Pies to target midfielders during nat draft

[daics cousin]

The age today (31-10-06) has an article featuring paul Medhurst.Talks about using him in the midfield next year but also states that the pies will heavily focus on securing a few top midfielders in the super draft.Who do we target .Your thoughts ?

 

[pendles]

With 8 and 10 you have to go with best available, but overall draft focus should be midfielders and probably a late pick ruck. If a selwood, leuenberger or sellar freakishly slipped through to 8 then you'd grab one of them (in that order of preference). If not, collard sounds like a great option.

 

[FIGJAM]

We'll pretty much get one decent midfielder with one of our first two picks. Limiting ourselves to midfielders exclusively would be idiotic.

We can get another mid or two later on, but let's not forget if we don't draft a half decent ruck prospect, we're going to have to sack all coaches and recruiters immediately out of sheer negligence!

It's probably a bit irritating, because we need to address the midfield, the ruck and still ensure a best available policy, at least with Pick 8.

If best available at 8 & 10 are mids, then I think that will actually help us out mentally quite well. Best ruck at 28 (if he's worth that) or best KP defender or another runner. Then at the latest a half decent ruck at 44.

 

[loki04]

Im hoping we get something like this:

#8 Selwood
#10 Proud
#28 Tippet
then 2 kpp and a mid with later picks.

We are not that desperate for kpp players yet still have TCloke, Ruz , JA , O'brien coming through + Clement , Presti and Rocca all have 2-3 years left in them and key defenders aren't usually picked in the first round anyway alot have come from later picks.

 

[bobby_diggy]

I agree we need a ruck Figjam, but there is no point taking one unless he is good enough. I would rather see us draft another mid / KPP instead if they were more likely to make it than the ruck we could choose.

 

[Coin_Toss]

We need a top line CHB as well, look at who we've got on the list.

 

[MarkT]

I don't know what authority the statement that we'd target midfielders is based on but common sense says we need them. Our midfield is at the bottom end and about to lose a few older players. It has been handled terribly as has the ruck by a coach that can't judge talent and development.

Generally I favour taking the best available player no matter what type. I agree we need a ruckman but whether we should take one depends on how the best available ruckman at pick 8 or 10 is v the other options. We actually already have rubbish ruckmen. We don't need another; we need quality and preferably not a skinny body type.

I wouldn't bother with KPP's at all unless they present as clearly the best player. We'll lose Wakelin soon but he's been eased out already anyway and it hasn't hurt us a lot. We have forward and back options albeit they are not ideal. What we don't have is anything resembling a premiership midfield. In fact we are 2 to 3 drafts away from a premiership midfield and that is with a lot going right. If we scored 4 really good midfielders in the next 2 years and lost Buckley, Burns and Licuria we'd still have an average midfield compared to the likes of a West Coast. Whether we can get Sydney type performance out of them or alternatively whether they can be upper mid range with a very potent forward line and a solid backline would be the questions in terms of premiership credentials.

Basically we need a ruckman and 4 quality midfielders and the rest of the list just needs tinkering, some trade success and a couple of late selections to come good. The latter hasn't generally been an issue bit the tinkering and trading has been ordinary at best.

The reality is we are starting from a low base propped up by older players. This draft is crucial to our short and medium term future. We MUST get 2 guns at 8 & 10 and we MUST get quality with the next 2 picks. If that could amount to 1 ruckman and 3 midfielders I would be over the moon but I’d be happy with just 4 quality players no matter where they play but we must get better at talent identification in trade week as well to fill holes. You can’t win premierships from the draft without good trading.

 

[daics cousin]

Mark T i agree this draft is crucial to our long term success.We must pick up a few quality middies and a ruckman.At pick 28- hopefully either tippet,goldstein or renouf should be available unless carlton and essendon pick up these guys up at asy picks 17 and 18.
IF sellar or thorp slip to eight we must pick up one of these guys and pick up a few quality mids at picks' 10 and 44.

 

[Coin_Toss]

#8 Selwood
#10 Proud / Collard
#28 Renouf - 200.3cm has a very good leap and a good motor
#44 CHB
#63 & 76 best available, preferably smalls

Any thoughts?

 

[CarnthePies]

#8 - Midfielder
#10 - Ruckman
#28 - Centre Half Forward

 

[barwick]

The age today (31-10-06) has an article featuring paul Medhurst.Talks about using him in the midfield next year but also states that the pies will heavily focus on securing a few top midfielders in the super draft.Who do we target .Your thoughts ?

picks 8 and 10 the two best mids in the draft, we are not in a position for a premiership for some time and if we do get a young ruckman in this years draft he will take time to become a senior player. Our midfield is the slowest and most embarassing in the league so lets slowly build our midfield with some quality while they are available.

 

[PieLebo87]

I thought we were targeting more forwards...

 

[ant22]

The reality is we are starting from a low base propped up by older players. This draft is crucial to our short and medium term future. We MUST get 2 guns at 8 & 10 and we MUST get quality with the next 2 picks. If that could amount to 1 ruckman and 3 midfielders I would be over the moon but I’d be happy with just 4 quality players no matter where they play but we must get better at talent identification in trade week as well to fill holes. You can’t win premierships from the draft without good trading.

I agree that there are some concerns. Don't agree on the trading bit. I don't think too many clubs have won flags by good trading. Its good drafting that wins flags. 1 club per year might get a win in a trade and thats about it. Most trades in the last 5 years have been crap for crap.

Agreed we have too many senior older players but alot of them had a small impact this year and some of the young players stepped up. Players like Wakelin, Licca, burns(also great at times) and even presti played much smaller roles this year and are being eased out. From memory Fraser,Swan, Johnson, Didak and shaw where in the top 6 or 7 in the b and f . These blokes are all under 25 and should still get better. Add to this thomas,,Pendles,Rusling and T cloke and I reckon its not quite as bad as you think. Yes I am concerned about next year but going forward I am a little more optimistic than you.
Having said thay a couple of very good mids and a goos ruck in this draft would be good

 

[spartan-magpie]

All i can say is.... MFs... 2 of themm.... a kkp... and BATSANIS.. BATSANIS..BATSANIS... no im not related to him or nor do i know him... i saw him play tyhe granny and if we can get him at 28 or above hed be a great aquisition for us (plus hes related to daicos).. good blood line

 

[Bay Pie]

Interesting to see we now have only 2 ruckman on our list. Others can pinch hit at times, Pebs, T.Cloke maybe Walker good help us.

Is it possible we've done this thinking that Sellar may slide to #8? I know C.Clokes shoulders are stuffed and Fanning was paste but maybe use 1 of them as back up.

If this scenario came about what should we do(you never know):

Sellar slides to 8 but Proud, Selwood or like are also available-

Do we take Sellar with 8 or punt on the Saints taking a midfielder(as has been suggested by most experts) and take Proud/Selwood 1st and take Sellar with 10.

If we took Sellar at 8 that midfielder would most likely go to the Saints.

This way we do get 2 potential superstars.

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

We'll pretty much get one decent midfielder with one of our first two picks. Limiting ourselves to midfielders exclusively would be idiotic..

We hardly need ruckmen, we've already got two!!

 

[spartan-magpie]

we could always throw rocca into the ruck... maybe not.. he'll tire running after 1 hit out.. maybe we could use tex... no no.. that wont work either.. he is s#%t.... richards will only play6 games this year... looks like bucks will be josh's back up..

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

we could always throw rocca into the ruck... maybe not.. he'll tire running after 1 hit out.. maybe we could use tex... no no.. that wont work either.. he is s#%t.... richards will only play6 games this year... looks like bucks will be josh's back up..

I saw Wakes at the supermarket tonight - was gunna ask him how ruck practice was going but decided to keep my trap shut.

 

[Dazman]

#8 - Midfielder
#10 - Ruckman
#28 - Centre Half Forward

There's only one ruck worth pick 10 and he'll be gone by pick 6.

I'd be using pick 28 on one of Renouf or Tippett

OR

pick 44 on one of Jacobs or Hampson

 

[spartan-magpie]

does anyone know what MM is trying to shape TEX " guns stuck in holster" Walker in to? is it as a backman, foward or ruck? and why does mick persist him??? to think we kept him and discarded AI, and CC..
and id go for batsanis ahead of jacobs or hampson- he'll be the pick of the crop in 3 years.. remember this post.

 

[loki04]

We hardly need ruckmen, we've already got two!!

Josh is 1 who is the other 1 , oh you mean Guy "USELESS" Richard! fair dinkum how is he still on the list B.KINNEARS record of most years out of a club for no return is in serious jeopardy with this bloke.

7 years and counting.

 

[Palmer Stoat]

I wouldn't bother with KPP's at all unless they present as clearly the best player. We'll lose Wakelin soon but he's been eased out already anyway and it hasn't hurt us a lot. We have forward and back options albeit they are not ideal. What we don't have is anything resembling a premiership midfield. In fact we are 2 to 3 drafts away from a premiership midfield and that is with a lot going right. If we scored 4 really good midfielders in the next 2 years and lost Buckley, Burns and Licuria we'd still have an average midfield compared to the likes of a West Coast. Whether we can get Sydney type performance out of them or alternatively whether they can be upper mid range with a very potent forward line and a solid backline would be the questions in terms of premiership credentials.

Basically we need a ruckman and 4 quality midfielders and the rest of the list just needs tinkering, some trade success and a couple of late selections to come good.

Jeez, I'm nowhere near as confident about our KPP stocks as everyone else seems to be. Conversely, I'm a bit more optimistic about our midfield. We have Thomas, Pendlebury, H Shaw, and Swan, with the possibility of rotating Didak and Egan through the middle as well. I don't dispute that we need to improve our midfield, but we can't afford to ignore KPPs either.

Ant, Presti, Wakes, and Jimmy are all veterans. In three years time I doubt any of them will be on the list, and if they are, they'll be much-diminished players. Who are our KP replacements?

Maxwell - 190cm. Built like an alfalfa sprout
O'Brien - 187cm. No amount of wishful thinking will turn a bloke who ain't even six-two into a KPP.
Rusling - 190cm. Some chance of being a fast-leading FF.
C3 - 195cm (at least). Genuine KPP. Should develop into a CHB or CHF.
Anthony - 191cm. Looks like he has ability. But is he gonna be a KPP at AFL level or more a third tall type?

For mine, that's a helluva lot of question marks. For all those advocating the all-midfield all-the-time recruiting policy*, how much use are they gonna be if they're not complemented by a genuinely good spine?

I don't agree that we need four more good midfielders. A couple of class mids -- assuming the development of Thomas, Pendlebury, H Shaw and Swan -- would give us a formidable midfield, a midfield in which the likes of Holland and O'Bree could assume their rightful positions of peripheral players and not lynchpins.

I wouldn't be at all disappointed if one of our two early picks was used on a KPP. In fact, as long as they go best available and don't 'reach' to meet 'best fit' requirements, I'm happy.


*OK, I'm exaggerating a little.

 

[zorbadunde]

i think anthony will become a very good kpp. he is very quick for a man of his frame. i like the way he thinks to and he can run like jimmy

 

[MarkT]

We have Thomas, Pendlebury, H Shaw, and Swan, with the possibility of rotating Didak and Egan through the middle as well. I don't dispute that we need to improve our midfield, but we can't afford to ignore KPPs either.

My issue with that lot is that only swan has actually shown genuine midfireled credentials. The rest can most likely rotate but none really have shown they will be front line midfielders. Thomas looks like he will be a good player but his best work has been as a wing/half forward with the emphasis on half forward. Pendlebury’s best work has been drifting back. Shaw has only really played a running back. Didak might be a great midfield option but he has to prove it yet. Egan quite frankly has shown little outside of a few flashes with th emphasis on few. To date he’s been a good half forward playing up the ground. All in all it is still too slow and lacks clearance capacity.

I don’t disagree we can’t ignore KPP – or anything else for that matter – but it is a question of priorities and bang for buck.

Wo are our KP replacements?

We have options. Less than ideal but nonetheless options. The bigger question is what will happen to key positions over the next 5 years. Will mobility overtake the ability to take a grab with the flood taking over? How many talls can a team carry before it is too top heavy? Will medium talls be the answer? I reckon just get guns whatever they are but we really need a lot of impetus into the midfield before we can hope to be a contender over the next few years. If we don’t get the midfielders the rest won’t win us a flag. If we do we might jag one with what we have supplemented by some drafting and trading. .

I don't agree that we need four more good midfielders. A couple of class mids -- assuming the development of Thomas, Pendlebury, H Shaw and Swan -- would give us a formidable midfield, a midfield in which the likes of Holland and O'Bree could assume their rightful positions of peripheral players and not lynchpins.

I think it will give us an average midfield in modern footy and even then it assumes development at a near 100% success rate. That just doesn’t happen very often. .

I wouldn't be at all disappointed if one of our two early picks was used on a KPP. In fact, as long as they go best available and don't 'reach' to meet 'best fit' requirements, I'm happy.

I can definitely live with best available. I hope 2 or 3 midfield guns are among them because if they aren’t we are in strife.

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

My issue with that lot is that only swan has actually shown genuine midfireled credentials. .

You would not have said that this time last year. Given time theres no reason to think our batch of kids wont improve like Heater and Swanny did this year, and theres no reason to think Heater wont progress to the midfield like Swan and BJ did before him.