Recruitment: Are we in trouble?

Sep 8, 2009
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Adam Simpson wants versatility in players and that is what we have drafted .... Nelson , Duggan both highly promising but cannot say if they are halfback flankers , midfielders ...... likewise Lamb half forward but can play midfield possibly .......Cole same as Nelson and Duggan .

Last draft we drafted Partington and Mutimer who are midfielders but a 12 months away most likely .

However we have drafted Redden and Jetta who are midfielders that need to step up and both have opportunity now !!
 

frenchconnection

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You'd be silly to replace 10 players in the one hit.
I think the main thing is with one big bodied midfielder on the list would make a big difference and also could do with another good inside mid who gives it their all. Possibly Nelson could fill this role in time. Don't need to go overboard although - will admit though there are a few on the list who would be considered deadwood. Perhaps bad management when offering them their last contract - just guessing of course!!
 

Bokonon

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As far as I'm concerned you can have Priddis, please, please take him. In all seriousness I actually think he'd do quite well for you surrounded by your dynamic midfield, but I doubt the team would ever trade him. It's tough to see a trade that would trump what Freo are offering and meets both teams needs. How's Pickett recovering? I'd involve him in any trade if I could.
Pity, we're in weak position on that trade I think, for his sake I hope they offer something we can take upfront and the sorry saga ends.
Pickett out for season so don't think much will be known for a while. That's what I mean about trading in, he would have played for us early this year, but for Stevie J I think.
Realistic chance to be available I would have thought.
 
Jan 13, 2013
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Pity, we're in weak position on that trade I think, for his sake I hope they offer something we can take upfront and the sorry saga ends.
Pickett out for season so don't think much will be known for a while. That's what I mean about trading in, he would have played for us early this year, but for Stevie J I think.
Realistic chance to be available I would have thought.
Yeh, I really hope you don't get reamed by freo, I like seeing them lose :D
McCarthy has put you in a horrible position though, I'd hope we'd offer up something if only to keep the dockers honest.
 
How do you rate the depth of the draft this year? Say we wanted to get rid of 10 players at the end of the season, would we find enough players with potential in the draft to replace them?


Its a odd draft this year Godfather32.

Last weekend after the WA V Vic Cty game I left thinking that there wasn't one top 10 draft pick on display in the game and thats an unusual take away from two Division 1 teams. I have been watching and attending the championships for 15 year now and I came away, last Sunday from Subiaco Oval, the most underwhelmed as I can remember ever from a Division 1 game. Vic Cty in particular really disappointed me as I was expecting a much better showing from the Vic Cty plethora of bigger bodied mids. :(

It may be one of those years when you just take best available player regardless of position and need. For me the stand out, most AFL ready and best player on the ground was Josh Rotham and by some margin. He just looks so poised and moves like an AFL player , the big bonus for a team that gets him is that he doesn't miss targets as his foot skills are elite.

I digress.

This years draft pool doesn't have a Weitering or any stand out top five, rather its thin on elite talent in the first 10 however there is, after that, an evenness to whats available in the next two and a half rounds. In short its an OK draft pool but nothing special. Its true that there are some quite handy academy kids that will feature in the first round, but that doesn't help us.

From a WC perspective I don't see ( at this early stage ) stand out midfield options that will be available at our pick range, now that may change as the Championships unfold and the season as a whole progresses.

Talk of Powell-Pepper as an option has some merit , but we need to be clear he isn't the answer to our midfield woes, I see him a s a flanker that can do some midfield rotations but he isn't a pure mids by any stretch of the imagination and he does have limitations.

Waterman is an interesting one .... just what would be be "a fair spend " to get him. I would be a little hesitant to take him with our second as I am not 100 % convinced that he will project to the next level. Let me qualify that.
He is a good mark and reads the play well and he does have some leadership qualities , thats the good , the bad for me is that he is too much of a spectator and doesn't get his own football when its on the ground. If that aspect of his game doesn't improve then he will an easy player to put a shut down defender on and therefore his influence in a game will be severely compromised, because players are a lot harder to negate if the can get their own football. I will be watching with interest to see how Jake progresses in the remainder of the Champs and how he finishes off the Colts season at Claremont.

That said its not all gloom with this years draft pool as I am encouraged with the number of small forward options that may well be available to us late in the draft, some of whom are right in our own WA backyard. First and foremost I am excited by the AFL prospects of Shai Bolton ( South Fremantle ) and Matt Guelfi ( Claremont ). Bolton in particular excites me, fast , tough no nonsense and an accurate skill set , being 177 and 67, his stature may well see him slide to a deep pick, but his skill set is very, very good. Guelfi is a lot bigger and at 184 and 78 presents as a nice size , he is a player thats very under ratted and is a tough extractor who has good skills.

Also bear in mind that we need to keep some player to delist next year, as we will be wanting to take a lot more picks in next years draft as its already looming as a super draft. I don't think you are going to see many teams trading next years first and second rounders at this year trade week.

So that's a long winded way of answering your question... so NO this years not the year for a massive top up.
I would advocate maybe 4-5 changes this season and have a much more comprehensive clean out at the end of season 2017.
 
This was said last year. And the year before that. And.........

That not correct at all, actually its bullshit, this years draft was touted as being deeper in midfielders and short on tall's, certainly not a super draft.
Last year draft was noted for some very good kids early but falling away very rapidly after the first round.

I don't know where you get your info from but its flawed.
 
Jan 13, 2013
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Its a odd draft this year Godfather32.

Last weekend after the WA V Vic Cty game I left thinking that there wasn't one top 10 draft pick on display in the game and thats an unusual take away from two Division 1 teams. I have been watching and attending the championships for 15 year now and I came away, last Sunday from Subiaco Oval, the most underwhelmed as I can remember ever from a Division 1 game. Vic Cty in particular really disappointed me as I was expecting a much better showing from the Vic Cty plethora of bigger bodied mids. :(

It may be one of those years when you just take best available player regardless of position and need. For me the stand out, most AFL ready and best player on the ground was Josh Rotham and by some margin. He just looks so poised and moves like an AFL player , the big bonus for a team that gets him is that he doesn't miss targets as his foot skills are elite.

I digress.

This years draft pool doesn't have a Weitering or any stand out top five, rather its thin on elite talent in the first 10 however there is, after that, an evenness to whats available in the next two and a half rounds. In short its an OK draft pool but nothing special. Its true that there are some quite handy academy kids that will feature in the first round, but that doesn't help us.

From a WC perspective I don't see ( at this early stage ) stand out midfield options that will be available at our pick range, now that may change as the Championships unfold and the season as a whole progresses.

Talk of Powell-Pepper as an option has some merit , but we need to be clear he isn't the answer to our midfield woes, I see him a s a flanker that can do some midfield rotations but he isn't a pure mids by any stretch of the imagination and he does have limitations.

Waterman is an interesting one .... just what would be be "a fair spend " to get him. I would be a little hesitant to take him with our second as I am not 100 % convinced that he will project to the next level. Let me qualify that.
He is a good mark and reads the play well and he does have some leadership qualities , thats the good , the bad for me is that he is too much of a spectator and doesn't get his own football when its on the ground. If that aspect of his game doesn't improve then he will an easy player to put a shut down defender on and therefore his influence in a game will be severely compromised, because players are a lot harder to negate if the can get their own football. I will be watching with interest to see how Jake progresses in the remainder of the Champs and how he finishes off the Colts season at Claremont.

That said its not all gloom with this years draft pool as I am encouraged with the number of small forward options that may well be available to us late in the draft, some of whom are right in our own WA backyard. First and foremost I am excited by the AFL prospects of Shai Bolton ( South Fremantle ) and Matt Guelfi ( Claremont ). Bolton in particular excites me, fast , tough no nonsense and an accurate skill set , being 177 and 67, his stature may well see him slide to a deep pick, but his skill set is very, very good. Guelfi is a lot bigger and at 184 and 78 presents as a nice size , he is a player thats very under ratted and is a tough extractor who has good skills.

Also bear in mind that we need to keep some player to delist next year, as we will be wanting to take a lot more picks in next years draft as its already looming as a super draft. I don't think you are going to see many teams trading next years first and second rounders at this year trade week.

So that's a long winded way of answering your question... so NO this years not the year for a massive top up.
I would advocate maybe 4-5 changes this season and have a much more comprehensive clean out at the end of season 2017.
Thanks for the insight, informative as always.
Do you see anyone in this draft that would help our midfield, like say if we could trade up to pick 5ish?
 
Thanks for the insight, informative as always.
Do you see anyone in this draft that would help our midfield, like say if we could trade up to pick 5ish?

Not at this early stage of the evaluation process as I haven't seen enough of the kids in the championships yet.
 
Sep 28, 2009
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That not correct at all, actually its bullshit, this years draft was touted as being deeper in midfielders and short on tall's, certainly not a super draft.
Last year draft was noted for some very good kids early but falling away very rapidly after the first round.

I don't know where you get your info from but its flawed.
It seems to be said every year that the following year's draft is going to be a good one but then when we get there it's not all that flash and the cycle continues. It's not even just on bigfooty. I remember the 2007 draft being touted as some sort of great draft and most of them ended up being spuds.
 
Sep 8, 2009
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Woosha is looking at trading there Number 1 pick for a key forward or bigbodied midfielder , cant see this happening though .... Woosha always entertains this option .

Essendon would be best served to hang on to the number 1 pick , there real team will be back in 2017 and should be a top 8 team .
 

Tom_Thumb

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We could do a quick mini rebuild and be back in contention in 2 seasons, players we need to replace are LeCras, Butler, Priddis, Hill, Masten and Hutchings then we are rolling again.
 
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Luke Strnadica would be a nice get with our second rounder I am a big fan and I think he is a serious talent.
Very reliable shot at goal and pretty good mark. Good size 199 cm and 93 kg "skinny as" at the moment so he has the frame to add another 12 to 15 kg.
His ruck work in the forward line is pretty tidy as well. Will take him three years to bulk up and make a serious push into the side and that should coincide with JK being on the way out.

Low production in Colts.


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frenchconnection

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We could do a quick mini rebuild and be back in contention in 2 seasons, players we need to replace are LeCras, Butler, Priddis, Hill, Masten and Hutchings then we are rolling again.
How old is Hill? As far as form is concerned think he's the least of our problems - it's just that at present is being used in a different role. Personally I like him around the forward line pinching goals when he can. But Simmo is using him to plug holes I think.
 
Low production in Colts.


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This year yes. 6 games 11.3 average possessions : 6 goals 7 points so for for the season

Last year he was much more prolific. 12 games 9.75 average possessions : 33 goals 12 points.

I have been tracking Luke's development for a few years now and I was disappointed with his start to the Colts season this year , but I have been pleased that he has risen to the challenge at the Championships. The East Fremantle Colts side has not been setting the world on fire so that may be part of the problem, plus he has grown and that often messes up young players agility and coordination just a tad and consequently their production falls off a little.

He was good last weekend against Vic Country with 4 goals and he has followed that up with 3 goals against SA today. So seven goals from two games in the championship for a KPF is a pretty hand return.

I take it from your comment that you don't rate him.
 

Belltower

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All I know in 2014 is that I was gobsmacked when we passed over Weller and Blakely. Dredge up the draft thread if you want.

I'm assuming that the club thought Waterman would become the inside beast to replace Priddis eventually and that's why they bypassed Blakely and went full #YOLO on Lamb.

Had the club know about Waterman's illness, I have no doubt they would have taken Blakely. He had so many wraps on him, was even 5th on Knightmare's big board that year out of everyone. I could not believe he slipped to the 30s. The whole league is taking notice of he and Weller now.

Duggan whom? to everyone else.
2 good games aginst the 2 bottom sides, lets see how they go against better teams. I still don't think weller is anything special
 
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Weller isn't the sort of player we need. He's small and light weight. Will be a decent player though. Blakely would have been more suitable.

Hopefully next year we will have Sheed and Waterman back in contention for a spot along with game time into Duggan and Nelson. Partington could be handy too if he puts on a bit of weight.
 

Big_Tony

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How old is Hill? As far as form is concerned think he's the least of our problems - it's just that at present is being used in a different role. Personally I like him around the forward line pinching goals when he can. But Simmo is using him to plug holes I think.
I agree. I think Hill is having a career best season with us so far. He hasn't been used exclusively in the forward line this year like previously.
 

Big_Tony

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I don't think you could say the have a recruiting problem after making the GF last year. Any team that manages to do that has recruited reasonably well I think. I think people are overestimating the impact of the individual players at the moment. Of course you need good players, but the team should be more than the sum of it's parts. I think the biggest difference to last year is we are just not playing as a collective unit as well. Maybe other teams know how to play against us better now... maybe the game-style of the competition changing makes our tactics less effective than last year... maybe the players new to our system have caused a bit of a disconnect while they are still learning... or maybe it is a bit of all those things. But simply getting one or two better players will not and should not be the difference between a team making the GF and being bottom half of the 8.
 
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It's mixed but you're being dramatic. Shred and Barrass from 13, Duggan and Nelson from 14, too early to tell this year but Cole looks fantastic. Traded in Yeo, Ellis, Wellingham and Cripps are all successes I'd say. Not spectacular but given our picks it's fine. Unlucky with Waterman and Cavka too.
That's a great analysis mate well done, Cole looks unbelievably good from what we've seen.
 

bl4ke

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Its a odd draft this year Godfather32.

Last weekend after the WA V Vic Cty game I left thinking that there wasn't one top 10 draft pick on display in the game and thats an unusual take away from two Division 1 teams. I have been watching and attending the championships for 15 year now and I came away, last Sunday from Subiaco Oval, the most underwhelmed as I can remember ever from a Division 1 game. Vic Cty in particular really disappointed me as I was expecting a much better showing from the Vic Cty plethora of bigger bodied mids. :(

It may be one of those years when you just take best available player regardless of position and need. For me the stand out, most AFL ready and best player on the ground was Josh Rotham and by some margin. He just looks so poised and moves like an AFL player , the big bonus for a team that gets him is that he doesn't miss targets as his foot skills are elite.

I digress.

This years draft pool doesn't have a Weitering or any stand out top five, rather its thin on elite talent in the first 10 however there is, after that, an evenness to whats available in the next two and a half rounds. In short its an OK draft pool but nothing special. Its true that there are some quite handy academy kids that will feature in the first round, but that doesn't help us.

From a WC perspective I don't see ( at this early stage ) stand out midfield options that will be available at our pick range, now that may change as the Championships unfold and the season as a whole progresses.

Talk of Powell-Pepper as an option has some merit , but we need to be clear he isn't the answer to our midfield woes, I see him a s a flanker that can do some midfield rotations but he isn't a pure mids by any stretch of the imagination and he does have limitations.

Waterman is an interesting one .... just what would be be "a fair spend " to get him. I would be a little hesitant to take him with our second as I am not 100 % convinced that he will project to the next level. Let me qualify that.
He is a good mark and reads the play well and he does have some leadership qualities , thats the good , the bad for me is that he is too much of a spectator and doesn't get his own football when its on the ground. If that aspect of his game doesn't improve then he will an easy player to put a shut down defender on and therefore his influence in a game will be severely compromised, because players are a lot harder to negate if the can get their own football. I will be watching with interest to see how Jake progresses in the remainder of the Champs and how he finishes off the Colts season at Claremont.

That said its not all gloom with this years draft pool as I am encouraged with the number of small forward options that may well be available to us late in the draft, some of whom are right in our own WA backyard. First and foremost I am excited by the AFL prospects of Shai Bolton ( South Fremantle ) and Matt Guelfi ( Claremont ). Bolton in particular excites me, fast , tough no nonsense and an accurate skill set , being 177 and 67, his stature may well see him slide to a deep pick, but his skill set is very, very good. Guelfi is a lot bigger and at 184 and 78 presents as a nice size , he is a player thats very under ratted and is a tough extractor who has good skills.

Also bear in mind that we need to keep some player to delist next year, as we will be wanting to take a lot more picks in next years draft as its already looming as a super draft. I don't think you are going to see many teams trading next years first and second rounders at this year trade week.

So that's a long winded way of answering your question... so NO this years not the year for a massive top up.
I would advocate maybe 4-5 changes this season and have a much more comprehensive clean out at the end of season 2017.
What's happened to Rotham since this? Has he actually been played out of position his whole time in the WAFL?
 
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