On 24/10/2014 at 05:07, rpfc said:

I am sorry to say, but most of those extolling the virtues of going for 'Best Available' are going for the best players right now.

There is a difference between picking the best available players, and picking the players you believe will be the best players.

I would prefer the latter.

Best talent, most likely to be a star over the best available midfielder. Pretty simple.

The player who is likely to give you the greatest output over the course of their career, that's the one I want Taylor/ Viney/Roos to select.

Am I missing something here? The concept is not confusing to me.

  On 24/10/2014 at 05:51, jabberwocky said:

Best talent, most likely to be a star over the best available midfielder. Pretty simple.

Surely these two "categories" are the same.

I.e. the one "most likely to be a star" IS "the best available midfielder", and is already factored into their predicted draft position.

  On 24/10/2014 at 05:47, PaulRB said:

Yes but it's not our choice, it is the Saints that will choose... and be held to account for the choice.

No buyers remorse for us, as our rebuild hits high gear with Brayshaw PLUS Petracca OR McCartin joining us in 2015.

One can almost feel us catching up with the pack...

But what if the best midfielder and forward doesn't come from any of these names. Could be Wright at 6 and Degoey at 9 for all we know? Or Ahern and Pickett could end up being this years top draftee, who really knows?

  On 24/10/2014 at 06:17, sweet dee said:

But what if the best midfielder and forward doesn't come from any of these names. Could be Wright at 6 and Degoey at 9 for all we know? Or Ahern and Pickett could end up being this years top draftee, who really knows?

Then we're up [censored] creek, again.

With no excuses.

  On 24/10/2014 at 05:24, Bay Riffin said:

Yeah not sure any club does NOT subscribe to the process of picking the player they think will be the best in a few years.

No not really, there are multiple examples of clubs picking key talls or mids because of a perceived need.

  On 24/10/2014 at 02:34, Norm Smith said:

Not convinced by lever.

Think laverde is in the mix and pickett would be a risk.

hope saints take McMartin but i hear Petracca is family friends with saints coach.

I reckon a couple of nice Wines & he'll be anybodies

  On 24/10/2014 at 03:01, jabberwocky said:

I am not in the head of Jason Taylor, but for me he only has to believe that one player has a better chance of being that great talent over another to pick that player. Skewing your selections in favour of the best midfielder is dumb. You speak of picking a "transcendental" talent as if it is an easy thing to do, (and besides if players want to wear ladies clothes in thier own time that is thier business).

As for Toumpas, Riley and Michie. Riley and Michie have been at the club 5 mins with the former having done no pre-season after a badly broken leg, and Michie has shown something. Toumpas is a kid and clearly needs to lift but...is a kid.

Pick best available or risk losing a star.

woaaa, I'm hearin ya loud 'N' clera Jabber wocky

  On 24/10/2014 at 05:51, jabberwocky said:

Best talent, most likely to be a star over the best available midfielder. Pretty simple.

The player who is likely to give you the greatest output over the course of their career, that's the one I want Taylor/ Viney/Roos to select.

Am I missing something here? The concept is not confusing to me.

Yes, the fact that Petracca, Brayshaw and McCartin may or may not be those players.

Right now they are the best players but I can pretty much guarantee from bitter experience that others will pass at least one of them, maybe all of them.

The judgements made on here about taking 'best available' are increasingly becoming moot, being weighed down by the fact that those that were the 'best available' when they were 18 are anything but when they are 22.

More fuel to add to the fire - we must get these picks right!

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2014-10-24/they-could-have-been-demons

Danger looks great in those colours!

That's exactly what I am saying, on all the evidence and instinct Taylor picks that guy. And that player may or may not be a mid.

You certainly can't pick Lever on his 2014 but he may well be the one that our guys see as the projected champ. This is where the recruiters earn thier money.

  On 24/10/2014 at 11:13, jabberwocky said:

That's exactly what I am saying, on all the evidence and instinct Taylor picks that guy. And that player may or may not be a mid.

You certainly can't pick Lever on his 2014 but he may well be the one that our guys see as the projected champ. This is where the recruiters earn thier money.

This is exactly where they should earn there money otherwise we might as well cut costs and just go on what the media and the mock draft experts say. Come to think of it the results would probably have been better.

  On 24/10/2014 at 11:09, Ascobar said:

More fuel to add to the fire - we must get these picks right!

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2014-10-24/they-could-have-been-demons

Danger looks great in those colours!

Geeze, really?

AFL.com are clearly running out of ideas if they are still crapping out articles about Melbourne's fictitious alternative best 22.

Can only marvel at overlooking Robbie Gray now being considered a huge blunder. Rewind one year and he never would've rated mention. At 25 he was considered a wasted talent. At 26 he is considered an A grade superstar. That's how fast things can change in this game.

An article like that really should burn in the guts of the players. How more insulting does it get than basically dismissing your worth as little more than a wasted pick? It would certainly motivate me to prove them all wrong.

The football world continues willing our players and our club to fail. To forever remain an example of what not to do.

It needs to end. As of now.

  On 24/10/2014 at 13:49, P-man said:

Geeze, really?

AFL.com are clearly running out of ideas if they are still crapping out articles about Melbourne's fictitious alternative best 22.

Can only marvel at overlooking Robbie Gray now being considered a huge blunder. Rewind one year and he never would've rated mention. At 25 he was considered a wasted talent. At 26 he is considered an A grade superstar. That's how fast things can change in this game.

An article like that really should burn in the guts of the players. How more insulting does it get than basically dismissing your worth as little more than a wasted pick? It would certainly motivate me to prove them all wrong.

The football world continues willing our players and our club to fail. To forever remain an example of what not to do.

It needs to end. As of now.

Your being a bit dramatic aren't you? Our recruiting had been dreadful, no use hiding from it.

The article is clearly flawed anyway. As if Wines and Motlop can't get ahead of Goldsack and Scott Selwood in the starting 18.

We only got Bail and McDonald right, something Prendergast can hang his hat on. What a recruiter he was?

How bad was the 2012 draft? No one's made us pay for recruiting Jones and Terlich.

They are also being very nice to Taylor, we could of got Dunstan instead of Salem and we could of got Ben Brown ahead of Kennedy-Harris.

  On 24/10/2014 at 11:09, Ascobar said:

More fuel to add to the fire - we must get these picks right!

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2014-10-24/they-could-have-been-demons

Danger looks great in those colours!

can't you do that for any team?

  On 24/10/2014 at 14:31, WERRIDEE said:

Your being a bit dramatic aren't you? Our recruiting had been dreadful, no use hiding from it.

The article is clearly flawed anyway. As if Wines and Motlop can't get ahead of Goldsack and Scott Selwood in the starting 18.

Where did I say our recruiting hadn't been poor? I think that message was soundly delivered after the first hundred or so articles written on the subject.

  On 24/10/2014 at 14:56, Moneider96 said:

can't you do that for any team?

Exactly, any team could've had Fyfe, Gray or Tippett.

And Nicnat is a spud, wouldn't want him in our side.

  On 24/10/2014 at 14:56, Moneider96 said:

can't you do that for any team?

yes

and to make it worse the guy that wrote the article is a Demon 'supporter'

Still think Watts has done as much or more than Nic Nat. But that's another argument (or poll) that's been done to death here.

  On 24/10/2014 at 22:43, Moonshadow said:

Still think Watts has done as much or more than Nic Nat. But that's another argument (or poll) that's been done to death here.

It's just that Nic Nat does the so called "special" stuff so everybody notices him. He's really a horribly inconsistent ruckmen!

  On 23/10/2014 at 10:00, dee-luded said:

I never met a great mid yet that is squeaky clean, & sings choir songs on the way to work. they just don't Go with one another.

carn Dees, lets get down & dirty....

Hassa Mann was one. Flower, just about a mid. Ricky Jackson didn't bother, and I don't remember Greg Healy playing dirty. Woey wasn't a thug. There'd be plenty of examples. I s'pose the footballers you meet are mostly the ones you seek out, rather than the other way round, d-l?

Nice to see Robinson dumped, by the way...

  On 24/10/2014 at 22:43, Moonshadow said:

Still think Watts has done as much or more than Nic Nat. But that's another argument (or poll) that's been done to death here.

Both will be equally forgettable in time..

You could roll out a similar list for almost every club in the land.

Total bullshite... tabloid media rubbish.

  On 24/10/2014 at 14:31, WERRIDEE said:

Your being a bit dramatic aren't you? Our recruiting had been dreadful, no use hiding from it.

The article is clearly flawed anyway. As if Wines and Motlop can't get ahead of Goldsack and Scott Selwood in the starting 18.

We only got Bail and McDonald right, something Prendergast can hang his hat on. What a recruiter he was?

How bad was the 2012 draft? No one's made us pay for recruiting Jones and Terlich.

They are also being very nice to Taylor, we could of got Dunstan instead of Salem and we could of got Ben Brown ahead of Kennedy-Harris.

I'd give Prendegast a tick for getting Howe at 35ish.

I'd give Prendergast a tick for going to Carlton

  On 25/10/2014 at 04:38, Bring-Back-Powell said:

I'd give Prendegast a tick for getting Howe at 35ish.

He was also weighing him at at our first round pick too, but took the gamble that he'd be there come our second rounder. Got one right for a change. Still doesn't excuse his Lucas Cook call, whose manager even told him he would be a 2nd to 3rd round pick at best.