What franchise player should West Sydney target?

[Westy Bogan]

Ideas?

Someone like a Buddy would be perfect but hard to get. Needs someone to help bring the sponsors on board.

 

[floppinab]

It would be nice to pick up a Franklin type but the reality is targeting one player is a potential waste of time and energy given the majority of them end up quite loyal to the team.

Like the talk of G. Ablett going to GC, like he is going to leave Geelong.

GWS will only pick up someone in the situation of a Judd leaving WC and even then they will have their work cut out trying to attact that sort of player into the fledgling club, and overcoming any perceptions and prejudices about the GWS area.

 

[willingnable]

The person they chose to build a team around needs both the star factor on the field, but also to have great PR skills and to carry no baggage.

NRL wise I have always thought Benji Marshall has all the skills to be a great AFL player that is if they want to go in that directions. But I do think they need to recruit an NRL player from west syd who has great links to west syd and fantastic communication skills to really link the team to the community.

That said they still need quality AFL players to have a real impact on the field, and the first name they should chase is Nick Riewoldt.

 

[whiteandred]

The person they chose to build a team around needs both the star factor on the field, but also to have great PR skills and to carry no baggage.

NRL wise I have always thought Benji Marshall has all the skills to be a great AFL player that is if they want to go in that directions. But I do think they need to recruit *an NRL player from west syd who has great links to west syd and fantastic communication skills to really link the team to the community.

That said they still need quality AFL players to have a real impact on the field, and the first name they should chase is Nick Riewoldt.

* ... that's an oxymoron right there!

I don't think they need to chase an NRL player at all ... just let the media to say that they are and don't deny it ... its all about getting press coverage anyway! ... if GC17 never get a game out of Hunt, he will still be the greatest value investment an AFL team ever made.

A Riewoldt-type player would be ideal ... Buddy seems to have a few issues, I would say no ... but certainly an established influential player who is 25 -28 y.o. would fit well ... has Ablett been mentioned ?

 

[Brave New World]

The use of a franchise player requires a number of attributes. The main one is marketability as the player becomes a ‘name’ player whom a publicity campaign can be built around. The other attributes such as playing ability, leadership, maturity/experience, team position,(ie ruck, rover etc) depends upon other selected franchise players. In the case of the Gold Coast the fact that Carmichael Hunt may not be an immediate success on the playing field will matter less if the new captain is one Gary Ablett.

For GWS if we put aside any left-field NRL converts, we can assume that marketing around a local connection will initially probably mean more than a ‘name’. Many in the general population of GWS are unlikely to be aware who Bryce Gibbs or Alan Didak are, even though they are first class players. This is not to say that playing ability means nothing, but when taken across the final squad as a whole some players maybe chosen more for the local connection (“local kid who made good”), than pure ability. Others would be chosen more on pure ability and the probable impact they would establish once playing for GWS. Franklin would be a case in point.

For a local connection (Western Sydney, Greater Sydney or NSW) we could look to:
Mark McVeigh (about 31 years old in 2012)
Lenny Hayes (about 32 years old in 2012)
Ranga Ediriwickrama (about 21 years old in 2012)
Dylan Addison (about 24 years old in 2012)
Justin Koschitzke (about 29 years old in 2012)

Some other NSW players could be bandied about e.g. Walker (Adelaide) from Broken Hill and Cross (Bulldogs) from Albury. Probably the further from Sydney where they grew up the less their appeal from the ‘local kid’ perspective’.

On pure playing ability to capture the public’s imagination you would look at who’s available for the bundle of cash we should be able to offer due to a generous salary cap. But I would put as much emphasis on character etc than just flashy play. I’d rather a Judd (with leadership) than an ‘individual like Fevola. First and foremost we will be trying to build a club culture with predominately young 18 year olds. That’s why I specifically named McVeigh, Hayes, Addison and Koschitzke.

For a nomination from left field I would put up Dustin Martin. As a new draftee he only has to give Richmond two years (2010 and 2011). We just need someone to buy him Christopher Milne’s book ‘The Western Sydney Kid’ for Christmas!

 

[knightwheelrqr]

For the Gold Coast Gary Ablett is a perfect fit.

For West Sydney Lance Franklin is a perfect fit.

Quality KPF's are the hardest thing to find, and Franklin will likely be the best player in the AFL very soon.

He is a big name signing, and getting a big name signing will do wonders for your club. He should be the no.1 target.