Player Watch Charlie Edwards - Signed to End of 2026

[Scorpus]

Why does "selection integrity" have to mean selecting players to win the very next game?

Last I checked, you don't win trophies for winning a regular season game.

The goal with selection integrity should be to consistently select the best side that maximizes the chances of winning a flag at the next possible opportunity.

This is easily justified to players. Side is no chance of making finals? Well sorry 32 year old player mildly outperforming a junior, picking you at this moment doesn't maximize our shot at a flag, so you're out.

The integrity part is making this message clear and applying it universally to all players.

Some juniors won't be performing at a level to be in flag side consideration so will have to lift their game in the SANFL. Some players by virtue of their age and the list profile are not going to feature either so shouldn't be in consideration. Same message in both cases

 

[Daniel6]

Why does "selection integrity" have to mean selecting players to win the very next game?

Last I checked, you don't win trophies for winning a regular season game.

The goal with selection integrity should be to consistently select the best side that maximizes the chances of winning a flag at the next possible opportunity.

This is easily justified to players. Side is no chance of making finals? Well sorry 32 year old player mildly outperforming a junior, picking you at this moment doesn't maximize our shot at a flag, so you're out.

The integrity part is making this message clear and applying it universally to all players.

Some juniors won't be performing at a level to be in flag side consideration so will have to lift their game in the SANFL. Some players by virtue of their age and the list profile are not going to feature either so shouldn't be in consideration. Same message in both cases

After the first year of the rebuild, the side has been picked to save Matthew Nicks his job.

Our drafting of players has been atrocious and we have only moved up the ladder due to a few good trades.

Out player development from a national draft hasn’t been our one wood.

 

[Big Dub]

Yeah, thank god for Murphy's cumulative 8 disposals and mammoth 0.0 in the two close wins against Melbourne and Collingwood. Truly a contribution that could not have been equalled by a younger player.

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I'm not a Murphy fan, by the way.

I am a Dowling fan. He should have got all of Murph's games (and the games given to Schoenberg, Cook and Jones).

Here's the Wheelo ratings and stats for the guys who played SANFL and AFL this year (excluding Crouch, who played less AFL games due to injury not form). Other than Dowling, AFL games was roughly in line with AFL impact:

 

[spenze]

All I'm saying is if he isn't starting in the guts, round 1 in the SANFL, standing next to Jones and Drapes (if he plays this season) or Berry (if Drapes takes his spot) with Dowling and Marsh on our wings, we need to sack our midfield coach.

No having Boyle in there, put Scholl to a HBF to distribute.

And as soon as a spot opens up, put him in a see what he can do. Of course when he succeeds, people will point to he needed those other 2 years as an apprenticeship to do well instead of not thinking "wasted games on Smith and Murph"

 

[Syd Crow]

And Liam at that.

 

[1970crow]

Yeah, thank god for Murphy's cumulative 8 disposals and mammoth 0.0 in the two close wins against Melbourne and Collingwood. Truly a contribution that could not have been equalled by a younger player.

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You have to take into account his experience and leadership value though.

 

[Pugsley]

You have to take into account his experience and leadership value though.

Car washing skills are looked upon favourably.

 

[Mr_Moogle]

Why does "selection integrity" have to mean selecting players to win the very next game?

Last I checked, you don't win trophies for winning a regular season game.

The goal with selection integrity should be to consistently select the best side that maximizes the chances of winning a flag at the next possible opportunity.

This is easily justified to players. Side is no chance of making finals? Well sorry 32 year old player mildly outperforming a junior, picking you at this moment doesn't maximize our shot at a flag, so you're out.

The integrity part is making this message clear and applying it universally to all players.

Some juniors won't be performing at a level to be in flag side consideration so will have to lift their game in the SANFL. Some players by virtue of their age and the list profile are not going to feature either so shouldn't be in consideration. Same message in both cases

Tail wagging the dog situation where coaches think pissing off the senior cohort is something they need to be concerned about. As soon as you're worrying about peoples feelings, there is no selection integrity.

 

[Daniel6]

I hope Charlie Edward’s can get a go this season. We really need to give him 5 to 10 games to see if he can succeed at the AFL level.

 

[cleanhands]

Yeah, thank god for Murphy's cumulative 8 disposals and mammoth 0.0 in the two close wins against Melbourne and Collingwood. Truly a contribution that could not have been equalled by a younger player.

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[Syd Crow]

I hope Charlie Edward’s can get a go this season. We really need to give him 5 to 10 games to see if he can succeed at the AFL level.

Before we delist him....and Ryan

 

[Cromulant]

One of Edwards or Ryan will make it.

Given we made a positional shift with Charlie id suggest he's the one the club sees with a future.

 

[Scorpus]

One of Edwards or Ryan will make it.

Given we made a positional shift with Charlie id suggest he's the one the club sees with a future.

If neither player is best 22 this year, they are a very low chance of making it

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

If neither player is best 22 this year, they are a very low chance of making it

They'll need injuries to open up spots for them

Trying to break into a 18-5 team isn't easy

Yeah the finals were awful but I can't imagine the club swinging the axe and opening up spots

 

[cmndstab]

Why does "selection integrity" have to mean selecting players to win the very next game?

Last I checked, you don't win trophies for winning a regular season game.

The goal with selection integrity should be to consistently select the best side that maximizes the chances of winning a flag at the next possible opportunity.

This is easily justified to players. Side is no chance of making finals? Well sorry 32 year old player mildly outperforming a junior, picking you at this moment doesn't maximize our shot at a flag, so you're out.

The integrity part is making this message clear and applying it universally to all players.

Some juniors won't be performing at a level to be in flag side consideration so will have to lift their game in the SANFL. Some players by virtue of their age and the list profile are not going to feature either so shouldn't be in consideration. Same message in both cases

This is the key. I've never been of the opinion that we should play young players for the sake of it - everyone has to earn their spot. But it's not like the players have numbers written on their foreheads that say how good they are. The coaches are making adjudications based on a combination of current form, past form, experience, and potential, and it has always felt like the balance is off at the Crows, with far too much credit given to experience, and not nearly enough given to potential. So we often end up in the situation where two players are performing at a similar level, but the senior player is given the spot, even though they have less scope for improvement, simply because at least they bring experience to the side.

You can easily adjust the balance there, and start demanding that senior players need to clearly outperform their younger teammates to continue to earn selection over them, without doing any damage to selection integrity.

 

[Cromulant]

They'll need injuries to open up spots for them

Trying to break into a 18-5 team isn't easy

Yeah the finals were awful but I can't imagine the club swinging the axe and opening up spots

The Curtin injury could open a spot for someone for the first 6 to 8 weeks.

Having that 5th bench spot too.

Ah Chee takes 1 spot, Rankine takes another come R2 but theres still room for someone else.

 

[baldandbroke]

Our drafting of players has been atrocious and we have only moved up the ladder due to a few good trades.

Out player development from a national draft hasn’t been our one wood.

What a strange angle to take… an irrelevant thing to be try and be best at wouldn’t you say?

Show me the team that develops its talent mostly from the draft - and I’ll show you a feeder club OR a club with an academy!!

Keen to see the likes of Taylor, Nank, Edwards and Ryan push into the team this year like most supporters … but I’ll take trading in proven talent over trying to develop unknown kids from outside the first round of the draft - any day of the week.

 

[1970crow]

The Curtin injury could open a spot for someone for the first 6 to 8 weeks.

Having that 5th bench spot too.

Ah Chee takes 1 spot, Rankine takes another come R2 but theres still room for someone else.

What am I missing? From our semi final 23, out Smith & Dan and in Rankine & Ah Chee. Where’s the extra spot coming from?

 

[StonesThrow]

The Curtin injury could open a spot for someone for the first 6 to 8 weeks.

Having that 5th bench spot too.

Ah Chee takes 1 spot, Rankine takes another come R2 but theres still room for someone else.

It should be Nank over Edwards

 

[StonesThrow]

Charlie Cameron didn't do anything special in the SANFL. Neither did Curtin for that matter. Certainly not an extended period of quality performances that demanded selection at a higher level.

Some players are just good and a coach(ing staff) with balls and some intuition just picks them anyway.

Sure, they might jump the selection integrity queue which ruffles a few feathers internally, but remember:

Malcolm Blight: "I'm not here to make friends."

SANFL form should be practically meaningless by itself, unless we believe that James Battersby and Patrick Wilson are quality AFL players deserving of game time.

Pleasingly we've sometimes made bold, intuitive, good selection calls in the past (like Cameron and, after a small delay, Curtin) but it feels like we will usually only make these decisions if the team is utterly shithouse and out of finals contention.

We'd rarely look to upgrade or improve a team that's doing okay.

I agree with this, but need to include Michalanney and Soligo to the list.

I think there's evidence of us going early when we identify talent (not always), but we're not good at rewarding sanfl form of young players instead preferring so called stability and experience.

 

[Cromulant]

It should be Nank over Edwards

Should it ??

I dont particularly care who it is really, but given we were looking at pushing Curtin into the CB, thats not something Nank has done whereas Edwards is a natural midfielder.

 

[1970crow]

I agree with this, but need to include Michalanney and Soligo to the list.

I think there's evidence of us going early when we identify talent (not always), but we're not good at rewarding sanfl form of young players instead preferring so called stability and experience.

I don’t think we philosophically value regular good SANFL form. Spending 2 years playing good SANFL mostly gets you absolutely nowhere. Doedee an exception, but he was a late convert to footy and had kicking issues from memory. Lyons did ok, but not really with us. Had a good year at half forward and was rewarded with an insultingly low ‘Seeya’ offer. Worrell a recent exception, but despite awesome form, still couldn’t get past a clearly injured and spluttering Doedee. If Dood didn’t eventually succumb, would Woz have even got a shot?

The bright side is that all the experienced depth that we can’t help but not turn to are gone. So injuries will result in younger guys getting a chance. Although we still have a list of guys that have already played a bunch of games first crack over debutants.

 

[SugarShane]

One of Edwards or Ryan will make it.

Given we made a positional shift with Charlie id suggest he's the one the club sees with a future.

I'll be surprised if either are still on the list next year to be honest. Not that I don't think they're good enough.

 

[SugarShane]

This is the key. I've never been of the opinion that we should play young players for the sake of it - everyone has to earn their spot. But it's not like the players have numbers written on their foreheads that say how good they are. The coaches are making adjudications based on a combination of current form, past form, experience, and potential, and it has always felt like the balance is off at the Crows, with far too much credit given to experience, and not nearly enough given to potential. So we often end up in the situation where two players are performing at a similar level, but the senior player is given the spot, even though they have less scope for improvement, simply because at least they bring experience to the side.

You can easily adjust the balance there, and start demanding that senior players need to clearly outperform their younger teammates to continue to earn selection over them, without doing any damage to selection integrity.

Nailed it along with Scorpus.

At our club it almost feels like you're punished for being young.

The public demands "play the kids" so the club has to demonstrate they know better than us and do the opposite. And the club will swear black and blue they don't listen to external noise, yet when the club picks Brodie Smith or Lachlan Murphy in their retirement tour for yet another undeserved game, Nicks can't help but continually name drop both of them as playing the "best footy of his career".

Then 5 minutes he's asked about Dowling or Edwards in the 2's, or Worrell tearing it up on field and it's "We don't like to talk about individuals".

Edwards/Dowling is playing well in the SANFL? It's not just about form.
Smith playing well in the SANFL? Can't ignore form.

Plenty young players are given a shot. But it very much seems that when you walk in the front foor at West Lakes, if you're pigeon holed into the same position as a senior player you better hope there's a voodoo doll in your bag.

 

[1990crow]

Nailed it along with Scorpus.

At our club it almost feels like you're punished for being young.

The public demands "play the kids" so the club has to demonstrate they know better than us and do the opposite. And the club will swear black and blue they don't listen to external noise, yet when the club picks Brodie Smith or Lachlan Murphy in their retirement tour for yet another undeserved game, Nicks can't help but continually name drop both of them as playing the "best footy of his career".

Then 5 minutes he's asked about Dowling or Edwards in the 2's, or Worrell tearing it up on field and it's "We don't like to talk about individuals".

Edwards/Dowling is playing well in the SANFL? It's not just about form.
Smith playing well in the SANFL? Can't ignore form.

Plenty young players are given a shot. But it very much seems that when you walk in the front foor at West Lakes, if you're pigeon holed into the same position as a senior player you better hope there's a voodoo doll in your bag.

We are a bit like the test team. There's this illogical reasoning that if you are a senior player there needs to be an overwhelming, long poor record of results to dump the senior player for someone else.