List Mgmt. 2014 Draft

[Dockernut]

Francis Watson is my choice for the Rookie Draft .Agile , Contested marking ,evasive ,quick and skillful . Perfect HFF .
The Club hasn't gone for any talls so that's why I think we will get him . Seriously want Watchman but may have to wait till next year .

Looks a lively player doesn't he? Reminds me a bit of the Genius back in his day.

 

[Freo Dr]

Looks a lively player doesn't he? Reminds me a bit of the Genius back in his day.

So actually a potential HBF? Duffield replacement? We need to think about Duffs long term replacement soon.

 

[estibador]

So actually a potential HBF? Duffield replacement? We need to think about Duffs long term replacement soon.

Sutty is already better than Duff imo.

But we'll need a replacement for him if we want to move him up the ground eventually.

 

[theGav56]

Sutty is already better than Duff imo.

But we'll need a replacement for him if we want to move him up the ground eventually.

Keep him in the backline. We will need him to play Duffield's role. We have just drafted 4 midfielders.

 

[tige19]

Fremantle pick 13 - Expecting Lever/Goddard and go Weller

Here in Melbourne we're exposed to these kids a fair bit and both Lever are Goddard and bookend KPD, both will be stars and certainly Goddard is ready to play next year, I was actually thinking great Freo are gonna go grab their KPD and address one of their only weaknesses.

Fremantle pick 38 - Convinced you were going with 197cm swing man Oscar Mcdonald.

Again this is another guy that from the outside looking in would suit your footy club down to a tee, strong and athletic with the ability to play either end of the ground and has one of those bodies that will turn beastly within a year or 2 in the gym.

http://www.melbournefc.com.au/video/2014-11-27/pick-53-highlights-oscar-mcdonald

I really am not having a dig, your footy club recruits players for a reason and you can't argue with your strategy as you have been at the top with some longevity, I was just a tad confused as to why you didn't plug some holes, you already have one of the best, if not the best midfield in the league.

 

[Tommo]

Well you aren't the only one, most here (myself included) thought that we would go tall as well. Having said that, Lloyd has explained that they rated Weller, and especially Blakely, as better than the talls that were available at those picks.
The club has said that they have faith in the developing talls already on the list, and replacing once in a generation players like Pav, Mcpharlin, and Sandi doesn't happen by jumping at every tall prospect that comes along.
Lloyd has said, in a radio interview on sportsFM, that there are many different ways of getting good talks to the club, whether it be draft, FA, or trade. The club has said for a while that the draft policy is best available, and to trade or get FA to fill holes where needed.

 

[clogged]

I personally rate Sonny well above him for effort, intensity, and that sharpness with his skills, but you'd say Cyril is on par with Son Son and yet that bloke was cooked all year (including the Grand Final) and the Hawks were still head and shoulders above the rest (and ear-length above Sydney).

If you pin hopes on one player, no matter how good, you're begging for trouble. That's why hoping for no injuries is not just unrealistic, but probably an indictment.

The weird thing with Fremantle is we have three or four players who, if any of them go, just peg us that one or two levels below and we can't recover. It's poor depth and patronisation of the wrong players (ie not enough Duffy, way too much Clarke). The Hawks could have Cyril out, they could have Hodge out, they lost probably the second best key forward in the comp... and they still pulled through.

Yeah the injury excuses wear thin when you see what Hawthorn had to contend with all year (they lost Franklin to their number one opponent FFS, as well as a heap of injuries, and a crook coach).

People want to explain the club's poorer year as being due to factors outside of its control, when in actual fact it was well within the club's control.

 

[blue shark]

Yeah the injury excuses wear thin when you see what Hawthorn had to contend with all year (they lost Franklin to their number one opponent FFS, as well as a heap of injuries, and a crook coach).

People want to explain the club's poorer year as being due to factors outside of its control, when in actual fact it was well within the club's control.

This worked out well for hawks, giving their kids a chance to play, changing their style of play, and they
managed their stars return well, and still one enough games to challenge.
We could of done the same, with Elvis, Mayne, Clarke, and all year the so called elite midfield was predictable.

 

[Clems Knee]

Our injuries happened at the wrong time, which didn't happen to Hawthorn.

Our midfield clearances weren't as good towards the end of the year either. I think Mundy will be looking forward to a chance to put in four quarter efforts more often.

Clogged, I think the point you are making is more about Hawthorn. Their premiership was an amazing effort with all the hurdles they faced, and show that they were clearly the best team of the year, and probably the last three years.
I can see us working towards that, even with our ageing kpps.

 

[Agenfrida]

Fremantle pick 13 - Expecting Lever/Goddard and go Weller

Here in Melbourne we're exposed to these kids a fair bit and both Lever are Goddard and bookend KPD, both will be stars and certainly Goddard is ready to play next year, I was actually thinking great Freo are gonna go grab their KPD and address one of their only weaknesses.

Fremantle pick 38 - Convinced you were going with 197cm swing man Oscar Mcdonald.

Again this is another guy that from the outside looking in would suit your footy club down to a tee, strong and athletic with the ability to play either end of the ground and has one of those bodies that will turn beastly within a year or 2 in the gym.

http://www.melbournefc.com.au/video/2014-11-27/pick-53-highlights-oscar-mcdonald

I really am not having a dig, your footy club recruits players for a reason and you can't argue with your strategy as you have been at the top with some longevity, I was just a tad confused as to why you didn't plug some holes, you already have one of the best, if not the best midfield in the league.

Yeah, I was pretty stunned myself. I think we may grab Grimley or Brown in the rookie draft. We have a couple of decent talls coming through in Apeness and Alex Pearce. We also just signed 197cm Irishman Sean Hurley although the Irish don't have a tremendous success rate of succeeding (hoping this one does, of course). Silvagni is very underrated and will probably be a 2 year stop gap next year after McPharlin retires. I would have liked to see us grab Lever/Durdin/Goddard, but now I've thought about it for a while, It's not as doom and gloom as you'd first think.

 

[Silent Alarm]

Our injuries happened at the wrong time, which didn't happen to Hawthorn.

Our midfield clearances weren't as good towards the end of the year either. I think Mundy will be looking forward to a chance to put in four quarter efforts more often.

Clogged, I think the point you are making is more about Hawthorn. Their premiership was an amazing effort with all the hurdles they faced, and show that they were clearly the best team of the year, and probably the last three years.
I can see us working towards that, even with our ageing kpps.

Rioli wasn't right for the majority of the season and out for the business end (when the Swans were looking on par with them) and the finals, he 'played' in a VFL Grand Final to prove his fitness. He was subbed out in the AFL Grand Final too which to all and sundry implies he was still nursing something.

I don't like the guy in the slightest but he's an important player, but Brian Lake missed half the season. It doesn't matter when they were, if you miss that many games, you're going to worsen your team. Sam Mitchell missed about 10 games, Josh Gibson has that five or six week period out or suspended, I can't remember which, but he was out. They're very good players individually, some of the best in the comp, but the interesting thing with the Hawks is their spread – Duryea made his debut this season I think but played 22 games (including the Grand Final). They had the luxury of relegating McEvoy to Box Hill and could rotate Schoenmakers, Stratton, decent players like that and still get a dozen games into them.

I just think there's a massive, massive reliance on too few players at Fremantle. Ross loves this idea of role players but it doesn't work like that. You need talent to pull it off, not just instructions. When you have the big names go down, Crozier isn't good enough to carry 10 games on his back. We can't drop Clarke through his utter shitness.. actually no, we should be able to, but quite clearly the honchos simply do not like Jon Griffin. Who knows what that's about.

I used to think Ross worked a wonder taking the Saints to those Grand Finals – the myth of them all being foot soldiers, combined by an easy set of rules they latched onto... but they had Riewoldt, Ball, Goddard, Milne rat, that seagull Dal Santo... maybe those guys were good enough to get them there, but their second tier blokes weren't good enough to get them There. I might be seeing history repeated...

 

[Swan Districts Kid]

If Goddard was on our list where would you see Apeness? I would still have him behind Taberner as an understudy to Pavlich. In the backline I would have him behind Silvagni and Pearce to replace MacPharlin.

I would have seen Goddard (or Durdin or Lever) as a trainee McPharlin - probably wouldn't have played league in 2015, maybe a few games toward the end of the season, but in 2016 would have started to play more games. Personally, I don't see Silvagni as a McPharlin replacement - too slow & short. Pearce may come good - but is still very very skinny. Regardless of whether Pearce or a Goddard would have got Maca's CHB position, we'll soon be needing a Johnson replacement as well. Also, there's nothing like a bit of real competition to hasten the development of players.

 

[apuchar]

If if if things go to plan and he maintains his rapid improvement curve, Vanderleur may replace Johnson in a couple of years. (you watch he gets delisted next year, now that I have said that)

 

[UFO Tatsu]

If if if things go to plan and he maintains his rapid improvement curve, Vanderleur may replace Johnson in a couple of years. (you watch he gets delisted next year, now that I have said that)

if he does get delisted next year, you are forbidden to say anything positive about any of our players and staff in the future

 

[apuchar]

if he does get delisted next year, you are forbidden to say anything positive about any of our players and staff in the future

Don't worry, i don't do that very often anyway.

 

[E Shed]

Like Bond said, they rate the talls they have. Our current 3 tall backs are McPharlin, Dawson and MJ with Ibbo and Duff who play medium plus Sutcliffe and Spurr. Thats a back 6 with 1 interchange.
Behind them we have Silvagni, A Pearce, Vandeluer, T Smith, C Pearce and Hurley.
7 incumbent defenders and 6 reserves 4 of whom are tall.
1/3 of the list for the back half.

 

[E Shed]

I just think there's a massive, massive reliance on too few players at Fremantle. Ross loves this idea of role players but it doesn't work like that. You need talent to pull it off, not just instructions. When you have the big names go down, Crozier isn't good enough to carry 10 games on his back. We can't drop Clarke through his utter shitness.. actually no, we should be able to, but quite clearly the honchos simply do not like Jon Griffin. Who knows what that's about.

I used to think Ross worked a wonder taking the Saints to those Grand Finals – the myth of them all being foot soldiers, combined by an easy set of rules they latched onto... but they had Riewoldt, Ball, Goddard, Milne rat, that seagull Dal Santo... maybe those guys were good enough to get them there, but their second tier blokes weren't good enough to get them There. I might be seeing history repeated...

Not sure what you are talking about with Crozier, he's good enough to play as many games as he can get.
Griffin was injured most of last year, when he did get a chance he was rusty and not up to it.
We are in the same place as the Saints were, our foot soldiers like C Pearce, DeBoer aren't quite good enough.
But that is why we have drafted Weller and Blakely and introduced the likes of Crozier and Duffy. We are bringing the level of the weakest players up to the level it needs to be.
We will have a serious crack at it again next year.

 

[Clems Knee]

Rioli wasn't right for the majority of the season and out for the business end (when the Swans were looking on par with them) and the finals, he 'played' in a VFL Grand Final to prove his fitness. He was subbed out in the AFL Grand Final too which to all and sundry implies he was still nursing something.

I don't like the guy in the slightest but he's an important player, but Brian Lake missed half the season. It doesn't matter when they were, if you miss that many games, you're going to worsen your team. Sam Mitchell missed about 10 games, Josh Gibson has that five or six week period out or suspended, I can't remember which, but he was out. They're very good players individually, some of the best in the comp, but the interesting thing with the Hawks is their spread – Duryea made his debut this season I think but played 22 games (including the Grand Final). They had the luxury of relegating McEvoy to Box Hill and could rotate Schoenmakers, Stratton, decent players like that and still get a dozen games into them.

I just think there's a massive, massive reliance on too few players at Fremantle. Ross loves this idea of role players but it doesn't work like that. You need talent to pull it off, not just instructions. When you have the big names go down, Crozier isn't good enough to carry 10 games on his back. We can't drop Clarke through his utter shitness.. actually no, we should be able to, but quite clearly the honchos simply do not like Jon Griffin. Who knows what that's about.

I used to think Ross worked a wonder taking the Saints to those Grand Finals – the myth of them all being foot soldiers, combined by an easy set of rules they latched onto... but they had Riewoldt, Ball, Goddard, Milne rat, that seagull Dal Santo... maybe those guys were good enough to get them there, but their second tier blokes weren't good enough to get them There. I might be seeing history repeated...

I think I'm agreeing with you on a lot of what you are saying. Hawthorn did an amazing job to cover their injuries over the year, and this had the benefit of giving the kids a go. When the finals came along, the stars of Hawthorn were up and about, even Rioli was playing in the first half, which decided the grand final.

I also think there is a risk of history repeating with St Kilda. But I think our stars aren't as good as theirs were, and our weakest players aren't as weak. And the Fremantle culture is more solid; St. Kilda have had decades as the party club. Lyon had some real challenges in that area towards the end of his tenure.

I think you are too pessimistic regarding some of our players, and are too prepared to write off a player if they don't meet your expectation. For example, Clarke can and has done better than he was at the end of the year.
Early in the season, he was looking very good. Maybe that was too long ago for you to remember.

Not sure what you are talking about with Crozier, he's good enough to play as many games as he can get.
Griffin was injured most of last year, when he did get a chance he was rusty and not up to it.
We are in the same place as the Saints were, our foot soldiers like C Pearce, DeBoer aren't quite good enough.
But that is why we have drafted Weller and Blakely and introduced the likes of Crozier and Duffy. We are bringing the level of the weakest players up to the level it needs to be.
We will have a serious crack at it again next year.

I agree with all of this, with the exception that our foot soldiers can lift, if they get a good preseason and confidence in their role.

 

[Unique Name]

Personally, I don't see Silvagni as a McPharlin replacement - too slow & short.

Do you mean Alex Silvagni? The guy who in our finals vs the Swans did such a good job on one of the best forwards in the game (Buddy) that they had to move him further up the ground before he had any impact on the game. That Silvagni?

When we start giving the bloke some consistent game time he will get even better.

 

[beetz]

Like Bond said, they rate the talls they have. Our current 3 tall backs are McPharlin, Dawson and MJ with Ibbo and Duff who play medium plus Sutcliffe and Spurr. Thats a back 6 with 1 interchange.
Behind them we have Silvagni, A Pearce, Vandeluer, T Smith, C Pearce and Hurley.
7 incumbent defenders and 6 reserves 4 of whom are tall.
1/3 of the list for the back half.

Yep, this. If they didn't they would of delisted them and gone after talls in the draft which there was a plethora of. They obviously see something in them.

 

[manpurple]

...
I used to think Ross worked a wonder taking the Saints to those Grand Finals – the myth of them all being foot soldiers, combined by an easy set of rules they latched onto... but they had Riewoldt, Ball, Goddard, Milne rat, that seagull Dal Santo... maybe those guys were good enough to get them there, but their second tier blokes weren't good enough to get them There. I might be seeing history repeated...

Don't really agree with this. If we take what you are saying in that the Saints only had 5 top quality players that got them there and that the second tier couldn't keep them there, I agree. What I don't see is history repeating itself.
Firstly even if we loose Pav, McPharlin and Sandi at the end of next year we still have Fyfe, Barlow, Walters and Hill that have serious years left in them who are top quality. Slightly older are Balla, Mundy and MJ. I would rate all 10 of these as top quality so twice the firepower of the saints. Perhaps you have a different opinion of 1 or 2 of those but I would say that we are very well placed to sustain our success. And this does not cover my hope for a few of the younger generation.

Now as regards to picking up a KPD. I don't understand this constant belief that somehow we are such a carp team that some young thing who has never played at the intensity of AFL is going to come in, play a whole season, and be suddenly better than those already in the team. Even Fyfe didn't play a whole first season (he wasn't even consistant when he did) and he is going to go as close to winning a brownlow as Freo is likely to get in the next few years. Young players take years to become something and it's more so for KPP's. we don't need a 18 yr old scrawny "hope and a prayer" KPD. We need someone who has been there and done that about 30 or 40 times before. You can't draft those. You either train them (tick) or take someone elses (cross). iF we took a KPP this year we have to know that he will not be a realistic playing option until he has played more than 25 games so 2017/18 at the earliest.

 

[Wizard]

Do you mean Alex Silvagni? The guy who in our finals vs the Swans did such a good job on one of the best forwards in the game (Buddy) that they had to move him further up the ground before he had any impact on the game. That Silvagni?

When we start giving the bloke some consistent game time he will get even better.

Thats my issues with him personally. He finally gets a chance, plays one game and then his body shits itself too.

 

[clogged]

But that is why we have drafted Weller and Blakely and introduced the likes of Crozier and Duffy. We are bringing the level of the weakest players up to the level it needs to be.
We will have a serious crack at it again next year.

As they roll in, the essential key position players roll out. People keep citing injuries affecting 2014, but how much usefulness does anyone expect from Pavlich, McPharlin and Sandilands? And increasingly Johnson, who has struggled with injury at the back end of the past two seasons.

Weller & Blakely in for De Boer & Suban does not make up for the gulf of quality of Taberner, Apeness and Silvagni in for Pav, McPharlin and Johnson. No amount of pretending otherwise changes this.

 

[apuchar]

We have already made do without McPharlin, so one down already.

 

[Swan Districts Kid]

Do you mean Alex Silvagni? The guy who in our finals vs the Swans did such a good job on one of the best forwards in the game (Buddy) that they had to move him further up the ground before he had any impact on the game. That Silvagni?

When we start giving the bloke some consistent game time he will get even better.

Yeah that Silvagni.
I agree he's a bloody good stopper, a good player generally & an awesome bloke, but at CHB I reckon you need to be more than a stopper. McPharlin epitomizes a good creative CHB - chops off attacks then counter-punches with evasive run & carry / precision kicking.