Opinion McKernan....where to next? Stay or PSD?

[Harold Larwood]

I don't really have any sound reasons or logic behind my opinion, but I'd really like us to keep McKernan for another 2 years. He wouldn't cost too much and I can't help thinking that he'll thrive over the next few years. We are so harsh on him and expect so much and yet he's only just turned 23. Hell even his brother didn't kick on until he was 23. Smack is a KPF/Ruck and they don't grow on trees and they typically don't mature until they're 24/25. If you look at any AFL ruckman who is having a run of success at the moment, none of them really started having an impact until after they turned 23. Minson and Goldstein spring to mind.

 

[xchadders]

I don't really have any sound reasons or logic behind my opinion, but I'd really like us to keep McKernan for another 2 years. He wouldn't cost too much and I can't help thinking that he'll thrive over the next few years. We are so harsh on him and expect so much and yet he's only just turned 23. Hell even his brother didn't kick on until he was 23. Smack is a KPF/Ruck and they don't grow on trees and they typically don't mature until they're 24/25. If you look at any AFL ruckman who is having a run of success at the moment, none of them really started having an impact until after they turned 23. Minson and Goldstein spring to mind.

i want to keep him too. as long as we actually play him though. not in and out of the team like a drunkard with conciousness on the pavement.

 

[Allefgib]

Why would bringing people in mean we suddenly can't afford to lose him? Surely bringing people in can only mean holes get plugged, or at worst, status quo.

Are you sure your friend didn't mean, with the trades going out?

I think he means trades as something that has players going in and out.
Trade offers coming in might make more sense.

Presumably that means we've found someone to take gus off our hands for a 2nd round draft pick.
So we'd need to keep smack as back up

 

[cmndstab]

I think he means trades as something that has players going in and out.
Trade offers coming in might make more sense.

Presumably that means we've found someone to take gus off our hands for a 2nd round draft pick.
So we'd need to keep smack as back up

I like the way you think

 

[Mike Smyth]

I don't really have any sound reasons or logic behind my opinion, but I'd really like us to keep McKernan for another 2 years. He wouldn't cost too much and I can't help thinking that he'll thrive over the next few years. We are so harsh on him and expect so much and yet he's only just turned 23. Hell even his brother didn't kick on until he was 23. Smack is a KPF/Ruck and they don't grow on trees and they typically don't mature until they're 24/25. If you look at any AFL ruckman who is having a run of success at the moment, none of them really started having an impact until after they turned 23. Minson and Goldstein spring to mind.

I agree. I'm amazed people are so quick to get rid of McKernan when we don't have a backup Rickman and Jenkins and Johnston are still huge unknowns.

 

[NTRabbit]

I agree. I'm amazed people are so quick to get rid of McKernan when we don't have a backup Rickman and Jenkins and Johnston are still huge unknowns.

Jacobs, Graham, Dowdell, Osborn

We have backup ruckmen, McKernan is a Forward-ruckman. As it stands Jenkins is preferred, and as per the end of season when he isn't, Andy Otten is.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

I don't really have any sound reasons or logic behind my opinion

That's no problem.

 

[1970crow]

I agree. I'm amazed people are so quick to get rid of McKernan when we don't have a backup Rickman and Jenkins and Johnston are still huge unknowns.

We definately need another Alan rickman. But I agree, smack will be another big man that makes us look silly. And anyone who rates McKay ahead of tambling needs to watch some games of footy.

 

[Moonwatcher]

We definitely need another Alan Rickman.

We need someone with a take no prisoners attitude. Taking prisoners always ends with someone falling off a building.

 

[Crowbots are dead]

Jacobs, Graham, Dowdell, Osborn

We have backup ruckmen, McKernan is a Forward-ruckman. As it stands Jenkins is preferred, and as per the end of season when he isn't, Andy Otten is.

Surely you jest. The three 'backups' are a million miles away from being AFL ready. Smack gets a game ahead of them every time! Something tells me that Smack leaving would come back and bite us on the bum.

 

[NTRabbit]

Surely you jest. The three 'backups' are a million miles away from being AFL ready. Smack gets a game ahead of them every time! Something tells me that Smack leaving would come back and bite us on the bum.

We have four ruckmen on our list. The rookies may not be ready, and you may not like Graham, but there is no room to waste trying to carry a 5th ruckman on there, unless it's a new category A rookie - Graham isn't going to be delisted while still contracted, Dowdell and Osborn would have to be tracking negatively in order to be cut from the freebie category B list. Unless we're able to grab Lycett Gorringe Bellchambers Mumford then we're very much likely to stick with what we have, barring a hail mary down at pick 60 or so.

McKernan and Jenkins are forwards who can take 2nd ruck duties. Jenkins isn't a great ruck, McKernan isn't a great anything. If we're offloading McKernan, it's for another forward who can ruck, so unless we're able to steal somebody decent I'm comfortable with taking a newbie in the draft, because that player is likely to have the same impact as McKernan next season.

I also think you'll find that Smack wasn't getting a game at the end of the season either, Andy Otten being rated a better ruck option than him. Speaks volumes.

 

[Big Trozza]

Would there be any interest in say a Douglas for Suckling (Hawthorn) trade? Allows smith to move into the midfield on a more regular basis.

 

[Vader]

I think it's one of our biggest issues Jenn.

Guys like Martin should not spend ~5 years on our list and have played under 50 games.

I agree. Martin should have been gone 2 years ago. Unfortunately those were years of draft concessions & Tiprat penalties, forcing the club to limit the list changes thereby allowing the dead wood to accumulate.

 

[Vader]

Be disappointed if McKernan leaves for Brisbane - but pleased if it delivers us Polec.

Disappointment would stem from the fact it'd suggest that homesickness isn't the biggest issue - and that we haven't handled him as well as we could have.

Sounds to me as if he's investigated returning home & found a distinct lack of interest from the clubs based there. Can't say I blame them in the least. Brisbane could well be his only option.

 

[Vader]

The
The fact he was not in the side by the end is immaterial. We went with a different structure . However my point remains. We have no depth or back up past Sauce. He needs to be either replaced or retained.

Conveniently overlooking the reason we went with a different structure... because Smack was spudding it up so badly that his ongoing selection was untenable. You're putting the cart before the horse.

That said, I agree with your conclusion that he needs to be replaced or retained (preferably the former) in case Jacobs gets injured.

 

[Cap]

is anyone close enough to the club to work out wtf they are doing with Graham?

 

[GROTTO]

We have four ruckmen on our list. The rookies may not be ready, and you may not like Graham, but there is no room to waste trying to carry a 5th ruckman on there, unless it's a new category A rookie - Graham isn't going to be delisted while still contracted, Dowdell and Osborn would have to be tracking negatively in order to be cut from the freebie category B list. Unless we're able to grab Lycett Gorringe Bellchambers Mumford then we're very much likely to stick with what we have, barring a hail mary down at pick 60 or so.

McKernan and Jenkins are forwards who can take 2nd ruck duties. Jenkins isn't a great ruck, McKernan isn't a great anything. If we're offloading McKernan, it's for another forward who can ruck, so unless we're able to steal somebody decent I'm comfortable with taking a newbie in the draft, because that player is likely to have the same impact as McKernan next season.

I also think you'll find that Smack wasn't getting a game at the end of the season either, Andy Otten being rated a better ruck option than him. Speaks volumes.

Good post.

I liked the way Otten played up forward and presented well too.

Mumford is only around 27 years so it would good to see whether we could pinch him, might actually make Jacobs work harder too.

If we get a useful ruck - Smack is history if not, he stays.

Geez how about a terrifying stat of how bad Smack is, Danger had 48 hit outs compared to Smack 73.

So we need Danger in the forward pocket, in the midfield and in the ruck.

 

[AndrewJo]

Well one player I will be looking at in the SANFL finals is James Craig. He has been tutored by the Crows for a number of years and I have been impressed by his form in the minor round this year. A good finals series could see him re-rookied. He is certainly a better ruckman than any others in our squad behind Jacobs. If McKernan goes we need another mature ruckman in the rookie list. The only problem would be trying to play all the ruckman types in the Crows reserves.I think that would make 5 of them...

 

[swanfan]

Well one player I will be looking at in the SANFL finals is James Craig. He has been tutored by the Crows for a number of years and I have been impressed by his form in the minor round this year. A good finals series could see him re-rookied. He is certainly a better ruckman than any others in our squad behind Jacobs. If McKernan goes we need another mature ruckman in the rookie list. The only problem would be trying to play all the ruckman types in the Crows reserves.I think that would make 5 of them...

The road that has been most travelled leaves too many marks.

 

[NTRabbit]

James Craig's body cannot stand up to the rigours of AFL level football, we discovered that ourselves when he broke down every preseason they tried to ramp him up

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Would there be any interest in say a Douglas for Suckling (Hawthorn) trade? Allows smith to move into the midfield on a more regular basis.

Why do we need to trade Douglas for a lesser player to play Smith in the middle, when we have worse midfielders in the side?

 

[adelaidecrows]

is anyone close enough to the club to work out wtf they are doing with Graham?

lol, after the season we just had, I don't think the crows selection panel could honestly state they had a plan to play Graham other than if Jacobs broke down.

 

[cmndstab]

James Craig's body cannot stand up to the rigours of AFL level football, we discovered that ourselves when he broke down every preseason they tried to ramp him up

Maybe we should just treat him purely as a backup ruck and forget trying to train him to stand up to 22+ games of football a year.

More realistically though, we should give up on the bloke and just let him enjoy SANFL footy.

 

[Mismatched]

Maybe we should just treat him purely as a backup ruck and forget trying to train him to stand up to 22+ games of football a year.

More realistically though, we should give up on the bloke and just let him enjoy SANFL footy.

Problem is he's too short to be a full time ruckman and on top of this he has a harder time finding possessions than Matthew Clark did. It's the same story as Sellar and McKernan, only he's shorter and makes them look like good key position players. Craig is destined to become a good SANFL ruck, but nothing more.

 

[The Sloane Ranger]

Would there be any interest in say a Douglas for Suckling (Hawthorn) trade? Allows smith to move into the midfield on a more regular basis.

Why would we do this

Smith can move to the wing without trading Douglas