Crusader wrote:
How good can the list management be going if, for one reason or another, you can look down the list and rule a line through 25% of the names before the season starts?
Marchbank, Cuningham, Docherty & Philp.
Setterfield, O’Brien, Cottrell, Parks & Boyd.
Mirkov.
Why are we ruling a line through those names? I accept we might not see Docherty again (which has nothing to do with list management), but the others?
Marchbank, Cunningham, Setterfield & Philip are better than what we’d get with 4th, 5th, 6th round picks in this draft. When fit and in form, they are best 22 types. Admittedly, they have a lot of work ahead of them, but they are all under 25 and worth at least one year under the new regime.
LOB, Cottrell, Parks, Boyd & Mirkov will be rookie list players. Boyd & Mirkov have hardly played yet and LOB is talented enough to warrant a last chance as a rookie under the new coaching regime. Cottrell & Parks are line-ball and perhaps a little lucky, but with the lack of VFL in the last two years it’s been hard for guys like that to build their games. Are we better to retain a guy who has a couple of AFL preseasons under his belt or replace him with a late rookie draft selection in a year where the talent pool is heavily compromised due to a shortage of state and underage footy?
Some of the players named above won’t be with us beyond next season, but I don’t think we should be stamping their cards before preseason has even started.