How do our youngsters rate?

[SRH17]

AFL website running an article about who has the best under 23's. It appears only GWS and Western Bulldogs are worthy of discussion.

 

[Toffee Lion]

AFL website running an article about who has the best under 23's. It appears only GWS and Western Bulldogs are worthy of discussion.

So the AFL's pet child and the over-hyped media favourite Dogs?

Shocker.

 

[M Malice]

AFL website running an article about who has the best under 23's. It appears only GWS and Western Bulldogs are worthy of discussion.

So the AFL's pet child and the over-hyped media favourite Dogs?

Shocker.

we are an irrelevance to the majority of football followers and media in other states unfortunately. i did start a couple of threads on this subject re. our young talent "looking forward. under 25 as at grand final day 2016" and "our developing midfield". i think we have the foundations of a very good club in place both on and off field. they like the bad news stories in the main, easier to write, not much research required.
when we start climbing up the ladder then they'll all say how did we miss that.

 

[Ironmonger]

AFL website running an article about who has the best under 23's. It appears only GWS and Western Bulldogs are worthy of discussion.

Sadly, I don't think our under 23s deserve to be in that discussion

Our best players under 23 would probably be Clarke, Taylor, Andrews and Paparone.

That's some way behind GWS, with Shiel, Cameron, Smith and Greene, or Stringer, Macrae, Bontempelli and Hunter at the Dogs.

We'd also be well behind Melbourne with Viney, Hogan, Tyson and Brayshaw, Gold Coast with Kolodjashnij, O'Meara, Miller and Martin, and Collingwood with Treloar, Adams, Grundy and Crisp.

It's not a particularly strong group for us right now. We need to get more out of these guys this year.

 

[Eons]

Sadly, I don't think our under 23s deserve to be in that discussion

Our best players under 23 would probably be Clarke, Taylor, Andrews and Paparone.

That's some way behind GWS, with Shiel, Cameron, Smith and Greene, or Stringer, Macrae, Bontempelli and Hunter at the Dogs.

We'd also be well behind Melbourne with Viney, Hogan, Tyson and Brayshaw, Gold Coast with Kolodjashnij, O'Meara, Miller and Martin, and Collingwood with Treloar, Adams, Grundy and Crisp.

It's not a particularly strong group for us right now. We need to get more out of these guys this year.

Looking at that list we are definitely behind GWS and Bulldogs. I would add Freeman to the list, apart from Andrews he would be the most likely out of the other group to be A grade in the next few years. In a couple of years we should be right up there with Andrews, Schache, Hipwood, Keays and Allison.

 

[chopperduck]

Our better players are now in that 23-28 bracket, but the under 23s will make the difference. You listed Clarke, Andrews and Paparone, 3 players playing in defense. Easy to see why we can be fragile at times.

I do think our under 20s are very strong though, especially with recent additions of Keays, Hipwood and Schache.

 

[jjami15]

Sadly, I don't think our under 23s deserve to be in that discussion

Our best players under 23 would probably be Clarke, Taylor, Andrews and Paparone.

That's some way behind GWS, with Shiel, Cameron, Smith and Greene, or Stringer, Macrae, Bontempelli and Hunter at the Dogs.

We'd also be well behind Melbourne with Viney, Hogan, Tyson and Brayshaw, Gold Coast with Kolodjashnij, O'Meara, Miller and Martin, and Collingwood with Treloar, Adams, Grundy and Crisp.

It's not a particularly strong group for us right now. We need to get more out of these guys this year.

I do have to agree with you here and whilst we currently have the opportunity to access the academy and whilst we are languishing down the bottom of the ladder we need to, like this year, draft a highly rated youngster with our early pick and then use the points system to access another possible first rounder or two. However, where players are picked doesn't just equate to top AFL talent and like Geelong did, get lucky with later picks and build over a number of drafts.

 

[Leuy LongerCombo]

Sadly, I don't think our under 23s deserve to be in that discussion

Our best players under 23 would probably be Clarke, Taylor, Andrews and Paparone.

That's some way behind GWS, with Shiel, Cameron, Smith and Greene, or Stringer, Macrae, Bontempelli and Hunter at the Dogs.

We'd also be well behind Melbourne with Viney, Hogan, Tyson and Brayshaw, Gold Coast with Kolodjashnij, O'Meara, Miller and Martin, and Collingwood with Treloar, Adams, Grundy and Crisp.

It's not a particularly strong group for us right now. We need to get more out of these guys this year.

Really like the list that Melbourne are building, they should have a strong ball winning midfield with a few good Talls in Hogan, McDonald, Gawn, and a few others developing too.

I like where our list is headed but we still need a good couple of years, both development and recruiting. Think we have the pieces for our spine, hopefully they countinue to develop. Would like to see us draft some really strong midfielders in the coming drafts

 

[Skoob]

Our better players are now in that 23-28 bracket, but the under 23s will make the difference. You listed Clarke, Andrews and Paparone, 3 players playing in defense. Easy to see why we can be fragile at times.

I do think our under 20s are very strong though, especially with recent additions of Keays, Hipwood and Schache.

In the next 2-3 years, I think they'll be very strong and we will definitely feature in "under 23" discussions, but for now we have a stack of unproved, potential talent. (Well credentialled, promising potential, but don't think they qualify as a strong under 23 quad yet).

 

[POBT]

There would be very few clubs whose supporters wouldn't look at their 1st-3rd year players and see enormous potential. Go back 7 or 8 years and we were very bullish on the likes of Sherman, Stiller and Moody.

 

[Cousin Jed]

There would be very few clubs whose supporters wouldn't look at their 1st-3rd year players and see enormous potential. Go back 7 or 8 years and we were very bullish on the likes of Sherman, Stiller and Moody.

I still am. Guns!

 

[Panthera]

There would be very few clubs whose supporters wouldn't look at their 1st-3rd year players and see enormous potential. Go back 7 or 8 years and we were very bullish on the likes of Sherman, Stiller and Moody.

Really

All later, speculative draft picks that showed a little, but nothing to get bullish about

 

[BigCat2]

Really

All later, speculative draft picks that showed a little, but nothing to get bullish about

Not Moody...but I remember in about 2006 I thought Sherman, Stiller and Rischetelli were the future of our midfield, and being proud of our record of identifying midfield prospects late in the draft. No history revision there...they all looked like 200 game players then. They did all eventually play 100+ games though so far above average.

Which is a good reminder to keep our expectations realistic when it comes to our young players. Realistically half Of them won't make it.