Memo to the board and match committee - express post. If only recruiting and drafting was as easy some people on here make it out to be.

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In WADA we trust

If the decisions been made; theres no point in whingeing about it?.....for 14 pages?

Shouldn't we just look forward to other things like the Draft?

I've decided to give him a chance myself. I was intially upset, but hey, he might do alright. Let him atleast fail once before you crucify him.

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dane's trolling again

QFT

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dane's trolling again

Exactly. The fact is/was that our list was in such bad shape that we had to concerntrate on priorities which was midfield, defenders and class.

Now that we've got another 'temporary' ruckman (not long term) we can recruit another ruck via pick 17/19 and use these next three years to get him ship shape.

If we were honest with ourselves we'd accept that it'll be 2010 before we can realistically expect to challenge, and by then Renouf, Walker, Gibbs, Murph, Simmo, Blackers and JK will be well advanced and ready for a crack, and we'll still have Fev, Lance, Stevens.

To say we should've got 'him in the 2002 draft' or 'so-and-so by trading whatsiname' is just rediculous.

You need to build a team from the bottom up and make good with what you have, and address the most pressing issues until you're in such a position as to change the peripherals.

I think we done good and I looooooove doin it to the aints.

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Would you like to have seen us perhaps Pass on pick 1 in the PSD?
Theres shit available, we had to pick the least stinky one!
But i do agree the 3 years bit is a bit of a worry.

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Happy Days Are Here Again!!

Im certaintly going to reserve my judgement to so if Cain is Able.

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Ich bein ein Carltonian

I think Dannyboy's point is that we should not add another average player just because he's the best 'average' player available. I would have prefered we take another youngster. Matt White and Matt Thomas showed more in their debut seasons this year than McLaren did

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"You are being watched. The government has a secret system. A machine that spies on you every hour of every day. I know because I built it." - Finch

Three years is temporary?



Why is it ridiculous? This problem has been brewing for some time yet nothing was done to address it except to add other underperforming ruckmen to the list. Surely we could have made the effort to develop a ruckman ourselves

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"You are being watched. The government has a secret system. A machine that spies on you every hour of every day. I know because I built it." - Finch

And in 20/20 hindsight aren't we all glad we got Eddie Betts instead of Trent Knobel in the 2004 PSD.

I would have preferred going down that route in this years PSD as well, although maybe we are targetting someone at Pick 17.

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"Hence you will not say that Greeks fight like heroes but that heroes fight like Greeks"?

Winston Churchill

A 3 year deal on a list of 40 odd players is not such a big deal really. He plays 1 or 2 years and we decide we've got a better ruck option in Renouf, I'm happy to put him back to the Ants, aren't you?

As for previous drafts, who would you give up and in which player would you get?

It's easy in hindsight, but we're now in the best position that we've been in regard to evening out our list than we've been for years.

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I would have very strongly considered Cameron Wood with pick 9 and/or Ivan Maric with pick 25.

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"You are being watched. The government has a secret system. A machine that spies on you every hour of every day. I know because I built it." - Finch

Without knowing what was in the PSD, you would still have to question if contracting a slow, somewhat injured, short ruckman that in the end couldn't make the Saints top team would be a good pick.

And especially offer him a 3 year deal. Makes me think of Saddington (potential, couldn't get a game with Sydney in the end, injury prone)

DH

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From little things big things grow....

Haven't seen much of Ackland, so I suppose I shouldn't judge ...but 196cm is too short these days to be a topline ruckman IMO.

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There's so much I could say...

On the plus side, we're not taking Kent Kingsley PSD!

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If meat is murder then yoghurt must be burglary
GO YOU BIG RED FIRE ENGINE
Move aside Kouta, Lance etc - you're holding us back... from entering the under 18s

Strongly considered?? Well, that's pretty convincing!!

Wood's shown something, I agree, but Maric was considered even by StKilda to not be as good a prospect as Ackland(pick 35 same draft). So as I say in hindsight maybe, but the risks of not recruiting a dashing skillful player and a KPP in Russell and Hartlett were too gra=eat.

Not an easy job to do, this recruiting stuff

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The point to all this isn't that he was all that was availble, the point we chaswed, chased him by the sounds of it. Him!


I have nothing against Acklnad (yet) but if this doesn;t once again smack of desperation I'll go he!

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This type of slight is alien in the more cultured part of the world - Walsh. Its up there with mad dogs, Englishmen and the midday sun!

I belive Ackland can bring something to the Blues ... we are without a 1st choice ruckman in french and needed to replenish our stocks. Ackland could be considered as a backup ruckman in the future, but needs to go into the primary spot straight away if we are to become competitive

Maric is impressive...if you have seen him in the SANFL you would know he is mobile, attacks the footy well and his ruck work shows a bit of maturity for a young bloke. He can take a mark and while his kicking is a bit awkward its not bad. He also offers more physical presence than Ackland .....

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

He (Leuenberger) is everything like Fraser! I have watched both at Junior level...and both will be great players. But I also saw Leuenberger get beaten by Kruezer and drop his head. I saw that he doesn't and never will have the tank of Cox - yet is as mobile and potentially as damaging as Fraser around the ground. As far as height and weight goes - they'll be matched pretty evenly when Leuenberger fills out.

Marking and kicking not overly fantastic by either - but more than adequate for a first string AFL ruckman. Reading the game and running to the 'right' spots = excellent for both.

Leuenberger is no 'world class' ruck. He's a gifted and agile tall footballer who has a solid understanding of a modern ruckmans' role. With that as his base - he has what it takes to be - like fraser - a very good ruckman. Collinwood chose well with the priority pick of 1999. They may have stuffed up with danny Roach at pick 7 - but they did better than us...trading away our picks 16,31 and 46 for O'Reilly and Mansfield when David Hille was selected at 40, Rhett Biglands 36 and 'our very own' Cain Ackland at pick 27.