2015 Draft Discussion

[Bucking Beads]

I'll be barracking for Leuey to play the house down and get massive contract offers.

 

[jackess]

I'd like us to either win 5 or more games and show that our squad is capable of playing some very good footy or continue to play like we did in the first half of the season and only win 1 or 2 more giving us a top 2 pick.

Worst case scenario is winning a couple more games falling over the line against GC and Carlton despite Playin quite poorly and missing out on Weitering and Schache.

 

[Mr Ripper]

#stuffed

 

[POBT]

How can we bitch about people leaving our club and then hope that we lose more games? Does that not seem counter-productive?

There is such a thing as a cycle of failure. Part of the sense of optimism around the club last year was the promising on field signs in the second half of the season. We've gotta get that back. Getting pick 1 instead of pick 2 does very little to move our club forward.

 

[Albi_Mangler]

The Dees and Blues example show that tanking for better picks can be extremely detrimental in the long run. Wins (especially away at the MCG) and confidence for a young team is much more valuable than any draft pick.

I will take honorable losses against quality opposition but really want us to win games like the one tomorrow. But as Skoob says, I will be cheering for Suns/Blues even Saints/Bombers for the rest of the season if it help improve our draft position.

It is a predicament though, the most wins we could hope for is probably 6, which would be about pick 5. Lions would then miss our likely targets of Schache/Francis. However, Pick 5 would possibly be more open for trade and could be used to trade for a mature forward or several first rounders to ensure we can get both Keays and Hipwood.

I would actually prefer if the AFL moved to a lottery style draft order for the bottom teams to remove this whole idea that losing games at the end of the season can have a benefit. Only problem is that a lottery can feel a bit "rigged" (* and pick 1 goes to ... the Cleveland Cavaliers).

 

[jackess]

How can we bitch about people leaving our club and then hope that we lose more games? Does that not seem counter-productive?

There is such a thing as a cycle of failure. Part of the sense of optimism around the club last year was the promising on field signs in the second half of the season. We've gotta get that back. Getting pick 1 instead of pick 2 does very little to move our club forward.

I hope that we win all our last 8 games.

Also finishing 17th instead of 18th does very little to move our club forward.

 

[PattyKwasagun]

How can we bitch about people leaving our club and then hope that we lose more games? Does that not seem counter-productive?

There is such a thing as a cycle of failure. Part of the sense of optimism around the club last year was the promising on field signs in the second half of the season. We've gotta get that back. Getting pick 1 instead of pick 2 does very little to move our club forward.

But we had similar promising on field signs in the back half of 2012 and 2013 too that were both followed by poor starts to the next season that undid all the optimism. It's always nice, but so far has had no lasting effect.

Losing regularly this year is very bad, losing badly for many more years like this year would be catastrophic. Is a top 3 draft pick as opposed to a pick 5 or 6 going to change that? Probably not, but we have been trying to find the heir to Jonathan Brown for nearly ten years with no real luck, and if one extra win is the difference between getting someone who could fill that void and missing out on them, I think it's counter productive to win that match.

Really, the AFL should cut off the ladder at the end of something like round 17 to discourage any club or supporters from having to think this way towards the end of the season, but as things currently stand it's hard not to.

You so rarely get a shot at the absolute elite talent in the AFL. Pick 1, and in a slightly lesser way picks 2 & 3 are not at all guarantees of that, but they're as close as it gets. If a few more wins that boost morale but are just followed by another disappointing start to next season mean we miss yet another chance at that top bracket - the sixth year we could/should have had a crack at it with not one yet - I would find it hard to think things had worked out ideally.

This is not at all about not wanting to win. It's about the desire for a win this weekend being lower than the desire for a crack at the top two kids in the draft because of what that could help us do to ensure we aren't having this same discussion for years to come.

I should make it clear though, I would be beyond disgusted if this was the attitude held by any of the playing or coaching staff and I wouldn't want them at the club if it was. The moment you decide to compromise on performance and effort is the moment you ruin your culture. But from a removed position, I think it is justifiable to desire a shot at the top bracket of the draft over a win against Melbourne tomorrow.

 

[WA Lion]

I hope that we win all our last 8 games.

Also finishing 17th instead of 18th does very little to move our club forward.

I'm hoping for the impossible myself - we win all of our remaining games to get a good feel about the club and breed confidence for next season...... but also hoping Carlton and GC go on an unexpected winning frenzy too! Actually do believe that GC will pick up, but the Blues look pretty dead and buried

 

[Eons]

Tanking infers a lack of effort, that is far from the case, you can see the effort. We just won't win many games without a key forward to kick to.

 

[cotter101]

I hope we win every game on for the rest of the season, it won't happen but we've got Melbourne, North, Geelong, Gold Coast, Carlton, Adelaide, Hawthorn and the Dogs. On current form we should win 4 minimum and go close in the rest.

 

[WA Lion]

I hope we win every game on for the rest of the season, it won't happen but we've got Melbourne, North, Geelong, Gold Coast, Carlton, Adelaide, Hawthorn and the Dogs. On current form we should win 4 minimum and go close in the rest.

Yep - give me a positive happy club environment with confidence in what they are doing over a better draft pick any day.
(Although I wouldn't be at all sorry if Blues and GC win a few games too and we stay in the bottom 2)

 

[Tairy Greene]

Who even wants a first round pick when most of those spoiled little campaigners leave the club anyway. Do the thing the Swans have been doing lately & trade first rounders for players that actually have runs on the board in the AFL already, I really don't give a shit how good a 17yr old looks against other part time teenagers.

 

[Ceebee]

I still hate losing .but honourable losses for a good cause are ok I guess.
Going to have to improve a lot next year though. or we will be completely irrelevant.

Felt dirty writing that ..changed my mind.
Lions don't tank.

 

[PattyKwasagun]

Felt dirty writing that ..changed my mind.
Lions don't tank.

Absolutely we don't. I think it's so important to clarify the difference between expecting/being okay with our players or anyone within the club playing for a loss in any way, and not being upset as a supporter if we lose or others around us win. If there was even a hint of tanking within the club, that would be nothing short of disgraceful.

 

[Nuggo]

I'll be barracking for Leuey to play the house down and want to stay with the Lions. Need to keep our good players!

 

[Bucking Beads]

I'll be barracking for Leuey to play the house down and want to stay with the Lions. Need to keep our good players!

I would be stoked with that also but if he is off I really want him playing well on the way out.

 

[jasonrampage2010]

Safe to say pick 1 inevitable

 

[a mayes ing]

Priority pick. So pick 1 and pick 2.

Schache and Weltering please

 

[jackess]

Pick 1: Leigh Harding

 

[borrat]

Priority pick. So pick 1 and pick 2.

Schache and Weltering please

to go along with keays and hipwood eddie wouldn't be able to cope

 

[Viceregal]

to go along with keays and hipwood eddie wouldn't be able to cope

As in having a heart attack or a brain explosion?

just kidding

 

[Panthera]

Safe to say pick 1 inevitable

Not necessarily; better than even chance we win two of the home games we have remaining:

North
Carlton
Suns
Bulldogs

 

[Eons]

Not necessarily; better than even chance we win two of the home games we have remaining:

North
Carlton
Suns
Bulldogs

We have a 13.3 % winning strike rate. We have beaten Carlton away and only beaten Port at home. Think we are much less than a 50% chance of winning any games at home or away for the rest of the year.

 

[jackess]

We have a 13.3 % winning strike rate. We have beaten Carlton away and only beaten Port at home. Think we are much less than a 50% chance of winning any games at home or away for the rest of the year.

The Carlton, Gold Coast games are interesting. We had more injuries the first time we played them but Gold Coast absolutely smashed us and Carlton almost beat us but that was when they had Malthouse. They're both winnable but so was the Melbourne game yesterday so it's difficult to have any confidence.

 

[WhiteLionFeva]

The Carlton, Gold Coast games are interesting. We had more injuries the first time we played them but Gold Coast absolutely smashed us and Carlton almost beat us but that was when they had Malthouse. They're both winnable but so was the Melbourne game yesterday so it's difficult to have any confidence.

Yes, the confidence of the supporters matches that of the players at the moment.