Drafting strategy

[furious d 472]

Trade period is over and nothing's changed for the Dees. Now the club faces some tough decisions before the draft. We currently have 6 spaces on our list, before any rookie elevations.

1.Do we elevate Wonaemirri and/or Valenti?

2.Do we delist any more players?

3.How many picks do we use in the draft and psd?

Fwiw here's what I reckon.

I'd leave Valenti on the rookie list for another year, with our track record we need at least 1 ready made to step up when/if one of our mids goes down with injury. I reckon Wonna probably deserves to go on the senior list after coming 2nd in the goalkicking. I'm not convinced he'll make it, there's been plenty of players who've shown a bit before being ultimately exposed at AFL level, but he's earned a shot imo.

At least one more needs to be shown the door! I'm not 100% sure but I think only Moloney, Dunn and Bell aren't contracted for next year. Please correct me if I've got this wrong. I like Moloney, I still have hope for Dunn and the only thing that would save Daniel Bell if it was my call, would be if we can get rid of Chop,chop some how. I don't want to pay him out if we can help it, but we have to get him away from Brock and the rest of the lad's asap. If we can fit it in the 92.5% of salary cap for next year we may just have to cut our losses and be done with him.

That'd leave 6 picks. I'd use picks 1, 17 ,19, 35 and 51 in the national draft and pick 1 in the psd. Good to have 1 psd pick so you can take your time after the draft and have a good look at your options. There may be delistings at other clubs and you can invite a few kids who missed out to training for a closer look.

[Gorgoroth 13,105]

Elevate Wona defiantly.

Valentini, not convinced.

[Guest red and blue thru n thru]

valenti in the long term will be better than wona

condemmed i dont think you watch much of the VFL but when he played there he dominated getting heaps of touches and hard balls.

[Adzman 2,154]

Mark my words, Carroll is GONE. That makes 7 spots. Wonna will be elevated, and Valenti will have to wait and see how the draft pans out. If the dees draft tall, then Valenti might be on the cusp of elevation. I personally think the fire hydrant will spend another season on the rookie list, then be elevated next season when the pickings to top up a list are slim.

[Demon Disciple 12,309]

We need to go after a couple of tall forwards, a decent ruckman and a few quick midfielders with class written all over them.

Hopefully the MFC brains trust realises that Aaron's best footy is played in the forward line, bulking him up for the midfield was a mistake, all us supporters know this. Have Aussie in the FP, crumbing and roaming around the 50, then have Flash on a HFF, keeping him mostly in and around the 50, but also allowing him to venture up the ground as well.

A forward line of Aussie, Flash and Maric would create one of the better small forward lines in the league. The x-factor would be limitless. It will also give us an extremely good defensive forward line too, all 3 love the chasing and creating forward pressure (something our forward line has lacked for quite some time). Add to that the likes of Miller and Bate leading up the ground, with Jack Watts being our big man in the 50, our once envied and powerful front half would return to where it once was. Then if Sylvia finally decides to light up, well, one can only dream of it coming true. He could be the cherry.

Our backline, with another few years experience, will be better than it has been for a very long time. All young, all will understand each other and their roles. It will become a very strong and cohesive unit. One that will be underrated but will get the job done, and then some. Martin, Garland, Rivers, Frawley (hopefully he comes on) and Warnock, with Cheney, Johnson, Petterd and Bartram as the smalls. Sure it ain't gonna set the world on fire, but that's the role of the forward's and midfield.

We've got the in and under, tough midfielders in Jones, Moloney, McLean, Valenti and Grimes. We have Bruce and Green getting on, so our outside midfielders with class is getting thin (although Bruce's class in virtually non-existent now). We have Morton, and hopefully we will get a good skillful mid in this draft (Blease/Smith) and will no doubt go after another all class mid in the '09 draft (Scully to name one). Our midfield is starting to look complete.

All that is needed now is a decent ruckman. With PJ providing some relief, hopefully Spencer comes on, but i feel we need to unearth another Jim Stynes/Jeff White, one that will shoulder the majority of the ruckwork.

Give it 2-3 years to all gel together nicely and hey presto, come 2011/20012, we should be giving it a serious shake. With the core of our players being in the 25-29 age bracket.

Just my thoughts anyway.

[Guest red and blue thru n thru]

sounds good

Just one guy you may have forgoten buckley.

[Yencks 8]

sounds good

Just one guy you may have forgoten buckley.

dunn tagging

i think he has potential to become a solid tagger that can get sneaky goals

[Gorgoroth 13,105]

valenti in the long term will be better than wona

condemmed i dont think you watch much of the VFL but when he played there he dominated getting heaps of touches and hard balls.

True, I did see Valenti play VFL and yes he dominated, but that's the VFL.

If I had to choose today ebtween either I'd choose Wona.

Don't get me wrong I like valenti, just not sure he will ever fully fit into the AFL.

[Diablo 1]

True, I did see Valenti play VFL and yes he dominated, but that's the VFL.

If I had to choose today ebtween either I'd choose Wona.

Don't get me wrong I like valenti, just not sure he will ever fully fit into the AFL.

I don't think either of them will ever make it at AFL level. Valenti is not the Sam Mitchell clone he would almost have to be, with his stature, to make it in the big time. He attracts the nut, but his hands are nowhere near as quick and clean as Mitchell's. His kicking is solid, but not especially penetrating.

Wonna has done little, beyond a few predatory goals against Freo, to suggest he will be around more than another year or two. His pace is only decent and he is no athlete; a semi-talented footballer who will likely be a victim of playing forward pocket in a team with no quality forwards to feed off.

Always happy to be proven wrong in this regard, naturally.

[Guest happyharry]

Wonna has done little, beyond a few predatory goals against Freo, to suggest he will be around more than another year or two. His pace is only decent and he is no athlete; a semi-talented footballer who will likely be a victim of playing forward pocket in a team with no quality forwards to feed off.

This is one player I would love to see "bulked up" a little plus combined with a full pre-season may prove you wrong. Game time is what he needs. I dont think you can label him a forward pocket just yet.

[timD 994]

Diablo I think you're being a bit harsh on wonna. I think he has good goal sense and can read the play pretty well. His pace is good, his disposal is good and we have no other poachers. However, Valenti is our fourth mid in his role - mclean, jones, moloney and junior are all better. So both in terms of his role for the team and his skills I think he is worth promoting. I would not promote Valenti.