2010 AFL draft

[Mismatched]

Rendell has already stated
1: Best Avail
2: Best Avail to fill a need

I am fairly certain that if Gorringe is available Rendell would be all over it. Yes Vader too many rucks, but I hear Gorringe has really good versatility for a ruck.
(Where would I be without TAC Future Stars)

We need a quality outside mid. And in planning for the future we need some more KPD, smack etc we have drafted will turn out to be KPF's leaving our backline bleeding in 4 years time. Bock and Bassett will both be over 30 then. thats praying Bock does not go GC.

Sellar, Davis, Young, Talia, McKernan, Gunston etc aren't all going to end up in the forwardline. Especially considering we already have Tippett, Walker and Henderson down there as tall forwards. At most there's maybe 1-2 potential spots down there left. In terms of tall forwards, our forward line is almost set for the next 10 years, to be lead by the 1-2 combo of Tippett and Walker. Our KPD stocks are pretty good, not to mention Bock, Rutten and Stevens could potentially still be there for another 3-4 years at least.

Oh and btw Bassetts already well over 30 and doesn't play for us, so not exactly relevant.

In my opinion, a new midfield from the draft isn't going to win us a flag in the short term future. I think we're due for an influx of ready made players. mature age players from the SANFL or current AFL players are whats needed to bolster our list. With the Veterans gone, we need skills and poise in the midfield, Thompson like players who can come in and do the job straight off the bat.

I know thats easier said than done, but the year we got Burns, Carey and Torney is what we need at the moment. We have youth, we have a forward line to get us through the next 8 years, our defencive 6 will be formidible again next year with ottens coming back. But neither will operate without a quality midfield.

Surely our Salary will be freed up quite a bit with the outgoings of superstars, I think its time to throw money at 1 or 2 potential superstars already within the AFL. With a quality backline, a quality forward line and up and coming guns like Mackay and Dangerfield, who wouldn't want to come and play for Adelaide if they had moneybags thrown at them, I think we have a rare opportunity to do this...................the question is who do you go for?????

Any thoughts?

Oh ffs, please wake up!

As much as the media love to get caught up with the Barlow love affair fairytale, and their favourite catch phrase "there's surely plenty more like him out there", there really isn't. Across the board of the AFL, you might find 1-2 genuine A-grader mature age recruits each year from the state comps.

Finding them isn't easy either, neither Barlow, nor Podsiadly were rated highly enough to go in the National draft, they were both picked up in the rookie list. Neither Fremantle, nor Geelong expected anywhere near the output they received. For every Barlow and Podsiadly, there will be plenty of Bryce Cambells and Nick Gills, or should I say your Archards and Adam Richardsons? Its the case of the successes being trumpeted from the roof tops and the failures being quietly forgotten because they were picked up with such insignificant picks, its the same with those delisted by other clubs.

In fact the Crows are already one of the most receptive clubs to picking up mature-agers through the drafts and I'm all for us continuing, but not at the expense of having access to the best young talent coming through the U18 champs.

I wouldn't be against us trading for a proven a-grade midfielder or two though, games are largely won in the midfield and at the moment Vince and Thompson aren't quite up to taking us to the next level. They need a couple of the likes of Dangerfield, Mackay, Douglas, Sloane, van Berlo, Otten and co to step up and also become A-grade to elite level midfielders. However we can't just rely on this, a couple of talented 18 year olds would be extremely beneficial as well.

 

[Ticktak]

From the small amount that I get to see and hear I reckon Josh Green would be a great choice for our first pick.

For those who have seen him first hand please correct me but from what I have seen he looks like a Rory Sloane type with maybe a bit more polish. Would this be a fair call?

Looks to be a hard inside mid who can also play outside when necessary. Seems to have a great side step and can finish in front of the sticks.

With him a Sloane as our small mids and Otten & Dangerfield as the taller mids, this will be the next Fab Four!!!

 

[johnnypanther]

In my opinion, a new midfield from the draft isn't going to win us a flag in the short term future. I think we're due for an influx of ready made players. mature age players from the SANFL or current AFL players are whats needed to bolster our list. With the Veterans gone, we need skills and poise in the midfield, Thompson like players who can come in and do the job straight off the bat.

I know thats easier said than done, but the year we got Burns, Carey and Torney is what we need at the moment. We have youth, we have a forward line to get us through the next 8 years, our defencive 6 will be formidible again next year with ottens coming back. But neither will operate without a quality midfield.

Surely our Salary will be freed up quite a bit with the outgoings of superstars, I think its time to throw money at 1 or 2 potential superstars already within the AFL. With a quality backline, a quality forward line and up and coming guns like Mackay and Dangerfield, who wouldn't want to come and play for Adelaide if they had moneybags thrown at them, I think we have a rare opportunity to do this...................the question is who do you go for?????

Any thoughts?

Whilst i agree with your first statement (re the draft wont win us a flag in the immediate short-term),
I disagree very much with your 2nd statement re going for mature age SANFL/VFL/AFL players. IMO this has been way overhyped this year due to Barlow/Podsiarly. Sure there are mature age players out there but what we need is 1 or 2 elite midfielders and we wont find them there.
Consequently, I think that this trade period will be most important to our short-term premiership aspirations - hopefully we can go hard for someone like Griffen or similar. I would be offering up Bock as a starter...
Failing to snare an elite midfielder during the trade week, then i would be attempting to trade Bock etc in return for higher draft picks.

 

[Mismatched]

On a bit of a side note, but still related to drafting, I went out to watch the Gold Coast play Box Hill out at Southport on the weekend to check out how the teams shaping up for next season, look for any standouts on the GC list and basically to see how one K. Hunt was going.

The first thing I noticed however was a certain #7 for Box Hill who looked a little familiar and was basically tearing it up through the midfield. It was mentioned on this board a few weeks ago IIRC, but we definitely a bit premature in delisting young Ed Curnow, especially considering we didn't take a full complement of rookies the next year.

He basically spent the entire day tearing the young GC midfield a new one around the contests and chatting to a mate of mine who works for GC, they were all told to keep an eye out for him pre-game and put on a show he did. Whilst I admit I wasn't paying too much attention to the game, it was clear to all and sundry that this guy was a class above VFL level football and will no doubt be picked up in this years draft.

Oh and for those who are interested watch out for the 204cm Zac Clarke next year, still young, but has a massive leap on him, moves well and very much looks like he will be a gun ruckman for the GC. It also wasn't hard to pick the Matera boy, in fact you could pick him a mile off, just in the way he moved, looks to have inherited all the qualities that made his Uncle's such great footballers for West Coast, GC are certainly on a winner here.

Hunt was okay I guess, full back certainly isn't his position, really struggled in the one on one marking contests, with a bloke half his size regularly out positioning and subsequently marking him. Will make a great inside midfielder though if he can get his tank up, his ability to wrestle the ball out of a pack and dish out to a player in the open were top notch, his skills by foot weren't too bad either.

 

[Ok Gary!!]

Quality ready to play midfielders aren't hard to find, ou just have to be aggressive and offer money, like I said, this is a rare opportunity, that doesn't come along that often, as sides are keen to re stock their lists with youth. But we don't desperately need youth, we aren't going to get squat with the Gold Coast franchise, and we have money to play with, so why the **** not try and snare another Jarman?? they are out there, you just have to get serious about obtaining them.

 

[Ok Gary!!]

Oh ffs, please wake up!

As much as the media love to get caught up with the Barlow love affair fairytale, and their favourite catch phrase "there's surely plenty more like him out there", there really isn't. Across the board of the AFL, you might find 1-2 genuine A-grader mature age recruits each year from the state comps.


You're a total Flog, I could name 30 players from state sides that have exceptionally good key midfield stats Eg. Hard ball gets, inside 50's, clearances , posessions etc. that would blow your mind, and they are all aged between 20 and 24. Believe me, they are out there. So instead of bagging others opinions, why don't you open your mind to ideas, as you are not the recruiting manager for any AFL sides, so you can't be that good at finding talent!