The club seems to have focussed on young players they know will take 2 years on the list for us to be rewarded from (Darrou, Wright, Elton, Arnot, O'Hanlon, Verrier etc.).
Football is harsh, and too many on our list are not up to dominating the VFL, let alone standing up when called to the AFL.
None of the rookies from the first year draft are left. Most of the other picks are gone or average players at best. He recruited A Maric. One of the greatest duds of all time. Nason was better. Saw most of the players you mentioned above on the weekend.
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been having this debate with daniel. you dont expect rookies to make it its a bloody numbers game if you get one in six or there abouts to be a decent player you are doing okay.
of course westhoff, roberts, orielly, hicks, gilligan, polak and contin are gone what did you expect. sure it would be nice if one turned out okay but its not the end of the world just ask every other club.
i find it amusing and at the same time mindboggling that with all the information that we have nowadays people still expect most late picks and rookie picks to be gems. it doesnt work that way.
look at it this way. utiliseing the rookie draft to the max gives you a chance to find a decent player if your lucky maybe even two if your real lucky.
finally i have to say what the hell are we doing even rating young players from just 3 drafts ago especially rookie picks who come to a club with chronic weaknesses in their games unlike early picks. where the stuff is the patience.
its like hey matt dea is a dud hes had 3 yrs he should be dominating by now. never mind we took him as a late 3rd rnd pick who had only been in footy a short while.
every player is different and the case for or against is different for all of them. skinny 200cm ruckmen are not going to do well against afl ruckmen until they can physically cmpete build a moter etc so they may not be expected to even get a game for three yrs. you must look at each player individually.
dustin martin is a genuine talent big bodied and physically ready to go straight away. but he wont dominate consistently until he builds a big enough motor it may take 4 yrs to build that motor where it needs to be.
look at cotchin could not do a preseason due to his achilles.
give them a decent time time to prove themselves expect improvement and if there is none say so but writing them off geez ive read conca is no good neither is ellis batchelor has struggled at times do we right him off because of it.
matt arnot has not played agame what do we get delist the bum
people really have no idea its a joke. arnot has showed heaps the big question again is his tank. be nice if he can get it to a level where he earns a game before the yr is out.
we are talking about 1st 2nd and 3rd yr players here and people are sooking already that we dont get a decent contribution out of them that is laughable.
astbury and griffiths are in yr 3 both are talls both have had their fair share of injury these guys when fit have been thrown in the deep end because there has been no one else yet the expectations are they should dominate. how wrong can people be even in yr 3 they are there for no other reason than the experience.
the first 4 picks from 2009 have all showed enough to warrant keeping when all the circumstances are looked at. of course improvement is to be expected and demanded. the only bad pick in that draft was taylor at 51 in hindsight his behavior was perhaps a risk we should not have taken.
the first 3 picks from 2010 look sound choices conca batchelor and helbig have all showed good signs cwhen considering their individual circumstances.
2011 well only ellis has played afl but elton a tall was he really expected to play this yr and arnott big body late pick no motor if he was to get a game it would only be for the experience same for elton.
it does my head in to see supporters with so little patience and such big expectations.
theres plenty of blokes at the club who have clear chronic weakness in their games and have been there for yrs. why we have to lay into the kids before they are ready and leave these glass half fulls alone is beyond me.
