Traded #17: Jake Melksham - Traded to Melbourne for pick 25

FlyingV

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I think sometimes he needs to understand that he has a role to play, and atm that role is to gather 16-22 possies a game and be a goal threat, something that he did very well in 2013.
There's simply not enough midfield ball to get when Watson, Heppell, Stanton, Zaka, Goddard and Myers are in there...
and thats totally okay.
 

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Phone

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incomplete list of things melksham could be (up to page 35 or whatever)

anything
an elite midfielder
Pendlebury
Hayes
West
Amazing
superstar
really good midfielder
something special

End of 2010 season

pedestrian
elite potential/gem
gifted midfielder

End of 2011 season

an A Grade player
Will be good but will never be the midfielder some people think he is going to be
may end up better than Stanton.
going to do big things for this club
Can;t see any reason why he won;t become a very good to elite player.
Dal Santo
Robinson Crusoe
continue to frustrate some over the next 2 or 3 years
it might take another 18-24 months before we start seeing a genuine consistent AFL midfielder.
can develop into a very good second stringer like a James Kelly
It was a return to Jake showing the glimpses of the great outside/inside mid that he can be for the club more than anything else.
When this kid bulks up he will be a gun
Just needs to work on his defensive side and he will be a gun.
Has the potential to be the most damaging player in our side IMO
At 24-25 he'll be a very good AFL standard footballer.
He will end up being in the top 5-6 players in this draft.
He'll end up being in the best 10 from this draft, maybe top 5.
could be a great player if he gets his attitude right.
With most good players, you can see straight away whether they have the decision making & awareness required to be a good AFL player...Jake doesn't appear to have it.
Will be a serious player
not AFL standard.
Shows very little defineable quality that says he's going to be a good AFL player.
Could be a gun, but lazy.
going to be a good player
Just make sure he isn't at Essendon next year because he is beyond useless.
I can see him becoming a real star someday
to become a seriously damaging stoppages player (in the Sean Burgoyne at Port Adelaide mould).
He'll be a key contributor in our next premiership side
he can be a goal kicking midfielder someone who kicks 25 a year when he reaches his best
does have the tools to be a good outside player who can play a minor inside role when needed.
My prediction is he will develop into a solid B grade midfielder like Brad Sewell, nothing special just solid and that's all we can ask.
 

CakeButcher

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incomplete list of things melksham could be (up to page 35 or whatever)

anything
an elite midfielder
Pendlebury
Hayes
West
Amazing
superstar
really good midfielder
something special

End of 2010 season

pedestrian
elite potential/gem
gifted midfielder

End of 2011 season

an A Grade player
Will be good but will never be the midfielder some people think he is going to be
may end up better than Stanton.
going to do big things for this club
Can;t see any reason why he won;t become a very good to elite player.
Dal Santo
Robinson Crusoe
continue to frustrate some over the next 2 or 3 years
it might take another 18-24 months before we start seeing a genuine consistent AFL midfielder.
can develop into a very good second stringer like a James Kelly
It was a return to Jake showing the glimpses of the great outside/inside mid that he can be for the club more than anything else.
When this kid bulks up he will be a gun
Just needs to work on his defensive side and he will be a gun.
Has the potential to be the most damaging player in our side IMO
At 24-25 he'll be a very good AFL standard footballer.
He will end up being in the top 5-6 players in this draft.
He'll end up being in the best 10 from this draft, maybe top 5.
could be a great player if he gets his attitude right.
With most good players, you can see straight away whether they have the decision making & awareness required to be a good AFL player...Jake doesn't appear to have it.
Will be a serious player
not AFL standard.
Shows very little defineable quality that says he's going to be a good AFL player.
Could be a gun, but lazy.
going to be a good player
Just make sure he isn't at Essendon next year because he is beyond useless.
I can see him becoming a real star someday
to become a seriously damaging stoppages player (in the Sean Burgoyne at Port Adelaide mould).
He'll be a key contributor in our next premiership side
he can be a goal kicking midfielder someone who kicks 25 a year when he reaches his best
does have the tools to be a good outside player who can play a minor inside role when needed.
My prediction is he will develop into a solid B grade midfielder like Brad Sewell, nothing special just solid and that's all we can ask.
Would love to know how many of those were posted by Eth.
 

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matty lloyd the champ

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You just don't trade your club champions who have been at the club for 10+ years.

The bloke has played 223 games in the red and black. He has earned the right to be a one club player.

Back on topic, it is rather difficult for Melksham to show his game when we persist with him on the HFF. Unfortunately, he is just far behind the pecking order at the moment.
 

CBombers17

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Seems to lack the tank to play at this level. Either that or the smarts to get to the right places efficiently - those who watch more live games would know.

I'd like to see him become a good first option footballer and continue to develop his defensive skills. I think he tends to go for too much with the ball and probably knocks his own confidence around. More Heffernan and less Mercuri would be the go for Jake.
 

NAB777

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People forget that at the end of last year this guy was the only bloke capable of gathering 20+ possies and was legitimately one of our better performers.

He's been crap, but give him time, he has talent and plenty of experience for a young kid
Or, you could go back & look at the stats from the last 5 games of 2013 & see that what you said isn't true.
 

FlyingV

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Or, you could go back & look at the stats from the last 5 games of 2013 & see that what you said isn't true.
He averaged 20.2 disposals in his last 5 games in a team that was being heavily beaten and struggling to runout the season...

he also chipped in with a 2-3 goal haul in there as well.

Turns out what I said is true.
 

Essendonia

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We've come this far, might as well back him in for another couple of seasons. Given his contractual status (end of 2015) next pre-season looms large for him; he'd really want to be best-21, you'd think. Has plenty of experience and youth on his side, so there is potential for quick improvement/consistency.

There doesn't seem to be a spot in the midfield presently, but he should probably be trying to aim for Stanton, Hocking and Howlett - all of whom have plenty of football in them. I have failed to mention Zach, as he is probably almost best-22 already now, replacing his brother.

The beauty of the situation is that we'll have a lot of young mids jostling for positions, so hopefully they motivate each other to new heights, though I'm not sure this has necessarily happened this year as it doesn't appear any of Melksham, Kav, Edwards, Aylett, NOB etc have been transcendent at VFL level.
 

Runk

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Turn him into a tagger. Simple. Bulk him up over the Summer, develop his tank, read the riot act to him and tell him his job each week is to shut someone down. Leave the ball in his court. If by the end of 2015 he's at the same level, flowing in and out of the starting 22 and reserves then time to part ways. Sick of having onto blokes far too long clogging up spots just because we hope that one day they 'might' come good (see: Gumbleton.)
 

NAB777

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He averaged 20.2 disposals in his last 5 games in a team that was being heavily beaten and struggling to runout the season...

he also chipped in with a 2-3 goal haul in there as well.

Turns out what I said is true.
Re-read what you wrote.
Were any others getting 20 a game? Yes.
Was Jake getting 20 every game? No.

He is a moderate player at best, and will never be anything else.
 
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Re-read what you wrote.
Were any others getting 20 a game? Yes.
Was Jake getting 20 every game? No.

He is a moderate player at best, and will never be anything else.
so how do you explain his 5th place finish in the best and fairest? coaches got it wrong?
are you looking purely at stats and perhaps didn't watch any of the games

my memory, and the stats do support this, is that he had a fine finish to the year when others faltered.

he has been terrible this year. i believe he is capable of being a gun, and there is too much talent there to work with to throw it away now.
 
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