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Toast Players from the PSD and Rookie Draft

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Knight Ryders

Knight Ryders

Premiership Player
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May 23, 2008
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Adelaide
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Essendon
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Glenelg
I reckon a bit of credit has to go to Keane and Dodoro for the selection of our rookies and players taken in the PSD who are currently playing a huge part in our renaissance.

Michael Hibberd
Ben Howlett
Tom Bellchambers
Heath Hocking
Kyle Hardingham
Stewart Crameri

More to come???
Corey Dell'Olio
Brendan Lee
Mark Baguley

Edit, Luke Davis from ND.
 
Davis was in the ND

You could include Nat-Rat in there as well, even though he didn't play yesterday
 
More to the point, the decision - after the 08 failures - to concentrate (largely) on mature, state league players.

Sides like Richmond are still trying to pluck the 80th-160th best kids out of every year.
We have a quarter (at least) of our run-on side.

Sensible, pragmatic & well-executed recruiting.
 

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Things seemed to have improved with Keane coming on board.

I remember seeing Crameri in one of his first games when he came off the rookie list and we played Brisbane. I thought he didnt look like a footballer and was surprised when we kept him on for another year. Now he is a gun forward, seems to have excellent endurance. Now if we can get him kicking straight.
 
Slattery_20 said:
More to the point, the decision - after the 08 failures - to concentrate (largely) on mature, state league players.
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Christ, I'd forgotten about that. I was better off that way.
 
Bomber Thompson was impressed with this years crop and I can see why, lets give them another year and see how well they develop.

Hope Lee gets a game soon.
 
Fwiw, Dalgleish and Long (!) both played a half yesterday. neither impressed overly in any way other than avoiding injury (actually a huge achievement for Longy), but at least they got out there. and the word from the club is that they have massive hopes for Hunter. so with an ounce (or tonne in Longy's case) of luck and good management, our rookie list haul might yield further dividends
 
I was thinking about posting a similar thread earlier today about how we are building a backbone of players who we've found though alternative streams than the usual TAC Cup ---> National Draft as a 17/18yo.
 
Grey Smith Bar said:
I was thinking about posting a similar thread earlier today about how we are building a backbone of players who we've found though alternative streams than the usual TAC Cup ---> National Draft as a 17/18yo.
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Probably worth mentioning Cale Hooker here too then,despite being picked up in the draft. He was 19 when picked and spent most of the previous couple of years either recovering from glandular fever or in WAFL reserves.
 

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Everyone gets first and second round draft picks and there are less mistakes made with these picks than ever before (imo). The late round drafting of the national, PSD and rookie drafts really can set a team apart from another (and father/son - see Geelong). Of course development plays a huge part in this also, which is another part we seem to be getting better at as well.
 
Grey Smith Bar said:
I was thinking about posting a similar thread earlier today about how we are building a backbone of players who we've found though alternative streams than the usual TAC Cup ---> National Draft as a 17/18yo.
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This is it really.

When you think about it, it makes more sense to build the backbone of a side around already seasoned players we can still get 10 years from. They enable us sides to stay competitive when building/rebuilding. The reality is that premiership sides are filled with equal numbers of role players and stars. Invariably these roles are all filled by experienced types with the football nouse to play specialist roles.

The other real advantage is that it gives the younger players on the list extra time to develop.

It is noticeable that these guys slot AFL sides with greater ease and comfort than most younger guys (who do not have the two or so years of senior footy conditioning under their belts). Once their roles were clearly defined Crameri, Hibberd and Hardingham basically slotted straight into the side like they have been on the list for years. The ability of Hocking and Howlett to grind away in our midfield has been instrumental in keeping a B grade midfield competitive for the last few years.
 
Ben the Gooner said:
Far cry from the list management strategy of the pricks we played yesterday.
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Shit load of spoons, soft as butter high draft picks and a merc captain. Doesnt make you a winner now does it?
 
Get Andrew Lovett back as a mature aged rookie - give him a few KPI's to make before we draft him. He's still youn enough to give us a couple of years to wait for Kav or Merrett to have an impact.
 

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Fin ice Smuggler said:
Get Andrew Lovett back as a mature aged rookie - give him a few KPI's to make before we draft him. He's still youn enough to give us a couple of years to wait for Kav or Merrett to have an impact.
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Haha, almost fell for that troll.
Well played sir.
 
we are unbelievably lucky that no-one grabbed crameri the year we decided to take scanlon and klempke instead. that almost ended as a massive balls-up, and a few of us could see it happening. full respect to stu too, because that decision ripped the heart out of him for a while and he nearly walked away. battled through, including stints at Bendigo's reserves, worked his arse off and 18 months later is on the brink of becoming one of the toughest match-ups in the competition. a huge story.
 
Howard Moon said:
the way hird was talking baguley could get a game this week...

i reckon he could slot right in, has the skills size and smarts. On the big stage its mature bodies like his and dells that can come right in and hold their own right away.
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Yeah, but who do you pull out to give him a spot?
 

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Toast Players from the PSD and Rookie Draft

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