Zorko on our list after practice match.





https://www.sen.com.au/news/2026/02/24/afl-2026-dayne-zorko-on-carlton-blues-new-forward-line-charlie-curnow

that's a really good point, tbf

[3] Key Defenders: Weitering, L.Young, Dean
[4] Tall Defenders: Haynes, Derksen (fwd), O’Farrell, Duffy
[5] Medium Defenders: Cowan, Carroll, Newman, Charleson, Monahan
[4] Small Defenders: Florent, Saad, Boyd, Wilson
[4] Wing: Acres, Chesser, O.Hollands, L.Camporeale
[3] Ruck: Pittonet, Reidy, O’Keeffe (fwd)
[2] Defensive Mid: Hewett, Lord
[2] Inside Mid: Cripps, B.Camporeale
[3] General Mid: Walsh, Cerra, Smith
[4] Mid Forwards: Cottrell, Williams (def), F.Young, Ison
[4] Medium Forwards: Hayward, Moir, McGovern (def), E.Hollands
[5] Small Forwards: Ainsworth, Motlop, Fogarty, Evans, Byrne
[2] Key Forwards: McKay, Kemp (def)

P: 36
R(A): 7 - Lord, Carroll, Evans, Charleson, F.Young, Derksen, E.Hollands
R(B): 2 - Duffy, Monahan
LTI: 1 - Motlop

45 total, so one surplus. And, a good chance of adding at least one more in the MSD.

I say at least one more, because Cody is going to cost every other pick we have. If you think we were bent over a barrel to get Harry Dean, you’re in for a shock.

So, there’s no time like the present if we’re looking for another key forward.

Only 21 contracts to renew, including Saad, Newman, Williams, Haynes & McGovern

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"The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter" - Winston Churchill.

We have to extend Jagga immediately.

Not fussed if no contracts are given to Saad, Newman, Williams, Haynes and McGovern as i feel for the first time we have players to take their roles now.

McGovern is up against it. The other four are well ahead of the young fellas vying for their spot.

A lot can happen in a year, but I would consider the gap at half back to be so wide that the wings have been pushed back, Florent recruited and Williams was moved back into the group.

I’m seat 1A on the Cowan & Carroll bandwagon, but I’m also wanting to see more scoring chains off half back.

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"The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter" - Winston Churchill.

Jon Ralph
@RalphyHeraldSun

Clubs expecting to have to match first round bids using only two picks from the same round, not stockpiled mid-draft picks. Walker will play for Bendigo early but expect him to train at Carlton most of the year and play some or lots of Blues VFL. He’s moved into the inner north

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"I said I'd tell you the truth. Didn't say you'd like it." - Finch

Sounds a bit ridiculous, that means clubs with first round picks can hold other clubs to ransom at the trade table, devaluing picks and players.
Using 2 picks ONLY is the biggest issue for me, surely if you have 1 pick from the first round and need others from either the first or second round at the most to top it up, that should be good enough.
Smart move by the Walker family to move already though.

Should only apply to academy players, not F/S. Imagine draft night and North call out Cody's name at number 1 and we can't match, then Cody stands up from his table and walks out of the venue and leaves Andrew Dillon red faced on stage, a disaster for the AFL and disaster for Cody. They are putting Cody in an an untenable situation.

If they do this to F/S we should immediately take the AFL to court.

Of course I'm biased, but it seems to me the biggest issue is the number of players tied to certain clubs; like, having 4 or 5 early first rounders all tied to GCS was a joke. Why not limit clubs to one f/s or academy player per round, or having an increasing tax for each subsequent f/s/a you take after your first? You're right, it's just setting Walker up to be the prima Donna and Essendon* (yes!) to be the unrootable virgin. No one wants that! (well maybe the Essendon* part)

I'll also add: the AFL needs to be careful not to create a tanking culture. The NBA is a joke this season; the 2026 draft class is considered to be gold standard and you now have about a third of the teams in the league trying to lose as many games as possible, with many of the league's best players being shut down with dubious injuries - and there's still more than 20 games left in the season. In the NBA they already brought in a draft lottery to reduce tanking rewards, but it's still not enough. Having all the best players tied to one or two clubs is bad, but going completely the opposite way could do damage to more than just traditions.

I like that idea also.
Maybe it should be you can match 1 f/s or academy player in the 1st round with the current points value (using at least 1 first round pick), then for the any others there is a 10% increase per player and at least 1 pick in that round (1st round, another 1st round pick, 2nd round a 2nd round pick, etc).
And F/S should still have a 10% discount but academy and NGA have none.

So if you have 3 (non F/S) players that are bid on, 2 first rounds and 1 second you will need:
Player 1 - 1 x first and picks
Player 2 - 1 x first and picks + 10% of value
Player 3 - 1 x first/second and picks + 20% of value

FS and academy player should be teated completely differently, years ahead clubs plan and develop a certain number of academy players to be available to draft in a given year. The number of F/S available to a club in a given year is completely random, you might have 5 one year and none for the next ten.

A complete disgrace the AFL leaking things to Ralph to soften people up

Just give us the bloody rules and stop dissembling

Disgrace clubs not knowing the rules 9-10 months out from draft

Wasn’t Swann brought in to deal with this and hasn’t he done well so far the new ruck rule is terrific

There was nothing wrong with rules in 2025 for f/s we paid mv for Dean now we will pay more in 2026

THE PROBLEM IS NOT F/S it’s the academy NGA picks stop conflating them
Follow up email required

Swann is tightening things up conveniently after his club got both Ashcrofts

Sent from my moto g54 5G using Tapatalk

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#DonTheStash

THIS THIS & THIS

I agree with all of this except the part about us paying market value for Dean. I reckon we paid well above MV: isn't he the highest KPD selection since, I dunno, Weiters or something? He was projected around #10, then clubs thought let's chuck in an early bid to @#$%&! Carlton. Some were even fretting about WCE going in for him at #1, probably buttering us up so no one would raise eyebrows at the #3. I was complaining before the draft that the AFL had over compensated for the Naicos and Ashcroft heists so much that it was becoming more hindrance than help having F/S candidates because you have a moral obligation so clubs take the piss with a wild over-valuation. When F/S beneficiaries were buying top shelf talent with junk picks there was no incentive for the clubs to do this, but now that Carlton need 4 top 10 picks - or whatever - to gain access to Walker's hat, they're sniffing an opportunity to move up the pointy end of the board. Case in point: ISON plummeted down the board once clubs realised we had enough junk points to take him, so there was no longer any self-interest in picking him, it would have been seen as spiteful and against the unwritten LM code. But when we were holding 9 & 11, everyone was thinking let's force Carlton to turn that into one pick and then our 10 becomes 9, etc.

Yeah , I don't get all the hype about Swann . Overated .

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All my dangerous friends

I agree.

Below are the 9 players drafted in the first round in the last 10 years:

2025 - #3 Harry Dean

2024 - #5 Levi Ashcroft

2023 - #15 Jordan Croft
2023 - #19 Will McCabe

2022 - #2 Will Ashcroft
2022 - #12 Jaspa Fletcher
2022 - #17 Max Michalanney

2021 - #2 Sam Darcy
2021 - #4 Nick Daicos

2020 - 0

2019 - 0

2018 - 0

2017 - 0

2016 - 0

Last year alone there were 8 academy players drafted in the first round (2 did not have their bids matched).

Brisbane took West Coast’s captain, then used a bloke that will be medically retired to manipulate them into @#$%&! us up the arse.

It cost the WEagles their entire Academy intake.

If West Coast bid on Annable at 1, 2, or 3, we get a deal done to get them an extra pick inside 15 and we still, probably, do the Norf deal.

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"The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter" - Winston Churchill.

Has anyone else taken notice of our current 25 and under list:

B Wilson Billy, Dean Harry, Derksen Wade (R)
HB Cowan Lachlan, O'Farrell Harry, Carroll Matt (R)
C Chesser Campbell, Lord Cooper (R), Hollands, Oliver
Foll Reidy Liam (R), Walsh Sam, Smith Jagga
HF Hollands Elijah (R), Kemp Brodie, Byrne Talor,
F Moir Ashton, O'Keeffe Hudson, Motlop Jesse
Int Camporeale Ben, Camporeale Lucas, Ison Jack, Evans Francis (R), Cottrell Matt
Emer Young Flynn (R), Charleson Harry (R), Duffy Matt (R), Monahan Rob (R)

IMO - that is pretty exciting.