david31 wrote:
If the rumours are true about SOS leaving, I think it is a shame. However, he leaves the club having largely executed the role he was brought in to play. Like he did at GWS, the task was to bring in the best young talent to set us up for the next 10 years. SOS pulled off good deals to give us more access to the draft (like the Gibbs trade, Hendo trade and Stocker pick swap). The 2015 draft (Weiters, Harry, Charlie, Cunners and Jack) looks like a huge winner - the type that sets you up for prolonged success. Walsh is already a star. SPS, Fisher, Dow, O’Brien, TDK and Stocker are all still 19-21 year olds with a heap of upside. In 2-3 years, we’ll know how many of them will contribute meaningfully to our success going forward, but I suspect most probably will in the long run. We’ve got another top 10 pick this year to work with. SOS has also brought in other highly touted youngsters beyond the national draft - Plowman, Marchbank, Kennedy, Setterfield and (hopefully) Martin. Again, if a few of these make it, we will be very well placed going forward.
And, perhaps most importantly, SOS has turned us into an attractive destination for a new list manager. Whoever takes the role will know that they are walking into a club stocked with serious young talent, like when SOS left GWS. Remember that when SOS took over the list in 2015 it was a disaster and yes it isn’t a perfect list, but it sure has the potential to be good going forward.
I’m not saying everything SOS did was great - some of the draft picks inevitably won’t come through and some of the trading hasn’t always worked. But on the whole I think he leaves us (if the rumours are true) in a strong position for the next 10 years.
Agree. You can’t win them all but to turn over our list from what it was to what it is in 4 years is pretty remarkable. I think he’s done a great job at the draft with a lot more hits than misses, although a lot depends on how the likes of Cuningham, Fisher, Dow, O’Brien, TDK, Stocker develop. Weiters and Walsh were easy picks, Charlie was a steal at 12 and Harry looks a very good pick at 10 so far.
I think SOS’ biggest strength has been his ability to manufacturer maximum value out of tradeable players. He managed to give us much stronger draft hands by trading out players like Gibbs, Yarran, Bell, Hendo, Touhy. Touhy is probably the only one who has gone to have a big impact at his new club. This strategy has meant some short term pain but it’s set us up for sustained success rather than floundering around mid table.
He’s also done really well to get some talented youngsters in well under value, plowman, setters, Kennedy etc. he had a few misses with this strategy like Pickett and sumner but they all came so cheap that you only need one or two hits for it to pay off. If much rather this strategy than giving up two first rounders for a player like Shiel.
I think his biggest weakness has been in recycled players, late draft picks and rookie picks. There’s been a lot of misses there. I guess it’s hard when you’re turning over so many players every year, but I think he could have gone with a few more speculative youngsters with rookie picks rather than waste of space players like OShea, Shaw etc
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