#40 Luke Lavender - NewLAV!

I look forward to “which precociously talented young ruckman should we play” being a problem.

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I just hope he gets enough time in the ruck next year to develop. If TBC plays firsts, with Joe as backup, and Leuy, Draper and Lav2 are all fit, someone is going to miss out. They can’t all play VFL.

McKernan if we keep him will be playing permanent fwd IMO

Lavender fwd/ruck
Draper & Leuey splitting main ruck duties

I’m not sure it’ll be an issue. Probably always be managing Draper & Leueys workloads. And Belly is far from durable anyway.

Congratulations @S_K I can’t imagine how proud I would be. Looks to be very mobile for his size, good luck to young Lav.

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The first thing l thought of when l read the OP was, ‘What does this mean for SMack’s career?’ It would not surprise me if he was delisted or asked for a trade as a result of this development.

Congratulations to Luke and the whole Lavender clan. This is great news for us moving forward, with our ruck stocks hopefully filled for the next decade. Jackets has swooped in early and made off with another plum.

So now the hard work begins. S_K better warn Luke not to cruise around Blitz after a loss, as some of our posters who aren’t suicidal tend to become homicidal. Once again, well done to your son, and thanks for sharing this exciting news with us, all those months ago.

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Luke and I discuss Blitz, but he simply wouldn’t even know where to find it. If it’s not FB, Twitter, Insta or Snapchat, he’s not there.

He’s under no illusion about the monumental task ahead of him. Above all, he’s a good person, and if he doesn’t make it, it won’t be from lack of trying.

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Congrats @S_K.

(On a side note, funny that an ‘audition tape’ of kicking the footy down at the park is how they do it these days…, surely a few blitzers reckon they’re a red hot show based on kick to kick! (and I know this is not the only reason why he got picked up is)).

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Yes, we laughed at the amateur aspect of it all. His manager suggested it, and it worked. Within 3 days of it being made available, 7 clubs teed up times to meet with him.

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thanks for sharing your thoughts on the lead up, it’s been interesting to observe from afar.

all the best to you and your son! Go dons :wink:

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Congrats to Luke and yourself @S_K , wishing Luke all the best, if he can catch up on the Draper he will be doing very well.

I think Smack is safe next year, but that will probably be it if Leuey and TBell are on the scene in 2019, and Draper will be ready for the firsts I suspect. That could be LLav’s time to start to shine in the VFL, but who knows what he’ll be at this point, that’s the beauty of the Cat B Rookie though, if he is showing anything he will be worth persevering with.

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Thank you. I’ve had to be careful with what I could and couldn’t say. It’s hard to keep it quiet when your a lifelong Bomber fan, and you can’t say anything.

FWIW, Luke grew up a Collingwood supporter in a household where his mother and I are mad keen Bombers. Well and truly converted now though.

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I’m guessing Luke and Drapes will need to play KPD or KPF spots and rotate through the ruck. Not a bad thing, as it will make them well rounded players. Won’t always get massive ruck minutes, but still valuable experience.

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I await Collingwoods complaints that Luke really should be awarded to them.

Best of luck to the kid and very happy for you all.

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So he lacks good decision making

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So who dropped him on his head as a baby? You or the missus?

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His biological father :joy: I’ve been with Luke since he was 2 yo. I could have got him across to the Bombers very easily, but the Anzac Day rivalry was fun to preserve!

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Congratulations to yourself, your family and most importantly, your son. It may be a long shot but I think that by the obvious support of a great and realistic Dad and family, the odds are in his favour.

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Aaahhhh, I was looking for a polite way of asking where he got his height.

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We’re having a real purple patch during this trade period.

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Funnily enough, his father is not that tall either. The height is on his mother’s side (Dutch heritage).

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