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I'm no expert in draft selections and it is too early to tell on most players drafted over the last couple of years but....

Unless Clatyon was following Wallace's orders I don't think he is a great recruiter. Why?

1) Too many small, light weight onballers and not enough height. This has been an issues for many season's and finally only addressed last year.

2) I would have thought with our height and weight problem's we would have drafted players ready to play sooner. Eg: Lay**** number 10 or so with Essendon will play this year and so will the tall from Geelong forgot his name. Walsh will not play this year and we will be lucky to see him next year. I doubt our other talls will either. Thats means by 2005 we may get a return. We needed to draft guys who may give us something this year and we are crying out for good talls. Skipper, Bruton, Harris and to a lesser extent Wiggens and never going to be classed as "good players". They are servicable at best.
Unfortunately our smalls are the only chance of us making the finals this year.

These two points will be highlighted if Bandy, Darcy, Grant or Croft get injured. Imagine if two or three of them are injured at once.

Height and weight should have been addressed earlier and anyone who says "take the best avaible talent" in my mind is an idiot. Take what your sides needs, isn't that obvious!!!

For the stats buffs, go through the last 7 or so premiership winners. They are always in the top five weight and height averages for the year. I did it a couple of seasons ago.
I remember Blight saying once "I believe the strongest team physically and mentally will always come out on top".

The game has changed and I wouldn't draft anyone under 6 foot, even for onball positions. Every physical sport in the world is getting bigger, faster and stronger. Aussie Rules will be no different.
 

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OldSchool

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#2
LB, This thread would have been a great contribution to the 'Is it time to change our draft strategy' thread because it touches on some of the subjetcs we have been discussing.

A couple of points:

Clayton is a very good recruiting manager who regularly gets the selections right

Whilst I agree that Laycoc k will play some senior football this season and Walsh will not, and this forms the basis of my draft strategy thread, who is the most likely to play 80 games of senior football ? for me it is more likely to be Walsh. It is the classic now versus later argument.
In general terms, drafting success is best measured by the amount of players that reach 80 plus games. Laycoc k and Walsh are both good selections but it will take a little time to accurately measure their worth.
 
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Thread starter #3
Yes, Oldschool it was meant to be a reply to that exact thread "time to change our draft strategy" yet I hit the new thread button instead.

I suppose my point is given our financial stituation and ageing star list, I would not have drafted development talls. Both my father and I get frusted by the size diffence between our club and others. Even Sam Power as a first selection 2001 to me was strange. We have enough players of that mode. Both you and I could name 5 or so later picks who have played AFL who would have filled our needs as a club better. Not to say he wont become a great player just others could have been more vital to our sucess.

Time will tell.
 
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