Some context on our age

[westdog54]

Re: Some context on our age

I think that we, more than any other AFL club, would get a real kick out of a VFL Grand Final. Firstly, we've been success starved and secondly, a VFL finals run is a real opportunity for us to connect with our grass roots support for a few weeks. The local area of Footscray has changed a lot over the last 15-20 years and will continue to do so. So the Footscray side going deep is a real opportunity. Can't harm our 2015 membership numbers, either.

What better way to sell the future than to be able to say that our 'young people' drove us to A VFL flag in our first season. At it full strength I say.

[azabob]

Re: Some context on our age

What better way to sell the future than to be able to say that our 'young people' drove us to A VFL flag in our first season. At it full strength I say.

Not only to the public, but to each player as well.

[Webby]

Re: Some context on our age

Just getting back to our young age and where we're at, a point was made by a caller on SEN today that North are 2-3 top liners short of being able to contend because, basically, the club were never "brave enough" to bottom out.

The guy was a North supporter. He also made the point, in fairness, that his club probably don't have the finances to afford to bottom out. Therefore never really winding back and building from a proper run up.

Nathan Thompson was filling in for Schwartz and said (sincerely) "yeah that's why they probably signed blokes like me"... My mind turned to Sav Rocca, Jonathan Hay, Jade Rawlings etc.

North clearly bottled it, to an extent.

My take away from that is that, it takes some balls to make a conscious effort to set yourself 5-6 years to build a strong list from scratch. McCartney was signed as a list development coach. A guy who's 'expertise' was said to be in developing "good young men" into "good young players."

To be fair to him, from what I'm seeing both at VFL level and increasingly at AFL level, the club is on a clear path. Clubs like North, Essendon, Carlton, Richmond, West Coast clearly don't have that clarity at the moment. They're caught in no man's land.

I'd also rather be in our shoes than Brisbane, Sht Kilda, Melbourne.... Maybe even Geelong, Collingwood and Adelaide, to be honest... So from that point of view, I think we're in a good space... That's if we've got the bottle to stick to the path over the next three years. We're on the up, now.

[josie]

Re: Some context on our age

Love your posts Webby. Let's make sure as WOOF'ers we hold the faith when we lose or falter, which is inevitable. And let's hope the Club continues to be patient whilst the rebuild continues. And lastly let's wait with abated breath for that power forward and a few classy disposal speedsters.

[doggies ftw]

Re: Some context on our age

I'm all for going hard for a VFL flag if we find ourself in that position. Would feel pretty bad for the guys who have played most of the year but miss out though.

[Remi Moses]

Re: Some context on our age

The interesting thing is that our young guys are getting tagged.
Obviously they have to work their way through it, but saying that it's best to learn early.

[boydogs]

Re: Some context on our age

Did a quick chart up showing the year of birth of the players on the senior list. Our window is probably 2016-2019 when the guys born 91-94 are at their peak



Murphy 82
Giansiracusa 82
Boyd 82
Morris 82
Goodes 84
Minson 85
Cooney 85
Picken 86
Williams 86
Griffen 86
Dickson 87
Higgins 88
Crameri 88
Wood 89
Grant 89
Fuller 90
Roughead 90
Cordy 90
Campbell 91
Tutt 91
Stevens 91
Howard 91
Jones 91
Johannisen 92
Liberatore 92
Dahlhaus 92
Wallis 92
Young 92
Roberts 93
Talia 93
Smith 93
Darley 93
Pearce 93
Macrae 94
Prudden 94
Hrovat 94
Hunter 94
Stringer 94
Honeychurch 95
Bontempelli 95

[Webby]

Re: Some context on our age

Did a quick chart up showing the year of birth of the players on the senior list. Our window is probably 2016-2019 when the guys born 91-94 are at their peak

Yeah I had a similar look a few months back and I believe there's a line to be drawn under Dickson's name. Anyone north of that isn't going to be around for our window (which I believe will be open a year later in 2017.) at least certainly not the duration of that window.

If we draft a gun with our top 5 pick this year, then get Cordy on F/S and another one or two decent kids (perhaps Jayden Foster who kicked another impressive 3 goals in the wet on the weekend), we will have a very, very good, young list. If we were to consider a trade for a player north of the Dickson line, it might be even stronger..

Then, as the world can see us entering that window, we're suddenly a FA magnet with some cap space. That way, very, very late in the process, we can selectively fill any obvious gaps.

We're entering some better times.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Some context on our age

If we draft a gun with our top 5 pick this year, then get Cordy on F/S and another one or two decent kids (perhaps Jayden Foster who kicked another impressive 3 goals in the wet on the weekend), we will have a very, very good, young list. If we were to consider a trade for a player north of the Dickson line, it might be even stronger..

Then, as the world can see us entering that window, we're suddenly a FA magnet with some cap space. That way, very, very late in the process, we can selectively fill any obvious gaps.

We're entering some better times.

I'm hoping our form (now til the end of the season) doesn't warrant us getting a top 5 pick.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Some context on our age

duplication - sorry

[1eyedog]

Re: Some context on our age

Yeah I had a similar look a few months back and I believe there's a line to be drawn under Dickson's name. Anyone north of that isn't going to be around for our window (which I believe will be open a year later in 2017.) at least certainly not the duration of that window.

If we draft a gun with our top 5 pick this year, then get Cordy on F/S and another one or two decent kids (perhaps Jayden Foster who kicked another impressive 3 goals in the wet on the weekend), we will have a very, very good, young list. If we were to consider a trade for a player north of the Dickson line, it might be even stronger..

Then, as the world can see us entering that window, we're suddenly a FA magnet with some cap space. That way, very, very late in the process, we can selectively fill any obvious gaps.

We're entering some better times.

We are in for better times but playing Devil's advocate we will be competing for a flag against both GWS and GC at roughly the same time against a list of top draft picks. Hopefully by that time both franchises thin out somewhat and are reduced to nothing more than a few champions in a team rather than a very close knit strong team which is what I hope we'll become. I don't need a dynasty but a Grand Final appearance would be bloody nice before I die.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Some context on our age

We are in for better times but playing Devil's advocate we will be competing for a flag against both GWS and GC at roughly the same time against a list of top draft picks. Hopefully by that time both franchises thin out somewhat and are reduced to nothing more than a few champions in a team rather than a very close knit strong team which is what I hope we'll become. I don't need a dynasty but a Grand Final appearance would be bloody nice before I die.

Check out the concessions they got in terms of salary caps and player list - particulary GWS. GWS doesn't come anywhere close to the field until 2019.

Expanded list and increased salary cap:
Team GWS will also have an expanded list size and TPP allowance in the club’s initial time in the competition, through to 2019, as follows:

2012 - 44-50 senior list, nine rookies with $640,000 - $1m TPP extra allowance;
2013 - 44-50 senior list, nine rookies with $640,000 - $1m TPP extra allowance;
2014 - 44-50 senior list, nine rookies with $640,000 - $1m TPP extra allowance;
2015 - 44-48 senior list, nine rookies with $640k - $880k TPP extra allowance;
2016 - 42-46 senior list, nine rookies with $520k - $760k TPP extra allowance;
2017 - 40-44 senior list, nine rookies with $400k - $640k TPP extra allowance;
2018 - 38-42 senior list, nine rookies with $200k - $520k TPP extra allowance;
2019 - 38 senior list, nine rookies in line with other AFL clubs.

[boydogs]

Re: Some context on our age

the Dickson line

I wouldn't rule Minson or Cooney out from being part of another top 4 side