Scared at Draft Picks

[Philhawk]

Well ill start off by saying im very happy with the draft picks we chose , but taking a pessimistic look at our picks , did we go as well as we would have liked?

Xavier Ellis - Skinny, small , possibly wont bulk enough to make it in the AFL?

Dowler - Sure he might physically recover from his accident , but as someone else mentioned , will his mentality change as he goes into a heavy pack mark? None of the "body on the line" football with him?

Grant Birchall - Not really a midfielder , not really a KPP - could we afford drafting a "Utility" player so to speak ?

Max Bailey - Sure we need a ruckman , but do 205cm monsters from WA rectify our problem? He is big , but does he have the leap , the tapwork , the mobility , the ability to play as a forward - no point wasting a good early pick on a "developing player" - we just cant afford it

Beau Muston - Well sure he has the talent , but 2 Knee Reco's in the space of two years , thats got to have an influence on the way we play - possibly another waste of a pick?

Would we have been better off picking

Pick 3 - Kennedy

Pick 6 - Ryder

Pick 14 - Pfieffer

Pick 18 - Paul Bower

Pick 22 - Hughes

Sorry guys im just taking a pessimistic view - but lets hope that we dont look back at this draft in regret rather than pride

 

[HIG]

You'd have preferred four KPs and a back flanker? Nope.

We recruited based on the best talent, and filled a number of needs. Only one of the six has any sort of long term ?, and that's Muston - and his enormous potential in amongst a thin group of draftees has been widely documented.

Pick 22 certainly wasn't too high a price, especially given the fact that Clarkson was willing to trade the pick straight up for Toby Thurstans.

Obviously it's far too early to tell, but based on the limited information we have about the players to date, we couldn't have done much better.

 

[CyberKev]

Xavier Ellis - Skinny, small , possibly wont bulk enough to make it in the AFL?

At 187cm he is not too small, and he's certainly not the first young player to arrive at a club at a less than desirable weight. Its easy to argue cases for players being too light, too small, too slow, etc, etc. At the end of the day Ellis has been chosen because he has exceptional skills and smarts and pace as a bonus. We have two preseasons and all of next year to put 10kg on to his frame.

Dowler - Sure he might physically recover from his accident , but as someone else mentioned , will his mentality change as he goes into a heavy pack mark? None of the "body on the line" football with him?

As a footballer you throw yourself into situations all the time knowing that you get a nasty injury as a consequence. The injury itself did not occur on a football field, so armed with medical reassurance that he's physically fine, I wouldn't see why Dowler would be carrying psychological baggage into contests.

Grant Birchall - Not really a midfielder , not really a KPP - could we afford drafting a "Utility" player so to speak ?

A good number of players have arrived at clubs with preconceptions of their limitations arising out of their junior careers. With a bit of extra weight, and some specialised coaching, who knows where Birchall will end up playing. Again, he has been picked because he has stood out from the pack for a reason.

Max Bailey - Sure we need a ruckman , but do 205cm monsters from WA rectify our problem? He is big , but does he have the leap , the tapwork , the mobility , the ability to play as a forward - no point wasting a good early pick on a "developing player" - we just cant afford it

Every player starts out as a developing player, its just that some - ruckmen in particular - take longer. It seems to me that every club wants a strong ruck division, but few clubs are keen to bite the bullet and actually put some effort into developing 1 or 2 from scratch. If every club were to give up on young ruckmen because they were too hard, every club would be in trouble because there'd be none around to pinch when the hard yards had been done and they were finally showing something.

Beau Muston - Well sure he has the talent , but 2 Knee Reco's in the space of two years , thats got to have an influence on the way we play - possibly another waste of a pick?

Some players recover and some don't. Some draftees come on and some don't regardless of how healthy they are. Every player on the list is at risk of doing something nasty to themselves every time they take the paddock. Clearly the club thought he was good enough to punt on and we'll see what comes of it.

At the end of the day the club picked quality players that offered the possibility of rectifying broader team deficiencies. That's all you can ask for, the rest is up to fate.

 

[cosby]

Well ill start off by saying im very happy with the draft picks we chose , but taking a pessimistic look at our picks , did we go as well as we would have liked?

Xavier Ellis - Skinny, small , possibly wont bulk enough to make it in the AFL?

from what i've seen he looks balanced and agile, has a good leap and great skills. he's not bulky at the moment but i can definatley see him bulking up. don't worry, he will not be another fiora, every other club has learnt from richmonds mistake.

Dowler - Sure he might physically recover from his accident , but as someone else mentioned , will his mentality change as he goes into a heavy pack mark? None of the "body on the line" football with him?

i doubt that an injury that happened to him outside of football would affect him mentally when it came to running at a pack. i can't remember hearing of any football players breaking thier pelvis in a game, it's not like a shoulder injury where the players don't want ot raise their arms and risk contacxt. i have no doubt that the club will be filling him full of confidence to hit the ball hard when he gets out there. he will be great charging out of the goal square.

Grant Birchall - Not really a midfielder , not really a KPP - could we afford drafting a "Utility" player so to speak ?

who wouldn't want an 'andrew embley' type player running around? too early to tell where he will line up but a kid who is tall and mobile is worth their weight in gold.

Max Bailey - Sure we need a ruckman , but do 205cm monsters from WA rectify our problem? He is big , but does he have the leap , the tapwork , the mobility , the ability to play as a forward - no point wasting a good early pick on a "developing player" - we just cant afford it

everything i've read about mad max says that he is a great mark is surprisingly agile and quick for a guy 205cm and has great skills. mark thomson rated him the best ruckman in the draft and another coach(slipped my mind) said similar things.

Beau Muston - Well sure he has the talent , but 2 Knee Reco's in the space of two years, thats got to have an influence on the way we play - possibly another waste of a pick?

pick 22, not a waste. the kid is quick and smart. his bushrangers coach rated him as highly as deledio last year. everyone who's saw him play before he hurt his knee says he would have gone top 5 if not injured. the hfc staff will do exactly what is needed to get this kid right and when he does get out on the park every hawthorn supporter will have a big smile on their dial.

 

[Philhawk]

Lol guys im just taking the mickey , but its good to hear your reassuring comments though. Just a few questions though

Dowler - considering he has had this injury so early in his career - sure it was off the football field - but the point I was trying to make ( though I didnt express it well ) - was wont he still have that lingering thought at the back of his mind to ensure self preservation of his body? Rather then Thurgood - though who is as courageous to the extent of suicidal! - yet is willing to put the body on the line?

Birchall - Sure I like the sound of an Andrew Embley running around the club - but what role are we grooming Buddy for then?

Beau Muston - Im loving the potential factor - but IF - its an IF! Im sure the Hawthorn Football staff knew what they were doing when they chose him - im just worried about his 2 Knee Reco's. Does anyone know what influence this has on a player in the long run? Will he be one of those players who will be injured for the majority of their careers but have a few brilliant seasons somewhere in the middle of those?

 

[Philhawk]

Oh and 'Mad Max' - the nickname won me over and settled all my doubts over him

 

[Buster the hawk]

Beau Muston - Im loving the potential factor - but IF - its an IF! Im sure the Hawthorn Football staff knew what they were doing when they chose him - im just worried about his 2 Knee Reco's. Does anyone know what influence this has on a player in the long run? Will he be one of those players who will be injured for the majority of their careers but have a few brilliant seasons somewhere in the middle of those?

I may be mistaken ,but as i understand it this guy only injured his knee once but the first reco was not done correctly apart from that ,i have read where Beau has been compared to Judd ,well worth the risk of pick 22 i think .Besides we would 've had the best surgeons available to us check out his situation long before draft day no doubt so it may not be as big a gamble as it seems at the moment.

 

[Philhawk]

I may be mistaken ,but as i understand it this guy only injured his knee once but the first reco was not done correctly apart from that ,i have read where Beau has been compared to Judd ,well worth the risk of pick 22 i think .Besides we would 've had the best surgeons available to us check out his situation long before draft day no doubt so it may not be as big a gamble as it seems at the moment.

Yeh lets hope for the best