New Collingwood Recruit

[TheClokes]

Thomas Young (New South Wales apprenticeship scheme)
14 year old 188cm kid, still no-doubt growing.

A lot of jealous clubs (especially St Kilda)

 

[bradrowe#32]

Sounds good, but we won't know anything for a couple of years.

I think it's a good initiative for several reasons. The club is using it very well. It only costs up to $20,000 to sign these players and if one of them becomes a good player then it's worth it.

 

[AsianWithAFro]

Well the kid they recruited first Scott Reed I remember playing against him he was like the best ruckman in the league but that was 14s he would be bout 6,2 . His very fast and I remember putting a bump on him in my glory days lol

 

[jimmy_clement#8]

Well I'd rather have Reed and Young and have them not turn out, then other clubs having them and they turn both into good players fully knowing we could of had them. Here's hoping we get something out of at least one of them, maybe both.

 

[FadeAway]

they can sook all they like, freo had a cry when we took clarke...

my god...be professional boys!!!

 

[The Royal Sampler]

Freo cried about Reed, IIRC.

I think it's fantastic that the club's taking the initiative with the scholarship program. It's essential that we make every post a winner in finding talent outside of the usual draft selections. Not every club can bottom out and get St. Kilda or Blues-like first picks, our lower picks and rookies need to be well-considered selections too.

So far, with Maxwell, O'Brien, Cox, Clarke, Wellingham etc. we're putting the list to good use.

 

[AsianWithAFro]

Yeah my friend who supporter the saints said that how lucky we are with our recruits we have got over the last 2 years. I say the only thing we've done wrong with our recruiting is recruiting all the clokes and Shaws to make both families happy.

 

[Bay Pie]

Yeah my friend who supporter the saints said that how lucky we are with our recruits we have got over the last 2 years. I say the only thing we've done wrong with our recruiting is recruiting all the clokes and Shaws to make both families happy.

3 out of 6 aint bad.

 

[Vinnie Vegas]

3 out of 6 aint bad.

Especially out of your second/third round picks.

 

[Vinnie Vegas]

I think it's fantastic that the club's taking the initiative with the scholarship program. It's essential that we make every post a winner in finding talent outside of the usual draft selections. Not every club can bottom out and get St. Kilda or Blues-like first picks, our lower picks and rookies need to be well-considered selections too.

Yeah - With our resources, cash and high-profile razzle-dazzle, we should be looking to exploit the system in any way that we can get around the draft process and actually use our money to recruit players.

Getting guys like Martin Clarke, Scott Reed and Thomas Young is a good start, but I'm serious when I say - What's the harm in having a scout in America trying to find a washout from the NBA and turn him into a ruckman? The American sporting leagues have some of the best natural athletes in the world - Even the ones that don't make it might be able to be turned into a footy player.

 

[DWil6]

What's the harm in having a scout in America trying to find a washout from the NBA and turn him into a ruckman? The American sporting leagues have some of the best natural athletes in the world - Even the ones that don't make it might be able to be turned into a footy player.

Agreed, an excellent idea. Some of our ruckmen have developed from Australian basketball, what better idea then to recruit a project 7 plus foot American with great hops and athleticism? Sandilands could be taught, so could they. Speak to Eddie, Vinnie.

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

Freo cried about Reed, IIRC. .

They seem to have a problem with crying about under-age kids.

 

[Shellz]

What's the harm in having a scout in America trying to find a washout from the NBA and turn him into a ruckman? The American sporting leagues have some of the best natural athletes in the world - Even the ones that don't make it might be able to be turned into a footy player.

Very good idea! It can't hurt to train them up and give them a go... we have the money to burn so we may as well try and get some good out of it. Someone get onto Eddie!

 

[Collingwoodrow]

Yeah - With our resources, cash and high-profile razzle-dazzle, we should be looking to exploit the system in any way that we can get around the draft process and actually use our money to recruit players.

Getting guys like Martin Clarke, Scott Reed and Thomas Young is a good start, but I'm serious when I say - What's the harm in having a scout in America trying to find a washout from the NBA and turn him into a ruckman? The American sporting leagues have some of the best natural athletes in the world - Even the ones that don't make it might be able to be turned into a footy player.

I've never understood why this has never been done.........I remember Collingwood were looking at recruiting Ray Borner (1985 NBL MVP) back in the mid-80's. Now he was a somewhat cumbersome 6'10 (in the basketball world).

A non-athletic basketballer at 6'10 would be a swift and agile footballing giant. Recruiting a runnning, jumping 7 footer with a basketball background from the States is the next step. We got the millions....lets spend them!

 

[DWil6]

I've never understood why this has never been done.........I remember Collingwood were looking at recruiting Ray Borner (1985 NBL MVP) back in the mid-80's. Now he was a somewhat cumbersome 6'10 (in the basketball world).

A non-athletic basketballer at 6'10 would be a swift and agile footballing giant. Recruiting a runnning, jumping 7 footer with a basketball background from the States is the next step. We got the millions....lets spend them!

A collegiate hack would probably be as good if not better then our best ruckmen. At least in the area of ruck ability.

 

[Jimbeam]

Agreed, an excellent idea. Some of our ruckmen have developed from Australian basketball, what better idea then to recruit a project 7 plus foot American with great hops and athleticism? Sandilands could be taught, so could they. Speak to Eddie, Vinnie.

Forget Australia go straight to the States, grab one of their 6'5 power forwards and teach him to kick and handball. An American pro bballer would dominate our ruck. Cannot quite work out why we havent gone that route.

edit should have read thread, i will add we dont need a 7ft giant the 6'5ers over their have a vertical leap the leaves us for dead, you know "white man cant jump", yeh no shit lets go get a black man that can, would be the start of the AFL revolution, if we dont do it essendon will.

 

[Collingwoodrow]

A collegiate hack would probably be as good if not better then our best ruckmen. At least in the area of ruck ability.

We should have scouts at the NCAA tournament and big college conference tournaments. Identify those with skills required in a ruckman, get a group of 7 or 8 prospects, run them through some fitness tests (ala the AFL rookie camps) and throw money at these kids after graduation.

College finishes in April/May.....give the kid an intensive education on the finer points of ruckwork for 6 months and use a rookie pick or late draft pick on one.

 

[Jabso]

Agreed, an excellent idea. Some of our ruckmen have developed from Australian basketball, what better idea then to recruit a project 7 plus foot American with great hops and athleticism? Sandilands could be taught, so could they. Speak to Eddie, Vinnie.

You'd have to get an American that also has some experience at american football or another more high contact sport because even the more massive units in basketball don't really have the body for AFL (for example they'd need bigger legs).

The thing is that NBA hopefulls that don't make it can still make decent cash elsewhere including the Euroleague, then there are pretty rich leagues around Asia.

With American football it's almost the same, there's Arena Football which is crap and the canadian league.

But if the athlete is guaranteed to be a dominant athlete at AFL, perhaps you could offer him $100k or over.

 

[Vinnie Vegas]

Forget Australia go straight to the States, grab one of their 6'5 power forwards and teach him to kick and handball. An American pro bballer would dominate our ruck. Cannot quite work out why we havent gone that route.

edit should have read thread, i will add we dont need a 7ft giant the 6'5ers over their have a vertical leap the leaves us for dead, you know "white man cant jump", yeh no shit lets go get a black man that can, would be the start of the AFL revolution, if we dont do it essendon will.

Exactly - You don't want the 7 footers, because as agile as they look on a basketball court, put them on a footy field that is 5 times bigger with a bunch of whippets circling them and they're going to look pretty slow.

What you want to get is a 6'7"-6'8" forward who is built solidly and is athletic.

6'7"-6'8" is 199-202cm - We don't need a lumbering 7 footer when we could get a mobile 200cm player.

 

[jimmy35]

The problem you have with the American basketballer line is the money . Even a 3rd level basketballer is going to earn more than we could pay them . There's no way known you can offer 100k on a whim , and any player with the agility , hand/eye coordination and skills required would get that much playing basketball somewhere .

That's what makes the irish experiment so good , they come cheap .

 

[Jimbeam]

You'd have to get an American that also has some experience at american football or another more high contact sport because even the more massive units in basketball don't really have the body for AFL (for example they'd need bigger legs).

The thing is that NBA hopefulls that don't make it can still make decent cash elsewhere including the Euroleague, then there are pretty rich leagues around Asia.

With American football it's almost the same, there's Arena Football which is crap and the canadian league.

But if the athlete is guaranteed to be a dominant athlete at AFL, perhaps you could offer him $100k or over.

We would offer more than a 100k, more like 3-400k its not a problem our cap is half empty after this year i dont think it would be close to 75%. You also have the advantage of Australia, lifestyle education, media and instant stardom, and dont even mention advertising. Its extremely possible and we should be having a crack.

 

[Jabso]

We would offer more than a 100k, more like 3-400k its not a problem our cap is half empty after this year i dont think it would be close to 75%. You also have the advantage of Australia, lifestyle education, media and instant stardom, and dont even mention advertising. Its extremely possible and we should be having a crack.

Does anyone know the actual minimum of the salary cap you have to pay?

 

[ant22]

We would offer more than a 100k, more like 3-400k its not a problem our cap is half empty after this year i dont think it would be close to 75%. You also have the advantage of Australia, lifestyle education, media and instant stardom, and dont even mention advertising. Its extremely possible and we should be having a crack.

Not a chance in hell would they be offered anymore than 100k without even knowing if they can play the game. I reckon 100k would be a stretch.

I think we are kidding ourselves if we think a kid that is 6ft7 who has player high level bball in the states could walk in and dominate the ruck just because the are athletic. sure it could work but if it is that easy for a basketballer to walk in and have an impact then our game has gone to crap.

 

[DWil6]

Not a chance in hell would they be offered anymore than 100k without even knowing if they can play the game. I reckon 100k would be a stretch.

I think we are kidding ourselves if we think a kid that is 6ft7 who has player high level bball in the states could walk in and dominate the ruck just because the are athletic. sure it could work but if it is that easy for a basketballer to walk in and have an impact then our game has gone to crap.

That's a fair opinion but in this day and age and with the ruck being an area that we haven't exactly dominated since big Monkey left, what have we got to lose by trying it out?

 

[Vinnie Vegas]

You would actually be surprised how little some of these basketball players can earn outside of the NBA.

Think about it - Many of them end up over here playing basketball, and footy pays a lot better than the NBL. Stephen Jackson, who won a championship with San Antonio and now plays for Golden State, was a journeyman who played in Australia. He's a 6'8" small forward - Exactly the type we could have targeted.

A two year rookie deal is worth about 100k, IIRC, and if there's promise of a big salary at the end of it, it could be enough.