Personally I believe we should take KPPs with the first 2 picks. Hurn doesnt fit that catagory.
As regards to Ryders, I do not believe he is tall enough to make it in the senior ranks of the AFL.
If you look at the chart below it lists the top21 players for hit outs in 2005, not necessarily the best in the league (Darcy for instance not included) the columns name, height and in some cases, weight (Source:AFL player bio) the average is 199cm. There is only 1 ruckman, Jeff White @ 195cm.
To me you need to be at least 198cm tall and preferably 200cm to be a number 1 ruckman for a club. Hawthorn has a history of recruiting or using small ruckman as no1 ruck going back years from Richard Walter, Chris Langford, Paul Dear, Greg Madigan etc let me assure you, none of these worked. Langford was a great backman and Dear a great forward but when played in the ruck, they failed. Langford in a grand final of all things, not his fault, just not tall enough.
Ryder will have to put on at least 10kg, probably 20kg to match those in the AFL. Will that weight increase decrease his leap? Will it decrease his speed? If it all goes at muscle, will it increase either leap or speed?
Name Cm Kg
Cox 204
Everitt 203
White 195 95
Jolly 200
Sandilands 211
Biglands 198
Hudson 198
Lade 199
Simmonds 196
Knobel 202
Ackland 196
Primus 198
Ball 200
French 200
King 202
McLaren 196 90
Petrie 197 103
Longmuir 198
Hille 199
Hale 200
Seaby 200
4192
Avg 199.6190476
Ryder 195.7 85.6
Kennedy 195.1 92.3
Personally, I hope we take the Victorian Dowler as no3. Solves our problem at FF. Our glory years have been based around 2 of the very best FF's in history. Hudson & Dunstall.
Taking players from interstate in most cases, always ends in tears for 1 party.