VFL Round 1 v Sandringham @ RSEA Park. Friday March 22, 4:05pm

[The Royal Sampler]

Harvey Harrison is an elite player.

 

[Chrispiesssss]

Why sub? Honestly, he looks very ready to play in the AFL side. The worst thing to do at the selection table is look at accolades and think premiership player means undroppable.

I completely agree. However, Fly seems like the coach to back senior players in. I think we’ll only see huge changes in the team once we are 3-7 or something…

 

[gouki88]

I like the optimism

 

[sr36]

If we had a MSD pick.. Well we could if we put Mcstay on the LT1 or Murphy retires..

But he's 190 or 191cm, but plays much taller. Strong and powerful. Flys for marks.

Does he have a ground level game? You can be a 191cm intercepting defender, but marking forward? I can't think of any.

 

[gouki88]

Does he have a ground level game? You can be a 191cm intercepting defender, but marking forward? I can't think of any.

Membrey & Langford spring to mind

 

[TheGreatGrundy]

Tim Watson was the comparison. I watched yesterday's game and he did a few things. There's possibly even a Timmy Watson element to his physique and movement - a compact solid figure, none too imposing height wise, though lacking the intense scooter like motion that I recall of Timmy's. HH seemed to be playing wing out of the centre bounces or am I wrong? Could easily have been a small forward starting around the edge of the square. He was alright but far from elite.

 

[sr36]

I completely agree. However, Fly seems like the coach to back senior players in. I think we’ll only see huge changes in the team once we are 3-7 or something…

He's an optimist. Even at 3-7 he'd still be thinking finals. What were GWS after 10 games last year? We won't go into development year mode unless finals are out of the equation. Kids will have to be at the level.

 

[stormskye]

Membrey & Langford spring to mind

Darling plays well above 191cm as well

 

[No SPIN]

Purchase a CHF at an MSD and think you're on a winner, you'd be badly mistaken. These people aren't rookies for nothing. Sure, there might be the odd one that's dropped through the net who shows a spot of talent. Realistically we have to rely on McStay being available so that the frequent calls for heads to roll because we have no talls is heard less often.

We can't just keep drafting these ne'er do wells and hope to pick a diamond from the rough, hopeful that in every rookie draft lies a Mihochek in waiting. None of these chaps are going to begin to fill McStay's hole. 'Hutch' might be many things, but he is unlikely to challenge the Andrews, Taylors or Mayes of this world.

We seem to regard our first round draft picks as hot pokers rather than valuable tools with which to secure a long term tall talent. This year without a first round draft pick is looming as a real costly one. We could, without any change to core conditions, finish near the bottom of the ladder in what I believe is meant to be an exceptional draft year (?) and watch horrified the crème de la crème of youth's tall timber drafted elsewhere.

It’s not a draft for elite talls as others here have said - it’s a midfielders draft.

 

[sr36]

Darling plays well above 191cm as well

Good points and none of those 3 have much of a leap either.

 

[The Royal Sampler]

Tim Watson was the comparison. I watched yesterday's game and he did a few things. There's possibly even a Timmy Watson element to his physique and movement - a compact solid figure, none too imposing height wise, though lacking the intense scooter like motion that I recall of Timmy's. HH seemed to be playing wing out of the centre bounces or am I wrong? Could easily have been a small forward starting around the edge of the square. He was alright but far from elite.

I like his chances to be a long term contributor. That’s as optimistic as I get for HH. He has a good list of attributes.

 

[sr36]

I like his chances to be a long term contributor. That’s as optimistic as I get for HH. He has a good list of attributes.

That's the most likely ceiling, but I think the blue sky is a bit greater than that as he does do some things that are difference makers. Roving and power to turn congestion into an open play. At VFL last year he was a bit like the attacking side of McCreery - if he ever learns to do the good more consistently - look out.

 

[TheGreatGrundy]

It’s not a draft for elite talls as others here have said - it’s a midfielders draft.

We could use a mid fielder too, but we could also have used a high pick as part of a trade for something, instead of buying from K Mart what others are buying from David Jones or a more exclusive store.

 

[ElliottsMaggies]

Agree - I watched the game and can’t say this MSD draft talk makes any sense to me. Why do we need another short KPF, especially when they lack any X factor?
Let’s see how he goes after 6-8 games before making predictions.

I don't think anyone is saying we should pick him up. It was just a tweet by Twomey saying some club might.

A few thought it was a pity he wasn't a 'tall kpf' because we all know that's we what we need, but we don't have a msd spot available anyway.

 

[No SPIN]

We could use a mid fielder too, but we could also have used a high pick as part of a trade for something, instead of buying from K Mart what others are buying from David Jones or a more exclusive store.

We recruited 5 players last year all best 22 - 3 were crucial on GF day.
That’s a resounding rebuttal of the insistence that only keeping 1st round picks is the formula for success.

 

[sr36]

We could use a mid fielder too, but we could also have used a high pick as part of a trade for something, instead of buying from K Mart what others are buying from David Jones or a more exclusive store.

We've performed a long way above average for the last 25 years. And you get paid your recruiting dollars from the AFL based on how s**t you are, so Kmart is all we could afford.

 

[ElliottsMaggies]

We've performed a long way above average for the last 25 years. And you get paid your recruiting dollars from the AFL based on how s**t you are, so Kmart is all we could afford.

Agreed. And I'd rather be playing in finals every year, be the reigning premiers than sitting down the bottom of the ladder year after year.

 

[hellfire]

I really liked what I saw from Harvey Harrison. I don’t know what his stats were, but I don’t care, he has AFL traits.

 

[stormskye]

We could use a mid fielder too, but we could also have used a high pick as part of a trade for something, instead of buying from K Mart what others are buying from David Jones or a more exclusive store.

Carlton and north have shopped at Versace for decades. Didn’t help them much TGG

 

[memoryofmchale]

MSD hits are few and far between. For every star, there’s three who never even look like making it.

 

[TheGreatGrundy]

Carlton and north have shopped at Versace for decades. Didn’t help them much TGG

I wouldn't mind 3 of Carlton's KPPs from Versace. They would all get a spot in our 22 and make us invincible, save the aging players around them whose dwindling form and disintegrating bodies will be dragging them down.

 

[stormskye]

I wouldn't mind 3 of Carlton's KPPs from Versace. They would all get a spot in our 22 and make us invincible, save the aging players around them whose dwindling form and disintegrating bodies will be dragging them down.

I’ll take finals, prelims and grand final appearances and wins over them.

Elite players come at the cost of the club being a basket place for a period in most cases.

Ditto Carlton.

We are doing better than most clubs TGG

 

[ElliottsMaggies]

I wouldn't mind 3 of Carlton's KPPs from Versace. They would all get a spot in our 22 and make us invincible, save the aging players around them whose dwindling form and disintegrating bodies will be dragging them down.

Where have Carlton been the past 30 years?

I'd much rather be us. The reigning premiers.

 

[Jen2310]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[TheGreatGrundy]

Where have Carlton been the past 30 years?

I'd much rather be us. The reigning premiers.

Yeah, but we're most unlikely to be a reigning premier this year, so it's a good time to take stock of what you haven't got and try to rectify it by attempting to win some hands with the poor cards we've dealt ourselves. A premiership will soon be a distant memory when we again find ourselves wallowing in mediocrity, or worse.

Next year will be even more of a struggle due to the detritus accumulating via our dad's army brigade reaching the end of their allotted time. Which is why we need Murphy to play on as he is relatively young and sprightly compared to the plethora of senior citizens in our ranks.

Meanwhile, let's see which of these young blokes can play. I think we have established that Johnson lacks the qualities that bring AFL success. I am still unconvinced by Allan, but he is only 19 with a couple of years to add the extra elements he requires to his game. Another loss this week to Brisbane, and the team floodgates will open to spill forth the fumblers and formless to restock from a shallow reserve pool of talent.