Angus Graham to Adelaide

[Mattrox]

This you're going to have to explain to me ....as it's very confusing

Sorry.

You know when a player is stuffed and they hunch over and bend at the waist, not quite hands on knees or they get dragged, and really try to suck in air.

No go with me here...... look around, make sure noone is in the office.... stand up, roll your shoulders slightly forward, very slightly lean forward and draw in a few deep breaths.........

 

[cmndstab]

And he would have been awful.

And we would have been better off rucking Jenkins/McKernan. Even Otten.

It remains that there was absolutely no upside to this trade.

Even though Jacobs was screaming out for a spell, we didn't give Graham even one game. Not even a token one at the end of the season when we couldn't make finals just to see if he was any good at all. We knew by that stage, what the average BigFooty fan could have told the club 12 months ago.

I think we have a difference of opinion on how well Jenkins/McKernan/Otten can handle being a first ruck. They cannot play that lead ruck role. We may as well put Petrenko in if we're going to do that.

Graham is a shit player, but at least he can play that role.

At least now I understand where you're coming from though, if you honestly think Otten would be a better first ruck than Graham. If that is correct, then yes, the trade was worthless.

Really? There was no better option in all the land?

He's not even the best ruckman at Sturt.

No, that's not what I said. He was the best option on our list.

As I already pointed out, the question of whether there was a superior, ready-to-go option that we ignored is more important, and much harder to answer.

The Crows took Graham for a very specific and obvious reason. If Jacobs went down, we had literally no "first ruck" types able to fill a spot at AFL level. I don't mean play well, I mean play at all. We had none. Literally none. McKernan can't do it. Jenkins can't do it. Dowdell and Osborne weren't/aren't ready. So Graham was an extremely cheap stopgap measure that we hoped never to need. Fortunately, we didn't need him. Hopefully, we will continue not to need him, and in the meantime our developing rucks can actually reach a stage where they could play instead of Graham, at which point we can get rid of him. Or, alternatively, we can trade in a better ruckman.

 

[WaynesWorld19]

Sorry.

You know when a player is stuffed and they hunch over and bend at the waist, not quite hands on knees or they get dragged, and really try to suck in air.

No go with me here...... look around, make sure noone is in the office.... stand up, roll your shoulders slightly forward, very slightly lean forward and draw in a few deep breaths.........

just had to laugh

 

[MRB37]

Our recruiting team has a reasonable track record .......if they chose Graham there must have been some game features they believed could be developed .......whilst not threatening the #1 ruck role

My take is the guy was no-where near fit ......look at some of the PS videos and Graham was well & truly trailing the pack (just like Marsh used to) ......get that right and who knows

I suspect they wanted a ruck with AFL experience who could slot straight into the side should Jacobs go down with an LTI and not have to worry about "developing" him or having growing pains with a youngster. The list of gettable ruckman who've played 50 games (and ones who wouldn't cost a fortune) would have been very short. At the time of recruiting him he'd been 3rd for hitouts in the VFL and had 10+ possesions in 15 of his 17 games while almost kicking a goal a game. He looked like someone who you could play in the SANFL, let him be consistent there and call him up if you had too. Low risk insurance policy and nothing more. Add in Hamish Ogilvie vouching for him since he coached him as a teenager in Tasmania and they went and got him.

 

[matty p]

Probably the worst pick-up we've ever made. Anyone who'd ever seen Graham play could've told the Crows that before we picked him up.

Dan Currie was a much better option.

 

[Captain Poopybum]

Angus Beef is good

I'm glad you followed my thinking.

 

[DREAM TEAM BUFF]

I'm glad you followed my thinking.

Big Mac must be making heaps from Angus Beef

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

I think we have a difference of opinion on how well Jenkins/McKernan/Otten can handle being a first ruck. They cannot play that lead ruck role. We may as well put Petrenko in if we're going to do that.

Graham is a shit player, but at least he can play that role.

At least now I understand where you're coming from though, if you honestly think Otten would be a better first ruck than Graham. If that is correct, then yes, the trade was worthless.

Not me. I never considered Otten a ruckman at all. It was the club that thought Otten was a better value ruckman than Graham. And that's after a season of seeing Graham in action every training session, plus a full season of SANFL.

At least he can play that role? What? No, he can't. That's why his performances have been so terrible.

The Crows took Graham for a very specific and obvious reason. If Jacobs went down, we had literally no "first ruck" types able to fill a spot at AFL level. I don't mean play well, I mean play at all. We had none. Literally none. McKernan can't do it. Jenkins can't do it. Dowdell and Osborne weren't/aren't ready.

What does this mean? Why can't they? Because they are not as tall as Sandilands?

Who cares.

They would battle away, struggle, give us a bit around the ground here and there. Graham would just play badly, like he always has and continued to do for Sturt. And run out of puff in the first quarter. You either perform or you don't. He's utter crap and getting thrashed but at least he's as tall as his opponent, that's one positive. No.

So Graham was an extremely cheap stopgap measure that we hoped never to need. Fortunately, we didn't need him. Hopefully, we will continue not to need him, and in the meantime our developing rucks can actually reach a stage where they could play instead of Graham, at which point we can get rid of him. Or, alternatively, we can trade in a better ruckman.

Who are our developing rucks?

You've already written off McKernan and Jenkins as first ruck options. We've delisted a couple of our rookie ruck projects that didn't work out. Osbourne still there. So that's it? One guy?

What a shame we didn't use the Graham spot on our list to grab another young ruckman and spend a season developing him. Instead we're a year down the track and STILL our back up is Angus Graham who, in your words, is a shit player. And has no upside.

 

[Captain Poopybum]

Big Mac must be making heaps from Angus Beef

That's not the only thing.

 

[cmndstab]

Who are our developing rucks?

You've already written off McKernan and Jenkins as first ruck options. We've delisted a couple of our rookie ruck projects that didn't work out. Osbourne still there. So that's it? One guy?

What a shame we didn't use the Graham spot on our list to grab another young ruckman and spend a season developing him. Instead we're a year down the track and STILL our back up is Angus Graham who, in your words, is a shit player. And has no upside.

I agree a two year deal was foolish an unnecessary.

As for developing rucks, we haven't had the draft yet. Fingers crossed we'll pick some up.

The fact that the ones we had never proved good enough to play AFL makes the reasons behind picking up Graham even more obvious.

 

[DREAM TEAM BUFF]

That's not the only thing.

What else

 

[Cap]

I agree a two year deal was foolish an unnecessary.

As for developing rucks, we haven't had the draft yet. Fingers crossed we'll pick some up.

The fact that the ones we had never proved good enough to play AFL makes the reasons behind picking up Graham even more obvious.

not really, he wouldn't have come across without 2 years.

 

[Slippery Pete]

The Crows took Graham for a very specific and obvious reason. If Jacobs went down, we had literally no "first ruck" types able to fill a spot at AFL level.

Do you remember what Jacobs' form was like at various points this season?

 

[adelaidecrows]

Do you remember what Jacobs' form was like at various points this season?

Jacobs form was actually still pretty good just down on last season. Still better then what Graham had to offer. Remember Jacobs is doing 80% of the entire game. That's an insane level of workload to expect him to do. No doubt with Jenkins coming back and if smack gets of his arse Jacobs can drop down to 60% and provide more of a midfield influence on games. He must have one serious tank though. I have tremendous respect for Jacobs.

 

[DREAM TEAM BUFF]

Should have just gave Angus a 26 week contract a year is to much

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

not really, he wouldn't have come across without 2 years.

Should have called his bluff!

 

[Mattrox]

Good question ......they say TV puts 5kgs on for actors ......but i swear footballers look thinner on TV

Have a look at the Twitter pic the AFC put up. I think you'll get what I mean. His pecs, shoulders and guns look strong, but he needs that same level of development through ABs and legs. Yes there's a 6 pack but low body fat helps with definition.