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Traded Ben Long

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Moorabbin Ghost said:
Richo demanded a Cyril...he's now got Cyril light.
Long will not push Billings out of the side but Wright's position he played this year is Long's for the taking.
The coach wanted a player who can put on immense pressure on opposition defenses but also win some footy and be a genuine scoreboard threat. Skills, pace and some of that indigenous magic will fit our side nicely.
Wright, Minchington, Gresham and maybe Lonie will all be under immense pressure this year.
I said in here I got the impression we may select a surprise player at 23 but I didn't suspect Long. By all reports Trout rated him highly this year, and he shot up our board late.
Here's hoping Long is more Neil Winmar than Terrence Milera.
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I made some notes about phantom drafts earlier on.
One of the phantoms had long at 26 but i don't know which.
Now i want to know who i should be paying attention to.

Brett Anderson (SEN) had him at 28. So did Tony Shaw.
Sam Landsberger had his as a maybe at 28. ( Bulldogs connection i guess ). ( Sam had Battle to Saints at our first pick ).
 
I'm a few pages behind on this thread but I read one post that said he could squeeze out Billings come round one. Come on, please. I thought we were over this shit. Billings will be a freak you wait and see. Minch, Wright, Lonie, Sinclair could all be in trouble but not Billings, no way. If we took him at pick 40 instead of 3 you'd all be saying he's going to be a superstar, what a freak blah blah or whatever, no way does he lose his spot to a bloke who 99% of people on here hadn't even heard of until 48 hours ago
 
Moral Decay said:
I think the additions of Carlisle and Brown to the first 22, plus greater midfield depth, Steele, Stevens and improvement in Acres, Billings and Sinclair change the dynamics all over the field that allow us to more effective defending whether that be down back, in the midfield, or defensive forwards.

Defensive pressure, effort and ability plus an improvement in foot skills all over the field will allow us to use more attacking gameplan. I expect big years from Jimmy Webster, D.Mac, Newnes, White plus Gresham and the above mentioned players. Sadly I also expect enormous pressure on Gilbert, Gears, Dempster and Monty. Which is of course how it should be.

Premiums on foot speed, foot skills, marking and tackling pressure. No single player is perfect but those with glaring faults will be under the pump, even more so if we draft O'Shea.

Edit: drafting Long is a reflection of a game plan and list progression: where we started under Richo, and where he wants us to be. As an over-ager with his particular skill sets in my view implies the club believes we are closer to contention than the media and the most of the football public think.

With Steele, Stevens, Brown, Carlisle, Goddard and Long we have potentially 6 best 22 players, maybe they won't all be in by first round but by year's end?
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Great post. While I think that it will take Carlisle all of next year to get back to his best, just having a 200cm, 102kg monster cruising around our defense makes us immeasurably better, and the flow on effect that having Carlisle (and Brown to a lesser extent) has on the rest of the teams confidence will be massive.
Our young mids will take another step and a forward line of Paddy, Bruce and Skunk will be the envy of every other club.
The coaches and players, while realizing there is a hell of a lot more work to do, will not set limitations on what we can achieve next year.
 
nanganator said:
I'm a few pages behind on this thread but I read one post that said he could squeeze out Billings come round one. Come on, please. I thought we were over this shit. Billings will be a freak you wait and see. Minch, Wright, Lonie, Sinclair could all be in trouble but not Billings, no way. If we took him at pick 40 instead of 3 you'd all be saying he's going to be a superstar, what a freak blah blah or whatever, no way does he lose his spot to a bloke who 99% of people on here hadn't even heard of until 48 hours ago
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Good post I agree, if billings was a pick 20 instead of a pick 3 everyone would be going on about how he's going to be a star, not bagging him down. He's our most talented kid
 

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StCicatriz said:
i reckon he could force out one of wright, minch, billings come round 1
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Wright, Minchington,Lonie, Sinclair and at a stretch Webster will be the blokes worried.
 
Mighty_sainter said:
Good post I agree, if billings was a pick 20 instead of a pick 3 everyone would be going on about how he's going to be a star, not bagging him down. He's our most talented kid
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i have said for months, add a goal a game to his current output and he is a star in the eyes of many. Has been the fittest he has been this pre-season. Lets hope he goes up another level
 
Moorabbin Ghost said:
Great post. While I think that it will take Carlisle all of next year to get back to his best, just having a 200cm, 102kg monster cruising around our defense makes us immeasurably better, and the flow on effect that having Carlisle (and Brown to a lesser extent) has on the rest of the teams confidence will be massive.
Our young mids will take another step and a forward line of Paddy, Bruce and Skunk will be the envy of every other club.
The coaches and players, while realizing there is a hell of a lot more work to do, will not set limitations on what we can achieve next year.
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So excited by what the club is doing, predicting a top 4 finish at the end of home and away after that anything can happen :D.
Not a popular idea anywhere but on the Saints board (and even here plenty won't agree).:(:eek::mad::'(:)
 
Moorabbin Ghost said:
Great post. While I think that it will take Carlisle all of next year to get back to his best, just having a 200cm, 102kg monster cruising around our defense makes us immeasurably better, and the flow on effect that having Carlisle (and Brown to a lesser extent) has on the rest of the teams confidence will be massive.
Our young mids will take another step and a forward line of Paddy, Bruce and Skunk will be the envy of every other club.
The coaches and players, while realizing there is a hell of a lot more work to do, will not set limitations on what we can achieve next year.
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Yeah i totally agree about Jake. I think hes gonna be a bit rusty for quite a while. Its good that he hasnt got the mental scars like somebody coming back from a knee reco but he has had a full yr off so it might take him a while to really hit full tilt again.
Thats fine as he will be probably be at his peak of his career in 2018- 20 which is perfect timing for us.
Its this very scenario that has me raising my eyebrows when people say Essendrug will be a force next yr.
We have Jake who may very well hit the ground running next yr but like just stated he may also struggle with the tempo for a while.
Essendrug have half their side in that situation. I cant see all the suspended Essendrug players coming back and resuming the old form straight away.
The weight of numbers of players trying find their feet at AFL level again at the Bombers will hopefully see them miss the finals.
Since we just have the one player hopefully we can carry big Jakey till he finds touch again.
 

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CALL ME SNAKE said:
Yeah i totally agree about Jake. I think hes gonna be a bit rusty for quite a while. Its good that he hasnt got the mental scars like somebody coming back from a knee reco but he has had a full yr off so it might take him a while to really hit full tilt again.
Thats fine as he will be probably be at his peak of his career in 2018- 20 which is perfect timing for us.
Its this very scenario that has me raising my eyebrows when people say Essendrug will be a force next yr.
We have Jake who may very well hit the ground running next yr but like just stated he may also struggle with the tempo for a while.
Essendrug have half their side in that situation. I cant see all the suspended Essendrug players coming back and resuming the old form straight away.
The weight of numbers of players trying find their feet at AFL level again at the Bombers will hopefully see them miss the finals.
Since we just have the one player hopefully we can carry big Jakey till he finds touch again.
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I agree with most of that but still reckon the AFL have given the Druggers a huge boost up with heaps of concessions. How they kept their pick one when they couldn't field a team for cheating is beyond me. They are such a grubby administration these days.
 
gringo2011 said:
I agree with most of that but still reckon the AFL have given the Druggers a huge boost up with heaps of concessions. How they kept their pick one when they couldn't field a team for cheating is beyond me. They are such a grubby administration these days.
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Oh yeah i agree. They havnt been hit hard enough IMO and they might be quite good in 2018. Im just hoping they tread water a bit next yr.
 
CALL ME SNAKE said:
Yo

you know its hot in the NT when players get drafted and they just put their new teams singlet on instead of a jumper :p
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And rock up for a publicity outing in your good thongs.
 
Excerpt from an NTnews article about his suspension in the NTFL.

"He has been a revelation in the Saints’ backline in his 10 games this season thanks to his tremendous reading of the play and ability to turn defence into offence."
 
I actually think Long might start as a defender and turn into a bit of a swing man.

Pre draft people were saying the club had their eye on a couple of taller HBF types and while Ben isnt tall, he does fit the mould of a tough, quick, highly skilled and accountable defender.

He would free Sav, Roberton and Webster to push up the ground more and long term he would be the ideal replacement for Geary's retirement.

The issue there is what happens with Rice, White and DMac...

Either way he flew under the radar but now that we have him im pretty bloody keen to see him play!!
 

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I wonder how much influence Raph had on this selection? St Mary's boy a fair bit I'd reckon.
 
aussierulesrules said:
Not all of Essendon's returning crew are coming off a hip operation and/or interrupted preseason like Jake is.
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True.
i still dont think its easy to have a whole season away from any type of actual games at an elite level and just step back into it as if nothing has changed.
Im not saying all of the returning Essendon players will struggle. Id be happy if half of them do:D

I dont think Jake might be rusty cos of the hip op. More so cos of the year away from the game.
 
gringo2011 said:
I agree with most of that but still reckon the AFL have given the Druggers a huge boost up with heaps of concessions. How they kept their pick one when they couldn't field a team for cheating is beyond me. They are such a grubby administration these days.
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Its pretty simple.
The AFL should have coordinated stripping them of draft picks with the suspension of players.
That would have been the best solution.

However.
The AFL didn't believe that any players would be suspended so decided to put the whole issue to rest by stripping the club of first and second round draft picks in 2013, and 2014. ( Bizarrely giving them back an end of first round pick ).

Given that this two year punishment has been applied, I'm yet to hear any justification for stripping the club of more draft picks. You can't just keep taking picks off them randomly forever.

If they'd had a first rounder in 2013 there is a good chance they'd have taken Dunstan or Acres. ( as it is they traded for a 2nd rounder and picked up Merrett ).

Anyway, chalk it all up to unprofessional incompetence by the AFL who thought it would be perfectly OK to make the "she'll be right" judgement call regarding the supplements program , ignoring all the rules and regulations they subscribe to.
 
SaintsSeptember said:
Its pretty simple.
The AFL should have coordinated stripping them of draft picks with the suspension of players.
That would have been the best solution.

However.
The AFL didn't believe that any players would be suspended so decided to put the whole issue to rest by stripping the club of first and second round draft picks in 2013, and 2014. ( Bizarrely giving them back an end of first round pick ).

Given that this two year punishment has been applied, I'm yet to hear any justification for stripping the club of more draft picks. You can't just keep taking picks off them randomly forever.

If they'd had a first rounder in 2013 there is a good chance they'd have taken Dunstan or Acres. ( as it is they traded for a 2nd rounder and picked up Merrett ).

Anyway, chalk it all up to unprofessional incompetence by the AFL who thought it would be perfectly OK to make the "she'll be right" judgement call regarding the supplements program , ignoring all the rules and regulations they subscribe to.
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I agree you can't keep punishing them forever, but you must admit the Bombers getting the No 1 draft pick for finishing bottom because their players were suspended for cheating, doesn't really sit well.
The incompetence of the AFL in all these matters past ( and now again in the Whitfield affair) is truly astounding.
 
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