Chaplin

[BluesPrez]

Carlton should chase Troy 'Charlie' Chaplin with pick 2 if we get it. The reason is purely long-term, we need a 193cm defender. While I still think our midfield is trouble and is in the most need of fixing, the fact is that Cooney is the stand out and Tenace, Dunn, McLean, Walker, Sylvia etc. don't stand out Goddard and Wells did last year. So we're better off building a midfield from trading so that mature bodies can be brought in. Midfielders take less time so we might be able to pick up a relatively good one early on in the draft next year because it looks like we're in for another barren year.

I chose Chaplin ahead of Watts because Chaplin looks better at CHB than CHF and someone who can read the play well is better off in the backline. If we pick up Chaplin, then our defensive 6 is there for the long-term.

B - Sporn, Thornton, Norman
HB - Wiggins, Chaplin, Livingston (if he makes it)

A small back pocket would put Wiggins in the midfield which might help but other than that, our back 6 is there, we need to allow them to play as much footy together as we can so that they can understand each other's play.

The temptation is to grab a midfielder and unless Tenace shows himself up to be a worthy no. 2 pick, then it would not surprise me to see Pagan and Seagull calling out Chaplin's name at no. 2 simply because without Martyn there next year we look a bit frailer.

If we get pick 1, well, it's obvious, we pick Cooney.

I am worried about us taking Raphael Clarke but that's another story.

Sheik, this is in no way a back down from my earlier comments about getting a midfielder. If the top 3 stand-out players were midfielders, I'd grab a midfielder. But at the moment, this is our situation

 

[LordLucifer]

Originally posted by BluesPrez




Sheik, this is in no way a back down from my earlier comments about getting a midfielder. If the top 3 stand-out players were midfielders, I'd grab a midfielder. But at the moment, this is our situation

I was getting all excited as I read your comments there Prez, I was thinking to myself "he's left himself open for a broadside" and then I got to these comments at the end - what a bummer !!

Always should go for the best players possible in the draft, that is a given, but I would hope that we keep our eyes open for the opportunity to get a player or two in the 194-196cm category.

The key posts in our spine have to be filled by players of size and ability, it's the only way we will seriously challenge for a flag in the future.

 

[Duffman95]

Re: Re: Chaplin

Originally posted by TheSheik
Always should go for the best players possible in the draft, that is a given, but I would hope that we keep our eyes open for the opportunity to get a player or two in the 194-196cm category.

Delirous... honestly 1cm... 193cm is tall enough...

 

[nightcrawler]

BluesPrez,

There are a few of us around of a like opinion. Amazonstud was the first person I heard to suggest picking Chaplin at number 2. Thornton is the goods (and we are very fortunate that he's taken such a short amount of time to find his feet as a defender!!!), and I reckon one of Norman or Livo will make it as a third tall defender, but I agree that we really need one more KP defender who knows what he's doing and has those extra few centimetres in height/reach.

Watching Manton being hopelessly outplayed by Tredrea today only goes to show that as much as we've hated having Martyn in the team this year we really did need him. Pagan is acutely aware of the problen which is why he picked up Martyn in the first place, despite knowing that he would cop flak from both supporters and the media over doing it. At the end of the day, key position defenders don't grow on trees, and the clubs who have them don't trade them very often. Simple as that. I doubt Pagan will blow the chance to pick up Chaplin, who from all reports is quite an accomplished defender, and versatile to boot. (a natural defender who can go forward if required, is a hell of a lot more useful than a natural forward who is tall enough to go back but doesn't really know what he is doing when he gets there!!)

There are enough midfielders around with good skills that we can add pace and depth to our midfield through trading, the pre-season draft, and even the late rounds of the National draft. As you mentioned, we are most likely going to have one (hopefully not two) top five selections next year as well. We can get a classy midfielder then since they don't take as long to develop as talls. I see no reason to use our priority pick on one this year - unless Scott Clayton from the Bulldogs makes the mistake of his career and passes on Cooney of course.

I look at it this way. If you think of Thornton as the replacement for Sexton, then we have never adequately replaced SOS and are down one good defender. If we haven't got a handle on this before Macca retires (which may well be this year) then we will be down two good defenders and our defence will always be on the back foot for years to come. Which means even if we put a good midfield together then we'll just end up like the Geelong or the Bulldogs who can't win games anyway despite having a plethora of good midfielders. Premiership sides are built around great defences. Ours has been better this year, and has potential, but Chaplin is the final piece of the jigsaw puzzle as far as I'm concerned.

NC