Jaded said:

The glaring lack of love for Garland in this thread shows how underrated this kid is.

Just because some don't rate him top 5 in importance doesn't mean there's a "lack of love". It just means some don't rate him top 5 importance. From a structural point of view I think Frawley shades him in importance.

  Hannabal said:

From a structural point of view I think Frawley shades him in importance.

Given that Garland can play small and tall, has better disposal and decision making and can also possibly play as a key forward, I disagree.

Frawley is very important structurally as well, but Garland is a lot more versatile and can play a better brand of attacking football.

Choosing 5 is a very difficult task. You could argue that Warnock should be included as well, Blease and Strauss who are yet to play, Sylvia, etc etc

  Jaded said:

At his age, there is no guarantee that Davey will be around when we're challenging. If he is, he could be in decline.

I specifically chose young player who I think will provide the core group of players that will potentially lead us to a flag. This is no indication of Davey's talent or importance to the team, just my general view of who I would least like to lose and which players I believe are the most irreplaceable.

Davey is only 26 with a bit of effort we will be seriously competitive in 3-4 years..Aaron will still be around. But your call is your call

  Nugget Jones said:

1) Liam Jurrah

2) Colin Sylvia

3) Jack Grimes

4) Jack Watts

5) Colin Garland

6) James Frawley

7) Tom Scully

8) Sam Blease

9) Aaron Davey

10) Cale Morton

11) Jamie Bennel

12) Matthew Bate

13) Adam Maric

14) Pick 2 2009 draft

Hey [censored] folks, we're going to be really really good in a few years!

  belzebub59 said:

so.. we can trade him/them now though huh ? lol '

He (JR) obviously still isnt 100% ( and may never be again )..too quick to get a bit frustrated and niggled. Lacks the poise and comensurate skills of his younger team mate ( grimes ). Has been imitating Brucey in his clanger type disposal a bit this year; not good !!

He is worth more now than 12 months ago. How much more I dont know? Would the Bulldogs look at him for CHB? Hmmm

Its quite interesting really as when you look at the list there is some serious talent/potential sitting there. with the right augmentation there is a good team waiting to happen. Probably like RR I thought 5 too tough and went for top ten. A lot depends on how you see the various playing their roles. These are just as likely to change some as well as a few seasons pass. Blease and Strauss may well add step to our waltz (sorry) but are somewhat unknowns presently.

1.FF Watts

2.HF Jurrah

3.C Grimes

4.HB Garland

5.FB Frawley

Morton is important and line ball with the other 4 but with Clayton's love and AFL's formula for compensation, Morton will get us the best deal out of the 4.

  Rhino Richards said:

He is worth more now than 12 months ago. How much more I dont know? Would the Bulldogs look at him for CHB? Hmmm

would GC ?? a bit of experience..for second round pick ?

Great thread

1. Grimes

2. Garland

3. Jurrah

4. Blease

5. Watts

Morton, Bennell, Moloney, Frawley, Warnock make up the next 5.

  Jarka said:

H, Blease is an interesting one. I still have high hopes for him but I'm trying to refrain from any excitement just in case he never fully recovers from his injury.

It's a difficult exercise. Some people have Jurrah top 5 and wouldn't have known what he looked like 2 months ago. Things can change quickly. Being bottom age Blease was one of the youngest drafted last year and I really like the look of him. He's fast, takes the game on and has excellent finishing skills. Skills we sorely lack.

Moving forward it's predominatly our first round picks that will take this club to the Finals and beyond; Watts, Morton, Frawley, Blease (pp), Sylvia, Grimes, and hopefully Scully and one of Trengove/Morabito or even Butcher if that's the course they take.

There will always be a Garland, Bennell, or Jurrah that become the icing, but it's the first rounders that make a quality cake rise.

Be very intersting to revisit this in 12 months

  Hannabal said:

Being bottom age Blease was one of the youngest drafted last year and I really like the look of him. He's fast, takes the game on and has excellent finishing skills. Skills we sorely lack.

It's a bit hard to put Blease for most cause we haven't seen him in the flesh. I'm not even sure he's kicked a ball in anger this year.

I can see his positives but his sure hands and ability to pick up the ball below his knees at pace was just as good.

He's 6 months behind in development where he should be but if he can build a strong core, I can stop drooling over Dangerfield.

  jacey said:

It's a bit hard to put Blease for most cause we haven't seen him in the flesh.

And that's why this exercise is a pretty pointless and futile one. It's being done by amateurs without the necessary information.

Me included.

Great topic Nugget

1. Liam Jurrah

2. Jack Grimes

3. Jack Watts

4. Cale Morton

5. Aaron Davey

This time next season hopefully we can add Scully and Trengrove to this list, wouldn't that make for even more interesting discussion

Great Thread...not necessarily in order....

Aaron Davey

Jack Grimes

Liam Jurrah

Colin Garland

Cale Morton

  Roost It said:

Hey [censored] folks, we're going to be really really good in a few years!

I've heard that many times before.

  Clint Bizkit said:

I've heard that many times before.

so have I..but things are a changin' !!

  jacey said:

It's a bit hard to put Blease for most cause we haven't seen him in the flesh. I'm not even sure he's kicked a ball in anger this year.

I can see his positives but his sure hands and ability to pick up the ball below his knees at pace was just as good.

He's 6 months behind in development where he should be but if he can build a strong core, I can stop drooling over Dangerfield.

Same applies to Strauss, whose disposal is if anything even better, though he has played this year & seemed to have trouble picking up the tempo (or perhaps his shoulder was bothering him more than we realised). And there's a tendency to forget Jetta in these lists, he's coming along very nicely too.

Perhaps what this thread shows is that there's well over 5 that we'd really want to hang onto, I find it too hard to narrow it down. Great discussion though. And in the light of Hannabal's "top-6" theory, we're really pretty well-placed for the future.

Right now the 5 most important footballers to this football club are obviously

1. Mitch Morton

2. Aaron Sandilands

3. Brent Harvey

4. Chris Newman

5. Richard Tambling

  Geddy Lee said:

Right now the 5 most important footballers to this football club are obviously

1. Mitch Morton

2. Aaron Sandilands

3. Brent Harvey

4. Chris Newman

5. Richard Tambling

Got to like a little lateral thinking !!!

  Clint Bizkit said:

I've heard that many times before.

I think the list we're putting together has fewer holes the size of Walsh, Ward, Godfrey, Kowal etc.

I like Hannaball's analogy with the 1st round picks. I think its fair to say if we stuff to many of them up it will really hurt us, no matter how good the later picks turn out.

If we lose the PP I think the importance of Blease going forward will increase ten fold given none of our other top picks are true midfielders, it is by far our biggest weakness and its where premierships are won and lost.

  Jaded said:

Given that Garland can play small and tall, has better disposal and decision making and can also possibly play as a key forward, I disagree. Frawley is very important structurally as well, but Garland is a lot more versatile and can play a better brand of attacking football.

Personally I think Frawley can play small and tall, has just as good disposal and decision making and plays much more attacking football than Garland.

I agree that Garland is more versatile and I think he has the potential to be a very attacking player out of defence, to date Frawley has been more willing to take players on and run the ball out of defence though, for me Col hasn't shown enough of that given he clearly has the ability to do it.

I think Frawley has had close to as good a year as Garland did last year, I just think he misses out on the kudos because he's not a dud come good who took the big scalps like Col, he's a 1st round pick with a famous surname so he's only doing what we've been expecting from him all along.

1. Jack Watts - Quality power forward, in time will be our Jonathan Brown.

2. Jack Grimes - Once moved into a permanent midfield position will be our heartbeat. Wouldn't be surprised if he was captain in 3 years.

3. James Strauss - Sweeper off half back with laser like right boot will set up many forays forward. Will be as important to us as Gilbee is to the Dogs currently.

4. James Frawley - Agile, strong and great closing speed makes him perfect FB for the future.

5. Liam Jurrah - X Factor up forward will win games off his own boot.

Apologies to Bennell who I regard extremely highly. He has brought some flare and dash to the backline and in a couple of years (if not now) will be viewed as the steal of the draft. Has McLeod written all over him.

  Deemissioner said:

1. Jack Watts - Quality power forward, in time will be our Jonathan Brown.

2. Jack Grimes - Once moved into a permanent midfield position will be our heartbeat. Wouldn't be surprised if he was captain in 3 years.

3. James Strauss - Sweeper off half back with laser like right boot will set up many forays forward. Will be as important to us as Gilbee is to the Dogs currently.

4. James Frawley - Agile, strong and great closing speed makes him perfect FB for the future.

5. Liam Jurrah - X Factor up forward will win games off his own boot.

Apologies to Bennell who I regard extremely highly. He has brought some flare and dash to the backline and in a couple of years (if not now) will be viewed as the steal of the draft. Has McLeod written all over him.

Almost 100% agree, except:

- Watts will be more like Riewoldt, moves a bit like Pendlebury.

- Strauss will hopefully be better than Gilbee (hopefully at least smarter)

- Garland and Morton both need a special mention too.

- oh, and Sylvia - hoping he will continue to be damaging in bursts. A wrecking ball that will take an even game and decide it in the space of 2 mins.