Draft Day 2014: First Impressions.

[Go_Dogs]

Still very early days, but given how Talia has started the year and how Fletch handled himself on Saturday, along with Hamling having a solid start to his Dogs career (albeit, not in the senior side as yet) and Z Cordy still to come, are we all feeling a little bit better about our approach to the 2014 draft?

The Doc's List Management thread has certainly highlighted we still have some gaps on our list, however they're shrinking and the quality of our list appears to be improving fast (as it does when you're winning).

Webb has demonstrated enough skills to make it, Daniel was the most impressive over the pre-season and it seems Dale is kicking the door down at VFL level, with McLean and Hamilton, who I think Dalrymple rated very highly, possibly with a little more development to be done but have also shown flashes.

Interesting how much can change and how quickly it does, in this game. Soon enough I may have to lift my early rating of the draft in page one of this thread from 8.5 to 9+

[F'scary]

I was pretty happy with the draft because of how it fitted in with the entire recruiting campaign, including the two rookie promotions. I don't think we recruited too small, we got a range of players from the very tall and heavy (T Boyd) to the very small and agile (Caleb Daniel). There was a clear emphasis on flexibility in terms of where they can play, an emphasis on natural football skills and on natural stamina.

A ruckman and a star CHF would have been nice but you can't solve all your needs in one go when you were where we were at the time.

[bornadog]

We really should have drafted, or rookied another ruckman, otherwise, I am happy with the drafting.

[Twodogs]

We really should have drafted, or rookied another ruckman, otherwise, I am happy with the drafting.

I'm happy not to draft ruckmen given they usually take until their mid 20s to mature. Maybe rookie, but I'd prefer to raid other clubs and get a ruckman via free agency.

[bornadog]

I'm happy not to draft ruckmen given they usually take until their mid 20s to mature. Maybe rookie, but I'd prefer to raid other clubs and get a ruckman via free agency.

Fine, but what if one is not available? You need to do both, or have a strategy to do both. A mature rookie playing in the VFL is also a possible. Unfortunately we didn't do anything at all.

[Twodogs]

Fine, but what if one is not available? You need to do both, or have a strategy to do both. A mature rookie playing in the VFL is also a possible. Unfortunately we didn't do anything at all.

Its a fair point but was there a decent ruckman available last year?

[bornadog]

Its a fair point but was there a decent ruckman available last year?

Should we have rookied Darcy Fort?

[Cyberdoggie]

At this rate Dalrymple and McCartney are looking like getting statues of them made next to EJ out front.
Some great drafting and list management has seen us improve very quickly and last years draft picks look to all be of top quality.

You simply have got to nail your early draft picks at any draft and we are doing that and more.

[bornadog]

At this rate Dalrymple and McCartney are looking like getting statues of them made next to EJ out front.
Some great drafting and list management has seen us improve very quickly and last years draft picks look to all be of top quality.

You simply have got to nail your early draft picks at any draft and we are doing that and more.

Lucky we bottomed out and had early draft picks. The draft system is made for rewarding bottom teams.

[always right]

Lucky we bottomed out and had early draft picks. The draft system is made for rewarding bottom teams.

But it counts for nothing if you don't get your picks right and then develop them well. Nothing lucky about that.

[Greystache]

But it counts for nothing if you don't get your picks right and then develop them well. Nothing lucky about that.

Exactly. We pissed them up against a wall previously with the likes of Walsh, Williams, Grant etc. Early picks mean nothing if you miss the mark on draft day.

We're still lacking a key defender with pace, another developing key forward, and a ruckman. We can't have another draft of munchkins, our VFL team is scarily small.

[Mofra]

Lucky we bottomed out and had early draft picks. The draft system is made for rewarding bottom teams.

Melbourne have had better draft picks than us in recent seasons and we're miles ahead of them. They've had picks before our picks of Macrae, Stringer & Bontempelli and they got a free pass with Viney in the 2nd round

[bornadog]

Melbourne have had better draft picks than us in recent seasons and we're miles ahead of them. They've had picks before our picks of Macrae, Stringer & Bontempelli and they got a free pass with Viney in the 2nd round

Ok, put it this way, having early draft picks goes a long way to getting a better player than late picks. Of course you can still stuff it up.

[SlimPickens]

our VFL team is scarily small.

Really noticeable isn't it. Jordan Russell and Roarke Smith have both had to play tall this year. Hamling is pretty much our only genuine tall playing twos at the moment. This obviously evens out once Zaine is back from injury and to a lesser extent Jordan Kelly.

Just on the calls for Darcy Fort being rookie listed, are we not saving a spot on our list by effectively keeping him on Footscrays list. It's not as if we have lost him to another team and he gets an understanding of playing the bulldogs way at VFL level. He also couldn't get a game this week with Minson and Campbell playing VFL, so maybe our list is balanced in regards to Rucks.

I liked our 2014, we brought in good users of the footy and if you watch Footscray you get a sense of that.

[comrade]

We're still lacking a key defender with pace, another developing key forward, and a ruckman. We can't have another draft of munchkins, our VFL team is scarily small.

I think we can solve two problems by bringing in a genuine key defender, as it will allow Roughy to play as a ruckman and help out wherever is required across the ground.

#getcarlisle