Should we go after a ready made forward

[LostDoggy]

Having a look at the free agency and noting that we have some forward issues, does the club need to have a fairdinkum look at a free agent player or out of contract player for the the forward 50. We have the likes of Cloke, Goddard, Gumbleton, Tippett etc all out and about and ripe for the taking if we can secure a deal. (Cloke is too much anyway for what he is)

I know the club has announced they want to teach from within but are our young forwards really able to stand up and deliver next year. I feel that we need to get an experienced tall forward around 24 - 26 years who can assist the likes of Jone, Cordy. I am not sure that as a club we can not trade one in.

The lose after lose and no forward target must not be doing much for team morale and put a lot of pressure on older guys who are approaching the end of there careers. The mid field will be gold, the back line is still sort of solid but we need that foward presence.

Would Gumbleton suit, who would be and ideal candidate if we were to trade one in and who would be the trade bait if needed.

Personally I think the club should try to secure Tippett he would slot nicely into the age group.

[Maddog37]

Re: Should we go after a ready made forward

Personally I think Jones and Cordy can compete and bring the ball to ground at least. I would like a couple of Crameri or Steve J types that are tall.small goal kickers with genuine pace. Murphy would be ideal.

It makes it hard for teams to zone off with more than one option. Theoretically Grant should be able to play the role too but he needs to be more aggressive in the marking contests.

This is another reason I see us wanting Stringer in the draft.

[mighty_west]

Re: Should we go after a ready made forward

Gumbleton, no, too high a risk with injuries, plus Essendon will want the earth for him.

Cloke, no, Visy will offer him a brown paper bag under the table to goto Carlton.

Tippet, I'd imagine he'd only want to go home to QLD if he was to leave the Crows.

Goddard, he's old, whats the point? Good player but not exactly a KPP.

[Bornadog]

Re: Should we go after a ready made forward

A Tippett or a Cloke would be great, but we are dreaming if we think they would come to our club, let alone affording them. I think we need to continue on the path of developing our own.

[Nuggety Back Pocket]

Re: Should we go after a ready made forward

Chasing a key forward needs to be a top priority. It would be hard to imagine the club being attractive enough to attract a Cloke or Tippett. Gumbleton has struggled to measure up at Essendon and shouldn't be considered. Our poor performances were compounded this year because of the lack of 1 or 2 key forwards and we can expect to struggle in 2013 unless our attack can be revitalized.

[Mofra]

Re: Should we go after a ready made forward

A quick, marking HFF would give us more space for our tall forwards to lead into - 1 more year of development into the possibles, better structure, better delivery and we can at least aim to attain a pass mark in the area.

I'd be happy to consider the Brissie boy (as suggested on another thread) for the role, or hope like hell if we nab Stringer that he is ready for senior action early.

[Eastdog]

Re: Should we go after a ready made forward

I was thinking about this as well in going for a key forward. I think we need a go to man up there as our forward line this year has been shocking which isn't helped with our delivery into the fwd line. Cloke would be good to get but I don't think that will happen. Tippett also mentioned is another good option.

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

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.

[LongWait]

Re: Should we go after a ready made forward

Tippetts' and Clokes' numbers are really pretty ordinary. They are far from the best performed forwards in the competition and we would be required to massively overpay to acquire either one of them. Cloke has had one really good season in his career and Tippett hasn't really even had one fantastic year - his highest goal tally for a season is 55 in 2009 (the only time he has kicked 50 in a season.) Tippett avarages 1.8 goals a game over his career and takes less marks than Gia. Pass on them both. Let's grow our own.

[stefoid]

Re: Should we go after a ready made forward

There is a certain logic to 'doing a Sydney' and grabbing a Locket or Hall type of proven gun forward simply by paying throught he nose.

But even if we had the balls to do that, is the list at the stage to make it worthwhile? No use paying a million dollar forward to play in a losing side that cant make the finals.

We can re-asses in two years time where the team is at, on the ladder and in terms of the young forwards we already have, and pull the trigger at that point if it is warrented.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Should we go after a ready made forward

No. As the coach has said, when we all 'crack in' and provide support for each other, the goals will come…... as they did, in part, against Geelong. And that is a matter of increasing endurance and maturity of the whole side over the next couple of years, whilst continuing to develop our forward stocks from within.

[Remi Moses]

Re: Should we go after a ready made forward

No.
Two points, first one is clubs don't give up KF's ( they're to hard to find)
Second point, getting one you'd be giving the world.
Draft our own, we need a spread of goalkickers actually more importantly

[LostDoggy]

Re: Should we go after a ready made forward

No. As the coach has said, when we all 'crack in' and provide support for each other, the goals will come…... as they did, in part, against Geelong. And that is a matter of increasing endurance and maturity of the whole side over the next couple of years, whilst continuing to develop our forward stocks from within.

Would this style of play lead to more injured players? Fitness aside, look what happened to Morris, now he cracks in all the time and paid a huge price. So is that style of play risky to the mid field players who will be tasked to do this work?

[Axe Man]

Re: Should we go after a ready made forward

Would this style of play lead to more injured players? Fitness aside, look what happened to Morris, now he cracks in all the time and paid a huge price. So is that style of play risky to the mid field players who will be tasked to do this work?

Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't Morris simply land awkwardly in a marking contest? That's nothing to do with 'cracking in', it's simply bad luck.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Should we go after a ready made forward

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".