stefoid
20 Oct 2003, 17:44
What a week
12:04:21 PM Mon 20 October, 2003
westernbulldogs.com.au
By 2pm last Friday, there is no doubt that the Western Bulldogs had made the very best of trade week.
Throughout this process, there were two things that the Bulldogs maintained – that we would be playing hard ball and we were after a quality player in return for the loss of Nathan Brown.
The quality player that the Bulldogs wanted all along was Jade Rawlings. Why? What was the team’s achilles heal this season?
Was it that the Bulldogs didn’t have enough quality outside running midfielders or was it that we didn’t have enough quality key position players who could stand up and mark the ball inside our forward 50?
Secondly, there are two sorts of players during trade week. There are the players that clubs are happy to trade and there are the players that want to be traded.
In other words, there’s no point using Nathan Brown to try and get Matthew Lloyd or Warren Tredrea. Why? Because their clubs won’t trade them and they’re not available.
With this in mind, from the Bulldogs perspective, Jade Rawlings was the best player available during the trade period. However, with Nick Stevens also available in December we have another important consideration to make.
To all Bulldogs supporters who have queried what we have received for the loss of Nathan Brown and can’t understand why pick six and Mark Alvey were traded for Lachlan Veale understand this:
The first round draft pick that we received from Richmond for Brown has been used in such a way that the Bulldogs are in a strong position to draft the player we desired the most – the best player available during the trade period.
There’s still some water to flow under the bridge yet and shortly the club will decide what player we will commit to during the Pre Season Draft. Then, the club will talk to that player’s manager.
As part of the Brown deal we’ve also drafted the second tallest player in the AFL, the 208cm Peter Street, for pick 20.
Why didn’t we keep pick six and get Rawlings or even Stevens in the Pre Season Draft? Rawlings would not have made it to the pre season draft if the Bulldogs kept pick six.
He would have been traded to another club, most likely the Kangaroos, because Hawthorn wouldn’t just let him go into the Pre Season Draft and get nothing for him.
The Bulldogs had to offer something which was pick six and Mark Alvey, which satisfied Essendon who then let Jacobs go to Hawthorn, which satisfied them.
That would not have happened if the Bulldogs kept pick six. Instead, we’ve kept the two best options available to us open.
This 2003 season was very disappointing and everyone involved at the Bulldogs – the board, management, coaching staff and the players – know we have a lot to do to turn things around.
Since our last game, we have done everything possible to improve our club and our team.
Already, we have added four players to our list – two of them are key position defenders, one is a proven AFL senior player and one is a ruckman – that are going to provide us with much needed depth, especially in the big man department.
The acquisition of Peter Street is going to provide a lot more flexibility with how we use Luke Darcy and Daniel Bandy, either up forward or down back.
We’ve got picks one and four at the National Draft to come and you just know that the players we will get then are going to be very, very good players.
Then, at the Pre Season Draft the Bulldogs will choose between Jade Rawlings and Nick Stevens – two proven top quality players.
By the time Christmas arrives, the Western Bulldogs team that claimed the wooden spoon this season is going to look a lot different and a whole lot better.
The disappointment of 2003 will be long behind us and with what the Bulldogs have achieved at the trade and draft table, there’s plenty of reasons to be excited about 2004.
12:04:21 PM Mon 20 October, 2003
westernbulldogs.com.au
By 2pm last Friday, there is no doubt that the Western Bulldogs had made the very best of trade week.
Throughout this process, there were two things that the Bulldogs maintained – that we would be playing hard ball and we were after a quality player in return for the loss of Nathan Brown.
The quality player that the Bulldogs wanted all along was Jade Rawlings. Why? What was the team’s achilles heal this season?
Was it that the Bulldogs didn’t have enough quality outside running midfielders or was it that we didn’t have enough quality key position players who could stand up and mark the ball inside our forward 50?
Secondly, there are two sorts of players during trade week. There are the players that clubs are happy to trade and there are the players that want to be traded.
In other words, there’s no point using Nathan Brown to try and get Matthew Lloyd or Warren Tredrea. Why? Because their clubs won’t trade them and they’re not available.
With this in mind, from the Bulldogs perspective, Jade Rawlings was the best player available during the trade period. However, with Nick Stevens also available in December we have another important consideration to make.
To all Bulldogs supporters who have queried what we have received for the loss of Nathan Brown and can’t understand why pick six and Mark Alvey were traded for Lachlan Veale understand this:
The first round draft pick that we received from Richmond for Brown has been used in such a way that the Bulldogs are in a strong position to draft the player we desired the most – the best player available during the trade period.
There’s still some water to flow under the bridge yet and shortly the club will decide what player we will commit to during the Pre Season Draft. Then, the club will talk to that player’s manager.
As part of the Brown deal we’ve also drafted the second tallest player in the AFL, the 208cm Peter Street, for pick 20.
Why didn’t we keep pick six and get Rawlings or even Stevens in the Pre Season Draft? Rawlings would not have made it to the pre season draft if the Bulldogs kept pick six.
He would have been traded to another club, most likely the Kangaroos, because Hawthorn wouldn’t just let him go into the Pre Season Draft and get nothing for him.
The Bulldogs had to offer something which was pick six and Mark Alvey, which satisfied Essendon who then let Jacobs go to Hawthorn, which satisfied them.
That would not have happened if the Bulldogs kept pick six. Instead, we’ve kept the two best options available to us open.
This 2003 season was very disappointing and everyone involved at the Bulldogs – the board, management, coaching staff and the players – know we have a lot to do to turn things around.
Since our last game, we have done everything possible to improve our club and our team.
Already, we have added four players to our list – two of them are key position defenders, one is a proven AFL senior player and one is a ruckman – that are going to provide us with much needed depth, especially in the big man department.
The acquisition of Peter Street is going to provide a lot more flexibility with how we use Luke Darcy and Daniel Bandy, either up forward or down back.
We’ve got picks one and four at the National Draft to come and you just know that the players we will get then are going to be very, very good players.
Then, at the Pre Season Draft the Bulldogs will choose between Jade Rawlings and Nick Stevens – two proven top quality players.
By the time Christmas arrives, the Western Bulldogs team that claimed the wooden spoon this season is going to look a lot different and a whole lot better.
The disappointment of 2003 will be long behind us and with what the Bulldogs have achieved at the trade and draft table, there’s plenty of reasons to be excited about 2004.