Bulldogs face big call

[The Coon Dog]

* Jay Clark * From: Herald Sun * October 02, 2009 12:00AM


IT SOUNDS ironic, but the player believed to be the best key forward in this year's draft could fall in the Western Bulldogs' lap.

Gippsland goalkicker John Butcher was considered a likely top-three pick as late as last month, but, in a sudden slide, he is likely to fall outside the top 10 in next month's national draft.

The Bulldogs have been in desperate need of a key forward over the past two seasons and will be faced with an intriguing decision of whether to select Butcher if he is still available when their first pick arrives at No. 15.

As the Dogs have all but secured Sydney discard Barry Hall, and have taken key-position players with their first-round picks in the past two drafts, they too, may pass him up.


Article in full...

[chef]

Re: Bulldogs face big call

* Jay Clark * From: Herald Sun * October 02, 2009 12:00AM


IT SOUNDS ironic, but the player believed to be the best key forward in this year's draft could fall in the Western Bulldogs' lap.

Gippsland goalkicker John Butcher was considered a likely top-three pick as late as last month, but, in a sudden slide, he is likely to fall outside the top 10 in next month's national draft.

The Bulldogs have been in desperate need of a key forward over the past two seasons and will be faced with an intriguing decision of whether to select Butcher if he is still available when their first pick arrives at No. 15.

As the Dogs have all but secured Sydney discard Barry Hall, and have taken key-position players with their first-round picks in the past two drafts, they too, may pass him up.


Article in full...

There's not much chance of that happening is there?

[The Underdog]

Re: Bulldogs face big call

Wow, so many words, so little content.
It's that time of year again folks.

[Mofra]

Re: Bulldogs face big call

Wow, so many words, so little content.
It's that time of year again folks.

Yup - whole article on a speculated event that is seriously unlikely to occur.

[Bulldog4life]

Re: Bulldogs face big call

What a far fetched piece of journalism. Waste of space writing that.

[Doc26]

Re: Bulldogs face big call

Jay Clark, hand in your media credentials. Appalling piece of journalism. Intriguing decision I don't think so.

[AndrewP6]

Re: Bulldogs face big call

Pardon my ignorance of draft prospects, but is it crap because Butcher won't last until our pick?

[Sockeye Salmon]

Re: Bulldogs face big call

I'll stand up for the journo here.

Why will Butcher not last to our pick? Because 400 14yo's on BigFooty say so?


I'll own up to having only seen the kid play once but on the little I saw I wouldn't use pick 50 on him. I could easily see him slide.


The real question is: what do we do if he does? With Cordy, Grant and Jones already there, do you take another tall, skinny KPF (long term) prospect?

Do we have the best available debate in reverse?

[hujsh]

Re: Bulldogs face big call

The real question is: what do we do if he does? With Cordy, Grant and Jones already there, do you take another tall, skinny KPF (long term) prospect?

Draft untill we finally develop one. If we get too many then we have some valuable trade bait.

[The Underdog]

Re: Bulldogs face big call

I'll stand up for the journo here.

Why will Butcher not last to our pick? Because 400 14yo's on BigFooty say so?


I'll own up to having only seen the kid play once but on the little I saw I wouldn't use pick 50 on him. I could easily see him slide.


The real question is: what do we do if he does? With Cordy, Grant and Jones already there, do you take another tall, skinny KPF (long term) prospect?

Do we have the best available debate in reverse?

My beef was less with the idea that this could occur than the fact that it apparently was worthy of page space anywhere. It's barely worth being a thread on BF. I have no issue with an article on a kid who may slip in the draft due to his lack of kicking ability and fitness. I just find linking it into us as being about as tenuous as you can get. There's not even any proof that we're interested in him.

That and the fact that Jay's grip on the concept of irony is about as strong as Alanis Morrisette's (there's an outdated reference for ya kids).

[anfo27]

Re: Bulldogs face big call

Have a mate who is from Maffra & he watched Butcher kick 1.11 in the senior grand final. Is he the next Nick Gill?

[KT31]

Re: Bulldogs face big call

I'll stand up for the journo here.

The real question is: what do we do if he does? With Cordy, Grant and Jones already there, do you take another tall, skinny KPF (long term) prospect?
?

If he is the best tall available of course pick him.
Smalls are easy enough to aquire later on and you if you have too many talls you can always trade a semi decent one for a quality small.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Bulldogs face big call

The headline is whats wrong with this article, ATM its got f all to do with the bulldogs.

[ledge]

Re: Bulldogs face big call

Funny how he has absolutely no comment relating to a Bulldog person even mentioning John Butcher.
I think its just a matter of lets see who is tall, a forward then link them to the dogs.

[mjp]

Re: Bulldogs face big call

Funny how he has absolutely no comment relating to a Bulldog person even mentioning John Butcher.
I think its just a matter of lets see who is tall, a forward then link them to the dogs.

Yeah - well we perpetuate this by continually talking about tall forwards...further, it is topical to the general footy public as it seemed to be all that Leigh Matthews and Nathan Buckley could talk about during the preliminary final.

Butcher has some kicking issues but sure can mark a footy - good hands below his knees as well. If we have faith in Cordy then even if he falls we should bypass him - with Cordy and Grant picked in the last two years (remember, the early first round is the place to find quality key position forwards) we should have this covered.

To me we are screaming out for mids/half-backs with leg-speed and kicking skills. That is the way I would go - try and find a good runner who can deliver it.