Opinion Should the team ask for a Priority Pick 2025 edition.

[Happy Mastenator]

With Gov most likely being medically retired it makes sense.

I wonder if in the future there will be a compensation system for losing players to concussion. Don't know if I want it to be draft picks unless the draft gets overhauled.

Certainly makes sense given the AFL retired him.

Noting that I'm not disputing the call.

 

[daddy_4_eyes]

We know the AFL won't give us a 1st round draft pick, not start, mid or end of round.

WCE issues are three fold:
1. Lack of talent
2. Lack of experience. The injection of Baker and Graham has only served to highlight how far off the mark our other seniors are.
3. Fixing Beagles to aid player development.

We should be asking for Norf like draft picks to allow us to trade for experience without compromising our ability to bring in talent and asking for more list spots so the Beagles aren't compromised by top ups.

Also potentially asking for a couple extra list spots on the proviso we draft in mature-age state level talent.

Adding 2 extra rookies + 2 extra VFL/SANFL/WAFL mature age draftees will massively aid in making the Beagles competitive. And with any luck, there's a Dewar or McCarthy we could unearth that otherwise might be lost to the AFL.

 

[Happy Mastenator]

In another world we would have had Brad Shepard retiring this season after playing the last four years, gov retiring at the end of next year, and venables entering his prime at 26.

Instead they are all gone before their time due to concussion.

 

[HoneyBadger35]

I’ve been firmly on team no throughout. You make your own bed.

I’ve always thought any support should/would come in the form of additional list spots like has been given to multiple teams, including North recently.

Given we have now had four players medically retired due to concussion, one who was a teenage first round pick, and two who were All Australians that were set and forget in our B22, I now think it’s borderline impossible the AFL doesn’t give us more access to state league players from around the country to pad out the list.

No it’s not first overall for free, nor should it be, but I think we need free access to the best 24-26 year olds playing VFL and at least backfill some of the depth lost to our list.

 

[Mop]

I’ve been firmly on team no throughout. You make your own bed.

I’ve always thought any support should/would come in the form of additional list spots like has been given to multiple teams, including North recently.

Given we have now had four players medically retired due to concussion, one who was a teenage first round pick, and two who were All Australians that were set and forget in our B22, I now think it’s borderline impossible the AFL doesn’t give us more access to state league players from around the country to pad out the list.

No it’s not first overall for free, nor should it be, but I think we need free access to the best 24-26 year olds playing VFL and at least backfill some of the depth lost to our list.

I kind of agree with you, until we realise part of our issue is how inequitable the system is for other teams - academies, matching, North handouts.

We are partially a big victim of the other teams getting leg ups.

 

[Avalor]

I kind of agree with you, until we realise part of our issue is how inequitable the system is for other teams - academies, matching, North handouts.

We are partially a big victim of the other teams getting leg ups.

with all the players lost now to concussion, four of our best, I think it is incumbent upon the club to claim compensation.

 

[Mop]

with all the players lost now to concussion, four of our best, I think it is incumbent upon the club to claim compensation.

That is my point. One one hand we've mismanaged, but on the other we've been dealt a bad hand, in part due to the downstream impacts of other handouts. This is just a second lot of icing.

 

[HoneyBadger35]

I kind of agree with you, until we realise part of our issue is how inequitable the system is for other teams - academies, matching, North handouts.

We are partially a big victim of the other teams getting leg ups.

You’re 100% right, and it’s very pragmatic and reasonable for people to point out that this will never happen in a million years, but my stance has always been I will cop zero assistance whatsoever if the AFL say it is now no longer on the table to anyone under any circumstance.

But I get why that won’t happen, and that’s before you get into the issues you’ve pointed out like Academy access and bid matching etc.

 

[Mop]

You’re 100% right, and it’s very pragmatic and reasonable for people to point out that this will never happen in a million years, but my stance has always been I will cop zero assistance whatsoever if the AFL say it is now no longer on the table to anyone under any circumstance.

But I get why that won’t happen, and that’s before you get into the issues you’ve pointed out like Academy access and bid matching etc.

**** it. Priority assistance. No picks, but we get exactly the same access that the Northern's academy does to our NGA kids as well as additional list spots to help bolster the Beagles.

Win/win. Doesn't dilute the draft, allows us (as per Corbin Middlemas' really good suggestion) to put the money we have into our development facilities and coaches and to utilise our geographical and cultural advantages.

IMO it's a win for everyone. The club. Other clubs via not diluting their picks now. The AFL for diversity and access.

 

[squashface]

You’re 100% right, and it’s very pragmatic and reasonable for people to point out that this will never happen in a million years, but my stance has always been I will cop zero assistance whatsoever if the AFL say it is now no longer on the table to anyone under any circumstance.

But I get why that won’t happen, and that’s before you get into the issues you’ve pointed out like Academy access and bid matching etc.

Even if in that one in a million scenario that the AFL announced that assistance packages are no more, do you really have any faith that they wouldn't just backtrack in 5/10 years when Collingwood win a couple of spoons and "the state of the game in Victoria needs assistance"?

 

[AsterixTheGaul]

I’ve been firmly on team no throughout. You make your own bed.

I’ve always thought any support should/would come in the form of additional list spots like has been given to multiple teams, including North recently.

Given we have now had four players medically retired due to concussion, one who was a teenage first round pick, and two who were All Australians that were set and forget in our B22, I now think it’s borderline impossible the AFL doesn’t give us more access to state league players from around the country to pad out the list.

No it’s not first overall for free, nor should it be, but I think we need free access to the best 24-26 year olds playing VFL and at least backfill some of the depth lost to our list.

I would muddy up the VaFL and ask what research they are prepared to do with long haul travel and concussion. Venables, Sheppard and Gov are all high quality players we have lost.

The lack of us being in the VFL and having hands tied by WAFL clubs also hurts us so more list spots will make it fairer in development

 

[Happy Mastenator]

I’ve been firmly on team no throughout. You make your own bed.

I’ve always thought any support should/would come in the form of additional list spots like has been given to multiple teams, including North recently.

Given we have now had four players medically retired due to concussion, one who was a teenage first round pick, and two who were All Australians that were set and forget in our B22, I now think it’s borderline impossible the AFL doesn’t give us more access to state league players from around the country to pad out the list.

No it’s not first overall for free, nor should it be, but I think we need free access to the best 24-26 year olds playing VFL and at least backfill some of the depth lost to our list.

Its just not the concussions.

Yeo has played 47% of the games since 2020. (57 of 121 games) assuming missed next 4 games means he can play max 5 this year so would put him at 47% (62 out of 130) as a best case
Sheed has played 52% (63 of 121) won't play again this year so will end up at 43% of games for period (57 out of 130)
Allen has played 67% (82 of 121) won't play again this year so will end up at 63% of games for period (82 out of 130)
McGovern has played 58% (71 of 121) won't play again this year so will end up at 54% of games for period (71 out of 130)
Waterman has played 68% (83 of 121) won't play again this year so will end up at 63% of games for period (83 out of 130)

 

[jdisc]

we just need to rookie list another fat kid from albany

 

[Campaigner for good]

Or... we could just ask the AFL to lock in our picks per ladder finishing position. If we finish last we pick 1 and 19 etc, Combat the dilution which would help a rebuild much more than picks 1 and then after the academy picks say something like 28. Also gives us an attractive trading tool.

It's not compensation per say but it is a leg up.

 

[Godfather32]

Or... we could just ask the AFL to lock in our picks per ladder finishing position. If we finish last we pick 1 and 19 etc, Combat the dilution which would help a rebuild much more than picks 1 and then after the academy picks say something like 28. Also gives us an attractive trading tool.

It's not compensation per say but it is a leg up.

Or we just take as much as they'll give us like every other team does

 

[ThePuma #9]

The case just keeps growing for us to receive some form of assistance. This goes further than the "we made our own bed" argument.

In a period of the most compromised draft being superseded by the next most compromised draft, year after year, it is nigh on impossible of rebuilding via the draft unless you are a "nepo baby" northern state club.

Add on top of that the decimation of our list with injuries and forced retirements and what more can we do?

We let Barass and will also let Allen walk for draft capitol, we've split high end draft picks to bring in more picks, we've used free agency as a tool to top up, we've tried to offer monster contracts to re-sign Harley and attract Chad Warner

1

Chad Warner

Age

24

Ht

185cm

Wt

82kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

7.0

2star

K

4.5

2star

HB

2.5

2star

M

1.5

2star

T

1.5

3star

CL

0.0

1star

D

7.0

1star

K

4.5

2star

HB

2.5

2star

M

1.5

2star

T

1.5

2star

CL

0.0

1star

D

7.0

2star

K

4.5

2star

HB

2.5

3star

M

1.5

2star

T

1.5

4star

CL

0.0

1star

. We even let Jack Darling

28

Jack Darling

Age

33

Ht

191cm

Wt

95kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

12.1

3star

K

7.9

3star

HB

4.2

3star

M

5.0

5star

T

3.0

5star

G

1.9

5star

D

8.0

2star

K

4.3

2star

HB

3.7

3star

M

2.7

3star

T

2.4

3star

G

1.3

5star

D

14.6

4star

K

7.6

3star

HB

7.0

5star

M

6.0

5star

T

4.0

5star

G

1.4

5star

leave so we could prioritize youth in his position to further help the long term health of our list.

What more can we seriously do that we haven't already done?

We may have made our own bed but that doesn't mean much when the house is burning down and the fire brigade can't be bothered turning up to assist in saving the bed.

 

[MrWoollie]

Its just not the concussions.

Yeo has played 47% of the games since 2020. (57 of 121 games) assuming missed next 4 games means he can play max 5 this year so would put him at 47% (62 out of 130) as a best case
Sheed has played 52% (63 of 121) won't play again this year so will end up at 43% of games for period (57 out of 130)
Allen has played 67% (82 of 121) won't play again this year so will end up at 63% of games for period (82 out of 130)
McGovern has played 58% (71 of 121) won't play again this year so will end up at 54% of games for period (71 out of 130)
Waterman has played 68% (83 of 121) won't play again this year so will end up at 63% of games for period (83 out of 130)

Yet, if you listen to the commentators and read/listen to the vic-centric media, it's only Essendon that are having the the bad injury run.

Given that we have lost our #1 and #2 KPFs, our #1 KPD and #1 Big Bodied Mid, there's a pretty solid argument that we've lost 4 of our top 6 or 7 best (and certainly most important) players.

Every team would struggle with that.
And I wouldn't be betting my lunch on Yeo making it back for 2 games, let alone the optimistic 5!

 

[ThePuma #9]

Yet, if you listen to the commentators and read/listen to the vic-centric media, it's only Essendon that are having the the bad injury run.

Given that we have lost our #1 and #2 KPFs, our #1 KPD and #1 Big Bodied Mid, there's a pretty solid argument that we've lost 4 of our top 6 or 7 best (and certainly most important) players.

Every team would struggle with that.
And I wouldn't be betting my lunch on Yeo making it back for 2 games, let alone the optimistic 5!

Exactly i think most people would be able to make an argument that Waterman, Allen, Yeo and McGovern would be in our top 6-7 players on our list.

Out of a possible 92 games the four of them could've played in 2025 we got 26. (I doubt Yeo comes back at all)

A big whopping 28%

 

[DorothyG]

Exactly i think most people would be able to make an argument that Waterman, Allen, Yeo and McGovern would be in our top 6-7 players on our list.

Out of a possible 92 games the four of them could've played in 2025 we got 26. (I doubt Yeo comes back at all)

A big whopping 28%

Yeo ain't playing this year.

 

[Broken_Chairs]

Yeah...

 

[Cuzz09]

ask for all of them

 

[CursoryMercenary]

****ing def

 

[MeltMan]

Probably need 5

 

[Eastcoasteagle]

Only academy and extended list

 

[Carbine Chaos]

A folded clubs needs no picks.