Draft Day 2014: First Impressions.

If anything this draft shows how far away we are from completing a full complement of up and coming players across all lines.

I think we can all acknowledge we had two glaring deficiencies on our list that needed addressing, one being outside run and quality usage of the football, and the other being defencive tall talent.

Whilst I think we're cutting it fine on the latter, with only Tahlia, Roberts, Morris, Redpath and Roughead on our list as potential fills for the role, I look at the former as being an area where we are severely lacking with the loss of Cooney, Griffen and Higgins making that area of the ground the first and foremost priority.

We've hedged our bets with bringing in Hamling and Cordy, the major issue has been accounted for in this draft. It's not perfect, but nothing is when it comes to drafting. For mine, we've given ourselves a good chance to cover a weakness in this draft, and if we have to go to the well next year to finish off the plan then so be it.

I just don't see the point of bringing in a key back if you don't rate him.
Rookie selection Definetly, but we had 5 picks to get that run carry, ball use, poise into the club.
If we get 2 quality AFL careers and an adequate one out of the Six, you've done well.

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Originally Posted by Remi Moses

I just don't see the point of bringing in a key back if you don't rate him.
Rookie selection Definetly, but we had 5 picks to get that run carry, ball use, poise into the club.
If we get 2 quality AFL careers and an adequate one out of the Six, you've done well.

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You're not wrong.

Five picks between 25 and 50 will only generate so much. If we really nail two of them (200 game players) I'll be stoked, and if we nail one of them and get two more decent 125-150 game players I'll be happy as well. It's a tough business.

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Originally Posted by Remi Moses

I just don't see the point of bringing in a key back if you don't rate him.
Rookie selection Definetly, but we had 5 picks to get that run carry, ball use, poise into the club.
If we get 2 quality AFL careers and an adequate one out of the Six, you've done well.

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True. People get all excited about the centimetres, but when the bloke turns out a spud or not the right fit you're stuck. On the other hand, have too many quality midfielders and you're at least a good chance for a trade later.

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Originally Posted by Go_Dogs

Who is the last really good one, selected that late?

I look at the current batch of quality key defenders such as D Talia, E McKenzie, etc and they seem to have been earlier picks.

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There are guys who fill a role who were picked late - Delaney from North was a rookie, Pederson was a late pick, Jackson Paine was a pick 50, Keefe was a rookie, Siposs was pick 75, the Spang was redrafted by Sydney at pick 73, Delaney was pick 69, Tom McDonald pick 53, Matt MgGuire redrafted in the 90s, Zac Dawson (don't laugh) rookie, Suckling was a rookie, Collingwood re-took Brown with 73, Hooker pick 54, Faulks pick 65, Will Schofield pick 50.

Some will improve, some are depth, but there is talent available in later rounds - and Ben Rutten was a rookie pick by the Crows back in the day.

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Originally Posted by Mofra

There are guys who fill a role who were picked late - Delaney from North was a rookie, Pederson was a late pick, Jackson Paine was a pick 50, Keefe was a rookie, Siposs was pick 75, the Spang was redrafted by Sydney at pick 73, Delaney was pick 69, Tom McDonald pick 53, Matt MgGuire redrafted in the 90s, Zac Dawson (don't laugh) rookie, Suckling was a rookie, Collingwood re-took Brown with 73, Hooker pick 54, Faulks pick 65, Will Schofield pick 50.

Some will improve, some are depth, but there is talent available in later rounds - and Ben Rutten was a rookie pick by the Crows back in the day.

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A lot of those guys suck though?

There's no doubt that talent exists later in the draft, but also a lot of not talent exists at the later end of the draft. If we didn't rate any of the tall guys left then I'm happy we didn't pick them.

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Originally Posted by Happy Days

A lot of those guys suck though?

There's no doubt that talent exists later in the draft, but also a lot of not talent exists at the later end of the draft. If we didn't rate any of the tall guys left then I'm happy we didn't pick them.

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They may not all be top-liners, but (and it's not my intention to crucify the guy) most of them are well ahead of Mark Austin who held our defence together last year. A good number of them would have been in our senior side last year, Dawson was the no 1 defender for a GF side last year, the Spang won a premiership medallion this year.

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Originally Posted by Mofra

They may not all be top-liners, but (and it's not my intention to crucify the guy) most of them are well ahead of Mark Austin who held our defence together last year. A good number of them would have been in our senior side last year, Dawson was the no 1 defender for a GF side last year, the Spang won a premiership medallion this year.

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And Hooker (pick #54) was All Australian

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Originally Posted by Greystache

And Hooker (pick #54) was All Australian

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Missed that, cheers.

I'm not arguing that everyone taken late will be a superstar, but there is quality available and after the second round the % of draftees making the grade is very similar.

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Originally Posted by Mofra

Missed that, cheers.

I'm not arguing that everyone taken late will be a superstar, but there is quality available and after the second round the % of draftees making the grade is very similar.

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I take your point, but without looking at it, I'd say the chances of identifying a small who makes it are higher than a KP.

Anyway, some are happy with the approach and some aren't. Let's hope the guys we've drafted make it, and our developing KP's come on.

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Originally Posted by Greystache

And Hooker (pick #54) was All Australian

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There's more misses than hits though .
Ramsey and Kytel are still there ( they were tipped to get drafted)

Trust our recruiters. They are starting to prove as good as any in the comp.

It's a tough gig recruiting as it all comes down to application once they walk in the door. Doesn't matter what number they were drafted or rookied. They need to be desperate to improve to make it in the AFL. How many talented kids didn't take AFL serious and weee omitted without doing much. They need to recruit kids that are driven to succeed they are the ones that make it in the AFL

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Originally Posted by Remi Moses

There's more misses than hits though .
Ramsey and Kytel are still there ( they were tipped to get drafted)

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Wasn't Ramsey taken as a rookie by Adelaide or am I thinking of another KPD?

Talia still can do everything but defend one on one by all accounts but Hamling is training better than I expected. I expected a thin project type that is still a couple of years away but he seems to be legitimately in the mix for round 1 if he can up his running capacity.
Roberts on a modified program still is a worry - footspeed aside, he has every other tool need for an AFL career and he is largely smart enough to cut the angles to hide footspeed issues anyway.

Caleb Daniel already looks like a cult hero bargain pick.

Yes, Ramsey was rookied by the Crows.