- Jul 13, 2012
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Its amazing how much the possibility of one season on the sidelines due to this virus has changed everything.
Free Agency Brad Crouch [joins St Kilda as a RFA for pick 23]
- Thread starter The Nostradamus
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- Oct 3, 2003
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Is it bad that I actually want us to finish low this year to maximize our draft hand in order to get the talent we will need to get back to the top?
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I'd actually rather finish somewhere like 10th or 11th (probably optimistic) and have some real signs from the youngsters and some leadership from the middle aged players and recruits.
But again who knows what a season or draft is even going to look like now
Do you think we have the talent already on the list to really reach the top though? I'm not convinced.
It'd likely be an incentive laden contract. The guaranteed number would be the sticking point.
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No we dont, but I'm also not one that thinks bottoming out is any more likely to bring success.
600k won’t get the crows band 1. It hasn’t in the past. Maybe in the new world 600k might be in the higher end but I don’t think they will apply it at the end of this year.
of course that’s not to say he wouldn’t get higher, or that he will leave at all. I have no idea where he is at there.
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Yeah, putting aside Crouch and his decision, the question of bands going forward is an interesting one.
You'd have to presume there will be an easing based on smaller contracts now being signed - the question is, will they have to weight contracts this off season against each other? If they measure them against contracts signed pre COVID, none would get high compensation. If that happens, though, I think the open movement of players may also slow, which not what the AFL and AFLPA want.
Compensation might be based on % of cap space, age, b & f and if you’re a club that the AFL wants to help.
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And of course which state your club is located in.
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Almost negligent to not be bottom 4 in a rebuild year..help speed up that rebuid with 2 x top 5 picks if b crouch does leave (caveat..i don't want him to leave)
I'm kind of in the wanting him to leave camp. Brad Crouch wont be around for our next premiership push.
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By that theory just kick everyone out over 27?
Really sick of people thinking this theory works.
It didnt work for Melbourne in the early 2000s
It didnt work for Hawthorn in the late 2010s
In fact I cant think of one example where it did work.
The other thing is who are you going to overpay if brad crouch and other senior players leave? Mid tier players?
We will still have a minimum cap to hit and we dont have a lot of youngsters deserving of a payrise.
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- Oct 3, 2003
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Well, we COULD overpay to steal away younger players from other clubs?
I'm not sure if I think Brad Crouch should stay or not. If it's a top four pick, it'd be tough to NOT let him go, and use the money to lure a player or two home.
I think the Crows need a senior head or two in each area of the ground, but no more if the rebuild is genuine.
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Thats the real point.
Need a senior head in each part of the ground.
Sloane is 30 now. So in 3 years he'll be you'd think either massively downhill or retired.
Brad will be 29 then and thats peak senior player age.
If it gave us the ability to take a younger midfielder from antoher club youd have to look at it.
But to throw him out for an unknown commodity seems daft to me.
I know it shouldnt matter but it MAY come into calculations. If we treat Brad badly, his brother wouldnt be pleased either.
Now letting him go isnt necessarily mistreating him, i just mean more the conversations and offers etc.
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BigFatNorthFan
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Yikes, he's only 26. How far off is that next push?
I'd say 5 years away. Brad will be at back of career by then.
- Oct 3, 2003
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Five years seems long. We're a couple of years into a rebuild so far. I'd think we go deep into a couple of drafts, then look to a third year where we start to pick up a free agent or two, and we're competing by year four.
That period between year 3 and 4 doesn’t generally go that fast in terms of team development. The drafts of 2019-2020 where I believe the Crows will prove to have acquired most of the talent we need won’t start producing high level football until 2025.
2016 draft was when we drafted McCluggage, Berry and Witherden. And last year was considered a year early in our push for the top 8.
Just because a team finishes in the top 8 doesn’t mean they’re genuine contenders.
Realistically there are 3 or 4 teams who are genuine contenders each year.
This.
Brisbane won't be genuine premiership contenders until 2021 in my view.
5 years.
BigFatNorthFan
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Plenty of 31yos who've played in premierships (and not many premiership sides who haven't had one or two of them).
I agree with your POV that the turnaround generally takes longer than most people expect, but I wouldn't personally jettison Brad on that basis.
Of course, if it's believed he's not gonna be a great influence on the next wave of kids for whatever reason, that might make it more logical.
My reasoning is more that to get to that top of table level I believe the Crows would have to be to win a flag in the current restrictions (MCG Grand Final), more elite talent peaking at the same time is necessary. Otherwise its always going to be close but not close enough.
If Adelaide could add say Thilthorpe, Hollands, GWS first rounder -find a way to add second rounder to say Sydney to get Baldwin, Luke Edwards, Tariek Newchurch and James Borlase all in one off season.. yes theres going to be s**t tonne of youth on the list but more experience than GWS had in their startup.
Having added the likes of Doedee, Milera, Galluci (jury is out), Fogarty, Jones, McHenry, Hamill, McAsey, Schoenberg, Worrell (All top 30 picks) in 5 off seasons.. there is plenty of talent coming through for Adelaide to be without another very good player given this talent will need gametime.
Maybe Adelaide finishes bottom 2 in 2021.. but add that top 2 pick, with Isaiah Dudley (NGA) and all of a sudden there is more top end talent on the Crows list then at any time in its history bar perhaps 1991.
