A starting midfield group of Cripps Gibbs Murphy is a great mix and tough enough to win their own ball and get it out.
Add support on the wings from E,Curnow and Simpson and we have a great starting midfield group.
Murphy has a role to play as a midfielder, but we need to give him spells in the forwardline.

All we have needed is depth.

Bigger bodies? Palmer Thomas Smedts and C.Curnow
Add the speed of SPS Fisher Pickett
Add Speed and bigger bodies of Cuningham and Boekhurst
Then there's the support crew from last year with Wright, Sumner, Kerridge, maybe Docherty

Of those 18 we need 11-12 in the same team.

IMO there's genuine depth whilst kids like Poulson and Williamson develop in the NBs, as might Pickett Fisher and SPS.
That's just starters after a 44 round rebuild.
Next year we add a couple of big FA & Trade names, along with another 2 mids and a ruck or two....Sorted.

Our midfield is fine for 2017. Just got to get Cripps healthy and firing again

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Well said Bondi. Agree!

List is really starting to take shape. Move out Casboult, Dalesy Thomas, Rowe and Graham at the end of the season and bring in some gun mids.
Hope GWS win the granny. Some of their young guns are bound to be want to come to Melbourne and win a flag with the ol Blue Boys.

Talking about list balance, I'm looking forward to having two teams who both have players suited to their positions and are using the same game plan.

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WADA medical director Dr Alan Vernec describes Essendon* FC drug case as biggest scandal in team sport the world of sport has seen. #WC2WB

#GUILTY

I would rather give them a couple of seasons before getting smashed by seasoned players to be honest. Just a small jump up from the competition they are used to you would think.

A good trade/draft/rookie year from the looks of it, personally I just wish one pick was a big bodied inside mid but they must have someone on the list in mind because it is obvious Cripps is going to need some help if we don't want to break the kid.

Hawks and Bullies....?


kindest regards tommi

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that'siti'mnotchangingthistagain......!

Has the list size increased this year? I just looked on the club website and it shows 38 senior players plus 6 rookies. The senior list didnt include two of our draftees in Polson and Fisher so they makes it 40.
Has it always been 46 players?

That would be the case regardless of what size any in and under player we drafted was.

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"The ability to speak doesn't make you intelligent." Qui-Gon Jinn 15-05-2005

"there’s more chance of me becoming the full forward for the [Western Bulldogs] than there is of any change in the Labor Party." Julia Gillard 18-05-2010

In: Ciaran Byrne (rookie upgrade), Caleb Marchbank, Rhys Palmer, Jarrod Pickett, Billie Smedts, Sam Petrevski-Seton (pick 6), Zac Fisher (27), Harrison Macreadie (47), Cameron Polson (59), Tom Williamson (61), Patrick Kerr (65), Kym LeBois (rookie), Alex Silvagni (rookie)

Out: Matthew Dick, Andrejs Everitt, Jayden Foster, Billy Gowers, Michael Jamison, Ciaran Sheehan, Clem Smith, Zach Tuohy, Jason Tutt, Dillon Viojo-Rainbow, Andrew Walker, Mark Whiley, Cameron Wood.

Take out Tuohy, none of the outs gave us anything last year and only Whitley demanded a game with his form in in the 2s

I might be blinded by draft hope, but overall this has been a very good off season. Strong improvement on the list, with good young kids. good KP depth and potential now, we need more midfield help in the future.

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Go Blues

Agree....but they all look like superstars this time of the year.
Lucky we have Thomas and Jones to get rid of, otherwise we'd be delisting a gun in 2017.

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“Every single element of the Club has to be the best in the league, meticulously and methodically, and only by doing this will we be elite and challenge for number 17.”
Greg Lee

I wonder if Simon White might possibly get some more games in this role. He's nothing special. But he's big and honest, and will offer some protection. In light of who we've drafted, I'd also expect Charlie Curnow to get some time in this role as well. Perhaps we might even try having both Phillips and Kreuzer at the same stoppages, with Phillips in the ruck and Kreuzer doing what he does best (bullocking).

I was thinking more of having a solid 2nds team that complements our seniors.

But now that you mention it, when you consider we stocked up on key forwards one year, followed up with some astute trading, and drafting of a bunch of left-footers with quality disposal, it does feel as though SOS and Bolts are trying to build another Hawthorn.

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WADA medical director Dr Alan Vernec describes Essendon* FC drug case as biggest scandal in team sport the world of sport has seen. #WC2WB

#GUILTY

Yes if it was a kid, unless where talking about a 90kg Powell Pepper but he would still need to be managed.

I was talking more along the lines for picking up a Barlow or Barrett type as a delisted free agent. I know what you mean though you wouldn't want any kid getting smashed but our first two picks especially are lighter on.

Not relevant now anyway they did a good job with a good spread of players, I just would have liked to have seen one player to help Cripps.

Another irrelevant point, I wonder now in hindsight if it would have been better taking 13 and Atkins for Gibbs and picking up Powell Pepper at 13.

I would imagine the coaches have some ideas from our list to help out Cripps with the tough stuff, perhaps White, Kreuzer or E Curnow in a slightly different role. Who knows?

I have started to think the same thing. As you said he is big and would love the challenge I think. Kreuzer too if not used as ruck could definitely bullock through but might benefit from dropping a couple of kgs. E Curnow I think could perhaps do this in a slightly different role. I would prefer Charlie on a wing, give him a bit of time before he is smashed. I think we could find someone else to tag if Ed took on this type of role.

Can't see why Kerridge, Edward, Graham, Wright & Palmer along with Murphy, Gibbs & Thomas can't do the job!
Also I think after 2 or 3 years in the system surely Buckley, Sumner, Pickett, Boakhurst & Smedts could take some heat off the draftees as well.
We have traded these guys for a reason and that was to add current depth and physic (protection if you prefer) to the current list. I think Bolton would also like to know what he has in this lot before the end of the next 2 years.

I'm just going to sit back and enjoy the year!

Sheahan moving from Cat A rookie to Cat B allowed us to recruit additional rookie

Cheers.

Bolton now has heaps of options if the key to his game plan is speed and skill transition from the backline.

Need some really smart forwards to capitalise on that speed and skill.

One thing for sure with last year's additions and 10 changes this year not counting rookies it will be a different look.

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"Get ready, Teddy - you're on": Ron Barassi half time 1970 Grand Final