Toast Welcome Anthony Scott

Mojorisin

Norm Smith Medallist
Oct 20, 2017
6,058
10,044
AFL Club
Western Bulldogs
It's not just your top end that wins flags....your depth will get you to the last dance and make every player earn their spot. I say give the young man some slack before we write him off as a sh*t choice. Nobody selected at this time is likely to be best 22 unless they are picked up by a bottom 6 side. I don't think we should swing for the fences with every selection. Every list spot counts. This looks like a conservative but prudent choice to me.
I have nothing against the addition of Scott and was a fan of his at vfl level my bemusement comes at the idea that we're going to turn him into a half back
 

Golden_6

Brownlow Medallist
Aug 15, 2014
10,161
20,862
AFL Club
Western Bulldogs
Other Teams
Chicago Bulls
Cavarra has never had a good shot at it. I hope he does this year.
I'm concerned he isn't one of Bevo's favourites and is therefore already up against it. He should get a good month block to see if he has what it takes, given we're desperately missing a small forward. He played two games in a row last year and was dropped, and thought his performances were at least worth giving a couple more weeks.
 
Every year in the U18s a bunch of kids who were never rated put their hand up in the 2nd half of the year and get drafted early - Bontempelli and Macrae two obvious ones. With no games last year, at draft time no-one knew who these kids were, but I bet they're out there! Whoever has a list spot for the mid-season draft might pick up a beauty.
There's still underlying physical data and interviewing that goes into these players. Bont and Macrae simply on the basis of interviewing as good people and their height and athletic traits were still being drafted somewhere if they played no under 18 footy.

In either case, we're drafting for tactical balance, not for upside "this player could be anything" type deal. We did that with Dahlhaus and Johannisen (Dahlhaus had tenacity but weakness with his kicking, Johannisen had athletic traits and hadn't played much through the usual development pathways). Whereas someone like Will Hayes was drafted not to be any better than we was, but we'd reliably know that he can run all day and he's know where to stand at stoppages. It's all good and we'll drafting a 19 year old at the mod year draft with freakish athleticism, but if you're picking from him or three other players who all get lost at stoppages, there's time we'd wish we had the option of promoting someone in our VFL list who will work hard and can just stand in the right spots.
 

Guido

Premium Gold
Aug 18, 2004
1,621
1,679
Melbourne
AFL Club
Western Bulldogs
Other Teams
Leros United
And Gia can GAGF.
He's not welcome back anytime soon (like in my lifetime).
If next year, we employ a new assistant from another club, would you not expect them to act in our best interests rather than his previous club that they either coached at or played for?

If we got, say, Dean Solomon on board, and he knew of a potential gun available at Gold Coast (or Essendon) and didn't alert us out of loyalty to a previous club, given that we're the ones paying him, I'd find that a much bigger (unforgivable) issue/act.
 
If next year, we employ a new assistant from another club, would you not expect them to act in our best interests rather than his previous club that they either coached at or played for?

If we got, say, Dean Solomon on board, and he knew of a potential gun available at Gold Coast (or Essendon) and didn't alert us out of loyalty to a previous club, given that we're the ones paying him, I'd find that a much bigger (unforgivable) issue/act.
True. He can still GAGF though. First Dunkley, now Scott.
On reflection I think I feel so strongly about it because it's Essendon. He's with the filth now so he's the enemy.

If it was GC or Port I'd probably just shrug my shoulders and move on.
 

Virgin Dog

Cancelled
Oct 29, 2017
9,734
20,645
AFL Club
Western Bulldogs
Scott tackles well and can kick bags. Needs to be in the fwd half imo.

Still looking forward to him.
I think the source of most people's frustrations (myself included) is our supposed intention to play him as a defender. Scott should be filling the role vacated by Lloyd, or else he's never going to be worth the list spot
 
Something to work with there.
Hopefully he learned from being put into defence against the Hawks. He's the type we need on the list to remind the other players just how valuable their chance to be on an AFL list actually is.
 
He's become the kind of player you need on the list - a good solid B grader who'll come in and give a decent performance with occasional flashes of brilliance.
No in my view he’s a C-grader and I’m not sure I’ve seen any true flashes of brilliance yet.

However he’s definitely an asset and the sort of player we need in our bottom six.
 
No in my view he’s a C-grader and I’m not sure I’ve seen any true flashes of brilliance yet.

However he’s definitely an asset and the sort of player we need in our bottom six.
Knows where the goals are.

Needs to watch his kicking a bit in general play a bit more.

Good looking rooster.
 

Unorth

Club Legend
Apr 3, 2014
2,272
7,662
AFL Club
Western Bulldogs
No in my view he’s a C-grader and I’m not sure I’ve seen any true flashes of brilliance yet.

However he’s definitely an asset and the sort of player we need in our bottom six.

I see Scott as being in our bottom 1 or 2 - if things are going really well. Which is pretty much what he was when we made a GF. Although he has definitely improved since, to his credit.

That may sound harsh, to be clear I don’t mind him in the side but the fact that there’s now several more below him, last year and still now, is just one sign of how poorly things are going overall.

I probably like his work as a small forward most. Obviously not quick or athletic but actually knows how to play the position and gets those easy goals that Cody/AJ/West don’t.
 
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