Recruiting AFL Draft Watch 2024 - What do we do, we don't have a top 10 pick?

[bombreys]

For me it comes when you have a deep balanced list and better players pushing for those spots.

We’re getting close to that but aren’t quite there yet.

As disappointing as some of these players are they are still better then most non afl listed VFL players

Interesting - what or who makes you think we are getting close to that?

I'd say we have little depth outside of our mids. And even then it's quite same-y (not a lot of speed and no big bodies).

Our ruck depth I would say is fine. I'd probably have rather Goldy become a ruck coach and sign a Jack Hayes type. But that's nitpicking.

Our forward and defensive depth I would rate as poor/barely existent.

 

[bombreys]

I agree that there has been delays, but this is the cost of not taking decisive action earlier and not seeing how the young players we do have go at the senior level in their preferred position.
It's the cost of not playing guys, of playing them out of position, injuries and senior players who were known clogging up minutes and opportunity.

so now, in a year where we had sweet FA capital it lines up that a player will eat a bid, the best play we have is to push assets to the future, still collect our first round talent, commit to properly exploring the list and then being absolutely decisive with what we need, who we don't etc.

Pushing capital into this year is going to be incredibly costly and we simply don't have the spots to actually view the list whilst still adding the young talent.
When I say spots I mean opportunity and role.

We don't know our forward setup, we don't know if Reid, cox or Perkins are good enough, we don't know about Tsatas, we don't know our forward setup, we don't even know our best midfield mix (fans do, the club don't). We don't know our ruck setup.

Unfortunately the cost of being indecisive and too conservative leads to situations like this where this is exactly the time to actually be conservative, the risk being that impatience wins out and pushes you further back by burning through capital trying to chase a dream premium draft hand your not entitled to, and have no real idea what you need.

I agree with most of this - but we still have the same coach & director at the helm that made those initial decisions. It's a pretty damn big stuff up.

On top of that, they're both saying they want to improve next year.

Rosa I feel for. If Scott and Barham have come to the realisation the list is no good 2 years later than everyone with half a brain, that should be on them. And, they're both still saying they want to improve next year. If we bottom out next year, I would hope both of their positions are under review.

 

[bombreys]

It comes to an end next year as one way or another these guys who are supposed to be the future will have progressed or not done anything more. It will spell the end of rebuild 2020 if they do not come on.

Do you not just get the feeling that at the end of next year, if they don't come on, they'll just kick the can down the road again and give them another 12 months?

These guys from the 2020 'rebuild' will be 23 before any of them play another AFL game. We're not talking about a bunch of teenagers here.

 

[Zach Package]

Do you not just get the feeling that at the end of next year, if they don't come on, they'll just kick the can down the road again and give them another 12 months?

These guys from the 2020 'rebuild' will be 23 before any of them play another AFL game. We're not talking about a bunch of teenagers here.

Developmentally I suspect they are given they've had no underage footy and we may have put the quantity of time into them but the jury is out on the quality of that time.

 

[Call Me Cake]

Would people be up for trading Melb's F1 for Richmond's 11? (With possibly a F3 going their way as well).

Having that many picks from 1 - 24 for Richmond looks good on paper but statistically it's probably better to spread it out over multiple years than just one (Gold Coast had so many in one year and half were a bust). It'd be a win-win.

 

[Vindicater]

Would people be up for trading Melb's F1 for Richmond's 11? (With possibly a F3 going their way as well).

Having that many picks from 1 - 24 for Richmond looks good on paper but statistically it's probably better to spread it out over multiple years than just one (Gold Coast had so many in one year and half were a bust). It'd be a win-win.

Yes. Even better if a Kako bid has not come by that point.

 

[Call Me Cake]

Yes. Even better if a Kako bid has not come by that point.

I've asked their board and they'd be against it. They're saying they'd be more happy with trading a pick in the 20's for a F1 + F3.

Nah. The value at 11 is potentially 5 in other years.

We will move picks but unless we get overs for 11 it’ll be our picks in the 20s for F1s.

Not a chance in hell.

 

[ant555]

Do you not just get the feeling that at the end of next year, if they don't come on, they'll just kick the can down the road again and give them another 12 months?

These guys from the 2020 'rebuild' will be 23 before any of them play another AFL game. We're not talking about a bunch of teenagers here.

I may be wrong but I feel that Vozzo is no longer drinking the Essendon cool aid and this years fade out will end up being a turning point. Obviously we have been unlucky with Reid. We also lost most of Cox's second year to injury so it has taken a year longer on that front. It seems that Perkins will get a shot at Stringers spot but I do not think they will just sign them again if they are going no good.

 

[Yoda_]

I may be wrong but I feel that Vozzo is no longer drinking the Essendon cool aid and this years fade out will end up being a turning point. Obviously we have been unlucky with Reid. We also lost most of Cox's second year to injury so it has taken a year longer on that front. It seems that Perkins will get a shot at Stringers spot but I do not think they will just sign them again if they are going no good.

agreed, even Tsatas is essentially a second year player due to injury holding him back in year 1.

Its not all doom and gloom but geez the jungle drums will be beating if these kids dont stay on the park and show something (improvement, consistency, fitness) next year

 

[ant555]

I agree with most of this - but we still have the same coach & director at the helm that made those initial decisions. It's a pretty damn big stuff up.

On top of that, they're both saying they want to improve next year.

Rosa I feel for. If Scott and Barham have come to the realisation the list is no good 2 years later than everyone with half a brain, that should be on them. And, they're both still saying they want to improve next year. If we bottom out next year, I would hope both of their positions are under review.

I posted about this in the Brad Scott thread but the simple fact is the club chased Scott and got him interested but there was not plan list wise. It was not like hiring someone who had done a deep dive into the list. So Scott is pretty much limited in what he can do in the first year anyway.
Hired too late to have any real say in the draft. Would not have nailed down a game plan and how players would fit into it. Had no idea what level the football program was at. So you waste a season looking at all of it.

Vozzo was second choice as CEO and was in the same boat as Scott. No real solid plan due to the circumstances. He was hired as a football CEO so he also has to sit back and watch a year unfold.

My mail is both where influenced by "Essendon" people at board level and media level during this period as the talk was the list is okay . We just need an experienced coach to take it to the next level. Plenty of non Essendon media also calling us under performers and the list was better than where we finished.

So we play 2023. Scott / Vozzo / McPherson get a good look. The realize the program has some serious issues and the players are well short of the preparation standard they need to be at. New pre season program. Players look fitter than ever. Play improved footy for a long part of the season and then melt under pressure.
Now they are looking at the reality that is Essendon.

To say two years too late is wrong. You can not expect them to not be the number 1 choice and have a detailed plan from day 1 when Essendon was not even on the radar for them.
Of course they are saying we need to improve next year. Find me a club in history that has come out before a season and said we are just going to lose for draft pick . We do need to improve next year. The guys who are part of the 2020 draft have to improve. Several others have to improve. That is not shock.
If we bottom out it will not be totally on Scott or Barham for that matter. The reason will be the continual mistake made every year leading into now.
The messaging from the start under Scott has been this is not a short term fix. Seems a lot of people gloss over that.
There are also a lot of Scott comments in the media about the whole process taking a while to fix.

 

[ant555]

agreed, even Tsatas is essentially a second year player due to injury holding him back in year 1.

Its not all doom and gloom but geez the jungle drums will be beating if these kids dont stay on the park and show something (improvement, consistency, fitness) next year

People can beat as many drums as they want but it will be what it is. They will have to start again. Maybe if they listened to Dan Richardson and worked out that Adrian was not god and the list was not really where it needed to be then we would be further advanced. But no we let that relationship fall apart and moved Richardson on. Then we moved Mahoney on. We get what the board has given us. At least now we have a CEO who has finally removed him all together and we have a new guy.
Scott could be a casualty but he was really hired to do something with the football program first.

 

[Foxx]

Would people be up for trading Melb's F1 for Richmond's 11? (With possibly a F3 going their way as well).

Having that many picks from 1 - 24 for Richmond looks good on paper but statistically it's probably better to spread it out over multiple years than just one (Gold Coast had so many in one year and half were a bust). It'd be a win-win.

This has been proposed several times already. So seems popular.

 

[Duckworth]

Can someone please post what Essendon’s target is according to the HS. Thanks.

 

[doug85]

Can someone please post what Essendon’s target is according to the HS. Thanks.

Is this the article?

 

[RedmanWasHere]

If Lalor's the thumbnail, then the Essendon target is simply Kako.

 

[doug85]

If Lalor's the thumbnail, then the Essendon target is simply Kako.

If it’s the article I posted, then yes the target is just Kako.

****ing click bait