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http://www.afl.com.au/news/2015-02-23/no-consent-no-trades-aflpa The players look to the US when it suits them. Teams should be able to trade players at their own desire. Players are forcing through their own movement with blackmail and PR leverage. Teams should be able to send players anywhere in the league, as long the contract they signed is honoured. Contracts need to be between the player and the AFL to allow this.

Players do not get a say in where they are drafted, why should they get a say in where they are traded? Players want more freedoms without the negatives that come with this ultra-professional environment. If you want to be able to stop a trade, negotiate a No Trade Clause into your contract, otherwise you should have no say in where you are traded to - just like in other draft and salary cap regulated leagues - NBA, NFL, NHL, and the MLB. The best teams are not going to get any worse if players are able to dictate where they play.

THE FAT CHRONICLES - FREE AGENCY by The Oracle Life was so much simpler ten years ago when we had a trade week that lasted, erm, well ... a week. Representatives of the sixteen AFL clubs would meet in the sponsors' boxes at Pricefixer Park on the Monday and that would be followed by seven days of argy bargy mixed with a little subterfuge and deception, stories would abound of players and draft picks changing places and in the end, perhaps a dozen or possibly twenty deals would get done, most of them singularly unspectacular. The result was often one of boredom mixed with disappointment met with a shrug of the shoulders and it was on to the next thing which was the national draft meeting in November. I must have missed something because, while this has been going on, those of us who have carefully watched the shenanigans of trade week have openly advocated that the entire process dragged on over too many days. Everybody was waiting for the action to hot up and reach a hectic, dramatic climax in the last day and a half. The pundits were all saying that the AFL should cut the player exchange period down to three days simply to restore some sanity into the picture. Well, the AFL, being the AFL, has suddenly taken a mysterious U turn following the introduction of free agency and has co-joined that concept with the trade period and extended it out to close on to the whole of the month of October. That's why I call it the "FAT" period, which stands for "Free Agency & Trade". The official AFL Free Agency Period runs from 1 October to 5pm on 19 October while the AFL Trade Period runs from 8 October to 2pm on 26 October. By the time we get to the end of the line on that last Friday of next month many of you will risk being left emotionally and physically wrecked by the twists and turns of the FAT period unless you are properly prepared for the ordeal. I'm here to help you get through this difficult time and to ensure that life remains as uncomplicated as possible during this time. The first thing to remember is the "much ado about nothing" rule which applies to a lot of the AFL's business. Despite the warnings of doom and all the hype about free agency, it's not really going to make a difference to most of our lives. One or two big names might change clubs, a number of hopefuls and lesser lights will get involved and a few of them could find new homes and some aging players will boost their pensions. That's it folks. No great dramas! If you don't believe me, here's the latest list of players available as free agents - Complete list of Free Agents: Restricted Free Agents Angus Monfries (Essendon); Brent Moloney (Melbourne); Troy Chaplin, Danyle Pearce (Port Adelaide); Luke McGuane (Richmond); Brendon Goddard (St Kilda). Unrestricted Free Agents Chris Knights (Adel Crows); Jordan Russell, Bret Thornton (Carlton); Ben Johnson (Collingwood); Ricky Dyson, Dustin Fletcher, David Hille, Nathan Lovett-Murray, Henry Slattery (Essendon); Luke McPharlin (Fremantle); Shannon Byrnes, Josh Hunt (Geelong Cats); Thomas Murphy, Michael Osborne, Clinton Young (Hawthorn); Matthew Bate, Lynden Dunn, Jared Rivers (Melbourne); Brett Ebert, Steven Salopek, Jacob Surjan (Port Adelaide); Jason Blake, Raphael Clarke (St Kilda); Jude Bolton, Jarred Moore (Sydney Swans); Quinten Lynch, Mark Nicoski (West Coast); Will Minson (Western Bulldogs). At a guess, no more than about half of this list is likely to change clubs. The rest will either stay put or retire. With a few exceptions (Brendon Goddard mooted to go to the Bombers very early in the proceedings) the changes are unlikely to represent much more than a blip on the radar although hundreds of articles will be written and thousands of discussions and arguments started on the subject with much time of that time wasted. The rumours, innuendo and scuttlebutt have already been flying around the media and the Internet for several weeks. Fear not and remember "much ado about nothing". Now, I've gone all this way without explaining Free Agency and that is because much of the information about the topic has been released by the AFL in dribs and drabs and if I didn't know better (and I actually don't) I would be saying that they're making it all up as they go. However, for a better understanding of the process, I refer you to FA explained by Luke Holmesby of the AFL's own site. He makes a good fist of it and I'll be back from time to time on an irregular basis to discuss the latest developments of this year's FAT Period. Sit back and enjoy the ride!

THE FAT CHRONICLES - ROLLING ALONG by The Oracle The AFL Free Agency and Trade periods became intertwined as the second week of FA was opened and the trade period officially kicked off last Monday. It turned out a reasonably hectic week with most of the focus on the trade aspects while clubs battled to get their heads around the most appropriate strategies for FA. The uncertainty regarding the actual compensation involved under the FA system wasn't helping and some clubs were clearly holding back some of their decisions for later next week and until their trade options had crystallised. The end result from a FA point of view was that only two players found new homes in the second week. Unrestricted FA Tom Murphy (Hawthorn) moved to the Gold Coast Suns while restricted FA Brent Moloney (Melbourne) found a new home with the Brisbane Lions. The list of FAs continues to dwindle with some finalising their commitments to their existing clubs. Many of the rest are not attracting a great deal of interest. In some cases, the waiting game continues. The Trade period started with the father son bidding. The result was predictable in the cases of Lachie Hunter, son of Mark, taken by the Bulldogs at #46 and Joe Daniher, son of Anthony, claimed by the Bombers with tenth pick overall. The intrigue involved Jack Viney and whether Melbourne would have to give up a first round selection for the son of former Demon skipper Todd Viney. Sanity and some behind the scenes wheeling and dealing must have prevailed and Jack managed to be taken at 26 (although that number will change when FA compensation picks are doled out next week). The Dees were thrilled and their fans, ecstatic. With all due respect to Essendon on capturing both Goddard and Daniher, to their minds, the first real "prize" of FAT was theirs! The Gold Coast Suns who had decided against nominating with their pick #2, immediately traded off that selection to Greater Western Sydney for 17 year old WA prodigy Jack Martin who will be pick 1 in the mini-draft. A day later Melbourne moved in on the other pick with a more complex trade handing over picks 3 and 13 for Claremont's Jesse Hogan, North Ballarat's Dominic Barry and pick 20. More excitement for long suffering Dees fans. Meanwhile, the real trade action kicked off with Port Adelaide getting Angus Monfries from Essendon for pick 48. The Bomber forward could have been taken as a FA but the deal was done to preserve Port Adelaide's compensation levels for Danyle Pearce and Troy Chaplin who departed the club in week one of FA. The first bombshell of FAT came when Hawthorn snared Brian Lake and pick 27 from the Western Bulldogs in return for their first and second round picks (21 and 41). The Doggies were somewhat reluctant but knew that they would have received zilch for Lake in 12 month's time when he would have become a FA. The Kurt Tippett saga ran its course through the week and remains unresolved with the Crows and Swans both playing hardball as the impasse continued to have bitter undertones. Things continued to move slowly through the week with the odd deal done here and there. The Saints picked up Claremont tall and picks 24 and 43 for their first rounder (12) which went to GWS. Lee, who had previously been on Adelaide's list but did not play a senior game for the Crows was football for the club, was pre-listed by GWS. Geelong won the battle for reluctant Gold Coast Suns midfielder. Although the final deal is yet to be worked out, it is likely to cost the Cats either a first rounder or a compensation pick received when Gary Ablett went north. West Coast and Collingwood finally came to agreement on Sharrod Wellingham who returns home to Perth in exchange for draft selection 17. Of course, the completed deals were only the tip of the iceberg as discussions on the fate of several players continued. Here is the excerpt for Melbourne from the AFL website's State of Play for week two:- Melbourne's trade strategy of bringing in a selection of players with maturity and experience to balance the loss of others who have either gone or are on the way out is interesting. Having collected their young prizes early in the week, it is becoming apparent that the national draft will not present too many difficult selection issues for the recruiting staff. The Demons should retain pick 4 which is likely to present the club with a talented young midfielder but otherwise, when the FAT is done and dusted (including possible delisted FAs in November) the actual national draft itself may not be very eventful for Melbourne. We should remember that the father son pick and rookie elevations count as part of a club's minimum allowable three draft selections. If a few other clubs follow that course (and I suspect that this will be a flow on from FAT) then the rookie draft might present some interesting choices in December. In the meantime, the FAT times just keep rolling along. Week Two - completed FATs - Trades, Week 1 ■ Gold Coast Suns trade picks 2, 63 and 2010 end-of-first-round compensation pick to GWS for selection 1 in the mini-draft (Jack Martin) and 2011 end-of-first-round compensation pick. ■ Port Adelaide trades pick 48 to Essendon for Angus Monfries. ■ St Kilda trades pick 12 to GWS for Tom Lee (Claremont), picks 24 and 43. ■ Hawthorn trades picks 21 and 41 to Western Bulldogs for Brian Lake and pick 27. ■ Melbourne trades picks 3 and 13) to GWS for Dominic Barry, selection 2 in the mini-draft (Jesse Hogan) and pick 20. ■ West Coast Eagles trade pick 17 to Collingwood for Sharrod Wellingham Free Agency Movements, Week 2 ■ Tom Murphy (Hawthorn UFA) moves to the Gold Coast Suns. ■ Brent Moloney (Melbourne RFA) moves to the Brisbane Lions.

THE FAT CHRONICLES - COMBINATION by The Oracle We entered uncharted territory this week with free agency and the impending trade period dominating the football news at one level and the Draft Combine attracting interest with respect to new talent on another. The FAT "Free Agency and Trades The conclusion from the first week of FA is that it is generally an unqualified success in terms of getting seasoned players together with their preferred new clubs. Of the list of restricted free agents Brendon Goddard (Essendon), Danyle Pearce (Fremantle) and Troy Chaplin (Richmond) found new homes while Chris Knights (Richmond), Shannon Byrnes (Melbourne) and Quinten Lynch (Collingwood) are of the unrestricted variety who did likewise. This left many FAs still in limbo and while a few others will find new destinations and others will still come to terms with their existing clubs, for some it will be the end of the road. This weekend presents a perfect segue into a fortnight in which the FA and trade period becomes FAT. During the week, the trade conjecture stepped up with Kurt Tippett becoming the major player as he plans his exodus from Adelaide. Collingwood pair Sharrod Wellingham and Chris Dawes who both want out are also attracting interest and young Sun's midfielder Josh Caddy has everyone guessing as to where he will end up although some are scratching their heads as to how someone who finished 17th in the club's best and fairest while playing every game of the season could be such a wanted man. Things will play themselves out slowly in the coming weeks but one matter affecting the trades and draft positioning will be the three potential father/son picks nominated in that category for the 2012 national draft. Their fate will be decided on Monday morning at the opening of the exchange period when opposition clubs can bid for them ahead of the draft. The nominating club then has to decide whether to take player at its next available selection in that round (not including compensation picks). The players available are Joe Daniher (Essendon), Lachie Hunter (Western Bulldogs) and Jack Viney (Melbourne). Other potential f/s players. Jordon Bourke (Geelong - son of Damian), James Stewart (Collingwood - son of Craig) and James Stewart (Hawthorn - son of John Platten) were overlooked. Daniher is expected to be taken with Essendon's first pick, Hunter with the Bulldogs' third round pick while Viney's situation is up in the air. Depending on whether he is claimed by one of the new franchises he could go to Melbourne as early as pick three or in the second round. We'll know soon after 10 o'clock. By way of a general update, here is the excerpt for Melbourne from the AFL website's State of Play The Draft Combine There was an added flavour to this year's draft combine with the introduction of an international group of potential draftees - Internationals named for Combine. Some of the lads produced great results in the athletic testing and one Gideon Simon of Papua New Guinea has been added to Richmond's list as an international rookie while New Zealander Kurt Heatherly is a Hawthorn scholarship holder who has already shown out with Caulfield Grammar and the Sandringham Dragons. Melbourne, which pioneered international recruiting with its Irish contingent lad by Jim Stynes and Sean Wight in the 1980s, has shunned this pathway in recent years. Perhaps the success of Sydney's Canadian ruckman Mike Pyke might revive some interest on the part of the club. If it does, then in US College basketballer Eric Wallace might fit the bill. Athletically, he's a freak but the question is whether he has the same level of commitment and desire to learn and achieve at a foreign sport in an alien environment as did our Jim and whether the MFC has the resources and will to develop such a person. The rest of the week's combine didn't attract the hoopla of the internationals but there was a substantial amount of interest from club recruiting people who not only observed the testing but conducted what, in many cases, were detailed interviews with their subjects and these were only the tip of the iceberg where specific targets were concerned. The amount of background checking of potential draftees these days is quite unbelievable. Naturally, there were a few standouts and a handful would have improved their draft stocks. These included some of the more seasoned players in the group who have been playing against men such as North Ballarat's Dean Towers and Launceston's Jesse Lonergan through to 17 year old GWS Mini Draft prospects Jack Martin, Jesse Hogan and Joshua Kelly. More testing continues at the State Screeinings over the weekend. The big question as always is whether they can play footy? 2012 Draft Combine Results Below are the leading results from the 2012 NAB AFL Draft Combine held at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne. 3 kilometre time trial (minutes:seconds) Joshua Kelly Vic Sandringham Dragons 09:48 Tom Clurey Vic Murray Bushrangers 10:01 Dominic Barry NT North Ballarat Rebels 10:09 Kamdyn McIntosh WA Peel Thunder 10:14 Jake Neade NT North Ballarat Rebels 10:16 Sean Hurley Ire Kildare 10:17 Tanner Smith Vic North Ballarat Rebels 10:18 Sam Siggins Tas Lauderdale 10:19 Mitchell Van Den Berg Tas North Launceston 10:19 Sean Lynch WA South Fremantle 10:20 Jesse Hogan WA Claremont 10:20 Shuttle Run (Beep Test) Level Tom Clurey Vic Murray Bushrangers 15-1 Mitchell Van Den Berg Tas North Launceston 14-9 Kamdyn McIntosh WA Peel Thunder 14-8 Joshua Kelly Vic Sandringham Dragons 14-6 Will Hams Vic Gippsland Power 14-4 Jonathan O'Rourke Vic Calder Cannons 14-4 Sam Siggins Tas Lauderdale 14-4 Oliver Wines Vic Bendigo Pioneers 14-3 Jason Ashby Vic Oakleigh Chargers 14-2 Brodie Murdoch SA Glenelg 14-2 Jacob Ballard Vic Northern Knights 14-2 Dominic Barry NT North Ballarat Rebels 14-2 Jesse Hogan WA Claremont 14-2 Clean hands test Score Matthew Dick Vic Calder Cannons 29 Laine Wilkins WA Peel Thunder 29 Jake Stringer Vic Bendigo Pioneers 28 Nathan Hrovat Vic Northern Knights 28 Jordon Bourke Qld Morningside 27 Matthew Brett Vic Murray Bushrangers 27 Brodie Grundy SA Sturt 27 Toby Nankervis Tas North Launceston 27 Dayle Garlett WA Claremont 27 Harrison Marsh WA East Fremantle 27 Nick Rodda WA West Perth 27 Goal kicking test Score Andrew Boston Qld Broadbeach 30 Jesse Lonergan Tas Launceston 30 Jake Stringer Vic Bendigo Pioneers 30 Will Hams Vic Gippsland Power 25 Jake Neade NT North Ballarat Rebels 25 Shannon Taylor WA Claremont 25 Cameron Banfield Vic Sandringham Dragons 25 Sean Lynch WA South Fremantle 25 Jackson Macrae Vic Oakleigh Chargers 25 Brodie Murdoch SA Glenelg 25 Josh Simpson WA East Fremantle 25 Laine Wilkins WA Peel Thunder 25 Tim Broomhead SA Port Adelaide 25 Joshua Kelly Vic Sandringham Dragons 25 Jack Martin WA Claremont 25 Tom Clurey Vic Murray Bushrangers 25 Nick Rodda WA West Perth 25 James Stewart Vic Sandringham Dragons 25 Mason Wood Vic Geelong Falcons 25 Toby Nankervis Tas North Launceston 25 Kicking test Score Laine Wilkins WA Peel Thunder 29 Rory Atkins Vic Calder Cannons 29 Josh Simpson WA East Fremantle 29 Jack Martin WA Claremont 28 Will Hams Vic Gippsland Power 28 Brodie Murdoch SA Glenelg 28 Dominic Barry NT North Ballarat Rebels 27 Aidan Corr Vic Northern Knights 27 Kamdyn McIntosh WA Peel Thunder 27 James Stewart Vic Sandringham Dragons 27 Matthew Haynes Vic Northern Knights 27 Louis Herbert Vic North Ballarat Rebels 27 Jason Pongracic Vic Dandenong Stingrays 27 Agility test (minutes:seconds) Lachie Hunter Vic Western Jets 8:00 Jesse Lonergan Tas Launceston 8:25 Tim O'Brien SA Glenelg 8:30 Jordon Bourke Qld Morningside 8:30 Emmett Bradley Ireland Derry 8:31 Zac Williams NSW/ACT Narrandera 8:32 Laine Wilkins WA Peel Thunder 8:33 Mason Woods Vic Geelong Falcons 8:35 Jason Ashby Vic Oakleigh Chargers 8:36 Jason Pongracic Vic Dandenong Stingrays 8:36 Height Centimetres Cameron Symonds WA East Fremantle 203.4 Liam McBean Vic Calder Cannons 203.1 Darcy Fort Vic Geelong Falcons 202.7 Chris Prowse Vic Oakleigh Chargers 202.5 Lewis Pierce Vic Dandenong Stingrays 202.3 Brodie Grundy SA Sturt 201.8 Myles Bolger WA South Fremantle 201.6 Yannick Crowder USA Stone Mountain 201.6 Joe Daniher Vic Calder Cannons 201.0 Sam Gilmore Vic Northern Knights 200.6 Jack Hannath SA Central Districts 200.6 Weight Kilograms Cameron Symonds WA East Fremantle 104.9 Benjamin Shearry USA Idaho 102.9 Eric Wallace USA Winston-Salem 102.5 Brodie Grundy SA Sturt 99.8 Toby Nankervis Tas North Launceston 99.8 Yannick Crowder USA Stone Mountain 98.9 Nick Rodda WA West Perth 98.1 Jesse Hogan WA Claremont 97.4 Jack Hannath SA Central Districts 97.2 Myles Bolger WA South Fremantle 94.7 Hand span Centimetres Yannick Crowder USA Stone Mountain 26.8 Spencer White Vic Western Jets 26.1 Mason Wood Vic Geelong Falcons 25.3 Eric Wallace USA Winston-Salem 25.2 Brodie Grundy SA Sturt 25.1 Kurt Heatherley NZ Bay of Plenty 25.1 Jason Ashby Vic Oakleigh Chargers 25.1 Cameron Symonds WA East Fremantle 24.8 Nick Rodda WA West Perth 24.8 Jesse Hogan WA Claremont 24.8 Jacob Ballard Vic Northern Knights 24.8 Emmanuel Irra SA South Adelaide 24.8 Standing vertical jump Centimetres Dean Towers Vic North Ballarat Roosters 85 Jesse Lonergan Tas Launceston 83 Spencer White Vic Western Jets 82 Eric Wallace USA Winston-Salem 80 Laine Wilkins WA Peel Thunder 75 Harrison Marsh WA East Fremantle 73 James Stewart Vic Sandringham Dragons 73 Clay Cameron Qld Mt Gravatt 72 Adam Saad Vic Calder Cannons 72 Aidan Corr Vic Northern Knights 72 Running vertical jump Centimetres Spencer White Vic Western Jets 100 Laine Wilkins WA Peel Thunder 97 Jesse Lonergan Tas Launceston 91 Jake McKenzie Vic Western Jets 89 Clay Cameron Qld Mt Gravatt 88 Jed Anderson NT NT Thunder 87 James Stewart Vic Sandringham Dragons 86 Matthew Haynes Vic Northern Knights 86 Eric Wallace USA Winston-Salem 85 Jacob Ballard Vic Northern Knights 84 Dominic Barry NT North Ballarat Rebels 84 20 metre sprints (seconds) Adam Saad Vic Calder 2.81 Kurt Heatherley NZ 2.84 Leigh Osborne Vic Frankston 2.86 Matthew Dick Vic Calder 2.88 Matthew Haynes Vic Northern Knights 2.89 Dean Towers Vic North Ballarat VFL 2.89 Aiden Corr Vic Northern Knights 2.89 Clay Cameron Qld Mt Gravatt 2.91 Jordon Bourke Qld Morningside 2.92 Cameron Banfield Vic Sandringham 2.93 Jarrod Stokes NT Darwin 2.93 Repeat sprints (seconds) Matthew Haynes Vic Northern Knights 23.91 Harrison Marsh WA East Fremantle 24.32 Dean Towers Vic North Ballarat Roosters 24.48 Leigh Osborne Vic Frankston 24.74 Joshua Kelly Vic Sandringham Dragons 24.91 Tim Broomhead SA Port Adelaide 24.98 Jesse Lonergan Tas Launceston 25.12 Gideon Simon PNG Mt Hagan 25.18 Dominic Barry NT North Ballarat Rebels 25.19 Tim O'Brien SA Glenelg 25.19

BACK TO SQUARE ONE by Whispering Jack Much of the discussion concerning this year's AFL National Draft has been on the subject of whether the quality and depth of the players available are such that would make it a "super draft" in much the same way as it was back in 2001 when Luke Hodge, Luke Ball and Chris Judd went 1-2-3, Jimmy Bartel and Nick dal Santo also went in the first round, Stevie J, Sam Mitchell, Dane Swan and Brian Lake went further down the list and Melbourne bombed out as usual. Emma Quayle, who is the resident draft guru at the Age newspaper, considers this year's version to be "Good, but not quite a 'super draft'." She cites the AFL recruiters (and they should know) whose feeling is "that the coming draft hovers somewhere between 'normal' and 'pretty good,' but that it is not one with the potential to solve everyone's problem in one hit." To that, I say "darn" because, from a Melbourne perspective, the club continues to have problems after five years of rebuilding and with plenty of early draft picks on its list. Destined to finish bottom four and having activated both Scully "compensation" selections and with the advent of free agency, the Demons must make the most out of its recruiting at the end of the year. This horror year for the club in terms of on and off field disappointments must be turned around by some deft work at the trade table, some smart use of free agency and by getting its draft picks right. There have already been suggestions that it will not be relying simply on the draft to regenerate its list and perhaps, the recruiters have been looking to ladder leading Sydney for inspiration. At the end of season 2009, the Swans were on what seemed to be a downward spiral into possible oblivion before trading into an extra first round draft pick for Darren Jolly. They ended up with Gary Rohan and Lewis Jetta as first round selections followed by Sam Reid at number 38 to go with trade picks Shane Mumford, Josh Kennedy and Ben McGlynn. That was on top of securing the NAB rising star from the previous year's draft (at 30). They develop their players well up there but there's no doubt that Sydney's recruiting has been first class. Meanwhile, we Melbourne fans have been waiting patiently for our bevy of early draft picks to come on stream and show us more than just promise. There are some extenuating circumstances behind the performances of the Demon youngsters including some extraordinarily bad luck injuries but, on the whole, "disappointment" is the best description of the club's recruiting efforts over the past half decade (and beyond). We have yet to develop a player into a champion or even one who might one day wear that mantle and, after all this time, the feeling is very much that we are back to square one. There might still be a few months of football left in this season, but for those of us who support clubs that can't make the finals, it's time to look to the off season trading and drafting period that will last till close on Christmas. For Melbourne, this is the time frame it has to repair a list that has a number of deficiencies, most notably its substandard midfield and its lack of forward fire power, particularly those who can apply pressure to keep the ball in attack and to crumb and kick goals. Fortunately, the club does have one piece of the jigsaw under control in the form of father/son prospect Jack Viney who is a small midfielder of the inside variety who is hard at it and committed to the club. Viney is already within the system and has played one game at Casey where he acquitted himself well until Geelong's David Wocjinski connected with his jaw and broke it. The youngster came back in time to play two fairly decent games for Vic Metro in the national under 18 championships but he missed out on All Australian selection (see below). The trade/draft period kicks off officially soon after the grand final with the Draft Combine followed shortly thereafter by an elongated trade "week" which starts with the father/son bidding and the GWS Mini Draft. Viney's fate is therefore likely to be one of the first outcomes of the off season activities. The big question is whether he will cost the club a first or second round draft selection under father/son bidding and, given that most experts consider him to be just outside the top five, this would depend mainly on the integrity of the clubs finishing below Melbourne on the ladder. Would a club like GWS bid for Viney simply to act as a spoiler for Melbourne to force it to use its first pick? One would have thought such a move to be counterproductive. It could take a potential pick out of contention for use in the GWS Mini Draft and even more so, would benefit a number of rival clubs by effectively moving them up one rung in selection. And that's even before one considers issues such as draft tampering and clubs acting as honest brokers. I recall Craig Cameron once commenting on how important honesty and straight dealing have become in the modern, professional era of recruiting. There will be days when the actions of those who act in spite, will come back to bite them on the bum. This year, the GWS Mini Draft will be interesting and Melbourne is a likely player with three first round picks currently at its disposal and two WA 17 year old sensations in Jack Martin and Jesse Hogan already front and square in the calculations of the recruiters - Young guns Jack Martin, Jesse Hogan remain stoic. Both lads are All Australians and most good judges consider the wait for their services (they can't play AFL until 2014) more than worthwhile. Next time, I will take a look at the likely prospects for the national draft. Foremost among them will be the 22 who made the 2012 NAB AFL All-Australian team:- Defenders: Sam Colquhoun (SA), Matt Scharenberg (SA), Luke McDonald (Vic Metro), Jimmy Toumpas (SA), Jesse Hogan (WA), Nick Vlastuin (Vic Metro) Midfield: James Aish (SA), Oliver Wines (Vic Country), Lachie Whitfield (Vic Country), Brodie Grundy (SA), Jonathon O'Rourke (Vic Metro), Nathan Hrovat (Vic Metro) Forwards: Jack Billings (Vic Metro), Taylor Garner (Vic Country), Jack Martin (WA), Ben Kennedy (SA), Joe Daniher (Vic Metro), Matthew McDonough (SA) Interchange: Andrew Boston (QLD), Dayle Garlett (WA), Jake Neade (NT), Jackson Thurlow (TAS) Later: Whispering Jack will reveal his favourite among the young up and comers. Hint: last year he picked Jack Viney who wasn't drafted and this year's pick wont be drafted either!