Open Letter to Mark Robinson

[Daytripper]

Robbo, I know you read Big Footy so maybe its time for a few home truths.

Your recent articles on Essendon have been extremely misleading and a great example of tabloid journalism at its best. Its a pity because I used to really rate you as a football writer but you have now completely lost me.

Your May 13 article was just a case of stating the obvious and dressing it up as something else. Every man and his dog knew that Johnson and Peverill would only get a game this year as a last resort. Why this situation all of a sudden became back page news in the middle of the season is beyond me ? I know you guys have nothing to write about this week because there were no games last week but please - give the readers some credit.

Your article today is even worse and indicates to me that you just don't understand how a football list works. Since you continually compare Essendon to Hawthorn (I don't know why) lets clear up a few things. Yes, Hay, Thompson, Everitt and Lonie were traded for picks 18, 26, 33 and 14 over a couple of seasons. However what did those picks actually yield ? Birchall (great trade), Matt Little (since delisted), Max Bailey (injured and non contributor to Hawthorns current form) and Jarryd Morton (non contributor). Why is this never mentioned ? There seems to be this big urban myth out there that Hawthorn embarked on this massive youth policy when in fact its their first round picks (Hodge, Lewis, Ellis Franklin, Roughead and Birchall) along with rookies (Mitchell, Taylor & Sewell) and then a sprinkling of older players (Croad, Crawford).

Those first round picks were gathered by continual failure over a period of time and lucking out by getting to deal with Fremantle to land Hodge. Clubs have generally learnt their lesson and will not trade first round picks so trying to repeat what Hawthorn did is near on impossible. Perhaps you would like to inform your readers of Hawthorns 2nd and 3rd round picks over the past 4 seasons. You wont though as that would dispel the myth.

Now you also mentioned trading Lucas or Stanton for a first round pick. Frankly I have never heard anything so ridiculous. No club is going to give us a top 5 pick for either player. We are now in 2008 not 2001 and in this youth obsessed football market any club president who traded pick 5 for Lucas with 2 years left would be swiftly booted out by its members. You also mentioned that Lucas is a family man with 3 kids of school and pre school age and then in the next breath mention that he could move to Sydney. Robbo, why would a family man want to uproot his family interstate for two seasons of football ????
Stanton would give us a pick in the teens at best and on that basis muct be kept. I don't know what planet you are living on thinking he would get a top 5 pick.

You mentioned a few others and this is what they would get for trade. I'm being optimistic too.
Winderlich - mid teens to mid twenties
Welsh - early 3rd rounder
Laycock - mid teens to mid twenties
Monfries - 3rd rounder (at best)
Dyson - 3rd rounder (at best)
McPhee - mid teens to mid twenties
Lovett Murray - early 3rd rounder

You also fail to mention the salary cap in all of this. You should know that a club is obliged to pay at least 92% of its salary cap. If we traded or delisted all the above players that would leave us well below this amount or are you suggesting we pay Courtney Johns $200000 a year to cover this ?

Just one more thing. Essendon have had the most top 20 picks (along with Carlton) over the past three seasons. But I guess that isn't rebuilding and doesn't sell any papers....

Congratulations. You managed to get talkback radio going yesterday. It was based on absoloutly nothing but in this day and age of supposed journalism I am not surprised at all.

 

[CyberKev]

There seems to be this big urban myth out there that Hawthorn embarked on this massive youth policy when in fact its their first round picks (Hodge, Lewis, Ellis Franklin, Roughead and Birchall) along with rookies (Mitchell, Taylor & Sewell) and then a sprinkling of older players (Croad, Crawford).

What myth? Hawthorn went from one of the oldest to the youngest list in the competition. Sounds like a youth policy to me.

And Mitchell and Taylor weren't rookies BTW.

Those first round picks were gathered by continual failure over a period of time

More of your usual nonsense. "Continual failure" = 2 horrendous seasons prompted largely by an extended injury epidemic at the club that crippled the careers of most of our KPP stock and set back the development of several young recruits. Essendon and numerous other clubs in the comp have endured the same, or more, years in the bottom four that the Hawks have this decade.

Perhaps you would like to inform your readers of Hawthorns 2nd and 3rd round picks over the past 4 seasons. You wont though as that would dispel the myth.

One would be Simon Taylor. No superstar, but tends to get the job done and would certainly get a game at Essendon.

Travis Tuck is another. Fell out of the top side due to injury, but is viewed as a long-term player and would waltz into the Essendon side.

Stewart Dew is the exception to the youth focus, but appears to be a shrewd 3rd round pick.

Brent Renouf, as a young ruck, was always a long-term prospect and is developing well at Box Hill. Would probably be in the senior side at Essendon, but is not being rushed, given the good form of Campbell & Taylor.

Jarryd Morton has been on the brink of selection all season and would most likely have played a number of games were he at Essendon.

 

[Lance Uppercut]

great post DT

 

[Daytripper]

One would be Simon Taylor. No superstar, but tends to get the job done and would certainly get a game at Essendon.

Travis Tuck is another. Fell out of the top side due to injury, but is viewed as a long-term player and would waltz into the Essendon side.

Stewart Dew is the exception to the youth focus, but appears to be a shrewd 3rd round pick.

Brent Renouf, as a young ruck, was always a long-term prospect and is developing well at Box Hill. Would probably be in the senior side at Essendon, but is not being rushed, given the good form of Campbell & Taylor.

Jarryd Morton has been on the brink of selection all season and would most likely have played a number of games were he at Essendon.

My point is Cyber that none of those 2nd round or 3rd round picks have had any impact on the teams rise this season.

Please don't take what I wrote as a crack at Hawthorn. It wasn't meant to be.

 

[Aker39]

Your recent articles on Essendon have been extremely misleading and a great example of tabloid journalism at its best. Its a pity because I used to really rate you as a football writer but you have now completely lost me.

So you like him when he writes feel good articles all pre-season, but when he writes some negative articles, you're not happy.

 

[Daytripper]

So you like him when he writes feel good articles all pre-season, but when he writes some negative articles, you're not happy.

I don't mind if he writes negative articles.
I do have an issue when they are full of rubbish though.

 

[lids2004roar]

Half way through the letter I was actually impressed, you managed to sway my opinion. You put forward a good argument, and as a Richmond supporter I can certainly understand the media's need to sometimes blow up a story during a quiet week.

1 month ago Terry Wallace was a certainty to be sacked mid-year according to the media...

 

[Dixie Flatline]

A few points. Thompson was actually traded to the Roos for picks 10 and 26 in 2004. Hawthorn upgraded pick 10 by taking Bo Nixon and pick 7 from Collingwood. Pick 7 was used on Jordan Lewis. Pick 26 was, regretfully (in hindsight) used on Matt Little.

You say there's an urban myth that Hawthorn embarked on a youth policy when in fact it's our first round players that do the job, ie. Hodge, Franklin, Roughead, Ellis, Birchall, Lewis. Perhaps some thinking before hitting the post button would be in order, as Franklin, Roughead and Lewis are only 20 or 21, Ellis and Birchall a year younger and even Hodge hasn't hit the mid-20s. If that's not the definition of playing the youth, then I don't know what is.

For the x'th time, Hawthorn traded Croad and McPharlin to Fremantle in exchange for Fremantle's first pick, plus picks 20 and 36. The first pick was spent on Hodge, the remaining two on Elstone and Sam Mitchell (not a rookie). Thompson and Hay were taken by the Roos because they wanted two book-ends and the Hawks considered that neither were in the club's long-term plans for a premiership.

 

[Daytripper]

A few points. Thompson was actually traded to the Roos for picks 10 and 26 in 2004. Hawthorn upgraded pick 10 by taking Bo Nixon and pick 7 from Collingwood. Pick 7 was used on Jordan Lewis. Pick 26 was, regretfully (in hindsight) used on Matt Little.

You say there's an urban myth that Hawthorn embarked on a youth policy when in fact it's our first round players that do the job, ie. Hodge, Franklin, Roughead, Ellis, Birchall, Lewis. Perhaps some thinking before hitting the post button would be in order, as Franklin, Roughead and Lewis are only 20 or 21, Ellis and Birchall a year younger and even Hodge hasn't hit the mid-20s. If that's not the definition of playing the youth, then I don't know what is.

For the x'th time, Hawthorn traded Croad and McPharlin to Fremantle in exchange for Fremantle's first pick, plus picks 20 and 36. The first pick was spent on Hodge, the remaining two on Elstone and Sam Mitchell (not a rookie). Thompson and Hay were taken by the Roos because they wanted two book-ends and the Hawks considered that neither were in the club's long-term plans for a premiership.

What I meant to infer is that it is easy to embark on a youth policy when you have so many first round selections. No club will ever be allowed to get into that type of situation again as other clubs simply will not hand over first round picks any more that easily. So trying to do a 'Hawthorn' is just not reality.

Point taken about Mitchell.

 

[Binxy]

Great post - in your face Robbo....you spanker

 

[H2F]

What I meant to infer is that it is easy to embark on a youth policy when you have so many first round selections. No club will ever be allowed to get into that type of situation again as other clubs simply will not hand over first round picks any more that easily. So trying to do a 'Hawthorn' is just not reality.

Point taken about Mitchell.

It's a very good post, and unfortunately for you Dean Laidley has been told HE HAS NO SAY whatsoever over recruiting from now on. However you must conceed we found a way to find an advantage (without the TANK) that Carlton and Richmond adopted, even if it is not possible now. I think you guys have the players in the main, you just need to put it all together.

All our guns were no names 2 years ago.

 

[dave_27]

Blog with Robbo about the Bombers from noon to 1pm

 

[lazy]

If your facts are correct (which I dont know) that is a great post.

If Sydney traded for Lucas at his age I would be seriously pissed off.

 

[Longy413]

Dixie, it wasn't a crack at Hawthorn.

If anything, it was a praise of the drafting practices.
Hawthorn have traded out for picks, but the majority of those have yet to show dividends at AFL level.

Hawthorn are playing great footy at the moment, but not because they traded out Thompson, Hay and Everitt. But because they drafted well, they developed well and they are well coached.

All that is being said here is that it's not necessary for trade out Lucas and co to build a strong list.

It should be noted that Essendon have already traded out Ted Richards and Dean Solomon in the past two years to improve our draft position. We tried to get a deal done for Johnson and Dyson last year but it fell over (for what ever reason, there are plenty of threads about that one). In the last seven drafts, Essendon has improved it's draft position via trades in five of those. Those trades have seen Welsh, Reynolds (gone), Winderlich, Cartledge (gone), Bradley (gone), Dempsey, Lonergan, Houli and Reimers added to our list.

We may have drafted badly, there is little doubt there. But it cannot be claimed that we haven't gone hard at the draft and tried to introduce young talent.

Essendon have actually been doing what Mark Robinson is suggesting.

Might also want to make it known to Robbo and his mates at the HS that Pev isn't a Premiership player.

 

[Butane]

Don't listen Robbo. I reckon you're alright.

 

[Bollox]

All Essendon fans are allowed an opinion...Robinson is no different.

Without Robinson's bias we would simply have more important news involving other clubs consistently making the back page.

 

[Bay Pie]

What I meant to infer is that it is easy to embark on a youth policy when you have so many first round selections. No club will ever be allowed to get into that type of situation again as other clubs simply will not hand over first round picks any more that easily.

Spot on. Teams will hand over 1st rounders for proven guns or an unproven KPP or ruckman with heaps of potential as they generally mature later. That is all.

McVeigh would be a certain 1st rounder.I'm not to sure about the others. I'm not saying Scott Lucas is not worth a 1st rounder because he is, but teams will not pay that for a guy who has 3-4 years left max and even then he will be on the decline.

Abviously I haven't taken into account Ryder,Gumby and other youngsters as they are the future.

Great OP too by the way.Robinson is a drip. It is a change from him sticking it into the Pies though.

 

[The Messenger]

I agree with some of what you have said Daytripper. You had a few inacurate facts but your point that none of these guys will get you high picks is dead right. Clubs don't give away top picks anymore because if they miss out on a gun the fans will turn. Essendons best bet is to try and upgrade some picks with these guys. Laycock might get a pick 20 upgraded to a pick 15, or Stanton might get at pick 15 upgraded to a pick 8-10. But your right clubs don't part with top picks.

To rebuild now you need a couple of bad years to get some high picks and then get lots of kids in with high upsides. You will fail with most but a couple will turn out to be guns and then it is just a matter of toping up.

 

[CyberKev]

No club will ever be allowed to get into that type of situation again as other clubs simply will not hand over first round picks any more that easily. So trying to do a 'Hawthorn' is just not reality.

This, I have no problem with, and agree with.

I would add that any club who thinks that the answer to their problems will come from a couple of highly-rated youngsters, is kidding itself.

Its worth noting the hammering Hawthorn took for drafting Mitchell & Lewis. Both players were routinely derided as being too slow and cumbersome for modern football.

Hawthorn still has a long way to go, but the key to its improvement over the past four years can, and should, be tracked to two key elements:

1) an emphasis on drafting players with good foot skills; and

2) an unwavering eye to drafting players to strengthen and support the overall structure of the team. (effectively drafted to fill needs, rather than stock-up on players who they already have plenty of, just because they're considered best available).

Thankfully they have ignored the nonsense view that contemporary AFL is all about footspeed.

On Essendon, I'd also agree with you that - unlike Hawthorn 2004 - the Bombers do not have the available players that could inspire big trades (outside of a couple of players that you can't afford to part with).

Essentially, my main beef with your post was your latest attempt to put Hawthorn's current improvement solely down to 'continual failure'. This is a myth that simply doesn't stand-up to closer scrutiny and, falls well short of explaining while many clubs trail well behind Hawthorn despite having spent longer periods at the wrong end of the table.

 

[nut]

It's a very good post, and unfortunately for you Dean Laidley has been told HE HAS NO SAY whatsoever over recruiting from now on. However you must conceed we found a way to find an advantage (without the TANK) that Carlton and Richmond adopted, even if it is not possible now. I think you guys have the players in the main, you just need to put it all together.

All our guns were no names 2 years ago.

So the Hawks didn't Tank in 2005???? WTF

 

[Bosun]

It was mentioned that Hawthorn traded pick 10 to Collingwood for pick 7 and Nixon, why would Collingwood offload a player and downgrade a pick??

 

[Neville Bartos]

If your facts are correct (which I dont know) that is a great post.

If Sydney traded for Lucas at his age I would be seriously pissed off.

Then you must be the angriest person in the world after the last 10 years

 

[H2F]

It was mentioned that Hawthorn traded pick 10 to Collingwood for pick 7 and Nixon, why would Collingwood offload a player and downgrade a pick??

You obviously never saw Nixon play mate

 

[sosos]

It's a very good post, and unfortunately for you Dean Laidley has been told HE HAS NO SAY whatsoever over recruiting from now on. However you must conceed we found a way to find an advantage (without the TANK) that Carlton and Richmond adopted, even if it is not possible now. I think you guys have the players in the main, you just need to put it all together.

All our guns were no names 2 years ago.

Carlton did not tank. They were rubbish.

 

[Neville Bartos]

So the Hawks didn't Tank in 2005???? WTF

We tanked in the way that every team tanks. By leaving out / trading some players who would probably be in our best 22, but were old and probably only had 1 season left in them.

We didn't tank in the Carlton fashion which is playing below your best with the 22 you have out there.