Far out...it's not that they weren't taken as draft picks, the point is you guys tried solving your problems the easy way by recruiting ready made players.
Your mates theory that we stockpiled every KPF is junk. We just built a list of best available of talent.
When you're getting blokes at pick 14 and 27 and they are going on to become players that is kudos to management.
When did I agree with that theory?
And I disagree that we took "ready made players" rather than developing our own. Look at the first round picks that have flunked:
- Josh Simpson, a bit of a risky option but could not cope with the demands of AFL football
- Pitt, congenital heart defect
- Morabito, 4 Knee Reco's
Why shouldn't we use free agency on 2 list spots that cost us nothing but salary? Gumby would have been on 100K and Sylvia was worth a punt and booted when he couldn't meet the requirements of an AFL player.
What about Lachie Neale? Pick 56 (?) and made the AA squad.
Cam Sutcliffe, a best 22 player drafted at pick 71.
All club's can't be gifted a raft of first round draft picks to build a list on, let's stop throwing rocks and discuss this properly.
Matt Taberner is Freo making the best of a bad situation using a rookie listed forward for most of the year. He clearly struggles but look at where he started to where he is now. Every team need's role players, I would love to have had Patton, Cameron, McCarthy and Boyd on the list but we work with what we have.
If the situation changes I would be extremely excited to snag McCarthy, but that is highly unlikely. We would be better hoping that Apeness can get his body right and fulfill his first round selection potential.