Look to 2007!

[foj1]

Forget about Camporeale and Heffernan in preseason draft. Save salary cap room and play our youngsters in 2006. Put games into Monfries, Dyson, Winderlich,Watson,Lovett, Slattery, Lovett-Murray, Johns and Laycock and finish in the bottom 6. 2006 draft looks stronger than this years and we will have good draft position, huge salary cap room- which will be expanded with Hird's likely retirement and valuable experience into our youngsters. I really can't see Campo or Hef being part of our next premiership side so why take them? I expect a lot of people to bag this idea but I dont want to see us finishing consistently in the middle of the table.

 

[Longy413]

The idea has merit.
Except when you start playing for draft picks, it's a horrible cycle to get out of.

You want to build a winning culture and to do that, you must win games.

Of all the players you mentioned above, not one was taken inside the top 10. Only 3 of them inside the top 20. 2 were third round picks, 1 a fourth round pick and 3 from the rookie list. That alone proves we don't need high picks to draft talent and makes playing for draft picks and sacrificing wins and a culture that Sheedy and Essendon has worked hard to create, a pointless exercise.

We lost 8 games in 2005 by 4 goals or less. We finished 4 wins out of the 8.
We were without McPhee for a great part of it, Lloyd was injured, we didn't have Rama. Solomon, McVeigh and Welsh played with injuries. Laycock went down, we missed Hille early. Were we that far away that we should start playing for picks? I don't believe so.

Campo and Heff can bring depth, experience and skill to an area we lack in. If we can keep our good players on the field, then we are always going to be a chance of playing finals footy.

You also need to remember that you can't just save salary cap room. The AFL tells us we have to spend 92.5% of the cap. We must spend it.
Also please remember that we will be using 4 picks in the National Draft and 4 in the Rookie Draft. That is 8 youngesters we will be adding to our list next season. Given that we have culled a host of 23 year olds, we need some experience on our list.

 

[dave_27]

In theory it sounds like a good idea getting campo, heff and keeping murph , the idea they are giving us depth and replacing average players like haynes and alvey on the list sounds great.

BUT camporeale, murphy and heffernan will all be in the starting 18 come round 1 next year and if murphy's contant selection in the side this year is anything to go by, they will retain their spots no matter how poor their performances are for atleast 20 weeks into the season before sheedy grows some balls and drops them for good.

Guys like haynes, alvey and hunt were dropped at every opportunity sheedy had the chance to especially after losses, I cant see this happening with heff, campo and murph no matter how poor they play.

The 3 players mentioned above will receive preferential treatment by sheedy and we'll have guys like dyson, monfries, winderlich and watson playing in bendigo or sitting on the bench.

 

[foj1]

I am not suggesting that we play for draft choices at all. What I am suggesting is we dont settle for mediocre free agents who have seen better days. I actually think with luck with injuries we are a really competitive side without Hef and Campo. It is well and good to suggest we have culled 23 year olds but the simple fact is most of them were either not up to it or seemed to be out of favour. I think the free agents we pursue should be blue chippers and there is no point paying your full salary cap and committing to 2 year contracts for Campo and hef if they are not going to significantly improve our side. If we have a good year we are going to have to pay a lot more for young players who have performed well. Last point. We lost Ted Richards because we did not give him enough opportunities. Lets not make the same mistakes with this batch of young players. Do you remember 93? Stranger things have happened if everything goes right.

 

[nonchalance]

I am not suggesting that we play for draft choices at all.

Yes you are.

finish in the bottom 6. 2006 draft looks stronger than this years and we will have good draft position

 

[Longy413]

But what if Campo and Heff are the best available at the time?
We have to fill our list and we have to pay the cap.
We have to draft someone, is taking 10 young players instead of 8 going to drastically improve things for the future?
I doubt it. Are Heff and Campo going to add something to the side which could inturn lead us to playing finals football. I reckon it's a better chance. How much would playing finals do for the development of Lovett, Bradley, Stanton etc.

People seem to think that just because we are drafting two seasoned players that we are ignoring the need to introduce young talent. That isn't going to happen. We'll still introduce 8 young players. We'll still pump games Stanton, Dyson, Lovett etc. But instead of asking Jason Johnson and Stanton to do all the work, we can now add a couple of players with experience to the fold. Instead of bringing and Alvey, Bullen, Haynes off the bench as part of the rotation, we'll be adding a bloke who's still averaging 20 touches a game.

And we lost Ted Richards because he saw himself as a forward (he has said so himself). Sorry Ted, but we have a couple of blokes named Lloyd, Lucas and Hird that go better than you.

 

[DaSawx]

I am not suggesting that we play for draft choices at all. What I am suggesting is we dont settle for mediocre free agents who have seen better days. I actually think with luck with injuries we are a really competitive side without Hef and Campo. It is well and good to suggest we have culled 23 year olds but the simple fact is most of them were either not up to it or seemed to be out of favour. I think the free agents we pursue should be blue chippers and there is no point paying your full salary cap and committing to 2 year contracts for Campo and hef if they are not going to significantly improve our side. If we have a good year we are going to have to pay a lot more for young players who have performed well. Last point. We lost Ted Richards because we did not give him enough opportunities. Lets not make the same mistakes with this batch of young players. Do you remember 93? Stranger things have happened if everything goes right.

Point 1: Camporeale and Heffernan are better and will add a lot more to the side then any of the players we de-listed

Point 2: We will be picking them up in the PSD for nothing.

Point 3: There are no decent young stars in the PSD or late in the draft, if there was, they'll be snapped up by pick 4, so why not add Campo and Heff if they are going to improve the team

Point 4: We cannot throw Monfries, Slattery and Dyson into the midfield every single week, all year long, in reality, they are just not ready for that yet, giving them another 12-15 games next year will bring them along nicely

By doing this we improve the team. We do not play for draft picks or to bottom out, still play to win every week. We continue to improve our youngsters by adding depth and experience to help bring them along.

 

[DaSawx]

But what if Campo and Heff are the best available at the time?
We have to fill our list and we have to pay the cap.
We have to draft someone, is taking 10 young players instead of 8 going to drastically improve things for the future?
I doubt it. Are Heff and Campo going to add something to the side which could inturn lead us to playing finals football. I reckon it's a better chance. How much would playing finals do for the development of Lovett, Bradley, Stanton etc.

People seem to think that just because we are drafting two seasoned players that we are ignoring the need to introduce young talent. That isn't going to happen. We'll still introduce 8 young players. We'll still pump games Stanton, Dyson, Lovett etc. But instead of asking Jason Johnson and Stanton to do all the work, we can now add a couple of players with experience to the fold. Instead of bringing and Alvey, Bullen, Haynes off the bench as part of the rotation, we'll be adding a bloke who's still averaging 20 touches a game.

And we lost Ted Richards because he saw himself as a forward (he has said so himself). Sorry Ted, but we have a couple of blokes named Lloyd, Lucas and Hird that go better than you.

Nice point about trying and learning to win finals.

Brisbane had to learn
Port Adelaide had to learn
Sydney had to learn
St. Kilda are still learning
West Coast are still learning

 

[waspy]

Nice point about trying and learning to win finals.

Brisbane had to learn
Port Adelaide had to learn
Sydney had to learn
St. Kilda are still learning
West Coast are still learning

A lot of people on the main board seem to forget this fact. Teams MUST have finals experience to win flags. Since Adelaide's win in 97 every Premiership side has had a fair bit of finals footy soon before winning, and even a fair few of that Adelaide team had played finals a few years earlier.
We have to try and get up into contention every single season. If we make the finals next year it will do more good than a slightly higher draft pick would.

 

[foj1]

Yes you are.

I said we will finish bottom 6 which is 10th. Who finished 10th this year and how far from the finals were they? Two games? With luck we can make the the finals and still play the youngsters. I am not suggesting we play every youngster every week. rotating them through is prudent. We will also get back some players such as Rama and Reynolds who barely played last year plus a couple of high draft choices who may be able to contribute 5-10 games. Richard Cole would also be aiming to play a lot of games.
McVeigh Fletcher Welsh
McPhee Bradley Lovett-Murray
Dyson Monfries Winderlich
MJohnson Lucas Watson
Lovett Lloyd Hird
hille JJohnson stanton
Henneman Solomon Rama Peverill Johns Bolton Laycock Murphy? Thomas? Reynolds Rioli Slattery Nash Cartledge Cole plus youngsters.
The above side and depth is not exactly throwing our kids to the wolves is it?
If you play campo and hef who misses out? Zantuck was suppose to add depth-hmmmmmmmmmmm! Richards stated he prefered to play forward but asked to play back because of Hird,Lloyd and Lucas.

 

[Karlostj]

If we're not going to pick Campo and Heff - who do we pick? There is no better players going around then Campo by the time pick 4 in the PSD comes around. Perhaps they're may be better players then Heff...... but not really. When it comes down to it, we need two extra players on the list, they're either pick 51 and 71 in the draft (assuming that no more delistings occcur) or they're campo and Heff... 71 in the draft isn't going to be quality... and if we delist another person then it would be pick 71 and whoever is left at pick 4 in the PSD or perhaps two picks in the PSD... They're not going to get top players - but I guess at least that will mean that they won't take the young guys positions...?

The fact is that senior players and young players are going to be injured - generally have a couple of injuries for each week - thus reducing the chances of young guys playing. If Heff turns his form around he could be a premiership player he is only 26 - he has played in a premiership before....

Campo will provide polish and won't dent the development of young players much, as long as there is a regular rotation, which will occur. Murphy will be lucky to be on the list next season and I'm sure that if he underperforms he will be playing for Bendigo. Whos to say that campo won't be a gun and end up playing in a premiership in 2007 or 2008 at a stretch...?

I don't see the issue. Campo and heff are but 2 of a list of 38 (plus veterans and rookies). Even if they're both in the side - that is 2 from 22. Generally you'd have around 8 midfielders in the side - so that is plenty of room for young guys to get rotated through.

With some luck, playing finals are a real possibility for next season.

 

[Barts]

it certainly looks like we might have the youngsters fighting for places which is a great sign. i would look to have 1 youngster on each line of the field and 2 older players helping out. and prehaps 1 or 2 on the bench as well.

 

[Viking Wizard Eyes]

I said we will finish bottom 6 which is 10th. Who finished 10th this year and how far from the finals were they? Two games? With luck we can make the the finals and still play the youngsters. I am not suggesting we play every youngster every week. rotating them through is prudent. We will also get back some players such as Rama and Reynolds who barely played last year plus a couple of high draft choices who may be able to contribute 5-10 games. Richard Cole would also be aiming to play a lot of games.
McVeigh Fletcher Welsh
McPhee Bradley Lovett-Murray
Dyson Monfries Winderlich
MJohnson Lucas Watson
Lovett Lloyd Hird
hille JJohnson stanton
Henneman Solomon Rama Peverill Johns Bolton Laycock Murphy? Thomas? Reynolds Rioli Slattery Nash Cartledge Cole plus youngsters.
The above side and depth is not exactly throwing our kids to the wolves is it?
If you play campo and hef who misses out? Zantuck was suppose to add depth-hmmmmmmmmmmm! Richards stated he prefered to play forward but asked to play back because of Hird,Lloyd and Lucas.

I'd be surprised if Cole doesn't play every game.

Only injury would bar that, he's definetely good enough I would think.

 

[keepzitreal]

I think the fate on our season depends on the following


We need Stanton, Dyson, Bradley, Winderlich, Monfries, Laycock, Watson, NLM, Thomas?, Lovett all to step up

MJ, JJ, Welsh, McVeigh, Campo, Hille all to remain consistent


Rioli, Hird, Lloyd, Lucas, Fletch, Solly and McPhee all to remain injury free

More development from Slattery, Lee, Johns, Cartledge

Sheeds remains logical and doesnt play Murphy, Bolton, Henno, Heffernan or Peverill when they aren't performing

 

[Viking Wizard Eyes]

I think the fate on our season depends on the following


We need Stanton, Dyson, Bradley, Winderlich, Monfries, Laycock, Watson, NLM, Thomas?, Lovett all to step up

MJ, JJ, Welsh, McVeigh, Campo, Hille all to remain consistent


Rioli, Hird, Lloyd, Lucas, Fletch, Solly and McPhee all to remain injury free

More development from Slattery, Lee, Johns, Cartledge

Sheeds remains logical and doesnt play Murphy, Bolton, Henno, Heffernan or Peverill when they aren't performing

That is spot on mate

 

[NSW Bomber]

We are not St Kilda that benfit from poor finsihes. We are better than this years position. Campo, Heff and Ramma will put us back into top 4 contention.

2006 could be the year and regardless we will be up there in 07

 

[go team]

Sheedy should write off 2006 AND 2007. Cross off 2008 and 2009 as well. It's time to build for the FUTURE! His recruitment of players of the likes of Allan, Murphy and Campo is a cunning plot to keep his win/loss ratio intact! Rather than being selfish (cause we know Sheedy cares little for EFC), Sheeds should be doing the responsible thing - devoting all his time and energy to getting Hird, Lloyd, McPhee and their respective partners in the right state of mind to build our next great side. Send Lloydy home from training early with a plate full of oysters. Slip a Barry White CD into Hirdy's car stereo. Match make the bachelors in the side with elite female sporting athletes - the Commonwealth games are in town soon, encourage 'em to go and get amongst it. Let's start building the 2025 premiership side today - if the Saints can take advantage of priority draft picks, let's take advantage of the father sun rule!