Why do we ignore key position players in the draft?

[Jasper84]

So this gets talked about a lot but really deserves it's own thread. Since 2014 we have only recruited three key position players in the first two rounds. Darcy Moore with pick 7, Sam McClarty with pick 30 and Will Kelly with pick 29.

It's a damning stat considering every team who has won a premiership in the modern game has had a KPF drafted in the first two rounds.

Why do we continue to ignore key position players?

 

[Shade]

I think we should strongly look at moving Derek hine on hes been at the club for 14 years and we could do with a new fresh set of eyes and mind

 

[Ingy]

I think it is possibly because they are so hard to find.

Do you want me to make a long list of KPFs that clubs have spent single figures draft picks on that amounted to nothing?

Mostly, the clubs that have them didn't draft them. Richmond didn't draft Lynch. Sydney didn't draft Franklin. West Coast didn't draft Kennedy. GWS drafted Cameron but they also had about five bites at the cherry because they could - and McCarthy, Patton are no longer there.

It makes more sense to trade them in once they've proven themselves, or you end up with a Gumbleton

 

[pinko77]

I think it is possibly because they are so hard to find.

Do you want me to make a long list of KPFs that clubs have spent single figures draft picks on that amounted to nothing?

Mostly, the clubs that have them didn't draft them. Richmond didn't draft Lynch. Sydney didn't draft Franklin. West Coast didn't draft Kennedy. GWS drafted Cameron but they also had about five bites at the cherry because they could - and McCarthy, Patton are no longer there.

It makes more sense to trade them in once they've proven themselves, or you end up with a Gumbleton

And Tom Boyd maybe even Jesse Hogan

 

[Ingy]

And Tom Boyd maybe even Jesse Hogan

Yep. Tom Boyd retired, Hogan not at the club he was drafted and not 'there' yet, if ever.

Paddy McCartin, etc etc...

 

[Jasper84]

I think it is possibly because they are so hard to find.

Do you want me to make a long list of KPFs that clubs have spent single figures draft picks on that amounted to nothing?

Mostly, the clubs that have them didn't draft them. Richmond didn't draft Lynch. Sydney didn't draft Franklin. West Coast didn't draft Kennedy. GWS drafted Cameron but they also had about five bites at the cherry because they could - and McCarthy, Patton are no longer there.

It makes more sense to trade them in once they've proven themselves, or you end up with a Gumbleton

Lynch: Pick 11
Kennedy: Pick 4
Cameron: Pre selection Would have been top 10.
Franklin: Pick 4

All of the players you mentioned would have commanded top 10 picks in straight up trades for the entire of their careers.

 

[Jasper84]

And Tom Boyd maybe even Jesse Hogan

Bulldogs traded pick 7 and Griffin for Boyd. He won them a premiership

 

[anshell]

I think we should strongly look at moving Derek hine on hes been at the club for 14 years and we could do with a new fresh set of eyes and mind

Agreed.I think he’s been in the job too long.His lack of interest in recruiting key position players in recent years has really hurt the club.It probably cost us the 2018 flag and possibly 2019 as well.

 

[Ingy]

Lynch: Pick 11
Kennedy: Pick 4
Cameron: Pre selection Would have been top 10.
Franklin: Pick 4

All of the players you mentioned would have commanded top 10 picks in straight up trades for the entire of their careers.

I'm not sure what your point is

 

[pinko77]

Yep. Tom Boyd retired, Hogan not at the club we was drafted and not 'there' yet, if ever.

Paddy McCartin, etc etc...

Josh Schache so many

 

[pinko77]

Bulldogs traded pick 7 and Griffin for Boyd. He won them a premiership

As he should on a million a season deal
played one good game
went pick one Ben Brown goes pick 47 i know who i would pick now

 

[Jasper84]

I'm not sure what your point is

Point is that whilst there are misses, every premiership winning club has had a KPF that was drafted early or would have been if not for F/S selection. Even us with Cloke in 2010.

 

[Sea fog]

You need to get all draft picks. The last time we had one was 2017 and we chose JS ahead of Naughton. In 2014 when we had 2 inside the top ten we got Jordy and a KPD in Moore.

 

[Ingy]

Point is that whilst there are misses, every premiership winning club has had a KPF that was drafted early or would have been if not for F/S selection. Even us with Cloke in 2010.

Okay, sure. My point is that apart from the F/S, the successful clubs don't draft them, they trade them in once they have proven themselves

 

[76woodenspooners]

It makes more sense to trade them in once they've proven themselves, or you end up with a Gumbleton

Paddy McCartin probably would have been a better example

 

[Ingy]

Paddy McCartin probably would have been a better example

I did go on to mention him. Didn't mention Lachie Hansen, Lee Walker, Billy Morrison, Sean Rusling, Leigh Brown lol

 

[76woodenspooners]

I did go on to mention him. Didn't mention Lachie Hansen, Lee Walker, Billy Morrison, Sean Rusling, Leigh Brown lol

Haha, is that the Leigh Brown who got delisted by a rubbish North Melbourne, or the Leigh Brown Premiership player?

 

[Jasper84]

I did go on to mention him. Didn't mention Lachie Hansen, Lee Walker, Billy Morrison, Sean Rusling, Leigh Brown lol

You've mentioned 6 players drafted well over a decade ago, 3 of which suffered career ending injuries and one drafted in 2014 who suffered a career ending injury. Are you advocating not drafting a KPF early on the back of unforeseen injuries?

 

[Jasper84]

As he should on a million a season deal
played one good game
went pick one Ben Brown goes pick 47 i know who i would pick now

Pick 7 and a million dollars for a second premiership in my club's entire history? I know what I would pick.

 

[neilk]

Two-Metre Peter?

 

[Jasper84]

Two-Metre Peter?

Who's keeping him out of the side?

 

[Jasper84]

You need to get all draft picks. The last time we had one was 2017 and we chose JS ahead of Naughton. In 2014 when we had 2 inside the top ten we got Jordy and a KPD in Moore.

The reason why we didn't have the picks is because we traded them for mids.

 

[Ingy]

You've mentioned 6 players drafted well over a decade ago, 3 of which suffered career ending injuries and one drafted in 2014 who suffered a career ending injury. Are you advocating not drafting a KPF early on the back of unforeseen injuries?

Can you name me a KPF taken in the top 5 who has panned out since Nick Riewoldt? Jack Watts, Pat McCartin, Jonathan Patton, Scott Gumbleton - they were not all drafted well over a decade ago. Yes injuries cruelled some of them but KPFs are especially vulnerable to long term injuries.

I'm advocating spending high draft picks on guys like Stephenson and De Goey, where the strike rate is much higher, rather than KPFs where the risk is much higher. And I think the recruiters have come to the same conclusion, about ten years ago.

 

[Jasper84]

Can you name me a KPF taken in the top 5 who has panned out since Nick Riewoldt? Jack Watts, Pat McCartin, Jonathan Patton, Scott Gumbleton - they were not all drafted well over a decade ago. Yes injuries cruelled some of them but KPFs are especially vulnerable to long term injuries.

I'm advocating spending high draft picks on guys like Stephenson and De Goey, where the strike rate is much higher, rather than KPFs where the risk is much higher. And I think the recruiters have come to the same conclusion, about ten years ago.

Odd that you've narrowed it down to top 5 when I've been talking about first two rounds but anyway.
Post Riewoldt drafting, Franklin, Roughead and Kennedy have panned out pretty well

 

[Ingy]

Odd that you've narrowed it down to top 5 when I've been talking about first two rounds but anyway.
Post Riewoldt drafting, Franklin, Roughead and Kennedy would be considered serviceable top 5 picks.

And, just to labour my point by making it again, two of those three are at clubs other than the ones they were drafted.

The clubs in question had a look at them, let another club develop them, then poached them.

Jack Riewoldt and Jack Darling are the only decent KPFs I can think of who were drafted by their current clubs apart from Cameron who doesn't count because GWS had 72 first round draft picks. Oh and Ben Brown, who as has been pointed out was a bargain draft pick who came good. Charlie Dixon was traded, the other Tom Lynch, traded, our boy Mihocek's probably the next best example of homegrown talent.

I narrowed it to the top 5 because there have been plenty, names already mentioned, and they've nearly all been busts. If you want to go first two rounds then we'll both have a lot of research to do but you're still going to find out that they are more miss than hit