............top up, look for older mature players from other clubs to fill our gaps, its guaranteed...............................................TO FAIL!

We have been plagued by this strategy through the 90's and 2000's there are so many horrible examples OReilly, Mansfield, Hawker, Mckernan, etc etc It has never worked for us. It has also severely burnt other clubs who have tried it i.e Adelaide and Wayne Carey (for pick 2), Brisbane and Fevola etc etc

In the last 5 years we have invested in the draft and a youth strategy, our supporters have been patient and it is showing dividends. Ratten outlined a strategy when he arrived that we would not draft a player who wasn't expected to play 100+ games for the club (must be 25YO or less) and it was widely applauded.

In other words the new young talent strategy has been successful, the old mature top up strategy is not.

It therefore makes no sense to revert backwards to a strategy that has failed time and time again.

Recruiting players over 30 in particular is fraught with danger, they rae passed their peek and generally only one solid injury away from the end.

We are at an important juncture and this trade and recruitment period is critical. The club must ensure that nobody puts their own individual short term objectives above the overall success of the club and the real objective of winning a premiership.

Therefore Im all up for trading, but go for players under 25, otherwise keep investing in the draft.

White, Lucas, Yarran, Henderson, Garlett, Kreuzer, Jacobs, Warnock, McLean, Austin, Bower, Robinson, Gibbs, Ellard, Murphy? Did I miss anyone?

Plenty of short term improvement. Let's build through the draft and trade fringe players for youngsters from other clubs who haven't progressed as expected.

I know what you mean and I agree with you but you may want to rephrase the last part of that last sentence because there are certain types around that may choose to interpret it in a rather heavy-handed way.

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Just because I'm offended, doesn't mean I'm wrong.

PLEASE RATTS.......NO FRICKIN SHORT TERM SOLUTIONS WITH LIST MANAGEMENT. DO NOT TRADE FOR ANYONE WHO CANNOT COMFORTABLY PLAY 100 GAMES FOR THE CLUB. NOBODY OVER 25 (IN YEARS, NOT NUMBER ON THEIR BACK)

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If I want your opinion, I'll give it to you!

The honest thing to do in the final year of a coaching contract is to continue to invest in youth.

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My Blue Heaven

maybe we can get Judd ... oh wait we've already got him

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NG
S M C , S F L

Need balanced recruiting and really need another A grader...watching Goddard and Hayes drag the Saints back into the GF really shows
there is no substitute for quality and Judd cant do it on his own.

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"When you have the attitude of a champion, you see adversity as your
training partner."
- Conor Gillen

Need some tacticians in the box and a game plan....

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"Truth, for the tyrants, is the most terrible and cruel of all bindings; it is like an incandescent iron falling across their chests. And it is even more agonizing than hot iron, for that only burns the flesh, while truth burns its way into the soul"     — Lauro Aguirre

Need some people on this forum to realise that good coaching and sensible recruiting are not mutually exclusive.

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Just because I'm offended, doesn't mean I'm wrong.

As long as we don't bring "Saints Football" or "Sydney game plan" to CFC, I'm happy with the coaching department. The amount of people commenting on the standard of today's game is not acceptable.

I reckon it's called Marc Murphy. He was awesome last year and will be again with a full preseason under his belt.

Where would we have finished this year if Murphy and Gibbs had had years as good as 2009?

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“When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn't become a king. The palace turns into a circus.”
Turkish Proverb

We'll have a 200 cm ruck rover playing with Hayes' G & D and floating around like Goddard to drag us back into games.

Both teams had an ability to lock down the other team and shut down scoring and players seem to know where to run when they got the ball. Our game plan needs a lot of work, as does our tackling, kick ins and defensive side.

Murphy and Gibbs are fine players but dont have that physical edge to their game to bust a pack and force their will on the game....Pendlebury was a player who went missing when the heat got applied in the packs and it was left to Swan like we leave things to Judd and you really need that extra A grader with that special something to get you home.
Dustin Martin has the tools to become that type of player, Riccuito had it, Goodes,Hodge etc.....I think Patrick Dangerfield can become that player for the Crows given time and a good run with injuries.
Not a easy player to recruit either readymade or via the U18's but one that is essential to us winning a flag IMHO....

Judd, Murphy, Gibbs and Martin would cover every base you need for a dominating midfield......

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"When you have the attitude of a champion, you see adversity as your
training partner."
- Conor Gillen

Hole filling is great when it works e.g. Jolly
and shite when it doesn't , Peake (is it too early to put McLean in?).

This is where I really don't want Ratts involved. Little exciteable stress monkeys, should not be given sole charge of recruiting.

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I hope Essendon* folds.

I still can't watch Goddard play and not get annoyed with Demtri---, put him in at CHB for us and it moves us up at least 2 spots on the ladder! ....anyway...

Agree we must stick with the youth policy, but there have been some great pick ups of younger players in the draft that have been resurrected at other clubs eg St.Kilda has developed players like Zac Dawson, Farren Ray, Schneider and Dempster into terrific players that do their job week in and week out.

The key is to have great development coaches and a structure which provides clearly defined roles and plenty of support from teammates. We struggle in both these areas.

CB

I'm thinking we need to get a top-rate, young mid to start planning for when C Judd moves on in the next couple of years...

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hands up if you're a sycophant!