A question of depth

[GVGjr]

Given the delistings, retirements and the inevitable trading of Farren Ray I wonder if we just recruit players from the various junior competitions if we will have sufficient players with enough experience to really tackle the 2009 season with a lot of confidence?

Going, Going, Gone
Scott West, Peter Street, Andrew McDougall, Gavin Hughes* and potentially Paul O'Shea and Malcolm Lynch (O'Shea and Lynch would move to the 'L Plate list if maintained)

Under the Pump
Nathan Eagleton and Cameron Wight

Trade Bait
Farren Ray (we might need to float a couple of more names)

L Platers (0 - 10 games)
Boumann, Grant, O'Keefe, Reid, Stack, Ward and Wood
Mulligan*, Shaw* and White*

P Platers (10 - 25 games)
Everitt, Harbrow, Hill, Tiller and Williams

Past their prime
Jason Akermanis, Brad Johnson, Nathan Eagleton# and Scott Welsh

Handy but questionable
Tim Callan, Wayde Skipper and Cameron Wight#

The balance of players are all genuine contenders for senior games each week.

* = Rookie list
# = Duplicated in two categories

Some observations:
- The 'L Plate' list are very exciting prospects
- We will need to get a lot more from the 'P Plate' list as they need to be fast tracked
- The players that will/could likely go by the end of the 2009 season will further expose our depth
- Even though they didn't play a lot of senior football in 2009, I don't think we can cover the loss of West, Ray, McDougall and Street by just selecting more inexperienced youngsters.

On top of this the balance of the list still isn't great and we do need to find a key defender, forward and a decent back up ruckman before next season.

Thoughts?

[mjp]

Depending on how many leave, we will definitely need to trade for a couple of players who would preferably fit into either your 'P-Plater' group or even in that 50-100 game category. We dont need them to be superstars - we do need them to 'play a role' when injuries (and loss of form hits) during the year.

We have a lot of 'non-contributors' on our list today....

[Sockeye Salmon]

Depending on how many leave, we will definitely need to trade for a couple of players who would preferably fit into either your 'P-Plater' group or even in that 50-100 game category. We dont need them to be superstars - we do need them to 'play a role' when injuries (and loss of form hits) during the year.

We have a lot of 'non-contributors' on our list today....

Most of our 'non-contributors' are in that 'L' plater group. The 6 that are yet to debut and Reid (1 game) and Lynch (2 games) can be added as well.

Other than that there's Wight, Street, Skipper and Macdougall. Street and Macdougall are already gone, Wight should follow.

That makes 12 blokes out of a list of 40 are giving nothing (Ward could almost be included as well). It's too many.

[Bulldog Revolution]

It seems as though the coaching staff have made the decision that we need to get a bit younger in 2009, and find some more stars, perhaps before really wanting to challenge in 2010-11

The positive thing for the side is that the backline is looking pretty solid, with a range of developing options for it: Everitt, Williams, Addison, Callan etc, and the midfield appears to have a good mix of solid senior types (Boyd, Cross, Gia, Hudson, Minson) to go with dynamic match winners (Cooney & Griffen) along with the young prospects (Hill, Ward, OKeefe, Reid, Stack, Wood etc).

There's part of me that thinks we should just keep adding kids, but is there the possibility of getting hold of a young tall forward option who is stuck behind others and unlikely to ever play a la Mitch Thorp? or is that just pipedream stuff?

Given your views on the P-Plater crew MJP - where do you stand on trading Ray?

[Sockeye Salmon]

It seems as though the coaching staff have made the decision that we need to get a bit younger in 2009, and find some more stars, perhaps before really wanting to challenge in 2010-11

The positive thing for the side is that the backline is looking pretty solid, with a range of developing options for it: Everitt, Williams, Addison, Callan etc, and the midfield appears to have a good mix of solid senior types (Boyd, Cross, Gia, Hudson, Minson) to go with dynamic match winners (Cooney & Griffen) along with the young prospects (Hill, Ward, OKeefe, Reid, Stack, Wood etc).

There's part of me that thinks we should just keep adding kids, but is there the possibility of getting hold of a young tall forward option who is stuck behind others and unlikely to ever play a la Mitch Thorp? or is that just pipedream stuff?

Given your views on the P-Plater crew MJP - where do you stand on trading Ray?

I don't think it matters what we think about trading Ray, it's going to happen.

The question is, do we take (say) pick 29 from Collingwood and use it to draft another kid or do we spend it on a speculative tall like Campbell?

I'd love to get Reid or Thorp but realistically it's just not going to happen.

[Mantis]

That makes 12 blokes out of a list of 40 are giving nothing (Ward could almost be included as well). It's too many.

I had a quick look thru the Hawthorn list and they have 10 or 11 non-contributors. I think you would find that most clubs would have 10+ on their lists.

[Bulldog Revolution]

I don't think it matters what we think about trading Ray, it's going to happen.

The question is, do we take (say) pick 29 from Collingwood and use it to draft another kid or do we spend it on a speculative tall like Campbell?

Campbell sounds a bit like our prior Adam Morgan trade, although it does sound like his WAFL form has been perhaps a little better than Morgans SANFL, although Morgan was pretty good at CHB in the SANFL if I remember correctly

I think I'm inclined to take another kid

[bulldogtragic]

Campbell sounds a bit like our prior Adam Morgan trade, although it does sound like his WAFL form has been perhaps a little better than Morgans SANFL, although Morgan was pretty good at CHB in the SANFL if I remember correctly

I think I'm inclined to take another kid

Great analogy, couldn't have said it better myself.

Without discussing the virtues of the trades, unless its Thorpe, Hawkins, Clarke, Kosi or Hall (most if not all unlikely) then i'd prefer a kid.

Boyle, Campbell etc would be a further installment of a very checkered trading history.

[Sockeye Salmon]

Great analogy, couldn't have said it better myself.

Without discussing the virtues of the trades, unless its Thorpe, Hawkins, Clarke, Kosi or Hall (most if not all unlikely) then i'd prefer a kid.

Boyle, Campbell etc would be a further installment of a very checkered trading history.

Campbell does have youth on his side.

Boyle is a spud.

[bulldogtragic]

Campbell does have youth on his side.

Boyle is a spud.

Pelchan will have your balls for that.

[LostDoggy]

The balance of our list very much depends on the development of Williams, Grant and to a lesser extent Boumann and Mulligan.

If they come good we're in. If not we are another two years away while we develop new picks. I don't believe we can trade for the types we require to balance the list.

[Bulldog Revolution]

The balance of our list very much depends on the development of Williams, Grant and to a lesser extent Boumann and Mulligan.

If they come good we're in. If not we are another two years away while we develop new picks. I don't believe we can trade for the types we require to balance the list.

You're saying that if we dont draft too much depends on these 4 talls and Everitt, and that we cant take that risk and need to continue to add more talls to the list as a priority as compared to balancing it with recycled players??

[Sockeye Salmon]

You're saying that if we dont draft too much depends on these 4 talls and Everitt, and that we cant take that risk and need to continue to add more talls to the list as a priority as compared to balancing it with recycled players??

You simply can't add taller players to your list to balance it up, it doesn't work.

No-one is prepared to trade any half decent tall because they're too rare. Clubs even ask a small ransom for absolute hacks.

[Bulldog Revolution]

You simply can't add taller players to your list to balance it up, it doesn't work.

No-one is prepared to trade any half decent tall because they're too rare. Clubs even ask a small ransom for absolute hacks.

Thats right and I think thats why I took what EJ Smith said as dont waste our time with fringe bigs at other clubs and instead just draft talls and hope that you convert some of them into handy AFL level footballers. Although my first post actually didn't say that very clearly.

At least in Everitt, Grant and Williams we have 3 first rounders of our own to attempt to turn into senior footballers - these are our great white hopes.

If we can turn any of the Boumann, Mulligan, OSheas etc into AFL footballers then its a fair triumph.