The annual argument - Melbourne needs a priority pick

[TheFVK]

I don't think we need one or deserve one.

But at the same time I don't think other supporters understand what damage Schwab, Prendergast (our previous recruiter from 08-12) and Neeld did to this club.

Or the amount of bad luck we had with Jim Stynes getting gravely ill. Guys like Wonaeamirri, Jurrah and Clark having to walk away from the game due to off field issues.

So when someone starts a thread like this and everyone tells us to harden up it's kind of fair enough. I don't want sympathy. But I'm also sick of us fans being insulted for things we really had no control over. I guess Essendon fans might be the ones who understand the way that a few crucial bad decisions can have a huge impact on a club.

Every club has their hard luck story. Port had 3 wins in 2011 and received Pick 6- we rebuilt during the most compromised draft period in the history of the game. Noone cares!

Suggest you guys focus on the solid job Roos looks to be doing in rebuilding your club and spare us the neverending sob stories.

 

[timtamWB]

The difference is simple there. Track record.

You mean the track record of you guys not being good at identifying talent? Or the track record of you guys just not winning much? Then why do you deserve to get another priority pick? If you are, you're pretty much insinuating that Melbourne is the special kid in the class that is AFL. "Hey it's ok Melbourne, I mean you picked Cale Morton again, and you lost by 50 points again, but here you go, here's another pick! Keep going buddy, you can do it!"

What a joke.

 

[LeverPuller]

Michael Barlow? Lee Spurr? Greg Broughton? And that's just from Freo.

Time for Melbourne to dig themselves out of their own hole with some astute drafting instead of relying on the great white hope of another priority pick.

I was talking simply about senior prospects. If you include 4 rookies that means Melbourne have 10 slots to roll over for next year. And while the strike rate seems good, it's telling that there hasn't been a player to have the impact Barlow did since he came into the league.

Here's an alternative. How about Melbourne doesn't get hit with its FA compensation calculation if Frawley leaves as a one off. The issue with Melbourne chasing an FA is its a catch-22 due to the nature of the FA compo.

 

[Stratton_Gun]

When was the last time Hawthorn had a draft pick in the Top 10?

WE NEED HELP TOO!!!

 

[BlakeyNoFlakey]

Blah blah, yes, the whole 'handouts' and 'use what you have' and blah blah again. I know. I've heard it every year for the past three.

First, some statistics.

Melbourne win totals, 2007-2014 (5 games to play)
38 wins
2 draws
131 losses
Average percentage 73.72 (lower than wooden spoon winners in 2007, 2009 and 2010)

Melbourne win totals, 2012-2014
10 wins
51 losses
Average percentage 64.85

AFL reasons for lack of a PP last year
"Some factors believed to be behind Melbourne's failed request are their emerging young talent, such as Jack Viney and highly-touted Jesse Hogan, as well as the expected return of key senior players from injury like Mitch Clark, Chris Dawes and Mark Jamar."

Hogan - 0 games
Clark - 0 games
Dawes - no preseason, 13 games
Jamar - 12 games, still has injury issues

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It may not be a start-of-first, but Melbourne deserve some type of special assistance at this point to rebuild their list. At this point, the industry consensus is that James Frawley is going to leave - their fourth free agent to do so since the beginning of FA, and another senior player who must be replaced. While a draft pick will be given, at this point Melbourne are shedding senior players far quicker than they can replace them.

Furthermore, we're talking a side that is historically bad. It's hard to find a side with five wins or less in six of eight years. Carlton 2002-2009 had 5 such seasons - and came out of it with three #1 draft picks. Fitzroy 1989-1996 had 4 such seasons. And yet noone mentions Melbourne in the same breath, and outrage comes about when any assistance is suggested.

I don't necessarily think a start-of-first-round PP should be awarded unless Melbourne gets the spoon. However, even if they don't I think Melbourne should get an end-of-first rounder.

Thoughts?

 

[LeverPuller]

You mean the track record of you guys not being good at identifying talent? Or the track record of you guys just not winning much? Then why do you deserve to get another priority pick? If you are, you're pretty much insinuating that Melbourne is the special kid in the class that is AFL. "Hey it's ok Melbourne, I mean you picked Cale Morton again, and you lost by 50 points again, but here you go, here's another pick! Keep going buddy, you can do it!"

What a joke.

Or the two free hits at first rounders with father-son. I know Melbourne lucked out with Viney but the Libba/Wallis thing was huge for you guys.

 

[carnthemlions]

Where's our priority pick??

s**t thread.

I was talking simply about senior prospects. If you include 4 rookies that means Melbourne have 10 slots to roll over for next year. And while the strike rate seems good, it's telling that there hasn't been a player to have the impact Barlow did since he came into the league.

Here's an alternative. How about Melbourne doesn't get hit with its FA compensation calculation if Frawley leaves as a one off. The issue with Melbourne chasing an FA is its a catch-22 due to the nature of the FA compo.

We got Tom Rockliff in the PSD...

 

[LeverPuller]

People are missing how HISTORICALLY ******* AWFUL Melbourne have been. I can safely say they have improved out of sight in 2014, and that has gotten them a grand total of two extra wins and the same ladder position.

 

[etsal1]

People are missing how HISTORICALLY ******* AWFUL Melbourne have been. I can safely say they have improved out of sight in 2014, and that has gotten them a grand total of two extra wins and the same ladder position.

but I thought Roos was the messiah?

 

[timtamWB]

Or the two free hits at first rounders with father-son. I know Melbourne lucked out with Viney but the Libba/Wallis thing was huge for you guys.

Then explain to us how we managed to pick up Honeychurch at 60. Talia at 32. Campbell with a rookie pick. Dahlhaus was a rookie pick. Roughead at 32. Hrovat at 21.

Sure the F/S was huge for us, but we got two players out of it, and we would have got one of them with our 1st pick even if we didn't have F/S, so we would have missed out on one player. And we also ****ed up big time with Cordy as pick 14 F/S, our draft in 2009 which included Howard at 15. But it's a lot of other players, some high draft picks, some not, which are also contributing to the team in a big way. Because recently, we've nailed our drafting (apart from Fuller) because we got better talent identification, and better development. Which is what you need, not more picks.

 

[estibador]

Here's an alternative. How about Melbourne doesn't get hit with its FA compensation calculation if Frawley leaves as a one off. The issue with Melbourne chasing an FA is its a catch-22 due to the nature of the FA compo.

You can't have your cake and eat it too. The other 'advantage' of losing a FA is it opens up salary space for you to chase someone hard.

You can't refuse to use that advantage because you want to horde draft picks and then adopt a 'woe is us, other clubs keep raiding our free agents' attitude.

 

[port_adelaide_1870]

People are missing how HISTORICALLY ******* AWFUL Melbourne have been. I can safely say they have improved out of sight in 2014, and that has gotten them a grand total of two extra wins and the same ladder position.

"Have been" in other words are "not any more" thus no need for a priority pick. Melbourne this year could easily win another 2 games, potentially 6 wins for the season and you are asking help

 

[iBeng]

They dont.

No one does this year, not even the Saints.

 

[LeverPuller]

You can't have your cake and eat it too. The other 'advantage' of losing a FA is it opens up salary space for you to chase someone hard.

You can't refuse to use that advantage because you want to horde draft picks and then adopt a 'woe is us, other clubs keep raiding our free agents' attitude.

I'm just trying to work out a method around pure 'draft free hit'. The problem Melbourne are suffering now is a pure lack of talent. Right now:

Clark - gone
Byrnes - gone
Blease - last legs
Strauss - last legs
Tapscott - last legs
Nicholson - firing line
Evans - firing line

And that's without even getting into the guys getting gifted games cos there is so little depth like McKenzie and Terlich.

It's a massive massive project and one which the club really needs to get right right now - thankfully they have the right people. And I would hope that the AFL will recognize this combination of factors and suggest that rather than 08-09 or Hawthorn and Collingwood in the mid 2000s, this Melbourne side could actually do with a helping hand.

 

[master bate]

but I thought Roos was the messiah?

Whilst I've already had my say on priority picks it would be great if anyone here could display basic comprehension.

As he said. We've made huge improvements and only won 4 games so far and are 17th. That translates to Roos has been fricken awesome but we were so shite before hand he had to be.

 

[Go the Guts]

The highest draft pick on the Crows list is Dangerfield at pick 10 in 2007. We're on the verge of playing finals after playing a prelim 2 seasons ago. And we still have a very young list that could push for a flag in the next few years after being raped by expansion teams and go-home factor, losing Bock, Davis, Gunston and Tippet.
And you are trying to argue for ANOTHER priority pick?
Are you serious????? !!!

 

[JasRulz63]

I'd say Melbourne are a decent chance at winning either the game against Brisbane or GWS (at the G). If they do, it'll give them 5 wins for the season which wouldn't qualify them for a priority pick under the old rules, let alone under the new 'tougher' rules.

 

[port_adelaide_1870]

I'm just trying to work out a method around pure 'draft free hit'. The problem Melbourne are suffering now is a pure lack of talent. Right now:

Clark - gone
Byrnes - gone
Blease - last legs
Strauss - last legs
Tapscott - last legs
Nicholson - firing line
Evans - firing line

And that's without even getting into the guys getting gifted games cos there is so little depth like McKenzie and Terlich.

It's a massive massive project and one which the club really needs to get right right now - thankfully they have the right people. And I would hope that the AFL will recognize this combination of factors and suggest that rather than 08-09 or Hawthorn and Collingwood in the mid 2000s, this Melbourne side could actually do with a helping hand.

You want talent trade your picks for players then? I mean port gave Richmond pick 71 for Jay Schulz. Be creative and go find quality players from other clubs. Go and trade one of your two top 5 draft pick for a very good player

 

[estibador]

The highest draft pick on the Crows list is Dangerfield at pick 10 in 2007. We're on the verge of playing finals after playing a prelim 2 seasons ago. And we still have a very young list that could push for a flag in the next few years after being raped by expansion teams and go-home factor, losing Bock, Davis, Gunston and Tippet.
And you are trying to argue for ANOTHER priority pick?
Are you serious????? !!!

And Freo's grand final team only contained 3 players taken in the top 10 - Hill (3), Pav (4), and McPharlin (10).

Melbourne needs to get over the messiah complex that high draft picks are the only way to build a good team. That's what got them into trouble in the first place.

 

[Bluelegs]

If we can win two more games for the year it will the best argument you could possibly make against the priority pick ever being awarded to any team ever again.

One of the worst sides in history; winning two games with a 50% who had looked like the worst list in the comp by a mile. Who had lost their talent like Mitch Clark and Liam Jurrah, not to mention Clint Bartram or Wonaemirri over the previous years in extraordinary cases. And harboured serious fears for their future existence. This team was NOT given a priority pick. Instead they were helped through their financial and administration troubles, and guided through a restructuring of a football department, which would result in significant and impressive resurgence after just one pre-season, defeating two (current) top eight teams, and being within striking distance til the final minutes of the game in (at least) six others. All while doing so with a significant injury to their most promising youth which lasted the entire year.

The year would be an incredible example of how when the AFL is willing to invest more than just a free top 5 pick in a poor team and instead guidance and a helping hand they can turn around even the most hopeless situation.

We may not be finals contenders this year, but that was never what this year was about. This year was about the club turning over a new leaf, it was about creating a foundation that the team could build on and deliver hope to the supporters that in the coming years we might just see some September action. Most of all though, this year was about earning respect back. And I do not want to see that respect that has been earned over the past twelve months be pissed away on a priority pick that would piss on everything the club set out to prove this year.

 

[etsal1]

Whilst I've already had my say on priority picks it would be great if anyone here could display basic comprehension.

As he said. We've made huge improvements and only won 4 games so far and are 17th. That translates to Roos has been fricken awesome but we were so shite before hand he had to be.

Surely they can't be that 'huge' of improvements if you're currently in the same ladder position as last year?

 

[DivideandMultiply]

Who knows. I can't answer honestly.

 

[Power Raid]

The sooner Melbourne are relocated out of Melbourne the better.

They will perform better both on and off the field being the Tasmanian Van Diemens

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

The AFL have already given you special assistance by paying for your super coach. That's plenty enough.

And giving them a CEO.

 

[Sprout]

Why? Why would you do this?

Mods, please just close it.