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List Mgmt. 2014 Draft

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jerms said:
Because one day, one of these blokes is going to pick up the game like a pig in sh*t and somehow possess the kind of footy instinct that can never be taught, and that combined with off-the-charts athletic ability is going to make a freak of a footballer.

If you pick basketballers as Category B rookies with no impact to your normal list management structure and negligible impact ($25k-ish) to the salary cap, I'm not sure I see the downside... apart from the 98% likelihood of them not working out, which is 2% better than never trying at all, in any event.

[edit: And while we're at it, I guess we'd better delist Subes, Zarke, Hilly, MDB, Clancee, Sonny and PearceD, as well as ending any discussion about Mitch Robinson. As ex-basketballers, surely none of them are much chop...]
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Pendlebury?
 

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who cares whether a guy has played basketball along with footy. It's a pretty normal off season sport for amateur footy players I'd have thought. And surely a more useful off season sport than cricket.

The issue is bringing in a guy with very little experience with footy. Most often these guys have been poached from basketball. The fact that a bunch of guys played some footy along with their basketball as a junior means almost nothing.

EDIT: My point. Project players always take time. Pendlebury wasn't a project player. Neither is Petracca. The earlier the age that we can start getting footy skills and knowledge into them, the earlier they'll become useful... and the more likely they will be to have an AFL career.

Best chance for late-switch basketballers is to come in and try to play as a ruck. Very few footballers become effective tall forwards at AFL level. Is even harder for basketballers to try to learn what they need to know to become useful at AFL level.

Zac Clarke started playing competitive footy at 18; he still has a lot to learn about forward play (after 6 years in the system), though he's shown he's picked up the skills and knowledge to be a first ruck (probably after about 4 years). Guys like Eric Wallace (North) started playing at 24... he's still on North's rookie list, but will be 26 this year. There's a chance he might come good, but the later they start, the harder it is.
 
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jerms said:
Because one day, one of these blokes is going to pick up the game like a pig in sh*t and somehow possess the kind of footy instinct that can never be taught, and that combined with off-the-charts athletic ability is going to make a freak of a footballer.

If you pick basketballers as Category B rookies with no impact to your normal list management structure and negligible impact ($25k-ish) to the salary cap, I'm not sure I see the downside... apart from the 98% likelihood of them not working out, which is 2% better than never trying at all, in any event.

[edit: And while we're at it, I guess we'd better delist Subes, Zarke, Hilly, MDB, Clancee, Sonny and PearceD, as well as ending any discussion about Mitch Robinson. As ex-basketballers, surely none of them are much chop...]
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Pyke and Brogan (preimiership players), Jimmy Stynes (brownlow medalist) and Pearce Hanely really weren't worth the effort either.
 
Agenfrida said:
Pyke and Brogan (preimiership players), Jimmy Stynes (brownlow medalist) and Pearce Hanely really weren't worth the effort either.
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Kennelly.

A lot of Gaelic footy players, basketballers and (recently) leaguies haven't made the grade though. Some clubs are prepared to do it. Pays off in some cases. Worth a shot for clubs that have the resources, and are prepared to take the risk.
 
strobe00 said:
Kennelly.

A lot of Gaelic footy players, basketballers and (recently) leaguies haven't made the grade though. Some clubs are prepared to do it. Pays off in some cases. Worth a shot for clubs that have the resources, and are prepared to take the risk.
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This is true, but the majority of players who grew up with the game don't make it either. Tom Swift played footy his whole childhood and look how he turned out.
 
Agenfrida said:
This is true, but the majority of players who grew up with the game don't make it either. Tom Swift played footy his whole childhood and look how he turned out.
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Giving up the game when offered a new contract because feral fans made playing AFL unpleasant? Now studying to be a doctor? Draft every kid who has two doctors for parents and was over-valued at age 15!

And there is a momentous difference between a kid playing footy and basketball in tandem for a part of their lives and someone who has played basketball and not once a game of Aussie Rules. It's completely ludicrous to compare the two. A majority of Australian kids, except ones who post on Bigfooty, usually play two or three sports a year. You could say Shane Warne and Ricky Ponting was a cricket-convert from footy, or Brad Green a cricket-soccer-to-footy convert and they were good so keep picking them. The difference is, those other sports were played for recreation, for their mates, and because they were really good at it. It might've helped their football in a way, added little elements, but there's a difference between plucking a kid who primarily/exclusively played basketball and hoping he becomes a good footballer, and picking a kid who, like most kids in the draft pool, played another sport as much/less than footy.

Viv Michie played a lot of basketball, made some rep squads I believe, yet not once did anyone refer to him as a basketball convert.

It's a load of horseshit. Three or four out of every 30 are alright and one to about five since the 1960s were absolute champions.

The best footballers are natural footballers.
 
Silent Alarm said:
Giving up the game when offered a new contract because feral fans made playing AFL unpleasant? Now studying to be a doctor? Draft every kid who has two doctors for parents and was over-valued at age 15!

And there is a momentous difference between a kid playing footy and basketball in tandem for a part of their lives and someone who has played basketball and not once a game of Aussie Rules. It's completely ludicrous to compare the two. A majority of Australian kids, except ones who post on Bigfooty, usually play two or three sports a year. You could say Shane Warne and Ricky Ponting was a cricket-convert from footy, or Brad Green a cricket-soccer-to-footy convert and they were good so keep picking them. The difference is, those other sports were played for recreation, for their mates, and because they were really good at it. It might've helped their football in a way, added little elements, but there's a difference between plucking a kid who primarily/exclusively played basketball and hoping he becomes a good footballer, and picking a kid who, like most kids in the draft pool, played another sport as much/less than footy.

Viv Michie played a lot of basketball, made some rep squads I believe, yet not once did anyone refer to him as a basketball convert.

It's a load of horseshit. Three or four out of every 30 are alright and one to about five since the 1960s were absolute champions.

The best footballers are natural footballers.
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Well, it's not entirely horseshit. How many rookies overall actually make the grade? I mean, we've been particularly blessed, but especially now, with Cat B rookies essentially give you a free swing why would you not have a look? Nobody is suggesting drafting these guys straight on to the main list. But, if you see someone with athletic traits that suggest they'd be a good pick up, then you should have a crack. They barely make a dent on your salary cap and you get to assess them playing the actual game.

So out of the guys I mentioned, who grew up playing the game even recreationally. Brogan, maybe. I seriously doubt Pyke, Stynes, Hanley had ever even kicked a sherrin prior to getting picked up. Kieren Jack grew up playing League, then switched to AFL in his teens. Played only for a couple of years before getting drafted. Not considered a convert but, only had a couple of years experience as opposed to a "natural footballer". Wouldn't really be too different from drafting someone from another sport, letting them play in the minor leagues for a couple of years as a rookie and seeing where you are from there. You've either got it or you don't.
 

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Rep Basketball is far different from Victoria to WA.

In WA there is 12 junior teams who play in the WABL and have only have two divisions per age group ie u/12,u14,u/16,u/18. Games are played on Sundays, therefore players must choose between Football and Basketball.

In Vic there are too many teams to count. Each age group have between 6-10 division and games are played on Friday nights. 10 division in u14 isn't anything special. Kids can play basketball and football at the same time.

So a kid playing rep ball in WA isn't the same as someone from Victoria. Not sure about the other states.
 

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Agenfrida said:
Well, it's not entirely horseshit. How many rookies overall actually make the grade? I mean, we've been particularly blessed, but especially now, with Cat B rookies essentially give you a free swing why would you not have a look? Nobody is suggesting drafting these guys straight on to the main list. But, if you see someone with athletic traits that suggest they'd be a good pick up, then you should have a crack. They barely make a dent on your salary cap and you get to assess them playing the actual game.

So out of the guys I mentioned, who grew up playing the game even recreationally. Brogan, maybe. I seriously doubt Pyke, Stynes, Hanley had ever even kicked a sherrin prior to getting picked up. Kieren Jack grew up playing League, then switched to AFL in his teens. Played only for a couple of years before getting drafted. Not considered a convert but, only had a couple of years experience as opposed to a "natural footballer". Wouldn't really be too different from drafting someone from another sport, letting them play in the minor leagues for a couple of years as a rookie and seeing where you are from there. You've either got it or you don't.
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FWIW, my old PA went out with Brogan back in basketball days - supposedly very little interest in footy at that point...
 

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List Mgmt. 2014 Draft

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