Opinion Best young group in 30 years

ChoppyGun

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Not the slightest bit worried about our kids coming through. Excited even if hasn't worked this year.

Add 2 more firsts this draft, ideally quick mids with skills, it's a very good core to build from.

It's the 25year plus group we have major problems with.
 
Last edited:
Nov 14, 2012
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I'm sure this only summarises what most on here think, but the club has got to move heaven and earth to keep the current U23 group together - TT, LDU, Bailey, Jy, Zurhaar, Larkey, WW, Curtis - that's a group you can build a flag side around. Make it happen, Eugene
Amazing call. From that batch you've mentioned, only Jy has proven he can play consistently at AFL level. My goodness. I've read posts like this on here for 15 years - Dylan Smith, Taylor Garner, Joel Tippet, Vickers-Willis, Ryan Clarke, Wagner, S Atley, K Harper, Bastinac, B Mckenzie.......were all players we could build a flag around......
 
Jan 23, 2019
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Well on the wireless yesterday Westerns
very own Bob Murray said this was the most skilled side he’d ever seen North field .

And Bob was given a premiership medal without even playing , that’s how good he was.

WTF is wrong with you? Who listens to Rev Bob? In fairness I suppose there were five missing from the side that beat GW$.

Handy five at that. Cunners, JZ ( yeah I rate him) TT, Zurhaaar and Anderson who would improve us no doubt. Not premiership improve of course.
 
Jun 9, 2001
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It's not even the best young group in 10 years. There's a bit of promise but haven't changed my mind that Goldstein, Thomas, Tarrant, Greenwood, Thompson, Ziebell, Cunnington, Daw, Wright, Hansen, Grima was a pretty handy 1-4 year group 10 years ago too.
 

Passmore

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WTF is wrong with you? Who listens to Rev Bob? In fairness I suppose there were five missing from the side that beat GW$.

Handy five at that. Cunners, JZ ( yeah I rate him) TT, Zurhaaar and Anderson who would improve us no doubt. Not premiership improve of course.

So in the space of a month, Rev Bob has seen the most skillfull North side and potentially the least skillfull (assuming he has watched us since).

That is quite something.
 
Jun 7, 2019
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It's not even the best young group in 10 years. There's a bit of promise but haven't changed my mind that Goldstein, Thomas, Tarrant, Greenwood, Thompson, Ziebell, Cunnington, Daw, Wright, Hansen, Grima was a pretty handy 1-4 year group 10 years ago too.
yeah, nah, I'm standing by my original call (always look on the bright side, dee-dum, dee-dum, dee-dum etc); TT, Curtis, Zurhaar and Jy have all shown more X-factor at their stages of their careers than any of that group....I admit to some bias; I was at Thomas' debut game against the Pies when he kicked five points and we lost by less than a goal, some things you just can't forgive and forget
 

ChoppyGun

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My goodness. I've read posts like this on here for 15 years

Joined 2012.

We are 2020.

I'm no mathematician but even I clearly suspect there's a huge hole there regarding 15 years Zondor......sorry Arthur.

Our juniors are much more exciting than our mid level seniors outside a couple.
 

Waussie

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I dunno tho....

If anything the Cunners/Ziebs/Bastinac/Greenwood/Harper/Wright/Atley/Macmillan days tells me is that nothing is certain.

These guys to me have shown that they have it, and by it I mean they will have AFL careers to varying levels of success:
Simpkin
Thomas
Zurhaar
Larkey

These guys have shown talent but the jury is still out:
LDU
Taylor
Scott
Walker
Ahern

Its too early to know with these guys:
Bonar
Perez
Mahoney
Comben

It is quite feasible that all the players in the bottom two groups don't make it, although I am pretty bullish about LDU, Taylor and Scott moving up a level.
I'd move Perez up to the middle group, drop Zurhaar down to the middle and put Scott up to top. I'd be putting Kyron in the middle group and Xerri .
 

Waussie

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Big call.

McKernan was a superstar at 25 games
Longmire should have kicked 100 goals at 19 years of age
Carey was, well Carey was Carey
Mick Martyn was the best full back in the comp
Glenn Archer skilled and hard as
Craig Scholl, Darryn Crocker, Brett Allison, Wayne Schwass, Anthony Stevens, Adam Simpson, John Blakey, Byron Pickett, David King, Anthony Rock, Mark Roberts, Dean Laidley, etc.

They were super talented across the board, but also tough as nails.

And whilst I am also bullish about our current crop I really don't think you can compare the level of talent with what we assembled in the 90s.
Different era, different game.
 

Psicosis

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I am interested to see when this young group start climbing us up the ladder. Not off the back of Cunnington or Goldstein brilliance, but Jy and LDU or Stepho.

Patience is obviously going to be needed, but I hope we have a few wins next year that are off the back of big performances from the young players (not just the senior guys).
 
Jun 7, 2019
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I am interested to see when this young group start climbing us up the ladder. Not off the back of Cunnington or Goldstein brilliance, but Jy and LDU or Stepho.

Patience is obviously going to be needed, but I hope we have a few wins next year that are off the back of big performances from the young players (not just the senior guys).
...and Larkey and Zurhaar and TT and Taylor and.... and..... and....
 

Heaps of fun

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We'll see. Looks bloody good at the moment though. I think Phillips, Simpkin, LDU and Powell project to be a lot better than Cunnington, Ziebell, Bastinac and Swallow.

Glad we aren't Hawthorn. This is their best side from the 26 and under thread on the main board:

B: Hardwick Koschitzke Sicily
HB: scrimshaw barass impey
C: Phillips worpel day
HF: Nash Lewis Morris
FF: Hanrahan Jeka Moore
R: Reeves cousins howe
I: Maginness, Downie, jiath, Morrison

Port Melbourne would give them a shellacking.
 
Jun 7, 2019
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Let's not get too carried away.
Screen Shot 2020-12-12 at 11.40.11 am.png
 
Think we’re using selective memory here.

2005 - 23 and Under Group
D.Motlop
Harris
Petrie
Co.Jones
Harding
Hale
Firrito
Wells
McIntosh
J.Gibson
JW Smith
McMahon

2010 23 and Under Group
Swallow
Hansen
Thomas
Goldstein
Adams
Tarrant
Greenwood
Grima
Thompson
Ziebell
Wright
Cunnington
Bastinac
MacMillan
Black
Daw

I like the current crop but think we’re romanticising the prospects of youth a bit.

IMO any success we enjoy will be far more off the back of a strong coaching structure and player buy-in than outright young talent, because frankly the above groups were more than comparable.

This is straight from Psicosis' U23 thread...

FB - Bonar - Mckay - Hayden
HB - Perez - McGuinness - Young
C - Scott - Phillips - T.Powell
FOLL - Xerri - Davies-Uniacke - Simpkin
HF - Stephenson - Comben - Thomas
FF - Taylor - Larkey - Zurhaar

INT - Mahoney - Bosenavulagi - Lazzaro - Spicer - Ford - P.Walker - W.Walker


So for me 2 from FB, one from HB, 2 from the Centreline, the 2 HFFs and at least 2 of the FF line, maybe all three, the 2 mids who aren't big X are all better than some in that 2010 line up. The rest have shown highlights or a few things at AFL level but that is it.

Mackay, Hayden, Perez, Scott, gambling on Phillips but Cunners was the same in 2010, LDU, Jy, the other JS, Tarryn, Larkey and CamZ.

Taylor, Xerri, Mahoney, WWalker and even Bonar have all shown a bit at the AFL level too, and to be fair Perez could be included there but he looked like he belonged at the level straight away.

So as far as mids go...

Scott, Phillips, LDU, JY, Stephenson and Thomas v Swallow, Goldy, Greenbucks, Jack, Cunners, Patch and Basti. Close but I think the new crop have a bit more class. There are four top ten picks, a couple of top five picks, Jy who slid to pick 12. Of the other group Cunners and Jack are top ten picks, Basti went around 20 and the rest went from 30 to 45 or something. I'm not saying draft position is the be all and end all but its clear that the class of Cunners and Ziebell is what them kept them around for years. Greenwood is still okay, I'd compare him to Hayden who I haven't mentioned yet. Goldy is a freak but rucks don't usually go high in the draft like Thilthorpe did.

Now we could potentially add the likes of Perez, Lazzarro, Mahoney, Ford, Spicer, Powell, Bonar, Hayden and Taylor to that midfield line up and even the likes of PWalker, WWalker and Young if they play thru the wing and flanks, (tho at least two of them are complete unknowns and unlikely to make it if you go by the odds for draft positions and early career trades for opportunity.) Plus Xerri, who is no Goldy but still averaged more goals per game than Ben Brown this season just gone. That is the sort of u23 depth we didn't have a decade ago.

Mackay v Taz, Perez v SammyW, Thomas/Taylor or Zurhaar v Thomas. Looking back these match ups look interesting. Hansen, Black, Daw ... disappointing but looked good.

They are different groups tho. The 2020 groups looks alot less ad hoc, its better structured, alot less defensive in that most of the defenders are capable of attacking off the backline. Its got alot better numbers in terms of draft position especially at the top end around the midfield.

And lets not forget that 2010 group did give it a reasonable shake. With a bit more luck, some fairer umpiring and a bit more self discipline they could have had a flag or at least played off for one. So its not like we are saying they were s**t. Its just this lot look better.
 

Psicosis

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This is straight from Psicosis' U23 thread...

FB - Bonar - Mckay - Hayden
HB - Perez - McGuinness - Young
C - Scott - Phillips - T.Powell
FOLL - Xerri - Davies-Uniacke - Simpkin
HF - Stephenson - Comben - Thomas
FF - Taylor - Larkey - Zurhaar

INT - Mahoney - Bosenavulagi - Lazzaro - Spicer - Ford - P.Walker - W.Walker


So for me 2 from FB, one from HB, 2 from the Centreline, the 2 HFFs and at least 2 of the FF line, maybe all three, the 2 mids who aren't big X are all better than some in that 2010 line up. The rest have shown highlights or a few things at AFL level but that is it.

Mackay, Hayden, Perez, Scott, gambling on Phillips but Cunners was the same in 2010, LDU, Jy, the other JS, Tarryn, Larkey and CamZ.

Taylor, Xerri, Mahoney, WWalker and even Bonar have all shown a bit at the AFL level too, and to be fair Perez could be included there but he looked like he belonged at the level straight away.

So as far as mids go...

Scott, Phillips, LDU, JY, Stephenson and Thomas v Swallow, Goldy, Greenbucks, Jack, Cunners, Patch and Basti. Close but I think the new crop have a bit more class. There are four top ten picks, a couple of top five picks, Jy who slid to pick 12. Of the other group Cunners and Jack are top ten picks, Basti went around 20 and the rest went from 30 to 45 or something. I'm not saying draft position is the be all and end all but its clear that the class of Cunners and Ziebell is what them kept them around for years. Greenwood is still okay, I'd compare him to Hayden who I haven't mentioned yet. Goldy is a freak but rucks don't usually go high in the draft like Thilthorpe did.

Now we could potentially add the likes of Perez, Lazzarro, Mahoney, Ford, Spicer, Powell, Bonar, Hayden and Taylor to that midfield line up and even the likes of PWalker, WWalker and Young if they play thru the wing and flanks, (tho at least two of them are complete unknowns and unlikely to make it if you go by the odds for draft positions and early career trades for opportunity.) Plus Xerri, who is no Goldy but still averaged more goals per game than Ben Brown this season just gone. That is the sort of u23 depth we didn't have a decade ago.

Mackay v Taz, Perez v SammyW, Thomas/Taylor or Zurhaar v Thomas. Looking back these match ups look interesting. Hansen, Black, Daw ... disappointing but looked good.

They are different groups tho. The 2020 groups looks alot less ad hoc, its better structured, alot less defensive in that most of the defenders are capable of attacking off the backline. Its got alot better numbers in terms of draft position especially at the top end around the midfield.

And lets not forget that 2010 group did give it a reasonable shake. With a bit more luck, some fairer umpiring and a bit more self discipline they could have had a flag or at least played off for one. So its not like we are saying they were sh*t. Its just this lot look better.

I agree in that on paper, we have a more talented group - albeit based on u18 footy, which obviously doesn't translate.

I also think that it's important to not fall into the trap of thinking that the young talent we have is enough.

History tells us that some that we think will make it, won't. There are 3 sides in the comp that I think have a stronger u22 group then us - GC, Freo & Sydney. The reality is that these 3 sides (particularly GC & Sydney) have only gotten stronger this offseason, and they are going to be the sides that climb the ladder with us in 2-3 years time (GC & Freo have already begun). My point is really that we need to really make the most of the couple of years we are down the bottom to bring in as good a talent as we can.
 
I agree in that on paper, we have a more talented group - albeit based on u18 footy, which obviously doesn't translate.

I also think that it's important to not fall into the trap of thinking that the young talent we have is enough.

History tells us that some that we think will make it, won't. There are 3 sides in the comp that I think have a stronger u22 group then us - GC, Freo & Sydney. The reality is that these 3 sides (particularly GC & Sydney) have only gotten stronger this offseason, and they are going to be the sides that climb the ladder with us in 2-3 years time (GC & Freo have already begun). My point is really that we need to really make the most of the couple of years we are down the bottom to bring in as good a talent as we can.
That is another good point cos our drafting between 2010 and 2016 when the people in the 2020 group started appearing leaves alot to be desired.
 
Apr 1, 2008
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I dunno tho....

If anything the Cunners/Ziebs/Bastinac/Greenwood/Harper/Wright/Atley/Macmillan days tells me is that nothing is certain.

These guys to me have shown that they have it, and by it I mean they will have AFL careers to varying levels of success:
Simpkin
Thomas
Zurhaar
Larkey

These guys have shown talent but the jury is still out:
LDU
Taylor
Scott
Walker
Ahern

Its too early to know with these guys:
Bonar
Perez
Mahoney
Comben

It is quite feasible that all the players in the bottom two groups don't make it, although I am pretty bullish about LDU, Taylor and Scott moving up a level.

Where has this bloke nicked off to?

Been ‘moderated’ by the Chaddy crew?
 
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