ignition.

The former.

I use to find him quite intriguing, but in recent times I had forgotten about him. On the plus side he'd be coming from a system with training standards pushed by Hodge, Roughead, Mitchell (previous), and Lewis (previous). Be memory he has excellent foot skills as well as endurance and pace. So on face value, he seems to fit the bill. However, looking up his deficiencies he seems to lack the ability to win contested ball and tackle, which just won't fly. Is he currently in contract or about to be delisted? At most, he is worth a conversation between Taylor, Viney, and co. as a rookie selection.

Every off-season we need to trade in depth. Better talent across the list, whether that be at the top or bottom, will improve training standards and competition for spots. Is Hartung the right fit? Probably not based on his size, tackling pressure, and low levels of contested possession.

I disagree. We need to generate depth for years to come, not just focus on the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Keep in mind, Vince, Lewis, and Jones may only have a year or two left. We also need to improve the list at every turn, whether that's at the bottom end or top end. If Balic replaces and improves the position (increasing spot competition) of say Trengove or Kennedy from this year, JKH or Johnstone next year, so be it, it's a win. What do you think the probability is to draft "a star" with or between our picks of 45 and 63?

The club can now argue that he didn't even poll in Adelaide's B&F top 10, so why would they offer more? Obviously, a few of his votes were taken out. What a poor and unprofessional way to handle his departure. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/adelaide/jake-lever-told-not-to-attend-adelaides-bestandfairest-after-trade-request/news-story/b5a13c82a91449ab806c3017a431ed34

It's obvious I'm a fan of Balic. Now I hope the club can stick to their guns and get him with a 4th round pick. Even though I think he's worth pick 45 (3rd round), the club is in the right position to get him for less.

Quoted from KC of Casey in the Jack Trengove win the Casey B & F thread. "The runner up (of the Casey B & F) was promising youngster Bayley Fritsch who also won the VFL's Fothergill–Round Medal for 2017 which is presented to the most promising young talent in the VFL competition." Great to read! I hope we can acquire him in the draft (before another club selects him).

So did drafting Liam Hulett (pick #45). We may be saying the same for Mitch King (#42) and Dion Johnstone (#64) this time next year. Targeting Balic is not like going after Tom Mitchell or another Clayton Oliver. He does however show far greater potential than his current market value of a late 3rd or 4th round pick (#45 - 60). He was certainly better than Stretch and Bugg when he played against them (granted n = 1). Any upgrade in depth whether it's at the bottom end or top end of the list is beneficial.

I disagree. From what I've seen Lennon is an inferior player to Balic. Lennon also appears out of contract this year and I suspect he'll be delisted. The only reason he'll be re-signed would be due to Richmond's initial investment of Pick No.12 in the 2013 National draft.

Keep in mind each club must turnover at least three players each year. Three must subsequently be obtained via the National Draft. Rarely a club turns over just three. A club will often draft more than three and trade in additional players, thus the turnover is often between five and eight. This is a key reason why JKH this year, and Trengove and Spencer last year were offered one-year contract extensions. Each club must balance their delistings. Like Jetta a few years ago, JKH may come good, alternatively, he may not. Likewise, Trengove and Spencer were given a similar opportunity this year for which they failed. What our club, or any club, doesn't ever want is to be forced into delisting quality players as a consequence of poor list management. Thus, it is beneficial to stagnant the delistings. Getting rid of Garland now will not provide us any real value (e.g. a free spot on the list which we should be fine acquiring anyway). Instead, it would still chew into the salary cap and place more pressure on the list management for next year.

I thought he was sensational in the game he played against us. He really stood out for me, and that is the main reason why I started this thread. For me he looked to be in a similar class to several of our young talents. If we can acquire him for a third, or particularly a forth round pick, it's great value! I see far greater upside in Balic over the likes of drafting another 18 year old Hulett or Johnston. Granted, Taylor may find another Hunt via the draft, but I saw Balic in a similar league, albeit a completely different role. Hope we grab him.

That has to be the most Gentleman-like argument I've seen on here. Hats off to you both

Yes, we let one slip today. However, will the umpiring be one sided in favour of the Eagles tomorrow? Surely it's beneficial for the AFL to have a W.A team in the finals (particularly financially). We all know how much they love "equality" amongst the teams. Hope I'm wrong.

I'd be happy to take Lever, but why do we think he's the highest priority? We need a replacement for Vince and other fringe midfielders. It will likely be another couple years and the same will said for Lewis and Jones. If we're to truly challenge for a premiership we need one of, if not the best midfield in the competition.

David Schwartz we know you read DL. Raise the topic on radio.

Where there's smoke there's fire. We see it all too often. These umpires are definitely questionable. It does make me wonder if they're getting paid off. I genuinely try to see it from an unbiased perspective at games, but these one sided games are getting out of hand. The betting industry has never been bigger. Something is wrong.

Excellent proposal. It would be tough indeed. Certainly worth the discussion. Should also come at a lower cost than that rumoured for Kelly.

Who said we'rs restricted to one recruit?

Definitely questionable. When watching the game I try to be unbiased and see it for how it is. Generally I think I do it pretty well. However, time and time again it just seems far too strange. Particularly after watching other matches between other sides. I understand there is the odd slip or poor call, I can accept that, but not the constant one-sided bias. Either AFL corruption or organised crime is playing a part in the AFL fixture (not just MFC games).

I don't think Zac Jones gave anything away in that interview. However, our own Nathan Jones seemed to have greater trouble at holding a straight face when probed about it on the Thursday footy show a couple weeks ago (13/07/17). I can't recall exactly what he said, but you can tell Nathan wants him over. He mentioned how he's 7-8 years his younger and that they've never played together. He then referred to it as a fairy tale and a dream come true if it were to happen. Clearly, the club is targeting him (from list management to captain). We can only hope they're successful.

"Doesn't possess anything we need" or "we have too much of that type" are the biggest cop-outs I read on here. Steve you stated the same thing regarding the previous proposal for Tom Mitchell (and he's killing it if you haven't noticed). Are we or are we not trying to build a team worthy of winning a premiership? If YES, then we have two major windows approaching. The first includes Vince, Lewis, Pedersen, and Jones, while the second does not due to their respective ages and forthcoming retirements. It will be led by our young-bloods coming through. Thus, we will need to find replacements for the above players, while also continuing to generate depth. This will be done via a combination of developing our current crop, as well as drafting and recruitment. To maximise success we need to make the best use of all our draft pick assets (especially the late ones where Balic fits the bill). I'm not proposing Balic as the next ball magnet like Tom Mitchell or Clayton Oliver, but from what I saw he was impressive. He's certainly no worse than our own Stretch, ANB, Bugg, Harmes, and even Brayshaw, and he's certainly better than those at the bottom of our list. Consistent with the fact he averaged 31 possessions as a 19 year old in the WAFL last year makes him a very promising long-term prospect.

Cameron McCarthy is going quite well for them. With any late pick (draft selection or trade) there is some form of risk or deficiency. At his current market value, the pros vastly outweigh the cons.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. That house ought to be heritage listed.

Reasons why?

Sorry I cannot conclusively confirm it as just homesickness. Interestingly, I just watched one of his U18 "draft me" videos where he mentioned he was coached by our own Justin Plapp. Surely he should help provide the club some greater insight into his character and current state.