Club Focus Melbourne 2021 - Dunstan, Van Rooyen, Howes, Woewodin

AFL Club Focus

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Oct 12, 2008
9,090
20,449
The North of Melbourne
AFL Club
North Melbourne
I love it when it backfires on players. It’s rare but they’ve got too much power 99% of the time

They work incredibly hard at a job that destroys your body (and in some cases your brain), making it hard to get work later in life if you're not one of the lucky few who gets a job in coaching or media. Absolutely can't blame a player for trying to maximise earnings for the short time they can play.

That said, I feel that North let him go to send a message to managers who think they can squeeze the club and make them blink first in contract negotations. ideally he'd still be at the club, we could use him right now, but if it strengthens the club's hand going forward, he's an acceptable loss. The pick helped us secure Jaidyn Stephenson, who is a greater talent and will be with the club for much longer than Ben could have. I loved watching Ben play, games like the 2014 elimination final or his bag of 10 against Port are cherised memories, and I hope he gets back to playing seniors soon. He's way too good to be stuck in the VFL.
 

Ants

Premiership Player
Sep 27, 2005
4,535
2,124
Melbourne
AFL Club
Essendon
Other Teams
Essendon
Why would Melbourne trade him? They're now in full-on premiership mode; having a guy as good as Brown as depth is fantastic insurance. The only reason to let him go is if someone offers something really nice, or they have a salary cap squeeze.
 

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Topkent

Confirmed ITK Drafting King
Aug 29, 2010
61,054
84,968
Canada
AFL Club
Melbourne
Other Teams
Winnipeg Jets
I find it interesting because he is likely to be the first NGA player picked too early to be available to his club. I thought Melbourne supporters might find it even more interesting.
Not interesting to me that every club basically got their pick of academy kids for years and the year we get one we can't even get it. Meanwhile the dogs are getting back to back number 1 picks
 

Boristown

Premiership Player
May 24, 2015
4,100
10,118
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Not interesting to me that every club basically got their pick of academy kids for years and the year we get one we can't even get it. Meanwhile the dogs are getting back to back number 1 picks

Adelaide bidding at #1 ****ed it for everyone moving forward, including themselves. If he goes pick 2 or beyond, there's no outrage and the system likely stays as it is and you get Andrews.
 

Topkent

Confirmed ITK Drafting King
Aug 29, 2010
61,054
84,968
Canada
AFL Club
Melbourne
Other Teams
Winnipeg Jets
Adelaide bidding at #1 f’ed it for everyone moving forward, including themselves. If he goes pick 2 or beyond, there's no outrage and the system likely stays as it is and you get Andrews.
Yah I wouldn't normally complain either cause it's just luck but s**t it hurts when the team on top of the ladder is getting back to back number 1 picks. Talk about luck.
 
May 20, 2008
12,464
29,171
Melbourne
AFL Club
Essendon
Other Teams
Brooklyn Nets, New York Jets
Not interesting to me that every club basically got their pick of academy kids for years and the year we get one we can't even get it. Meanwhile the dogs are getting back to back number 1 picks

God it's gross. Father son picks need to go as do NGA.
 

Ants

Premiership Player
Sep 27, 2005
4,535
2,124
Melbourne
AFL Club
Essendon
Other Teams
Essendon
Not interesting to me that every club basically got their pick of academy kids for years and the year we get one we can't even get it. Meanwhile the dogs are getting back to back number 1 picks
I still staggered the clubs didn't ask to be able to keep recruiting until they hit the points of the most successful clubs. That North, Bulldogs, Collingwood got top 10 picks and the rest got scraps or nothing could have been rectified by each club having a permanent "total" points pool. Once that was exceeded, you couldn't access the top end of the draft. But until that point, everyone would get someone.
 

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May 20, 2008
12,464
29,171
Melbourne
AFL Club
Essendon
Other Teams
Brooklyn Nets, New York Jets
No. There is no reason to believe over time the F/S shouldn't be fair, and its an integral part of the game.

There is plenty of reason why over time it won't be fair, namely the example right now where timing means a club receives one of the best talents when they just don't need it.

It also means that clubs with much deeper pockets can invest into the development of youngsters from a very very very young age which is also gross. Privilege breeding privilege.

The father son is not an integral part of the game. It's a romantic notion linked to a game from years gone by that was amateur. No other professional code has anything like it in the world and for good reason.
 

Ants

Premiership Player
Sep 27, 2005
4,535
2,124
Melbourne
AFL Club
Essendon
Other Teams
Essendon
There is plenty of reason why over time it won't be fair, namely the example right now where timing means a club receives one of the best talents when they just don't need it.

It also means that clubs with much deeper pockets can invest into the development of youngsters from a very very very young age which is also gross. Privilege breeding privilege.

The father son is not an integral part of the game. It's a romantic notion linked to a game from years gone by that was amateur. No other professional code has anything like it in the world and for good reason.
Plenty of other codes don't have drafts though, which makes it pretty much irrelevant. And plenty of sports which are country specific the players follow in their parent's footsteps.

It is fair because it should be totally random. Perhaps the development aspect is a little unfair, but it will be offset by the pricing. Unless you're arguing its possible to increase talent via early development?
 

markm106

Brownlow Medallist
Mar 29, 2006
10,790
10,381
Melbourne
AFL Club
Melbourne
Big Ben Brown starting to have an impact. Becoming very clear he wasn’t fit enough early doors when we first played him. Will be very important come finals.
 
Big Ben Brown starting to have an impact. Becoming very clear he wasn’t fit enough early doors when we first played him. Will be very important come finals.
Injuries and being in a poor 2020 team really killed his form/fitness. Very happy for him.
 
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