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And what would we have risked/lost if we took him with a rookie pick ???
SFA
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I completely agree. Mids and more mids this year. I actually think we have good enough developing KPP stocks for either end, there's no point continuing to top up our bottom end in that department. 4-5 mids will set us straight.Good read TFL. Looking forward to reading your other write ups. Personally hope we just take a batch of 5 or 6 midfielders this year of different sizes and styles and develop them. Some will say we need some KPP but we have those developing and we just need to actually play them.
Rookie draft or get a Geelong style one that plays midfield too. We were keen on Walters too after 2011. Damn coaching change.I am all aboard the midfield train. Except I want one small forward in the mood of Eddie Betts, Michael Walters etc.
Rookie draft or get a Geelong style one that plays midfield too. We were keen on Walters too after 2011. Damn coaching change.
You still involved this year? Any your keen on?
These two questions are pretty related.
I've said for years that it's not enough to just target mids with our first round picks and then top up through trades and PSD. It leads to situations where we have very few true, young midfielders at Coburg. I can only name Arnott and Helbig when there should be at least one coming through every year. Even as a speculative rookie pick.
As such - we're lift with this dilemma where we need mids of all types:
Here's some midfielders I like - where I think they'll go and how suitable they are. I figure we'll be picking somewhere in the 9-12 range so here's my lot of youngsters...
NOTE - some of these won't fall in our range. But I'm getting names out there. No point doing anything else at this time.
Matt Crouch:
Solidly built but short inside midfielder with excellent hands in close, an innate ball winning ability, good footskills and a tremendous ability to read the play. Crouch will think his way through situations, see his way through traffic and deliver the ball to an option that maybe even the bloke watching from up high in a grandstand 15 m away hasn't seen. He's SMART, tough and his skills aren't anything to sneeze at.
If he's at our first pick you'd have to seriously think about him. I'd be doing more than that.
He's more than a purely inside midfielder, but he has an ability to get his own ball that Martin and Deledio simply don't have. He'd almost singlehandedly solve any inside midfield weaknesses we have.
What are the chances of him being there at our first pick? Maybe higher than you'd think. It's pretty hard to split that first 8 or so at the moment and I know that for some Crouch is the first to slip out.
Dwayne Wilson:
Quick, line-breaking outside midfielder with pace to burn and good skills. Haven't seen enough yet to go into the same level of detail that I have with Crouch but if you want X-Factor - Dwayne's your man.
I'd suggest he'd land somewhere in the 6-30 mark.
Billy Hartung:
If I was to describe Billy in one word it'd be competitive. He's a tough nut who can both win his own ball and hurt you on the outside with his pace, good to very good footskills and elite stamina. People have described Lewis Taylor as the energiser bunny, but I'd say that Billy Hartung is as much that same type as Taylor. Whack some batteries in him and watch him whizz around and gather the ball with reckless abandon. Hates losing and can sometimes border on losing his cool on the field, but he's very much the general of that Stingrays line-up, and a footballer after Graham Yeats' own heart.
I'd imagine that he's more a late teens-early twenties selection at this stage, but Champs will tell us a lot about him.
He fits because he wins his own ball and then provides dash and will compete to the very end. He's very much one who you could put on a wing or in the congestion of the middle and be very confident he'll contribute.
I'll add to this over the next day or so - but a few more in my sights at the moment are:
Blake Acres, Lewis Taylor, Nathan Freeman, Luke Dunstan, Trent Dumont, Jason Cooke, Marcus Bontempelli, Ben Lennon, Matt Scharenberg.
I'll do write-ups for all of them..
The embarrassment of being the first club losing a player to the three strike drug system?
And possibly him dragging some of our other impressionable youngsters down with him (you'd hope not, but refer to Connors/Dusty example).
Other than that....
Oops, 2nd player to get 3 strikes..Travis tuck has had 3.

Oops, 2nd player to get 3 strikes..![]()
And on top of that I would have a strong look at getting Michael O'Laughlin to the club in some sort of coaching/development role.You are probably right in regards to Wilson. I just want that type.
In all seriousness I am embarrassed that we take part in the Dreamtime game and our record with aboriginals players is very poor. We have just one on the list in Shane Edwards and he is not a full blooded aboriginal player and just recently discovered his heritage.
Not saying just for that reason we should draft aboriginal players but they provide so much and we have to get better at drafting the right players and developing them also.
Garlett and Wilson would improve our weaknesses so much.
Gayle GarlettI am all aboard the midfield train. Except I want one small forward in the mood of Eddie Betts, Michael Walters etc.
Rookie draft or get a Geelong style one that plays midfield too. We were keen on Walters too after 2011. Damn coaching change.
Not really a small forward. But yes 2nd or 3rd round on I'd take him if his attitude lasts the year out. Would take Newman or Grigg's spot on a wing and actually hurt the other team.Gayle Garlett
Again Dayle Garlett
Not really a small forward. But yes 2nd or 3rd round on I'd take him if his attitude lasts the year out. Would take Newman or Grigg's spot on a wing and actually hurt the other team.

Agree, I still think he had to miss out on getting drafted a year ago to get to where he is now. Seems he has learnt a pretty valuable lesson and he now wants it pretty bad with these performances. Would rather pay a 2nd rounder for new Garlett than rookie for old Garlett.*He is an upgrade on Grigg.
The excitement he would bring on the G.![]()

Not really a small forward. But yes 2nd or 3rd round on I'd take him if his attitude lasts the year out. Would take Newman or Grigg's spot on a wing and actually hurt the other team.
Maybe the problem is we put a bit too much emphasis on the psychological evaluations & character tests. Too many straight-laced, conservative, unimaginative players who lack the courage, flair and daring to take the game on when perhaps more "edgy" characters wouldn't.You know us. Not wanting to take risks. Will probably be gone by our 2nd or 3rd pick.