Nathan Thompson -In Hindsight, should we have given him a one year contract

[mighty_west]

So you are saying we are not close?
Agree in part that we need more good young players however it is a balancing act. You cannot just win a grand final with all young players as they develop at different stages.
Look what Dew was able to do with Hawthorn, he addressed a shortfall for them. Whilst he is younger than Hall, his body wont allow him to play much longer.
By the time the likes of Roughy, Cordy (now 86kg, started at 80kg), Jones are ready to dominate games, Johnno, Aker & Welsh will have retired. Lake, Gilbee will be on the wrong side of 20. We have enough talls on our list, whether they are good enough, time will tell.

The difference between Srewie Dew and a key forward from another club was one, Dew wasn't playing so he cost Hawthorn bugger all, was worth a punt that could have gone either way, plus he is was a proven and very good AFL player.

Had we have been able to snag Barry Hall, from all reports he most likely would have cost us our first round pick [Sydney played hard ball] meaning 2 years of Hall [at best] or Ayce Cordy for 15 years.

It's a tough one no doubt, and would we have been prepared to give away Ayce or another one of our gun younger players? Like Geelong did with gaining Ottens for Moloney [who was rated very high at the time].

[Desipura]

The difference between Srewie Dew and a key forward from another club was one, Dew wasn't playing so he cost Hawthorn bugger all, was worth a punt that could have gone either way, plus he is was a proven and very good AFL player.

Had we have been able to snag Barry Hall, from all reports he most likely would have cost us our first round pick [Sydney played hard ball] meaning 2 years of Hall [at best] or Ayce Cordy for 15 years.

It's a tough one no doubt, and would we have been prepared to give away Ayce or another one of our gun younger players? Like Geelong did with gaining Ottens for Moloney [who was rated very high at the time].

Hence why I stated in my opening post "I would have been happy to take Hall for this year (depending on the cost)". I would have been totally against obtaining Hall for a 1st rounder and the club had openly said it would not trade its 1st pick.
If it was Pavlich for a first rounder, I bet we would have taken it. Freo would want more than that however.
Moloney was highly rated however so was Ottens who failed to deliver consistently at Richmond, ring a bell? Geelong got a bargain!

[Sedat]

Hall comes out of contract this year so the bargaining power Sydney had last year has now significantly diminished.

Dew cost Hawthorn pick 44 from memory, and he was a far bigger (in every sense of the word) long-shot than someone like Hall. But credit to the Hawks for rolling the dice and getting double 6's. Being out of contract and rising 33, Sydney might just allow Hall to go for a late pick to ease future salary cap pressure and re-load the list. Geelong did with King, essentially giving him away for nothing to ease the salary cap squeeze - King's talent would have commanded a 2nd round pick at the very least.

I'm not entirely convinced that any one of Grant/Cordy/Roughead/Jones are going to take the AFL by storm in 2010 - as I said, certainly worth a chat at the end of the season.

[mighty_west]

Hence why I stated in my opening post "I would have been happy to take Hall for this year (depending on the cost)". I would have been totally against obtaining Hall for a 1st rounder and the club had openly said it would not trade its 1st pick.
If it was Pavlich for a first rounder, I bet we would have taken it. Freo would want more than that however.
Moloney was highly rated however so was Ottens who failed to deliver consistently at Richmond, ring a bell? Geelong got a bargain!

Well alot of people keep banging on about we should have got Barry Hall or i wish we got him etc, but once Rocket declared that our first rounder was off the table, we were never going to get a top line tall forward.

Pav for our first rounder, sure, but would Pav want to goto a Vic club? But like you said, he would have most likely cost us a first rounder and top kid, Everitt, Higgins, Ward etc.

[Desipura]

anyway my point being, I cannot see us going further than last year if we go in with the same structure.

[Bulldog Revolution]

So you are saying we are not close?
Agree in part that we need more good young players however it is a balancing act. You cannot just win a grand final with all young players as they develop at different stages.
Look what Dew was able to do with Hawthorn, he addressed a shortfall for them. Whilst he is younger than Hall, his body wont allow him to play much longer.
By the time the likes of Roughy, Cordy (now 86kg, started at 80kg), Jones are ready to dominate games, Johnno, Aker & Welsh will have retired. Lake, Gilbee will be on the wrong side of 20. We have enough talls on our list, whether they are good enough, time will tell.

I'm not fully convinced we are as close as I'd like us to be

I agree with your sentiments re: having a team full of young players not being the solution and the value in selectively taking older players.

However it has been proven to be much harder to find castoffs from other teams who can play key positions.

I think we've got a better balanced list than we have had for a while, but instead of drafting a fringe AFL tall from another club I'd be more inclined to draft a young tall or speedy midfielder and promote the talls we already have on the list.

[Desipura]

I'm not fully convinced we are as close as I'd like us to be

I agree with your sentiments re: having a team full of young players not being the solution and the value in selectively taking older players.

However it has been proven to be much harder to find castoffs from other teams who can play key positions.

I think we've got a better balanced list than we have had for a while, but instead of drafting a fringe AFL tall from another club I'd be more inclined to draft a young tall or speedy midfielder and promote the talls we already have on the list.

Agree with your comments however Hall is not a fringe player

[bulldogtragic]

I am quitely confident of 4 talls on our list not playing in the AFL.

The only reason i would have said yes to picking up Thompson was so he didn't mame Callan in the back with a knee.

Other than that we gave some real gems at Willy and just be patient.

[azabob]

Agree with your comments however Hall is not a fringe player

He is struggling this year IMO. He may be fit and ready but he just isn't getting the ball. He has played 5 games this year and only kicked 10 goals and 4 goal assists. And 4 of those goals came against Hawthorn.

[Desipura]

He is struggling this year IMO. He may be fit and ready but he just isn't getting the ball. He has played 5 games this year and only kicked 10 goals and 4 goal assists. And 4 of those goals came against Hawthorn.

The way Sydney muck around with the ball, is it any wonder why he is struggling. No wonder he has anger issues!

[Axe Man]

I think it was on On The Couch the other night they highlighted an incident against Geelong on the weekend where Hall had a 10 metre break on Scarlett, leading up the fat side of the ground (inside 50) and the swans player with the ball either ignored or didn't see Hall and instead tried some stupid little short pass that didn't come off.

[azabob]

The way Sydney muck around with the ball, is it any wonder why he is struggling. No wonder he has anger issues!

Good point Desipura, they dont exactly play direct football all the time.