If Nick's use of Curtin and Dowling is any guide at all last season Draper wont get a game till round 15 & then as sub for his first three games & buried in a forward pocket or wing. Nicks destroys more players than he makes. Pedlar's issues where he was dropped after being sacrificed against Stewart is damning. Everyone incorrectly blames Pedlar as they did with Rachelle another player who's confidence has been destroyed. We keep propping up Nicks sending him off to Harvard, appointing a Director of Coaching but those at the coalface know he's an utter fraud who makes it up as he goes along !
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Bigman’s Training Reports
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Pedlar was woeful all year, thats not on Nicks. Playing an attacking player on a quality defender is a tactic as old as the game itself. Look what he did when we went back to the SANFL..... he was just as bad.
Rachele's (spell it right FFS) confidence is hardly shot, yet another swing and a miss. You can definitely make a case that he wasn't treated well post Showdown, but he didn't go back to the SANFL and play like a player who'd lost confidence.
I even gave a number of examples of young players we've played early in their first years. We can blame Nicks for being a dumb coach, but playing young players, particularly high draft picks, is something we routinely do these days.
Yeh, this is about as stupid a view on best 23 selection as is possible. I know you’re a ‘selecting Dmac as last player selected makes no difference’ fanbois, but you’ve never been correct there and you’re even less correct now.
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Michelanney. Rachele. Soligo. There's a stack of Crows draftees who played straight away.
Curtin was carrying a knee injury and Dowling was a late pick. They got chances when they were ready. Others got them earlier.
And Pedlar just had a bad year. He got great opportunities at the start of last year, but he had a terrible year in both the AFL and SANFL.
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Gtowncrow
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Did Berry come straight in?
Flip Side
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I’m loving what we are hearing about Dan Curtain. I can see him developing into a triple threat type player.
Add a dash of Tom Lynch - running between the arcs, linking up, outlet mark on kickouts, centre marking target and creative fwd entries.
Mix with floating through CHF with high mobility and poise, creating headaches for opposition defensive structures,
and finish with the occasional run through the middle breaking tackles and generating his own ball winning when the balls not getting forward.
Add a dash of Tom Lynch - running between the arcs, linking up, outlet mark on kickouts, centre marking target and creative fwd entries.
Mix with floating through CHF with high mobility and poise, creating headaches for opposition defensive structures,
and finish with the occasional run through the middle breaking tackles and generating his own ball winning when the balls not getting forward.
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I am not advocating for Murphy to be in our best 22.
Just think that playing a player like Murphy in a rebuilding team (like we have the past 5 years) makes a lot less sense than using an albeit shit, role player in a talented finals bound team (like we are this year).
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Add to that McAsey, Rowe, Berry as examples as players getting immediate opportunities.
I can understand thats why he got a bit of a late start. But Nicks used him terribly in 2025.
I wouldn't say he got great opportunities. He played poorly in terrible conditions rd 1. Was played as a defensive forward against Tom Stewart in rd 2 (WTF) and then was subbed at the half against Freo in rd 3.
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With the benefit of hindsight - Nicks shouldn't have selected Pedlar at the start of the season.
with the benefit of hindsight Nicks shouldnt be coach
Yeah 100%
Pretty much
He's described as being managed with a minor back issue on the latest injury update. Expected to play PS games though.
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Yeah, he did
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Sure. But Pedlar was first to get opportunities at the start of the year, and he didn't do anything with them.
FR0GGY
Busy
I’d say it’s the exact opposite?
In a talented side heading for finals your team naturally won’t have a spot for a player like that (as we’re about to find out)
In a developing side there’ll be holes all over the place for a “senior experienced role player”
I’d like Draper to get some early games too but I’m not going to be too cranky if they mostly play him as a mid in the SANFL and get him working on making the most of his strengths (speed, work rate) and working on his deficiencies (unproductive handball, getting stuck in traffic).
No hindsight required there - it was ****ing obvious at the time they extended his contract last year.
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Shifty Crow
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From memory - we also played McAsey straight away
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You essentially just described Mark Blicavs career minus the 2nd Ruck stints.
If we end up with that you won't find me complaining. Another player we have let do his thing at will against us for over a decade.
It's a bit premature, but it's not without basis. Note that the basis has nothing to do with his talent, which is outstanding. It has everything to do with the issues he's currently going through off-field, which have led to him spending a lot of time away from the club over the pre-season and to some people thinking he may be on the verge of giving the game away.
He hasn't stepped away from the game completely yet, but the speculation based on what we know so far is not entirely unreasonable.
SugarShane
C12 H22 O11
I reckon he'll play 12-14 games. The tank is always the question for the kids who go straight into the midfield, it's a lot harder than it seems, and a lot harder than a match sim.
I don't think we see him Round 1, I reckon he comes in for a burst around R3-4 then has a mid season break. Last thing you want to do is run him into the ground by Round 6 and have him playing catch up all year.
