Analysis Destination: Western Sydney

[Ichabod Noodle]

Much has been written and said about the comparison between us and the Gold Coast and this thread is another of those examinations. With Pearce Hanley choosing the GC this week, with Deledio choosing us there has also been much talk of "destination clubs".

I decided to look at who each club has brought in from other AFL clubs (or who had prior AFL experience).

For such a player to wind up at either club they must agree to be there, unlike draftees.

So who is the better "destination" club? Who wanted to play for us and who wanted to play for them?

Initial year set-up:

Gold Coast:

Uncontracted:
Gary Ablett Jnr: 192 [games for] Geelong : 96 [games for] GC
Nathan Bock: 113 Ade : 27 GC
Jarred Brennan: 119 Bris : 54 GC
Campbell Brown: 159 Haw : 46 GC
Josh Fraser: 200 Coll : 18 GC
Jarod Harbrow: 70 WB : 114 GC
Nathan Krakouer: 40 PA : 13 GC
Michael Rischitelli: 111 Bri : 100 GC

Pre-season draft
Nathan Ablett: 32 Gee : 2 GC

Rookie Draft
Joel Tippett: 0 Bri : 2 GC

Total: 10 players 1036 games of experience with a return of 470 games for the club (3 still playing)


Greater Western Sydney

Uncontracted
Phil Davis: 18 Ade : 79 GWS
Callan Ward: 60 WB : 107 GWS
Rhys Palmer: 53 Freo : 69 GWS
Tom Scully: 31 Mel : 96 GWS
Sam Reid: 10 WB : 20 GWS

Trades
Chad Cornes: 239 PA : 16 GWS
Dean Brogan: 174 PA : 19 GWS
Luke Power: 282 Bri : 20 GWS

Draft
Setanta OhAilpin: 80 Car : 8 GWS
James McDonald: 251 Mel : 13 GWS

Total: 10 players 1198 games of experience with a return of 447 games (5 still playing)



More important, I think than the initial set-up though, in determining how much of a "destination" club each is, is who has come in since. Who has looked at the up and running organisation and said, yep, I like what I see, I'll go there...

Gold Coast

Trades:
Matthew Warnock: 55 Mel : 32 GC
Greg Broughton: 68 Freo : 42 CG
Mitch Hallahan: 6 Haw : 17 GC
Daniel Curry: 0 Syd : 4 NM : 4 GC
Matt Rosa: 168 WC : 15 GC
Pearce Hanley: 129 Bri

Unrestricted Free Agents
Tom Murphy: 95 Haw : 18 GC
Nick Malceski: 176 Syd : 34 GC

Delisted Free Agents:
Jarrad Grant: 81 WB : 12 GC

Rookie Draft:
Andrew McQualter 89 StK : 5 GC

Total: 10 players with 871 games of experience for a return of 179 games for the club (5 still playing)


Greater Western Sydney

Trades:
Stephen Gilham: 1 PA : 98 Haw : 15 GWS
Shane Mumford: 21 Gee : 79 Syd : 51 GWS
Heath Shaw: 174 Coll : 64 GWS
Josh Hunt: 198 Gee : 14 GWS
Joel Patfull: 182 Bri : 38 GWS
Ryan Griffen: 202 WB : 36 GWS
Steve Johnson: 253 Gee : 22 GWS
Brett Deledio: 243 Rich

Unrestricted Free Agents:
Dawson Simpson: 28 Gee : 0 GWS

Delisted Free Agents:
Dylan Addison: 88 WB : 5 GWS

Pre-season draft
Brett Thornton: 188 Car : 1 GWS
Jed Lamb: 12 Syd : 10 GWS

Total: 12 players with 1767 games of experience for a return of 256 games for the club (6 still playing)

There's also a question of quality - which I kind of think we win fairly handily. We also have had quite a few stay at the club in some capacity or another - coaches, welfare, cultural ambassadors etc. Fraser stayed to coach for a bit but is now coaching at Carlton, other than that.... not so sure they got anything else out of the players they brought in.

Conclusion:
Destination GWS

Your thoughts?

 

[Bokonon]

Nothing to add to the OP except

 

[kulak]

On pure on-field performance you could take 10 players and they would be less influential than GAJ. Advantage Gold Coast.

GWS has been all about character from the start. Recruits like Power, Brogan, Macdonald helped to set the culture. We have seen that pay off with the development of the likes of Greene while some of the talented Gold Coast youngsters have struggled. Advantage GWS.

 

[Giant Heart]

Great read. I think our club has been about a targeted approach to bringing the right people around to help develop the bigger picture players - the kids we drafted over the first two-to-three years.

Gold Coast I'm not so sure. They don't seem to have gone down the same route and threw all their eggs in the Ablett basket. Ablett was amazing, but the Suns really lost their way since he's been injured.

The mature age recruits for us seem to be great leaders and role models for the young players. GC? Hasn't there been questions over Ablett's effectiveness as a leader off the field? If he's not a natural leader off-field and he's unable to play on it, he's useless.

However quantifiable it is to measure and what metrics one wants to include probably comes down to how much weighted value an individual places on certain traits.

I certainly wouldn't trade places with them as no player, even of Ablett's ilk, is more important than a balanced list of equal contributors. The sum of the whole in our case seems to be worth a lot more than the sum of its parts. For GC it's probably the reverse.

 

[Bokonon]

Great read. I think our club has been about a targeted approach to bringing the right people around to help develop the bigger picture players - the kids we drafted over the first two-to-three years.

Gold Coast I'm not so sure. They don't seem to have gone down the same route and threw all their eggs in the Ablett basket. Ablett was amazing, but the Suns really lost their way since he's been injured.

The mature age recruits for us seem to be great leaders and role models for the young players. GC? Hasn't there been questions over Ablett's effectiveness as a leader off the field? If he's not a natural leader off-field and he's unable to play on it, he's useless.

However quantifiable it is to measure and what metrics one wants to include probably comes down to how much weighted value an individual places on certain traits.

I certainly wouldn't trade places with them as no player, even of Ablett's ilk, is more important than a balanced list of equal contributors. The sum of the whole in our case seems to be worth a lot more than the sum of its parts. For GC it's probably the reverse.

I wouldn't call Ablett useless but injured it's technically correct. I do think the best thing for the club would be to trade him. A Marquee player will have an influence on the club culture whether you like it or not, and he isn't a leader in my view. He may not have the serious character issues of his dad but still isn't a leader.
We missed Buddy and I think we would have had a similar problem if we got him, both are extraordinarily talented players but better off at a club with a strong culture New clubs have to be careful in my view.
GC do gave a lot of talent and May's game against us last time in particular was outstanding, we got away with the points by the skin of our teeth. They have a lot of draft picks this year, at some point it will come together for them IMO.
Not to say the comparison so far shows we've been better managed, and clearly so.

 

[kulak]

Trade GAJ to GWS

 

[Bokonon]

Trade GAJ to GWS

You would really want him at the end of his career?

 

[kulak]

You would really want him at the end of his career?

Sorry that was for the lolz. But imagine the melts.

Although if we could get him for pick 80 on a 1 year $50k deal...

 

[Bokonon]

Sorry that was for the lolz. But imagine the melts.

Although if we could get him for pick 80 on a 1 year $50k deal...

All good it was just my opinion and meant to provoke discussion. Just wasn't sure how serious you were.

 

[Simmofreo]

Tourist destination and AFL player Destination

 

[The Fid]

We simply had the right people from inception, and the right amount of luck.

 

[Raymann]

Th.

We simply had the right people from inception, and the right amount of luck.

Thank you Neville Stibbard

 

[Gigantor]

Good OP.

Pretty hard to argue with.

 

[Ichabod Noodle]

Of course you now need to add Jarryd Lyons and the great Jarrod Witts to the list going to the GC - thus again proving my point.

 

[kulak]

Of course you now need to add Jarryd Lyons and the great Jarrod Witts to the list going to the GC - thus again proving my point.

Jarryd Lyons is a nice player. Sad to see him go from Adelaide. Especially for a packet of chips.

 

[coniglio_number1]

Of course you now need to add Jarryd Lyons and the great Jarrod Witts to the list going to the GC - thus again proving my point.

At least the pies fans will stop trying to offload him to us

 

[The Fid]

Th.

Thank you Neville Stibbard

I can't be bothered googling...Who?

 

[Raymann]

I can't be bothered googling...Who?

The person responsible for selecting the 17 year olds. Was North recruiter for many years