Our early draft picks

[godees 873]

Don't forget blease is waiting in the wings, and grimes and strauss should develop into midfielders. I want best available

[dee-luded 2,959]

dee luded, that is my concern also, maybe a player that fits the mould but not quite that high in the draft, which means i wouldn't want to take him.

i'm not sure if we need to draft another tall forward unless we are going to delist one. robbo, watts, miller, jurrah, newton, bate are all fighting for similar positions and hughes is doing similar at casey. while not all will make it, or be around for much longer, all have at least 1, maybe 2 years left on the list, and a draftee will be playing maybe 8th in line for one of 6 spots at max (3 at mfc 3 at casey) any more than that and players would be hardly playing.

a ruckman/forward could fit the bill, i.e. someone with tap work and a contested mark up forward.

i agree i doubt we'll take a pure ruckman with a top pick.

but to me, that is starting to standout as a big hole, we have defence, have forwards, have mids coming through, and potentially a superstar mid. but don't have a solid ruck.

how many mids do you need in a top side? 8? centres, followers, 3 on the bench? yes some will rotate back and forward, so they are extras, but take the part timers out of there for a moment, how many mids do we need to hit 8 that we'd be happy with in our 1st side? and how many do we need at casey?

My guess is we'll take 5 draft selections, as the draft may well prove to be 'short' due to G-C concessions. The talk is that most clubs will draft over 4 rounds, so with a priority pick, ours could be 5. Also it's getting difficult to cut harder into our young & largely untried list.

My feeling is I'd like to take the 2 best inside run & carry mids, up front then Round 2, the most valuable for our requirements. If a quick forward like a Panos were still available, or another small mid/forward like Brandon Matera.

Out of 5 selections I'd like to get 2 agile tall forwards, or a Key Frwrd & a Ruck who goes well forward.

robbo, watts, miller, jurrah, newton, bate are all fighting for similar positions and hughes

I think Miller is required to add strength & stability to that forward half with the kids coming in. 2011???

I'd keep Newton for his last year on his contract to give us a target forward & way him up @ the end of 2010 ????

Bates limited with his average hands, I not sure where he'll fit, but his workrate was much better last week?????

Hughes I was hopefull for, but I don't think he's come on enough!!!!

Watts is Watts

Jurrah, excitement. Could play wing forward!!!

IMO we need to bring in 2 tall forwards in the Draft/Rookie draft.. I like to have @ least one youngster rookied who we could bring along @ Casey 2's, slowly.

Spencer IMO will be elevated. (We need to rookie another young ruck for the Casey reserves).

* I'd like to give Chris Wylie a chance as a rookie

follower/Forward*

[Left Field 313]

We will be rising in 2 years at which time we need more pace and more forward structure. Regardless of the changes in playing patterns, nobody can have have too much pace, too many targets or or too much football ability.

So we need more pace and skill through the middle (Blease maybe, Strauss to me looks more like a half back). When was the last time our team went head to head in the middle? It seems like its always a tall and 3 tags to me at the restart.

Add Scully.

We also need a brute KPF - Watts may mature into a Reiwoldt type (I hope) but we still need a John Brown type pack splitting power forward who makes defenders wary about going for the footy.

1 pacy mid and 1 strong tall forward for me.

[Jarka 767]

Don't forget blease is waiting in the wings, and grimes and strauss should develop into midfielders. I want best available

I understand what you're saying however whether they should or not is irrelevant, the facts are that Blease may or may not recover from a season ending broken leg, Grimes is finding his feet in the backline and Strauss has yet to play consistent good footy for Casey's firsts. We caanot count on all of these guys making it in tha AFL as midfielders.

[cooko 124]

Dream forward line??? You didnt name one player in that four who we know is (or is going to be) elite.

as far as young players with potential it is

[dee-luded 2,959]

Morabito and Kobey Stevens are other guys in that fold.

Morabito, more an very fast outside athlete than a "footballer".

Kobey Stevens sounds like a crashing inside mid.

[two sheds jackson 3]

Our midfield is our weakest area and the most ineffectual in the league right now, but if you look at the reasons for this, I think its something that can be largely corrected without necessarily using first round picks. It's not simply that our midfielders are useless, it's that our midfield is completely one-dimensional; we actually have a wealth of good-to-decent inside mids (McLean, Jones, Moloney etc), but are completely lacking in faster, more polished players to compliment them. We've seen in the last few years that with shrewd recruiting, you can often draft good running midfielders in the 20s and early 30s. An elite KPP is harder to come by.

Apart from Watts, we went exclusively for midfielders and HBF types in last years draft. Now, considering our inside mid stocks are decent already, I think that if Blease, Strauss etc kick on as expected, and if Scully is as good as he sounds, and given we'll take a few midfielders with our second and third round picks, and considering we've got guys like Bennel, Davey, Morton, Wonna, Maric, Jetta, Sylvia, who might be able to pinch-hit in the midfield in future, our midfield should actually have a good balance of speed, hardness and skill in a few years time.

Our forward situation is not great. While we all love Jurrah already, it's still too early to tell how his story will unfold- in any case, even if he stays and regardless of how good he turns out to be, he is not really a KPP. Miller and Bate are honest but limited footballers; as long as they're a focal point of our forward structure, we'll struggle. Newton is just about a write-off. The value of an elite key forward would be immeasurable.

Obviously we should go for the best available with our first two picks; simply put, we'll take the two players most likely to become outright superstars. But -and I'm open to persuasion here- if it's a 50/50 split between Butcher and one of the mids, and we've already taken Scully, I'd pick Butcher.

[dee-luded 2,959]

Don't forget blease is waiting in the wings, and grimes and strauss should develop into midfielders. I want best available

It seems @ this stage that Blease & Strauss are quick receiver runners, a bit outside.

Grimes is the goods, but we need inside ball winners who run & carry with class to cap off our tough insiders.

Scully's one but not enough on his own.

[Roost It 1,434]

It seems @ this stage that Blease & Strauss are quick receiver runners, a bit outside.

Grimes is one, but we need inside ball winners who run & carry with class to cap off our tough insiders.

Scully's one but not enough on his own.

Are we forgetting about Sylvia and Grimes as midfielders with both grunt and class to compliment Scully?

[Hannabal 4]

I'm open to persuasion here- if it's a 50/50 split between Butcher and one of the mids, and we've already taken Scully, I'd pick Butcher.

Excellent post, Sheds.

Good mids seem easier to find, but it's been the opposite for the MFC. Having secured Watts, my next preference is to build a star midfield, not just a decent one, but one of the best in the competitions. Don't get me wrong, I'd love a Buddy and Roughead combo too, but in order of preference, we need to fix the midfield. Average forwards suddenly look good when they've got a dominant midfield bearing down. In reality, I want it all, but next cab off the rank for me is setting up the midfield for the next 10 years. Games have always been, and still are, won in the midfield. We haven't had a genuine star midfielder since the AFL was formed in 1990. It's not just a coincidence that a premiership has alluded us during this time.

Recently, Geelong have won a flag without a star KPF

West Coast have won a flag without a star KPF

St. Kilda could win a flag with just one star KPF - Kosi is not a 'star'

But what do the above teams all have ? They had/have star midfields. Judd, Cousins, Kerr --- Ablett, Bartel, Corey, Selwood --- Hayes, Montagna, Dal Santo, Ball - just to name a few - and all are better than our best mid.

Those that think that just a Scully or Blease plus whatever we've already got will get us back into the equation are in the mode of 'wishful thinking'.

It's mids we need. And then some.

And yes, I have a tonne of faith in Watts as our star future KPF.

[Demon Disciple 12,274]

i still think butcher could be good.. twin towers look so good.. plus every year you get good mids in the draft.. it isnt often you get a good tall key forward !!

The next few years all the quality will be gone due to the GC and WS. This highlights that if there is a tall to be taken this year, then it must seriously be looked at, as KPP's take longer to develop.

However (and lets not jinx it) a scully & trengove combo is mighty tantalising.

Having Said that a spine of Warnock, Garland, Scully, Watts, Butcher also looks pretty good.

[Roost It 1,434]

Those that think that just a Scully or Blease plus whatever we've already got will get us back into the equation are in the mode of 'wishful thinking'.

It's mids we need. And then some.

And yes, I have a tonne of faith in Watts as our star future KPF.

Whilst not disagreeing with you, don't you think a midfield out of Scully, Grimes, Sylvia, Blease, Strauss, Mclean and Jones may be enough. Remember we also have pick 18 and pick 1 in the preseason draft. I think we need to pick the 2 absolute best players regardless of their current playing positions

[Axis of Bob 11,844]

Hannabal, given our midfield issues and hindsight, do you think that we may have been better off going for a midfielder rather than a key forward?

As you have well noted, star key forwards are not a necessity for a premiership but a top flight midfield is.

[beelzebub 23,383]

Excellent post, Sheds.

Good mids seem easier to find, but it's been the opposite for the MFC. Having secured Watts, my next preference is to build a star midfield, not just a decent one, but one of the best in the competitions. Don't get me wrong, I'd love a Buddy and Roughead combo too, but in order of preference, we need to fix the midfield. Average forwards suddenly look good when they've got a dominant midfield bearing down. In reality, I want it all, but next cab off the rank for me is setting up the midfield for the next 10 years. Games have always been, and still are, won in the midfield. We haven't had a genuine star midfielder since the AFL was formed in 1990. It's not just a coincidence that a premiership has alluded us during this time.

Recently, Geelong have won a flag without a star KPF

West Coast have won a flag without a star KPF

St. Kilda could win a flag with just one star KPF - Kosi is not a 'star'

But what do the above teams all have ? They had/have star midfields. Judd, Cousins, Kerr --- Ablett, Bartel, Corey, Selwood --- Hayes, Montagna, Dal Santo, Ball - just to name a few - and all are better than our best mid.

Those that think that just a Scully or Blease plus whatever we've already got will get us back into the equation are in the mode of 'wishful thinking'.

It's mids we need. And then some.

And yes, I have a tonne of faith in Watts as our star future KPF.

The engine room of a team is its midfield....ours misfires and sputters. Maybe a better tuned one would afford other areas of the game more to work with. Better control through guts with constant peppering in to the 50 afford the forwards more and easier use of the pill. The more it enters the more pressure on the defence the more likely it is to reign supreme.

Lets bolster the midfiled this draft...the rest will follow

[LITTLE STINGA 1]

I've only seen Butcher once and he looked pretty good. For people who have seen him more can he kick? He would want to be as good a kick as Watts for me to want him as pick 2. If he strays them like Robbo and Miller then I would be after another midfielder. I don't think we will get pick 2 anyway West Coast will only win 1 more game for the year giving them a priority so we will have picks 1&3.

[dee-luded 2,959]

Are we forgetting about Sylvia and Grimes as midfielders with both grunt and class to compliment Scully?

No I haven't forgotten about these boys & if I peered into a crystal ball to a final in years to come they'd both figure prominently, but, & its a Big BUT, some others may fall by the way side in the interim.

Come 4 years time some may not be up to it, aside from the ones we haven't seen play ball yet.

Under the pump - Bell, Newton, Johnson

Those who'll be retired by, (@ 2010) - Bruce, McDonald, Robertson, Wheatley, Whelan.

On the fringe by end 2013, in alphabetical order - Bartram, Bate, Buckley, Dunn, Green, Jamar, Meesen, Miller, Moloney, Morton, Petterd, Rivers

(Rookies) - Hughes, Valenti, Zomer

I can see 11 definates + some

If we add 30% more, thats 15 we will have turned over by end 2013.

50% play midfield.

I'd go class mids now & fast track proceedings.

[dee-luded 2,959]

Whilst not disagreeing with you, don't you think a midfield out of Scully, Grimes, Sylvia, Blease, Strauss, Mclean and Jones may be enough. Remember we also have pick 18 and pick 1 in the preseason draft. I think we need to pick the 2 absolute best players regardless of their current playing positions

The balance of slow players to quick players is too heavily weighted on the slow side.

All the speed is strictly outside.

[dee-luded 2,959]

The next few years all the quality will be gone due to the GC and WS. This highlights that if there is a tall to be taken this year, then it must seriously be looked at, as KPP's take longer to develop.

However (and lets not jinx it) a scully & trengove combo is mighty tantalising.

Having Said that a spine of Warnock, Garland, Scully, Watts, Butcher also looks pretty good.

Some good Tall Forwards for this Draft :- Joel Houghton, Alex Keath, John Butcher, Jack Fitzpatrick, Nathan Vardy, Ben Griffiths, Matthew Panos, M Pitt, David Astbury, Tom Hill,

There is plenty for us to pick 2nd or 3rd round.

[dee-luded 2,959]

I've only seen Butcher once and he looked pretty good. For people who have seen him more can he kick? He would want to be as good a kick as Watts for me to want him as pick 2. If he strays them like Robbo and Miller then I would be after another midfielder. I don't think we will get pick 2 anyway West Coast will only win 1 more game for the year giving them a priority so we will have picks 1&3.

I was rapt with him last year, but I also thought we were better off in the mids than we actually are.

Butcher kicks OK, but kicks floaters.

After seeing the way the new young coaches are taking the game via interchange rotations, really tall forwards who are not sufficiently agile & versatile, re positional change for team balance, are going to be a liability.

Johnathon Brown is about 194 cms tall.

Pavlich is about the same.

Hall & Tredrea are all about the same.

They can all play different roles as the team requires.

[godees 873]

On the fringe by end 2013, in alphabetical order - Moloney, Morton, Petterd,

What!?!

[dee-luded 2,959]

What!?!

I know, I understand what you mean, but to be honest I still have doubts with him at this stage.

[Freak 100]

of course, he cant kick.

but nevertheless i do want butcher. Yeh he cant kick but with the game becoming as soft as netball, forwards are getting free kicks right in front of goal..and this is where butcher should do well.

[rpfc 28,779]

I know, I understand what you mean, but to be honest I still have doubts with him at this stage.

I don't.

He is 19 and has had a quiet last month, but would be in the top 6 in the Bluey right now...

At 19.

Why can't people just enjoy the development of our young players?

I wrote off Garland and look at him, same with Frawley...

They will look awful at times, and yes Freak, they will kick poorly at times, but Morton has shown more than enough at this stage.

[Freak 100]

i'll give morton a pass mark at this stage.

mids are easy to find, got to go butcher

[Dappa Dan 2,188]

i'll give morton a pass mark at this stage.

mids are easy to find, got to go butcher

They are? Why don't we have any then?