The "Best Available" challenge

[rpfc 28,046]

As I am going for laughs again - can old55 please tell what the hell is the point of this?

Tall players come later in a BA drafting process?

Jurrah is hard to place?

The spelling of players names is improving?

Making a list is an important skill?

[e25 5]

Yeah, I tried to go over this earlier in the thread and didn't get much in return.

I concluded it's an important ego-building exercise so that when we don't win the first 5 games of 2011, our expectations are suitably out balance and we have our pitchforks & torches ready so we can storm AAMI Park & have Bailey removed as coach.

I think.

It doesn't really tell us much about the concept of "best available", that's for sure.

Ps. Don't you have better things to do? I mean, Canberra must be a non-stop party town, what with all the pornography & fireworks.

[rpfc 28,046]

Yeah, I tried to go over this earlier in the thread and didn't get much in return.

I concluded it's an important ego-building exercise so that when we don't win the first 5 games of 2011, our expectations are suitably out balance and we have our pitchforks & torches ready so we can storm AAMI Park & have Bailey removed as coach.

I think.

It doesn't really tell us much about the concept of "best available", that's for sure.

Ps. Don't you have better things to do? I mean, Canberra must be a non-stop party town, what with all the pornography & fireworks.

You'd be surprised.

Surprised how little there is to do in Canberra.

[e25 5]

No, I wouldn't.

Therein lies the... the... uh... the bit I enjoyed. The tongue in cheek bit.

The bit I found amusing.

Yep.

[Hobbits's 17]

I don't usually answer stupid questions, hence the lack of a response.

Jurrah has been overtly soft in AFL and VFL matches, hence the query, and hence the concern that he may be found out in a final.

Morton has been soft too, so the same query exists.

Watts hasn't been soft in the sense of the other two. He isn't hard, but he doesn't lack courage. Watts will stand under a pack knowing what's coming. He does need to lift his intensity and learn how to better contest, but if he is soft he's soft with a small 's'. There are degrees of everything. I've seen Jurrah at Casey where his avoidance of contests has been cringeworthy.

I have zero concerns about Grimes, Scully and Trengove when it comes to committing their body; and they don't need to show me that they'll be able to step up in the red hot cauldron of a final. I know they will. If a player has a flaw in the commitment stakes it's exacerbated in finals. They don't have that flaw. Others do.

Jurrah is the most exciting talent in the AFL. With an increased confidence in himself and his body I expect him to improve the areas where he's currently deficient. But unlike others that pretend they don't see what they see, or aren't able to adequately decipher what they see, I have no compunction in expressing areas of concern in a player's makeup.

I doubt very much it was a stupid question, now highlighted by your in-depth response, of which i thankyou for that. it certainly gives much more clarity to your thoughts. I gather your opinion of Jurrah is soft with a big 'S'.

whilst watching jurrah at casey and some of the avoidance of contests you've seen, would some of the avoidance have perhaps anything to do with physcological scars from the return of his injured shoulder ? more to the point, have you seen an improvement in getting to contests since returning to Melbourne late in the season as compared to his previous time at casey post injury ? or have you cringed time and time again throughout ?

if this is indeed the case, i too have concern for jurrah being found out in a final.

[old55 22,775]

As I am going for laughs again - can old55 please tell what the hell is the point of this?

You reap what you sow.

[Hannabal 4]

I doubt very much it was a stupid question, now highlighted by your in-depth response, of which i thankyou for that.

whilst watching jurrah at casey and some of the avoidance of contests you've seen, would some of the avoidance have perhaps anything to do with physcological scars from the return of his injured shoulder ? more to the point, have you seen an improvement in getting to contests since returning to Melbourne late in the season as compared to his previous time at casey post injury ? or have you cringed time and time again throughout ?

I might have been a tad harsh, Grimesy.

I've no doubt that his shoulder injury contributed to his nervousness. He has a natural predisposition to protect his body, so coming back from injury was only going to enhance these self-preservation instincts. Also, let me say that all AFL players are brave men. Players have never hit harder than they do today. When one considers the type of footy that Liam was exposed to as a kid in the NT it's little wonder he's a tad soft. He didn't get to go through the junior programmes, or get the coaching that best prepares you for AFL footy. He will improve with a bigger body and the confidence he gains through experience.

His confidence was up by the end of the season and it started to show. I'll reserve judgment on his ability to stand up in big games until I see it happen.

I don't tend to bother making too many excuses for footballers, even if I'm well aware of any mitigating circumstances. There are enough supporters out there making excuses for their idols without me lending a helping hand.

[rpfc 28,046]

I reckon he's sown on barren land.

What do you get out of any discussion?

You realise that old55 was talking about the point of the thread don't you?

Not me?

I mean, I know you want to be clever but get the context right.

[Jaded No More 67,627]

No, I wouldn't.

Therein lies the... the... uh... the bit I enjoyed. The tongue in cheek bit.

The bit I found amusing.

Yep.

Get a room you two!

[old55 22,775]

I reckon he's sown on barren land.

plenty of fertiliser though

What do you get out of any discussion?

Best available is good in theory but there's a many axes of variation "tall"-"short", "guaranteed"-"X factor", "haven't seen enough of"-"seen too much of and focus on what's wrong"

[rpfc 28,046]

plenty of fertiliser though

Hey!

[rpfc 28,046]

Get a room you two!

He'd be an angry lover...

Was that inappropriate?

[e25 5]

More than you'll ever know...

[e25 5]

This thread is getting increasingly weird and I'd now like to direct eveyone's attention to the draft picks possessed by MFC.

Should we use them on a NEEDS basis, or should we aim to get the player who is BEST AVAILABLE..?

Personally, I lean towards best available and I think at a very

minimum it should always be applied to 1st round draft picks.

[e25 5]

As some phantom drafts I've come across have mentioned, we are now in the position where we have a talented list and can afford to either take a punt on a player based on needs, or we can even take a punt on one of those high risk/reward type players, like a Darling, Lynch or Harper (or other).

I think this is true to an extent, but we are still better off aiming for the best available player with our 1st pick, then we can go for longshots with the remaining picks.

[H_T 3,032]

This thread is getting increasingly weird and I'd now like to direct eveyone's attention to the draft picks possessed by MFC.

Should we use them on a NEEDS basis, or should we aim to get the player who is BEST AVAILABLE..?

Personally, I lean towards best available and I think at a very

minimum it should always be applied to 1st round draft picks.

I see this thread is almost turned full circle. How did we go in the challenge ? Too much fertiliser ?

[old55 22,775]

If you look through the thread, while almost everyone has a common top 6, they're all in a different order - what does that tell you about picking "best available"?

[e25 5]

Nothing?

[rpfc 28,046]

Nothing?

Talent is in the eye of the beholder, E25.

It's a good point, crankypants.

[rpfc 28,046]

Pearls before swine.

Now they've eaten the fish they'll come to you for more. Next time teach them how to fish - or perhaps that's beyond them.

Keep feeding them Old, they're fun.

I know I am one of the more arrogant posters on here but this would have to be up there with some of the 'best' stuff I have written.

Wow.

[e25 5]

Talent is in the eye of the beholder, E25.

It's a good point, crankypants.

Yeah, it's subjective, but we already knew that.

I've made numerous posts saying the same thing.

That the actual lines of 'best available' and 'needs' are blurred, because one can influence the other.

[rpfc 28,046]

Thanks B)

That's ok.

Emulation is flattering, really.

[Jaded No More 67,627]

My hero is Hannabal but don't tell anyone. If you can reach his lofty heights you know you're there!!

Mind you, I'm not sure he knows much about footy. I think he wanted Sellar instead of Frawley - but then I didn't like Rivers........

I wonder who has decided to make themselves an alias.

It's almost as intriguing as the mind numbing ramblings about the merits of this thread, which started out with a very interesting question and ended in poo.

Edited October 25, 2010 by Jaded

[Guest hangon007]

Where does option of "best available" stop on your list? At a first round pick? At a second round pick?

Can you blend the "option" to look at a draft in its entirety instead of looking at it on a pick by pick basis?

Now thats not really a set of questions you need to answer. Just an option to consider.

[Hannabal 4]

My hero is Hannabal but don't tell anyone. If you can reach his lofty heights you know you're there!!

Mind you, I'm not sure he knows much about footy. I think he wanted Sellar instead of Frawley - but then I didn't like Rivers........

A bit like "just one goat", eh ?