what do we need for this years draft

[gocats88]

I've been thinking for awhile about this i reckon we need to get 1 ruckman/forward a mid with excellent disposal. a small/medium forward so that it takes the pressure of djekkura and varcoe and hopefully both play in the midfield when they have enough expreince. I think we also need another tall forward so we have that 3rd option with nablett and hawkins
and we are going to delist playfair,gardiner,spencer we really do need to pick up a key forward with grima probaly going to take matty scarletts spot when he retires. thoughts?

 

[Boundary-Rider]

We take the best available player that matches our needs.

Key defender 2 -3 years development needed as you say to be groomed
ruck they usuallly take 3 -4 years to develop
on-baller young selwood if he is still available

we usually have 4 picks

1: Best talent available
2:ruck or on-baller depending on pick 1
3:tall defender
4:development player

rookie:
1 ruck
2: on-baller
3: development playe or maybe a smokey from up country vic area of falcons

 

[thejester]

Best available, ruckmen, key defender. We've got small forwards/mids coming out our ears - remember that in addition to Varcoe and Djekurra we've got Gamble, Owen and Bedford and Davenport on the rookie list, and Prismall, Selwood, Hogan all waiting in the wings.

 

[year of the cat]

I would have thought a list of priorities would be-

1. Ruckman
2. A backman to be able to play on small, quick forwards (i.e. Didak)
3. Tall mobile backman

This draft by all accounts has several quality ruckman as its feature. McEvoy, Bellchambers are names that are being thrown around on the Drafts/Trading board that may be looked at.

 

[azyboy]

Do we really need another ruckman? Blake is starting to impose himself on games, Ottens is an excellent ruckman, West is showing huge potential and King is...well he's on the list anyway (is he contracted for nexyt season?).
I think a pacy, highly skilled midfielder would be top of my wish list.

 

[Asty]

I think with harley, scarlett and milburn being some of our older players a key defender to develop so in future we will have egan and recruit on the spine and mackie may be able to do a milburn roll (tall or small). A ruckman to develop is always handy on the list (especially with kingy injured more often than not). and apart from that mid sized guys that can play HB W HF and then eventually develop into part of the midfield rotation.

I think Mooney, NAblett and Hawkins provides us a forward line for the next few years so dont have to recruit a key forward this year unless there is a gun sitting there waiting for us

That said take the best available in round 1 (might be a late pick for us though if we can continue on)

 

[WE Are Geelong]

I think with harley, scarlett and milburn being some of our older players a key defender to develop so in future we will have egan and recruit on the spine and mackie may be able to do a milburn roll (tall or small). A ruckman to develop is always handy on the list (especially with kingy injured more often than not). and apart from that mid sized guys that can play HB W HF and then eventually develop into part of the midfield rotation.

I think Mooney, NAblett and Hawkins provides us a forward line for the next few years so dont have to recruit a key forward this year unless there is a gun sitting there waiting for us

That said take the best available in round 1 (might be a late pick for us though if we can continue on)

Agree. Generally just take the best player round 1 but I think getting a quality young mobile/athletic tall defender to the club who can be groomed over a 2-4 year period is the most pressing issue. A few months ago I would have said a ruckman too but with Blake's progress and West showing signs he can be a player I think Scarlett, Milburn and Harley will be difficult to replace in a few years if we dont get to work now.

 

[sexyhunk]

i say definately ruckman cause good ones are so hard to find, also a key backman? think we pretty secure up forward and on ball which is areas that are easist to fill.

think we should seriously look at meesen from the crows as hes a local boy whos put contract negotiations on hold. hes got great atheletic ability and hes already got three years of development at one of the most discipline teams in the comp.

 

[finrod]

backmen backmen backmen

 

[Budda 230]

The Geelong list is already well structured. There are no real weaknesses that need to be addressed. We have worthy replacements in all areas.

We will most likely have pick 14-16. So I believe Wellsy will be looking out for a slider. Whether he be a midfielder, ruckman, defender or forward, it doesn't matter. Just get the best. From there, you can structure the rest of the picks pending on what type of player was taken first.

 

[thejester]

I think it's undeniable that we need tall defenders and ruckmen, though not so desperately that we should overlook talented mids/forward instead. Chronologically, we recruited Blake in 2003 and West in 2005, so with King looking increasingly unlikely to ever get back to anywhere approaching his best, makes sense that we'de recruit another this year. As for backmen...Harley is 29, Egan 24, Scarlett 28, Milburn 30. Who do we have to replace them? Hunt is about Egan's age and height, and you'd have to say is the only tall on the list who could make it is an AFL defender - even then unlikely. Callan's a short arse. The Natural is tall enough but just doesn't look the goods. Lonergan played a good season down back in the VFL and a good half of footy against Melbourne - but there's no way of knowing if he'll get back on the list, let alone if he could turn into a consistently good defender at AFL level. That's leaves the tall stocks down to a pinch-hitter like Playfair. We need some defenders now to prepare for the en masse retirement of the core of our current backline in the next few years.

 

[grantyc77]

Just let Wellsy do his thing, he has been good the last few yrs, im sure he will have another Mackie waiting in the wings...

 

[kinggaz29]

backmen backmen backmen

i agree we have a forard line for next ten years in nablett hawkins djerkurra stokes.... a midfield for ten yrs in blake selwood gablett bartel so we need to sure up our backline for when scarlett milburn and harley leave. We cant rely souly on matty egan and a dont think matt spencer is our answer. Any one from another club we could snag in trade time to help us out??? Must be under 22!

 

[catzfan]

we should try to pick tom collier and adam donohue. Collier goes for geelong is proped as one of the best prospects as a fast, skillful tall backman.

 

[CF]

Agree. Generally just take the best player round 1 but I think getting a quality young mobile/athletic tall defender to the club who can be groomed over a 2-4 year period is the most pressing issue. A few months ago I would have said a ruckman too but with Blake's progress and West showing signs he can be a player I think Scarlett, Milburn and Harley will be difficult to replace in a few years if we dont get to work now.

I agree with your assessment of the situation

 

[The Hulkster]

We take the best available player that matches our needs.

Key defender 2 -3 years development needed as you say to be groomed
ruck they usuallly take 3 -4 years to develop
on-baller young selwood if he is still available

we usually have 4 picks

1: Best talent available
2:ruck or on-baller depending on pick 1
3:tall defender
4:development player

rookie:
1 ruck
2: on-baller
3: development playe or maybe a smokey from up country vic area of falcons

I agree with this line of thinking.

You really do need to go with the best available with your first pick. I think we will.

But i beleive we need a tall defender type with our 2nd pick not the ruckman.

 

[year of the cat]

Does anyone know much about a kid called Chris Kangars who is playing for the Falcons and for Vic Country in the U18 Champs? Apparently is a superb athlete who needs one more qualifying time to run in the World Junior Athletic Champs. Can he find the pill? Skills? May be a decent running defender in time perhaps?

 

[thejester]

There's also the Donohue kid, who IIRC has expressed his intention to nominate come hell or high water and will go to whichever club takes him.

 

[costanza23]

Does anyone know much about a kid called Chris Kangars who is playing for the Falcons and for Vic Country in the U18 Champs? Apparently is a superb athlete who needs one more qualifying time to run in the World Junior Athletic Champs. Can he find the pill? Skills? May be a decent running defender in time perhaps?

He kills it in the athletics at school, very fast. Plays full back for the Falcons and is listed at 193cm from memory. Although I haven't seen him play, he could be that mobile key defender that we'll need in a few years when Scarlo and Milburn are gone. Might be taken with a late pick in the draft, maybe that 'development player' we usually get with out last pick.

We'll need a couple of key defender/forwards from this years draft as Gardiner, Playfair and Spencer will be gone and possibly Lonergan and S. Hunt.

Maybe even another quick, skilled small defender. Callan will be gone, J. Hunt is struggling, D. Johnson is so-so. Owen or Bedford may come good, but it's too early to tell.

And if Kingy goes, I think we should rookie another ruckman.

We might not draft a whole lot this year, as I think Grima and Davenport should both be elevated from the rookie list. If Lonergan gets promoted, then we should keep Dav on the rookie list for another year.

 

[Furious_G]

I'd draft best available then KP Forwards. Look at some of the best defenders going around, they all started as forwards. Chris Johnson, Chad Cornes, Whitnall, etc. Paul Roo's in the past. Even our club players like Mackie, Playfair and Lonergran were drafted as forwards and are now best suited to the back line.

There are very few Scarlett/Silvagni type players who a purebreed defenders...

 

[Hood007]

There are very few Scarlett/Silvagni type players who a purebreed defenders...

Silvagni himself started as a forward didn't he?

 

[thejester]

on the kangars one. his very mobile, his around 193cms as you sed but skills are ordinary especially kicking. but the good thing is because of his awsum athletisism he can get drafted this year and within a few years he might become a really good kick and with his closing speed cood be a very good key defender at afl level in the future but i dont think geelong would be interested, few melbourne clubs r keen apparently... but yeah awsum speed for a big bloke and can run 400 metres in under 50 seconds which is terrific for sum1 his size and has great closing speed, if he works purely on his kicking im sure he will be a gun!

I dunno...you look at guys like Tenace, Byrnes and Enright and can't help but think 'once a bad kick, always a bad kick'.

 

[GeeCat]

Given we're operating pre-championships (and just generally, awhile away from the draft), I'm pretty loathe to commit to players right now, but the strength of this years ruck prospects has me leaning (and hoping) we can snare one at some stage.

I know we're looking healthy-ish at this point in time, and that we've picked up Blakey and West in recent years, but even so:

i - I'm done banking anything on King and his body. On paper (and in theory) he looks attractive as a back-up waiting in the wings for our current Ottens/Blake tag team, but his body is shot (as it has been for quite some time) and it wouldn't surprise me if he (or the club) threw in the towel anytime soon. Essentially, we're down then.

ii - West looks okay, but he's a long way from looking like anything set in stone as a prospect. I'm pretty hesitant to bank anything on his progress as well. He certainly shouldn't be an overriding reason to pass up on a ruckman this year, especially seeing as...

iii - This year's ruck prospects are looking as good as any other year. The top end has quality (Kruezer, McEvoy, Bellchambers etc), but there are alot of others who will be scattered elsewhere who also have legitimate claims with their talent and potential. Quality is quality, and we if there's any year to load up on rucks, it's this year.

Other than that, I'd say we need to look at (again) acquiring key defenders and genuine small defenders.

 

[Turbocat]

As other have said , with a fit list we have got few holes. So , after the Joel Selwood addition , I wouldn’t be disappointed to add another quality kid be him mid back or forward. In a club that had its fair share of seasoned mids he has still found a way to force his way into the side. SW has a knack for picking under rated or players that may have slipped due to an injury(just like Joel) so by the time P16 comes around( I hope) It wouldn’t be surprised if he picks some kid who’s been out for 3 months but was previously rated in his Top 10. Quality is what we need , not just youth that will struggle to gain entry into our reasonably young senior side. Kelly erks me but at times his delivery into the forwardline really shows up guys like Corey and Enright. A young Riccardi would find a spot , no doubt. Is Joel’s brother Scott this type , who knows but we could probably do worse than have two Selwoods at Catland.

The other thought is the Ottens Deal is now looking more and more a "very" good deal. A seasoned , middle aged player that had lost favour with his original club. He had recognised talent but also had questions about attitude, fitness and willingness to work. After rocky start he is now looking like he is playing as well as he ever has . Could this tempt them again? In a year when they might end up with picks that late in every round could a hard 24ish tall running Half Back be worth trading for?

Positional
I've long been an advocate of ensuring our ruck is well stocked maybe even over stocked.Inspite of our current AFL side's good run with injuries , we are more vulnerable in the ruck than any other area. If Ottens or Blake went down it would effect our structure , players like Mooney might be asked to do more or players like Ottens/Blake could be more stressed playing with less help. I don’t count King at all , if he comes back it will be a bonus but I consider his spot on the list as dead.
If an obvious pick presented itself then I’m sure SW would take him but if not , considering the lead time for ruckmen , I don’t think we can continue to ignore the King situation. We don’t have to recruit or use our best pick on a ruck but I do think we need to at the very least add another as a Rookie. Be that Mumford or some other kid that has the look to be worth investing some time in.

Our tall backs are oldish and I don’t see any outstanding guy ready to come in so if the right player was there they may be just pick him. Even if he is 3 years off , that’s no real problem its more about quality. It was why I was hoping to nab Reid as he was so young last year , but the Pies jump real early.

The U18 Champs will be interesting to watch , what ever there is on Fox this year.Some kid will jump out as they usually do but Kreuzer and Cotchin are the kids that are apparently the guns of this draft
A kid that took my eye last year was Otten, tallish across half back and R.Prismall looked good along side Hawkins and Falcon Jack Stevens apparently looks good and is quick.

 

[patdman]

I agree Backman and Ruck like everyone. There is nothing at all wrong with having 2-3 dominate ruckman!!

I wouldnt mind as well if we traded our first round pick and some fringe players for a player from another club. I think our list right now looks very good and really I want to go hard for a premiership in the next few years.