Prediction 2019 Draftees - Who will be the stand outs?

[Crow till I die]

The way you talk about it , might as well pick all GC academy players , no go home factor At pick 2,3,6 . Lynch and May stayed for 7 + year before they left because of lack of success , getting players with less skill will make players like Ainsworth , Florini , Brodie ask to be trade in a few years because of lack of success.

Your strategy only work if those players ( Jones, Hately ) suggested are equal or better than Ainsworth , Bowes ,Weller and Brodie .

no, as I said, Lukosius had not made any comment about what he preferred as far as I could tell. Then there were guys like Chayce jones at 8 - a tasmanian with no go home issues etc. Taking players who are still 1st round talent is not taking bad players. Most years the crows only ever have 1 1st round pick and generally it is in the teens and we have done ok. The issue you have and it seems it has already started is how to hang on to players that are going to be really highly sought after - Rankine and Lukosius won't be flying under any radars and nor will Ben King. How demoralising will it be for Ainsworth, Brodie and Florini if Lukosius manager puts a massive deal to him from another club this up coming year and he says - GC - I'm out. At least with taking less high profile 1st round who are still top players anyway, they may be there longer and establish the club to a better position whilst it brings ion more talent in the coming seasons

Edit - even with the strategy the club took - surely to mitigate the go home factor, instead of taking Rankine who being indigenous and having close family ties in Adelaide - they take Max King at 3 so to keep both king twins together with Lukosius. As was mentioned you have plenty of smaller players and need the key position players. Having both King twins is surely better than taking 1 unless the club is banking on getting a better return for him in 2 years time when his contract is up and he wants to go back to melbourne with his brother?

 

[Peel67skin]

no, as I said, Lukosius had not made any comment about what he preferred as far as I could tell. Then there were guys like Chayce jones at 8 - a tasmanian with no go home issues etc. Taking players who are still 1st round talent is not taking bad players. Most years the crows only ever have 1 1st round pick and generally it is in the teens and we have done ok. The issue you have and it seems it has already started is how to hang on to players that are going to be really highly sought after - Rankine and Lukosius won't be flying under any radars and nor will Ben King. How demoralising will it be for Ainsworth, Brodie and Florini if Lukosius manager puts a massive deal to him from another club this up coming year and he says - GC - I'm out. At least with taking less high profile 1st round who are still top players anyway, they may be there longer and establish the club to a better position whilst it brings ion more talent in the coming seasons

Edit - even with the strategy the club took - surely to mitigate the go home factor, instead of taking Rankine who being indigenous and having close family ties in Adelaide - they take Max King at 3 so to keep both king twins together with Lukosius. As was mentioned you have plenty of smaller players and need the key position players. Having both King twins is surely better than taking 1 unless the club is banking on getting a better return for him in 2 years time when his contract is up and he wants to go back to melbourne with his brother?

Well then Florini, Brodie , Ainsworth get better offer to sign on .

King , Lukosius , Rankine all got back up with Collins , Burgess Corbett , Ballard .

There is no guarantee Jones and Hately are better than Powell and Ballard , Burgess ,Corbett .( All contracted until 2022).

Even Jones and Hately don't mind moving , nothing stop them looking for better offer or asking more to extend their contract as first round pick like Scrimshaw.

 

[Crow till I die]

Well then Florini, Brodie , Ainsworth get better offer to sign on .

King , Lukosius , Rankine all got back up with Collins , Burgess Corbett , Ballard .

There is no guarantee Jones and Hately are better than Powell and Ballard , Burgess ,Corbett .( All contracted until 2022)

No there isn't however at this stage Florini, Brodie and Ainsworth are still there and I have not read where they have been targeted - unlike Lukosius apparently already is being. I go back to the original comment and that is GC had a better option to try and mitigate their player retention issues than what they took for this draft period in my opinion

 

[Peel67skin]

No there isn't however at this stage Florini, Brodie and Ainsworth are still there and I have not read where they have been targeted - unlike Lukosius apparently already is being. I go back to the original comment and that is GC had a better option to try and mitigate their player retention issues than what they took for this draft period in my opinion

Are you surprised I am not, Lukosius through media eyes is once in a generation type of players like Pavlich , Rieldwolt . How many times Adelaide and other club try to sign Pavlich away from Fremantle with great offer .

 

[Crow till I die]

Are you surprised I am not, Lukosius through media eyes is once in a generation type of players like Pavlich , Rieldwolt . How many times Adelaide and other club try to sign Pavlich away from Fremantle .

Pavlich retired before free agency came in. Player movement is much much more front and centre now. Times have well and truly changed on that front

 

[Peel67skin]

Pavlich retired before free agency came in. Player movement is much much more front and centre now. Times have well and truly changed on that front

To be honest if Rankine and Lukosius want out during free agency I am happy for them to go , as they already done 7-8 years time with GCS. Maybe helping GCS to top 8 where Ablett , Lynch and May all Fail .
You still need to paid 700-900k a season for Lynch and May as free agent included in your salary cap . GCS can get Jones and Hately through free agency if they don't mind moving.

Lynch and third round pick exchange = Miles + Corey Ellis (first round pick 12 ) + pick 3 .

 

[Crow till I die]

To be honest if Rankine and Lukosius want out during free agency I am happy for them , as they already done 7-8 years time with GCS.

I am sure you would be - the problem I see is that players no longer are wanting to wait for free agency - particularly if they want to be in a particular place or get a very good offer

 

[Crow till I die]

To be honest if Rankine and Lukosius want out during free agency I am happy for them to go , as they already done 7-8 years time with GCS. Maybe helping GCS to top 8 where Ablett , Lynch and May all Fail .
You still need to paid 700-900k a season for Lynch and May as free agent included in your salary cap . GCS can get Jones and Hately through free agency if they don't mind moving.

Lynch and third round pick exchange = Miles + Corey Ellis (first round pick 12 ) + pick 3 .

The ellis and Miles trades were mutually exclusive of the Lynch free agency. Richmond likely wanted to help GC out and make it more attractive for them to accept free agency - make no mistake though - they were happy to let these guys leave so that tells me they are not top draw players

 

[Peel67skin]

I am sure you would be - the problem I see is that players no longer are wanting to wait for free agency - particularly if they want to be in a particular place or get a very good offer

Wingard( Port willing to offer him up for sale)Burton ( Force to go ) Shiel( Salary cap) Scully ( Salary Cap and injuries ) Devon Smith ( Lack of opportunity) Stringer ( bulldog don't want him)
Settlefield - injuries + salary cap
Vs
lever ( better offer from other club )
mcgowan ( Better offer from other club )
Scrimshaw ( NEAFL level attitude compare to Brodie , Ainsworth and Bowes )
cam machathy - serious homesick willing to sit out a year.

Josh Schache - mental illness
Tom Boyd - mental illness .

 

[Peel67skin]

The ellis and Miles trades were mutually exclusive of the Lynch free agency. Richmond likely wanted to help GC out and make it more attractive for them to accept free agency - make no mistake though - they were happy to let these guys leave so that tells me they are not top draw players

Jones and Hately as first round pick could end up like Corey Ellis,Devon Smith , Settlefield and Schrimshaw too .( You still need to paid premium for first round pick to extend their contract- GWS,GCS). Nothing stop Jones and Hately to move to other team if they get a better offer after two years like lever and Mcgovern. If Jones a tasssie boy become as good as Lever ( WA club , Vic club , QLD club , Sydney Club could all offer him good money to move if Adelaide paying him minimum salary )

Money and Success come into it if players are good and don't mind moving interstate.

 

[Crow till I die]

Jones and Hately as first round pick could end up like Corey Ellis,Devon Smith , Settlefield and Schrimshaw too .( You still need to paid premium for first round pick to extend their contract- GWS,GCS). Nothing stop Jones and Hately to move to other team if they get a better offer after two years like lever and Mcgovern.

Money and Success come into it if players are good and don't mind moving interstate.

yes, true. However if GC had traded some of the top picks down for mid 1sts they end up with 4 mid 1sts and maybe more??? for the 2 picks and get for example Jones, Hately, Caldwell and Butters instead of Lukosius and Rankine. Yep - on U18 form Luko and Rankine are special players. However the chances of both being at GC past the 1st contract is in my opinion remote and we see the SEN report already that may already be bearing out my thoughts. Now if say Butters fails to make it and leaves and Hately fails to make i or alternatively plays brilliantly and becomes the rising star - he may also leave???. you still have Jones and Caldwell left who may be integrating into the team. The chances of all 4 leaving when they won't be as sought after as Luko / Rankine and probably B King alone is less and makes them in your current predicament a much more safe option to build a club from. Club development also plays a big part and players are not stupid - they look at everything

 

[Peel67skin]

yes, true. However if GC had traded some of the top picks down for mid 1sts they end up with 4 mid 1sts and maybe more??? for the 2 picks and get for example Jones, Hately, Caldwell and Butters instead of Lukosius and Rankine. Yep - on U18 form Luko and Rankine are special players. However the chances of both being at GC past the 1st contract is in my opinion remote and we see the SEN report already that may already be bearing out my thoughts. Now if say Butters fails to make it and leaves and Hately fails to make i or alternatively plays brilliantly and becomes the rising star - he may also leave???. you still have Jones and Caldwell left who may be integrating into the team. The chances of all 4 leaving when they won't be as sought after as Luko / Rankine and probably B King alone is less and makes them in your current predicament a much more safe option to build a club from. Club development also plays a big part and players are not stupid - they look at everything

If Adelaide want Rankine , GCS can always do a deal later eg Jones , McHenry and pick 15-19 for Rankine . The same s**t but let Adelaide develop mchenry and Jones instead of GCS. GCS need some short term result ,Rankine and Lukosius could provide that that Jones , Butters , Mchenry can't in the first two years .

 

[Crow till I die]

If Adelaide want Rankine , GCS can always do a deal later eg Jones , McHenry and pick 15-19 for Rankine . The same s**t but let Adelaide develop Butters and Jones instead of GCS. GCS need some short term result ,Rankine and Lukosius could provide that that Jones , Butters , Mchenry can't in the first two years .

haha, the problem is it won't just be Adelaide, it will also be Port and a host of Vic teams all vying for him. And if he nominates Adelaide alone for example, he will get there as players virtually always do and GC will end up accepting what Adelaide can offer (and that is generally 2 x 1st rounders with something coming back for a topline player). But now that is GC problem to deal with having gone down that line at the draft..good luck as they are going to need it

 

[Peel67skin]

haha, the problem is it won't just be Adelaide, it will also be Port and a host of Vic teams all vying for him. And if he nominates Adelaide alone for example, he will get there as players virtually always do and GC will end up accepting what Adelaide can offer (and that is generally 2 x 1st rounders with something coming back for a topline player). But now that is GC problem to deal with having gone down that line at the draft..good luck as they are going to need it

Then why you complain if adelaide paying under for Rankine later on ? You are weird ,
Isn't it a win for you to get Rankine cheap.

You can talk all about GC strategy ,the end result you want Rankine .

 

[SnusCG]

haha, the problem is it won't just be Adelaide, it will also be Port and a host of Vic teams all vying for him. And if he nominates Adelaide alone for example, he will get there as players virtually always do and GC will end up accepting what Adelaide can offer (and that is generally 2 x 1st rounders with something coming back for a topline player). But now that is GC problem to deal with having gone down that line at the draft..good luck as they are going to need it

South Australian recruits are generally the least likely to request a trade home once they move - to the point where a few that we've drafted and then de-listed have stayed on the Gold Coast to play for NEAFL teams afterwards rather than move back to Adelaide. We've taken 2/3 of the highest rated kids in the draft, and they happened to be really good school mates and team mates both from South Australia. You're kidding yourself if you think we should have done it differently to that. Ben King is the biggest risk of the 3 of them but the new team of coaches, and our welfare department (who went from the least funded in the league this year to having the most funding for 2019) are backing themselves to convince these guys to stick around. We also just didn't have enough list spaces to take heaps of picks to the draft so trading down would have been counterproductive.

it's time to move on. Rankine and Lukosius didn't end up at Adelaide. Come back and tell everyone 'I told you so' if or when they one day request a trade, but until that happens - and on a purely recruiting based decision - it was an excellent drafting decision by the SUNS.

 

[Crow till I die]

Then why you complain if adelaide paying under for Rankine later on ? You are weird ,
Isn't it a win for you to get Rankine cheap.

You can talk all about GC strategy ,the end result you want Rankine .

I am not looking at this discussion through the eyes of the crows. I am looking at it on how I would have approached the draft from GC perspective to try and limit further losses in the near future - ie try something different

 

[Crow till I die]

South Australian recruits are generally the least likely to request a trade home once they move - to the point where a few that we've drafted and then de-listed have stayed on the Gold Coast to play for NEAFL teams afterwards rather than move back to Adelaide. We've taken 2/3 of the highest rated kids in the draft, and they happened to be really good school mates and team mates both from South Australia. You're kidding yourself if you think we should have done it differently to that. Ben King is the biggest risk of the 3 of them but the new team of coaches, and our welfare department (who went from the least funded in the league this year to having the most funding for 2019) are backing themselves to convince these guys to stick around. We also just didn't have enough list spaces to take heaps of picks to the draft so trading down would have been counterproductive.

it's time to move on. Rankine and Lukosius didn't end up at Adelaide. Come back and tell everyone 'I told you so' if or when they one day request a trade, but until that happens - and on a purely recruiting based decision - it was an excellent drafting decision by the SUNS.

Disagree. It has nothing to do with being a crows fan - it was the wrong draft strategy for a club that is bleeding players at a rate of knots to take 2 guys that will be fought over like nothing else by not just the SA clubs as early as this year coming. Cripps publicly forwarned them and now SEN are reporting interest already and it is not even christmas after the draft. And yep - we will revisit it and for GC sake, they had better hope none of the players ask out or it will be an absolute hammer blow to them as a club when they had the chance to do it differently

 

[Jirik13]

yes, true. However if GC had traded some of the top picks down for mid 1sts they end up with 4 mid 1sts and maybe more??? for the 2 picks and get for example Jones, Hately, Caldwell and Butters instead of Lukosius and Rankine. Yep - on U18 form Luko and Rankine are special players. However the chances of both being at GC past the 1st contract is in my opinion remote and we see the SEN report already that may already be bearing out my thoughts. Now if say Butters fails to make it and leaves and Hately fails to make i or alternatively plays brilliantly and becomes the rising star - he may also leave???. you still have Jones and Caldwell left who may be integrating into the team. The chances of all 4 leaving when they won't be as sought after as Luko / Rankine and probably B King alone is less and makes them in your current predicament a much more safe option to build a club from. Club development also plays a big part and players are not stupid - they look at everything

Good luck to Adelaide to lure Lukosius and Rankine back to Adelaide in 2 years. You will need it as in 1-2 years Adelaide will be on a similar mission impossible Geelong, Hawthorn is right now - rebuilding ageing team while trying to win it all.

During the first 8 years Suns were total crap when looking at facilities, coaches, CEO etc. Still only one player left after initial 2 years contract who Suns wanted to keep - Caddy. This year Scrimshaw (who extended his initial contract) was the second player but Suns actually wanted him to go as he did not pass the Dew test.

If you have not noticed - there was a total rebuild off-field at Suns in the last 2 years. New coaches (including Francou, Kaesler), performance team, facilities, CEO, managers. Finally AFL is putting adequate resources into academy, performance, physio, welfare. Also a new stadium deal will allow Suns to make money from cricket games, concerts. Basically this off season set up is how Suns should had start first year. It just reflects how stupid and Melbourne-centric AFL is.

What Suns need most is to have a reasonable run with injuries. Adelaide injuries last year were nothing compared to Suns. Suns even had more soft injuries than Adelaide. Not starting season with 9 away games including stupid China trip will also help.

Once Suns start improving they will have no problem to attract players. It's a great place to live, outside footy bubble. Give it 1-2 years.

 

[Crow till I die]

Good luck to Adelaide to lure Lukosius and Rankine back to Adelaide in 2 years. You will need it as in 1-2 years Adelaide will be on a similar mission impossible Geelong, Hawthorn is right now - rebuilding ageing team while trying to win it all.

During the first 8 years Suns were total crap when looking at facilities, coaches, CEO etc. Still only one player left after initial 2 years contract who Suns wanted to keep - Caddy. This year Scrimshaw (who extended his initial contract) was the second player but Suns actually wanted him to go as he did not pass the Dew test.

If you have not noticed - there was a total rebuild off-field at Suns in the last 2 years. New coaches (including Francou, Kaesler), performance team, facilities, CEO, managers. Finally AFL is putting adequate resources into academy, performance, physio, welfare. Also a new stadium deal will allow Suns to make money from cricket games, concerts. Basically this off season set up is how Suns should had start first year. It just reflects how stupid and Melbourne-centric AFL is.

What Suns need most is to have a reasonable run with injuries. Adelaide injuries last year were nothing compared to Suns. Suns even had more soft injuries than Adelaide. Not starting season with 9 away games including stupid China trip will also help.

Once Suns start improving they will have no problem to attract players. It's a great place to live, outside footy bubble. Give it 1-2 years.

please provide the evidence as the crows were right behind Carlton and Collingwood for the greatest number of injuries in the league. As for the Gold Coast being a great place to live - absolutely although to play football for the next few years it won't be much fun as the suns are not likely to win many games and the young players are going to get very exposed and targeted by opposition and it could become really demoralising.

But you really need to look at what is happening with player movement now - players are dictating where they want to play and again..SEN are reporting interest in Lukosius within weeks after the draft - I think it will be the other way around that GC will need all the luck in the world to keep these guys

 

[Jirik13]

please provide the evidence as the crows were right behind Carlton and Collingwood for the greatest number of injuries in the league. As for the Gold Coast being a great place to live - absolutely although to play football for the next few years it won't be much fun as the suns are not likely to win many games and the young players are going to get very exposed and targeted by opposition and it could become really demoralising.

But you really need to look at what is happening with player movement now - players are dictating where they want to play and again..SEN are reporting interest in Lukosius within weeks after the draft - I think it will be the other way around that GC will need all the luck in the world to keep these guys

No doubt new rules about players movement increase risk of losing players especially for bottom teams. All what Suns can do is to put best people in charge and create the best environment to develop players. I believe they got it right finally. Winning will also help. They may still lose some players, no doubt. Let's see in 1-2 years.

I have a lot of admiration for Crows, especially how they draft and develop players. But some great players are approaching the end of their career.

Suns started 2018 with 4 best 22 missing. After round 5 it went up to 6-9 even 12 in some games. Suns finished the season with 25 healthy players. Suns had 13-14 soft injuries in 2018.

I believe SEN Lukosius report is from SEN Adelaide idiots (Cornes).

Interestingly, nobody in Adelaide talks about Suns Ballard. Yes, he was drafted with pick 42 but he looks as an absolute steal. I love watching him play. For me his is top ten pick. He is a friend with Lukosius (was selling GC to him) and happily extended last year.

 

[Crow till I die]

No doubt new rules about players movement increase risk of losing players especially for bottom teams. All what Suns can do is to put best people in charge and create the best environment to develop players. I believe they got it right finally. Winning will also help. They may still lose some players, no doubt. Let's see in 1-2 years.

I have a lot of admiration for Crows, especially how they draft and develop players. But some great players are approaching the end of their career.

Suns started 2018 with 4 best 22 missing. After round 5 it went up to 6-9 even 12 in some games. Suns finished the season with 25 healthy players. Suns had 13-14 soft injuries in 2018.

I believe SEN Lukosius report is from SEN Adelaide idiots (Cornes).

Interestingly, nobody in Adelaide talks about Suns Ballard. Yes, he was drafted with pick 42 but he looks as an absolute steal. I love watching him play. For me his is top ten pick. He is a friend with Lukosius (was selling GC to him) and happily extended last year.

You hit on an important point in that there are plenty of players who do not get targeted - Ballard is one and he looks good and unless a player is a real need, generally clubs don't target them. Where Rankine and Lukosius are different is that yes they are certainly very highly rated and not just by the Adelaide clubs and it means that these guys will not just have to weigh up money, but also success (and in terms of Port and the Crows - they also get to play in their home state) and that is what makes it very hard for players to look away. As for the SEN report, it was reported that it was a victorian club that has contacted Luko's agent and placed a very big financial offer for them to consider - but who knows it could all be scuttlebut

 

[Peel67skin]

You hit on an important point in that there are plenty of players who do not get targeted - Ballard is one and he looks good and unless a player is a real need, generally clubs don't target them. Where Rankine and Lukosius are different is that yes they are certainly very highly rated and not just by the Adelaide clubs and it means that these guys will not just have to weigh up money, but also success (and in terms of Port and the Crows - they also get to play in their home state) and that is what makes it very hard for players to look away. As for the SEN report, it was reported that it was a victorian club that has contacted Luko's agent and placed a very big financial offer for them to consider - but who knows it could all be scuttlebut

You can't really avoid offer from other club , Hogan , Lobb , Neale , setterfield , Shiel , Josh kelly , Mitch Mcgovern, Lever all get offer before they extend their contract .
Eg getting max king , Ben king ,Caldwell and Hately look good on paper , but if max king and Caldwell end up injured all the time , GCS could end up Max king,Caldwell request a trade back home ( similar to Devon Smith and setterfield type of offer )
Second round pick

Due to max situation , Ben request back home too ,GCS could still end up with only Hately .

Ben and Max are twins but at 23-25 they are definitely not sharing the same women later in life .

 

[Crow till I die]

You can't really avoid offer from other club , Hogan , Lobb , Neale , setterfield , Shiel , Josh kelly , Mitch Mcgovern, Lever all get offer before they extend their contract .
Eg getting max king , Ben king ,Caldwell and Hately look good on paper , but if max king and Caldwell end up injured all the time , GCS could end up Max king,Caldwell request a trade back home ( similar to Devon Smith and setterfield type of offer )
Second round pick

Due to max situation , Ben request back home too ,GCS could still end up with only Hately .

Ben and Max are twins but at 23-25 they are definitely not sharing the same women later in life .

Comment of the week - i laughed when I read that and yep, you would hope they are not sharing

 

[briztoon]

Disagree. It has nothing to do with being a crows fan - it was the wrong draft strategy for a club that is bleeding players at a rate of knots to take 2 guys that will be fought over like nothing else by not just the SA clubs as early as this year coming. Cripps publicly forwarned them and now SEN are reporting interest already and it is not even christmas after the draft. And yep - we will revisit it and for GC sake, they had better hope none of the players ask out or it will be an absolute hammer blow to them as a club when they had the chance to do it differently

You forgot, In My Opinion.

This is the thing, you're looking at Gold Coast as the same club it was two years ago, with an Adelaide or Victorian set eyes, with just what you read in the southern media, with little actually reported of what goes on weekly within the club.

Pretty much the same sh!t happened with Brisbane. The AFL stepped in to help appoint new management and a senior coach, who set about changing the culture within the club and getting all the young kids to buy in.

Before Fagan and Noble arrived at Brisbane, there was a somewhat poisonous culture within the club, largely driven by some of the senior players. Namely Rockliff and to a lessor extent Hanley. Those players were traded out, or let walk, with the arrival of Fagan and Noble, who set about extending the role of the welfare manager and budget in the club, driving new standards and bringing in Luke Hodge to drive the training and playing standards.


With Gold Coast, it wasn't widely reported, but when Lynch told the playing group he was leaving, he really copped a serve from some of the younger players, reportedly led by Bowes and Ainsworth, that somewhat split the playing group. What looked like a player exodus this offseason was as much about those players staying who wanted to buy in to the club.

The trade period was about bringing in mature players who would help protect and shield the draftees physically while they develop. And not just next season, but for the next two or three seasons. By which time Gold Coast will have hopefully drafted enough quality kids, for them to start filling out the senior team with a higher standard of player.

There's no two ways about it, Gold Coast are going to lose a lot of games in the next couple of seasons. Everyone with an ounce of common sense can see that, and short of trading in half a dozen A grade talents in their prime, there's no strategy that can fast track Gold Coasts rebuild. What the club has to do is get a buy in from the playing group, with the knowledge that they are working towards a long term goal and there is a light at the end of the tunnel.


As I said in my previous post to you, which you appear to have totally ignored and didn't respond to, is that Gold Coast had to draft replacements for Lynch and May this draft, and there were only three top tier KPP talents in this years draft. And it doesn't look like there is much top tier KPP talent in next years draft either, with the possible exception of a West Australian undersized ruck.

Draft your KPP talent first, then draft your midfield and running players.

It's no good GC drafting half a dozen mids and HBF's to go along with their current young mids if they have no one to kick it to.

I'm sure Gold Coast are aware of the risk of possibly losing Lukosius, Rankine and BKing, but they're backing in their new culture.

 

[Crow till I die]

You forgot, In My Opinion.

This is the thing, you're looking at Gold Coast as the same club it was two years ago, with an Adelaide or Victorian set eyes, with just what you read in the southern media, with little actually reported of what goes on weekly within the club.

Pretty much the same sh!t happened with Brisbane. The AFL stepped in to help appoint new management and a senior coach, who set about changing the culture within the club and getting all the young kids to buy in.

Before Fagan and Noble arrived at Brisbane, there was a somewhat poisonous culture within the club, largely driven by some of the senior players. Namely Rockliff and to a lessor extent Hanley. Those players were traded out, or let walk, with the arrival of Fagan and Noble, who set about extending the role of the welfare manager and budget in the club, driving new standards and bringing in Luke Hodge to drive the training and playing standards.


With Gold Coast, it wasn't widely reported, but when Lynch told the playing group he was leaving, he really copped a serve from some of the younger players, reportedly led by Bowes and Ainsworth, that somewhat split the playing group. What looked like a player exodus this offseason was as much about those players staying who wanted to buy in to the club.

The trade period was about bringing in mature players who would help protect and shield the draftees physically while they develop. And not just next season, but for the next two or three seasons. By which time Gold Coast will have hopefully drafted enough quality kids, for them to start filling out the senior team with a higher standard of player.

There's no two ways about it, Gold Coast are going to lose a lot of games in the next couple of seasons. Everyone with an ounce of common sense can see that, and short of trading in half a dozen A grade talents in their prime, there's no strategy that can fast track Gold Coasts rebuild. What the club has to do is get a buy in from the playing group, with the knowledge that they are working towards a long term goal and there is a light at the end of the tunnel.


As I said in my previous post to you, which you appear to have totally ignored and didn't respond to, is that Gold Coast had to draft replacements for Lynch and May this draft, and there were only three top tier KPP talents in this years draft. And it doesn't look like there is much top tier KPP talent in next years draft either, with the possible exception of a West Australian undersized ruck.

Draft your KPP talent first, then draft your midfield and running players.

It's no good GC drafting half a dozen mids and HBF's to go along with their current young mids if they have no one to kick it to.

I'm sure Gold Coast are aware of the risk of possibly losing Lukosius, Rankine and BKing, but they're backing in their new culture.

Fair enough but in the same breath brisbane is brisbane and you have a history of success under the leigh matthew years that is only rivalled by hawthorn and geelong in the modern comp...that does count when you boil it back. Heritage counts.

There is a reason that sport struggles on the gold coast..why have basketball and rugby league failed there. Why does the AFL feel it can succeed where rugby in a rugby heartland has failed?. There are other factors at play that make the GC a unique situation.

As for gc needing talls..i did answer it in one post by saying why not take both king twins and lukosius if tgey have enough smaller players? Taking both king twins instead of rankine appears far smarter in helping to try and keep them on the coast than taking 1 and have him.watch his twin brother get to live at home in melbourne playing for his favorite team...surely. max king was discussed as a possible no 1 draft pick in this years draft crop before injury so he cartainly was no mug pick