Brayshaw and Cerra.

[Square Peg]

Palmer, Hill, Morabito and Logue were (I think, might be others I forgot) the only other top 10 picks we'd had in the decade before choosing these two. Other notable first draft picks in that decade included Sheridan, Pitt, Apeness and Smpson. Not much to beat in that group to be one of our best early picks.

I still am pretty bullish about Cerra. I accept the criticism made above that he doesn't put his head over the ball enough. But he can read the game and can play.

Brayshaw - if you are a number 2 draft pick and you kill your team's last quarter momentum by missing under no pressure from 20 metres out on the run like he did in round 1, well there has to be a hell of a lot of other attributes up your sleeve to be so shit at such a basic part of the game and still have gone at #2. I'm not seeing those attributes.

 

[Taylor]

Brayshaw - if you are a number 2 draft pick and you kill your team's last quarter momentum by missing under no pressure from 20 metres out on the run like he did in round 1, well there has to be a hell of a lot of other attributes up your sleeve to be so sh*t at such a basic part of the game and still have gone at #2. I'm not seeing those attributes.

This is an element of his game that I would very much like to see him working on during the off season, if he nails those 4 out of 5 times we are in a much better place - I think he did against the dogs last season?

 

[blue shark]

This is why I wanted Hugh Greenwood last season. We need Brayshaw and Cerra playing #3 and #4 mid behind Fyfe and another contested ball winner until particularly Cerra is able to win the hard ball himself.

But we will get best team results when the likes of Cerra and Walters aren't winning their own ball at all because Fyfe/Greenwood/Valente etc are winning it and feeding it out to them, and they started cheating wide and forward knowing the ball winner wouldn't let them down.

That's where football tips really, really fast.

Maybe we can play Fyfe, Conca, Walters. Or Fyfe, Conca, Cerra.

JLo is a rookie coach, will take time to leave his imprint, style on the team.
But even Ross wouldn't use Barlow, DeBoer, Crozier in positions of strength.
Greenwood may have been the same?
Until we see someone instructed to run with, tag god knows what the
match committee think?
JLo might have to move some of the old dead wood at the end of the
year.

 

[ImperialPurple]

Maybe, but they all look like draft wins....even Naughton at 8 looks a very good pick.
It just adds to the narrative that Vic metro kids get overhyped compared to similar kids from elsewhere.
As I've pointed out many times in the past, our record drafting VM kids is ******* atrocious. There must be a reason for it.

In the last 10 drafts we’ve lost two VM players who have asked to be traded home - Harley Balic and Ed Langdon. Langdon left a hole, Balic had issues, despite having talent. Hardly played, hardly missed.

Other than those two - Tom Sheridan, Hayden Crozier, Sam Collins are on other lists.
Sheridan was delisted and lucky to be picked up by GWS.
Crozier wanted to stay, but WB were offering a longer contract, on more coin, and a guaranteed spot in their 22. Freo couldn’t/wouldn’t offer that.
Collins spent a year in the VFL, was thrown a lifeline by GC and is doing well - good on him.

A chunk of our Vic boys from the last 10 drafts are country boys.
Young* (1st round)
Serong* (1st)
Sturt* (1st)
Darcy* (2nd)
Tucker* (equivalent 2nd)
Smith (delisted),
Taberner* (rookie),
Pitt (1st round, retired - who could’ve predicted that?),
Mellington (4th round, delisted),
Barlow (MA, rookie - delisted ).

WA and SA have most representatives over this period.

During that time VM draftees:
Brayshaw•*
Cerra•*
Schultz*•••• (MA - late 4th round)
Bewley*•••• (MA - late 4th round)
North*•••• (late 4th)
Switkowski*••••• (MA - 5th round)
Ryan*••••• (MA - 5th round)
Duman*••••••• (rookie)
Sheridan• (1st round- Delisted)
Crozier•• (end of first round compo, traded for 3rd)
Balic•• (late 2nd, traded for 4th, retired due to mental health)
Collins•••• (MA - 4th round, delisted)
Langdon••• (3rd round, traded for 2nd)
Ballard••••••••• (3rd round Rookie, delisted)
Apeness• (1st round, injuries, retired)
Michie••• (3rd round, traded for 4th, delisted by Melb after 2 seasons)
Silvagni •••••••• (2nd round rookie, delisted, picked up by Carlton, mostly injured, retired after 2 years)

* Still on the list
MA - mature aged player
• draft round picked - 6+ = rookie

We have drafted VM boys over the last 10 years, but most of them we got really cheaply, and it’s 17 players over 10 years.

We used 1st/2nd round picks on Brayshaw, Cerra, Balic, Crozier, Sheridan and Apeness, however we haven’t paid higher than pick 44 for 10 of the 16. Balic (mental health), Apeness (injury) were busts, but under unforseeable circumstances.

Langdon asked for a trade but his value improved while he was here, and we used it to help us get Young/Serong/points for Henry. Crozier was forced out.

I don’t think our VM efforts have been too bad over the last 10 years, as far as ‘go home’ factor. Just Langdon and Balic fit that category. Digging around in the VFL for mature aged players means they’re more likely to stay, given no-one else took a punt on them. Maybe digging in the WAFL or SANFL could have been more productive, but these guys were all highly rated league players and we paid shit-all for them.

tl;dr - our track record with VM draftees over the past 10 years is nowhere near as bad as many think.

/post that is way too long as is very typical of me.

 

[Scham]

This is an element of his game that I would very much like to see him working on during the off season, if he nails those 4 out of 5 times we are in a much better place - I think he did against the dogs last season?

He’s kicked 12.14 in his career, which on face value isn’t great but of course we know how easy most of those shots have been so it’s even worse. He’s got a serious case of the yips. Interestingly he hasn’t had a shot since the two howlers in Rd 1.

 

[Taylor]

He’s kicked 12.14 in his career, which on face value isn’t great but of course we know how easy most of those shots have been so it’s even worse. He’s got a serious case of the yips. Interestingly he hasn’t had a shot since the two howlers in Rd 1.

I don't think we have kicked any goals out of the midfield since then either :/

 

[Monument Hills]

I too am really disappointed that Cerra and Brayshaw haven't pipped Fyfe in the Brownlow in either of the last two years. Need to be delisted like every other rubbish 3rd year player that we reasonably expected would be awesome immediately.

 

[Dockeroo]

Cerra shown some very encouraging signs when delivering inside 50 this season. If we can create a game plan that sees Cerra delivering ten I50 kicks per game or Thereabouts, it would be massive for us.

 

[_007_]

Brayshaw just isn't that good. More of a De Boer or Conca than a Selwood. Will play a thousand games though so there's that.

Cerra is looking more likely to be a Tucker than a Mundy to me which is fine but not what I'd hope for a pick 5. Haven't given up on him becoming A grade. I love what I've seen in flashes and I think he will improve rapidly as his midfield exposure increases.

Typical Freo luck to get a once in a decade draft hand and land such a weak crop.

 

[Taylor]

At what point did Mundy take the leap to gun midfielder?

 

[ImperialPurple]

At what point did Mundy take the leap to gun midfielder?

100% this rhetorical question.

People forget he was drafted in 2003, spent all of 2004 in the WAFL, and didn’t debut till 2005. He played his first 3 years off the half back line before getting midfield time. That’s 5 years before he moved into the middle at age 23. Cut the youngsters some slack FFS.

 

[Scham]

At what point did Mundy take the leap to gun midfielder?

After a year in the WAFL and 3 more as a KPD where he was good. What's your point? For every player that takes 4 years to become a gun midfielder, there are 100's that either don't make it or make it in 1,2 or 3 years.

 

[Taylor]

After a year in the WAFL and 3 more as a KPD where he was good. What's your point? For every player that takes 4 years to become a gun midfielder, there are 100's that either don't make it or make it in 1,2 or 3 years.

My point was that it was interesting for a player to be criticized for not turning into David Mundy yet, when David Mundy hadn't turned into David Mundy by then either.

David Mundy.

 

[Taylor]

There are also scores of midfielders who slot in as the last midfielder in their very mature and strong side that surge into form with expectations on the graph flying up exponentially only to have hit their peak by their tenth game and later overtaken by that skinny kid who filled out.

They look great in that loose role.

 

[Paracleet]

At what point did Mundy take the leap to gun midfielder?

His first season in the guts full time was 2010 where he was pretty much an instance success.

 

[Kram]

The funny thing is that one stage here for maybe a couple of seasons before moving to the middle (around 08-09?) David Mundy was about as popular as Basil Zempalis on this board.

Well Bradesmaen excluded.

 

[Lach72]

The funny thing is that one stage here for maybe a couple of seasons before moving to the middle (around 08-09?) David Mundy was about as popular as Basil Zempalis on this board.

Well @bradesnaen excluded.

I don't know what you're talking about

 

[summerthebat]

Does anyone have access to Centre Bounce Attendances for players? I know in the pre-season Brayshaw led us in that number.... however he's top 10 in the league for stoppage clearances and yet his centre clearance numbers have him sixth on the team.

I'm assuming that he's not starting at the centre bounce very often?

 

[wild side]

The funny thing is that one stage here for maybe a couple of seasons before moving to the middle (around 08-09?) David Mundy was about as popular as Basil Zempalis on this board.

Well Bradesmaen excluded.

Very true, he was bagged a lot on here early days.
He's ended up being one of our best ever, and easily one of the best players to come from a WA club to pay afl

 

[Scham]

My point was that it was interesting for a player to be criticized for not turning into David Mundy yet, when David Mundy hadn't turned into David Mundy by then either.

David Mundy.

Perhaps that's where some posters are going wildly wrong - comparing him to Mundy.

 

[malpaso]

Brayshaw and Cerra are doing just fine, pull your heads in.

 

[Bring back Drum]

Brayshaw and Cerra are doing just fine, pull your heads in.

Full Stop!
Close thread.

 

[Bad Brain]

I liken Brayshaw to McManus. Disposal will make him look like a liability at times but will always give 100% effort and probably end up playing 200 games.

 

[Wigarus]

After a year in the WAFL and 3 more as a KPD where he was good. What's your point? For every player that takes 4 years to become a gun midfielder, there are 100's that either don't make it or make it in 1,2 or 3 years.

Yeah, it's pretty disingenuous to compare him to Mundy when Mundy was best 22 already, just in a different spot. Mind you, if you put Andy in a forward pocket for a season or two posters on here would whinge he isn't getting a game in the guts.

 

[_007_]

Brayshaw just isn't that good. More of a De Boer or Conca than a Selwood. Will play a thousand games though so there's that.

Cerra is looking more likely to be a Tucker than a Mundy to me which is fine but not what I'd hope for a pick 5. Haven't given up on him becoming A grade. I love what I've seen in flashes and I think he will improve rapidly as his midfield exposure increases.

Typical Freo luck to get a once in a decade draft hand and land such a weak crop.