Matthew Clarke

[spook]

Agree. Every sport I've ever been involved with has had the mantra of 'get the best early, pick for needs later'. Don't know why Clarke has been instructed to do otherwise, but reckon he has.

*note - my typing is just trash today...

I'm not sure about this. Clarke's 'early' picks have been Higlet, CJ, Balta, RCD, Dow. Four drafts, only five picks inside the top-25. I don't think any of them fall into the manic pressure mould.

 

[K3]

I'm not sure about this. Clarke's 'early' picks have been Higlet, CJ, Balta, RCD, Dow. Four drafts, only five picks inside the top-25. I don't think any of them fall into the manic pressure mould.

Do you think we picked them after assessing them as the best players at their respective pick?

I stopped following the kids a while back, and am interested in your thoughts.

 

[spook]

Do you think we picked them after assessing them as the best players at their respective pick?

I stopped following the kids a while back, and am interested in your thoughts.

Higgo was a top-10 slider. Not our style of player, being a non-quick small. I think they thought he was too good to ignore. They were wrong.

CJ I think was a case of "we need developing talls, talls need time". This is the pick you could most argue was based on need.

Balta was definitely best available and happened to suit our need for talls (even if he is a small).

Whether RCD or Dow were best available is a matter of opinion. Jack reported from a pre-draft function that Clarke was in love with RCD, so Clarke obviously thought so. (FJ supposedly loved Bobby Hill, who we would have taken if RCD was gone.)

Some fans are grieving over not picking Dev Robertson with the Dow pick, others love what Dow potentially brings.

What I'll say is that around that mark there is no 'best available', it's more a matter of preference and yes, sometimes need.

 

[King Kong]

Outside of Walker and Ainsworth every one of those players taken after Higgins would be a significantly better outcome for us.

 

[TigerFlag2017]

Talls drafted since we started our flag run: Balta, CJ, Miller, Biggie, Ryan. Chol re-rookied once or twice in this time as well. Not bad. But we could still do with a future FF and CHB.

Miller still can't get a game and almost every time you watch him you see why. But he's on the list for at least eight more weeks. We should probably have a look.

Biggie has the makings of an intercept defender. More gym required but a keeper for now.

CJ and Ryan have similar profiles. CJ easily ahead but has three more years in a professional environment. He was also an All-Australian junior and state captain, whereas Ryan was overlooked for two years. CJ gets the ball more and is a stronger mark; Ryan is 206cm (CJ 200) and a better athlete and kick. Ryan has a contract for next year - neither CJ nor Chol does. Everyone expects at least one of CJ or Chol to be elsewhere next year - we can't afford for it to be both.

So, what do we do? Given the reported interest in both CJ and Chol, I doubt both will stick around. We can't play them all and I'd say Nankdo is still our #1 ruck combo option. We might not have a choice in this. Chol can go wherever he wants as a free agent and CJ might have big money offers from more than one club. Either would probably stay if they were confident of getting a game, but how can they be?

We desperately need to recruit our next-gen midfield. Having six picks in the first three rounds, with possibly a top-10, another first-rounder and potentially two more picks around the 25 mark is great currency. Let's base it on the current ladder and say we have 10, 14, 26, 28, 41, 46.

There's been talk of trying to get the Dogs' first by trading them our two seconds to give them extra points for a Darcy bid. But he's going to get bid on in the first five, so they'll need their first then some to match. We could instead offer say 28 and 41 for their first next year. If a Darcy bid comes at #1 we could throw in 46 as well. I like this play, not sure the Dogs would, but we're blue-skying here so I'm gonna go with it.

So now we have 10, 14, 26, 46 and the Dog's 2022 first.

Cerra. If we get him he'll come in as a 22-year-old able to immediately improve our midfield. Freo will ask for both our firsts and Blair will rightly laugh and point out that it only cost one first to get the far superior Dion Prestia and we got a significant second-round upgrade into the bargain. So, they'll want our first pick, we'll want to give them our second. Horse-trading will happen. If we want him, we'll get him, is my feel. I think we want him. And he wants us, because he's as big a Tiger fan as us PREnders.

If we have pick 10 maybe we give it for Cerra and that's that. If we have pick 7, who knows. You'd have to know the kids better than I do. Let's say we give up pick 10.

So, what to do with those talls? GC have pick 5 currently and have said it's on the table for an experienced key forward - could we nab it for CJ? We'd probably have to sweeten the deal unless he comes back and kicks arse in which case we'd want to keep him. I just don't know if he works in the same forward line as Lynch, and I'm not sure he'll ever be a #1 forward or a #1 ruck. McEvoy ceiling IMO.

Let's say we get pick 5 because we're being optimistic here. So we lose CJ, gain Cerra, and go to the draft with 5, 14, 26. Best mid with 5, maybe a key forward at 14, and either another mid or a key back at 26.

And we have two first-rounders in 2022.

How we lookin?

The fact that we are looking doubtful for a fourth premiership in five years would suggest that we are lookin' flat.

 

[spook]

Matt Clarke said in a podcast interview - I think with Howdumb Caldumb Twomey - that he liked Higgo because he'd overcome his limitations. To me, that a kid that limited had basically become a fulltime footballer a year before his draft should have been the warning sign that his room for improvement would be less than others' it appears many others took it as.

 

[Dyer'ere]

Gadzzoks, T_G, you're quibbling! I don't care if a butterfly farted in Tombouctou we might have got another of those glamours. And we had free rein at #17. And as you know, we could see this all very differently in five years, or one. This is the best we can right now.


On the Naish pick, we made noises about not taking him early after GCS and North(?) were interested. He was nominated by St Kilda at #34 and we matched. Father/Son picks are pretty much forced on the clubs because of the discount so fair enough IMO.

And as you'll see the draft was pretty much over by then. Very few passable players left on the board. (Aside - would Harrison Petty be better than Miller, Garth or Biggy?)

 

[Dyer'ere]

2​	34​	Patrick Naish​	Richmond​	Northern Knights​	TAC Cup​
2​	35​	Oscar Clavarino​	St Kilda​	Dandenong Stingrays​	TAC Cup​
2​	36​	Charlie Constable​	Geelong​	Sandringham Dragons​	TAC Cup​
2​	37​	Harrison Petty​	Melbourne​	Norwood​	SANFL​
3​	38​	Jack Petruccelle​	West Coast​	Northern Knights​	TAC Cup​
3​	39​	Nathan Murphy​	Collingwood​	Sandringham Dragons​	TAC Cup​
3​	40​	Andrew McPherson​	Adelaide​	Woodville-West Torrens​	SANFL​
3​	41​	Toby Wooller​	Brisbane Lions​	Oakleigh Chargers​	TAC Cup​
3​	42​	Charlie Ballard​	Gold Coast​	Sturt​	SANFL​
3​	43​	Connor Ballenden​	Brisbane Lions​	Brisbane Lions​	NEAFL​
3​	44​	Hugh Dixon​	Fremantle​	Tigers​	TSL​
3​	45​	James Worpel​	Hawthorn​	Geelong Falcons​	TAC Cup​
3​	46​	Ben Paton​	St Kilda​	Murray Bushrangers​	TAC Cup​
3​	47​	Sam Hayes​	Port Adelaide​	Eastern Ranges​	TAC Cup​
3​	48​	Oskar Baker​	Melbourne​	Aspley​	NEAFL​
3​	49​	Jordan Houlahan​	Essendon​	Sturt​	SANFL​
3​	50​	Tyler Brown​	Collingwood​	Eastern Ranges​	TAC Cup​
3​	51​	Kane Farrell​	Port Adelaide​	Bendigo Pioneers​	TAC Cup​
3​	52​	Brayden Crossley​	Gold Coast​	Palm Beach Currumbin​	QAFL​
3​	53​	Ryley Stoddart​	Sydney​	Eastern Ranges​	TAC Cup​
3​	54​	Jack Payne​	Brisbane Lions​	Noosa​	QAFL​
3​	55​	Connor Nutting​	Gold Coast​	Broadbeach​	QAFL​
4​	56​	Zac Langdon​	Greater Western Sydney​	Claremont​	WAFL​
4​	57​	Gryan Miers​	Geelong​	Geelong Falcons​	TAC Cup​
4​	58​	Jake Patmore​	Port Adelaide​	Claremont​	WAFL​
4​	59​	Mitch Crowden​	Fremantle​	Sturt​	SANFL​
4​	60​	Joel Garner​	Port Adelaide​	Eastern Ranges​	TAC Cup​
4​	61​	Dom Barry​	Port Adelaide​	Glenelg​	SANFL​
4​	62​	Kyron Hayden​	North Melbourne​	Subiaco​	WAFL​
4​	63​	Ben Miller​	Richmond​	Subiaco​	WAFL​
4​	64​	Nick Shipley​	Greater Western Sydney​	St George​	Sydney AFL​
4​	65​	Tom North​	Fremantle​	Eastern Ranges​	TAC Cup​
4​	66​	Brandon Zerk-Thatcher​	Essendon​	Sturt​	SANFL​
4​	67​	Dylan Moore​	Hawthorn​	Eastern Ranges​	TAC Cup​
4​	68​	Hamish Brayshaw​	West Coast​	Sandringham Dragons​	TAC Cup​
4​	69​	Lloyd Meek​	Fremantle​	Greater Western Victoria Rebels​	TAC Cup​
4​	70​	Angus Schumacher​	Carlton​	Bendigo Pioneers​	TAC Cup​
5​	71​	Jackson Ross​	Hawthorn​	Eastern Ranges​	TAC Cup​
5​	72​	Tristan Xerri​	North Melbourne​	Western Jets​	TAC Cup​
5​	73​	Sam Switkowski​	Fremantle​	Box Hill​	VFL​
5​	74​	Callum Porter​	Western Bulldogs​	Gippsland Power​	TAC Cup​
5​	75​	Scott Jones​	Fremantle​	East Perth​	WAFL​
5​	76​	Matt Guelfi​	Essendon​	Claremont​	WAFL​
5​	77​	Billy Hartung​	North Melbourne​	Hawthorn​	AFL​
6​	78​	Jarrod Garlett​	Carlton​	South Fremantle​	WAFL​

 

[jb03]

Richmond were keen on Worpel. Not sure why we didn't take him

 

[Dyer'ere]

Richmond were keen on Worpel. Not sure why we didn't take him

Do you know who was keen on him, jb?

 

[The_General]

I'd have liked James Worpel from that list Dyer. I'd be pretty keen to have him over Naish.

As for our first three, you're right, we can speculate to the cows come home. All I know for sure is what we've got, picks and premierships. I'd take that everytime.

 

[Dyer'ere]

Rookie Draft

Liam Baker

We shot the lights out. The Matthew Clarke regime recorded its greatest or second greatest triumph to date.

Amartey, Banfield. See for yourself.

2017 Drafts complete.

 

[Redford]

Do you know who was keen on him, jb?

Beck.

 

[Dyer'ere]

I'd have liked James Worpel from that list Dyer. I'd be pretty keen to have him over Naish.

As for our first three, you're right, we can speculate to the cows come home. All I know for sure is what we've got, picks and premierships. I'd take that everytime.

The few who can play after Naish are preferable, T_G. But we are cornered with F/S picks. (Ask Luke Beveridge about how tough it is to get Pick #1 in the National Draft as a gift. Heh heh. But it does force your hand if you get a discount.)

 

[Dyer'ere]

Beck.

I dunno why people don't like him. Some hatred of Hundays?

 

[Dyer'ere]

BTW what ever happened to Debra? Back playing for Aberfeldie? (The sister was always the star.)

 

[jb03]

Do you know who was keen on him, jb?

Hardwick. Thought he was a prototype Richmond man. I think the picks didn't quite fall the right way.

 

[Dyer'ere]

Hardwick. Thought he was a prototype Richmond man. I think the picks didn't quite fall the right way.

Coaches. Wow.

Hardwick is meddling in recruiting, jb?

 

[jb03]

Coaches. Wow.

Hardwick is meddling in recruiting, jb?

Not sure to what extent JD. Not a lot I wouldn't think.

 

[Dyer'ere]

Thank Gawd for that, jb. Heh heh.