Team Mgmt. Makeup of our team II - Strengths & deficiencies, player development

[Yoda_]

Biggest issue that people need to realise (imo) is that when you have such a horrific run at the top end of the draft, it hurts you badly for many years to come.

Yes you can pull a few wins in from later picks, trades etc, but all teams need that core of elite talent from the draft. The other methods are always more hit and miss.

Langford
Laverde
Parish
Francis
McGrath
Cox
Perkins
Reid
Hobbs
Tsatas

That there is our Top 20 picks in a decade of drafts.

It is horrific. Absolutely horrific.

Parish had one big year.

Langford has come on but it took the club literally 8 years to realise that is he a forward.

A couple of others have time, but have started terribly.

There’s no coming back from it. We have completely blown elite draft picks and elite talent development for a decade.

We have years at the bottom to come.

The thing many dont seem to acknowledge either is that all our "top end" draft picks haven't been top end. Apart from mr private school boy and back pocket specialist Andrew McGrath, we have never bothered to reach into the bottom reaches of the draft where the genuinely elite talent is.

We have done ourselves no favours but we have never bothered to fully bottom out.I would be letting Draper go for Free Agency compensation, even if it was Band 2 (mid first round) and we take 5 picks inside 30 this year.

 

[brutus76]

Tassie concessions get announced later this season

No to Harley Reid

Draft kids who are pure mids

Trade anyone not hanging around like McGrath, Parish, Redman for more picks

Let Draper go to the Crows

 

[ghostdog]

Biggest issue that people need to realise (imo) is that when you have such a horrific run at the top end of the draft, it hurts you badly for many years to come.

Yes you can pull a few wins in from later picks, trades etc, but all teams need that core of elite talent from the draft. The other methods are always more hit and miss.

Langford
Laverde
Parish
Francis
McGrath
Cox
Perkins
Reid
Hobbs
Tsatas

That there is our Top 20 picks in a decade of drafts.

It is horrific. Absolutely horrific.

Parish had one big year.

Langford has come on but it took the club literally 8 years to realise that is he a forward.

A couple of others have time, but have started terribly.

There’s no coming back from it. We have completely blown elite draft picks and elite talent development for a decade.

We have years at the bottom to come.

This post shows the crux of the on-field issue I reckon. We're going to feel the pain of the Dodoro legacy for a while yet.
Brad knows it. He's keen to go to the draft.

 

[ghostdog]

Nick Bryan and Sam Draper are a main reason I'll watch this season. Bryan's success or otherwise could well determine whether we're confident enough to let Draper go, and we need Draper to play his best season whether he's staying or going.

Three first round picks and two second rounders would be powerful, plus the capacity to reach for futures if necessary. The possibility of spending two firsts on Reid and still having two top ten picks is real.

 

[Mikevk123]

We need to cut our losses with the draft busts as soon as possible.

 

[eth-dog]

Tassie concessions get announced later this season

No to Harley Reid

Draft kids who are pure mids

Trade anyone not hanging around like McGrath, Parish, Redman for more picks

Let Draper go to the Crows

Nope. One of the biggest issues on our list is the fact that Parish, Tsatas, Hobbs, Shiel, Setterfield, Durham* and Duursma (wing) have all struggled to impact away from the midfield. The only midfielders who have shown they can are Caldwell, Merrett, Martin and Jones, and the latter two are wingers.

No more one dimensional midfielders who can't impact elsewhere.

*Durham can play multiple roles within the midfield but struggles outside of it

 

[FlyingV]

Biggest issue that people need to realise (imo) is that when you have such a horrific run at the top end of the draft, it hurts you badly for many years to come.

Yes you can pull a few wins in from later picks, trades etc, but all teams need that core of elite talent from the draft. The other methods are always more hit and miss.

Langford
Laverde
Parish
Francis
McGrath
Cox
Perkins
Reid
Hobbs
Tsatas

That there is our Top 20 picks in a decade of drafts.

It is horrific. Absolutely horrific.

Parish had one big year.

Langford has come on but it took the club literally 8 years to realise that is he a forward.

A couple of others have time, but have started terribly.

There’s no coming back from it. We have completely blown elite draft picks and elite talent development for a decade.

We have years at the bottom to come.

You’re right it’s looking pretty grim. There was a time when Lav and Langers looked good value, McGrath was pretty good, and at least 2 of Cox, Reid and Perk were going to kick on… but that’s all looking unlikely now.
I’ve got big concerns on Hobbs, he’s just not the modern day player. Tsatas I think will make it.

In that list we have completely ignored the trend of drafting hard running quick skillful players that lend themselves to fast transition style footy. Total miss from the recruitment team imo.

Honestly if we didn’t luck out and hit gold with Martin, Durham and (fml Dambrosio) this list would be appallingly bad.

 

[faible]

Biggest issue that people need to realise (imo) is that when you have such a horrific run at the top end of the draft, it hurts you badly for many years to come.

Yes you can pull a few wins in from later picks, trades etc, but all teams need that core of elite talent from the draft. The other methods are always more hit and miss.

Langford
Laverde
Parish
Francis
McGrath
Cox
Perkins
Reid
Hobbs
Tsatas

That there is our Top 20 picks in a decade of drafts.

It is horrific. Absolutely horrific.

Parish had one big year.

Langford has come on but it took the club literally 8 years to realise that is he a forward.

A couple of others have time, but have started terribly.

There’s no coming back from it. We have completely blown elite draft picks and elite talent development for a decade.

We have years at the bottom to come.

It can turn quickly if you hit on 2-3 good drafts in a ~ 5 year window. Which is where we've largely struggled, we might have one good draft but then not hit again for a couple of years.

2012: Daniher
2013: Merrett, Fantasia
2014: Langford, Laverde, McKenna
2015: Parish, Redman, McDonald-Tipungwuti
2016: McGrath, Ridley, Draper

That's 12 genuine best-22 level players, of which a number are AA's or AA Squad. Daniher, Fantasia, McKenna, and AMT were all lost in their primes for various reasons, and at their best were pretty damn good.

vs Brisbane (after the go-home 5 or whatever it was and they rebuilt)

2014: Andrews
2015: Hipwood
2016: McCluggage, Berry, McInerney
2017: Rayner, Bailey, Starcevich, Payne
2018: Answerth

10 best-22 players (Coleman was 2019)

If Rosa can pluck half a dozen good AFL players (and an elite one or two) over the next 3 drafts, it can turn fast. Merrett is more likely to be a past his prime veteran like a Crawford was at the Hawks, or Zorko at Brisbane, if he wins a Premiership IMO.

 

[Bombers36]

The positive with our list right now is we have 17 players that are out of contract this year so we will get some natural turnover as be able to shed some dead wood;-

At least 6 of these 8 with no contract for 2026 or beyond will be gone you'd think;-

Goldy
Setters
Davey
Menzie
Prior
Vigo
Shiel
Lav

Also out of contract another 9 players who have more upside/currency but we will likely lose a couple off this list also;-

SEH
Day-Wicks
Nguyen
Edwards
Jones
Hobbs
Reid
Bryan
Draper


So at a minimum 8 players on our current list will be gone - probably more...!! The point is we are POISED at the end of this year to do a big list cleanout, and we have draft capital + cash to support positive player acquisitions moving forward into 2026 which should significantly improve our list