We can draft.
Signing another up and comer wouldn't be a bad move, but I wouldn't go after a name recruiter like Rendell.
Why? when Rendell is proven to select quality talent
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We can draft.
Signing another up and comer wouldn't be a bad move, but I wouldn't go after a name recruiter like Rendell.
Yes his height is a great asset. But can that make up for the fact he is slow and is not great athletically?
I know tall midfielders are all the rage, but I just don't want his height to blind us from some other flaws.
For example, Brock and Bell are relatively slow. But they both make up for that with great endurance. My fear is that Cripps doesn't have that running power to overcome his lack of pace. I know he can build it up over preseasons but he's not coming from a great base. Bell came to us with a great endurance base. Can Cripps build his tank up enough? Considering we've been dreaming of Yaz building his tank for years, will we always be wishing for Cripps to do the same?
I feel Rogers did well last year without having Williams or Rendell on board. You can't say Rogers wouldn't nail picks six and ten if we had them. I'd back Hughes to get 13 right too.Why? when Rendell is proven to select quality talent
In my experience watching these kids over the years, you'll never get the perfect footballer. Take another highly touted junior in Aish. There is a thought out there that he can be tagged right out of games and this could see him fall down the order. Obviously this can be worked on, but so can the "flaws" that are in Cripps' game also.
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I feel Rogers did well last year without having Williams or Rendell on board. You can't say Rogers wouldn't nail picks six and ten if we had them. I'd back Hughes to get 13 right too.
Rendell's had just as many busts as the next recruiter. The hits are blinding you to his misses.
Draft code words to look out for
“Significant upside” = currently useless.
“Coaches’ favourite” = the least skilled player in the draft.
“High ceiling” = arse-covering pundits hedging in case he becomes a star despite their unremarkable outlook on him.
“Athletics background” = the most unco-ordinated person you’ve ever seen.
“Working hard on his inside game” = waits out the back for a handball.
“Close-checking defender” = borderline psychopath.
“Stoppage king” = slow.
“Strong personality” = loose cannon.
“Intelligent kid” = a bit wimpy.
“A bit one-paced” = that pace being slow.
“Smokey” or “speculative pick” = we have no bio info on this kid. He may not actually exist.

No need to bring in another experienced recruiter. We still had a good 2012 draft.
if where keen on a big bodied midfielder for pick 13 why don't we pick Marsh, played most of his career in the midfield only moved forward as he became taller, a freak of an athlete, and faster than freeman.
I've lost interest in pick 13 (not in a bad way I just know we will get someone good) I agree with C4 which gems are going to come to us in the later rounds, that is making me excited.
He's got no idea how to play the game OB.

Not sure we went for the players with the attitude to match their talent. That appears to be the difference between Rogers and Hughes. Hughes isn't ripping off the club like others believe.Even Hawthorn have had their misses as well.
Thorp, Dowler & Ellis just to name a few.
Perhaps Carlton have been a little guilty of taking project type players with their first round selections, but nonetheless I would also back Rogers and Hughes.
They're just highlights, but Cripps's highlights excite me more than Dunstan's. You don't see many 192 cm and 90 kg mids rove the ball, weave out of traffic and hit a forward lace out. Plays like a smaller mid who has grown 20 cms in the last two years. Looks light on his feet like Pendlebury.Teaching someone how to deal with a tag is completely different to trying to improve someone's running (pace or endurance).
I get what you're saying. Dealing with a tag is an attitude/behaviour thing. Pace is a natural quality - you either have it or you don't. Endurance is easier to fix, but it's not a given.
It just seems to me that everyone is infatuated with his height.
But if the club picks him, I will support him 100% as I do with any Carlton player. But I just think there are more rounded players that will be available at 13.
They're just highlights, but Cripps's highlights excite me more than Dunstan's. You don't see many 192 cm and 90 kg mids rove the ball, weave out of traffic and hit a forward lace out. Plays like a smaller mid who has grown 20 cms in the last two years. Looks light on his feet like Pendlebury.
Not sure why that is so overlooked.
I know we all make our own bed but I still feel a little disappointed for the way Lucas had been handled in his first few years, at least.
Didn't even seem to be part of the club at times and just did little else than to walk around at VFL level.
Sad to see such a talent neglected and wasted and he wasn't the only one.
We know that every player won't click with his coaches nor his peers but having everything in harmony goes a long way to getting the best out of a player.
We're screaming out for a quality outside mid and we have Lucas there who should be doing exactly that. Fingers crossed is the best I can offer for him next year.
Who said it's all about height?
We didn't draft Yarran because he was quick.
Only opinion that matters is the ones who have watched them play every game.
We don't even know Cripps' height.
So far we have 188, 190, 191, 192, and 193cm
Is he growing by the day?

They're raving about Carlton adding a bigger midfielder who wins his own ball. That appears to be what we'll be picking from at 13. Not saying Cripps is my man, but you're underselling him more than the next best inside mid.I meant there have been a lot of posts raving about Cripps' height but very little more.
Offsider said:Pick 13: Carlton Blues - Patrick Cripps
Height: 192cm, Weight: 88kg, DOB: 18/03/1995
Club: East Fremantle (WA)
Carlton is a team that could use a good tall forward yet I think that they should go for the best available mid, as I rate the mid prospects higher than McCarthy. This is definitely higher than most have Cripps, yet as an inside mid who is capable of dominating in contested situations but is also good at spreading from the contest he represents excellent value and upside. I think he will take a little bit more time to develop in the two’s, primarily to work on his outside ability, versatility and just to tighten up his disposal, but he is capable of having an impact to some extent in his first year. Cripps has had a very good year this year both in the U18 champs, where he made All Australian, and at WAFL Colts level where he has dominated at times. Throughout the U18 champs Cripps showed that he was a very good inside player and capable of winning clearances and contests, as he averaged 6 clearances a game. He has also shown the ability to spread well from the contest and along with his disposal this has really improved throughout the year. Personally I think that Cripps could be a bit of a hidden gem in this year’s draft and turn out to be one of the better inside mids especially given his size.
Strengths
Weaknesses/Areas of Improvement
- Inside Game – Patrick is one of the best inside players in the draft and probably ranks second behind Crouch for mine as far as pure clearance winners are concerned. His hands in close are exceptional, he is very clean, he reads the ball well and makes excellent quick decisions. He also has the strength and size at 192cm to stand up in tackles, absorb hits and lay tackles. I think he has the capabilities to be an above average clearance player and part of a strong midfield group going forward.
- Strength/power – Cripps looks to be pretty strong already, he is a good size for a mid and seems to have a fair bit of power. He appears be quite quick off the mark and has a good initial burst (not elite but more power in that he can break tackles). I think he will develop into a powerful tall inside mid.
- Decision Making/footy smarts – Cripps makes good decisions with ball in hand and has an excellent footy brain imo. He will be the type of player who makes those around him look better as he is excellent at giving the ball to those in better positions than himself in stoppages and makes quick decisions under pressure. He is also getting better at spreading from the contests and his outside game has shown some real improvement throughout the year. He is a natural ball winner and just accumulates possessions with ease.
- Clean Hands – Cripps has very clean hands and rarely fumbles the footy, he is great at finding the ball and keeping his feet in contests.
- Kicking – Cripps is a slightly above average kick of the footy imo, although certainly not an elite kick by any stretch. He seems to have a good technique and he has definitely improved this year, but he does tend to float the ball a little to much imo, and bombs it to contests instead of hitting up the short option. There is definitely room for improvement but he does hit most of his targets.
- Cripps has a kick to handball ratio of roughly 1:1, this limits his hurt factor a bit. Additionally a lot of his clearances are done with handballs not breaking away and kicking the pill forward. He is still reasonably damaging though as he tends to handball to players who are in space and able to make a good decision.
- Marking – Cripps looks to have the potential to develop his marking and is a reasonably good mark overhead. He is strong through the core and has very clean hands so this could be a strength in the future, although at the moment it needs improvement.
- Athleticism – Cripps is not a super athlete, but he is not a poor athlete either, probably just your average AFL athlete. He won’t burst out of packs or side step players with ease but that isn’t his game. Endurance wise though I think he is pretty good, although he should improve in that area.
- Outside Game – Once again this area has really improved throughout the year but I still think that it is not a true strength of his and there is still some improvement left. Cripps spreads very well from the contest and works hard but he is not super damaging with his outside play given that he doesn’t run with the ball much.
- Versatility – At this stage Cripps doesn’t have much versatility and only really plays as an inside player to a high standard. He could do with really developing his outside game and in particular his forward play as he has shown an ability to push forward and kick goals at Colts level. This would take his game to the next level.
sounds like a downhill skier.![]()
They're just highlights, but Cripps's highlights excite me more than Dunstan's. You don't see many 192 cm and 90 kg mids rove the ball, weave out of traffic and hit a forward lace out. Plays like a smaller mid who has grown 20 cms in the last two years. Looks light on his feet like Pendlebury.
They're raving about Carlton adding a bigger midfielder who wins his own ball. That appears to be what we'll be picking from at 13. Not saying Cripps is my man, but you're underselling him more than the next best inside mid.
I'm an unabashed fan of Offsider's work...
http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/offsiders-phantom-draft.1041637/
We don't even know Cripps' height.
So far we have 188, 190, 191, 192, and 193cm
Is he growing by the day?
Teaching someone how to deal with a tag is completely different to trying to improve someone's running (pace or endurance).
I get what you're saying. Dealing with a tag is an attitude/behaviour thing. Pace is a natural quality - you either have it or you don't. Endurance is easier to fix, but it's not a given.
It just seems to me that everyone is infatuated with his height.
But if the club picks him, I will support him 100% as I do with any Carlton player. But I just think there are more rounded players that will be available at 13.