Delisted #24: Craig Bird - Not offered a contract for 2018 - 24/10

[yaco55]

The decision vindicates that Worsfold has a clear game plan in place for the next two years. You need to have speed and decent kicking skills which is not the forte of Bird or Howlett. The most baffling decision is McKernan being kept on despite having 4 ruckus on our list.

 

[bombreys]

The decision vindicates that Worsfold has a clear game plan in place for the next two years. You need to have speed and decent kicking skills which is not the forte of Bird or Howlett. The most baffling decision is McKernan being kept on despite having 4 ruckus on our list.

He's on the rookie list and can rotate forward.

Leuey - can't go forward, apart from hitouts barely impacts the game
Draper - not ready
Lavender - hasn't played a game of footy in 3+ years

The decision to keep him (so far) is far from baffling.

Merrett & Morgan are the lucky ones thus far (McKernan at least performs at VFL level), and Matty Dea is probably lucky he has another year on his contract.

 

[Cyrus]

What role? As a bit player at best that’s good for two games a season? We can cover that by giving young players the opportunity, you will be surprised what some of them can do with continuity.

Don't really understand why you're copping a bit for this, you're spot on.

I've been so frustrated by our selection decisions over the past few years - Woosha and Dodoro keep talking about building a team that will have sustained success, that's not gonna happen by continuing to gift games to list cloggers like Bird, Dea & Co., or others horrendously out of form like Colyer, Hartley & Myers, instead of playing the kids.

I find the 'they're not ready' talk pretty baffling, when are they ever going to be ready if strong VFL form (Begley, Mutch, Langford, Ridley, etc) isn't rewarded with senior games?

 

[yaco55]

He's on the rookie list and can rotate forward.

Leuey - can't go forward, apart from hitouts barely impacts the game
Draper - not ready
Lavender - hasn't played a game of footy in 3+ years

The decision to keep him (so far) is far from baffling.

Merrett & Morgan are the lucky ones thus far (McKernan at least performs at VFL level), and Matty Dea is probably lucky he has another year on his contract.

Not much i can do if you fail to see having too many rucks on the list curtails the development of young rucks. How do you play Draper full time in the ruck with Leuey playing VFL. How does Lavender or Draper develop forward craft in the VFL. These are dilemmas when you have too many rucks on the list.

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[bombreys]

Not much i can do if you fail to see having too many rucks on the list curtails the development of young rucks. How do you play Draper full time in the ruck with Leuey playing VFL. How does Lavender or Draper develop forward craft in the VFL. These are dilemmas when you have too many rucks on the list.

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It's not something I'd be worrying about. We managed last year - maybe this year McKernan plays on a wing. They might play Lavender at full forward. We know Bellchambers is capable of going forward.

They'll figure it out.

Think of someone like Dylan Clarke - there'd be, what, 10-15 midfielders ahead of him? Someone has to take up the 40-44th spots on an AFL list - they run deep.

I know he's not a gun and a lot of fans on this forum aren't fans, but he's really not that bad for a third choice ruckman.

 

[kleanr]

What role? As a bit player at best that’s good for two games a season? We can cover that by giving young players the opportunity, you will be surprised what some of them can do with continuity.

It's clear jsd09 is talking like an EFC List Manager and not an emotional EFC diehard (which we all clearly are).

Whats the estimated difference in salary for Bird vs a Rookied J.Merrett or a second year D.Clarke, K.Mutch?
consider that while accommodating the salary cap management in recruiting 3 ready-made players on decent contracts.

 

[Pweter]

Bird seemed to be considered our backup for Watson, now with both of them gone we need to look to our youth to start filling the inside mid void. Howlett can also fall into this bracket as he was fringe as one of those players to come in and get his hands dirty.

This has to be taken as a vote of confidence in players like Begley and Clarke.

 

[Zach Package]

Played hard, trained hard and was ready to go whenever we needed him. Not sure you can ask for much more out of someone that was taken on as a salary dump.

Thank you for your service Craig

 

[yaco55]

It's not something I'd be worrying about. We managed last year - maybe this year McKernan plays on a wing. They might play Lavender at full forward. We know Bellchambers is capable of going forward.

They'll figure it out.

Think of someone like Dylan Clarke - there'd be, what, 10-15 midfielders ahead of him? Someone has to take up the 40-44th spots on an AFL list - they run deep.

I know he's not a gun and a lot of fans on this forum aren't fans, but he's really not that bad for a third choice ruckman.

It is a worry when ruck is a highly defined position. There are usually 2 rucks compared to 8 to 10 midfielders.

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[srobbo]

Don’t mind seeing the club making decisions like this. Bird was never in our best 22 & doesn’t improve us. Much like Howlett, he’s a plodder that the games gone past.