All good ones (even Cloke), except for Vickery. Cats already taking a risk with Mitch Clark, so wouldn’t want another iffy tall forward. Would hate a mid season draft, but a good topic for conversation and interesting read. Thanks Josh.

Not stating this as fact, just putting the question out there, but could Petrie potentially be a weakness for North? I have a lot of time for Drew, but given the potential of Daw and how he has played in his two games, would he be a bigger weapon?

Petrie is averaging 11 disposals, 4 marks, 2 tackles and 1.2 goals but none in the last three weeks. In his 2 games Daw has averaged 12 disposals, 4 marks, 5 tackles, 1.5 goals and 12 hit outs.

No doubt Petrie brings a steady head, but with the improvement of Brown, Daw could provide the X factor that at the moment really only Wells, and perhaps Harvey are consistently capable of. Thoughts Josh?

Pretty accurate assessment Cam. Fact is North rely on too few (particularly Goldy), and when they are down Roos are vulnerable. That being said I think they have been far more consistent this season than the last few.and the difference between their best and worst appears to have narrowed significantly. Last season they probably would have lost two of the three games you mentioned.

Don’t think he can seriously win it, but put a 20 on Zaharakis at 153-1. Was big on him prior to the season starting and if he keeps being Essendon’s best player most weeks should pick up a fair number of ones. If he can turn a few of those into twos and the Bombers win a game or two………….

Parker and Danger for mine so far. What sets both apart from their team mates is their ability to hit the scoreboard more. Kicking multiple goals is going to attract the attention of the umpires more so than a few more disposals.

Haven’t seen enough of Apeness to make an informed call on him, but given he’s a young big man coming back from injury will probably take a couple of seasons to make any impact. But if he fits the bill, him, Taberner and McCarthy with Walters, Mayne (to a certain degree), and Bennell/Fyfe rolling through plus a couple of their young blokes is a decent looking long term forward line. Still reckon Casboult would have been a good fit. Would have cost hardly anything, pressure would have been off Pav a bit, and Taberner would have got the third tall defender instead of second.

I suggested a week before the draft last year that Fremantle’s time at the top was finished, http://www.theroar.com.au/2015/10/19/dockers-premiership-window-about-to-close/ and was pooh poohed by a number of people here. While I wasn’t expecting them to fall so far, a drop down the ladder was inevitable. The loss of McPharlin was huge, and felt even more so cos Dawson is a one trick pony. To expect Pav to play as number one tall forward is too much to ask. Ballantyne is a liability and as I said above Lyon has chosen to play role players who will never be anything more, instead of giving his youngsters a decent go.

Dockers will most likely get McCarthy this year, but they still need a bash and crash forward and a decent CHB. Which will take at least a couple of drafts to achieve. Having said all that, they do have a great core of players that are still young, so while they will probably lower their colours this season and next, I don’t think it’s the end of days down at Freo that some are making it out to be.

While I don’t hold quite the same optimism as Don Freo, I do agree with him there are a bunch of exciting youngsters at the Dockers. The main problem is that Lyon has not given them enough game time, preferring to go with the likes of Suban and co. who quite frankly are role players at best, and a waste of space at worst.

Agree there Liam about Shaw and Lumumba. But H hasn’t turned the world on fire since going to the Dees, and while I’d love Heater to still be there, I think the trade turned out well for both parties. Billy would make a difference, but still as has been mentioned efficiency needs to improve – particularly coming out of defence and going inside 50.

@TWAS Pies haven’t finished bottom four yet. And while yes they could have been better in the last couple of years, injuries in the latter half of the past two seasons have taken their toll. Everyone’s feeling for the Doggies right now and rightly so, but worse happened at Collingwood two years ago.

I think a lot of people when questioning or criticising Buckley’s rebuild tend to forget how important Ball, Jolly and Brown were to the Magpie’s success in 2010/11. But they were all pretty much cooked by 2012, and the majority of players delisted were not picked up by other clubs – even with GC and GWS coming into the comp. Might sound silly, but I reckon biggest mistake was getting rid of Dawes. Not a great player by any means, but a perfect foil for Cloke, and since he left Trav has never been the same.

Heaps of issues at the Holden Centre, but I’m still hopeful for a decent season, as it is only Round 4 and plenty of time to turn things around. Having said that if we get beaten by the Bombers on Monday……..

Would certainly stir things up a bit in the west if the Blues were to somehow get up, and I imagine Dimma and Bucks would be absolutely stoked.

Seriously? Your title says it’s too early for coach bashing, then you go ahead and do it yourself. The whole thing seems just an excuse to have a go at Nathan Buckley. He’s the only person you’ve tagged, and the only one that according to you can’t turn the fortunes of his team around. While that certainly might be the case and you have every right to express your opinion, at least try not contradicting yourself in the process.

From the title I assumed I was going to read something sensible, instead I just got to hear more inane Buckley bashing, with absolutely nothing other than a win loss record from the last 15 games to back it up.

Should be a cracker of a game. The comments above by Jax and MH (and the article itself – thanks Ronan), pretty much said it all. However as far as litmus test, I’m not so sure – only Round 5 of a very long season. Even if either side smashes the other, plenty of time to turn things around before the serious stuff starts, and at this early stage you would think both will be involved regardless of the result next week.

Couldn’t disagree more with this article. A definition of a champion is ‘a person who has surpassed all rivals in a sporting contest or other competition.’ Stress the ‘a person’, or if you like an individual. Being part of a premiership is often luck of the draw, being a champion player is not. It is about excelling at your chosen sport over a long period of time and has absolutely zero to do with team success.

Couldn’t agree more Josh. I think the ‘selfish’ and ‘make way for the younger player’ comments are ridiculous. The AFL is supposed to have the best players – has North really got anyone as good as Harvey at the moment? Goldstein the only one that comes quickly to mind, and I’d say the three most important players at North are Boomer, Goldstein and Petrie, and to a lesser extent Waite. Three of four well past 30. Making way for a younger player is similar to the Springboks’ coloured player policy of the 90s, or the constant demand for more women to be involved in AFL. Both of which I have no issue with if they are the best person for the job, however sometimes that is not the case, and they are there only because of political correctness.

Love the Grigg comment. Seems Richmond players are sometimes a bit quick off the mark with their sledging. Cotchin’s comment to Treloar a couple of weeks ago is another example. Maybe the Tiges should concentrate on getting the footy rather than mouthing off to their opponents.

Galvode, the Crows were easily top of the ladder after three rounds in 2015, then lost the next two. They only won three of the next seven, and they were against Carlton, St Kilda and Brisbane. All before the tragedy that befell the Walsh family which happened in the first week of July. Hardly a quarter of the way through the season.

The only statement I’d be willing to make with any certainty is that the Swans will be challenging again. People writing them off because of an aging list, yet their young guys have been the catalyst of their success so far this season. Best and most balanced midfield in the AFL, an underated defence (Heath Grundy is an absolute gun at what he does), and a forward line with a firing Buddy and reinvented Tippett who is flourishing in his role of first ruck come forward. Pyke was a handicap if anything last year – particularly in the latter part of the season, so the addition of Sinclair I think is huge in terms of team balance. Think them Hawks, Doggies and Eagles will be top four.

Rest of the eight is a lottery at this early stage. Good North can beat anybody, but bad North can’t beat anybody, Richmond can’t win without Delidio and the Docker’s forward woes continue. They desperately need Bennell fit, while Collingwood have been putrid apart from about half an hour out of three games. Adelaide started last season off like this and faded, Gold Coast haven’t beaten anybody yet and GWS don’t seem to have improved as much in the off season as I thought they would – at least so far. Saints finished 14th and six out of the last 10 years the team that finished 14th the previous year made the eight the next. And huge question mark on Port. As I said a lottery.

The discrepancy in contested possession shows that Collingwood just didn’t turn up on the night. Whether that be because of the drugs issue of the last few days or not, it was just one of those games where nothing went right. All clubs have them, and although a very disappointing way to start the season, I’m still confident this group can make the eight. Having said that though the loss of Swanny is huge, but hopefully back for the second half of the season.

Thanks for adding your pearl of wisdom to the conversation.

It would be a police issue only if they were caught, but my point is it’s not too much to ask a highly paid employee not to break the law. My other point was not so much how much any drugs may effect any individual’s health, more so the risk of 12 months suspension and how it would affect the side.

And I’m hardly sitting on a moral high horse here Mr F. Each to their own I say as long as it doesn’t affect others, but when there are consequences that are more wide spread than the individual concerned it is another matter.

I’ll also add that two of my good friends from high school are dead because of illicit drugs – one from suicide and one from an overdose, and my own brother was almost lost to us at 16 because of a heroin addiction. So even if I do come across a bit strong on this subject I make no apologies for it.

Can’t disagree with you more strongly. If I was a player not taking illicit drugs, working my ass off and doing everything possible for team success, and some numb nut was not only putting their own health at risk, but subsequently also running the risk of being sidelined and affecting my team’s chances, I’d be ropeable.

Secondly as you yourself state, ‘these boys are overcompensated for what they do’, so expecting them to refrain from using illicit drugs (which is breaking the law), is not an unreasonable ask.

I have to disagree with on this one Josh. The idea of a big Swans v Pies game mid season came from mediation talks between Pridham and McGuire, and it was proposed then to award the Goodes’ Medal to BOG. What ever Eddie’s personal agenda, the idea to me is a good one. Not only does it honour Goodes, it is also a bit of ‘in yer face’ to all those idiotic Collingwood supporters who were front and centre during the booing saga.

In 20-30 years time Goodes’ name will still be honoured and remembered each and every season, while Eddie’s involvement in the concept will be forgotten fairly quickly. If some good can come out of the disgraceful behavior directed at Adam Goodes by so many last year, I’m all for it. Of course that is on the proviso the man himself agrees with it, but given the type of person he has shown himself to be throughout all this, I would hazard a guess he would support the concept.

Thanks for your comment James. Yeah, I probably should have added that it is a game started by the two clubs, with Sheeds being the biggest force behind it, but I thought that was pretty much a given aspect of the argument.

I reckon Watts, may be the most interesting to keep an eye on. Good end to 2015 and solid start to this year in the NAB Challenge. Could it finally be the year he performs like a number 1 draft pick? Not a Demons’ supporter but I hope so.

Good first up effort Michael, and although the idea in an ideal world would be great, it just won’t work for some of the reasons mentioned by other commenters above. Cost etc. Also the college system is a continuation of very well supported high school competition which we will never have in Australia.

And I have to add some of the comments are uncalled for. All ideas start somewhere, and it is places like The Roar that they are allowed to be shared and debated – good or bad. As long as the article isn’t just a rant and is well written (as is this one), the author doesn’t deserve to be insulted.

I agree with that Tom. Wasn’t inferring he was AA standard yet, but has exceeded expectations.