Player Watch #?: Jack Darling - has officially requested to be traded to NM on a two-year deal. Pick 64 is expected to be tabled.

[Danni_Benson]

I hear ya Danni, but to me looked like the poor fella got a bit hijacked by the media attention. Its a long flight, looked like he just wanted to get his bags and go home, and they were pretty obvious questions they asked. Pretty uncomfortable to be answering questions about a future at another club when your still a contracted player, and may not have had extensive discussions with WCE about leaving.

I get it and referenced the doorstop interview but given his experience in the game and his knowledge of WA media, you think he would have had a well prepared answer! You don’t need to be Einstein to understand the WA media will be all over it.

Perhaps I’m being a little harsh but just my take.

 

[DocSholl]

Those aren’t the only options. Find some mid-tier players who want to join then. Key word being want.

We dont have to recruit anyone. The idea that we have to get Darling because there aren't other good options isn't all that sound.

 

[Shagga is all Class]

To me it isn't about picks or money, it is about list spots. We only get 42 - maybe 44 if we get to keep our extras for another year. We already have 37 players signed up for next year. Five of these are short-term low-ceiling talls - adding another is crazy unless we pay out a few contracted duds.

We have about 15-16 players OOC 2025.

On current form, you might consider signing about 4 of them.

If they can't beat out Darling for a spot in the 22 in a contract year, then they shouldn't be on our list. And the same goes for those competing with the likes of LMAC and Tucker.

 

[see see]

Surely ignore or 'no comment' or 'yeah it was good to have a chat'.

I would've preferred that he prefaced at least a couple of answers with "Let me tell you this, Mr Reporterman ..."

 

[perplexed]

I understand that sentiment, but you can't just have a list full of kids with no experience unless winning 2-3 games a year is something you are comfortable with.

We have to make some compromises in terms of we need to have a best 18 that is going to put up a fight to create a better environment for the kids to learn in. We have a bunch of experienced guys currently that aren't offering us a lot and aren't best 18 and I think if they make way for Darling then it wont hinder development.

I wouldn't even break into a sweat finding 7 people to get rid of that imo wouldn't have a detrimental effect on the performance of our team, and probably another 5 I could add to the list which I know the club wont get rid of. That is the problem we are facing. We allocated plenty of room on our list to draftees.

I'm all for cutting extra players. There are 16-20 I think we need out the door this year and next. My worry is that we don't cut hard enough and lose a great chance to correct the imbalances in the list. This draft looks much deeper than normal, and we may be able to grab a bargain or two if open up the list spots to do it. I'm worried that we just fiddle around the edges by trading in a couple of old blokes and only taking three kids at the draft. This will just push the problem into next year, when the draft may not run so deep.

 

[perplexed]

We have about 15-16 players OOC 2025.

On current form, you might consider signing about 4 of them.

If they can't beat out Darling for a spot in the 22 in a contract year, then they shouldn't be on our list. And the same goes for those competing with the likes of LMAC and Tucker.

I agree. But it is going to be a lot to cut at once. I'd rather be brought a few forward to level things out: CCJ, Stevo and Biggie are the easiest.

 

[lockheed]

Those aren’t the only options. Find some mid-tier players who want to join then. Key word being want.

Can't find the report now, but it said that we approached both Darling and Membrey. Darling was keen from the start and Membrey was initially neutral in his response, but has now stopped answering our calls.

So the issue, given our performance over the last few years, is finding the quality mid-tier players who want to play for us.

 

[Sphynx]

2-3 years, from his own mouth.

Holy hell North.....

 

[Better Loosen Up]

Anyone we can bring to the club that can remove one of the many state league footballers we have attempting to football has my vote. Welcome Jack.

Jack, as it currently stands, is a state league level footballer attempting to football

 

[The Nostradamus]

I’d assume it’s 2 years only to start with

But if he plays well we’d be open to giving him another down the line

 

[apollo_creed]

But why can’t we just recruit four A-graders for unders?

No one's saying we can apologist.

 

[Jeremy Jordan]

As I stated before, I’m far from a Darling fan. But can anyone tell me what the worst possible scenario is if he comes?

Are exisiting players going to leave because he comes in? Are we going to lose players because his salary is high and we won’t be able to pay other players? Is him playing in the 22 make us a worse team than right now? Will he keep out potential guns like Toby Pink and others? Is he a chance to punch on with support staff?
Or are people freaking out over this purely based on the money he will be paid?

I assume that Viney and Clarko have their finger prints all over this. Do we back them in because they have had some success bringing mature players in in the past? Or do we not back them in because they have had failures bringing mature players in in the past?

I assume when you coach a side for over 15 years, you will have plenty of wins and losses when it comes to list building.

 

[zoomba23]

2-3 years, from his own mouth.

Holy hell North.....

Two is cringe-inducing, three is suicidal. Surely not three

 

[Passmore]

As I stated before, I’m far from a Darling fan. But can anyone tell me what the worst possible scenario is if he comes?

Are exisiting players going to leave because he comes in? Are we going to lose players because his salary is high and we won’t be able to pay other players? Is him playing in the 22 make us a worse team than right now? Will he keep out potential guns like Toby Pink and others? Is he a chance to punch on with support staff?
Or are people freaking out over this purely based on the money he will be paid?

I assume that Viney and Clarko have their finger prints all over this. Do we back them in because they have had some success bringing mature players in in the past? Or do we not back them in because they have had failures bringing mature players in in the past?

I assume when you coach a side for over 15 years, you will have plenty of wins and losses when it comes to list building.

It seems the worst possible scenario for some will be if he's not a complete train wreck.

Sent from my SM-A908B using Tapatalk

 

[hilly]

As I stated before, I’m far from a Darling fan. But can anyone tell me what the worst possible scenario is if he comes?

Are exisiting players going to leave because he comes in? Are we going to lose players because his salary is high and we won’t be able to pay other players? Is him playing in the 22 make us a worse team than right now? Will he keep out potential guns like Toby Pink and others? Is he a chance to punch on with support staff?
Or are people freaking out over this purely based on the money he will be paid?

I assume that Viney and Clarko have their finger prints all over this. Do we back them in because they have had some success bringing mature players in in the past? Or do we not back them in because they have had failures bringing mature players in in the past?

I assume when you coach a side for over 15 years, you will have plenty of wins and losses when it comes to list building.

Clogging the list (which to be frank is already clogged). I don't care much about salary and after last year have some faith we won't overpay in terms of trade capital.

 

[Black Diamond]

At this stage the worst possible outcome will be that those death riding him will be proven wrong.

 

[DocSholl]

Why does there have to be a worst case scenario to recruiting a player?

We could.sign current day Tony Lockett

Tony Lockett

Age

58

Ht

191cm

Wt

108kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

10.2

3star

K

8.4

3star

HB

1.8

2star

M

6.3

5star

T

0.5

3star

G

4.8

5star

No current season stats available

D

8.2

2star

K

5.6

3star

HB

2.6

3star

M

4.0

4star

T

0.0

1star

G

1.4

5star

as an SSP player. It's not going to cost us anything other than a list spot but that doesn't make it a good idea.

 

[Better Loosen Up]

As I stated before, I’m far from a Darling fan. But can anyone tell me what the worst possible scenario is if he comes?

Are exisiting players going to leave because he comes in? Are we going to lose players because his salary is high and we won’t be able to pay other players? Is him playing in the 22 make us a worse team than right now? Will he keep out potential guns like Toby Pink and others? Is he a chance to punch on with support staff?
Or are people freaking out over this purely based on the money he will be paid?

I assume that Viney and Clarko have their finger prints all over this. Do we back them in because they have had some success bringing mature players in in the past? Or do we not back them in because they have had failures bringing mature players in in the past?

I assume when you coach a side for over 15 years, you will have plenty of wins and losses when it comes to list building.

1. He doesn't improve us.
2. He's taking up a list spot
3. He's getting a game every week regardless of output a la Lmac style because he's the shiny new toy and it just has to work!
4. He could be keeping other players out of the team with more upside (can we really have a forward line of Larkey, Darling, Teakle and Zurhaar? If not, who sits out? If you think we can then why would be when the game heading away from a 3 tall forward line with more emphasis of getting small forwards into the play.

Also, I don't think he's taking Pink's spot as I think come the start of next season, his position will be redundant anyway.

The whole thing stinks of "well we had to take someone and no one else was willing to come to us". If that's the case, then in my mind you're better off taking no one and trying again in 12 months time or go to the draft. Not pad out someone's superannuation fund.

 

[Better Loosen Up]

At this stage the worst possible outcome will be that those death riding him will be proven wrong.

Won't happen

 

[apollo_creed]

At this stage the worst possible outcome will be that those death riding him will be proven wrong.

not that he plays and sucks and we've paid an old dude who can barely move to finish his career at our club while we win another 3 games and the club points to high draft picks performing as a sign of things turning around? despite all measurable comparisons making us worse than we were the year before.

 

[Its a Process]

As I stated before, I’m far from a Darling fan. But can anyone tell me what the worst possible scenario is if he comes?

Are exisiting players going to leave because he comes in? Are we going to lose players because his salary is high and we won’t be able to pay other players? Is him playing in the 22 make us a worse team than right now? Will he keep out potential guns like Toby Pink and others? Is he a chance to punch on with support staff?
Or are people freaking out over this purely based on the money he will be paid?

I assume that Viney and Clarko have their finger prints all over this. Do we back them in because they have had some success bringing mature players in in the past? Or do we not back them in because they have had failures bringing mature players in in the past?

I assume when you coach a side for over 15 years, you will have plenty of wins and losses when it comes to list building.

It's pretty darn embarrassing that we have all off the available cap space in the world and the best we can do is a crocked 298 gamer who isn't wanted by is own team.

That aside, there is no real downside.

 

[see see]

Why does there have to be a worst case scenario to recruiting a player?

We could.sign current day Tony Lockett as an SSP player. It's not going to cost us anything other than a list spot but that doesn't make it a good idea.

Provided he does preseason in a cake shop in order to get back up to his playing weight, I'd back Plugger in to kick 50+.

 

[Ichiro #51]

As I stated before, I’m far from a Darling fan. But can anyone tell me what the worst possible scenario is if he comes?

Are exisiting players going to leave because he comes in? Are we going to lose players because his salary is high and we won’t be able to pay other players? Is him playing in the 22 make us a worse team than right now? Will he keep out potential guns like Toby Pink and others? Is he a chance to punch on with support staff?
Or are people freaking out over this purely based on the money he will be paid?

I assume that Viney and Clarko have their finger prints all over this. Do we back them in because they have had some success bringing mature players in in the past? Or do we not back them in because they have had failures bringing mature players in in the past?

I assume when you coach a side for over 15 years, you will have plenty of wins and losses when it comes to list building.

I reckon it’s as simple as, if he’s not a good enough player (2025 version) to improve our current 23, and he won’t be here when we’re challenging, what’s the point.

Why not have a throw at the stumps on a late pick in the ND? That guy is at least a chance of being around when we’re hitting our straps.

Fwiw, I’ve read so many differing views on here recently I now have no I idea what we should do.

 

[Taylor]

Similar to picking up Jarrad Waite

Jarrad Waite

Age

41

Ht

194cm

Wt

96kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

14.3

4star

K

9.8

4star

HB

4.5

3star

M

5.8

5star

T

2.7

4star

G

1.5

5star

No current season stats available

D

9.4

3star

K

6.2

3star

HB

3.2

3star

M

2.4

3star

T

2.2

4star

G

0.6

3star

isn't it?

Waite was 31y 7m 29d when he signed a two year deal with North, went on to kick 125 goals.

Jack Darling

27

Jack Darling

Age

32

Ht

191cm

Wt

95kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

12.1

3star

K

7.9

3star

HB

4.2

3star

M

5.0

5star

T

3.0

5star

G

1.9

5star

D

8.0

2star

K

4.3

2star

HB

3.7

3star

M

2.7

3star

T

2.4

3star

G

1.3

5star

D

14.6

4star

K

7.6

3star

HB

7.0

5star

M

6.0

5star

T

4.0

5star

G

1.4

5star

is 32y 3m 2d today.

A big body to wear the blows in the pack and drag a big opponent away from a younger, skinner player so they can develop with a chance to get their hands on the ball more.

 

[Frank Thring]

He's also not wanted by West Coast.

That's because they're young and are rebuilding