Player Sponsors night

[GVGjr]

I attended a Player Sponsors night at the Elite Learning Centre last night which mainly focused on recruiting and list management.

The host of the evening was Nick Truelson with 3 guest speakers, Simon Dalrymple, Jason McCartney and the President Peter Gordon.

Dalrymple talked about the draftees including the players we signed via free agency and the guys we traded for and focused on the character and skills that stood out of each of the boys.

Stringer was a player we had on the radar for a while. He talked about his injuries and the strength of his character. The club has focused on getting him fit and ready for senior football and he is responding well.

Macrae really took a step forward during last season and at the start he wasn't on many sides radar. The club interviewed him three times through the season and is sure thay have picked up a potential star player.

Hrovat is a skilled player who knows how to get the ball and use it. A great awareness about his game. A slight problem with his quad has slowed him down but he should play next week against Fremantle. Simon mentioned how keen Hrovat is to push himself at training.

Hunter is the youngest player in the AFL and Simon confirmed his athletic prowess. The club needs to focus on lifting his professionalism and to make sure that he knows that being late for a appointment or session by 2 minutes is never acceptable.

Prudden was a player they felt they had to take because of his impeccable attitude and work ethic. The assistant coaches are already very impressed by him.

Simon also talked about the recruits in Lower, Young, Stevens and Goodes and Nick Truelson chimed in that Brett Goodes was currently without a sponsor and hoping that the audience could reach out and find someone to sponsor him this year.

Simon also talked about the exhaustive process and assessments the go through before they recruit a player and how the "Bulldog Way" establishes a points scoring and ranking system based on a whole lot of measurements.

It was an impressive and detailed performance by Simon. There was a few questions from the audience and one of them in particular about Jarrod Grant was a hard one but he acquitted himself well.

McCartney was up next and really focused on the list management side of things and how he regularly meets up with player managers to establish which players are coming out of contract or might be looking to make a change. He also talked about the Bulldog Way and the recruitment committee before each draft and trade period.

He mentioned some of the more well known players for this years draft but also pointed out that players around the age of 18 can really take a step forward sighting how Macrae wasn't that well known before the start of last year but how he impressed throughout the season.

I really enjoyed how both guys detailed the process they take through the season.

Next up was Peter Gordon who quickly talked about the Players Sponsors group and advised that he would be talking one of the player sponsors spots for Brett Goodes and how he wanted to be a part of the group. The attendees really appreciated it.
He talked about the AFL and the club but also focused on the power struggles he was having at home with his wife to convince his girls which team they should be supporting. He is quite a character :D

He also talked about how he leaves the football department alone but when he first met them he through he would share his knowledge with the boys about recruitment and the draft etc.
He talked about some of the players overlooked like Dangerfield at the Crows which drew grins from Brendan, Jason McCartney and Dalrymple. When he asked why they informed him that he probably meant Patrick not Rodney Dangerfield :D Google Rodney if you don't know him.
Gordon mentioned that Brendan McCartney has only reminded him about 7 times of that slip up. :)

Peter also mentioned some exciting pre match entertainment the club was focusing on this year. More will be revealed later.

All in all it was an informative night and I think everyone there was impressed by our recruitment and list management approach.

I'll add some more details of the night as time permits especially around the science they take with list management assessments.

[Go_Dogs]

Sounds like a very informative night, thanks for sharing GVGjr, great stuff.

[Twodogs]

Next up was Peter Gordon who quickly talked about the Players Sponsors group and advised that he would be talking one of the player sponsors spots for Brett Goodes and how he wanted to be a part of the group. The attendees really appreciated it.
He talked about the AFL and the club but also focused on the power struggles he was having at home with his wife to convince his girls which team they should be supporting. He is quite a character :D

Are they the kids from his new marriage? I think he broke up with his wife a few years ago and remarried



He also talked about how he leaves the football department alone but when he first met them he through he would share his knowledge with the boys about recruitment and the draft etc.
He talked about some of the players overlooked like Dangerfield at the Crows which drew grins from Brendan, Jason McCartney and Dalrymple. When he asked why they informed him that he probably meant Patrick not Rodney Dangerfield :D

He just cant get no respect, huh?;)

[LostDoggy]

Cheers for the write up GVGjr

[bornadog]

Thanks GvGjr, must have been a very interesting night and a little different from the past events.

Its great to have a proper list manager at the club who can be ahead of the game throughout the year with player management. Something we really lacked in the past.

The club is becoming very professional now and its really like running a major business and also great to see Peter really getting involved in all areas of the club.

[Maddog37]

Nice work GvGjr.

[Bulldog4life]

Thanks for the info GvGjr and much appreciated. Seems like it was a great night.

[jeemak]

Thanks GVGjr. Much appreciated.

Are you able to elaborate on the question and answer surrounding Grant?

[Cyberdoggie]

GVGjr would you say you have come away from the meeting with an increased confidence in our recruiting and player management team?

[Ghost Dog]

I reckon Peter is going to be pretty pleased with his investment in Brett.
Thanks for the write up G.

[GVGjr]

Thanks GvGjr, must have been a very interesting night and a little different from the past events.

Its great to have a proper list manager at the club who can be ahead of the game throughout the year with player management. Something we really lacked in the past.

The club is becoming very professional now and its really like running a major business and also great to see Peter really getting involved in all areas of the club.

It wasn't the official Players Sponsor night it was the pre-season version.

I was very impressed with our recruiting team and have plenty more I can add tomorrow.

[GVGjr]

GVGjr would you say you have come away from the meeting with an increased confidence in our recruiting and player management team?

They get into a far more detailed level of analysis for all facets of recruitment and list management than I previously thought and I think it's the right way to go.

I think the club could open this sort of night up more to the fans and I'm sure they would get a greater level of appreciation for the direction we are taking.

[Bulldog Revolution]

Thanks for the insights GVGjr

Any talk of speed and foot skills - the two weaknesses in our list?

[GVGjr]

Thanks for the insights GVGjr

Any talk of speed and foot skills - the two weaknesses in our list?

Sorry, it didn't really come up in discussions.

[GVGjr]

Just some other points

Jason McCartney talked about the average games played across the playing list by the 3 top sides. Collingwood started last year with an average of 80 games per player but I think this year they enter with about 88 games per player. The Swans were around 82 and the Hawks something like 78.

As a comparison we were something like 52 games per player. The Crows sort of out performed expectations with 58 games per player but it was due to some real spikes in performance by some of the younger guys like Taylor, Dangerfield and Talia.

I guess that type of lift to 3 or 4 younger blokes is what we need to hope for.

I think Jason is very focused on what he needs to do and won't be diverted from it and he's very analytical.

Dalrymple also talked about the recruits we traded for and I think the expectation with Lower is that he will get the slower midfielders like Watson and Picken will focus more on the Boomer Harvey types.

[Bulldog Revolution]

Dalrymple also talked about the recruits we traded for and I think the expectation with Lower is that he will get the slower midfielders like Watson and Picken will focus more on the Boomer Harvey types.

I like the flexibility Lower offers us. Physically he is bigger, and is able to get his hands on the footy also

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Thanks for the updates GVG.

Sounds promising.

[GVGjr]

Just one other thing to add, Dalrymple was asked which players might take a step forward this season.

Johannisen was the first player he mentioned,. Simon believes he will have a big season and talked about his running, poise and skills. He mentioned he had some Harbrow type qualities.
I got the impression that Dalrymple was very pleased about selecting him and he felt that he has made a significant step given that he didn't come through the elite pathway.

Easton Wood was another that Dalrymple thought would get better and better and said Wood was having a very solid preseason. He talked about how he needs to take the game on a bit more and at times he is too focused on the defensive aspect of being a defender.

Tutt was also mentioned as a player that would give us some run and kicking skills and I think Dalrymple believes both he and Howard need to have a better level of self belief before they can take that next step.

One other name was Shaun Higgins. Higgins has improved him running over the preseason and should be able to play a lot more in the midfield and even some other positions.

I don't think there is a lot more I can add but if there are some other Sponsors on the forum they might spark my memory by adding some of the things I have no doubt missed.

[Greystache]

Just one other thing to add, Dalrymple was asked which players might take a step forward this season.

Johannisen was the first player he mentioned,. Simon believes he will have a big season and talked about his running, poise and skills. He mentioned he had some Harbrow type qualities.
I got the impression that Dalrymple was very pleased about selecting him and he felt that he has made a significant step given that he didn't come through the elite pathway.

I agree with him in that I think JJ can go to the next level, but it concerns me that a recruiter would revel in picking someone from outside the elite pathway that becomes a good player. I think there's a bit of a culture of trying to pick the guy no one else knows, when the reality is it will come off a lot less often than it fails. I don't understand why it's perceived to be sexy, the Howard fiasco should be what we remember, not the odd one that works out.

[jeemak]

'stache, by fiasco do you mean that we could have gotten him as a second rounder rather than a first?

Tend to agree, if that's the case.

[Greystache]

'stache, by fiasco do you mean that we could have gotten him as a second rounder rather than a first?

Tend to agree, if that's the case.

Second round or missed him altogether otherwise. I just think what a player like Fyfe or Bastinac would add to our team now and I sigh that we tried to be so clever.

[jeemak]

Second round or missed him altogether otherwise. I just think what a player like Fyfe or Bastinac would add to our team now and I sigh that we tried to be so clever.

Yeah, fair enough. I think he'll make it but either of the two you've nominated would be pretty bloody handy in our side right now.

[Go_Dogs]

I agree with him in that I think JJ can go to the next level, but it concerns me that a recruiter would revel in picking someone from outside the elite pathway that becomes a good player. I think there's a bit of a culture of trying to pick the guy no one else knows, when the reality is it will come off a lot less often than it fails. I don't understand why it's perceived to be sexy, the Howard fiasco should be what we remember, not the odd one that works out.

Agree with your post, but from my perspective if ever there was a time to reach for a player not from the elite pathway, pick 39 in the rookie draft isn't a bad place to start. It is a concern how much plaudits seemed to be attached to that approach though. Hopefully with the structures we have in place now reaching with our first selection for players who didn't come through the elite pathway doesn't happen

[GVGjr]

I agree with him in that I think JJ can go to the next level, but it concerns me that a recruiter would revel in picking someone from outside the elite pathway that becomes a good player. I think there's a bit of a culture of trying to pick the guy no one else knows, when the reality is it will come off a lot less often than it fails. I don't understand why it's perceived to be sexy, the Howard fiasco should be what we remember, not the odd one that works out.

I get what you are saying but he was pick 39 in the Rookie draft and taken with a view that we could develop him into a player over time. I think most recruiters would be pleased when that occurs.