An interesting exercise of higher draft selections dating back the past ten years. Players in the 'who we missed' side generally fell in the picks immediately after the players we chose. There are a few anomalies but I think readers should be able to draw a conclusion or two from it.

Hindsight is indeed a wonderful thing. But so is foresight.

Our recruiters failed our football club miserably.

WHO WE PICKED

B: Bartram Frawley Grimes

HB: Rivers Garland Strauss

C: Morton Sylvia Scully

HF: Bate Cook Trengove

F: Maric Watts Blease

Foll: Gawn McLean Jones

Int: Howe Gysberts Tapscott Petterd

WHO WE MISSED

B: Waters Merrett Birchall

HB: Fyfe Talia S.Selwood

C: Dal Santo Van Berlo Ward

HF: Rioli Tippett L.Jetta

F: Stokes Reiwoldt Darling

Foll: Naitanui Dangerfield Shuey

Int: Redden S.Reid Atley S. Motlop

I think you need to step away from the football conversation for a while and think about something else. It's obviously a depressing world for you at the moment.

Can you do another list of dud players we could've picked?

Go all the way back to 1987, please.

Hindsight is indeed a wonderful thing. But so is foresight.

Our recruiters failed our football club miserably.

Yes they did. But not being able to afford a decent FD to bring those kids into also really hurt. Two big errors. We did exactly what Richmond did before us except worse. They still got Cotchin and Deledio from their botched drafts.

ALL clubs could make a list like this, so its not like we're alone. But for mine what makes it painful reading is that we really dont have ANY real stars in our team. Nadda. The other team ( the life we COULD have lived lol) had at least 10. If we even had 2 or 3.....

Anyway lets hope you're not writing this again a few years on from this draft.

Another useful thread.

Actually, to make it more interesting: from 1986 onwards, for every draft, order the players in best to worst order, then line them up with the selection order and that'll give the players from each club. With the revised lists, revise the ladder suitably, which will give you a new draft order to rinse and repeat with for 1987. You'll also have to take in to account that each club will then trade differently based on their revised playing lists and ladder order, and that different injuries will occur etc, due to every player not being at the same place at the same time.

Eventually you should be able to tell me who wins the 2011 premiership if every club selected perfectly every time for every year in the draft. Ain't hindsight a wonderful thing!

Why do people keep doing this to themselves? Haven't the past years been depressing enough as a Demons supporter?

Hindsight is a wonderful thing but it is also quite sad.

We can only look at, alter, influence and change the now and to some extent the future.

Chin up and stroll forward for this years draft and trade period is the most important for our club that I can remember.

All you have done is throw up a bunch of names without showing relevance to the players in the missed list. You have also looked at it from a worst case perspective. For example

We missed out on Riewoldt because we chose Frawley. I would still take Chip regardless of the quality of Jack.

Instead of Mclean (Gysberts) and Sylvia we could have taken any of Farren Ray, Kepler Bradley, Kane Tenace, Raph Clarke, David Trotter or Ryley Dunn who were the next 5 chosen.

The 5 after Dunn were Pattison, McQualter, Wood, Willits, Polo,

Would you give up Nathan Jones for Birchall, Hurn, Varcoe or Douglas? Granted they are quality but I dont think I would trade him for any of them.

For the team you say we missed I could give you a team of players you would be ecstatic we missed instead.

We have made some poor choices but so have every club. You could argue the flag favourites in Hawthorn have missed more with first round picks than most.

Good lord! You have a real disorder, RR.

PM me and I'll give you the name of a good psychologist that may be able to help.

The first step is to acknowledge your problem is in control of you.

Good luck with that.

could you repeat the "who we missed" list but only have left-footed rookie players? Be far more interesting

alternatively you could get a job and give the keyboard a well earned rest B)

I'm still spewing about missing out on Casey Sibosado.

Should have got NikNat to be our head of recruiting...

How bout a poll voting on ranga's we took and ranga's we missed out on? That'd be good.

Sir, please step away from the vehicle

How about a poll about RR's eligibility to create polls?

That list tells us our recruiters did a pretty good job

If taking the best of the five plus players after our picks does not deliver a premiership team then we were sort of doomed from the start

Can mods put a muzzle on this dolt?

I think you need to step away from the football conversation for a while and think about something else. It's obviously a depressing world for you at the moment.

Can you do another list of dud players we could've picked?

Have we missed some!

An interesting exercise of higher draft selections dating back the past ten years. Players in the 'who we missed' side generally fell in the picks immediately after the players we chose. There are a few anomalies but I think readers should be able to draw a conclusion or two from it.

Hindsight is indeed a wonderful thing. But so is foresight.

Our recruiters failed our football club miserably.

WHO WE PICKED

B: Bartram Frawley Grimes

HB: Rivers Garland Strauss

C: Morton Sylvia Scully

HF: Bate Cook Trengove

F: Maric Watts Blease

Foll: Gawn McLean Jones

Int: Howe Gysberts Tapscott Petterd

WHO WE MISSED

B: Waters Merrett Birchall

HB: Fyfe Talia S.Selwood

C: Dal Santo Van Berlo Ward

HF: Rioli Tippett L.Jetta

F: Stokes Reiwoldt Darling

Foll: Naitanui Dangerfield Shuey

Int: Redden S.Reid Atley S. Motlop

We couldn't have had both Rioli & Dangerfield both were selected in between #4 & #14 in 2007. We could've had one, not both. That said in the drafting period 06-10 we could've had:

Scott Selwood, Dylan Grimes, Tyson Goldsack, Jarod Harbrow, Liam Picken, Dayne Beams, Dustin Martin, Tom Rockliff, Michael Hurley, Jack Darling, Jack Riewoldt, Kurt Tippett, Cyril Rioli, Shane Mumford, Callan Ward, Nat Fyfe, Sam Jacobs, Luke Shuey, Lewis Jetta, Rory Sloane. The only picks I think Prendergast did well with would be Trengove (2), Howe (33) & McDonald (53).

Add 4 or 5 of the 19 players above & that's the makings of a damn good side. Quality recruiting = a quality team. Nailing the top picks as well as using the PSD & rookie drafts well is what sets the good recruiters apart.

We've been down this road too many times.

How about looking at our recruiting under Neeld thus far - Mitch Clark - pass with flying colours - Sellar - juries out - magner - died out but did ok early.

Eventually you should be able to tell me who wins the 2011 premiership if every club selected perfectly every time for every year in the draft. Ain't hindsight a wonderful thing!

Hahaha. So true. Poll needed. If every club selected perfectly every time every year, who wins?

Reading this thread is like watching the extended edition Blue ray box set of "The shire" with interviews and the director's narration included.

We coulda had class

We coulda been someone

We coulda been a contender

It was you Barry, It was you

We coulda had class

We coulda been someone

We coulda been a contender

It was you Barry, It was you

Biff you win best reply.

Aw sheet we coulda had Gazza in 84 and Coleman in 46! Think of what could have been.