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In one final trade, The Age has recruited Jake Niall from Fox with Caroline Wilson relinquishing her role as Chief Football Writer. I know she's not been everyone's cup of tea, but 19 years in the role is a pretty solid career. With more positives than negatives in my view. And definitely more lucid than the Herald Sun's equivalent. Interestingly, Patrick Smith has also retired (this week, I think) as a full time journo at The Australian.

There's an interesting guide to the draft in The Age that looks at where each club's list is at and what their needs are in the draft: 2017 Club by Club Guide MELBOURNE Draft picks: 29, 31, 36, 47 DEPTH CHART KEY DEFENDERS: Jake Lever, Oscar McDonald, Sam Frost SMALL/MEDIUM DEFENDERS: Michael Hibberd, Neville Jetta, Jayden Hunt, Christian Salem, Joel Smith, Josh Wagner, Pat McKenna MIDFIELDERS: Clayton Oliver, Jack Viney, Nathan Jones, Dom Tyson, Jordan Lewis, Bernie Vince, Angus Brayshaw, Alex Neal-Bullen, Aaron Vandenberg, Harley Balic, Billy Stretch, Tom Bugg, Corey Maynard KEY FORWARDS: Jesse Hogan, Tom McDonald, Sam Weideman, Cam Pedersen, Tim Smith, Declan Keilty SMALL/MEDIUM FORWARDS: Christian Petracca, Jeff Garlett, Mitch Hannan, Jake Melksham, Dean Kent, James Harmes, Jay Kennedy-Harris, Dion Johnstone RUCKS: Max Gawn, Mitch King, Lachlan Filipovic Melbourne have brought in most of their trade targets in recent seasons and still kept a reasonable draft hand, even though many of their fans had concerns about giving up former No. 1 pick Jack Watts for selection 31. The Dees have done the hard yards at the draft in recent seasons and have nailed enough picks in the last few years to ensure they have a very impressive young core, with few clear weaknesses. To nitpick, most of their best midfielders are primarily inside bulls, so while they have some good movers off half-back they could probably do with some more run through the midfield. Looking at who might be available when the Demons have a glut of picks from 29 to 36, Jack Petruccelle's pace could well be an option, while Ryley Stoddart and Zac Bailey are expected to fall in the second or third round. The Demons have also been linked to Oskar Baker, formerly of the Brisbane Lions' academy, another known for dash. The delisting of Jake Spencer leaves them a little short in the ruck, even though Tom McDonald and Cam Pedersen did decent jobs during the year with Max Gawn injured. It wouldn't be a surprise if Melbourne plucked a mature-age rookie ruck to provide further cover.