Past #27: Will Walker - delisted end '21 - 6 NM games/4 NM goals - go well Walks

RossHenshaw

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Sep 12, 2020
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Him, EVW, Harper, Black, JWS - any kid who shows promise and gets injured early on we bloody never see them again.

Its never been more evident than today how much protection young bodies need early on in their careers and that playing them soon could see them sabotage their careers.
This shits occurring far too often for my liking to just be labelled a coincidence. Good luck in the future Will.

EDIT: Just remembered we selected him before Tim Kelly ffs :eek::eek::'(
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Jun 4, 2013
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Once he was put in isolation in Queensland for that two week period it was confirmed beyond a shadow of a doubt. Until then I held out hope that in the last month or so of VFL he might build some form, after seeing occasional glimpses earlier this year before dumb injuries got in the way (which was all before the VFL team turned the corner if memory serves).

Ultimately he was just chronically injured and I absolutely loathe to see a career fizzle out that way. It's one thing for a bloke to simply not be good enough, another for them not to take it seriously enough, and yet another when their body doesn't even give them a chance. It's odd but he was always one of my favourite "long shot" prospects at the club. Best of luck to him going forward.
 

RossHenshaw

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Sep 12, 2020
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Hindsight and all that, but his pick will go down as one the clubs worst. I know his injuries have impacted his output but we reached for him bigtime.

Best of luck with whatever the future holds WW
I remember the very moment when he’s name got called out on draft night … I think the whole of the north community said ….
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Jun 9, 2001
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Him, EVW, Harper, Black, JWS - any kid who shows promise and gets injured early on we bloody never see them again.

Its never been more evident than today how much protection young bodies need early on in their careers and that playing them soon could see them sabotage their careers.
This shits occurring far too often for my liking to just be labelled a coincidence. Good luck in the future Will.

EDIT: Just remembered we selected him before Tim Kelly ffs :eek::eek::'(
View attachment 1224047

Don't.

Sphynx did a little teaser of the players who were taken in the next 10. Look away now type of stuff.
 

roosmad

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Mar 31, 2007
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These are the draft picks that hurt, look at the picks straight after him, my god… add Kelly to our midfield, just think about that…

a pick in the 20’s needs to be a 150 game player, you can’t stuff these picks up….sadly we have had far to many of these picks over the last 15 years….
 

longyroos

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Apr 6, 2009
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These are the draft picks that hurt, look at the picks straight after him, my god… add Kelly to our midfield, just think about that…

a pick in the 20’s needs to be a 150 game player, you can’t stuff these picks up….sadly we have had far to many of these picks over the last 15 years….
I went back to 2000 and the only decent player we have from the 2nd round is Dumont.
That’s it!

2002 is a laugh

2014-2016 is why we finished on the bottom in 2021. Absolute nightmare stuff.
 
Hindsight and all that, but his pick will go down as one the clubs worst. I know his injuries have impacted his output but we reached for him bigtime.

Best of luck with whatever the future holds WW
Clubs worst pick. Jonathon Hay ring any bells?
 

RossHenshaw

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Sep 12, 2020
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Could've been a great player.

Sigh.
No more shoulda coulda woulda … let’s not sugar coat this… hindsight is a beautiful thing some might say but when WW name got read out at pick 23 in the 2017 draft (everyone including myself said Who the * is he ?!)
Take a look from pick 23 WW down …the caliber of players picked below him … let’s just put our hands on our hearts & say “yep Joyce & Bard” farked that up .
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No more shoulda coulda woulda … let’s not sugar coat this… hindsight is a beautiful thing some might say but when WW name got read out at pick 23 in the 2017 draft (everyone including myself said Who the **** is he ?!)
Take a look from pick 23 WW down …the caliber of players picked below him … let’s just put our hands on our hearts & say “yep Joyce & Bard” farked that up .View attachment 1224139

It's s**t but it's always easy in hindsight.
 

Billy Not Really

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Apr 7, 2018
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No more shoulda coulda woulda … let’s not sugar coat this… hindsight is a beautiful thing some might say but when WW name got read out at pick 23 in the 2017 draft (everyone including myself said Who the **** is he ?!)
Take a look from pick 23 WW down …the caliber of players picked below him … let’s just put our hands on our hearts & say “yep Joyce & Bard” farked that up .View attachment 1224139

I won't argue there regarding the pick number itself, it was a real headscratcher back then and its turned into a massive gamble that didn't pay off now and it cost the club big time considering the talent available at that pick.

It should've been a very safe pick, I thought we would've gone Bayley Fritsch at the time or Spargo.

With that said, it looked like he was the goods at one stage when he had a clear enough run and we could've never thought much of that choice relative to the pick ever again, but it hasn't panned out that way.

Its a blight on Joyce's already garbage record, and at least we have a team of people who have made some pretty good decisions re: the list since then, the worst part about Joyce was that you never knew what you were gonna get in the worst way possible. I still get really bitter about the amount of ridiculous investment we had into Gold Coast draftees. We spurned and burned practically 2-3 whole drafts worth of players.
 
Wanted Noah Balta at this pick the other one I was hoping for at the time was Constable who imo still could be decent despite being fairly one dimensional
 

RossHenshaw

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It's sh*t but it's always easy in hindsight.
Disagree.
If WW would of been picked in our 3rd or 4th round that year . Well yes I would of said “yes ok , a gamble on a no name player but with potential upside , 1-2 good season at Sandy Dragons , project player , ex soccer etc..”
WW would have still been there at pick 60-80 . No one knew who the * he was bar Joyce .
You don’t use a 2nd round pick ever on this type of player …. Come on !
 

RossHenshaw

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Sep 12, 2020
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I won't argue there regarding the pick number itself, it was a real headscratcher back then and its turned into a massive gamble that didn't pay off now and it cost the club big time considering the talent available at that pick.

It should've been a very safe pick, I thought we would've gone Bayley Fritsch at the time or Spargo.

With that said, it looked like he was the goods at one stage when he had a clear enough run and we could've never thought much of that choice relative to the pick ever again, but it hasn't panned out that way.

Its a blight on Joyce's already garbage record, and at least we have a team of people who have made some pretty good decisions re: the list since then, the worst part about Joyce was that you never knew what you were gonna get in the worst way possible. I still get really bitter about the amount of ridiculous investment we had into Gold Coast draftees. We spurned and burned practically 2-3 whole drafts worth of players.
100 % agree with you .
Some people here don’t realise how far back we are coming from right now thanks to this Joyce & Bard incompetence. We will be paying for this poor draft selections & poor young player development & giving them lack of opportunities for years .
I am actually shocked (in a good way) on how we managed to debut & give games to Spicer , Ford , Lizard , WAP & Powell (Comben) all in their first season!
We are finally being run by people who know what they are doing and are willing to put the club first before themselves.
Recruiting 28+ year olds is not the way to go either Chris & Brad Scott style by the way ….
 

RossHenshaw

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Sep 12, 2020
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It's hard to critcize the pick when he never got a fair run at it.

I wactched a lot of Sandringham that year and you would have picked him over Constable every single day of the week.
I watched them both too as I live around the corner & watch most games there . WW was very raw but with a lot of potential / development/ take a punt on player .
Not a 2nd rounder pick 23 selection.
He would of been there still at pick 65
 

Ether

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Oct 21, 2019
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Disagree.
If WW would of been picked in our 3rd or 4th round that year . Well yes I would of said “yes ok , a gamble on a no name player but with potential upside , 1-2 good season at Sandy Dragons , project player , ex soccer etc..”
WW would have still been there at pick 60-80 . No one knew who the **** he was bar Joyce .
You don’t use a 2nd round pick ever on this type of player …. Come on !
He was looking like a good thing before his injuries, worthy of a R2 pick. You can't put his injuries on the drafting team. It's not like he had a history of them.
 

sruss

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Feb 12, 2016
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I went back to 2000 and the only decent player we have from the 2nd round is Dumont.
That’s it!

2002 is a laugh

2014-2016 is why we finished on the bottom in 2021. Absolute nightmare stuff.
Are you sure you went back to 2000? Because our 2nd round pick that year was pretty bloody good.

True thought that there is way more misses than even serviceable players.
 
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