Why have we always had a shortage of talls?

[Dry Rot]

Well, since I started following footy in '98. Even then , we had 2 quality KPP in Grant and Croft (and none in the pipeline), ditto 2 ruckmen.

In 10 seasons we have only produced one proven good KPP in Harris and no high calibre ruckmen. Why is this? Poor recruiting? Lack of focus on KPP? Just bad luck with who we got?

Hopefully with the young rookie ruckmen and Everritt, Grant and Williams we're on our way to rectifying this, but it seems to be a longstanding problem of ours.

Why?

[wimberga]

For a long time before that, poor foresight, Then we met and employed Mr. Rhode

[LostDoggy]

Probably more a shortage of quality talls.

Just imagine if someone like Wiggins had turned into a decent power forward, the myth of us lacking talls would have fallen by the wayside.:D

[GVGjr]

Probably more a shortage of quality talls.

Just imagine if someone like Wiggins had turned into a decent power forward, the myth of us lacking talls would have fallen by the wayside.:D

Bang on. Over the past 5 years we have just about had the right mix of talls and small but we just lacked the quality with our talls.

[hujsh]

Bang on. Over the past 5 years we have just about had the right mix of talls and small but we just lacked the quality with our talls.

But why always us? Most other teams have found good KPP in the draft yet we have realy missed out, especially with our early picks, bar Everitt and Williams looking safe.

[GVGjr]

But why always us? Most other teams have found good KPP in the draft yet we have realy missed out, especially with our early picks, bar Everitt and Williams looking safe.

Easier to play safe and select mids.

[Dry Rot]

But why always us? Most other teams have found good KPP in the draft yet we have realy missed out, especially with our early picks, bar Everitt and Williams looking safe.

Agreed. Obviously we have had talls like Wiggins, Hunter and James, but they weren't AFL standard.

If you go through most sides, we'd be near the bottom re getting proven quality talls in the last 10 years.

[hujsh]

Easier to play safe and select mids.

I meant that our early picks with height haven't worked out

[Harbrow_hero]

I meant that our early picks with height haven't worked out

Wasn't it just Walsh & wells?

[hujsh]

Wasn't it just Walsh & wells?

Interesting point. Looking at Wiki there are actually few talls that we have drafted that could have developed by now.
1997:Mark Alvey pick 18, Robert Stevenson pick 47:confused:
1998:Luke Penny pick 14, Nicky Winmar pick 30 (did not know they played for us)
1999:Rob Murphy pick 13, Gia pick 32
2000:McMahon pick 10, Birss pick 26
2001:Power pick 10, Kieran McGuinness 42
2002:Walsh pick 4, Faulkner pick 17, Minson pick 20
2003: Cooney pick 1, Ray pick 4 (none other till pick 50)
These are the first two picks by the dogs as well as the top 20's

If we had taken talls instead of two of McMahon, Birss, Power, Faulkner and possibly Ray we could be a much better team. It must be asked why we refused to pick tall forwards or defenders unless the club had a way to stop Chris Grant aging and could then clone him to play at both ends.

[Sockeye Salmon]

Interesting point. Looking at Wiki there are actually few talls that we have drafted that could have developed by now.
1997:Mark Alvey pick 18, Robert Stevenson pick 47:confused:
1998:Luke Penny pick 14, Nicky Winmar pick 30 (did not know they played for us)
1999:Rob Murphy pick 13, Gia pick 32
2000:McMahon pick 10, Birss pick 26
2001:Power pick 10, Kieran McGuinness 42
2002:Walsh pick 4, Faulkner pick 17, Minson pick 20
2003: Cooney pick 1, Ray pick 4 (none other till pick 50)
These are the first two picks by the dogs as well as the top 20's

If we had taken talls instead of two of McMahon, Birss, Power, Faulkner and possibly Ray we could be a much better team. It must be asked why we refused to pick tall forwards or defenders unless the club had a way to stop Chris Grant aging and could then clone him to play at both ends.

The problem hasn't been who we did take, it's who we didn't take.

In 2001 the early phantom drafts had us interested in Ashley Hansen. We traded our second pick (26) for Daniel Bandy. Hansen lasted to 34.

In the same draft Quinten Lynch was touted as a 20-40 pick. He didn't get drafted until the rookie draft. We used our last pick on Aaron James.

[whythelongface]

The problem hasn't been who we did take, it's who we didn't take.

In 2001 the early phantom drafts had us interested in Ashley Hansen. We traded our second pick (26) for Daniel Bandy. Hansen lasted to 34.

In the same draft Quinten Lynch was touted as a 20-40 pick. He didn't get drafted until the rookie draft. We used our last pick on Aaron James.

Hindsight is wonderful. I wonder why Lynch was overlooked for the draft? Was he too young or was he only an above average junior as opposed to a standout? He would have been a handy player to have over the last few years.

As for the OP - Dry Rot what about Kingsley Hunter and Trent Bartlett? Two quality talls. Come on - I know that Bartlett is in your top 10 fave players of all time list. ;)

[Sockeye Salmon]

Hindsight is wonderful. I wonder why Lynch was overlooked for the draft? Was he too young or was he only an above average junior as opposed to a standout? He would have been a handy player to have over the last few years.

As for the OP - Dry Rot what about Kingsley Hunter and Trent Bartlett? Two quality talls. Come on - I know that Bartlett is in your top 10 fave players of all time list. ;)

Lynch was a less dramatic Gourdis. Well rated before the draft but didn't get taken.

I wouldn't have had a problem if we had taken another kid with our last pick but it was clear in our first pre-season intra-club that James' knee was shot.

It would have been like taking Lance Whitnall with our last pick this year instead of Gourdis.

[Dry Rot]

As for the OP - Dry Rot what about Kingsley Hunter and Trent Bartlett? Two quality talls. Come on - I know that Bartlett is in your top 10 fave players of all time list. ;)

Yes, it is tragedy we never saw the best of Bartlett, cut down before he could reach his prime by Wallace. Or was it Rohde?

Either way, a dark day for our club.