Watts Jurrah Dunn?

He's that smart he doesn't let himself get caught in positions where has has to wrestle with a gorilla one-out. I watched him closely in the GWS first final. A GWS player has the ball at half back and is kicking long down the line to a contest on the wing. Lever has Rory Lobb, who he gives 3-4 inches away to. As the ball left the boot, Lever bumped into Lobb and put him off his line. Lobb didn't even make the drop of the ball. Later in the night, when Patton wanted the ball put on his head in the pocket, Lever stood 5 meters in front of Patton and just blocked his leading space. If the GWS player kicked it high onto Patton's head, Lever backed himself to get back in time and fly for the spoil. Wrestling is not his go. Playing smart is. Oscar and Frost are still crucial to play on the Daniher, Riewoldt, Brown types, with Lever taking a less dangerous forward and zoning off for the most part. And when it is Lever's turn to mind a Ben Brown, he'll certainly play it shrewdly.

Why would we want to get into a bidding war on Stringer when there is a 190cm, 40 goal a year forward available down the highway that you could get without giving up a single pick? I'd be taking the best offer for Watts and replacing him with Menzel. You don't go backwards on field, and you pick up a 2nd round pick to help in Lever/Gaff deals.

Should have picked him up for nothing a few years back. Instead, we gave up pick 2 to take the 6 ft 2 version in Tyson.

Paul Connors spoke at an Old Xavs golf day yesterday and said Lever will be a Demon, and he will be the highest paid player at the club. He also specifically mentioned that it is a very interesting move as he manages Petracca who, next year, might be asking for similar money.

Jake Spencer - the greatest list clogger in VFL/AFL history. Hopefully we will be put out of our misery this off-season Weideman's lack of aggression is a real concern for me. Looks a very nice footballer. Would like to have seen him take Morris by the scruff of the neck the second time he picked off Maynard. Needs a serious dose of the angry pills, Weideman.

There should be an inquisition into how Ben Kennedy didn't get a single look in at afl level this year. Constantly puts his body on the line. Yeah, he can't kick over a jam tin, but his kamikaze attack on the ball and consistent high possession winning should have been rewarded. Can't believe Wagner, Kent and Trengove got a look in and a small forward that attacks every contest like his life depends on it had his cards stamped early. And for the sycophants that say goody knows best, just remember that Spencer and Tim Smith got a look in before Pedersen and we all know how that worked out.

What is Wagner's contract status? Looks a state league player at best. Wow the Tigers list is stacked with small and medium quick forwards. Would be looking closely at Jayden Short and Connor Menadue to add some pace to our forward line.

Yeah you're right. When players nominate clubs they always seem to get there for a bit less than market value, so I was holding out hope it might not be much more than pick 10. A 1st and 2nd Rounder for him now is a win for Melbourne. Another final or two like that and we'll be looking at two 1st Rounders.

It just became a 1st and 2nd rounder with no sweetener back from Adelaide.

They're not picky mate, they're nuffies. It's like the conversation last year about Hibberd, and Melksham the year before. They have an incredible ability to overrate a player wearing red and blue and pick holes in regular/established/gun players from BETTER teams. If people can't see the value in a hard-running, skilful wingman and how perfect a Gaff / Isaac Smith / Brad Hill / Stephen Hill type would compliment our contested bulls, we should be putting a quota on how much they can post on Demonland.

We go handball crazy because they have created a game plan around one paced, ordinary-kicking midfielders. They are always under pressure, so they have to handball it around to get a spare man, because that spare man needs all the time in the world to be a chance of hitting a target. Put a couple of dashing wingman and a couple of lightning forward flanks around the contest and watch how quickly they get it out of the congestion and into space for some run, carry and precise kicking.

Our supporters have everything to do with the club. The "Go Dees", cheese platter, "good try" mentality permeates the club and the playing group. Any other club has cow sh*t or chicken hearts dumped on the club's door today. We were happy with the idea of being 8th. We should have been livid that we weren't in the frame for top 4 and come out and rubbed Collingwood's noses in it. But we were happy enough because we've improved. Ex-players like Lyon and Schwarz being in the media, and the constant hype that gives the club, also contributes to the ridiculous profile some of our players enjoy . Petracca in Mike Sheahan's top 50 at the start of the year? Spare me. I wish we never got any air time. The AAMI park, coffee-culture, Richmond-living, SKWOSH board shorts parties also contribute. They don't want it badly enough. Great thread SMTJ. Summed up a lot of the anger and I might not need to punch as many walls tonight.

Wouldn't get a game at any of the top 6 clubs. Can't run, can't kick. He's just a taller version of Miles from Richmond - the major difference being Richmond got him for free and we gave up the oppportunity to bring in Kelly or Bontempelli, the two best young players in the competition, for Tyson. The Tyson trade and the Vince trade (the pick that got Matt Crouch) look just terrible now.

Alright hero, watch the tape of every contest T McDonald was in last week. Plenty were against Hipwood. McStay and Close and all the others beat him too. If you reckon that's an acceptable match for a 24 year old, leadership group, established, key position defender, that holds the club to ransom with his 2 year "you'd better improve" contracts, you've got rocks in your head.

Got taught a football lesson last week by Hipwood. Insipid again today. If you're picking between two blokes with vafa-level disposal, you'd be better keeping the one that turns it over after plenty of run and carry (Frost). Cash in on McDonald who holds the club to ransom with his 2 year contracts.

Not only is he better, he's significantly younger. Lever will play next year as a 22 year old. Prestia was 24 this year, Henderson 27. So he should be good for 50 more games than Prestia, and 100 more than Henderson. Plus we're gonna hopefully have a pick around 12 or 14 - hardly a priced top 5 or 10 pick. I hope I'm wrong, but I can't see how you can offer a 22 yo $800k a year and not cough up a 1st and 2nd rounder.

Agreed. Lever's Manager meeting with the Dees would be one thing. Lever himself meeting with officials and players, in season, is enormous. He's gone.

Lever is a beauty but I'm not sure how he'd go one-out against Ben Brown, Joe Daniher etc? Are there any statistics on how much time he's actually spent on the number 1 forward? I was under the impression Talia is doing that job? The contested marking is infuriating. The Hawks did it so well the other night. It seems they are experienced enough to block/protect/not all get hands to the exact same ball and spoil one another and leave no one down. None of our talls are strong enough overhead. Gawn's a foot taller than most so of course he takes a couple. Watts and Hogan are useless overhead. I thought Hogan was supposed to be a contested marking beast?

If our first pick this year is pick 12-14 and next year is 14-16, I think we'll definitely have to give up two first rounders. We don't have prized top 5/10 picks anymore. Lever is 21. He's a KPP. He has 200 games ahead of him and we're supposedly offering to pay him A-Grade / Elite money. He was pick 14 purely because of his knee and missing the year as an 18 year old, and his value has gone through the roof since then, so he's worth much more than pick 12-14 this year in what is supposedly a weak draft. He might nominate us, but if he feels as though he owes Adelaide there's also a chance he asks for Adelaide to be well compensated. Brian Waldron gave that example on SEN yesterday with Aaron Hamill in discussing Josh Kelly's situation and North playing for pick 1.

5+ years at $800K+ = 2 first rounders

You'd like to think so. But the middle is probably this years first rounder and ANB, or this years first rounder and next years second rounder. I'm not sure you could offer him 5+ years at $800k a year but then tell the Crows he's not worth anymore than pick 12 in what is regarded as a weak draft.

Perhaps Tom McDonald would play the Blicavs big-bodied midfielder role or the hard running, strong marking winger role Riewoldt has played over the past few years. He's got the tank, and certainly his kicking isn't as much of a liability if they get him up the ground. Super impressive game from Lever last night. He just makes the right decisions every time, and executes perfectly almost every time. He's like a taller, 21 year old version of Hibberd. What a pity Trengove's foot didn't heal and we couldn't get that pick 12. Encouraging that Taylor rated him so damn highly.

Lots of talk about the money for Lever, but no consideration given to what you'd have to give in the trade. $850k a year means AT LEAST a 1st and 2nd round draft pick. It's probably more like first round picks in 2 consecutive drafts given this draft is apparently shallow. Lewis and Vince are almost done, Jones has to slow down soon, Brayshaw is a question mark. Those that want Lever at any cost must love watching ANB, Harmes, Bugg etc run around up the other end? I'd be recruiting midfield class to force the NQR's to "depth" status. Heck, for $150k more a year and similar draft picks you could go for Josh Kelly and get the type of player we really need.

Fans have to look beyond 20 possessions from a midfielder as a good game. We get 400 as a team, so everyone is a chance to get 20. I thought Lewis' undisciplined free kicks in the 3rd were atrocious leadership. We needed calm heads and the late high spoil for the 50m penalty, and the blatant push into Petrie, were just dumb. Thought he was just ok again.

Why are clubs so keen to lure Crow Jake Lever? If Lever does leave Adelaide and clubs are willing to pay him $800,000 a year on a long term deal, then it looks like it will take a similar trade to the Treloar deal. Possibly even more given KPD are harder to find than midfielders, and our picks over the next 2 years are not going to be as high as what the Pies' picks were. That deal was Treloar and a 2nd round pick for a 1st Round Pick in 2 drafts. What do people think about potentially giving pick 10-12 this year and pick 12-16 next year for Lever? Taylor's love for Lever and picks like Hannan at 46 make me think he'd be able to find a couple of pretty handy midfielders with these 1st round picks?