hello everyone, i have edited the "Chat" sesson on
www.richmondfc.com.au with Richard Taylor, Richmond's Recruiting Officer.
here are the Questions (from the public) and Answers (from Richard).
the order of the Questions are from 2:00pm to 1:00pm, so if you want, start from the bottom.
italics -
Questions from the public.bold -
Answers from Richard.enjoy!
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How many players were invited to this Search session?We have approximately 15-20 kids on the day.is griffiths quick enough to play as a leading full forward? how did he test at the draft camp? Ben did not test at draft camp due to injury but has previously run 3 flat for 20 metres which is outstanding for someone his size. He also displays this in game situations and we feel in time will be a dangerous match up with his ability to win the footy on the lead and in a contested marking situation.Richard, what emphasis do you place on statistics when doing your recruiting or do you rely solely on your eye for talent?We have a lot of statistical data available to us and we have formed a template of key statistical criteria that is relevant for each player type. We use this information to confirm what we have seen with our eyes on the field.A rookie search session? What does this entail?It is something we have done for 3-4 years and have found it invaluable. It consists of some athletic testing and then the coaches running a skills session. We then get the input of the coaches on top of our recruiting information and determine players to train leading up till the draft.your job's going to be made tough by the amount of picks GC have in the draft next year. are we already looking at potential players for next year's draft and is the net cast wider?It certainly will make it tougher with a lot of early picks gone but history will tell you that every year good AFL players are taken in the second half of the draft. It just means a lot more travel and work for us recruiting guys to find those hidden gems.What was the one trait that stood out with regards to Dustin Martin?Dustin had many traits that stood out. He wins his own football, he is powerful in congested situations, he has fantastic pace to break the lines and his kicking is outstanding.Where do you see Dae's best position mate? Matt can certainly be a rebounding defender with the athleticism to play tall or small. We have also seen him play effectively as a leading forward with his pace and contested marking a feature.going into the draft how long is the list of players under consideration knowing that other clubs will be looking at the same players?The list is extensive. We would have reported on and followed over the course of the year hundreds and hundreds of players. Once we get to the second half of the year we will start to narrow our focus and concentrate on the players we think are strong draft possibilities.How many rookie selections will we have and any invitations for training going out We have already conducted a rookie search session this morning and from this we will invite 3-4 kids to complete training with the main group leading up till the rookie draft.Troy Taylor? what is his best position? how was his reaction being drafted? Troy is definitely a forward with his great goal sense. He could play as a high forward or even deep forward.How many more picks do the Tigers still have? There is the PSD pick and how many rookie spots are still open? We still have 5 more players to complete our list for the year. We have the first remaining live pre season pick and a further 4 rookie selections.Skills and decision making seem to have been an emphasis this year. Each of our new blokes also seem to be able to get their own footy. Fair call?You are absolutely right. This year we did our own kicking profile on up to 100 kids rating every kick they had for the year. We certainly feel that every player we selected last night is above average in this area.When do the new draftees begin training, Richard???All draftees from last night will be met at home by one of our development staff in the next 24 hours and they will then arrive in Melbourne on Sunday ready to get stuck into it from Monday onwards. You will all be glad to know that Dustin was very disappointed when he found out there was no training today.Will the drafting of several forwards enable Jayden Post to be released to play down at CHB or as a roaming tall wingman? he seemed to play better there despite the hype of him up forward.We certainly feel we have some flexibility with our talls and both Jayden and Dave Astbury are equally adept forward or back.did we consider any recycled players with any of our picks?We certainly considered all players and rated the senior AFL delisted players against the youth in the same pool. We did have Rhan Hooper training who was an option but as we know was selected by Hawthorn last night.how long is anticipated before Ben will be able to train fully and play?It is probably too early to say as the operation was only this week but we would expect Ben's pre season to be minimal and he may have a delayed start to the season.Were the club surprised to see Taylor there at 51?Yes we were certainly surprised to see Troy still available at this point in the draft. We feel his talent is the equal of most players in this draft and if he fulfils his talent we will have a real steal.Hi Richard, thanks for coming 'onboard' and taking the time to answer some questions. I was wondering if you could tell us a bit about J Webberley and what role you see him playing for the Tige's?Jeromey is an outstanding runner who is a high possession winner and continually breaks the lines with his speed and penetrating kicking. We see him as an ideal rebounding defender.Is Ben a chance too play next year Richard? We would certainly not place a ceiling on how far Ben can go next year but we certainly know that he will be far better in 2-3 years time. Next year for Ben will be about development and getting his body right.where will david astbury play? forward or back?One of the features of Dave is his flexibility. We believe he could play equally effectively as a tall leading forward or as a rebounding defender as he has excellent skills and composure with the footy and a good endurance base.Hey Richard, about Ben Nason - after plucking him from the SANFL reserves I am wondering what qualities he has that will allow him to make it at AFL level when he wasn't playing SANFL seniors? Is it just a case of unlocking potential?Ben displayed strong AFL traits with his hard running, defnsive pressure and elite skills on either side. Central Districts is a super strong team and we feel he would have been playing consistent league footy for any other state league club. He also still has a lot of upside and development with his body.Dea seems like a speculative pick is there a reason he was taken at 44 and not later?We had strong mail that he would have not been there at our late picks.I was devastated when Melbourne took Tapscott. Was he in the mix for our second round pick?Yes Luke was definitely a strong consideration for us at pick 19 but the Demons took that decision out of our hands.Which players do you expect to be ready for senior footy next year?We certainly think Dustin with his talent and size can have an impact early next year.What's the story on Matt Dea? Why did the club feel they could take a risk on a Basketballer when there was still proven pedigree around such as a Hardwood? We do not see a huge risk with Matt. We have seen him play 10-12 times this year with his school footy and TAC and he has excellent AFL traits.Happy with us picking Griffith are his injuries going too be an issue? Ben's injury issues were certainly a strong consideration. We have had good reports on both of his shoulders.
