What are West Coast trying to do?

[Scotland]

West Coast list management is diabolical.

How do you trade out good players and worsen your draft hand at the same time?

I cannot imagine them being competitive until at least 2030.

We'll be more competitive in 2025 than 2024.

The real question is whether that is a good move long term. Are we trying to become St Kilda or Essendon? I've seen every WC season since 1992. We were bottom 4 fodder in the late Ken Judge years 2000/01, then again 2008-10 under Worsfold after the premiership midfield split up, then again the last 3 years under Simpson. I've never been less enthusiastic about our off field moves.

Sometimes you get lucky with the draft. Melbourne had a down year and got Luke Jackson. Freo traded Lachie Schultz to the reigning premier and ended up with pick 10. Somehow we've managed to turn 3 top 3 picks into one top 3 pick on the list. You can't afford to be so bad you get 3 top 3 picks in a row and then only use picks 9, 14 and whatever 12 turns into to go with Harley Reid. FWIW I liked the 2022 trade. 2024 not so much.

 

[Scotland]

It’s like they’re trying to have a bet each way (stay competitive) whilst still trying to bring in top young talent at the same time but are ultimately failing at both.

unfortunately the main driver behind this wish wash of a strategy is the clubs management desperation to appease Harley’s every whim.

The tail wagging the dog has never worked out for any club

This looks to be what is happening and the strategy is fine but the execution is poor.

I would be more than happy to have Baker, Owies, Graham on the list if we still had pick 3.

 

[Scotland]

2) Lawson Humphries. How can a kid who came through your academy look like a star at another team a couple of years later? How do you miss this kid when he's right under your nose?*



Given they had Nic Martin as a train on and passed on him too they certainly have form missing stars right under their noses

This isn't new.

One of our great strengths was finding local talent. Dean Cox, Quinten Lynch, Jeremy McGovern all rookies. LeCras, Embley, Hunter, Barrass all later picks.

We also used to draft well as a regular finalist. Hurn, Glass, Shuey, Kerr, Duggan, Sheed, Waters, Butler... These were all late first round picks or early second round picks. Granted the draft has changed a lot so now having pick 1 means your next pick is 30 (rolls eyes) but with Chesser, Venables (concussion), Brander etc. a lot of questions should be asked. I like Ginbey and Hewett but they aren't elite talents at AFL level and may never be.

We missed Martin. We missed Tim Kelly. We missed Marcus Adams. Etc. But we ended up with Greg Clark and Connor West and never played them so...

The less said about not drafting players who don't want to leave Victoria the better. Soft on both fronts.

 

[fnerd]

Gotta love you guys who think they know what WC are doing with their list

actually you might be right… I mean I don’t think WC even know what they’re doing!!

 

[Corkintheocean]

actually you might be right… I mean I don’t think WC even know what they’re doing!!

And if anyone is doyen of failure, it would be a Freo supporter.

 

[fnerd]

And if anyone is doyen of failure, it would be a Freo supporter.

predictable deflection.

But sure keep on celebrating how WC been going these last few years and their subsequent trading /drafting “spectacular”successes following on from such seasons.

But… but… but …Harley Reid right!!??

 

[Obeanie1]

LOL.

Hawthorn's future is in Hawthorn's hands.

Your club's future is in Liam Bakers.....

Lol.

What a dumb troll comment.

More of the Eagles future in Hawks hands. Hawks do a Crows or a Collingwood in 2025 and that deal looks terrible for the Hawks and outstanding for the Eagles.

If they hold onto the picks.

 

[Corkintheocean]

predictable deflection.

But sure keep on celebrating how WC been going these last few years and their subsequent trading /drafting “spectacular”successes following on from such seasons.

But… but… but …Harley Reid right!!??

We're not the ones missing finals while claiming to be in a premiership window

 

[fnerd]

We're not the ones missing finals while claiming to be in a premiership window

lol , you seem really offended hey?

Tell me does the team I support translate to not being able to have an opinion on anything WC?

So by that premise I guess that means any WC supporter can’t have opinion on freo right?… like as you’ve just done?

Maybe turn the computer off kid and go play outside if you can’t have a reasonable argument without resorting to petty retorts

 

[fnerd]

Wow just more evidence the current list management at WC sure knocked it out of the park with that trade of pick 3 for Liam baker

3

Liam Baker

Age

26

Ht

173cm

Wt

72kg

Pos.

D/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

15.7

4star

K

7.8

3star

HB

7.9

5star

M

3.2

3star

T

2.6

4star

MG

222.2

3star

D

14.6

4star

K

6.8

3star

HB

7.9

4star

M

3.8

4star

T

1.8

3star

MG

191.9

3star

D

14.4

4star

K

6.2

3star

HB

8.2

5star

M

1.6

2star

T

1.8

4star

MG

224.2

4star

12 and Matt Owies

 

[kranky al]

lol , you seem really offended hey?

Tell me does the team I support translate to not being able to have an opinion on anything WC?

So by that premise I guess that means any WC supporter can’t have opinion on freo right?… like as you’ve just done?

Maybe turn the computer off kid and go play outside if you can’t have a reasonable argument without resorting to petty retorts

YEAH???

Well….


YOURE A POO!!!!

 

[ROYAL EAGLE]

Wow just more evidence the current list management at WC sure knocked it out of the park with that trade of pick 3 for Liam baker 12 and Matt Owies

Matt Clarke the most despised employee of the club in its history
He has created division internally at the club, the whole WCE recruiting team think he is incompetent

 

[Johnny Bananas]

Somehow we've managed to turn 3 top 3 picks into one top 3 pick on the list. You can't afford to be so bad you get 3 top 3 picks in a row and then only use picks 9, 14 and whatever 12 turns into to go with Harley Reid. FWIW I liked the 2022 trade. 2024 not so much.

Granted the draft has changed a lot so now having pick 1 means your next pick is 30 (rolls eyes) but with Chesser, Venables (concussion), Brander etc. a lot of questions should be asked. I like Ginbey and Hewett but they aren't elite talents at AFL level and may never be.

Apologies, I'm picking on you a bit here but I'm confused by the two bolded parts. Why do you like a trade where the Eagles traded out of a pick that an elite talent went at, for two who don't seem like elite talents so far? Did Sheezel say he wouldn't leave Victoria?

 

[Scotland]

Apologies, I'm picking on you a bit here but I'm confused by the two bolded parts. Why do you like a trade where the Eagles traded out of a pick that an elite talent went at, for two who don't seem like elite talents so far? Did Sheezel say he wouldn't leave Victoria?

Hewett has only played 14 games and missed the whole 2024 season. Sheezel has played two full years. Maybe Hewett will never be close to as good but bit hard to gauge at this point. Ginbey is AFL standard but I'm not sure how high his ceiling is. On all exposed form you would obviously take Sheezel.

I more mean the 2022 draft wasn't seen as being as strong as 2024, and if we weren't going to draft one of the top 3 (a lot more chatter these days about who will and won't leave their home state which I'm not a fan of) for whatever reason then getting two first round picks and taking two WA kids made sense. And we weren't getting a better deal than 8 & 12 as it started out. Last year every man and his dog wanted pick 1 so it made no sense to trade that pick unless ridiculous overs on offer. I don't like this year's trade because I don't think we extracted enough value for pick 3 and we placed too much emphasis on bringing in Baker. For where the list is at right now we needed to be going to the draft with pick 3 or multiple first round picks, IMO.

 

[Leeda]

Take it to the limit....one more time...

 

[Carbine Chaos]

Should we revise this post-draft?

While the trade at the time wasn't particularly flattering, looking at the overall picture I don't think we've done too badly, especially holding onto the bounty of picks for next season.

 

[Obeanie1]

Wow just more evidence the current list management at WC sure knocked it out of the park with that trade of pick 3 for Liam baker 12 and Matt Owies

Hey you were right finally.

Eagles DID knock the ball out of the park at the end of the day.

Thanks for caring so much.

 

[Obeanie1]

Matt Clarke the most despised employee of the club in its history
He has created division internally at the club, the whole WCE recruiting team think he is incompetent

And today people who thought and said that.

Are eating humble pie.

It's like leaving the ground at 3 quarter time with your team 10 goals down. Then you get home and find out they won with the last kick of the game. And you missed it.

 

[fnerd]

Hey you were right finally.

Eagles DID knock the ball out of the park at the end of the day.

Thanks for caring so much.

lol

Congratulations WC draft haul appears decent, on the surface

However I still wouldn’t go patting Clarke or your list management on the back as most of your picks came down to good luck not good management - that doesn’t change your questionable trade period moves

Remember obeanie son …even a broken clocks right twice a day

 

[daniel23]

In a time where clean skills are more important than ever, they've picked Allan, gross and Davis . But , because they were rated higher on amateur phantom drafts compared to where they were picked congrats to Eagles supporters.

 

[fnerd]

In a time where clean skills are more important than ever, they've picked Allan, gross and Davis . But , because they were rated higher on amateur phantom drafts compared to where they were picked congrats to Eagles supporters.

Yep I get the need for clicks and articles immediately following but it really is as simple as this .

Draft players that were highly rated and get picked later than their “mock” ratings = club winning
Draft players know one knows or little = club losing

With the most ironic part of all that being well it’s simply a case of being good luck then isn’t ?,I mean what club recruiter worth his salt bases their strategy on “hoping” players XYZ slide and then pounce!??

 

[TrakssX]

lol

Congratulations WC draft haul appears decent, on the surface

However I still wouldn’t go patting Clarke or your list management on the back as most of your picks came down to good luck not good management - that doesn’t change your questionable trade period moves

Remember obeanie son …even a broken clocks right twice a day

You are right about the lack of good trade management and seemingly rather down to more good luck. However, reality is that it somehow landed right for us (WCE). Matt Clarke may not be the right person for the role however I suspect with a new coach at the helm that he will be guided differently or advised differently. I guess we have never really had the trading management of say, Geelong or Collingwood but we have historically done...OK, or just below that. I do think trading away pick 3 was stupid, but I cant help but wonder if Mcqualter wanted that experienced head in baker and graham to almost onfield coach especially when bringing in a different playing style

 

[WCE_phil]

Other than being in the room and having a couple of interviews Clarke had almost nothing to do with the draft process at all.

 

[Happy Mastenator]

Yep I get the need for clicks and articles immediately following but it really is as simple as this .

Draft players that were highly rated and get picked later than their “mock” ratings = club winning
Draft players know one knows or little = club losing

With the most ironic part of all that being well it’s simply a case of being good luck then isn’t ?,I mean what club recruiter worth his salt bases their strategy on “hoping” players XYZ slide and then pounce!??

What club delists a key young player they've spent years developing with plans to take them in the rookie draft only for another club to poach them, causing their board to melt?

 

[fnerd]

What club delists a key young player they've spent years developing with plans to take them in the rookie draft only for another club to poach them, causing their board to melt?

Absolutely agree was poor list management by freo.
But You won’t see me blowing smoke up their arses regardless , unlike WC supporters talking up their draft haul as if it was some sort pre planned masterstroke