Discussion Saints part ways with recruiting manager after restructure

[hairy biker]

Bang on mate. Dalrymple wasn’t drafting the players at the Swans. That is done by Kinnear Beatson with the assistance of Jason Taylor.

If you look at the footage of the National Draft Beatson is conferring with Taylor. Dalrymple is further along the table.

I suspect Dalrymple’s role at Sydney was identifying and preparing background information about the talent, but Beatson was ultimately making the final decisions.

Dalrymple had drafting responsibilities at the Bulldogs and will presumably do so again at the Saints. It appears his role with us is combining his previous roles with the Swans and Bulldogs.

If so I can see why he was attracted to his new role at the Saints.

I wouldn't normally go on another club's board, particularly to insult a post(er), so apologies, but that is complete bollocks.

Jason Taylor works at Melbourne, not Sydney.
Dalrymple certainly was drafting the players at Sydney.
Kinnear Beatson (General Manager of List Strategy and Recruitment) indicated when Dalrymple came on board, that he (SD) would be in charge of recruiting and said SD had a very different philosophy to KB. Kinnear on the organisational charts is Dalrymple's boss but KB took a relatively hands off approach allowing SD to lead the recruiting.

KB previously took a more strategic approach eg pick a tall in the first rd because the small they liked would likely to be available in the 2nd.
SD has a simple philosophy of best available. He actually prepares a list of players in order and selects the top ranked player available.
It has led us to having a surfeit of mids.
For example JVR (Melb) was available at our 1st pick in 2021, but we took a mid in Sheldrick, 2 further mids and a small HBF.

As for SD's responsibilities at the WBDs he made it publicly quite clear he left because Beveridge was interfering in the recruitment process.

Certainly Dalrymple had an excellent record at the WBD, when he had ownership of recruitment, but I'd suggest his record at Sydney is mixed.
We have had a number of academy players (Blakey, Campbell, Gulden) and a couple of rare high draft picks (Stephens #5, McDonald #4) during his period as lead recruiter.

His first draft (2018) was very good (Blakey (academy) - free hit, Rowbottom pick #25, McInerney #44).
His second draft, Chad Warner aside at #39, was poor (Stephens #5 traded to NM, in the wash up essentially for a 2nd rounder, Gould #26 delisted and Elijah Taylor #36 sacked).
2020 McDonald #4 fell into our laps after NM picked Phillips and then we took 2 academy players in Campbell & Gulden.
Incidentally if NM had taken Logan the widely held view is that we would have taken DGB instead, who ended up at Hawthorn.
2021 onwards the jury is still out, but in 2021 we took 3 mids in Sheldrick, Roberts and Corey Warner yet still felt the need to bring in Taylor Adams in the last trade period.

This year's selection, by Sydney, of a ruckman (Will Green) at #16 seemed to be a departure, to me at least, from best available and more a strategic selection given our potential issues in that position in years to come.

Who knows whether that is a factor in SD moving?
Similarly the job description for his new role at the Saints seems to factor in a greater involvement in list mgmt/player movement, which was KB's domain at Sydney.

As I said he left the Dogs because of Beveridge. He had a relatively free hand at Sydney, so it will be interesting to see the interactions between he, SOS, Gubby and Lyon at the Saints, particularly given his apparently more wide ranging role.

EDIT After posting I noticed the correction above this post regarding Keane/Taylor.
Chris Keane is our shenanigans/numbers man, so heavily involved in pick trading etc and also in data analysis.
He brings players to the attention of KB/SD based on their numbers. He doesn't actually watch players in action.

 

[Tyrian Lonestar]

Hotton and Keeler both slid…there’s usually a reason for that!

Shhh.. I'm staying positive in hope

 

[ScrappyDo]

I think having him in the administration is a better fit. He was a mess in the footy department. He made s**t move faster but not many of his moves hit target. He was in the executive as part of the AFL. Why we'd get him in to do a list review is beyond me. Looks like the AFL wanted us to give him a job.

CEO is at least in his field of expertise. You don't get the accountant to service your car. That s**t's on Finnis and the board not him.

It was very much Finnis' MO to obfuscate his football responsibilities and Lethers was the perfect mule for that.

I still do and will always vehemently disagree that he made s**t moves regarding the list and footy dpt.
I think he probably just went for the best he could get at the time, which is still the clear policy.
Each appointment has been an upgrade on the previous and the only possible folly that comes to mind is losing Kingsly in 2018 which may or may not have been Kingsley's choice.

I see it as a steps and stairs rebuild of the footy dpt under an austerity budget.
Richo, Cox, Trout all out the door asap for Ratts, Rath, and Gags was a big upgrade. Not the best, but maybe the best he could do. Libba then moved on for Toce, Toce now for Dalrymple.

Cox, Rath, Walsh*, Misson
Trout, Gags, SOS
Libba, Toce, Dalrymple

Carroll, O'Shaughnessy, Batchlor have also been important in the background.

I think people forget just what a total basket case Lethers inherited. You couldn't just magically go from that to this in a single move.
Lethers cut out the rott and put a bandaid solution in place, also drafting Max which reset the timeline though they weren't stupid enough to advertise it this time while patients is what he preached to the supporter base.
He didn't want Ratts re-signed, Finnis and Bassat overruled. The list goes on.

Perfect no, but demonstrably progressive from day 1, till now. Steps and stairs.

 

[beside the seaside]

As a recruiter, not sure that snyone on the outside would be able to tell.

True, but his time at the club has been pretty underwhelming. Seems like he did coaching and recruiting and hasn't really stuck at either. But you're right we don't really know what he's been up to behind the scenes.

 

[Tyrian Lonestar]

I think having him in the administration is a better fit. He was a mess in the footy department. He made s**t move faster but not many of his moves hit target. He was in the executive as part of the AFL. Why we'd get him in to do a list review is beyond me. Looks like the AFL wanted us to give him a job.

CEO is at least in his field of expertise. You don't get the accountant to service your car. That s**t's on Finnis and the board not him.

Satan's move for Hanna's was one he seemed not to want to hear what the footy world knew... he was cooked.
Cost us dearly imo

 

[gubby88]

Satan's move for Hanna's was one he seemed not to want to hear what the footy world knew... he was cooked.
Cost us dearly imo

Cost us absolutely nothing bar a bit of coin. If he played more games even at half as good as he was, there wouldn't be an issue.

Whole this is absolutely over stated IMO

 

[SaintsSeptember]

Cost us absolutely nothing bar a bit of coin. If he played more games even at half as good as he was, there wouldn't be an issue.

Whole this is absolutely over stated IMO

Yep cost us nothing.
I still think we're barely breaking even on what Hill cost us in terms of real AFL coin, draft choices.

 

[sammm]

True, but his time at the club has been pretty underwhelming. Seems like he did coaching and recruiting and hasn't really stuck at either. But you're right we don't really know what he's been up to behind the scenes.

He didn't stick at either, because I think that is what he wanted. I might be wrong, but I am sure I read somewhere, that he was going for a well rounded role. Do lots of different things.

 

[ScrappyDo]

Satan's move for Hanna's was one he seemed not to want to hear what the footy world knew... he was cooked.
Cost us dearly imo

Cost us absolutely nothing bar a bit of coin. If he played more games even at half as good as he was, there wouldn't be an issue.

Whole this is absolutely over stated IMO

Hanners was a mole and a litmus test for standards. Cost us nothing in the end.

 

[stavro#4]

Replace Jason Taylor with Chris Keane (Senior Recruiting Analyst). My bad.

Just as an aside, when the Swans announced Dalrymple was leaving they went through the motions of thanking him and wishing him well in his new role.

But they only mentioned that this new role was with a Melbourne based club. They couldn’t even specify that Dalrymple’s new role was with St Kilda.

I wonder if the Swans are rather shitty that he has left them.

Possibly.

He wanted to work more from Melbourne and from what I’ve been told. Sydney to a degree has been willing to accomodate.

So they obviously feel he is a loss to an extent.

I wouldn't normally go on another club's board, particularly to insult a post(er), so apologies, but that is complete bollocks.

Jason Taylor works at Melbourne, not Sydney.
Dalrymple certainly was drafting the players at Sydney.
Kinnear Beatson (General Manager of List Strategy and Recruitment) indicated when Dalrymple came on board, that he (SD) would be in charge of recruiting and said SD had a very different philosophy to KB. Kinnear on the organisational charts is Dalrymple's boss but KB took a relatively hands off approach allowing SD to lead the recruiting.

KB previously took a more strategic approach eg pick a tall in the first rd because the small they liked would likely to be available in the 2nd.
SD has a simple philosophy of best available. He actually prepares a list of players in order and selects the top ranked player available.
It has led us to having a surfeit of mids.
For example JVR (Melb) was available at our 1st pick in 2021, but we took a mid in Sheldrick, 2 further mids and a small HBF.

As for SD's responsibilities at the WBDs he made it publicly quite clear he left because Beveridge was interfering in the recruitment process.

Certainly Dalrymple had an excellent record at the WBD, when he had ownership of recruitment, but I'd suggest his record at Sydney is mixed.
We have had a number of academy players (Blakey, Campbell, Gulden) and a couple of rare high draft picks (Stephens #5, McDonald #4) during his period as lead recruiter.

His first draft (2018) was very good (Blakey (academy) - free hit, Rowbottom pick #25, McInerney #44).
His second draft, Chad Warner aside at #39, was poor (Stephens #5 traded to NM, in the wash up essentially for a 2nd rounder, Gould #26 delisted and Elijah Taylor #36 sacked).
2020 McDonald #4 fell into our laps after NM picked Phillips and then we took 2 academy players in Campbell & Gulden.
Incidentally if NM had taken Logan the widely held view is that we would have taken DGB instead, who ended up at Hawthorn.
2021 onwards the jury is still out, but in 2021 we took 3 mids in Sheldrick, Roberts and Corey Warner yet still felt the need to bring in Taylor Adams in the last trade period.

This year's selection, by Sydney, of a ruckman (Will Green) at #16 seemed to be a departure, to me at least, from best available and more a strategic selection given our potential issues in that position in years to come.

Who knows whether that is a factor in SD moving?
Similarly the job description for his new role at the Saints seems to factor in a greater involvement in list mgmt/player movement, which was KB's domain at Sydney.

As I said he left the Dogs because of Beveridge. He had a relatively free hand at Sydney, so it will be interesting to see the interactions between he, SOS, Gubby and Lyon at the Saints, particularly given his apparently more wide ranging role.

EDIT After posting I noticed the correction above this post regarding Keane/Taylor.
Chris Keane is our shenanigans/numbers man, so heavily involved in pick trading etc and also in data analysis.
He brings players to the attention of KB/SD based on their numbers. He doesn't actually watch players in action.

I’d imagine he will have free rein with drafting here too.

But the expansion to include existing player movements is somewhat of a promotion in role for him. Probably how we managed to land him

 

[ScrappyDo]

Yep cost us nothing.
I still think we're barely breaking even on what Hill cost us in terms of real AFL coin, draft choices.

I went to the trouble of workingout the final cost of the Hill trade a while ago and IIRC it boiled down to a single 1stRDP and the GOAT.
GOAT was on $500k at the time so on balance it was a 1stRDP and $350k of SC.

Our p6 eventually went on Fisher McAsey
The best of a bad bunch available with the p10 (#12) for Hilly was Kossie Picket or SDK

If you want to draw a long bow, Liam Henry went at #9 that year and has ended up costing us nothing which cancels out the #12 Hill.

We swapped the GOAT for Hill.

 

[Tyrian Lonestar]

Cost us absolutely nothing bar a bit of coin. If he played more games even at half as good as he was, there wouldn't be an issue.

Whole this is absolutely over stated IMO

Cost us coin that we could have used on players that actually.... weren't broken

And public embarrassment. Who among us didn't get shitcanned by oppo supporting mates making jokes about our club

 

[jwikked]

Cost us coin that we could have used on players that actually.... weren't broken

And public embarrassment. Who among us didn't get shitcanned by oppo supporting mates making jokes about our club

Hannebery was a good idea that didn’t work out. If we didn’t have him, I can’t see us winning a final in 2020. Winning that final made it all worth it.

Anyway, no other players wanted to come to st Kilda. We offered insane money to a bunch of players and none wanted to come. Paying Hannebery just means players like Lonie, Gresham and Dunstan didn’t get larger contracts. No big deal

 

[saintmike65]

Shhh.. I'm staying positive in hope

We all are!!

 

[saintmike65]

People need to cut some of the people being s.hitcanned on here some slack.

Finnis if not known for anything else put the foundations into the bedrock at the Saints.

When he came we were an absolute basket case, hang on to the dregs of the Lyon era players, with no players coming through, a stagnant membership, and the club hemorrhaging cash hand over fist.

The club bottomed at the wrong time of compromised drafts and the only top 5 picks we had we butchered.

Finnis had to be convinced to join the Saints and had a monumental task. He got us out of Seaford, rebuilt Linton St, stabilised the finances, membership began to improve and started the process of getting the admin going in the right direction.
So we had the first building block of identity in place with the sparkling facility at Moorabbin.

Lethlean was groomed for a top slot in the corporation until he went the full Don Draper at work, except it was the 2010's not the 60's. The AFL wanted him in the industry so he was given the job at the Saints. He wasn't suited to the footy dept, however he was the direct conduit to Gill and H.O. which was a valuable asset. Anything needed from the top is easier with an insider working for you.

He was the perfect man for the review, directly in his wheelhouse. The AFL wanted stability after Finnis and Lethlean was the perfect candidate to step into that role. Regardless of whether the AFL wanted him.or not, if he was no good Bassett would have flicked him.. He isn't a multi millionaire from luck. He is savvy on the business side.
Then we have the business itself. Having worked in a membership organisation for 20 years, I can assure you the pressure is on to please the members, and in my industry, their wasn't 17 other organisations going for the same limited sponsorship $$, membership $, and living and dying by the results.
I can tell you our members were proud but not irrationally passionate like a football club member is. Every year the pressure is immense to deliver, at any moment the members can spill a board, usually with disastrous conquences.
Then there is the AFL, the owner of the teams in reality. They dictate policy and compromise, to dividends, SC, soft caps, draft picks, NGA's, the fixture and countless other uneven playing field events. To have Lethlean at the Saints has helped us navigate the politics of the AFL.

Finnis and Lethlean walked into a basket case and has put in the foundations at the Saints which has never been there before. It has allowed us to get Lyon back and to build on our identity at Linton St with brilliant facilities, Saints people like Lenny, Harvs, bj, all Saints greats, Enright, a great of those Geelong teams, SOS, Allen, a recruiting legend amongst AFL insiders, and now Dalrymple, apparently a masterful recruiter.
Would we have any of these people if it wasn't for what Finnis and Lethlean put in place from the wreckage of the mid 2010's?



On SM-S908E using BigFooty.com mobile app

Great post..

 

[Joffaboy]

Hannebery was a good idea that didn’t work out. If we didn’t have him, I can’t see us winning a final in 2020. Winning that final made it all worth it.

Anyway, no other players wanted to come to st Kilda. We offered insane money to a bunch of players and none wanted to come. Paying Hannebery just means players like Lonie, Gresham and Dunstan didn’t get larger contracts. No big deal

Me, nobody from opposition clubs s.hitcanned me about that. He was the least of our problems.
We needed to spend 95% of our SC. We already overpaid the likes of Billings and Gresham etc. Had to spend it

On SM-S908E using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[ScrappyDo]

People need to cut some of the people being s.hitcanned on here some slack.

Finnis if not known for anything else put the foundations into the bedrock at the Saints.

When he came we were an absolute basket case, hang on to the dregs of the Lyon era players, with no players coming through, a stagnant membership, and the club hemorrhaging cash hand over fist.

The club bottomed at the wrong time of compromised drafts and the only top 5 picks we had we butchered.

Finnis had to be convinced to join the Saints and had a monumental task. He got us out of Seaford, rebuilt Linton St, stabilised the finances, membership began to improve and started the process of getting the admin going in the right direction.
So we had the first building block of identity in place with the sparkling facility at Moorabbin.

Lethlean was groomed for a top slot in the corporation until he went the full Don Draper at work, except it was the 2010's not the 60's. The AFL wanted him in the industry so he was given the job at the Saints. He wasn't suited to the footy dept, however he was the direct conduit to Gill and H.O. which was a valuable asset. Anything needed from the top is easier with an insider working for you.

He was the perfect man for the review, directly in his wheelhouse. The AFL wanted stability after Finnis and Lethlean was the perfect candidate to step into that role. Regardless of whether the AFL wanted him.or not, if he was no good Bassett would have flicked him.. He isn't a multi millionaire from luck. He is savvy on the business side.
Then we have the business itself. Having worked in a membership organisation for 20 years, I can assure you the pressure is on to please the members, and in my industry, their wasn't 17 other organisations going for the same limited sponsorship $$, membership $, and living and dying by the results.
I can tell you our members were proud but not irrationally passionate like a football club member is. Every year the pressure is immense to deliver, at any moment the members can spill a board, usually with disastrous conquences.
Then there is the AFL, the owner of the teams in reality. They dictate policy and compromise, to dividends, SC, soft caps, draft picks, NGA's, the fixture and countless other uneven playing field events. To have Lethlean at the Saints has helped us navigate the politics of the AFL.

Finnis and Lethlean walked into a basket case and has put in the foundations at the Saints which has never been there before. It has allowed us to get Lyon back and to build on our identity at Linton St with brilliant facilities, Saints people like Lenny, Harvs, bj, all Saints greats, Enright, a great of those Geelong teams, SOS, Allen, a recruiting legend amongst AFL insiders, and now Dalrymple, apparently a masterful recruiter.
Would we have any of these people if it wasn't for what Finnis and Lethlean put in place from the wreckage of the mid 2010's?



On SM-S908E using BigFooty.com mobile app

Careful Joff, you'll be making sense if you keep this up.

 

[Joffaboy]

I wouldn't normally go on another club's board, particularly to insult a post(er), so apologies, but that is complete bollocks.

Jason Taylor works at Melbourne, not Sydney.
Dalrymple certainly was drafting the players at Sydney.
Kinnear Beatson (General Manager of List Strategy and Recruitment) indicated when Dalrymple came on board, that he (SD) would be in charge of recruiting and said SD had a very different philosophy to KB. Kinnear on the organisational charts is Dalrymple's boss but KB took a relatively hands off approach allowing SD to lead the recruiting.

KB previously took a more strategic approach eg pick a tall in the first rd because the small they liked would likely to be available in the 2nd.
SD has a simple philosophy of best available. He actually prepares a list of players in order and selects the top ranked player available.
It has led us to having a surfeit of mids.
For example JVR (Melb) was available at our 1st pick in 2021, but we took a mid in Sheldrick, 2 further mids and a small HBF.

As for SD's responsibilities at the WBDs he made it publicly quite clear he left because Beveridge was interfering in the recruitment process.

Certainly Dalrymple had an excellent record at the WBD, when he had ownership of recruitment, but I'd suggest his record at Sydney is mixed.
We have had a number of academy players (Blakey, Campbell, Gulden) and a couple of rare high draft picks (Stephens #5, McDonald #4) during his period as lead recruiter.

His first draft (2018) was very good (Blakey (academy) - free hit, Rowbottom pick #25, McInerney #44).
His second draft, Chad Warner aside at #39, was poor (Stephens #5 traded to NM, in the wash up essentially for a 2nd rounder, Gould #26 delisted and Elijah Taylor #36 sacked).
2020 McDonald #4 fell into our laps after NM picked Phillips and then we took 2 academy players in Campbell & Gulden.
Incidentally if NM had taken Logan the widely held view is that we would have taken DGB instead, who ended up at Hawthorn.
2021 onwards the jury is still out, but in 2021 we took 3 mids in Sheldrick, Roberts and Corey Warner yet still felt the need to bring in Taylor Adams in the last trade period.

This year's selection, by Sydney, of a ruckman (Will Green) at #16 seemed to be a departure, to me at least, from best available and more a strategic selection given our potential issues in that position in years to come.

Who knows whether that is a factor in SD moving?
Similarly the job description for his new role at the Saints seems to factor in a greater involvement in list mgmt/player movement, which was KB's domain at Sydney.

As I said he left the Dogs because of Beveridge. He had a relatively free hand at Sydney, so it will be interesting to see the interactions between he, SOS, Gubby and Lyon at the Saints, particularly given his apparently more wide ranging role.

EDIT After posting I noticed the correction above this post regarding Keane/Taylor.
Chris Keane is our shenanigans/numbers man, so heavily involved in pick trading etc and also in data analysis.
He brings players to the attention of KB/SD based on their numbers. He doesn't actually watch players in action.

Hmm, thanks, interesting analysis and input.
So much for my suggestion that he got legups at Sydney with freebies being silly.

And the Warner draft sounds like a disaster except for him.



On SM-S908E using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Tommy Wigs]

Possibly.

He wanted to work more from Melbourne and from what I’ve been told. Sydney to a degree has been willing to accomodate.

So they obviously feel he is a loss to an extent.


I’d imagine he will have free rein with drafting here too.

But the expansion to include existing player movements is somewhat of a promotion in role for him. Probably how we managed to land him

So how does the Dalrymple role fit with SOS (and Gubby)?

 

[hayes]

Replace Jason Taylor with Chris Keane (Senior Recruiting Analyst). My bad.

Just as an aside, when the Swans announced Dalrymple was leaving they went through the motions of thanking him and wishing him well in his new role.

But they only mentioned that this new role was with a Melbourne based club. They couldn’t even specify that Dalrymple’s new role was with St Kilda.

I wonder if the Swans are rather shitty that he has left them.

They’re not going to announce his new destination before we do.

 

[Veer Right]

Simon Dalrymple

2018 - Academy @ 10
2018 - Rowbottom at pick 25 - WIN
2018 - McInerney @ 44 - WIN
2018 - Zac Foot @ 51 - FAIL

2019 - Stephens @ 5 - FAIL
2019 - Gould @ 26 - FAIL
2019 - Taylor @ 36 - FAIL
2019 - Warner @ 39 - BOOM

2020 - McDonald @ 4 WIN
2020 - Academy @ 5
2020 - Academy @ 32

2021 - Sheldrick @ 18 - WIN - I believe he will become a gun.
2021 - BID ON OWENS - We matched
2021 - Matthew Roberts @ 34 - WIN
2021 - Corey Warner @ 40 - FAIL
2021 - Rankin @ 58 - FAIL

2022

Three picks DNP this year.

Net result minus Academy from 2018-2021

6 wins at picks 4,18,25,34,39 and 44
6 misses at picks 5, 26, 36, 39, 40 and 51

Best 22 - Rowbottom, McInerney, McDonald
Gun - Warner, Sheldrick
Fringe - Roberts

I would argue other then Stephens not working out he has done well with the picks he had.

 

[gringo2011]

People need to cut some of the people being s.hitcanned on here some slack.

Finnis if not known for anything else put the foundations into the bedrock at the Saints.

When he came we were an absolute basket case, hang on to the dregs of the Lyon era players, with no players coming through, a stagnant membership, and the club hemorrhaging cash hand over fist.

The club bottomed at the wrong time of compromised drafts and the only top 5 picks we had we butchered.

Finnis had to be convinced to join the Saints and had a monumental task. He got us out of Seaford, rebuilt Linton St, stabilised the finances, membership began to improve and started the process of getting the admin going in the right direction.
So we had the first building block of identity in place with the sparkling facility at Moorabbin.

Lethlean was groomed for a top slot in the corporation until he went the full Don Draper at work, except it was the 2010's not the 60's. The AFL wanted him in the industry so he was given the job at the Saints. He wasn't suited to the footy dept, however he was the direct conduit to Gill and H.O. which was a valuable asset. Anything needed from the top is easier with an insider working for you.

He was the perfect man for the review, directly in his wheelhouse. The AFL wanted stability after Finnis and Lethlean was the perfect candidate to step into that role. Regardless of whether the AFL wanted him.or not, if he was no good Bassett would have flicked him.. He isn't a multi millionaire from luck. He is savvy on the business side.
Then we have the business itself. Having worked in a membership organisation for 20 years, I can assure you the pressure is on to please the members, and in my industry, their wasn't 17 other organisations going for the same limited sponsorship $$, membership $, and living and dying by the results.
I can tell you our members were proud but not irrationally passionate like a football club member is. Every year the pressure is immense to deliver, at any moment the members can spill a board, usually with disastrous conquences.
Then there is the AFL, the owner of the teams in reality. They dictate policy and compromise, to dividends, SC, soft caps, draft picks, NGA's, the fixture and countless other uneven playing field events. To have Lethlean at the Saints has helped us navigate the politics of the AFL.

Finnis and Lethlean walked into a basket case and has put in the foundations at the Saints which has never been there before. It has allowed us to get Lyon back and to build on our identity at Linton St with brilliant facilities, Saints people like Lenny, Harvs, bj, all Saints greats, Enright, a great of those Geelong teams, SOS, Allen, a recruiting legend amongst AFL insiders, and now Dalrymple, apparently a masterful recruiter.
Would we have any of these people if it wasn't for what Finnis and Lethlean put in place from the wreckage of the mid 2010's?



On SM-S908E using BigFooty.com mobile app

Finnis oversaw 9 years of on-field misery and made very little impact on the footy department set up. He was a compassionate and kind human and got the Moorbin oval back to what it should be and he deserves credit for that but he was a bad fit.

Other clubs operate in the same framework as us and didn't have the same excuses. We were a dole bludger club in that time taking more money from the AFL than just about anyone. I have no doubt the AFL sent Lethlean in to see what the **** we were doing but that doesn't mean he's was a good choice.

Richo and Ratts were both poor fits, Ratts because they were hoping that he'd just toe the line and they'd be able to bluff their way out, Richo because he was part of the malaise. I have no doubt that Bassat is the driving force behind our overhaul and directional shift.

 

[gringo2011]

Finnis- gave us A grade Facilities & stabilised the Finances - without those 2 building blocks we would be F….d.

A lot of alliteration!

He was probably 2 woke for mine & neglected the footy department but sometimes in business you just can’t do it all at the same time.

AFL is big boys club & not a company with proper governance- never forget that - very handy that Lethlean can pick up the phone & have a chat to his old chums!

If you start winning games, sponsorship and attendance take care of themselves. Definitely right on the boys club but not sure the AFL can do much but syphon us a bit more charity. It doesn't seem to get us better fixturing or stadium deals.

 

[The Cobra]

Possibly.

He wanted to work more from Melbourne and from what I’ve been told. Sydney to a degree has been willing to accomodate.

So they obviously feel he is a loss to an extent.


I’d imagine he will have free rein with drafting here too.

But the expansion to include existing player movements is somewhat of a promotion in role for him. Probably how we managed to land him

Sorry to be dumb but I’m a little confused (happens a bit) can someone please detail or diagram the roles and relationship between SOS, Gubby & Dalrymple?

ps a diagram simpler than that of the internet would be appreciated!

 

[gringo2011]

Hannebery was a good idea that didn’t work out. If we didn’t have him, I can’t see us winning a final in 2020. Winning that final made it all worth it.

Anyway, no other players wanted to come to st Kilda. We offered insane money to a bunch of players and none wanted to come. Paying Hannebery just means players like Lonie, Gresham and Dunstan didn’t get larger contracts. No big deal

This is going to sound illogical and negative but that final probably sent us on the wrong path. We really didn't turn it around until we lucked our two academy kids and hit it out of the park with Nas. The set up we had was reactive and a went in several directions at once. The starkest difference with Lyon is the footy department look on a path that doesn't waver based off some hard to gauge result. Lyon could easily have topped up hard and gone for finals in 2024 but has stayed steadfast on his youth path. It will pay dividends even if it's not next year. We have a cohesive and obvious plan in place for the first time in decades. Probably more so than his last inning at the Saints.