Bulldogs inject scouting muscle
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/spo...-19742,00.html
The Herald Sun
Jon Ralph | November 25, 2008 12:00am
THE Western Bulldogs have named a new-look recruiting team to replace Scott Clayton. Clayton will represent the Bulldogs at Saturday's national draft before becoming the Gold Coast's recruiting manager.
Veteran junior talent spotter Simon Dalrymple, this year's Dogs development coach, will become the club's recruiting manager.
Joining him is Champion Data stats guru Adrian Caruso, who will use his technical expertise in recruiting as well as opposition analysis.
The Dogs hope the blend will be ideal - Dalrymple's eye for talent honed over more than a decade of work at TAC Cup level, with Caruso's ability to use computer expertise to help in recruiting.
Dalrymple spent a decade at TAC Cup clubs Northern Knights and Eastern Ranges and has always wanted to be a recruiting manager.
But he knows the accountability will be ramped up with fans scrutinising selections.
"Yeah, definitely, and you expect that. It's part of the business, but I am just keen to have a crack at it," Dalrymple said.
"I should be (accountable) because recruiting is a big part of football. It's your next wave of players coming through."
Caruso has been poached after shining with both his detailed opposition analysis and breakdown of the strengths and weaknesses of budding AFL players.
"Clubs are coming to us to educate them on decisions based on what we have seen of the kids," he said.
"Over the last four years we have covered 200 games of TAC Cup, SANFL and WAFL, so we give clubs vision with the stats and at our end we are able to extract all the data and analyse it and say, 'These are the best kicks, these are the best marks', so clubs are saying, 'We want a midfielder. Who is the best that will be able to produce what they are doing in the AFL?'.
"Now I will be able to help a club with their decisions based on the knowledge I have gained."