2018 Demons

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Shiny Penny
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Family isn't home until Wednesday, go nuts. ;)

Alrighty brother. Would love similar info on Lever, Hunt, Fritsch, Spargo… really whoever you'd like to provide background on- so many players out there at once, it's hard to get your arms around.
 
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Alrighty brother. Would love similar info on Lever, Hunt, Fritsch, Spargo… really whoever you'd like to provide background on- so many players out there at once, it's hard to get your arms around.
No probs ... meanwhile, if anyone else has something to add, jump in ...

Lever - Was drafted in the same year as Petracca and Brayshaw, the word was we were VERY keen on drafting him at the time, but his draft range was higher than 2 or 3 because he was coming of a knee reconstruction. Yet we were apparently so keen, we entertained trade offers for pick 2 or 3, as long as we got a pick around 10 back so we could draft him. It obviously never happened and he was eventually drafted by Adelaide with pick 14 (a bargain, albeit with a risk), but we stayed in contact with him as his management, so while approaching the end of 2017 and being out of contract, the good word was that'd he'll be nominating Melbourne as his destination club. I'll cover what that meant to Adelaide and it's fans when you get to that game (another 2 games I think) but he came to us as an elite intercept defender, named in the All-Australian squad of 40 players, and coming from an losing Grand Final team, where he was one of the very few Adelaide players who could actually hold his head high with his performance, the big knock on him however, is that he was playing in a very strong Adelaide backline, where he was generally the 3rd key defender, and he struggled against the game's better forwards. As you've probably seen, the start to his career as a Demon wasn't ideal, with him struggling in a new set up, but he gets better and better as the season goes on, right up until it ends prematurely (which I hope isn't a spoiler.

Hunt - A very late pick, from the range that you don't expect much from the players that are taken there. He burst onto the scene in 2016 with an immediate impact, his speed and intensity at the ball the highlight. He played most games that year, and he looked to be cemented in our best 22 from there on out. The next year he played every game, however he didn't quite seem to be the player he was in his first year, the 70m plays were there, where he'd run 20m and kick it 50, but there was plenty of frustrations with him, and his propensity to blindly bomb the ball long, often turning it over, while I think his defensive efforts which were a feature of his game started to drop away. Now fast forward to this year, and he seemed to be anonymous for too much time in too many games, the impact he first had just wasn't there. He went back to the VFL to work on that, and I believe whenever it looked like he was turning it around, he injured himself. Hopefully with a big preseason, and a clear run at it with injury, Hunt the impact player can make a return.

Fritsch - As I said before, is another mature ager that we drafted with a somewhat significant draft pick, in that is was the pick that we traded Jack Watts (who we selected with Pick 1 in 2008, and promptly waited 10 years for him to start to take his football seriously and commit himself to it, before giving up and trading him to Port Adelaide, where he was even worse than he was with us. But back to Fritsch, you'll likely hear it in the commentary, but he played 2017 with the Casey Demons, and his season was so good, the coaches would have put him in the AFL there and then. Obviously we're only one season in, but he's got A LOT to like, he's composed and accurate with his kicking, likes to fly for his marks, and attacks the footy, and as you've noticed, is very flexible, starting the season in the forward line, moving to the wing for his ball use going inside 50, and then moving to the backline because he reads the ball well, and is a composed decision maker exiting our defensive 50. He's clearly best 22, and i think will just be used wherever we need him, but I'd like to see him start in the forward line.

Spargo - He was a bit of a steal to get him at Pick 29, particularly when he was originally supposed to be a GWS zone selection, but a year out from being drafted, he was going to be a top 10 pick, but missed most of his draft year with injury. It was a real surprise how well he did in his first season, replacing Garlett in the forward line - although Garlett did a pretty good job of keeping himself out to be fair - Good kick, goes hard at the ball and the man, and doesn't let his lack of height get in the way. I reckon he tired as the season wore on, but still played his role well, and will almost definitely put back up where he left off this season.
 

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Shiny Penny
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No probs ... meanwhile, if anyone else has something to add, jump in ...

Lever - Was drafted in the same year as Petracca and Brayshaw, the word was we were VERY keen on drafting him at the time, but his draft range was higher than 2 or 3 because he was coming of a knee reconstruction. Yet we were apparently so keen, we entertained trade offers for pick 2 or 3, as long as we got a pick around 10 back so we could draft him. It obviously never happened and he was eventually drafted by Adelaide with pick 14 (a bargain, albeit with a risk), but we stayed in contact with him as his management, so while approaching the end of 2017 and being out of contract, the good word was that'd he'll be nominating Melbourne as his destination club. I'll cover what that meant to Adelaide and it's fans when you get to that game (another 2 games I think) but he came to us as an elite intercept defender, named in the All-Australian squad of 40 players, and coming from an losing Grand Final team, where he was one of the very few Adelaide players who could actually hold his head high with his performance, the big knock on him however, is that he was playing in a very strong Adelaide backline, where he was generally the 3rd key defender, and he struggled against the game's better forwards. As you've probably seen, the start to his career as a Demon wasn't ideal, with him struggling in a new set up, but he gets better and better as the season goes on, right up until it ends prematurely (which I hope isn't a spoiler.

Hunt - A very late pick, from the range that you don't expect much from the players that are taken there. He burst onto the scene in 2016 with an immediate impact, his speed and intensity at the ball the highlight. He played most games that year, and he looked to be cemented in our best 22 from there on out. The next year he played every game, however he didn't quite seem to be the player he was in his first year, the 70m plays were there, where he'd run 20m and kick it 50, but there was plenty of frustrations with him, and his propensity to blindly bomb the ball long, often turning it over, while I think his defensive efforts which were a feature of his game started to drop away. Now fast forward to this year, and he seemed to be anonymous for too much time in too many games, the impact he first had just wasn't there. He went back to the VFL to work on that, and I believe whenever it looked like he was turning it around, he injured himself. Hopefully with a big preseason, and a clear run at it with injury, Hunt the impact player can make a return.

Fritsch - As I said before, is another mature ager that we drafted with a somewhat significant draft pick, in that is was the pick that we traded Jack Watts (who we selected with Pick 1 in 2008, and promptly waited 10 years for him to start to take his football seriously and commit himself to it, before giving up and trading him to Port Adelaide, where he was even worse than he was with us. But back to Fritsch, you'll likely hear it in the commentary, but he played 2017 with the Casey Demons, and his season was so good, the coaches would have put him in the AFL there and then. Obviously we're only one season in, but he's got A LOT to like, he's composed and accurate with his kicking, likes to fly for his marks, and attacks the footy, and as you've noticed, is very flexible, starting the season in the forward line, moving to the wing for his ball use going inside 50, and then moving to the backline because he reads the ball well, and is a composed decision maker exiting our defensive 50. He's clearly best 22, and i think will just be used wherever we need him, but I'd like to see him start in the forward line.

Spargo - He was a bit of a steal to get him at Pick 29, particularly when he was originally supposed to be a GWS zone selection, but a year out from being drafted, he was going to be a top 10 pick, but missed most of his draft year with injury. It was a real surprise how well he did in his first season, replacing Garlett in the forward line - although Garlett did a pretty good job of keeping himself out to be fair - Good kick, goes hard at the ball and the man, and doesn't let his lack of height get in the way. I reckon he tired as the season wore on, but still played his role well, and will almost definitely put back up where he left off this season.

Fantastic- much appreciated mate.
 

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Shiny Penny
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I've noticed this about Gold Coast in that they usually have a good start to a season before falling off a cliff. It doesn't help that this was the first season without Gary Ablett Jnr. His dad kicked 1000 goals for Geelong in the 80s-90s and Jnr. had already won 2 premierships with Geelong in '07 and '09 before joining the new expansion side in 2011. He won the Brownlow in 2011 (One of Gold Coast's only 2 achievements) and generally when he was on fire they'd lose by 5 goals and when he wasn't, they'd lose by 15 goals.

Looking at the Footy Tipping for the board, the consensus was a 5 goal win.

I’ve come accross the little master a few times in my short time following the sport. It was obvious how highly regarded he is almost immediately based on commentary from the announcers.
 
I’ve come accross the little master a few times in my short time following the sport. It was obvious how highly regarded he is almost immediately based on commentary from the announcers.

Ablett was a great player, and still has touches of brilliance.

But the commentary does tend to go over the top with him, in my view.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

Topkent

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AmericanAFL please ignore the commentary in Australia

Bruce McAvaney is our most famous and experienced and he's a ******* joke. Commentates with such overly home erotic tones it sounds like he's touching himself during the call

Then there's Camerong ling who insists on his special comments sounding like a mother who just caught her 2 sons fighting in the backyard, basically telling the viewer off for enjoying anything outside the rules like if there's a little push and shove. You'll hear him say how this is bad if kids are watching etc.

I wish they would commentate like the American ones who add to the pictures rather than feel the need to be more interesting than the game
 
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Ok, sounds like he had a poor goal scoring season, while 2017 was very good.

So let’s talk about him, McCartin and Brayshaw. I’m assuming you feel very good about how things worked out in that draft? Was McCartin’s game vs the Dees that day a microcosm of his time in the AFL?

We’ve discussed Petracca already. I love Brayshaw, but I’m concerned about that helmet- I assume he’s had concussion issues.
This was Brayshaws first AFL game back from concussions in 2017. It happened right in front of me & when I realised it was Brayshaw I panicked but he got straight up. Unfortunately the Stkilda player ended up retiring after getting another hard hit in the head in Rd 1 2018

http://www.afl.com.au/video/2017-08-13/brayshaw-cops-headhigh-hit-again
 

Topkent

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This was Brayshaws first AFL game back from concussions in 2017. It happened right in front of me & when I realised it was Brayshaw I panicked but he got straight up. Unfortunately the Stkilda player ended up retiring after getting another hard hit in the head in Rd 1 2018

http://www.afl.com.au/video/2017-08-13/brayshaw-cops-headhigh-hit-again

Koby Stevens right? He said that impact from Brayshaw was like a bomb going off in his head and apparently it had lasting effects for months
 
This was Brayshaws first AFL game back from concussions in 2017. It happened right in front of me & when I realised it was Brayshaw I panicked but he got straight up. Unfortunately the Stkilda player ended up retiring after getting another hard hit in the head in Rd 1 2018

http://www.afl.com.au/video/2017-08-13/brayshaw-cops-headhigh-hit-again
Koby Stevens right? He said that impact from Brayshaw was like a bomb going off in his head and apparently it had lasting effects for months
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-05-31/it-felt-like-a-bomb-had-gone-off-saint
 
Feb 15, 2015
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AmericanAFL please ignore the commentary in Australia

Bruce McAvaney is our most famous and experienced and he's a ******* joke. Commentates with such overly home erotic tones it sounds like he's touching himself during the call

Then there's Camerong ling who insists on his special comments sounding like a mother who just caught her 2 sons fighting in the backyard, basically telling the viewer off for enjoying anything outside the rules like if there's a little push and shove. You'll hear him say how this is bad if kids are watching etc.

I wish they would commentate like the American ones who add to the pictures rather than feel the need to be more interesting than the game
Home erotic? Sounds like a cheap DIY internet pornography streaming service.
 

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Shiny Penny
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AmericanAFL please ignore the commentary in Australia

Bruce McAvaney is our most famous and experienced and he's a ******* joke. Commentates with such overly home erotic tones it sounds like he's touching himself during the call

Then there's Camerong ling who insists on his special comments sounding like a mother who just caught her 2 sons fighting in the backyard, basically telling the viewer off for enjoying anything outside the rules like if there's a little push and shove. You'll hear him say how this is bad if kids are watching etc.

I wish they would commentate like the American ones who add to the pictures rather than feel the need to be more interesting than the game

It’s interesting because as someone learning the sport I rely on the commentators. They’re essentially teaching me the game- for better or worse. They let me know what plays and moments deserve my attention. At the same time, it’s pretty clear they’re over the top at times- still this actually is really helpful to a new viewer.
 

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Shiny Penny
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This was Brayshaws first AFL game back from concussions in 2017. It happened right in front of me & when I realised it was Brayshaw I panicked but he got straight up. Unfortunately the Stkilda player ended up retiring after getting another hard hit in the head in Rd 1 2018

http://www.afl.com.au/video/2017-08-13/brayshaw-cops-headhigh-hit-again

Brutal head to head collision.

How are players faring in retirement? Are a good number struggling with post concussion symptoms and diminished quality of life issues like gridiron players in the states?
 

Topkent

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It’s interesting because as someone learning the sport I rely on the commentators. They’re essentially teaching me the game- for better or worse. They let me know what plays and moments deserve my attention. At the same time, it’s pretty clear they’re over the top at times- still this actually is really helpful to a new viewer.

The foxtel commentary which you would get a majority of with the watch afl thing is decent. Analytical analysis of AFL is way behind the rest of the world. David King is one bloke who is trying to bring it to television but Australians traditionally don't give a stuff about stats.
 

Topkent

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Brutal head to head collision.

How are players faring in retirement? Are a good number struggling with post concussion symptoms and diminished quality of life issues like gridiron players in the states?

Been alot of ex players coming forward with CTE and a number of players under 25 retiring with concussion issues. There was a Melbourne player Daniel Bell who retired quite young, wasn't the most skilled player but was tough and he ended up getting something like 20 something concussions in about 5-6 years.
 

Topkent

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So just did a quick check up. He was diagnosed with brain damage from playing, said he had 14 concussions before he joined the AFL as an 18 year old and then a further 8-10 more in his 66 games.

Alot of Melbourne supporters will remember a couple of his concussions were severe aswell.
 
Oct 13, 2015
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So AmericanAFL , in thinking that you've probably got a bit more time to run through some games now that the Eagles are out of the playoffs ... I thought I'd give some info for the next game, versus Carlton.

Carlton are fun to watch, not from a quality play point of view, but from a "them and their fans are a pack of campaigners, and it's fun to see them lose" point of view. Put simply, they've been garbage for a long time, and while opposition fans like to talk about how many No.1 picks we've had, we're nothing on Carlton (of current players, we've had 2 - neither still on our list, and they've had 5 as of the most recent draft, and 4 of them are still on their list) They're currently in the middle of a list rebuild at the moment, but it's debatable how good a job they're doing, and they're filling their squad with early draft picks (kids) and tried and tested dud players from other teams ... predominantly GWS players that GWS can't get off their list quick enough.

For a Carlton player to keep an eye out for, Patrick Cripps - Number 9, is a genuine star. He's the size of a key position player, but plays through the midfield, and is an absolute beast ... it's a shame he's wasted at Carlton really. There are a lot of comparisons between he and Clayton Oliver, as both are young (Cripps is 23, Oliver is 21) contested footy bulls, tho I consider them to be too different to ran a pure comparison - Cripps is bigger and stronger, but Oliver is quicker and a better user of the ball - but he's worth keeping an eye on.

For the Dees, this will be the first time you see Jack Viney, who returns from a long lay off with a foot injury ... temper your expectations, as it's a game where he just gets his touch back, rather than playing the type of game he's capable of (you'll have to wait a week for that) but it was great for all of us to see him back.
 
Hibberd is an absolute star. He was a mature aged draftee to Essendon (mature aged is anyone who wasn't drafted as an 18 year old and played senior football - Vandenberg, Hannan, Fritsch and both Wagner's were all mature agers as well) After the drug's scandal, and he'd sat out his year ban, he requested a trade to Melbourne, the year after his former team mate Jake Melksham did the same (so he served his suspension while on our list) which lead to an interesting situation, the year before we traded Pick 25 for Melksham to Essendon, which was universally considered paying far too much, but we did the trade for the simple fact that it was the only pick we had around the mark for him. Fast forward a year, and doing the deal for Hibberd, Essendon accepted Pick 27, which this time was universally accepted to be under value, but Essendon obviously figured that it evened out from the Melksham trade, these days, you might have noticed that Melksham is also an absolute gun, and we won both trades big time! On a playing front, his 2017 season was phenomenal, and while he was down on that a bit in 2018, he's still an integral part of our team. Powerful and accurate left boot, loves to take the game on, and is excellent one on one. Comfortably one of the best half back in the competition.

As for Jetta, he has a great story. He was initially drafted as a forward at the end of 2008, he debuted Round 1 in 2009, and played 15 games that season, however he never really set the world alight, and in his next few years played limited games. When Paul Roos came on as coach in 2014 (not sure if you've been told the story of Roos yet) Jetta was delisted with the intention to redraft him as a Rookie. Roos decided to turn him into a small defender, and since then, he's managed to turn himself into the hands down the best small defender in the competition, that has been criminally denied the multiple All Australian honours that he so rightly deserves. He is also as good off the field as he is on, doing a power of work in the aboriginal community. If you get to join in the Match Day threads this season, you will season plenty of mentions of #ChurchofNev where us mere mortals pay homage to the great man.

Sorry for the novels, in answer your "if you have the time" ... my wife and kids are interstate visiting grand parents, so yes, I have plenty.
Id like to add that Nevs work extends beyond just the Aboriginal community 😊 he is the best. Won the AFL award for his community work this year too.

AmericanAFL he won an award similar to the Walter Payton man of the year award in the NFL
 
Brutal head to head collision.

How are players faring in retirement? Are a good number struggling with post concussion symptoms and diminished quality of life issues like gridiron players in the states?
I have ongoing issues due to concussions during my footy career. I didnt play at the top level but still managed close to 15 concusions.

I wouldnt say the issues I have are bad enough to sook about. But they are definitely there and I am not sure if they will get worse or not.
 

AmericanAFL

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Shiny Penny
Oct 8, 2018
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So AmericanAFL , in thinking that you've probably got a bit more time to run through some games now that the Eagles are out of the playoffs ...


Indeed, my weekends have just opened up considerably.

Thanks for the Carlton preview. I actually haven't gotten around to viewing the Gold Coast match yet- probably will watch that tomorrow.
 

AmericanAFL

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Shiny Penny
Oct 8, 2018
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I have ongoing issues due to concussions during my footy career. I didnt play at the top level but still managed close to 15 concusions.

I wouldnt say the issues I have are bad enough to sook about. But they are definitely there and I am not sure if they will get worse or not.


Sorry to hear that mate. My wife played high level field hockey and suffered some awful ill effects for about 5 years after she was done playing. Like you she has concerns for what may lie ahead. It was a big factor in our decision to not allow our son to play American football.
 
Feb 15, 2015
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So AmericanAFL , in thinking that you've probably got a bit more time to run through some games now that the Eagles are out of the playoffs ... I thought I'd give some info for the next game, versus Carlton.

Carlton are fun to watch, not from a quality play point of view, but from a "them and their fans are a pack of campaigners, and it's fun to see them lose" point of view. Put simply, they've been garbage for a long time, and while opposition fans like to talk about how many No.1 picks we've had, we're nothing on Carlton (of current players, we've had 2 - neither still on our list, and they've had 5 as of the most recent draft, and 4 of them are still on their list) They're currently in the middle of a list rebuild at the moment, but it's debatable how good a job they're doing, and they're filling their squad with early draft picks (kids) and tried and tested dud players from other teams ... predominantly GWS players that GWS can't get off their list quick enough.

For a Carlton player to keep an eye out for, Patrick Cripps - Number 9, is a genuine star. He's the size of a key position player, but plays through the midfield, and is an absolute beast ... it's a shame he's wasted at Carlton really. There are a lot of comparisons between he and Clayton Oliver, as both are young (Cripps is 23, Oliver is 21) contested footy bulls, tho I consider them to be too different to ran a pure comparison - Cripps is bigger and stronger, but Oliver is quicker and a better user of the ball - but he's worth keeping an eye on.

For the Dees, this will be the first time you see Jack Viney, who returns from a long lay off with a foot injury ... temper your expectations, as it's a game where he just gets his touch back, rather than playing the type of game he's capable of (you'll have to wait a week for that) but it was great for all of us to see him back.
Decent summary Count, but you missed a highlight.

AmericanAFL - be sure to watch for the key moment where Michael Hibberd throws the footy at Jed Lamb’s head.
 
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