WEETRA - Stroke of Genius or Blunder

[Cranky Franky 1,489]

I was really hoping we would draft Joe Anderson & was very surprised when we got Weetra @ 62. Carlton then got Anderson @ 67.

Weetra has potential but has only played at u 19 level in SA.

Anderson has been playing in the firsts against men since he was 16. At 17 he won the Darwin B&F, was a very good player in the team's Premiership side & captained the NT under 18 side. He was rated by commentators to be one of the best young players to come out of the NT for a while.

His grandfather Jimmy Anderson was an NT legend & one of the best ever players to pull on a pair of boots.

I just thought that Joe was a mile ahead of Isack in terms of ability & potential.

Just hope this isn't another Joel Campbell or Mark Berts effort.

[Nasher 33,065]

Joel Campbell and Mark Berts were both rookie listed, if I remember correctly, so they were a very low risk investment that didn't pay off. I imagine if Craig and his team didn't think he was a fair chance to make it, they would've used our rookie list spot on him.

[no legs 0]

I was really hoping we would draft Joe Anderson & was very surprised when we got Weetra @ 62. Carlton then got Anderson @ 67.

Weetra has potential but has only played at u 19 level in SA.

Anderson has been playing in the firsts against men since he was 16. At 17 he won the Darwin B&F, was a very good player in the team's Premiership side & captained the NT under 18 side. He was rated by commentators to be one of the best young players to come out of the NT for a while.

His grandfather Jimmy Anderson was an NT legend & one of the best ever players to pull on a pair of boots.

I just thought that Joe was a mile ahead of Isack in terms of ability & potential.

Just hope this isn't another Joel Campbell or Mark Berts effort.

Cranky,

Exaclty how many games have you seen Isack and Joe play respectively?

[Cranky Franky 1,489]

Cranky,

Exaclty how many games have you seen Isack and Joe play respectively?

Exactly none.

But I think that on achievements so far Joe's credentials are a mile ahead of Isack's.

Of course I could be completely wrong on this matter.

I would love to see both players do well although if Joe does well it will always bug me that he went to a low life team like Carlton.

[Finks 19]

Isaac is a smokey, and with that there is risk, but from what I've heard from people who have seen him play, I'm excited with the prospect. He's versatile, with a huge vertical leap, and can play at both ends of the ground. I heard that he picked up 25 possessions playing back pocket, then followed that up with a 5 goals blitz a week later.

Most importantly, I like what I hear about his attitude.

[Damo 2,996]

Cranky,

You gather more flies with honey than Vinegar.

Sometimes CAC comes onto Demonland and explains draft picks.

With not having a Members Information Night this year, it is hoped Craig or another Football Dept. member may let us know.

I think the points you make are valid, but so are Finks's's's'.....

Leadership and personality are pretty big factors with clubs these days and Carlton should know that better than us.

But happily Carlton, Essendon and Collingwood seem to only be interested in whats going on downstairs, if you get my drift.

:D

Not that it has anything to do with Joe A. but it could.

I realise you probably couldnt give a rats how you compose a thread heading, but you do yourself a disservice, as your points have merit.

Theres just more to it these days.

cheers.

[cac1963 0]

Cranky,

I like Joe Anderson as a player. He is quick has a good engine and, like Isaac, has a great character. He is however a diabolical kick. In the end this was probably the determining factor in us not drafting him. If he could kick he would have been a top 30 selection.

One point to note is that Isaac was best on the ground in the Whyalla senior Grand Final as a 16 year old, prior to coming to Adelaide. I know the standard is not great but he has played against men.

[dazzledavey36 48,812]

Theres your answer there. I'm totally excited about Weetra, I think he can show us plenty of talent. Could become our new Cameron Bruce!

[Whispering_Jack 27,996]

Theres your answer there. I'm totally excited about Weetra, I think he can show us plenty of talent. Could become our new Cameron Bruce!

We shouldn't be getting too carried away with Weetra or any of our young recruits at this stage because all we'd be doing would be to put added and unneeded pressure on them (as if they don't have enough already). Let's remember that two of our four draftees from last year have yet to play AFL football with both Simon Buckley and Heath Neville playing in VFL reserves for most of the year. Same goes for Michael Newton who was drafted a year earlier. Let's be patient with them and if one or two do a "Bartram" then it's a bonus.

On the kicking skills of Joe Anderson, it looks like a general problem they have up there in the NT. I've been watching some of their games on ABC2 and I've noticed that while the games are exciting and high scoring affairs, the kicking skills are all over the place. A lot of the players are very good at short range with chip passes to players on the run but pretty much deplorable with their longer kicking.

I'm happy to go with the judgement of CAC and our recruiting people when it comes down to making decisions like the one between drafting Weetra and Anderson. They're the professionals and we're the amateurs.

[brey9186 102]

thanks cac!!!

i would imagine that he wouldnt see too much senior football this year, will develop nicely hopefully at sandy, and there will be a few chances for him to make some cameos in the 22

im excited about petterd the most, seems like he is a brock-type all over again, just with a bit more explosiveness and flash

[s-t-i-n-g-a 439]

Cranky,

I like Joe Anderson as a player. He is quick has a good engine and, like Isaac, has a great character. He is however a diabolical kick. In the end this was probably the determining factor in us not drafting him. If he could kick he would have been a top 30 selection.

One point to note is that Isaac was best on the ground in the Whyalla senior Grand Final as a 16 year old, prior to coming to Adelaide. I know the standard is not great but he has played against men.

Thanks for the post CAC. Being a Darwin boy I was hoping we would pick Joe up and had wondered why we went with Weetra over him (I had only seen Joe play though). I really think he can play but thats a fair point about his kicking...

I look forward to seeing Isaac in the red and blue!!!

Cheers

[faultydet 7,593]

Cranky,

I like Joe Anderson as a player. He is quick has a good engine and, like Isaac, has a great character. He is however a diabolical kick. In the end this was probably the determining factor in us not drafting him. If he could kick he would have been a top 30 selection.

One point to note is that Isaac was best on the ground in the Whyalla senior Grand Final as a 16 year old, prior to coming to Adelaide. I know the standard is not great but he has played against men.

Hey cac, didnt the same thing get said about Frawley? Were we told a furphy?

By the way, thanks for taking the time to reply.

[Bang Bang Bang 5,495]

Hey cac, didnt the same thing get said about Frawley? Were we told a furphy?

By the way, thanks for taking the time to reply.

I had a look at one game from the Championships featuring Frawley. He actually took the kickouts for Vic Country and was far from a bad kick. Just an unusual style

[faultydet 7,593]

I had a look at one game from the Championships featuring Frawley. He actually took the kickouts for Vic Country and was far from a bad kick. Just an unusual style

Thanks SS, that is a relief to know

[Adzman 2,085]

Isn't Weetra only 17??

I think CAC was using the old "Matty Bate" tactic, by drafting him a year early. Bate went at late first round, but would have gone top 3 the year after. Maybe Weetra is a top 20 for next years draft?

CAC makes the odd Blunder, at pick 62 you can't blame the man for trying to unearth a future star. Waters a pretty Murky in the later rounds of a draft, and i think CAC had Weetra on the Radar well before the draft had even started.

I bet he will be a very handy AFL player in 3 years time.

[Freak 100]

No way would Bate have been a top 3 pick a year later. The recuiters take their age into account when drafting them.

[MikeyJ 60]

That's just conjecture, Freak. We'll never know.

Given Bate won the Morrish Medal as a bottom-aged TAC Cup player, playing predominantly from the goalsquare as a full-forward, who's to say he wouldn't have gone No. 1 before Murphy if he'd dominated the competition as a mobile CHF, or even a full-time midfielder?

It's a moot point anyway, as Bate was much better served developing at VFL level the following season, instead of belting up 16-year-olds with the Eastern Ranges.

[Dappa Dan 2,188]

You've gotta love CAC's balls in recruiting bottom age players in recent years. Not only is it perceived as a gamble, but the whole football world is crying out for teams to stop recruiting and playing kids so early in their careers. There's a perception that kids are damaged if they debut too early, as their egos, bodies and temperaments are very fragile at that age.

CAC goes the other direction. He has faith that ND, and even Mark Williams won't play kids too early for their own good. Look at Bate and Dunn who were sheltered and given time to settle. Then look at Newton who has been kept off seniors at Sandy, possibly for the same reason.

It seems to me CAC is conscious of the fact that it's dangerous to uproot kids from their home states and fling them headlong into the big-smoke. It seems, however, that the support around the club with families, patrons of MFC and even the senior players right down to Ooze are more than happy to take care of the younger demons and make sure they don't party too much and stay serious about their futures.

Our success with our 2/3 (and possibly 3/3) bottom age draftees of 2004 is as encouraging a sign as I can think of for our future on-field success. Fingers crossed that it continues.

[alpha33 277]

FOOTYGOSS has this article sourced from The Whyalla News:-

GREAT EXPECTATIONS ON WEETRA

Like all AFL fans, Melbourne supporters cannot wait until the 2007 season begins.

The Demons are again suggested to be one of the top Victorian hopes to challenge the interstate domination with their younger players like Brock McLean, Clint Bartram and Colin Sylvia stepping up in recent seasons.

Another young talent that Demon fans are excited about is Isaac Weetra who was Melbourne’s final pick (No. 62) in the NAB National Draft.

Weetra, who hails from Whyalla has an enormous vertical leap and speed to burn, but his performances at junior level have been the main talking points for fans.

He played A-grade country football at just 14, was best-on-ground in an A-grade grand final at 16 and his leadership skills are also exceptional.

The 17-year-old is certain to feature in the highlights reel when he eventually debuts for the Demons.

Even in the South Australian bush it's a fair effort to be playing with men at the age of 14. I hope that he lives up to those expectations.

[Cranky Franky 1,489]

Cranky,

I like Joe Anderson as a player. He is quick has a good engine and, like Isaac, has a great character. He is however a diabolical kick. In the end this was probably the determining factor in us not drafting him. If he could kick he would have been a top 30 selection.

One point to note is that Isaac was best on the ground in the Whyalla senior Grand Final as a 16 year old, prior to coming to Adelaide. I know the standard is not great but he has played against men.

Well its early days of course but Isaac is having injury after injury after injury while Joe Anderson lines up for his third game tomorrow.

Time will tell.

[Nasher 33,065]

[Lil_red_fire_engine 10,206]

Well its early days of course but Isaac is having injury after injury after injury while Joe Anderson lines up for his third game tomorrow.

Time will tell.

BIG RED SIGNING:

Joe Anderson has not set the world on fire. he will be a good, ordinary player. Frawley's season has been culled by injury as well so I guess drafting him was a mistake as well......

[CHAMP 347]

He is however a diabolical kick. In the end this was probably the determining factor in us not drafting him. If he could kick he would have been a top 30 selection.

Who would have thought? So foot skills are a high priority at Melbourne.

[Nasher 33,065]

Who would have thought? So foot skills are a high priority at Melbourne.

What?

You realise CAC was talking about Joe Anderson, a person we didn't draft, right?

[kieranbj 108]

What?

You realise CAC was talking about Joe Anderson, a person we didn't draft, right?

Give it a re-read Nasher

Believer the poster may be suggesting that not drafting Anderson because of his footskills is somewhat hypocritical with Danny Ward and Simon Godfrey running round in the red and blue.

Just a little smartarse comment that got a giggle out of me.