Melvey wrote:
Poor planning if you ask me.
This club had the opportunity to rebuild this list many years ago and all it needed was someone the vision to make the hard call.
- We could have traded Fev = First rounder (we know have a aging forward)
- Traded away Thornton = First rounder
- Not traded away pick 3, Kennedy and 20 for Judd (judd about to hit his peak and we are a few years off)
- Not trading pick 20 for Warnock
The past few years has seen us part way with Kennedy, pick 3 and two pick 20's. Thats four more quality kids we could have on our list but in return we gained Judd and a player who has yet to play a game.
Our list would have looked something like this
Walker
Murphy
Kennedy
Russel
Gibbs
Grigg
Bower
Hampson
Krooze
Morton
Yarran/Rich or Ziebel
+ 2 first rounders (thornton and fev trades)
and 2 two pick 20's. Thats 15 players picked inside 20 picks
Add to that
Browne
Armfield
Garlett
Robbo
Betts
Jammo
Jacobs
Johnson
Anderson
with Seniors
Waite
Simpson
Scottland
Stevens
I know this club was screaming out for a leader like Judd but it came at a price. Its unfortunate that the position the club was in. the lack of leadership, poor management and a coach fighting for his survival that no plan was thought out. Piggy Dunstal was instrumental in forming that premiership side, he backed his judgment in, made the tough calls and it has paid off.
For Judd and Army we gave up JK, 3, and 20
JK, Morton/ Rioli/ Dangerfield and one of Pears/ S Selwood /Notte / Collier/ Otten
Can't complain about getting Judd, but three young guns to come up with the rest of the group...
If we'd traded Fev last year we'd probably have had something like a top 10, a top 20 and a top 30 pick to add. Of course it's fantasy (like the rest of the post) to suggest the club would have traded Fev after 99, but anyhoo...
Or add a trade of Thornton to the Hawks in 06 for 2 2nd rounders - Petterd and Tippet / Renouf
By recruiting Judd and keeping Fev, the club were putting faith in a batch of 6-8 young guns (Gibbs, Kreuz, Murph, Grigg, Hammer, Walker, Bower) to get Judd, Fev and our young vets (Waite, Thornton, Simmo) to the top of the mountain within 4 years. Is 6-8 young guns enough?
We'd have been crap last year again - maybe some better picks. But assume we finished 11th
But add in: JK, C Morton (or if you think the recruiters are geniuses - Rioli), Otten, Rich, Blease Zaharakis, Petterd and Tippett (basically doubling our collection of young guns)
take out: Fev, Judd, Thornton, and Army
By getting Tippett to add to Hammer and Kreuz, we could leave Warnock and get Sam Wright plus Aaron Cornelius.
This may be more radical than the model Hawks used (they had a better core of 21-24 yr olds when they rebuilt, and it would have led to 2 more years of struggle (more draft picks?) but it would have given us a wider and deeper "window".
FF Betts Tippett Wright
HF Cornelius Kennedy Yarran
C Waite Gibbs Walker
HB Grigg Morton Blease
B Petterd Jamison Bower
R Kreuzer Murphy Rich
INT Hampson Otten Zaharakis Robinson
Imagine that team in 3 years and the 7 years after that!
Joseph Stevens Scotland Russell Browne Simpson Anderson Johnson Garlett O'Keeffe Tiller Hill etc to play their parts
Anyway, just daydreaming... but that's what WCE and Melbourne are doing, stocking up big time. We went for 2 big fish and wouldn't sell ours.