- Feb 14, 2014
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To be pedantic, Dusty was 09. Vickery was 08.It’s difficult to say all the same because it’s still very much dependent on who you have access to and actually pick in any particular draft and it still takes time
How long did we have our core playing together before we managed to have some success?
We got Jack in n 2006 and Dusty 2008 with the rest of our core group getting drafted between that period
If it’s about building around an elite core for when they are playing prime football you could argue that Bolton, Balta, Baker, Rioli, Taranto, Gibcus, Brown and Hopper are at a similar point we were in 2016 so if we make smart moves around recruiting around these players as a core we could be competitive in 2 - 3 years
While still having the benefit of some elite talent entering the club from this year and next years draft that will also develop in that time
Sounds a lot better than banking on a he draft for a core we may not even get by going all in on the draft
But to put it in perspective for the core in 2016:
Jack 2006
Rance and Cotchin 2007
Dusty 2009
They were the top of our playing list going into 2016 but we also need to put into context around those players
Jack Riewoldt - During his career he kicked the second most goals for the league until he started to get injured. Can't remember where he finished up but he was only behind Franklin. This stat is over the time he was in the game not total career goals.
Alex Rance - Splits the debate as to the greatest ever Full back in the modern era and is compared to Scarlett. Also is a player that that is ranked in the top 5 defenders of all time
Trent Cotchin - One of the longest serving captains of the club. Brownlow medallist and a leader that completely changed his game style to find success.
Dustin Martin - Is part of the conversation as AFL GOAT. He may still have the record for Brownlow votes per game and is the only triple Norm Smith medallist in the game
These are all players who at one point in their career prior to the end of 2016 were listed as the top 10 players in the game.
In all honesty besides Tarranto, Bolton, Baker and maybe Gibcus (if he gets his body right) how many of those players you listed could be or have been seen as even top 20 players of the league.
So currently the top echelon of our list is magnitudes worse than what it was at the end of 2016. So for us to have a dramatic turnaround we need to first be able to have our best available players on the park and then have the core from our 2019 to 2021 drafts show astronomical improvements or our gameplan evolves and we get the most out of a little.