GarnerSmash
They tried to make me go to rehab
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North Melbourne - 2015 Daw & MacMillan Player Sponsor
North Melbourne - 2014 Daw, Black, Gibson Player Sponsor
North Melbourne - 2013 Daw, Black and Gibson Player Sponsorship
North Melbourne - North 2012 Player Sponsor
North Melbourne - North 2011 Player Sponsor
North Melbourne - North 2010 Player Sponsor
- Jun 2, 2009
- 26,836
- 52,085
- AFL Club
- North Melbourne
Let’s do a bit of an experiment, using data that we have on hand.
What will the NMFC list look like in three years, at this point in 2023? Who will be gone and who will remain? In doing this it exposed to me the biggest strengths and weaknesses in our list, and perhaps will point to what our recruitment strategy will look like over the coming years.
Firstly, who will be gone? This is a list of those who I speculate will either retire or be cut in the coming seasons:
Higgins, Goldstein, Hall, Tarrant, Ziebell, Campbell, Jacobs, Daw, Macmillan, Pittard, Tyson, Williams, Wood, Garner, Durdin, Ahern, Hosie, Murphy, Crocker, McGuinness
So 20 players gone from the list in over the next three off seasons and of those 20 only three will be sorely missed from a playing perspective. Wow.
That leaves us with a list comprising of 25 guys currently playing, all of whom are listed below by type. Also listed is if they are somewhat speculative, ie. if they have not solidified their position in the 22 or have only shown glimpses of AFL talent and have been injured, or as senior players who may also be delisted or might retire. Also included is their age at this point 2023, giving us an indication as to how soon those players may too need to be replaced.
KPP:
Walker (KPD/KPF) 30y
Brown (KPF) 30y
McKay (KPD) 25y - Speculative
Larkey (KPF) 25y
Comben (KPF) 21y - Speculative
Our stocks are bare in this regard, with much resting now on the development of McKay and Comben, the improvement of Larkey and the return to form of Brown. It is clear that this area requires focus, with both Brown and Walker much closer to the end than the beginning by 2023. As we currently have Tarrant for at least the next 12 months we have time to plan for recruitment in this line, with a possible FA already in the wings.
Rucks:
Xerri 24y - Speculative
We need another prospective ruck to strengthen this area. A quality ruck is a real benefit and Goldy will be gone pretty soon. Xerri could be a nice roughhouse ruck, but that’s it.
Small/Medium Defenders:
Atley (BP/HB) 30y
McDonald (Midfield/Defender) 28y
Vickers-Willis (Defender) 27y - Speculative
Bonar (Midfield/Defender) 24y - Speculative
Hayden (Midfield/Defender) 24y - Speculative
Perez (Midfield/Defender) 21y - Speculative
Its pretty scary to look at this list and see how weak this area actually is for us. Gone will be Macmillan, Pittard and Williams, leaving us exposed and relying on injury prone or speculative players to fill the void. We desperately need to recruit both run and skill off the half back line, as well as lock down ability, with much depending on the development of Hayden and Perez.
Midfielders:
Cunnington 32y - Speculative
Polec 30y
Anderson 29y
Dumont 28y
Simpkin 25y
Davies-Uniacke 24y - Speculative
Scott 23y - Speculative
Definitely an area of focus. Cunners might be gone. Polec is flaky. Anderson is, well, competitive. As is Dumont. Simpkin is a gun. LDU and Scott have shown signs to varying degrees. We need the lot in here.
Small/Medium Forwards:
Turner 27y - Speculative
Zurhaar 25y
Walker 24y - Speculative
Thomas 23y
Taylor 23y
Mahoney 21y - Speculative
An area where we seem pretty well stocked for the future. Potential midfield rotation also in Taylor, Thomas, Walker and Zurhaar could take pressure of recruitment in that area.
To summarise, we need in order (IMO)
There is speculation that lists spaces will be cut to 40, meaning we have to add 15 players to the team over the next 3 off seasons. I would propose the following recruitment approach:
Recruit via Free Agency
1 x FA KPP, 1x FA medium defender, 1x FA midfielder
Recruit via National Draft
4x mids, 4x medium defenders, 2 x KPP, 1x ruck, 1 small forward
In total, 5 mids, 5 small/medium defenders, 3 KPP, 1 ruck, 1 small forward.
I would also entertain the idea of trading Brown for a top 10 pick to give us more currency in which to draft the best players available to fit our needs. If we need to roll with Walker, Ziebell and Zurhaar as our other KPF option with Larkey for a year or so, then so be it. If we could get 2 mids and a KPP in this years first 10 picks then we can strategically focus on the rest of our needs from round 2 this year through to the end of 2022 draft.
What will the NMFC list look like in three years, at this point in 2023? Who will be gone and who will remain? In doing this it exposed to me the biggest strengths and weaknesses in our list, and perhaps will point to what our recruitment strategy will look like over the coming years.
Firstly, who will be gone? This is a list of those who I speculate will either retire or be cut in the coming seasons:
Higgins, Goldstein, Hall, Tarrant, Ziebell, Campbell, Jacobs, Daw, Macmillan, Pittard, Tyson, Williams, Wood, Garner, Durdin, Ahern, Hosie, Murphy, Crocker, McGuinness
So 20 players gone from the list in over the next three off seasons and of those 20 only three will be sorely missed from a playing perspective. Wow.
That leaves us with a list comprising of 25 guys currently playing, all of whom are listed below by type. Also listed is if they are somewhat speculative, ie. if they have not solidified their position in the 22 or have only shown glimpses of AFL talent and have been injured, or as senior players who may also be delisted or might retire. Also included is their age at this point 2023, giving us an indication as to how soon those players may too need to be replaced.
KPP:
Walker (KPD/KPF) 30y
Brown (KPF) 30y
McKay (KPD) 25y - Speculative
Larkey (KPF) 25y
Comben (KPF) 21y - Speculative
Our stocks are bare in this regard, with much resting now on the development of McKay and Comben, the improvement of Larkey and the return to form of Brown. It is clear that this area requires focus, with both Brown and Walker much closer to the end than the beginning by 2023. As we currently have Tarrant for at least the next 12 months we have time to plan for recruitment in this line, with a possible FA already in the wings.
Rucks:
Xerri 24y - Speculative
We need another prospective ruck to strengthen this area. A quality ruck is a real benefit and Goldy will be gone pretty soon. Xerri could be a nice roughhouse ruck, but that’s it.
Small/Medium Defenders:
Atley (BP/HB) 30y
McDonald (Midfield/Defender) 28y
Vickers-Willis (Defender) 27y - Speculative
Bonar (Midfield/Defender) 24y - Speculative
Hayden (Midfield/Defender) 24y - Speculative
Perez (Midfield/Defender) 21y - Speculative
Its pretty scary to look at this list and see how weak this area actually is for us. Gone will be Macmillan, Pittard and Williams, leaving us exposed and relying on injury prone or speculative players to fill the void. We desperately need to recruit both run and skill off the half back line, as well as lock down ability, with much depending on the development of Hayden and Perez.
Midfielders:
Cunnington 32y - Speculative
Polec 30y
Anderson 29y
Dumont 28y
Simpkin 25y
Davies-Uniacke 24y - Speculative
Scott 23y - Speculative
Definitely an area of focus. Cunners might be gone. Polec is flaky. Anderson is, well, competitive. As is Dumont. Simpkin is a gun. LDU and Scott have shown signs to varying degrees. We need the lot in here.
Small/Medium Forwards:
Turner 27y - Speculative
Zurhaar 25y
Walker 24y - Speculative
Thomas 23y
Taylor 23y
Mahoney 21y - Speculative
An area where we seem pretty well stocked for the future. Potential midfield rotation also in Taylor, Thomas, Walker and Zurhaar could take pressure of recruitment in that area.
To summarise, we need in order (IMO)
- Priority 1 - Midfield: Just a gaping hole in quality outside Simpkin, and potentially LDU come 2023. Some decent foot soldiers, but * me, they need help. That 2023 midfield is slow and poorly skilled, and lacks talent overall, especially if Cunners pulls the pin.
- Priority 2 - Small/Medium Defenders: A very close second. It is such a spud farm down there when it comes to ball use and the replacements currently on the list are very speculative. We need to carry the current guys for another year or so as protection to allow the others to develop, then reassess.
- Prioroty 3: KPP’s, specifically KPD options. Possibly get a FA this year, then revisit post 2021 to see how Tarrant is travelling, and how McKay and Comben have progressed.
- Priority 4: Ruck. Xerri just isn’t enough. We may role with an average ruck for a few years just to compete as it might not be a priority. That said, look what having a gun ruck can do for a team.
- Priority 5: Small to medium forwards seem good to go. Another pacey version of Mahoney would be a good addition.
There is speculation that lists spaces will be cut to 40, meaning we have to add 15 players to the team over the next 3 off seasons. I would propose the following recruitment approach:
Recruit via Free Agency
1 x FA KPP, 1x FA medium defender, 1x FA midfielder
Recruit via National Draft
4x mids, 4x medium defenders, 2 x KPP, 1x ruck, 1 small forward
In total, 5 mids, 5 small/medium defenders, 3 KPP, 1 ruck, 1 small forward.
I would also entertain the idea of trading Brown for a top 10 pick to give us more currency in which to draft the best players available to fit our needs. If we need to roll with Walker, Ziebell and Zurhaar as our other KPF option with Larkey for a year or so, then so be it. If we could get 2 mids and a KPP in this years first 10 picks then we can strategically focus on the rest of our needs from round 2 this year through to the end of 2022 draft.