Face Off - Miller v Jackson

[Smokey]

As to laying the blame for recruitment on the recruiters well......its like blaming poor coaching on the coaches.

I may be over simplifying the issue somewhat but supporters, media etc are quite happy to lay the blame for team failure on a coach yet their role is no more all encompassing than a recruiter. In fact a coach needs to rely upon far many more contributors, assistants, influences and variables than recruiters do. Similarly players are mercilessly dissected on these boards daily yet we really don't know what the inner sanctum of the club knows regarding their true injury status, off-field issues, team role etc yet we all judge them based on our observations. Yet you are saying we can't do the same with our recruiters...perhaps that is a little ignorant hey smokey

I agree in part Stripes but where we (the general public) have visibility to the performance of coaches and players and a better idea of the expectations of both then we also are better placed to pass opinion on their performance.  And no one player (and to a lesser extent no one coach) can be blamed entirely for the results of a team, then so it is very much out of line to blame one recruiter on the performance of players recruited to a club over a period of time.

[Tigermonk]

I still think its silly to blame recruiting on what is more likely a development issue.

l agree  it is a development issue & always has been.
Why our priority draft picks dont advance & most of them are delisted

But also its been bad drafting with players like Kingsley, Knobel, McMahon, Graham, when not taking a punt on a youngster compared to experience for a year or 2

[mightytiges]

I still think its silly to blame recruiting on what is more likely a development issue.

No doubt our development of players has been poor but our recruiting especially our recruiting philosophy has been all wrong for a club that was suppose to be in full rebuild mode. When we pick up only 13 kids in the past 4 drafts we deserve all we get. The 2005, 07 and 08 drafts from simply a draft numbers point of view were a disgrace. Miller takes the can for the first two and Cameron the second as respective head of our football department at the time.

I find it hard to have a face off between Miller and FJ as Miller was FJ's overlord/sidekick b/w 2005-7. Who made what call in that time as far as selection come draft time. For instance there's arguments that JON was Miller's call, FJ's wish despite being just a part-timer, or the latest that no one actually saw enough of JON playing live and they based the decision to use a top 10 pick on him on highlights vision and recommendations from locals  .

Miller didn't deliver on what he promised when he started in 2002. The jury is still out on FJ for mine to prove himself. I am concerned by certain things he has said. The latest being our tall stocks are fine  ???. However 4 years is a fraction too early to hang a recruiter at a club rebuilding from scratch and in an environment where he had limited picks at his disposal as a result of decisions such as a coach taking a top 20 pick away from him and a head of the footy dept. allowing such a woeful and costly trade to procede.

[Ramps]

Its time to look forward under a new coach. Hardwick will have a tough first 18 months, but he has made a commendable start, Im sure his new direction will assist the recruiters with the type of players they need to be looking at. Getting blokes who can kick the footy,  getting blokes who will put there heads over the footy, getting blokes with a winners mentality and a bit of leadership. Over time, Im sure there will be improvement. Its time to look forward now, whats happened has happened, theres no point dwelling on any of it ... now if only we had just tanked 

[one-eyed]

In the Herald-Sun today, Miller says he's back from travelling and wants to get back into recruiting.