grazman

Collard is interesting - second round pick in last year's draft and delisted already.

I know I was replying to your comment, but the information wasn't meant for you alone.

Seeing as I posted the comment, I'll elaborate. Molan was drafted a while ago now, and I'm pretty sure this has been referred to in a number of posts around the time, I just can't be bothered looking. It was a period in our list rebuilding where Danners was particularly worried about some issues such as KPP and "hardness". I believe his actual instruction were for CAC to draft the "toughest" player he knew. Now as you point out H, that shouldn't necessarily have been at the expense of actually being able to play and I'm sure that CAC thought the kid would be able to. The situation is not that uncommon. Sheedy at Essendon did it a lot. Coaches presumably talk to their recruiting guys all the time in relation to list needs and that's not a bad thing, only when they start to restrict the "type" of player that your pick can be used on. I raised the point simply to highlight that left to their own devices recruiters make a better fist of it without interference.

I don't think it's fair to use Hird, Buckley or Voss as comparison's either. Each has very good claim to be the best player their club has ever produced. If CAC recruited anyone of similar ability outside of first pick in the draft, he'd hang up the boots and look at himself in the mirror all day and marvel at his insight.

It's been a fascinating discussion, but I think there's a couple of points that should be highlighted. Firstly there's a recruiting team. Are we confident that every single selection is actually the kid that CAC would he himself choose? If Don Barron approached him and said "This is the kid we have to take" would Craig not give that due consideration? It's a matter of public record that Luke Molan was not his choice, he was under instruction. There were others too I believe. So how do you assess one person's performance when it's clearly a team process? (should it be "Come on let's work as a team and do it my way" or "It was a team effort and everyone else let me down" ) Secondly I might be drawing a pretty long bow here, but I reckon WA clubs can highlight WA talent a little better than there interstate rivals, ditto SA clubs. I think it's probably an issue for the Lions to look at as well, because I don't believe they do it particularly well. Going through the drafts and picking out blokes we could have had can only be done with the benefit of hindsight. How much did any other clubs know about Dean Cox or the Cornes boys? If you don't have the resources to look at players in one comp as often as others then it gets harder to make the calls. I'm sure the recruiting department sit down and do a thorough evaluation of their own performance, I'm also sure they are a lot tougher on themselves than we are. You learn from your mistakes. Finally if we want to be arbitrary and analyse the players we've missed that were good, how about the ones that were bad? Anyone up for the challenge of comparing our individual draftees against their cohorts, our first, second, third rounders against the league averages etc.... oh yeah that's a Stan the Statictian from Stradbroke Islands dream. Whilst it maybe still too early to make the call I'm far more happy with Frawley than I would've been with Sellar. Jones and Petterd are out of the box, ditto bartram. If they are too recent then let's go back to the "no good draft of 03" Anyone remember when it looked like we were going to get Tennace and Ryley Dunn, - perhaps Farren Ray or Kepler Bradley would have been better choices? I get far more excited by the draft than the trade period. As Fan would say - I'm turning into a bit of a blue sky junkie.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

Soften the blow Didn't work for us when we dobbed ourselves in.

The most obvious answer is they needed a ruckman and with Pendlebury and Thomas they believed they had two more committed versions of Travis anyway. Dare I say they were well aware of his various "issues".

Will there actually be any? Excuse me if I'm sceptical, does anyone seriously believe it would be the same if this were happening to us or Richmond or any other of the "expendable" clubs? The Age article below refers to the ingrained drug culture at the Eagles that they've actively hidden. Caro is still punching away and now the fight seems to be taken up by others in non AFL states. http://realfooty.com.au/news/news/eagle-sa...2300952277.html So the club that sacked Ken Judge when he wanted to change the culture, told it's players to shut up (in some organisations that's called corruption - but I guess only in those that have moral standards) , referred to 25% of it's senior playing list as a "small minority" and took measures to address the culture by sacking one 31 year old player looks like they will escape further punishment. The club has specifically said that it wasn't aware of any problems until about 2006. If the AFL really wanted to restore credibility to the game they'd go Spanish Inquistion style on the Eagles. They won't. The Eagles are running this show and the AFL are like an ineffectual school teacher watching his class run amok and satisfied with [censored] excuses. I hope there's enough people like Mike Fitzpatrick that are getting pretty jacked off with the whole situation. I think Mike Fitzpatrick want's to do something about it, Demetriou clearly doesn't - couldn't have anything to do with his rumoured close friendship with the Eagles power brokers. You'd like to think he'd leave the decisions to others to avoid any perception of a conflict of interest, but we know that's not how the AFL does business.

Correct. Just use your current membership number.

I'm not trying to be deliberately inflammatory, but I have no sympathy for his position or other drug users or alcoholics or any even smokers trying to give up. All my empathy is used up for those that have no control over their situation... like their kids.

I'm a winner - I hate the little [censored]! BTW predisposed to addiction - nature or nurture... sorry don't buy that one at all. It's called free will.

You forgot Michael O'Sullivan.

I had a bit to do with him when he was coaching the Bushies and I was coaching school footy. I rate him highly. Bloody nice bloke. No ego - just get the job done. Top Stuff.

No I think it's game set and match. If the outcome is what I think it will be - he'll be sharing showers with Bubba.

Not me... never felt sorry for him... I can reserve my sorrow for victims of physical and sexual abuse - people that've had their innocence robbed from them and had to fight real demons. What's Cousin's excuse... too much money, the wrong friends... He's an out and out shitbag. He hangs out with criminals, he shits all over people that care about him and who are trying to help him. He was taken away in handcuffs - his car was searched and items seized (well you don't have to be Einstein to realise that it wasn't Eagles memrobilia) He was not wearing a shirt so that he could show off his way-cool gangsta tatt. As a result Police are apparently knocking over his friend/accomplice Daniel-dumb-as-dog-[censored] Chick's house. The Eagles will be holding their breath.... the house built on sand!

I thought his comments were perfectly in line... and if you don't think Cousins is an addict then believe what you want to, but you can take your own brand of sermonising somewhere else, those of us that have had regular contact with addicts don't want to hear it.

Jude Bolton has signed a new two year contract with the Swans, I believe Selwood has re-signed with Brisvegas. I'd also heard whispers Sampi was going to be given one more year as well.

Warnock still has a year to run on his contract. Fergs for mine.

My bad, It was the next player on the Geelong list Max Rooke that was the Rookie draft. Doesn't matter though. I'd have to put in Kirk for him... not a bad replacement. The point being there are a lot of very, very good players available every year in the second and third rounds of the draft, to say that it's a thin draft and we won't get anything good after the first round is just plain stupid. There always is, and as pointed out it comes back to the quality of your recruiting staff. If Anyone's up for the challenge, see if you can't construct your best team of first round draftees compared to second and third round draftees. You'll be pleasantly surprised.

Sorry I missed that one... didn't mean to steal your thunder.... looks like I might've missed some as well Kirk and Kenneally - geez I reckon I'd be able to slot them in. I didn't include Bassett or Michael, because ... well just because.

Sorry Maurie... didn't qualify... We originally used a fourth round pick and my criteria are set in stone. :D

It's got me beat... apparently pick 14 is useless.

We have a winner. The only problem was having to fashion a make shift full forward, but gee I'd kill for that backline.

Close but no banana.