Thinking ahead to 2024 draft...(and beyond)

[Take_a_Screamer]

For years we’ve all complained we keep recruiting midgets. Now we’re complaining we’re trading them away.

We've gone from Happy to Grumpy

If we make dumb mistakes, that'll be be Dopey as well

[Newelly]

^Mobility is also an issue with very tall players. I am aware of the new FF height standards that have come about due to forward line flooding. I do think Condon should be pursued as his recruitment may allow another ruck around 6 foot 6 mark consider key defence or forward positions. Steene comes to mind.

[Presti35]

Looking at the draft order thingy today, and I feel like we need to get into the early 2nd round if we're to snag one of these twins. Maybe even a late first.

Geez, we spent a lot on Schultz.

[The Black and White Lion]

^
and we spent a lot on Ginnivan! 2 wrong decisions don't make a right. I'm prepared to give the final decision on the Schultz and Ginnivan trades some more time but it doesn't look balanced in our favour at this point in time.

[Jen2310]

Ideally we try to trade up into late 1st round to get one of the Whitlocks

Jack is ranked #20
Matt #26

Ideal situation is both, pair them together. One at either end of the ground.

If not, there is Faull or Sims in the 30's

https://central.rookieme.com/afl/power- ... gust-2024/

[The Black and White Lion]

As much as I would love to go to the super draft with a bounty of picks, our history of drafting young talls in the main draft and developing them is atrocious. We choose to trade out of strong positions and then lament that we can’t find a KPF.

The 2024 bumper draft is another example where we have little chance of bumping up to R1 or high R2 without giving up a lot. All the clubs ahead of us in R2 need a KPF or KPD and could sweep the board before we get there. Draft rankings aside you can grab mids and utilities anytime but KPP are much harder to come by so I believe those clubs will take the chance while the players are there. Think we’re at a significant disadvantage right now.

[LaurieHolden]

our history of drafting young talls in the main draft and developing them is atrocious.
We choose to trade out of strong positions and then lament that we can’t find a KPF.

Atrocious? We haven't had a top 10 draft pick for a decade. When we did, we needed to trade our 1st rounder to get to Treloar in 2016 and took Stephenson @ #6 then bundle picks to get to pick #4 for Naicos. Which of those were you handing back at the time?

While in 2015 the Blouse jagged future Coleman medalists in McKay and Curnow, who's decade would you rather have had? And the Blouse let Kennedy go, so go figure.
So who's lamenting? The only sides that have had gun Coleman Medal winning key forwards that resulted in flags in the past 10 years have traded them in. Richmond (Lynch) WCE (Kennedy) and Geelong (Cameron).
While we missed Lynch, we don't know what it would have cost us while we were working out way through a salary cap debacle.
Missing Lynch in 2019 and subsequently signing Grundy for a multi-year multi-million-dollar contract set a chain reaction of events we're still feeling the impact from.

We had Henry, and while not a true KPF, the go home factor got him. It's done, it happens.

So let's dispell this "key forward" myopia is the only cog missing to some romantic notion of a dynasty.
The type of forwards that keep getting pushed forward are generational talents every Club wants. We botched Lockett and had a dip at Lynch and missed. Cameron was always going to Geelong. And every one of those mentioned apart from Curnow and McKay have left their Club of origin.

We just won a flag without one and just got McStay back. Sure, we'd be a better Club if we had one of them, but at what cost. Success isn't built around one position.

[Pete 70]

Great post LaurieHolden. The only thing I would add is that BT was a legend, and a great get for us, and with him in the squad we won one flag (he was injured for the final). That Richmond team of the mid-80s had an absurd amount of amazing forwards, Disco Roach, Mark Jackson and a few others. Taylor kicked a stupid amount of goals in the 2’s one year - something like 140-odd. Meanwhile Hawthorn traded one G Ablett away and still won a bazillion flags. Great defences and midfields win finals. I’d love someone big bodied to go with Naicos, take Keane from Adel, hopefully Reef stays and we take a Harry Himmelberg approach and make him a third defender, and I’d roll the dice on Lynch for 2 years. Any salary cap dump and first rounders from interstate teams a bonus, and well received.

[Presti35]

If we take on Lynch it would be a ballsy move and likely a disaster. How many old broken down players do we want.

I'm ready to make a comeback if you are.

[Pies2016]

We’re going to see a lot of conflicting opinions and thoughts in this thread because the club finds itself in such a unique position.
On the one hand, there is the carrot of having one last tilt at a flag in 2025, while on the other hand, there’s an obvious need to regenerate with youth because our core players are ageing quickly.
Here’s what we know. All senior players have been retained, so it’s fair to say the club has prioritised a tilt at the flag in 2025 over any youth injection. That suggests to me, they will focus on improving the list with plug and play additions over draft night. We can satisfy our immediate needs with either player trades or signing ( un ) restricted free agents or adding a delisted free agent or two. It wouldn’t surprise to me to see us add up to three recycled players in the off season. They won’t be superstars but they would all be selected with one only one thing in mind and that’s to improve us overnight.

Then we come to the draft and given that we’ve already declared our hand for 2025, just where does our investment in this draft sit in the overall scheme of things. And that becomes the single biggest question to be answered in this entire topic.
Personally and from the outside looking in, I’m probably looking to do everything possible to get one pick as close to the pointy end ( would likely need to involve our future first rounder ) and then accept our second pick would come much later in the draft. Keep in mind and at the risk of repeating myself yet again, there are plenty of ways to improve our current draft position. You just have to be creative.
For mine, I would like to see an outcome where we have one rolled gold high end pick ( whoever and wherever that is ) where we can all see a 10 year player in the making from the day he arrives at the club. Add that young talent onto a list that has been topped with mature age players ready to go and we have achieved a balance that should satisfy both the now and the future. That strategy isn’t difficult to execute and we have already shown that by topping up beautifully at the end of ‘22. We don’t have to trade in superstars to be better, we just have to trade in the right people to improve our chances in 2025. We also need to buy into the draft early enough to reduce the obvious speculation that comes with later picks.
Simples !

[LaurieHolden]

Before we jump at any key position prospect, reflect that Melbourne have delisted former 2015 #2 pick Josh Schache.
Now there is one key a 199 cm 6"6 96kg forward many bemoaned the Club by not getting onto our list...You can't make a silk purse from a sows ear.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Schache

[lazzadesilva]

^^^^
Is he a risk worth taking?

[LaurieHolden]

With Noble contracted until 2026, perhaps we might ask for the Suns pick #28 or #31. A bundled pick with one of our late ones into their #20 would be manna from heaven.
https://www.draftguru.com.au/years/2024 ... raft-order

[SLORT]

^^^^
Is he a risk worth taking?

Only if you're in to purses...

[Pies2016]

Before we jump at any key position prospect, reflect that Melbourne have delisted former 2015 #2 pick Josh Schache. Now there is one key a 199 cm 6"6 96kg forward many bemoaned the Club by not getting onto our list...You can't make a silk purse from a sows ear.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Schache

Yep, Just like James Stewart before him and soon to be Sam Weideman after him. Just because you’re tall and dominating other kids in an underage competition with anti density rules, doesn’t mean you’re going to enjoy being belted from pillar to post against grown men for the next ten years.
You’ve gotta enjoy repeated physical contact as a modern day key forward and that ain’t for everyone. They’re a very special and hard to find breed.