Recruiting AFL Draft Watch 2022 - Tsatas, Hayes, Davey x2, Munkara & Montgomerie

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[MarkJohnson#1]

So you're okay with the midfield getting beaten up year on year by those with bigger bodies? Good to know.

That would imply that I think Carmichael would make a difference. Good to know all the amateur list managers on BigFooty know more than the people who get paid to do it for a living though...

 

[Lore]

Just get Brayshaw at the end of the year and we are half way to solving that problem.
It looks like they have targeted a tackling forward and a tackling defender which we desperately need too.

And if he re-signs, what then?

Try for another?

It does sound like we’re looking at free agency given the salary cap space available and the ability to keep our draft picks through that mechanism. And if we think we can achieve something that way then it makes sense not to overdo it in the MSD.

We need smalls anyway. Lack of depth in those areas is an absolute killer.

I wonder if a rebounding small defender might release Hind to go forward when we get ourselves in a bind.

 

[Duckworth]

Try for another?

It does sound like we’re looking at free agency given the salary cap space available and the ability to keep our draft picks through that mechanism. And if we think we can achieve something that way then it makes sense not to overdo it in the MSD.

We need smalls anyway. Lack of depth in those areas is an absolute killer.

I wonder if a rebounding small defender might release Hind to go forward when we get ourselves in a bind.

Who would be the free agent that we would have committed though?

 

[eth-dog]

That would imply that I think Carmichael would make a difference. Good to know all the amateur list managers on BigFooty know more than the people who get paid to do it for a living though...

I really hope Carmichael kills it at Collingwood and proves you wrong.

Seriously, wake up. I've been somewhat of a defender of Dodoro but this has been a blindspot of his for a long time

Try for another?

It does sound like we’re looking at free agency given the salary cap space available and the ability to keep our draft picks through that mechanism. And if we think we can achieve something that way then it makes sense not to overdo it in the MSD.

We need smalls anyway. Lack of depth in those areas is an absolute killer.

I wonder if a rebounding small defender might release Hind to go forward when we get ourselves in a bind.

Who though? The ones who might be available aren't free agents and most likely will cost an arm and a leg draft pick wise.

 

[Lore]

In isolation I’m fine with the D’Ambrossio selection. A running half back who can distribute is most definitely a need.

BUT, it meant we skipped over yet another big bodied midfielder for a flanker when a big bodied mid has been the most obvious need on our list for a long time…

Love the Menzie selection.

Mid-season picks are the equivalent of the second or third round of the national draft at best, certainly Twomey had Culley as an equivalent to a late second this year.

Not sure the kids available to us with Culley off the table would have had any more luck than their third round predecessor, Dylan Clarke. The coaches are not going to play a random rookie kid over the salaried 6 footers that are already in the midfield.

And if they’re not going to do it then why waste everyone’s time and the pick on a player that is destined for the VFL team?

 

[Lore]

Who would be the free agent that we would have committed though?

I really hope Carmichael kills it at Collingwood and proves you wrong.

Seriously, wake up. I've been somewhat of a defender of Dodoro but this has been a blindspot of his for a long time

Who though? The ones who might be available aren't free agents and most likely will cost an arm and a leg draft pick wise.

Dunno, they didn’t tell us that part and I don’t read minds. They just keep talking up free agency as a thing they want to do this year. Or worse— trades. I assume they would not have said it if they didn’t have a few irons in the fire.

Who's on the table? Full free agents list revealed

The AFL has released the full free agents list for 2022

www.afl.com.au

 

[calyam]

Just get Brayshaw at the end of the year and we are half way to solving that problem.
It looks like they have targeted a tackling forward and a tackling defender which we desperately need too.

We're not getting Brayshaw. How often do good players leave a premiership contender for a basket case? It's pie in the sky stuff.

 

[JT_the_Man]

Mid-season picks are the equivalent of the second or third round of the national draft at best, certainly Twomey had Culley as an equivalent to a late second this year.

Not sure the kids available to us with Culley off the table would have had any more luck than their third round predecessor, Dylan Clarke. The coaches are not going to play a random rookie kid over the salaried 6 footers that are already in the midfield.

And if they’re not going to do it then why waste everyone’s time and the pick on a player that is destined for the VFL team?

While I’m not going to argue a Mitch Hibberd 2.0 is the answer, if they are going to play VFL it at the very least allows other players to play in their natural positions and gives us a developing midfielder. We need depth at the position.

I did really like the rise of Carmichael though, I see plenty of upside considering he was playing country footy just last year.

 

[Duckworth]

Dunno, they didn’t tell us that part and I don’t read minds. They just keep talking up free agency as a thing they want to do this year. Or worse— trades. I assume they would not have said it if they didn’t have a few irons in the fire.

Who's on the table? Full free agents list revealed

The AFL has released the full free agents list for 2022

www.afl.com.au

Yes, this is true. The free-agency list we have access to, and can see it shorten as the weeks continue. I can't work out who from the free agency list would be the one to be that blocking midfielder. Perhaps it is a 'worse' option.

 

[eth-dog]

Dunno, they didn’t tell us that part and I don’t read minds. They just keep talking up free agency as a thing they want to do this year. Or worse— trades. I assume they would not have said it if they didn’t have a few irons in the fire.

Who's on the table? Full free agents list revealed

The AFL has released the full free agents list for 2022

www.afl.com.au

There aren't really any big bodied midfielders there. It's a blindspot.

 

[Seb78]

The glaring deficiency we have in our midfield and have had for some time is lack of size & grunt. Look at the midfields of the top sides of recent times.

Dees - Petracca, Oliver, Brayshaw, Viney
Cats - Dangerfield, Duncan, Guthrie, Selwood
Dogs - Bontempelli, Dunkley, Macrae, Smith
Sydney - Mills, Kennedy, Heeney, Parker
Richmond - Martin, Cotchin, Prestia, Bolton
Brisbane - Neale, Lyons, McCluggage, Berry, Robinson

Every club has at least 1 or 2 big bodies, Tigers & Lions probably the exception here, but both still have at least 1.

Even Carlton at the moment with Cripps, Cera, Hewett & Kennedy.

90% of the players I listed would be 186cm or above, built like you know what's.

Since Jobe and Hocking moved on we've introduced a mosquito fleet of mids, not for one minute am I saying they are bad, but the balance is way off. Who's blocking? Who's the defensive mid? Who hitting bodies, who has the size and power to break tackles and bust through packs? Who's winning the aerial battles in the midfield? It's just so frustrating that our recruitment team haven't addressed this yet. I'm sure D'Ambrosio will turn out to be a fine player, but with Redman, McGrath, Hind, Lord etc.... we aren't exactly starving in that area. Carmichael was there, proven against men. Goal kicking big bodied mid, and we thought, nah. Finals in my opinion are won in the midfield, and almost always in a hot and heavily contested situation. Not surprising we haven't won one in 20 years.

Anyway, I'll get over it. Just my opinion.

I do like the Menzie pick

 

[Lore]

Yes, this is true. The free-agency list we have access to, and can see it shorten as the weeks continue. I can't work out who from the free agency list would be the one to be that blocking midfielder. Perhaps it is a 'worse' option.

Worse is definitely possible.

 

[Milanista28]

I think we'll offer Dunkley, Taranto and Brayshaw contracts, maybe we nab 1 or 2.

 

[ghostdog]

D'Ambro + tough midget = RAMBO. Best nickname everrr! Someone compared him to Liam Baker

3

Liam Baker

Age

26

Ht

173cm

Wt

72kg

Pos.

D/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

15.7

4star

K

7.8

3star

HB

7.9

5star

M

3.2

3star

T

2.6

4star

MG

222.2

3star

D

14.6

4star

K

6.8

3star

HB

7.9

4star

M

3.8

4star

T

1.8

3star

MG

191.9

3star

D

14.4

4star

K

6.2

3star

HB

8.2

5star

M

1.6

2star

T

1.8

4star

MG

224.2

4star

, of whom I am a huge fan. If that's an accurate type I'm sold.

I like the Menzie pick as well. Maybe the ball won't come rebounding so easily out of our 50 now. Combine that with Snelling. Just have to trust they're building what Truck wants.

 

[bombreys]

Like the Menzie pick, just don’t know why we continue to avoid a big bodied mid at all costs.

Is an undersized, injury prone HBF really what we need at the moment? Seems an odd selection when we’ve been struggling to field a team some weeks

 

[ghostdog]

I'm a bit over this obsession about needing a big midfielder. If we don't rate one then why add them to the list? He'd have to leapfrog Parish, Merrett, Caldwell, Stringer, Hobbs and Perkins as a starting point. You've then got McGrath, Shiel, Langford, Durham and Martin floating through there in various capacities. We've addressed some key weaknesses of ball use, small defensive stocks and a gaping hole in our forward line with these two picks.

I don't think a big mid would necessarily have had to leapfrog.
Waterman out. Stringer forward. Big mid midfield rotation. If it had been Carmichael, he and Stringer could have shared a CBA/forward rotation.

But we didnt draft Carmichael, so it is what it is.

 

[Sporno 4 Pyros]

We're not getting Brayshaw. How often do good players leave a premiership contender for a basket case? It's pie in the sky stuff.

I agree…it would be better to play in a side that’s contending rather than us.
But the salary cap squeeze is on at melbs, we have a heap of room in our cap and a desperate need for leaders.
Brayshaw hasn’t signed yet…if it was a GWS player who hadn’t signed at this point we would all be saying he was gettable.
We could offer him$800k over 5 years front loaded…it would get him thinking

 

[Chief Hopper]

D'Ambro and Mezies. Good picks that seem will have an impact with the squad if we get them playing.

Still, like many have mentioned we have another draft with no big bodied mid.
It seems we have a massive blindspot with either the the drafting team unable to find the right player, or the coaching team not rating it as a priority.
Maybe it's both.
Surely if many dons supporters, opposition supporters and news media sees it as an issue someone at Essendon HQ must be asking whats going on.

 

[MarkJohnson#1]

I really hope Carmichael kills it at Collingwood and proves you wrong.

Seriously, wake up. I've been somewhat of a defender of Dodoro but this has been a blindspot of his for a long time

I could well be wrong but I'm backing in the research of a professional list management team over your opinion. Let's see how Caldwell, Hobbs and Perkins develop over the next few years and see who we target in the ND and trade period before we throw the toys completely out of the cot.

 

[Zach Package]

Unpopular opinion: I wouldn’t be drafting Carmichael with the intention to play him inside, I’d be looking at a big, physical winger that can run the tram lines and take a mark

 

[Snake Charmer]

I really hope Carmichael kills it at Collingwood and proves you wrong.

Seriously, wake up. I've been somewhat of a defender of Dodoro but this has been a blindspot of his for a long time

Who though? The ones who might be available aren't free agents and most likely will cost an arm and a leg draft pick wise.

We picked up a small forward (need) and the kid with the best kick in the draft. We will have a top 5 pick in the ND. If we pass over a good tall mid then or with any of our picks I’d be worried. It’s fine we passed on Charmicahel in the rookie MSD

 

[Snake Charmer]

Unpopular opinion: I wouldn’t be drafting Carmichael with the intention to play him inside, I’d be looking at a big, physical winger that can run the tram lines and take a mark

Can Durham become that? We need a Langdon type winger to.

 

[eth-dog]

We picked up a small forward (need) and the kid with the best kick in the draft. We will have a top 5 pick in the ND. If we pass over a good tall mid then or with any of our picks I’d be worried. It’s fine we passed on Charmicahel in the rookie MSD

All evidence suggests that there isn't one in the ND. It's a consistent blind spot.

 

[Cup_o_Jobe]

Everybody complaining about passing on the inside mids obviously aren't caught up on the trade and free agency thread. Folks in there have already recruited both Brayshaw and Dunkley so let's cool our jets OK we're covered.

 

[Snake Charmer]

All evidence suggests that there isn't one in the ND. It's a consistent blind spot.

It’s the end of the world then I guess