Should we go after a ready made forward

[whythelongface]

Re: Should we go after a ready made forward

What do you mean by senior? Senior as in old, Senior as they have been a member of this forum since day dot, senior as in the amount of times they have posted?

Dawes is out of favour because he isn't kicking goals. To me Dawes is your perfect number two forward if the team is going well and the number one forward is performing well.

I don't think we should chase Dawes at all.

agreed. How old is he anyway 28 or 29? i would rather .develop our own.
r

[whythelongface]

Re: Should we go after a ready made forward

Agreed. We don't have any now, so we should aim for some in the next two drafts. If a big bodied established KPP of average quality is available, he could be useful to help the new draftees.

Why would you want an average KPF. Surely that would be wasting a draft pick.

[Greystache]

Re: Should we go after a ready made forward

agreed. How old is he anyway 28 or 29? i would rather .develop our own.
r

Dawes is 24.

I wouldn't even consider Dawes, he's an average 2nd key forward, he would be an atrocious key target. Especially in a weak team.

[Dry Rot]

Re: Should we go after a ready made forward

Why would you want an average KPF. Surely that would be wasting a draft pick.

Someone like a lesser Jay Schultz for a crappy pick.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Should we go after a ready made forward

I've posted this a few times so am probably sounding like a broken record, but the reality is that we as a club have never, EVER been able to attract from another club an A list player in their prime since the competition went national as the AFL.
Prior to the days of the draft and interstate AFL teams, we were able to secure from other states some top flight stars, like Beasley, McGuinness, Sewell, Daniels, Hardie etc. But once WA and SA got their own teams, and drafting came into play, this door closed for us.

At best, since the AFL came into being we have only ever succeeded in attracting A listers when for whatever reason there was a significant risk associated with them that detered other clubs form chasing them hard, and/or usually toward the tail end of their career, eg Aker or Hall, Osborne, etc.
The only other time we've been able to secure a supposed high profile recruit was through dodgy means ie The Veale Deal - when we got Rawlings...and that was a poor decision as it turned out.

History tells us repeatedly that when trading (or in the old days via transfer) we have only been able to recruit fringe, role and bit part players. Some have been serviceable for a short period of time, e.g Bandy, Cook, Minton-Connell, Welsh, Dent, Petraglia, Ben Harrison Toohey, Duperouzel, Buhagiar etc.

Fewer still have had long or distinguished careers, eg Eagleton, Hudson, (Ben and Paul) and Garlick.

More often they have been busts, like , Dunne, Klomp, Crowe, Koops, Bassett, MacDougall, Street, Callan, Bartlett, Kingsley Hunter, Rusca, Morgan,

While it's nice to dream and discuss what if's and wouldn't it be nice if we could attract a Cloke, Tippett or even a Boak, the reality is we've been unable to attract high profile players during our times of relative success, then we have absolutely no chance no that we are in all likelihood entering a period of medium term poor ladder position.

Gumbleton may be available, but for the reasons I've mentioned above, he comes with a high risk attached due to his injury woes, that may turn other clubs off chasing him. The question is, should we really go down the path of considering a guy that has done little to date, and who has such a significant injury history. I personally don't think it's worth it.

I think the club needs to stick fast to it's stated path of investing in youth, and focusing it's efforts on recruiting smart through the draft and developing our own.

Well articulated, I completely agree. Develop our own, suffer short term.

The harder you work the more likely you are to be injured. In a world run by OHS is it acceptable (regardless if it is a sport or not) to expect people (players) to "crack in" at all time and lead to possible injury. The club and AFL have an obligation to provide the safest possible workplace it can, the field is their workplace.

So bearing that in mind you increase the chance of injury by expecting players to "crack in" (and liability) would that be negligent, now I am no expert when it comes to civil litigation but only takes one injured player to say to Mr Solicitor "but the coach told me I had to crack in, I did that and I broke my leg". Far fetched maybe, can happen.

So hence back to the original question to provide a safe workplace you need to have the right tools, this will sound odd, but in this case the right tools (sic') are the right players who can fill a position without the need to require a player to "crack in" hell for leather and increase chance of injury.

PS; Morris was just and example of an easy injury at "cracking in".

You are probably more likely to be injured by not setting yourself for a contest than cracking in.

[G-Mo77]

Re: Should we go after a ready made forward

What about having a crack at the other Talia? Not a forward, but a good up and coming defender and we have the family connection. When his current contract expires.

We'd have to pay serious overs to get him. He's a real chance at Rising Star this year. I don't think Adelaide will let him get away.

Dawes is out of favor at Collingwood....
What do some of the senior posters in here think of him?

I'd rather hear from our newer posters.

He signed a contract extension this year didn't he?

[GVGjr]

Re: Should we go after a ready made forward

Someone like a lesser Jay Schultz for a crappy pick.

Schultz is a good forward and I get why he is the sort of player you think we should target.

[Missing Dog]

Re: Should we go after a ready made forward

Aaron Edwards for a year or Two Would be a Great pick Up Big Bodied Great Kick For Goal
and wouldnt cost us much at all.

[azabob]

Re: Should we go after a ready made forward

Aaron Edwards for a year or Two Would be a Great pick Up Big Bodied Great Kick For Goal
and wouldnt cost us much at all.

Edwards is a big body but not tall, plus Edwards is a bit of a trouble maker and likes the drink.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Should we go after a ready made forward

Schultz is a good forward and I get why he is the sort of player you think we should target.

I too like him.
We might have missed the boat for Schultz, at 27 now not that old but been around a long time.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Should we go after a ready made forward

Dawes is no better that what we have.

[Dancin' Douggy]

Re: Should we go after a ready made forward

The way I see it is this, we should be monitoring young developing forwards who we may poach in a few years. Players we actually may be a chance of getting.

All our senior players will be retiring over the next few years and we will be drafting quality youngsters every year. (I think we'll be getting good draft picks for a while).

This means we'll have a very young list, and therefore some serious salary cap room.

We identify a handful of players who will slot in agewise and that would appear to be 'gettable'.

Someone like Sam Reid perhaps who has a club connection and might want to come to the kennel.
Or why not set up a long term strategy to get Patton? He might be itching to come home to Melbourne in a couple of years.
We'll have the salary cap room. GWS will be starting to feel the squeeze salary wise as well.

Daniel Talia is another player who might be 'gettable' due to family connections.

Anyway, my point is, instead of looking at the here and now key forwards and maybe getting a second or third tier forward, I'd rather see the club adopt a long term strategy.

We should sit on our hands and watch all the up and comers, knowing we'll have a big blank cheque to snare someone in 2 to 3 years when we need them. Then go for someone outstanding rather than the good old Bulldogs formula of hoping 2nd rate hacks will suddenly blossom for us.

By then we may have drafted our own Key forwards and we can blow the dough on another gun player of the type we need THEN not now.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Should we go after a ready made forward

Firstly why would anyone of note want to come to us?
Bottom 4, low profile, slow ball movement; it's not a good career move.
McCartney doesn't want to trade anyway.

[GVGjr]

Re: Should we go after a ready made forward

I too like him.
We might have missed the boat for Schultz, at 27 now not that old but been around a long time.

It would have been a very courageous selection when he first left Richmond but he has performed well at Port and would be hard to pry away now.

Dawes is no better that what we have.

Agreed. He would be handy but that is about it. We would need to give a lot more than his real value. Jones is a far better prospect.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Should we go after a ready made forward

Firstly why would anyone of note want to come to us?
Bottom 4, low profile, slow ball movement; it's not a good career move.
McCartney doesn't want to trade anyway.

I think I made the point in another post that we got all the wrong men, until that is rectified, I believe Chops is right. So we have to change the stars to fix the club....better start doing it.