Outsourcing for a Genuine Experienced Leader

[Deesciple 10]

In the aftermath of the Tom Scully decision, we need to make some bold footy personnel decisions.

This thread has been set up to allow people to share their respective ideas with respect to the best way that they feel the MFC can bring about the reinvention of the club's leadership. All our playing list woes (i.e. the need for a key power forward or hard established in and under midfielder etc etc) pale into insignificance if we can't resolve our lack of genuine 'mature' leadership. Now what I mean by that, is that we have fantastic potential leaders in the making, with the likes of Trengove (who we will be building our club around!), Grimes and Watts, but they are all currently lacking one key ingredient that can make them fantastic leaders. They are currently completely void of AFL finals experience.

We no longer have club stalwarts such as Neitz, White, Lyon, Viney and co to look up which means that we currently and will continue to capitulate against the top teams. It still burns me inside that we forced Junior McDonald into retirement, because he was the only flicker of genuine leadership we had at the club. Now I know you can't instantly instill leadership into a club, however I think we should make a critical play for a player that has only been spoken about in a limited fashion in these forums. We NEED Luke Power.

He is a 3 time premiership player with outstanding leadership attributes who has gone on the record saying that Vossy gave him no real choice but to retire. I don't mean to be disrespectful to our boys, but we are in a position, not dissimilar to and only slightly more advanced than both GWS and Gold Coast. We have an undeniable list of talent, but a continuing lack of genuine leadership will stifle the growth of our entire list. Some people will laugh, and others will scoff at the idea, that's fine - but in my opinion, we need to make a play for Power. We should offer him the captaincy of our great club until Trenners is ready to take over the mantle and his primary focus should be on teaching, guiding and mentoring our suite of players. He should be captain for as long as he wants to continue playing and be offered an assistant coaching position with the dees when he does choose to retire.

Those who say he's too old, I say we need 3 or 4 of his quality and experience to guide our developing dees over the coming two seasons.

[Louie 39]

We got rid of James McDonald, why would be go for Luke Power? He would be a junior replacement.

[rpfc 27,673]

Power would be good.

Kane Cornes, Scott Thompson, Brendan Goddard, etc.

Don't know who will be available at Trade Week but fully understand and endorse the idea.

Let's go and trade for a captain...

[Deesciple 10]

I think the club has to admit it made a serious mistake in letting Junior go and go some ways towards fixing the issue but instilling some outside leadership into the club. It won't fix everything, but I just think we need a fresh perspective. Not dissimilar to Judd going to Carlton as captain.

[H_T 2,941]

I would prefer Brendon Goddard.

25/26, leader, can play down back, mid or go forward. Given a licence. Offer him the captaincy too.

If GWS are after him (as he is out of contract at end of 2012), the Saints should trade for him now if it's an end of an era as Lyon has intimated - and get something in return now, rather than two first round draft picks, next year.

What do we offer up ? I don't know. Concession picks ? Or do we use them on someone like O'meara ?

But it will be interesting.

He may want to go to someone like...Carlton...

One thing for sure, he offers leadership, and footy smarts. Guaranteed performer..

[Deesciple 10]

Goddard would also be a fantastic option. I 100% agree. He would be preferrable, and if we could grab both Goddard and Power, that would only enhance us.

We have to trade hard with our draft picks and compo draft picks for our leadership. It will certainly come at a cost. Would be interesting to see whether a Ross Lyon move to Melbourne would do to a Goddard decision...

[Mallee Bull 97]

I've been thinking that we need to do this all year long. St Kilda brought in Aaron Hammil to help protect and lead their young top draft picks. We need to get someone similar. Someone in their prime (24-27), someone that has real leadership. I'd also love Goddard, but he's not free until next year and I'm thinking that GWS will be going gung-ho for him this time next year.

Is anyone able to obtain a list of notable players out of contract this year?

[H_T 2,941]

I've been thinking that we need to do this all year long. St Kilda brought in Aaron Hammil to help protect and lead their young top draft picks. We need to get someone similar. Someone in their prime (24-27), someone that has real leadership. I'd also love Goddard, but he's not free until next year and I'm thinking that GWS will be going gung-ho for him this time next year.

That's why I think the Saints would be better off trading him off this year - if he is wants out, instead and get something guaranteed in return, while their iron is hot. They should be competitive for a few years with their list and shouldn't really bottom out. The compo picks they would receive would be like Geelong is now with Ablett picks (ie. Geelong used one of their picks on Billy Smedts).

The Saints should deal with some other team instead of GWS, if he wants out. Get something now while Riewoldt, Hayes, Dal Santo, Montagna, Milne, have something left.

Fact is, Goddard has sounded out thinking about his future and not discounted a move elsewhere. Drums are beating re: Goddard IMO.

[Melbournepotter 279]

Ok. Not perhaps a leader in the traditional sense, and I wouldn't make him captain, but what about Mitch Robinson at Carlton ? I have no idea if he's out of contract or not, but he seems a decent size, has a bit of crap/mongrel about him, is physical and competitive. He'd certainly get up someone on the field if they weren't pulling their weight....

[mauriesy 6,907]

Drums are beating re: Goddard IMO.

Gawd, not those bl**dy jungle drums again.

[H_T 2,941]

Ok. Not perhaps a leader in the traditional sense, and I wouldn't make him captain, but what about Mitch Robinson at Carlton ? I have no idea if he's out of contract or not, but he seems a decent size, has a bit of crap/mongrel about him, is physical and competitive. He'd certainly get up someone on the field if they weren't pulling their weight....

I did list him among 5 or 6 possible targets on another thread. Which included B.Goddard, S.Thompson, J.Bolton, and one or two others. Fyfe was another a month or more ago until he re-signed an extension.

I think Robinson recently signed a new contract. Very physical.

[H_T 2,941]

Gawd, not those bl**dy jungle drums again.

Terrible aren't they.

edit: It's more about Goddard himself.

[Weekends at Bernie's 64]

I think 'MFC' best chance of landing a big fish will be next year; penlebury, goddard etc. Hopefully next year we have some onfield sucess which will entice these players to want to come and play for our football club. Also offer them the captaincy like "carlscum" did to judd!!

[Bhima 0]

Deesciple,

I suggested that the Dees trade one of our lesser players for Power back in July. There wasn't a lot of love for the idea. I was wrong to suggest we should trade a player, but not wrong that we should try and sign him up.

Power is a genuine leader that has played in one of the greatest teams in the modern era. While he would keep a young player out of the team, we are not spoilt for choice when it comes to small forwards. Maric has been a disappointment, Jetta is better suited to the midfield and Bennell is fitting nicely into the backline. Wonna is our next option yet he has missed several years to injury and is no sure thing to hold his position (let alone be recontracted).

The time has come for the Dees to win back respect and until we have a genuine leadership group that will not happen. People don't seem to understand that it is not all about skills and development - it is about creating an environment in which talent can prosper.

Garry Lyon has suggested Power might be a target for the GWS - for exactly that same reason he should be a target for us.

If we don't get him it's no big deal, but I've had enough of developing youngsters if it means we get flogged by 150 points and are the laughing stock of the comp. Our young players need leaders to look up to and admire - and I would suggest there is not a great deal of admiration for the current leadership group at the moment.

We need confident blokes that know what it takes to be successful so that we can learn from them - that's how people develop, by working with the best of the best. Power is no longer an elite player, but he would undoubtably have a spot in the starting 22 and the respect of the playing group.

Nuff said

[Straight Sets Simon 23,113]

Power will play and coach with GWS, just announced on SEN.

[DeeSpencer 23,638]

Do we really need a Luke Power. What does he offer?

I'd rather see us get a strong coach and keep drafting quality kids. The likes of Moloney, Rivers, Frawley, Jones and Trengove will lead them.

[BAMF 3,851]

We have set ourselves up this way. We knew years ago that our leadership was hopeless.

What we need is to stay the course. Keep pumping games into our young kids. Bring them through as a group.

Once they start reaching the 80-100 game mark we will be a super force.

We have drafted future leaders. We just need to be patient until they emerge.

I'm willing to stick it out.

We have culled our list deep and harshly to set ourselves up for the future, burning good club stewards along the way.

I really don't want to screw it up by bringing in some over the hill players or even trading for a Goddard who will be leaving retiring at our peak and burning cash and draft picks in return at the same time.

Do we really want to be like Richmond? Bringing in average to decent player like Miller, Houli and Grigg?

Yep, we are in for a couple more years of mediocrity. But after that we will be a genuine premership contender for a long period. We haven't been one of those for 50 years.

Stay the course.

[spiritof76 0]

We have set ourselves up this way. We knew years ago that our leadership was hopeless.

What we need is to stay the course. Keep pumping games into our young kids. Bring them through as a group.

Once they start reaching the 80-100 game mark we will be a super force.

We have drafted future leaders. We just need to be patient until they emerge.

I'm willing to stick it out.

We have culled our list deep and harshly to set ourselves up for the future, burning good club stewards along the way.

I really don't want to screw it up by bringing in some over the hill players or even trading for a Goddard who will be leaving retiring at our peak and burning cash and draft picks in return at the same time.

Do we really want to be like Richmond? Bringing in average to decent player like Miller, Houli and Grigg?

Yep, we are in for a couple more years of mediocrity. But after that we will be a genuine premership contender for a long period. We haven't been one of those for 50 years.

Stay the course.

Oh I will - but seen it before, that was what the Barassi era was all about- cop it sweet, lots of journeymen to stiffen the youngsters and then see it come to (almost)fruition albeit it took 8-9 years instead of 5.