob Weitering and Josh Schache had separated themselves at the top of the pile of soon-to-be-drafted teenagers. Callum Mills was not far behind and almost certain to go to Sydney. Behind the trio was a glut of players including Darcy Parish, Jacob Hopper, Sam Weiderman and Charlie Curnow. "Roos sat back in his AAMI Park office chair and began to flick through various clips of footage. His job was not to recruit, but to offer an unbiased eye...One player stood out above all others...Roos, who had already committed for the 2016 season, walked back out and ask a senior recruiter where Oliver would go in the draft. The response was lukewarm. He was expected to be taken in the late teens or early 20s at best. Perhaps he could even slip to the 40s or 50s. (June 2018). iirc it was later in 2015 that a Demon recruiting team (which I think included Goodwin) went to interview him and meet his family etc. They laid down some goals for Oliver to reach to be drafted by us. He reached them. And so the Footy Legend of Clayton Oliver was born.

Lets hope we keep picks 37, 49 and 57 (or get picks with equivalent points) so that we have enough to match, if he slides into the low 20's.

The commentators lauded that pass and others like it. Yet, last year they were criticising them as "hollywood handball" Changed their tune quickly!

In the table I showed players who voted in more than one final. Fritsch got 8 votes in the GF. Only so many votes to go round.

LOL, so HP isn't a modern day Don Juan!

Coaches votes were: QF PF GF Petracca 7 6 10 23 Oliver 10 4 5 19 Gawn 1 10 0 11 Salem 0 6 2 8 Lever had 3 vs Lions, Viney had 3 vs Cats and there was a few 1 votes for other dees.

I think it was Roos who was big on Oliver. He was still building the mid-field/on-ballers core. But to answer your question, the top 10 in 2014 were: McCartin, Petracca, Brayshaw, Pickett, DeGoey, Marchbank, Ahem, 2'metre Pete, Moore (F/S), Cockatoo. As things turned out Brayshaw was the best choice @ pick 3. Roos and JT nailed that draft! Roos' mind games with the Saints helped as they blinked and took McCartin instead of Petracca.

HeartBreaker???

An interesting discussion on the current chasing of ruckmen: rucks-set-to-roll-around-again-until-trade-music-stops The proposition is: "...most clubs now want to take four ruckman into a season, which ideally includes the first ruckman, a ruck-forward, a back-up ruck and a developing ruckman, maybe two". Looking at that proposition of 4/5 ruckman, we have: First Ruck: Gawn Ruck-Forward: Jackson Back-up Ruckman: Daw Developing ruckman (or two): ? We did not renew Bradke's B Rookie contract and with Mac Andrew seemingly out of reach any ideas who could be our 'developing ruckman'? Other sport prospects? Or will we not bother with a 'developing ruckman', for now?

Damn it! I should have known you would be lurking and should have triple rather than double checked!!

Another shout out to the player's at the club for 186 who didn't play that day but stayed true and got to win or be part of a premiership campaign. Max Gawn. Tom McDonald. Neville Jetta. Along with Jones, they are loyal and true Demons who stuck fat through our darkest days on and off the field.

A shout out to Col Garland. In the article he says: "The club means a lot to me. I was there from age 18 to 30...After your time, you just become a supporter...And it's just like anything in life. When you see close friends, who are good people, achieve success in whatever field - that's a really good thing." I always was a fan but he went to the top when he commented on (his good mate) Frawley winning a premiership. He said something like: If I don't win one with Melbourne it won't mean much'. Little doubt Garland's heart still beats true.

That game was wiped from my demon history when over. What I can't forget is the distress at watching a terminally ill Jimmy struggle though the press conf to sack Dean Bailey. And then watching Bailey all alone to front the media, stripped of club colours and of a sponsor board. He was a good man, gave us his all and deserved better. I had tears all the way for both of them and for our beloved club. For mine the aftermath of 186 was more ignominious for our club than the loss itself. Any lingering feelings about 186 were wiped with the rnd 23, after the siren goal to give us a redeeming win at the scene of the crime. Ultimate redemption was thrashing the Cats in the penultimate game of our season; a Preliminary final on the second biggest stage of all with the footy world watching. All was atoned that day.

Agreed. That is effectively what we did with Jordan except that Jordan got 2 years on the main list. There is a fair chance Crows were offering him a main list spot, perhaps 2 years. For him to reject that would suggest we offered something better, perhaps similar to Jordan: 1 rookie year, 2 senior years = 3 year contract. I'm only guessing but that looks like a plausible reading of how things have panned out.

On Trade Radio, Lamb has said we will try and get as high as we can and there are a few things they are looking at. So every chance pick 17 could move up the order.