Recruiting Strategy

[rammbo]

Ok I don't normally post threads but something has really gone wrong with our recruiting strategy or lack of .

I think we are now just picking players up just because available and they are good players .

Where's the vision of what we want as far as a list of players to execute a specific game plan ?

Leading to 2017 we concentrated on speed ,running power and pressure and built a list and game plan that really couldn't be copied because you need a certain make up of players .

Now we have too many players that lack leg speed which in turn gives us very little options on having a unique game plan to go all the way so we can only ever be ordinary with this list make up imo .

Just have a crack at something different and recruit certain types for a specific game plan to get us back to the top .

Thoughts ?

 

[JAKLAUGHING]

 

[Rioli2Rioli]

I think our recruiting strategy is fine and the club have decided to select players with good speed and that have good kicking skills
Clarke , Sonsie , Gibcus , Browne , Banks , Smith , Campbell , Green are our picks last 2 years and Bradtke
all the above players have very good speed (sonsie maybe the one thats on the slower side)
They are all good kicks with nice skills

 

[Harrison Bergeron]

Keep hitting the draft until Tassie hits the comp &/or Tom Green

12

Tom Green

Age

23

Ht

192cm

Wt

92kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

11.5

3star

K

4.3

2star

HB

7.3

5star

M

1.8

2star

T

2.3

4star

CL

2.8

4star

D

11.5

3star

K

4.3

2star

HB

7.3

4star

M

1.8

2star

T

2.3

3star

CL

2.8

4star

D

11.5

3star

K

4.3

2star

HB

7.3

5star

M

1.8

2star

T

2.3

4star

CL

2.8

5star

hits free agency .

 

[Coach_Required]

Just need more half back flankers.

 

[Tiger1974]

I don’t think pre 2017 we had a draft strategy selecting players with speed and pressure. Dimma just worked with what he had and focused on players strengths. Just happened that Butts and George had pace and we had no tall forwards. Was game strategy rather than recruiting.

 

[Bird Man]

we recruited for a style that the afl does not want.

 

[Lord of the Wings]

Matt Clarke’s recruiting strategy is to draft soft flankers. He‘s an expert at it.

 

[JAKLAUGHING]

Matt Clarke’s recruiting strategy is to draft soft flankers. He‘s an expert at it.

But...but...but...three premierships...

 

[Roachy8]

The only query I would have with our recruiting/drafting/trading over the past years is the apparent lack of planning for a key forward - to be a part of our team from this year onwards...
We have tried to address this with Bauer and Bradke since mid last year but little in the 2-3 years prior.

We must have had high hopes for CCJ and Chol but both are ruck/forward/ruck hybrids rather than pure key forwards.

 

[RockJobster0312]

I think that it’s worth adding some context to any discussion about recruiting strategy post 2017.

In terms of experienced players coming in, by my count, we’ve only brought in four players with previous AFL experience before Taranto and Hopper.

They are: Lynch (2019), Mav Weller (2019), Tarrant (2021) and Matt Parker (2021). This is reflective of prioritizing the re-signing of existing players than adding experienced players. Which considering how many players we couldn’t re-sign (Brandon Ellis

4

Brandon Ellis

Age

31

Ht

181cm

Wt

81kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

21.7

5star

K

12.6

5star

HB

9.0

5star

M

5.3

5star

T

2.4

4star

CL

1.4

4star

D

18.4

4star

K

12.9

5star

HB

5.6

3star

M

4.7

4star

T

2.3

3star

CL

1.4

4star

D

15.0

4star

K

7.8

3star

HB

7.2

5star

M

3.4

4star

T

2.2

4star

CL

1.0

3star

etc) says something about how our cap was structured.

In terms of drafts, obviously as a result of our successful period from 2017, our picks have by and large been later. This is exacerbated by the fact that in that period there’s never been more father/sons or NGA players taken in the early rounds of drafts. Take Riley Collier-Dawkins (pick 20) and Thomson Down (pick 21) were the highest picks we have had before Josh Gibcus (pick 9) and Tom Brown (pick 17). Picking essentially second round talent at our first pick obviously puts a strain on talent.

There’s also been two heavily impacted COVID years, putting a strain on development of those playing VFL and those in the junior leagues.

Even so, since 2017 we have seen the following changes to rules:

• List sizes have shrunk (we lost Luke English and Fraser Turner who were unfortunately not contracted when the reduction rules were implemented).
• reduction in rotations (multiple times)
• the 6-6-6 rule
• the stand rule.

Our successful period (2017-2020) was built on a game style that valued certain things (quality of possessions, forward pressure etc) over others (quantity of possessions). The values that our game style espoused flows through to the value we have for players and player development, which flows through to who you recruit and draft.

I - like a few others - think one of our issues thus far this season is that we are trying to accommodate the new rules whilst staying as close as possible to the style of player and values from our successful period. Other teams have essentially started from a blank slate, and have made the new rules more advantageous to their game style. Our recruiting is in part reflective of our old style and maybe not what is required in todays game post rule-changers.

So, prioritizing existing players over bringing in free agents and trade targets, later picks in heavily compromised drafts and significant rule changes are all part of the context for this discussion.

The question will be what our list management and recruiters do from here.

 

[Meteoric Rise]

The only query I would have with our recruiting/drafting/trading over the past years is the apparent lack of planning for a key forward - to be a part of our team from this year onwards...
We have tried to address this with Bauer and Bradke since mid last year but little in the 2-3 years prior.

We must have had high hopes for CCJ and Chol but both are ruck/forward/ruck hybrids rather than pure key forwards.

I think the experience with Chol and CCJ probably tells us that being Anthony Stevens is no good when it comes to young tall forwards. Much better to be Wayne Carey.

 

[Rioli2Rioli]

But...but...but...three premierships...

They were so good ................. You should have seen them

 

[living_in_syd]

The only query I would have with our recruiting/drafting/trading over the past years is the apparent lack of planning for a key forward - to be a part of our team from this year onwards...
We have tried to address this with Bauer and Bradke since mid last year but little in the 2-3 years prior.

We must have had high hopes for CCJ and Chol but both are ruck/forward/ruck hybrids rather than pure key forwards.

Had a opportunity for JVR but we got a hbf. Early days, but definitely a lost opportunity for development and potential.

 

[Roachy8]

Had a opportunity for JVR but we got a hbf. Early days, but definitely a lost opportunity for development and potential.

Yup - I have no knowledge or skills in this space so am the ultimate "Harry hindsight" - but JVR looks like a legitimate Barrett "sliding doors" moment for us.

 

[Rioli2Rioli]

Had a opportunity for JVR but we got a hbf. Early days, but definitely a lost opportunity for development and potential.

 

[rammbo]

I think our recruiting strategy is fine and the club have decided to select players with good speed and that have good kicking skills
Clarke , Sonsie , Gibcus , Browne , Banks , Smith , Campbell , Green are our picks last 2 years and Bradtke
all the above players have very good speed (sonsie maybe the one thats on the slower side)
They are all good kicks with nice skills

Seems a stock standard recruiting strategy then just pick up the best available in the position required like most other clubs .

What I would like to see is a clear vision for a unique group of players to suit suit a unique game plan mabe e.g. the new richmond man has to be strong marking fast tough 190cm +

The idea is to give us an edge over the rest and not just hope our stock standard group of players and game plan can fluke being better than the rest .

 

[Forensi Tiger]

We had a great recruitment strategy pre 2014 by targeting players who were no good but had great looking partners. Brad Miller and Shaun Hampson

Shaun Hampson

Age

36

Ht

201cm

Wt

104kg

Pos.

Ruck

Career

Season

Last 5

D

8.0

2star

K

3.4

1star

HB

4.6

3star

CL

1.3

3star

HO

20.8

5star

No current season stats available

D

6.0

2star

K

3.6

2star

HB

2.4

3star

HO

8.8

5star

. We lost our way after that and now have to live with 3 ugly premiership cups. Thankfully the club has figured it out bringing back Hampson as an AFLW coach.

 

[Bird Man]

I think that it’s worth adding some context to any discussion about recruiting strategy post 2017.

In terms of experienced players coming in, by my count, we’ve only brought in four players with previous AFL experience before Taranto and Hopper.

They are: Lynch (2019), Mav Weller (2019), Tarrant (2021) and Matt Parker (2021). This is reflective of prioritizing the re-signing of existing players than adding experienced players. Which considering how many players we couldn’t re-sign (Brandon Ellis etc) says something about how our cap was structured.

In terms of drafts, obviously as a result of our successful period from 2017, our picks have by and large been later. This is exacerbated by the fact that in that period there’s never been more father/sons or NGA players taken in the early rounds of drafts. Take Riley Collier-Dawkins (pick 20) and Thomson Down (pick 21) were the highest picks we have had before Josh Gibcus (pick 9) and Tom Brown (pick 17). Picking essentially second round talent at our first pick obviously puts a strain on talent.

There’s also been two heavily impacted COVID years, putting a strain on development of those playing VFL and those in the junior leagues.

Even so, since 2017 we have seen the following changes to rules:

• List sizes have shrunk (we lost Luke English and Fraser Turner who were unfortunately not contracted when the reduction rules were implemented).
• reduction in rotations (multiple times)
• the 6-6-6 rule
• the stand rule.

Our successful period (2017-2020) was built on a game style that valued certain things (quality of possessions, forward pressure etc) over others (quantity of possessions). The values that our game style espoused flows through to the value we have for players and player development, which flows through to who you recruit and draft.

I - like a few others - think one of our issues thus far this season is that we are trying to accommodate the new rules whilst staying as close as possible to the style of player and values from our successful period. Other teams have essentially started from a blank slate, and have made the new rules more advantageous to their game style. Our recruiting is in part reflective of our old style and maybe not what is required in todays game post rule-changers.

So, prioritizing existing players over bringing in free agents and trade targets, later picks in heavily compromised drafts and significant rule changes are all part of the context for this discussion.

The question will be what our list management and recruiters do from here.

This^^^^

i was saying this earlier just was to lazy to write it out! My biggest issue with the Hopper and TT trade is not that we did it ... its that our style hasn't reflected a style that can manage an older list like Geelong. Niel Balme said we wanted to stay at the top but Dimma's style is not sustainable with ageing players.

If Balme, The next CEO, and the President want us to be like the Cats... Then I can't see dimmas style working for us.

 

[rosetech]

Our clearances sucked. We got Taranto and Hopp. This addressed a need but I don’t think all the pieces are currently in place to execute. Our game plan is in as much transition as our list. Dimma has other levers to pull but they won’t give proper output until we get some key cattle back.