Game Day 2018 DRAFT - Christmas is early this year

[Big Crow]

That depends if you're going the whole draft, or early? The whole draft and you could make an argument that we're at parity, purely due to Butts breaking out and Sholl showing that he's got an elite outside mid ceiling (whereas Ports draft fell away badly after the Duursma pick). Early picks, and any argument is shot down by Zac Butters.

Very fair assessment.

I’m focusing on the early draft picks here because it’s something we sorely need to get right if we are going to contend for a flag out of this rebuild, and we’ve historically struggled to nail it. Overall it is looking more even though certainly.

 

[WeeBlake]

Speaking of Thomas, it's insane the disparity some clubs have benefitted via the F/S and Academy rules versus others

Bulldogs will have gotten 2 top 5 picks in the last two years. GWS have had about 10 in the last decade, Sydney 4 elite prospects, Collingwood multiple top-end players

Adelaide? Zero. Never even received a priority pick and never had a father son or Academy player drafted in the first three rounds of the national draft

It really grinds my gears how badly equalization is undermined by those things, plus free agency.

 

[WeeBlake]

We did get Walker tho

 

[cmndstab]

We did get Walker tho

Everyone in the country had access to him, though.

 

[Sanders]

Everyone in the country had access to him, though.

not sure that’s right. I don’t think they did

 

[NTRabbit]

They did when he was 16, but only in the sense that any club could have made him a NSW Scholarship offer, he got to pick and choose which one he wanted to take. If memory serves, at the time he only had serious interest from us and Collingwood, and he chose us. From that point on he was ours, which is why when he hit draft age we got him with the final pick of the 2007 draft, instead of him going somewhere in the first two rounds.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Didn't Walker advertise himself to us? Sent us his video highlights and asked us to take him

 

[cmndstab]

not sure that’s right. I don’t think they did

Anyone was able to sign him to the NSW Scholarship program. Once we did then we were the only ones who could draft him (and were obligated to do so) but anyone could have signed him up if both parties agreed.

The folklore is that Walker lobbied us and we weren't that interested so he eventually talked to another couple of clubs (Collingwood was one from memory) and got some interest, and then told us "I have an offer on the table, sign me now or I'm taking it."

Also supposedly when Rendell came on board he tried to cancel our commitment but was told we'd already spent the money. This was shortly after Walker had just had an injury (motorbike accident? It's been a long time, I might be remembering wrong.)

 

[WeeBlake]

Anyone was able to sign him to the NSW Scholarship program. Once we did then we were the only ones who could draft him (and were obligated to do so) but anyone could have signed him up if both parties agreed.

The folklore is that Walker lobbied us and we weren't that interested so he eventually talked to another couple of clubs (Collingwood was one from memory) and got some interest, and then told us "I have an offer on the table, sign me now or I'm taking it."

Also supposedly when Rendell came on board he tried to cancel our commitment but was told we'd already spent the money. This was shortly after Walker had just had an injury (motorbike accident? It's been a long time, I might be remembering wrong.)

It’s a bit like the NSW academies, but not as generous given they can pack in plenty of players and choose the best. Still a leg up.

 

[cmndstab]

It’s a bit like the NSW academies, but not as generous given they can pack in plenty of players and choose the best. Still a leg up.

It was the precursor to that, and ended as soon as the NSW Academies began. At the end of the day I think there were only two or three players of note to come from the NSW Scholarship program. Walker obviously, Craig Bird, possibly one or two others. Most played very few games or none at all. Our own Aidan Riley was probably one of the most successful!