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How about Lindsay Smith?

I think it all comes down to who we want from the draft and where we see them falling. I could see us trading down to six plus a lower pick (18?) if we really rated Tauru and thought we could still get him at six. I can’t see us getting 6 and 11 because I don’t think Richmond would do that -...

Yes, of course. Negotiation 101. Doesn’t usually get you anywhere, but doesn’t cost so you might as well ask. At the end of the day, we’ll only trade if we think we are better off with the end result. Of course, the same thing applies to Richmond/Saints etc. It is actually possible to achieve...

He struggles with his metaphors, doesn’t he.

It wasn’t quite that simple. His trajectory turned back at Collingwood, with the gambling incident if not before. They read the signs and we weren’t able to turn it around either. Regardless it’s a shame, but I guess the AFL caper isn’t for everyone.

Granted. But for all the faux tension the AFL tries to build, it’s pretty rare that pick one isn’t known in advance. I suppose that the race is more open than normal this year, but I’d still be surprised.

100%. If Richmond wants 1 & 2, why would they wait until the night? It only creates unnecessary uncertainty for them. And the idea of fielding phone calls and creating some kind of auction in the two minutes before our bid is fanciful. The on-the-night trades seem to work when clubs are...

You make drafting sound so simple! We’ve also had times when we’ve recruited for elite kicking (hi Brad McKenzie) and elite speed (Josh Williams come on down). That didn’t turn out well either. I reckon that Lazz’s form in the VFL showed the type of player we hoped he could turn into. He just...

Yes, you’re both right, it was just a plausible scenario. My point is that you don’t necessarily have to ‘win the trade’ or ‘get overs’ to improve our overall position. There’s lots of posturing on here that misses that point. The last club that regularly won the trade period has now gone...

Hypothetical: We rate Tauru as the best player and fit for us and are confident that he doesn’t go in the first half dozen picks. Richmond offers 6 and 18 for our pick two. Do we: a) hold firm, tell them we need ‘overs’, take Tauru at 2 and congratulate ourselves on not getting bent over at the...

The hospital shop!

I haven’t heard that term since being fed by my Grandma in Warnambool 40 years ago. I thought it was just something she said!

Alternatively, we gave four years to Fisher to provide run from half back and then added elite ball use by recruiting an AA, B&F winning defender from a finals side.

This has Essendon/Atley vibes

It’s all in the apostrophe!

Ok. General question though: does the fact that the points system is changing next year make our future picks more valuable than they would have been, at least to clubs eyeing father/son or academy players next year?

Strong disagree, on the first part, anyway. Some of his VFL games have shown that he definitely knows how to accumulate the ball. And one of the things that struck me in his early AFL games was his hard running to create an outlet. I think his reading of the play and attacking instincts are a...

This might be the case… but there could also be lots of other reasons why he didn’t make it. Some people’s bodies don’t stand up to the level of training needed. Some people need different environments to be at their best mentally. Some people just take ages to mature. Humans are complex...

I’m pretty unsurprised considering how inaccurate it is. We traded JHF and 1 for 2,3 and 20 (plus some later swaps) I care much less about the numbers than the players we landed - in my view we have the best player from that draft.

I think it’s about Clarko trying to get run and drive out of our backline. Same reason that Fisher was favoured despite some of his iffy choices. Also one of the reasons Colby got so much time there and Goater was played there rather than the wing.

Yep, I get the fact that they might have different abilities and we need to balance that. 180cms isn’t an ability.

They’re midfielders not marking targets. What does their height have to do with it? They can either win the ball or they can’t. They can use it well or not. It isn’t high jump.

I remember watching some of H’s early VFL games. He was embarrassing! But he turned into quite a player when the penny dropped and his body got some miles into it. Didn’t happen overnight. I do see the logic in keeping Goad out of the ruck. I reckon you could develop some bad habits if you’re...

I think this is the reason why we’ve been playing midfielders and forwards in our backline for the second half of the year - McKercher, Fisher, Sleevo. Rebound at all costs. It works some of the time but there are still so many skill errors.

It’s not that simple though. They had most of those shots in the last quarter where we couldn’t manage to exit their backline. If they’d kicked one of them straight we’d have restarted in the centre, where we were dominant. I don’t think they’d have ended up with the rest of the shots.

He’s only been here a season and a half and we don’t actually have that many senior players on our list. If you look at it in that light, it’s probably more damning of Freo’s senior core.

Well he’s no more than depth based on his form this season. But players sometimes surprise - eg Xerri this year. I’m not holding my breath on CT, but we’re going to need improvement from many places if we’re going to challenge.

I don’t understand the hate this guy draws from a number of posters on this board. Maybe it’s just the ease with which he moves in social circles, or the ability to get a selfie with Harry Styles? Not everyone succeeds at the top level, and when they don’t it isn’t always due to a lack of work...

Meh. If Atley had the inside game to go with his pace and athleticism he’d have been picked much earlier and touted as the next Judd.

I’d have thought that set shot goal kicking is one of the few attributes that is definitely improvable with the right coaching and training.