The Hawks gave up pick 18, Shane Savage and moved back from pick 19 to pick 24 for McEvoy. All up that's almost a top 10 picks worth of value.Interestingly, Ottens, McEvoy and Hale were all traded for and Geelong and Hawthorn sure didn't use pick three to get them. Grundy has been important but even with his stellar play, the midfield which really determine matches let him down.
Ottens was traded for 12 and 16, the points system values that as pick 3, although in reality I'd say it's more pick 5-8.
Darren Jolly was picks 14 and 46.
The idea that every club can go and get a Nankervis for pick 40 something isn't true. Yes, teams have waited until their window but they've paid a decent price for premiership rucks.
No AFL player can win games on their own. Grundy finished top 5 in the coaches votes and is a clear top 10 players to me. The aim of pick 3 is to get that kind of player.
I think he moves well for any sized player and his contested ball winning looks as good as if not better than most of the mids outside of Green, Robertson, Anderson, Rowell. Clearly kicking is a weakness but kicking doesn't have to be a strength for a contested player. The willingness to go forward and use either foot with vision shows great potential.He moves well for a ruckman, I just don't think he has the kicking skills or contested skills other midfielders on offer have.
Scott's desire to move Blicavs in to the ruck to get an extra mid is the point, more than his overall skills as a ruck. For a half it was a move (amongst others) that allowed the Cats to dominate the Tigers.Blicavs is an average ruckman and only really works at AFL level as a key back. As for Bontempelli, he has natural agility, speed, forward nous etc. that Jackson lacks.
I missed Greene. Petracca's at 9.5 contested possessions and 18.7, he's as close as anyone to that group of names and that's playing low midfield minutes in a bad side that needed him at CHF for ball movement. No one matches Dusty on his day - particularly as a deep forward - but at least Melbourne has a player in that range.Players who averaged 20+ disposals, 10+ contested possessions and 1+ goal a game in 2019:
Greene
Martin
Gray
Dangerfield
Petracca isn't on this list. And yes, Petracca is a talent, but he's not close to Martin and your midfield is thus not close to Richmond's who are the benchmark.
The point was to highlight that whilst Melbourne needs at least 1 more skilled runner the Richmond midfield is hardly exclusively classy users. The run and overlap - which Melbourne will look to counter/reproduce by actually having a preseason - is a far more important part of the game plan.It's just weird that you've highlighted a need for outside skill types but then defend the recruitment of a ruckman when your own ruckman is in his peak and is one of the best ruckman in the league. A small forward is a need but drafting small forwards early is really dangerous. Like knightmare has talked about how Kemp is a bad fit for Carlton but he'd be a fantastic fit for a side crying out for some big forward craft.
Melbourne took 2 skilled running types with their next 2 picks and will have plenty of trade and draft options in the future to keep building that part of the list.
When it comes to a premium pick like pick 3 you have to go for the overall best available and for special abilities not list needs. That's why I'm more than fine with them picking Jackson. And whilst some recruiters preferred Young or Green (or even Ash) I'm quite heartened by the comments of other recruiters who absolutely believe in the upside of Jackson.
There's a lot of signs that he can be a 20+ disposal mid with both clearance and outside linking ability and then can go forward and be a match up problem just on size and movement. If he happens to jump around in the ruck contests whilst doing that then that's cool too.