Interesting comments by Brad Scott on afl.com.au.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/93256/default.aspx

He says "The footy they (Melbourne) are playing is just reflective of their talent" and that "they should be in the position they are now because of their prominence in the NAB AFL Draft in the last three years."

However, is our recent improvement really due to the top-end draft talent we've brought onto our list in the last 3 years?!

2009 draft:

- Scully and Trengove- yes are having an impact early, but for the most part have not really been dominant in games.

- Gysberts, Tapscott, Gawn, Fitzpatrick- no impact... yet to debut

2008 draft:

- McKenzie and Bennell- yes has made an impact, but are they on our list due to our high draft position? McKenzie(rookie), Bennel(35)

- Watts, Strauss, Blease, Jetta, Bail, Jurrah- none played last round. Strauss has played a couple of games with no impact, Bail has done a bit but hasn't been crucial to any victories.

2007 draft:

- Grimes- yes has made a big impact

- Morton, Maric, Cheney, McNamara- none have played this season

Summery: in the first 5 rounds of the year, Trengove, Scully, Grimes, Bennell and McKenzie are the only players who are making a genuine impact. And of those, Grimes (14), Bennell (35) and McKenzie (rookie) cannot be said to have come to us due to our draft position. They were just good drafting that anyone could have picked up.

Therefore, I would argue that our improvement is NOT due to our great draft position for the last 3 years. Improvement has actually come from improvement in our 4-6 years players: Bate, Sylvia, Jones, Frawley, Pettard and improved performances from our senior players in Green, McDonald, Moloney, Warnock, Jamar etc.

I think what is making everybody so excited, including myself, is the fact we are improving earlier than expected DESPITE the number of first round picks NOT in our team!

Imagine how good we'll be when those guys develop into quality players: Gysberts(11), Tapscott (18), Watts (1), Morton (4), Blease (17), Strauss (19). Add to that the high hopes we have for Jurrah(PSD), Gawn(35), Jetta(50), Maric(21), Bail(66)

Brad Scott analysis of our recent success is wrong. Thoughts?

Edited April 29, 201015 yr by High Tower
Fixed link

I think the improvement has come down to on-field application. Our skills may have increased a little, but it's the tackling, spoiling and HUNTING AS A TEAM PACK that has been the biggest improvement. That's where the best teams win consistantly (St Kilda) and the worst teams lose (Richmond, Wet Toast)

In saying that all these talented players not playing must surely be increasing the skill level of the lower rung of players because they see what they have to do to get a game and have increased accordingly.

I wouldn't read too much into the article. It's just one small grab from a press conference they have every week and mostly it's the same old dribble. Forget about it and play the game on it's merits.

Edited April 29, 201015 yr by ucanchoose

Agree wholeheartedly! Just shows how much up-side this team has. The sky's the limit...!

Go Dees!

Interesting comments by Brad Scott on afl.com.au. http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/93256/default.aspx.

He says "The footy they (Melbourne) are playing is just reflective of their talent" and that "they should be in the position they are now because of their prominence in the NAB AFL Draft in the last three years."

However, is our recent improvement really due to the top-end draft talent we've brought onto our list in the last 3 years?!

2009 draft:

- Scully and Trengove- yes are having an impact early, but for the most part have not really been dominant in games.

- Gysberts, Tapscott, Gawn, Fitzpatrick- no impact... yet to debut

2008 draft:

- McKenzie and Bennell- yes has made an impact, but are they on our list due to our high draft position? McKenzie(rookie), Bennel(35)

- Watts, Strauss, Blease, Jetta, Bail, Jurrah- none played last round. Strauss has played a couple of games with no impact, Bail has done a bit but hasn't been crucial to any victories.

2007 draft:

- Grimes- yes has made a big impact

- Morton, Maric, Cheney, McNamara- none have played this season

Summery: in the first 5 rounds of the year, Trengove, Scully, Grimes, Bennell and McKenzie are the only players who are making a genuine impact. And of those, Grimes (14), Bennell (35) and McKenzie (rookie) cannot be said to have come to us due to our draft position. They were just good drafting that anyone could have picked up.

Therefore, I would argue that our improvement is NOT due to our great draft position for the last 3 years. Improvement has actually come from improvement in our 4-6 years players: Bate, Sylvia, Jones, Frawley, Pettard and improved performances from our senior players in Green, McDonald, Moloney, Warnock, Jamar etc.

I think what is making everybody so excited, including myself, is the fact we are improving earlier than expected DESPITE the number of first round picks NOT in our team!

Imagine how good we'll be when those guys develop into quality players: Gysberts(11), Tapscott (18), Watts (1), Morton (4), Blease (17), Strauss (19). Add to that the high hopes we have for Jurrah(PSD), Gawn(35), Jetta(50), Maric(21), Bail(66)

Brad Scott analysis of our recent success is wrong. Thoughts?

Grimes came to us because we traded Travis to Brisbane for pick 14.

I couldn't believe this when I first read this article (jelous much). What a load of rubbish!!

In part wrong. Not entirely wrong. We should be starting to show signs by now, partly because of our prominence from the fruits of the draft over the last 3 years. And we are - with maturity of others too. Scott would know that.

I can only count one Priority pick running around at present that was picked up out of the draft in the last 3 years. Scott should also know this. He's just trying to stir up a rivalry.

Drawing parallels. As did Mark Thompson from Geelong years ago with St.Kilda and Grant Thomas. It worked. Good luck to Nth and the Dees anyway. Although I'd prefer the dees would have more success than St.Kilda has to date. Scott would love his side to follow Geelong's success.

Ps.Your link doesn't work.

This should:

http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/93256/default.aspx

i think brad scott is just upset he's not coaching the lions and we touched them up last week. ha

Here's another article from the same press conference, a much better article

http://sportal.com.au/afl-news-display/special-rivalry-set-to-start-90271

Edited April 29, 201015 yr by ucanchoose

Scott is trying to incite a rivalry between the 2 clubs and he has admitted as much.

He can see we will be a successful team in the future and is trying to hitch his club to our star to gain some relevance.

It might sound arrogant, but that's how I see it.

They have quite a few good young players, but I still don't see them doing much more than being middle of the road for the next 5 years.

Possibly Scotts lot might be better with a little Green in place of Blue...might reflect his view more

Scott is trying to incite a rivalry between the 2 clubs and he has admitted as much.

Given that its rivalry round this week. And we have such a long standing rivalry with North that every

time this fixture comes around its a grudge match. On no wait, thats not North at all.

Seriously the league must've had Melbourne, North, Geelong and Richmond left in the pool, and not known

how to work it so that there was a perceived rivalry between any of them, so just hoped people wouldnt notice.

Can anyone name any historic, famous or vital match we've played against North since a Prelim Final all those

years ago?

Given that its rivalry round this week. And we have such a long standing rivalry with North that every

time this fixture comes around its a grudge match. On no wait, thats not North at all.

Seriously the league must've had Melbourne, North, Geelong and Richmond left in the pool, and not known

how to work it so that there was a perceived rivalry between any of them, so just hoped people wouldnt notice.

Can anyone name any historic, famous or vital match we've played against North since a Prelim Final all those

years ago?

I'm stunned we're not playing it against Geelong. We are, after all, the two oldest remaining clubs.

I'm stunned we're not playing it against Geelong. We are, after all, the two oldest remaining clubs.

We should have been, but I think the obstacle is Richmond and North.

From memory they have manufactured some false hype match that revolves around the working-class or something.

It's something they want to promote and the AFL have complied.

I think we would play Geelong in some sort of heritage round anyway.

We should have been, but I think the obstacle is Richmond and North.

From memory they have manufactured some false hype match that revolves around the working-class or something.

It's something they want to promote and the AFL have complied.

I think we would play Geelong in some sort of heritage round anyway.

Fair enough. But isn't the Heritage Round simply the Rivalry round with different grounds and weird jumpers? Like, don't the same teams usually play each other in both rounds?

Edited April 29, 201015 yr by Chook

Fair enough. But isn't the Heritage Round simply the Rivalry round with different grounds and weird jumpers? Like, don't the same teams usually play each other in both rounds?

Like the majority of themed rounds there isn't much substance to it.

The OP is spot on.

Scott is trying to incite a rivalry between the 2 clubs and he has admitted as much.

He can see we will be a successful team in the future and is trying to hitch his club to our star to gain some relevance.

It might sound arrogant, but that's how I see it.

They have quite a few good young players, but I still don't see them doing much more than being middle of the road for the next 5 years.

He forgot to mention North's dumb trading when they swapped high draft picks for Nathan Thompson, Jade Rawlings & Jon Hay

I Agree with the OP he is wrong about recent success, as far as I'm concerned only Scull or Trenners could be seen as some sort of 'luck' in coming to the club, that said I hope North have the 'good luck' of bottoming out like we did, see 'how lucky' the supporters and players feel then. Doubt they would still be in Vic. This article is obviously Scott trying to stir up the Melbourne camp, and also to preemptively excuse North from improving the same amount Melbourne does over the next couple of years. North trying to stir up some underdog status as always, I thought Scott said the shin boner spirit was dead.

Brad Scott has really come across as a big sook so far in his short career.

Not much in what he said to be honest!

Certainly not much to get riled up over.

We've exploited the draft extremely well.........luck didn't play a part.

The club never hid its intentions when it went down the youth path........senior players made way for youth, players were traded for draft picks etc.

Regardless of the semantics of who has and hasn't played, I think he is making the point that it's around the time you would expect to see the bottoming out coming to an end, and the team starting to head back up as we are.

We weren't going to stay terrible forever!

Agree with OP. My words from BF:

Not sure about those words from Scott. I wouldn't call finishing last twice in a row 'fortunate'. And I also lol at their choosing Hansen and Tarrant... if you're 'fortunate' enough to have pick 3, do some decent recruiting like we have done. Indeed, it's BP (and Craig Cameron) who have done the hard yards in recruiting - Bennell, Jetta, Bail, Jurrah, Martin and other late picks being the evidence of that.

And neither is our footy 'just' reflective of our talent... not entirely at least. More to the point is that the more senior players have shifted up a few gears this year. Our team is not yet full of talented youngsters, even if our playing list is. And you don't need the best skills to lay ferocious tackles.

Shoosh Brad.

Also, that sportal article is much better, shame on you afl site.

- Scully and Trengove- yes are having an impact early, but for the most part have not really been dominant in games.

I disagree here.

Scully has been dominant, cos his ability to free up the man with his handball is aleady the best at the club. And maybe the best I have ever seen at the MFC. He is an absolute genius, and Id take 15 Scully possessions over 40 Cam Bruce possessions any day.

Trengove has been dominant in his own way. Average around 21 touches and knows the exact spots to run to on the field, and his kicking is superb.

But I see what youre saying. I mean NOT ONE PLAYER from the 2008 draft even played on the weekend. Exciting times ahead.

In part wrong. Not entirely wrong. We should be starting to show signs by now, partly because of our prominence from the fruits of the draft over the last 3 years. And we are - with maturity of others too. Scott would know that.

I can only count one Priority pick running around at present that was picked up out of the draft in the last 3 years. Scott should also know this. He's just trying to stir up a rivalry.

Drawing parallels. As did Mark Thompson from Geelong years ago with St.Kilda and Grant Thomas. It worked. Good luck to Nth and the Dees anyway. Although I'd prefer the dees would have more success than St.Kilda has to date. Scott would love his side to follow Geelong's success.

Ps.Your link doesn't work.

This should:

http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/93256/default.aspx

Agree HT- however as you imply-- just what a future we have when our list is injury free and matures..another couple of talls would be great for a few years time

How to create a decent rivalry...

STEP 1: find a relevant opponent.

STEP 2: find a way to insult them and/or incite anger with misrepresentations of the truth.

STEP 3: do your best to be competitive against them and then go back to STEP 2 and repeat.

Sylvinator is right, well argued.

However, Scott is just trying to stir a little something-something so more than 20k turn up on Sat.