Recruiting Team

[Sailor]

It seems obvious that there are a lot of things not working at Freo for the moment.
One that surely needs an overhaul is the recruiting department.
Three years ago we had four top 20 picks: Dunn, Murphy, Mundy and Campbell. Of those only Mundy has managed to make any progress.
Stribbling, Juniper, Krieger are hardly likely to become household names.
But it goes back further.
We have to be thankfull that we have picked some reasonable rookies but again, none who are stars in the Dean Cox mould.
We have a tendency for plodders and slow short people.
The last good draft choice was Pavlich!
Jeez, what a depressing day.

 

[Lach72]

Can anyone at the office spell FAST MIDFIELDERS???????????????????????????

 

[Scham]

I agree that we need a change in the recriutment area, but what I would say is that our ability to develop players is discraceful!

Dunn, Murphy, Mundy and Campbell were all extremely good juniors that looked very promising, so you couldn't blame the recruiters for picking them. But what has happened to them since joining our club? Only Mundy has developed as expected the others have gone backwards.

Another example is Schammer. at the time that we selected him I remember Kevin Sheehan saying that it was a great pick and Schammer was like a smaller version of Nathan Buckley and his use of the ball was first rate. How good does he use the ball now after 3 or 4 years with us????

 

[Geoff]

Fair point Scham !! Is the the development of our fringe players a indication of just how poor the WAFL comp really is?

 

[inferno66]

Why did we go for Drum when Hurn was available ?

 

[pinkus maximus]

Why did we go for Drum when Hurn was available ?

I dont think Hurn is anything special. We have Dunn anyway. I would have prefered Higgins

 

[inferno66]

I dont think Hurn is anything special. We have Dunn anyway. I would have prefered Higgins

Higgins definetly looks promising. I guess theres no point just mulling over past drafts. The club has to do actually find our where our recruting went wrong and put measures to improve our recruting. But i dont think our club will will do anything about it

 

[docker_johnno]

Dunn - Excellent choice at the time. He will come good don't worry.
Mundy - Excellent
Drum - Following the Mundy framework. Spend a year in WAFL then have a confident impact when in AFL. Why should we have picked Hurn, slow midfielder who is already fully developed and unlikely to get much better.

 

[FreoFury]

The recruiting department must change. Needs the clean out its never had. If results speak then the significant lack of them should also. I dont care how 'knowledgable' and 'highly regarded' he is. Time for a change.

 

[Ysaye]

Dunn - Excellent choice at the time. He will come good don't worry.
Mundy - Excellent
Drum - Following the Mundy framework. Spend a year in WAFL then have a confident impact when in AFL. Why should we have picked Hurn, slow midfielder who is already fully developed and unlikely to get much better.

Hurn is actually very fast on the burst (In the Top 10 for speed over 10 metres last year). Hurn was also the most outstanding kick in last years draft, both for accuracy and length (already has shown this skill at AFL level) and also is very good with his decision making in regard to kicking long (Ie can read the play well).

Don't know about his ability to get the ball but if we could get the ball to him, would have been dangerous. Heck - any foot skills we could use!

 

[Undertaker]

I posted this a couple of weeks ago and stand by it, we have the slowest midfield in the league ( Bell, Haselby & J. Carr) and it is not about to change.
Without being detrimental to the club which I love so much, AVERAGE is exactly where we are as a club. We have an average squad being coached by an average coach and they are performing about where they should be.
The playing list is no where near as good as a lot of people think, our recruiting over the last 5 years has been very AVERAGE if it was not for the rookies it would probably be the worst of any club.
We have recruited 18 players in 5 years and of the 18 only 6 are in our best 22, the 3 we recruited last year are still unknown leaving 9 that have / will not make it. I know we have also recruited established players like MacPharlin, Carr & Black but with the draft picks we have had we should have fared a lot better.There in lies the problem for Freo to become a better than AVERAGE footy club we need to improve in this area.
The only thing that hasn't changed at Freo is our recruiting staff and the record shows that they have failed.
I hate to say it but the mob up the road have a far better recruiting ratio than us with worse draft picks. Recruited 15 with 7 in their best 22.

 

[Alfonz]

Can anyone at the office spell FAST MIDFIELDERS???????????????????????????

I think it is spelt H-A-L-F--B-A-C-K--F-L-A-N-K-E-R

 

[raffrox]

I think it is spelt H-A-L-F--B-A-C-K--F-L-A-N-K-E-R

Good call. I agree with the coments.

Name the last pacey midfielder Freo has drafted? Ibboston doesn't count. He was a late pick and frankly no one rated him.

Schammer is who I can remember. With Subi as our home ground we should have a list similar to the Bulldogs. Pace and skill. But it seems jack of all trades, master of none are the way to go. Wd have a lot of (inbe)'tweeners'.

 

[Scham]

Good call. I agree with the coments.

Name the last pacey midfielder Freo has drafted? Ibboston doesn't count. He was a late pick and frankly no one rated him.

Schammer is who I can remember. With Subi as our home ground we should have a list similar to the Bulldogs. Pace and skill. But it seems jack of all trades, master of none are the way to go. Wd have a lot of (inbe)'tweeners'.

Stribling was the last one drafted, I think at 78 or something like that.

Ibbotson wasn't a late pick, 26 for memory. He was rated as a half back flanker anyway - not a midfielder. Freo said that they thought they could develop him into being a midfielder.

 

[Ysaye]

Stribling was the last one drafted, I think at 78 or something like that.

Ibbotson wasn't a late pick, 26 for memory. He was rated as a half back flanker anyway - not a midfielder. Freo said that they thought they could develop him into being a midfielder.

Drum is also supposed to be pacy as well (Another guy in Top 10 for speed) but then he isn't a midfielder.

I know what you are saying Undertaker and agree to a certain extent.

The main pet-hate I have is that whilst we have got lots of value for our picks, there is no recruiting strategy for developing a team!

A successful football team needs certain attributes. High class, skilled (at both getting the ball and disposing of it) midfielders are one of them. We don't have many class midfielders at our club - what strategy do we have to fix this?

 

[wozzie]

Couldn't agree more Undertaker. We have had three main coaches, Neesham, Drum, Connolly, what has been the one common denominator throughout? Phil Smart our Recruiting Manager. Have said it before Blind Freddie could pick a quality Top 10 player (with the exception of Ryley Dunn; Blind Freddie still got that one wrong) but our later picks have generally been abyssmal. Other Clubs have managed to find quality players after their 1st round, why don't we? Who has the say, the recruiting staff or the coach. We have had better results with our Rookie list. We keep saying certain players should be dropped, who do we replace them with, where are our second tier players? Playing ressies in the WAFL. As much as I hate saying it, look at WC they currently have 7-9 players in the WAFL knocking on the door. Other Clubs are playing their early draft picks in their first year, we have players on our list who are coming up for 2 and 3 years in the Club yet to play a game or they might have a couple. Project players, long term prospects, PLEEEAAASE.

 

[wehavethepassion]

Alledged on 6pr after the Cats game that Connolly doesn't get a say on who is drafted??

Can't be true??

 

[rgauci]

Couldn't agree more Undertaker. We have had three main coaches, Neesham, Drum, Connolly, what has been the one common denominator throughout? Phil Smart our Recruiting Manager. Have said it before Blind Freddie could pick a quality Top 10 player (with the exception of Ryley Dunn; Blind Freddie still got that one wrong) but our later picks have generally been abyssmal. Other Clubs have managed to find quality players after their 1st round, why don't we? Who has the say, the recruiting staff or the coach. We have had better results with our Rookie list. We keep saying certain players should be dropped, who do we replace them with, where are our second tier players? Playing ressies in the WAFL. As much as I hate saying it, look at WC they currently have 7-9 players in the WAFL knocking on the door. Other Clubs are playing their early draft picks in their first year, we have players on our list who are coming up for 2 and 3 years in the Club yet to play a game or they might have a couple. Project players, long term prospects, PLEEEAAASE.

COuldn't agree more. Phil Smart is the one. Shocking record. CC can only work with what he's given.

 

[CROWS9798]

I dont think Hurn is anything special.

I was at the SANFL Grand Final last year (GO YOU DOGGIES) where Bunga ran through a pack and bombed a goal post high from 60 odd metres. Dont worry this kid will be a player and a half. Wish the Crows had got him!

 

[theGav56]

Name the last pacey midfielder Freo has drafted? Ibboston doesn't count. He was a late pick and frankly no one rated him.
QUOTE]
Peake has a bit of pace. Ibbotson was taken in the 40's, not so late a pick.

 

[theGav56]

Crowley has good pace about him.

 

[Ysaye]

Name the last pacey midfielder Freo has drafted? Ibboston doesn't count. He was a late pick and frankly no one rated him.
QUOTE]
Peake has a bit of pace. Ibbotson was taken in the 40's, not so late a pick.

Actually, Ibbotson was taken with pick 26 but he definitely isn't a midfielder - he has played nearly all of his footy from the half back flank.

 

[theGav56]

Actually, Ibbotson was taken with pick 26 but he definitely isn't a midfielder - he has played nearly all of his footy from the half back flank.

Many midfielders play off flanks while they develop their bodies and fitness. Happy to leave it to the coaching staff to define where he will or won't play, but I do recall that he was spoken of as an addition for their on-ball brigade. Mundy and Duffield seem likely back flankers to have a regular run through the midfield, which isn't to say they are centremen or wingmen.