Universal Love Holding Faith in Stephen Wells and Mackie (a.k.a. "In Wells We Trust")

[Max Milburn]

Heh Max I am 62..so you can go **** yourself you ****

I'm too old for gymnastics like that now.

 

[DAlembert]

Why does his age have an impact on his ability to do his job?

Sorry but it seems that here in Aus we have such a fixation on age and that it seems we age people out of jobs for no real good reason, rather than acknowledge that their experience can actually be beneficial

Could not agree more! Bill McMaster I think did it to his 70's. But he probably went too long. Game evolves no doubt Wells has his KPI's

 

[DAlembert]

I'm too old for gymnastics like that now.

Mmm maybe...I do like your Felix the Cat Strut.

 

[thecatattack]

Must be an incredibly frustrating job being a recruiter. The weirdest one for me was Smedts. Very talented junior, actually showed a bit at AFL level. Then stalled and went quickly in reverse. To this day, I can’t work out why he was so rubbish.

I would find it hard to say he was a mistake of a pick. It was clear he had ability.

He wasn't the smartest bloke.

Remember the armed robbery prank he and Caddy tried to pull?

 

[Ratcat]

Falcon, talented, classy user of the ball
I don't see that as a mind-blowing choice.
Many were hoping we would select him, being a "local" as well.

Cooper Stephens?

 

[Whit3y]

Having been inspired by the "Redo the [insert random year] draft" threads, I thought I'd take a look back at Geelong's drafting during the period listed here, and amend our draft choices using a wonderful concept called hindsight.


2008
Pick 15 - Mitchell Brown Pick 18 - Luke Shuey/Pick 30 - Dan Hannebery
Pick 33 - Tom Gillies Pick 34 - Liam Shiels
Pick 39 - Steven Motlop
Pick 49 - Taylor Hunt Pick 53 - Michael Walters

2009
Pick 17 - Daniel Menzel (injuries) Injuries aside, Pick 20 - Nat Fyfe is a no brainer
Pick 28 - Mitchell Duncan
Pick 40 - Allen Christensen Pick 46 - Ben Stratton
Pick 42 - Nathan Vardy Pick 49 - Dylan Roberton
Pick 56 - Josh Cowan Pick 69 - Taylor Duyrea
Pick 65 - Jeremy Laidler (rookie promotion) Pick 75 - Josh Thomas

2010
Pick 15 - Billie Smedts Pick 19 - Isaac Smith
Pick 23 - Cameron Guthrie Pick 26 - Jack Darling
Pick 37 - George Horlin-Smith Pick 40 - Luke Parker
Pick 54 - Jordan Schroder Pick 66 - Paul Puopolo
Pick 58 - James Podsiadly (rookie promotion)

2011
Pick 32 - Joel Hamling Pick 33 - Brad Hill
Pick 34 - Shane Kersten Pick 44 - Sam Rowe
Pick 48 - Jordan Murdoch Pick 58 - Lachie Neale
Pick 66 - Lincoln McCarthy Injuries have prevented Lincoln from realising his potential. This was the correct call, even in hindsight
Pick 78 - Orren Stephenson (although only recruited as insurance) Had Geelong hypothetically taken Goldstein, we wouldn't have needed Orren
Pick 86 - Jed Bews F/S

2012
Pick 16 - Jackson Thurlow Pick 18 - Broadie Grundy
Pick 77 - Bradley Hartman Pick 81 - Rory Atkins
Pick 92 - Jessie Stringer (rookie promotion) Had we not rookie promoted this guy, we just would have passed

2013
Pick 16 - Darcy Lang Pick 23 - Matt Crouch/Pick 26 - Zac Merrett/Pick 31 - Rory Lobb
Pick 36 - Jarrad Jansen Pick 37 - Alex Pearce
Pick 41 - Jake Kolodjashnij Pick 47 - Ben Brown
Pick 54 - Josh Walker (rookie promotion) Pick 56 - James Sicily
Pick 63 - George Burbury (rookie promotion) Pick 65 - Tom Langdon/Pick 66 - Sam Lloyd

2014
Pick 10 - Nakia Cockatoo *More time needed before Nakia can be declared a bust
Pick 47 - Cory Gregson Pick 61 - Harris Andrews
Pick 55 - Dean Gore Pick 67 - Dan Butler
Pick 59 - Jordan Cunico


2015
Pick 59 - Ryan Gardner Pick 65 - Ben Crocker
Pick 66 - Sam Menegola
Pick 69 - Wylie Buzza Both 69 and 70 were the last two picks of the draft. There was nothing to lose with either
Pick 70 - Matthew Hayball As above

How many of these players are still on our list? At first glance it looks fairly grim.

 

[candiehappy]

How many of these players are still on our list? At first glance it looks fairly grim.

from 2008?

 

[Whit3y]

from 2008?

08 to 15

 

[dazbroncos]

TIme for a title update...

Wellsy has been the guru for ages... has had his head scatchers too... but of late.. the mojo is flowing...

GO Catters

 

[TomsBulgingDisc]

I think it pays to be cognisant that Wells is directed to make choices to suit the wants of the current coaching dept.
I'm sure there's times he's wanted to bring in a player, but he's been blocked because it isn't what the current club direction dictates.
I'd be staggered of he's making trades autonomously and then the coaches have to work with what he gives them.

 

[Vdubs]

Cooper Stephens?

explain please

 

[candiehappy]

08 to 15

wouldn't be many players across the AFL who started in 2008

 

[Ratcat]

explain please

Stephens has also. overcome a broken leg with stellar combine results.
A local as well.

 

[BotsMaster]

I think it pays to be cognisant that Wells is directed to make choices to suit the wants of the current coaching dept.
I'm sure there's times he's wanted to bring in a player, but he's been blocked because it isn't what the current club direction dictates.
I'd be staggered of he's making trades autonomously and then the coaches have to work with what he gives them.

So he'll pick defenders this draft?

 

[Partridge]

Yes, he had a long and diverse injury history, something which tends to be forgotten by the naysayers who count the misses and forget the hits.

It wasn't that long and it wasn't that diverse. Certainly not compared to others. He'd played 18 games in 2004 for Richmond and 12 in 2003. Prior to that he'd played 20 games or more for the previous four years. He was also only 24 when Geelong grabbed him.

 

[Partridge]

Must be an incredibly frustrating job being a recruiter. The weirdest one for me was Smedts. Very talented junior, actually showed a bit at AFL level. Then stalled and went quickly in reverse. To this day, I can’t work out why he was so rubbish.

I would find it hard to say he was a mistake of a pick. It was clear he had ability.

Smedts showed genuine promise up forward in both 2012 and 2013. What's forgotten is that he was injured early in 2014 and stated publicly he thought he needed 3-4 weeks in the VFL before challenging for the seniors. Accordingly, he was put back in that week against Sydney, he was nowhere near ready and we got thumped by 100+ points. From that point on the club decided he was a defender (which he wasn't) and it was downhill from there. May not have made it anyway, but positionally the last few years didn't help at all.

Lang was probably a mistake. Lacked leg speed and not brilliant in any area of the game. But even he played some very good football at AFL level on occasion.

Notably his second last game for us - the semi final against Sydney in 2017. Played rarely (and correctly) as a midfielder, he looked terrific. One game later gone.

 

[FredLeDeux]

It wasn't that long and it wasn't that diverse. Certainly not compared to others. He'd played 18 games in 2004 for Richmond and 12 in 2003. Prior to that he'd played 20 games or more for the previous four years. He was also only 24 when Geelong grabbed him.

Before he came to Geelong, he had "torn his ACL, required spinal surgery and badly fractured his ankle on separate occasions in the space of two years." [He never missed many games, because he was "lucky" with his timing.]

http://www.theroar.com.au/2013/03/04/the-five-best-recruiting-decisions-of-the-last-decade/

 

[David the Cat]

Good analogy. But even the stock pickers run into events that can’t be predicted (natural disasters etc.).

...or Trump....

 

[Partridge]

...or Trump....

...Or Brexit.....or Australia 2019....

 

[Ricky Vaughn]

So he'll pick defenders this draft?

Only if they can be moved to the wing for Finals.

 

[CharacterFirst]

Must be an incredibly frustrating job being a recruiter. The weirdest one for me was Smedts. Very talented junior, actually showed a bit at AFL level. Then stalled and went quickly in reverse. To this day, I can’t work out why he was so rubbish.

I would find it hard to say he was a mistake of a pick. It was clear he had ability.

Lang was probably a mistake. Lacked leg speed and not brilliant in any area of the game. But even he played some very good football at AFL level on occasion.

There is a weird chemistry that makes an AFL player and you simply don’t know on some guys until they get in the system.

Cockatoo was not a mistake. He is a potentially brilliant AFL player.

Re Smedts:

I am an OGG, and I would pretty much never look at drafting a Geelong Grammar student.
I just have little confidence in the school re top level sport.

But, I must admit, it has been a while since I was running around in the light blue.

 

[DAlembert]

Re Smedts:

I am an OGG, and I would pretty much never look at drafting a Geelong Grammar student.
I just have little confidence in the school re top level sport.

But, I must admit, it has been a while since I was running around in the light blue.

Yep the Grammar does not really have a huge Sporting pedigree. Beautiful ovals and facilities but always had the reputation of being over coached.
Played with a local high school against them in the early 70s and we won by 20 odd goals. They were big raw country lads but footy was not their speciality.
WE did have a fairly handy team with probably 10 or so Geelong U19 players

 

[CharacterFirst]

Yep the Grammar does not really have a huge Sporting pedigree. Beautiful ovals and facilities but always had the reputation of being over coached.
Played with a local high school against them in the early 70s and we won by 20 odd goals. They were big raw country lads but footy was not their speciality.
WE did have a fairly handy team with probably 10 or so Geelong U19 players

Lol. 10 Geelong U19 players - pretty fair bet you beat most school sides with that lot!

GGS kids miss a whole season of development while at Timber Top. As you say, they are big and strong, but better rowers than footballers and cricketers.

Of course, now days sports scholarships are 'legal' in the A.P.S. (Smedts would have been on one). In my day sports scholarships were just for schools like Caufield and Haileybury who cheated the system.

 

[AM]

TIme for a title update...

Wellsy has been the guru for ages... has had his head scatchers too... but of late.. the mojo is flowing...

GO Catters

He has been. However, his strike rate with his early picks in recent years hasn't been anything to write home about.

 

[David the Cat]

Re Smedts:

I am an OGG, and I would pretty much never look at drafting a Geelong Grammar student.
I just have little confidence in the school re top level sport.

But, I must admit, it has been a while since I was running around in the light blue.

Blasphemy.......Blasphemy.....

Such little faith....has our last APS GF victory escaped you already??? 106 years is but a speck in the eons of time....

Out damned spot.......