Scribe said:Some of the ponits make on this thread have been worth noting, but there's one very obvious point yet to be made - the attitude of the coaching staff at the club(s) to which these 2000 and 2002 top 30 players were drafted.
It's been made crystal clear by Clarkson & Co that they're emphasising youth and blooding almost all of their draftees from the get-go. If I were an U18 player taken in the top 30, I'd be happy to go to Hawthorn because it's the club where I have the most realistic chance of getting senior games early. Now, granted, I probably won't be playing in a finals side in the first two years, but neither would most of the top selections who go to the really strong clubs, as it's harder to get a senior game.
In my opinion, a lot of those players listed in the top 30 of 2000 and 2002 went to clubs who already had established their senior core, and they may've got a game or two in the first couple of years, but not many more. Hawthorn played Roughead, Franklin, Lewis all year, and played Young, Thurgood, Miller, Little, Boyle and Brennan selectively.
Chances are that the top 3 players drafted to hawthorn this coming draft will get good exposure, and if they cut it, then they will be rated far above their peers even after one season simply because they were given an opportunity (in a lower ranked side) to show what they were capable of, and to develop quickly.
You may be surprised at how some young players can prosper in the right environment if given a chance.
you could be right, increased exposure might help some - but in the past it has certainly hurt others. Depends on the individual.