Just now, Ghostwriter said:

Wow. A bunch of wise guys on this thread. I’m really gonna have to stop sharing snippets of conversations I’ve had with anyone at the club. 🙄

Some people just can't help themselves...many of us do appreciate any info you pass on.

Maybe Matty Lennan is the succession plan?

5 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Maybe Matty Lennan is the succession plan?

Is that the younger guy in the recruiting team?

15 minute mark- JT giving a hint as to the future? "Lennon"

Edited 20 hours ago20 hr by Deemist

No chance JT would go and ruin his friendship by working with Bevo at this age.

I think and hope he’s walking off into the sunset

It would be reasonably paid but not overwhelmingly paid.

Life after recruiting would be limited but perhaps you can transfer the skills to other areas.

With the soft salary cap the AFL is full of "underpaid jobs" that really do not reward success.

What would the Eagles or the Pies pay him but for that "cursed cap."

JT has been really successful at the key part of his job: nailing high draft picks—ones you really don’t want to waste. He’s not perfect, of course, but given the unpredictability of drafting 18-year-olds, he hits far more than he misses.

When it comes to later and rookie picks, it’s a real crapshoot—most never make it. You can’t really hold the misses there against Taylor; it just shows how uncertain it all can be. But if you want to single out someone like Sestan, you also have to give Taylor credit for picking McVee who’s shaping up to be a long-term, walk-up start for Fremantle. Not bad for a rookie that every club passed over multiple times.

10 hours ago, Diamond_Jim said:

It would be reasonably paid but not overwhelmingly paid.

Life after recruiting would be limited but perhaps you can transfer the skills to other areas.

With the soft salary cap the AFL is full of "underpaid jobs" that really do not reward success.

What would the Eagles or the Pies pay him but for that "cursed cap."

Can't a club pay over the soft cap, though? Isn't there a provision which allows a club to do so as long as they pay a "tax" back to the AFL calculated on the sum that is over the soft cap?

On 06/12/2025 at 12:20, dazzledavey36 said:

Best mates with Luke Beveridge.

Wonder if there will be some form of pulling power there.

Do they even need a recruiting boss with their f/s collection?

28 minutes ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

Can't a club pay over the soft cap, though? Isn't there a provision which allows a club to do so as long as they pay a "tax" back to the AFL calculated on the sum that is over the soft cap?

In simple terms the tax is up to 75% so no one does it.

It's only a matter of time for the mega clubs though. The problem is demonstrating the on field benefit of the extra payment.

You are seeing more and more clubs complain about the soft cap but they frame it in terms of having to cut back on player welfare. Of course if you paid less to coaches etc you'd have more for player welfare.

In 2023 Collingwood suggested they would pay the tax in order that they could pay coaches at the same level as pre-covid. They were going to fund it by selling a game to Queensland. Soon after the soft cap was relaxed marginally and Collingwood stayed home.

19 hours ago, ANG13 said:

Sounds a little Judd like 🫣.

Perhaps. But even if he lied or changed his mind would leave the city of Melbourne? Tasmania is beautiful. But it's colder, quieter and well, obviously not round the corner from his current life. It's not exactly moving to Mars but there will be sone players and coaching staff from the current clubs that turn down Tasmania offers for these reasons.

19 hours ago, Ugottobekidding said:

Taylor has done well in the past but Roos was very much involved in those early picks. He has been a bit hit and miss of late

Roos no doubt wanted Brayshaw.

I have a feeling Todd Viney might have been influential in a few picks as well.

But since we got JT our drafting has improved significantly.

Kozzie is one of the best players in the league and he was panned on Demonland for going early on him.

Langford is going to be a superstar and he was criticised for being too slow. Has anyone noticed the pace of all the draft picks and recruits since? That is clever to help Langford become the best player in the league.

21 hours ago, hillie said:

I think the Jefferson pick was a forced hand. Need was clearly key forward. Had to take a key forward. He was the best of an ordinary lot…

Rosman was a long term development that didn’t pay off. Laurie was a good option at that part of the draft. If Geelong hadn’t traded in ahead of us those picks would have been Holmes and Bowie.

Howes is solid. Adams will be given more time as a key back. Woey jnr and brown jnr is acknowledgement of development pathway and an investment in that system.

Tholstrup on your list is the biggest reach that is yet to pay that I have doubts on other than the Jefferson one.

JT lead the build of the premiership list. Credit needs to be where it is due. Hardly a fluke. I back him with much more confidence than the previous holders of his role. More than gold coasts Cameron and much more than Pendergast, in who was so unqualified for the job I will go to my grave knowing I would have done a much job of it after watching a few 3 minute videos. Granted they would have all been contested footy beasts like Shuey , Sloane, Wines, Viney and darling to name a few. But could have traded for a few other pieces of the puzzle. The only pick he got right was Gawn. And I would have had him also.

I think failed F/s picks should be judged less harshly. Some of these players' fathers may still be strongly connected to the club. Recruiters know how excited/disappointed those fathers will be after draft night. And of course fans love these picks too. There is the principle that people hate more losing something than not winning something. In the Tipping Point game show contestants 'stupidly' can choose to NOT risk 2000 dollars to win 10,000 when it looks likely that will happen. (Better to NOT lose than to miss out on a gain.)

I reckon if we turned down Jack Viney and he was snapped up soon after (and went on to be as solid as he's been for us) Dees fans would be grumbling still, AND moreso than if we miss(ed) with a future AFL legend who gets/got selected straight after a Melbourne pick who wasn't one of "ours". I bet Sydney fans and St Kilda fans rankle about Dunkley and Bowey winning flags elsewhere. Every time a recruiter overlooks a FS pick theyre taking a risk .

3 minutes ago, Go Ds said:

I think failed F/s picks should be judged less harshly. Some of these players' fathers may still be strongly connected to the club. Recruiters know how excited/disappointed those fathers will be after draft night. And of course fans love these picks too. There is the principle that people hate more losing something than not winning something. In the Tipping Point game show contestants 'stupidly' can choose to NOT risk 2000 dollars to win 10,000 when it looks likely that will happen. (Better to NOT lose than to miss out on a gain.)

I reckon if we turned down Jack Viney and he was snapped up soon after (and went on to be as solid as he's been for us) Dees fans would be grumbling still, AND moreso than if we miss(ed) with a future AFL legend who gets/got selected straight after a Melbourne pick who wasn't one of "ours". I bet Sydney fans and St Kilda fans rankle about Dunkley and Bowey winning flags elsewhere. Every time a recruiter overlooks a FS pick theyre taking a risk .

I will never forget Brown’s son coming off the bench as sub in the last 1/4 and winning us the game with a fierce tackle. That is culture building and unites the club old boys who are passionate about the club.

Essendon who have been hopeless since the Sheedy era gifted Davey 100 games in the end because he has so many sons. That was clever.

We took Kalani very late and nobody else bid on him. I’ve read on here that he has 2 younger brothers that are better and posters on Demonland are never wrong so it must be true

If JT is not planning retirement i think he will stick around until at least the 2026 drafts. If he is still enjoying the job he may well stay longer, why not. His 2025 draft vibes indicated he still loves the job.

The strategy has been brilliant. Keep some experienced guns to build around which we are doing.

2026 is the end of our current list build up. 2027 and 2028 are lost draft years for most of the comp.

Not sure apart from Prasaad whether we have any other academy or FS in 2026 or 27?

Edited 4 hours ago4 hr by manny100
Forgot an important point.

46 minutes ago, Go Ds said:

I bet Sydney fans and St Kilda fans rankle about Dunkley and Bowey winning flags elsewhere. Every time a recruiter overlooks a FS pick theyre taking a risk .

Jake's dad Brett Bowey only played 85 games for St Kilda, so no FS option there.

12 hours ago, bing181 said:

JT has been really successful at the key part of his job: nailing high draft picks—ones you really don’t want to waste. He’s not perfect, of course, but given the unpredictability of drafting 18-year-olds, he hits far more than he misses.

When it comes to later and rookie picks, it’s a real crapshoot—most never make it. You can’t really hold the misses there against Taylor; it just shows how uncertain it all can be. But if you want to single out someone like Sestan, you also have to give Taylor credit for picking McVee who’s shaping up to be a long-term, walk-up start for Fremantle. Not bad for a rookie that every club passed over multiple times.

His 2 glaring misses he would like to have back would be Sam Weideman and everyday that is passing its looking like Jefferson will join that elusive club.

Never the less JT has been brilliant for the MFC.

👏

Edited 3 hours ago3 hr by YesitwasaWin4theAges

2 hours ago, Demonstone said:

Jake's dad Brett Bowey only played 85 games for St Kilda, so no FS option there.

Ah. But still no fan would like to see the son of good player doing well at another club.

1 hour ago, YesitwasaWin4theAges said:

His 2 glaring misses he would like to have back would be Sam Weideman and everyday that is passing its looking like Jefferson will join that elusive club.

Never the less JT has been brilliant for the MFC.

👏

They are sometimes the hardest prediction.

Everyone had Josh Schache in the first few of his draft for example and he went pick 2.

There are plenty of examples of key forwards taken early in the draft who didn't go on.

On 05/12/2025 at 17:06, The Taciturn Demon said:

I think that would be unlikely. They got Todd Patterson from our women's programme and Derek Hine is the big boss. If Jason Taylor went there he'd presumably need to take a role below the one he has at Melbourne.

I agree we need to keep him, though.

Yep, Not sure what role he would be taking at Tassie both List and Recruiting roles are filled.