Go Go Power Rangers

[bulldogtragic]

So let me tell you a yarn that started about a year ago.

The club was one year off the high of a premiership, and they missed playing in the 2017 finals. Then one of its biggest names, Wookie Chest-Tatt (Indian name), was pushed out for a lot of good reasons. The media gave it to the club. In the end moves were made and we retrieved the situation subject to players selected/recruited being able to seriously play. Then after recruiting Trav Cloke away from Collingwood on a two year deal, a deal worth ripping up his lucrative Collingwood contract, we forced him out of the club to allow Mitch Honeychurch to stay in 2018. Leaving Trav to announce his retirement on the side of a road when the media stopped him. List management a plenty.

Then the list manager, J 'would you like a second year on your contract with that' Mac up and left for a shithouse job. Seriously, the money has run out up there, so he's on a hiding to nothing while they figure it out. My heart breaks for them. Also despite having a year to run, Simon Dalrymple, the man who gave us Bonts & Howard from his first round bag of tricks wanted out and the club let him leave for a lesser role at Sydney.

So, things weren't really looking too well with things. It was also clear our list wasn't balanced and we had surplus talls that Bevo wouldn't play. It's a rock and hard place thing. Who and how to replace JMac?

Well, Sam Power, the guy Will Minson said was the smartest bloke he's known has given up his plum law job at a prestigious firm and is at Carlton trying to stop Stephen Silvagni from recruiting ever shithouse GWS player he initially drafted. Bada Boom, Bada Bing, the former Western Bulldog player lands back in charge of list management.

The thing of it is, it's not really the job of the players in bad times or even the communications department to sell hope to the members. It's Sam *!*!*!*!ing Powers job now. Why? Because we need to know the kids that the future hope in our daydreams are built on are staying around. That there's belief among past the playing group that this can correct itself without sacking the coach and starting from scratch again.

So how is SFP holding up? He signed up the elite youth like Richards & Naughton. He signed up everyone across all the tiers of the playing group he wanted, Cordy, Wallis and co. So well done so far. Then that strategic brain of his seemed to line things up, like making the offer to Dahl enough that the Geelong offer would at least trigger a second round compo pick. SFP seemed pretty motovated to work out a good deal for the club and he got it, and the culture change in personnel it's clear he was told to execute.

So, he moves on Dahl, Redders, C. Smith, Biggs, Honeychurch, Roughy, Campbell, Collins, NMM & Adams. The culture change has happened under his stewardship.

Adams annual 'I want to be anywhere but here' dance was met with positivity. SFP demanded a top 30 pick as an ambit claim, and walked away with pick 32 and a 2019 3rd rounder. Another win in his column.

In the trade period we missed on Wingard, and to be fair, Hawthorn way overpaid for it. But we did miss. We then targeted Lloyd as a needs based player and gave up a pick we were never going to use. Effectively, Lloyd came as a free agent to us. Then he grabbed Duryea for a fourth rounder next year. But because he extracted that extra 3rd rounder from Brisbane, we are still ahead in the draft order next year (so better than free). A solid trade period, incoming Pick 27 for Dahl, 32 for Adams (& 2019 3rd) and helping Roughy to get to Collingwood as a show of respect. Lloyd & Duryea on the main list with Gowers & Lynch elevated with two year deals. A pass for SFP.

Coming into the draft the team selected Smith without Power using that giant strategic brain of his to move picks around. He did come our second rounder to make use of the draft points and live trading rules. Upgrading pick 57 into 41, which was later traded to get St Kilda's 2019 3rd rounder. Then Power very craftily used a new rule to keep dropping our last live pick down the order despite passing. In part to cover a bid on Khamis as strategy, but if we came to hold the last pick, we could have a free hit on another player and take Khamis as a Cat B rookie. Which is what happened to nett us Will Hayes on the main list and Khamis as a Cat B rookie.

SFP netted 3 X U/18 All Australian players and 2 X VFL Team of the Year players.

SFP took 2019: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th rounders
To now in 2019: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 3rd (St Kilda), 3rd (Hawthorn), 5th rounders

In a position to size up potential father/sons in Kellett & Liberatore. Or to do that and look at packaging up 2019 & 2020 first rounders with the salary cap we have and a target an elite mature player.

Oh yeah, and between the trade and draft periods, in his down time SFP secured a signature from that kid Bontempelli keeping him at the VU-Whitten-Bontempelli Oval for three more seasons to the end of 2021.

So a few things. This is the best debut 12 months by a rookie list manager in my memory. No slight at JMac, but I don't have the confidence he could've pulled a lot of this off. If SFP doesn't get a bonus Mr Bains & Mr Gordon you're being a little tight . Most importantly from the point I made at the top about selling hope, he signed us Naughton, Richards, Cordy, Wally, Libba and Bonts etc, etc. His manoeuvring brought in some great talent at the draft and kids to get excited about including Smith & a FS in West. He's amassed himself a war chest of 2019 picks and ample salary cap to have us discuss for a year about who we want to target, and still acquire Kellett & Libba if we want them. He's doing his job brilliantly and selling the hope we need in down the ladder times. To any doubters left out there (if any), it's time to Power up and be Power Ranger.

[bornadog]

You forget there is also another bloke that is incharge of recruiting - Austin, who has done a great job picking out these blokes.

[bulldogtragic]

You forget there is also another bloke that is incharge of recruiting - Austin, who has done a great job picking out these blokes.

Austin’s probably already ahead of Dal’s first year, he’s not forgotten. Power has a much, much broader scope over the last 12 months and why he gets the thread dedicated to his great 12 months with a great last month.

[macca]

I like the name of the team already : team austin and powers . Well done on their efforts in the first year

If some of this years 2018 draft play games , 2019 will be a good year for austin powers , given tbe warchest of picks they have craft collected

[ledge]

He has a lot of contracts to renew next year , be interesting to see how that pans out and how much of it depends on our results. Hopefully we have a very good year and players want to stay.

[Axe Man]

[AshMac]

Ha! VU-Whitten-Bontempelli Oval

Top notch

[bulldogtragic]

I think Power has already outdone himself so far:

Coffield for a now big points upgrade
Harmes for a F3
The GCS trade is effectively now 13 & F1 - for - 6 & F3
Live traded up the Cats pick from the Lions
Got every drop out of the Dunkley deal. Clarke, 1/3 Sanders (inc. 47 & F3), three pick points upgrades and Coffield at surplus
Hunter is effectively Pick 47
He made the tough calls in delistings
Croft at Pick 15 for basically our third, Sweet and a traded in third!
He’s got millions in the salary cap from our outs and trading of Hunter & Dunkley to re-sign all our big names and as the media discover last week, enough to get an elite Free Agent next year

He’s already got in 6 & 15, plus holding 45, 47 & 58 for two picks tonight. Perhaps another future pick.

From the shit he was given needing to oust Hunter and Dunkley picking Brisbane, I think he has got the very best available outcome. Save for a gun free agent next year.

The overall looks ok. But when you look at all the trades in microscopic detail, Power’s work has been really top shelf stuff.

[bulldogsthru&thru]

I think Power has already outdone himself so far:

Coffield for a now big points upgrade
Harmes for a F3
The GCS trade is effectively now 13 & F1 - for - 6 & F3
Live traded up the Cats pick from the Lions
Got every drop out of the Dunkley deal. Clarke, 1/3 Sanders (inc. 47 & F3), three pick points upgrades and Coffield at surplus
Hunter is effectively Pick 47
He made the tough calls in delistings
Croft at Pick 15 for basically our third, Sweet and a traded in third!
He’s got millions in the salary cap from our outs and trading of Hunter & Dunkley to re-sign all our big names and as the media discover last week, enough to get an elite Free Agent next year

He’s already got in 6 & 15, plus holding 45, 47 & 58 for two picks tonight. Perhaps another future pick.

From the shit he was given needing to oust Hunter and Dunkley picking Brisbane, I think he has got the very best available outcome. Save for a gun free agent next year.

The overall looks ok. But when you look at all the trades in microscopic detail, Power’s work has been really top shelf stuff.

Thanks BT.

For the simple minded. You mentioned the trade with gold coast ended up as 13 and F1 for 6 and F3. What happened to our other first this year?

Edit: I see you've answered in another thread

[The Doctor]

I think Power has already outdone himself so far:

Coffield for a now big points upgrade
Harmes for a F3
The GCS trade is effectively now 13 & F1 - for - 6 & F3
Live traded up the Cats pick from the Lions
Got every drop out of the Dunkley deal. Clarke, 1/3 Sanders (inc. 47 & F3), three pick points upgrades and Coffield at surplus
Hunter is effectively Pick 47
He made the tough calls in delistings
Croft at Pick 15 for basically our third, Sweet and a traded in third!
He’s got millions in the salary cap from our outs and trading of Hunter & Dunkley to re-sign all our big names and as the media discover last week, enough to get an elite Free Agent next year

He’s already got in 6 & 15, plus holding 45, 47 & 58 for two picks tonight. Perhaps another future pick.

From the shit he was given needing to oust Hunter and Dunkley picking Brisbane, I think he has got the very best available outcome. Save for a gun free agent next year.

The overall looks ok. But when you look at all the trades in microscopic detail, Power’s work has been really top shelf stuff.

Wouldn't surprise me if he is running a Football Dept before too long. Hopefully ours.

[bulldogtragic]

Wouldn't surprise me if he is running a Football Dept before too long. Hopefully ours.

I was hoping we would be our footy boss by now. Hopefully very soon. He expertise to support the new list manager would be an asset. Grant’s been a champ, but Power is the future.

[azabob]

Wouldn't surprise me if he is running a Football Dept before too long. Hopefully ours.

I was hoping we would be our footy boss by now. Hopefully very soon. He expertise to support the new list manager would be an asset. Grant’s been a champ, but Power is the future.

No surprise the chatter is they have earmarked Power to head up the Tassie list build.

Hopefully Power follows the Graham Wright off field footy path.

[bulldogtragic]

No surprise the chatter is they have earmarked Power to head up the Tassie list build.

Hopefully Power follows the Graham Wright off field footy path.

All the more reason to promote him now.

[hujsh]

Power does what he has to to get the deals done and gets everything he can without going full dickhead mode and tanking trades.

As supporters we can get a bit emotional and might want to see him go full Dodo but that's probably not in our interest long term.

Likewise he seems to make sure a deal gets done if we commit to a player and sometimes that means we pay a little extra (ie Lobb) which again is hopefully to our benefit when talking to potential recruits. 'We won't embarrass you and send you back to your club because we'd rather hang on to pick 45 actually'.

[bulldogtragic]

Power does what he has to to get the deals done and gets everything he can without going full dickhead mode and tanking trades.

As supporters we can get a bit emotional and might want to see him go full Dodo but that's probably not in our interest long term.

Likewise he seems to make sure a deal gets done if we commit to a player and sometimes that means we pay a little extra (ie Lobb) which again is hopefully to our benefit when talking to potential recruits. 'We won't embarrass you and send you back to your club because we'd rather hang on to pick 45 actually'.

Great point. I kind of feel for him a bit with Lobb. We handed over 30 & 33 this year. But if the team doesn’t shit the bed then it’s 30 and closer to pick 40 and we don’t talk about it. But back to your point, I think that’s why Coffield could have confidence he’d get here even when SOS was talking shit and Power was holding firm.


Edit:

After bids Lobb is Picks 33 & 37. Which doesn’t feel overly high, even more so if we can get him back to playing good footy.