Richmond recruiter Matt Clarke's draft reviews (Fox Footy & SEN)

[georgies31]

As far as im concerned we won three flags on the back of some quality mids a very good KPF which became two  and a very good kpd and third tall/kpd. Also a game plan and style that was different to everyone else a style that now looks like its becoming  redundant.

Well those mids are getting long in the tooth along with our key forwards and we just went out out of need to trade in a 32 year old defender.

Im in no way having a go at the kids we have drafted but Gibcus aside i m scratching my head at the lack of addressing what appears to be our biggest list needs.

Even Gibcus was not an urgent list need but i can see why we would go after a highly rated kpd having just been forced to take a 32 yr old to cover for Astbury.  Give Tarrant his two years and Gibcus can come in and partner Balta setting up our kpd positions for yrs to come.
In taking Gibcus i have to ask  what does that say about the chances of Miller and Nyuon in the clubs eyes?
And thats a part of the point Balta, Tarrant, Grimes Nyuon and Miller it was not the biggest list need by some margin if Nyuon and Miller are any good.

How are Brown and Banks huge list needs. fmd we have Vlastuin Broad Stack Short Rioli and Mansell the oldest is Broad at 27 28.

He is Not my type but Short plays Houli's role to a tee soft outside reciever who runs and is given the ball to deliver. Rioli is what 24 and just been moved into a running role off h/b and apparently the club and supporters are over the moon with him in the role.
Mansell and Stack are more accountable types but both have shown an ability to do what the other two do to varying degrees.
How is taking two uncontested hbf addressing list needs when we have so many similar types already there.

Sonsie at least is a mid albeit a small one who has fallen of a cliff almost. How many small mids do we have again.

Clark well you could make a case for us taking him with Castagna and Aarts demanding regular games there is only Maurice junior and im not sure about him.
The counter argument here is we have plenty of Mid forwards who can and do  play fwd.

It just seems to me we missed a trick here. With the picks we had we really did have an opportunity to address some of our more pressing list needs and failed to do so imo.

Claw again a post with no sense.How we got the players to win 3 flags is bold recruitment so Francis Jackson doesn't deserve credibility ? I guess Mickey mouse picked them.Don’t forget with comprised drafts. You said it 3 flags endof story.

On to Clarke jury still out , but I'll  back the club and recruitment department.

Sheesh where did i mention Francis Jackson in that post or clarke for that matter.. I am happy to have another debate about how poor Jackson had been but really do we have to its been done to death.

The post was primarily about not addressing our most pressing list needs you obviously managed to fail to grasp that.I mentioned aging mids and key fwds along with Rance and Grimes who were the backbone to our success and we are not doing much to replace them.

So no great recruitment delivered those 3 flags the midfielders you mention and the gun Kp players mate just pot luck as you suggest in your first post and our game plan  ? Gez must be so easy to win a flag like I said your post makes no sense.

[Andyy]

That's unfortunately true Ramps.

I believe kids need a few years or so to show themselves, but I also believe that true talent finds a way. Higgins got games with us because he showed plenty IMO.

After 3 years you can call it on most of them.

How many players make a real go of their career after being on a list for 3-4 years?

How many players have had two years of their first 3-4 only playing in barely a dozen competitive matches in total including an entire year of just scratch matches & glorified training drills whilst stuck in quarantine 1000 miles from home and having all their momentum from a breakout game in a VFL GF stopped dead it's tracks? 

Or looked like an exciting inside prospect until some big Na'vi from Freo fell on their foot and then they were told to slim down and made to play an outside role that  nullified their strengths and amplified their weaknesses (and funnily enough then played their first good senior game in two years after finally being moved back on ball)?

Yes I have said elsewhere that I think those blokes from 2019 should be retained because they haven't had much of a go at it. Probably in our list management/delisting threads.

Despite this there are still plenty of drafted kids who have forced their way into teams.

Couldn't agree more on Ross but if things don't improve he'll have to go also

[Hard Roar Tiger]

Matt Clarkes national draft record the last 4 years had been pretty ordinary. Lets hope hes done better with this batch.

Half have gone - either delisted or traded.
That’s a worry, however you wish to spin it.

I’ve excluded this year but we can’t continue with that rate of attrition otherwise ramps will be spot on

[taztiger4]

Matt Clarkes national draft record the last 4 years had been pretty ordinary. Lets hope hes done better with this batch.

 

They are kids and think it is not unreasonable to give them some time to develop

Think people tend to forget that the last 2 years there has been little VFL footy for our kids to learn and develop

2020 and again for most of this season blokes not playing AFL played scratch matches with other clubs, so you'd see our kids on the same team as leftovers from other teams.

Not the best learning environment I wouldn't have thought

Let's just wait and see how things go before right off the last 4 years of recruiting and kids that have played less than a dozen games

Just based on national draft selections nothing else.

2017
Jack Higgins - Gone and done nothing with us or St Kilda
Liam Baker - tick
Callum Coleman Jones - Gone to Norf done Nothing
Noah Balta - tick
Patrick Naish - Gone Delisted
Ben Miller - 1 game, Question Mark as to future

Just 2 ticks in that group so far

2018
Riley Collier Dawkins - Question Mark
Jack Ross - Looks Ordinary after bright start - Question Mark
Fraser Turner - Delisted
Luke English - Delisted

No ticks 2 maybes at best. Nothing exceptionsl here.

2019

Thomson Dow - Question Mark Shows signs a Maybe
Noah Cumberland - hasnt played - Question Mark
Will Martyn - Dont rate him on performance so far
Hugo Ralphsmith - Ill give a tick Just.
Biguo Nyuon - Hasnt played - Question Mark at best

1 tick 3 Question Marks

2020
Samson Ryan played hasnt shown much - Question mark
Maurice Rioli - Father Son only shown glimpses

0 ticks so far

2021
Josh Gibcus
Tom Brown
Tyler Sonsie
Sam Banks
Judson Clarke

All just drafted. So no judgement can be made.

Based on that we have 3 ticks in 4 years. Matt Clarke needs to have picked some decent players this draft because our national draft selections have been ordinary at best and theyve hidden behind the 3 premierships delivered by players drafted between 5 and 10 years ago.

Yep, instead of the 3 flags & a PF, we should have aimed low & got top end draft picks.

Im surprised a club hasn't nabbed you a a strategist, you are all over it

[Francois Jackson]

Ramps is spot on.

RCD is the only one IMO who will make it along with legends like baker and balta.

Poor trading the last 4 years. Guys like Jack Ross have gone nowhere so far.

[Andyy]

Ramps is spot on.

RCD is the only one IMO who will make it along with legends like baker and balta.

Poor trading the last 4 years. Guys like Jack Ross have gone nowhere so far.

I'm not sold on RCD but tbh I reckon he could play medium forward if he never gets the huge tank needed for dedicated mid.

[the claw]

As far as im concerned we won three flags on the back of some quality mids a very good KPF which became two  and a very good kpd and third tall/kpd. Also a game plan and style that was different to everyone else a style that now looks like its becoming  redundant.

Well those mids are getting long in the tooth along with our key forwards and we just went out, out of need to trade in a 32 year old defender.

Im in no way having a go at the kids we have drafted but Gibcus aside i m scratching my head at the lack of addressing what appears to be our biggest list needs.

Even Gibcus was not an urgent list need but i can see why we would go after a highly rated kpd having just been forced to take a 32 yr old to cover for Astbury.  Give Tarrant his two years and Gibcus can come in and partner Balta setting up our kpd positions for yrs to come.
In taking Gibcus i have to ask  what does that say about the chances of Miller and Nyuon in the clubs eyes?
And thats a part of the point Balta, Tarrant, Grimes Nyuon and Miller it was not the biggest list need by some margin if Nyuon and Miller are any good.

How are Brown and Banks huge list needs. fmd we have Vlastuin Broad Stack Short Rioli and Mansell the oldest is Broad at 27 28.

He is Not my type but Short plays Houli's role to a tee soft outside reciever who runs and is given the ball to deliver. Rioli is what 24 and just been moved into a running role off h/b and apparently the club and supporters are over the moon with him in the role.
Mansell and Stack are more accountable types but both have shown an ability to do what the other two do to varying degrees.
How is taking two uncontested hbf addressing list needs when we have so many similar types already there.

Sonsie at least is a mid albeit a small one who has fallen of a cliff almost. How many small mids do we have again.

Clark well you could make a case for us taking him with Castagna and Aarts demanding regular games there is only Maurice junior and im not sure about him.
The counter argument here is we have plenty of Mid forwards who can and do  play fwd.

It just seems to me we missed a trick here. With the picks we had we really did have an opportunity to address some of our more pressing list needs and failed to do so imo.

Claw again a post with no sense.How we got the players to win 3 flags is bold recruitment so Francis Jackson doesn't deserve credibility ? I guess Mickey mouse picked them.Don’t forget with comprised drafts. You said it 3 flags endof story.

On to Clarke jury still out , but I'll  back the club and recruitment department.

Sheesh where did i mention Francis Jackson in that post or clarke for that matter.. I am happy to have another debate about how poor Jackson had been but really do we have to its been done to death.

The post was primarily about not addressing our most pressing list needs you obviously managed to fail to grasp that.I mentioned aging mids and ageing key fwds along with Rance and Grimes who were the backbone to our success and we are not doing much to replace them.

So no great recruitment delivered those 3 flags the midfielders you mention and the gun Kp players mate just pot luck as you suggest in your first post and our game plan  ? Gez must be so easy to win a flag like I said your post makes no sense.

the post makes perfect sense mate but your comprehension skills !!well thats another matter. Again where was Jackson and Clarke mentioned the post had absolutely nothing to do with our recruiters and everything to do with us not addressing our biggest needs.

Just maybe you should read it again after all im sure a ten year old could comprehend what was being said.

NOW listen carefully young un

We won  flags on the back of mids  the likes of Martin Cotchin Prestia and a lesser degree Lambert and Edwards.They are all getting long in the tooth and we are not doing a lot to replace em. I wonder where was Jackson mentioned oh i see your trying to turn it into something it is not.

It was also stated other  mainstays of the flags were Riewoldt later Lynch, Rance  Grimes and a lesser extent Astbury. all long in the tooth or  gone yet we did   little about it this draft.

Sorry bud if your in denial, but they are the facts. As i said im not going into the Jackson debate its pointless it has been done to death and there is absolutely nothing that can be said that will change my mind about how ordinary Jackson was for eleven or twelve years.


At the end of  the day the post i made had absolutely nothing to do with Jackson or past picks . Its your posts that make no sense at all. Clearly a lack of comprehension or attempting to turn the post into something it is not i wonder which it is.

[Rampsation]

Matt Clarkes national draft record the last 4 years had been pretty ordinary. Lets hope hes done better with this batch.

 

They are kids and think it is not unreasonable to give them some time to develop

Think people tend to forget that the last 2 years there has been little VFL footy for our kids to learn and develop

2020 and again for most of this season blokes not playing AFL played scratch matches with other clubs, so you'd see our kids on the same team as leftovers from other teams.

Not the best learning environment I wouldn't have thought

Let's just wait and see how things go before right off the last 4 years of recruiting and kids that have played less than a dozen games

Just based on national draft selections nothing else.

2017
Jack Higgins - Gone and done nothing with us or St Kilda
Liam Baker - tick
Callum Coleman Jones - Gone to Norf done Nothing
Noah Balta - tick
Patrick Naish - Gone Delisted
Ben Miller - 1 game, Question Mark as to future

Just 2 ticks in that group so far

2018
Riley Collier Dawkins - Question Mark
Jack Ross - Looks Ordinary after bright start - Question Mark
Fraser Turner - Delisted
Luke English - Delisted

No ticks 2 maybes at best. Nothing exceptionsl here.

2019

Thomson Dow - Question Mark Shows signs a Maybe
Noah Cumberland - hasnt played - Question Mark
Will Martyn - Dont rate him on performance so far
Hugo Ralphsmith - Ill give a tick Just.
Biguo Nyuon - Hasnt played - Question Mark at best

1 tick 3 Question Marks

2020
Samson Ryan played hasnt shown much - Question mark
Maurice Rioli - Father Son only shown glimpses

0 ticks so far

2021
Josh Gibcus
Tom Brown
Tyler Sonsie
Sam Banks
Judson Clarke

All just drafted. So no judgement can be made.

Based on that we have 3 ticks in 4 years. Matt Clarke needs to have picked some decent players this draft because our national draft selections have been ordinary at best and theyve hidden behind the 3 premierships delivered by players drafted between 5 and 10 years ago.

Yep, instead of the 3 flags & a PF, we should have aimed low & got top end draft picks.

Im surprised a club hasn't nabbed you a a strategist, you are all over it

I know the truth hurts. The facts are the facts. Ive presented the facts. You dont like it but stiff poo. Its the truth. Our recruiting in the national draft the last 4 years has been terrible.

[taztiger4]

Matt Clarkes national draft record the last 4 years had been pretty ordinary. Lets hope hes done better with this batch.

 

They are kids and think it is not unreasonable to give them some time to develop

Think people tend to forget that the last 2 years there has been little VFL footy for our kids to learn and develop

2020 and again for most of this season blokes not playing AFL played scratch matches with other clubs, so you'd see our kids on the same team as leftovers from other teams.

Not the best learning environment I wouldn't have thought

Let's just wait and see how things go before right off the last 4 years of recruiting and kids that have played less than a dozen games

Just based on national draft selections nothing else.

2017
Jack Higgins - Gone and done nothing with us or St Kilda
Liam Baker - tick
Callum Coleman Jones - Gone to Norf done Nothing
Noah Balta - tick
Patrick Naish - Gone Delisted
Ben Miller - 1 game, Question Mark as to future

Just 2 ticks in that group so far

2018
Riley Collier Dawkins - Question Mark
Jack Ross - Looks Ordinary after bright start - Question Mark
Fraser Turner - Delisted
Luke English - Delisted

No ticks 2 maybes at best. Nothing exceptionsl here.

2019

Thomson Dow - Question Mark Shows signs a Maybe
Noah Cumberland - hasnt played - Question Mark
Will Martyn - Dont rate him on performance so far
Hugo Ralphsmith - Ill give a tick Just.
Biguo Nyuon - Hasnt played - Question Mark at best

1 tick 3 Question Marks

2020
Samson Ryan played hasnt shown much - Question mark
Maurice Rioli - Father Son only shown glimpses

0 ticks so far

2021
Josh Gibcus
Tom Brown
Tyler Sonsie
Sam Banks
Judson Clarke

All just drafted. So no judgement can be made.

Based on that we have 3 ticks in 4 years. Matt Clarke needs to have picked some decent players this draft because our national draft selections have been ordinary at best and theyve hidden behind the 3 premierships delivered by players drafted between 5 and 10 years ago.

Yep, instead of the 3 flags & a PF, we should have aimed low & got top end draft picks.

Im surprised a club hasn't nabbed you a a strategist, you are all over it

I know the truth hurts. The facts are the facts. Ive presented the facts. You dont like it but stiff poo. Its the truth. Our recruiting in the national draft the last 4 years has been terrible.

The pick numbers in the draft have been terrible, the actual selections have been OK

[Rampsation]

You cant be serious. 4 years only 3 decent footballers, a few maybes, delistings and trade ons all over the place. Stop making excuses. The recruiting in the national draft the last 4 years has been poo. Hopefully thie batch is better if not Clarke and his team have to be moved on. When youve picked 17 players in 4 drafts and youve found at best 3 players... and that includes Ralphsmith who in reality is still a 50/50 its a bad record. Thats just the facts. The numbers dont stack up.

[PremiershipClock]

I recall you said Shane Edwards was a bust!

[Rampsation]

I recall that ive said that hes been a star for the last 6 or 7 years and I said it on a number of occasions. I also dont know how that equates to our drafting in the national draft over the last 4 years. Ive provided the facts. Players delisted, players moved on, others havent played a game in years. Its a bad record the last 4 years thats just a fact.

[Andyy]

You'd think that every year you could get a yourself one good, consistent footballer and maybe one reasonable depth player at least.

Only with excellent draft hands (like this year) should we reasonably expect at least 3 players will make it.

[Rampsation]

I think getting 2 decent players every year out of the national draft is fair. So 4 years = 8 decent AFL players. We havent got even half that over the past 4 years out of the national draft.

[WilliamPowell]

Just based on national draft selections nothing else.

2017
Jack Higgins - Gone and done nothing with us or St Kilda
Liam Baker - tick
Callum Coleman Jones - Gone to Norf done Nothing
Noah Balta - tick
Patrick Naish - Gone Delisted
Ben Miller - 1 game, Question Mark as to future

Ok I will play along...

Higgins - started well in his first, 2nd season suffered his brain bleed issue so not sure that counts. Comes back after illness and wasn't the same player. Gets dropped and then decides wants out rather than fighting to get his spot back... that's not a recruiting issue, that's a player/person issue

CCJ - will be a very good player even moreso at N0rt... but again not recruiting that's the player walking out on a club

Miller - will be a good KPP. Actually I am pleased that they've taken their time with him. Play him before he was ready and folks on here would have torn him to shreds

2018
Riley Collier Dawkins - Question Mark
Jack Ross - Looks Ordinary after bright start - Question Mark
Fraser Turner - Delisted
Luke English - Delisted

No ticks 2 maybes at best. Nothing exceptionsl here.

RCD - will be great player. Will be a perfect replacement for Cotch. Will he be as good as Cotchin? Who knows but he showed enough in his games this year that he will be a very good player. Reckon he's been judge very harshly because he was our 1st round pick and because he didn't debut immediately folks are critical. Club always said he was going to take time.

Ross - agree been disappointing the last 2 seasons. But I think that's got more to do with them bulking him up and then changing their minds. But 2022 certainly is a crunch year for him

English was pick 62, Turner was pick 58. late picks are always hit and miss, these were clearly misses. But what exactly did we lose?

2019

Thomson Dow - Question Mark Shows signs a Maybe
Noah Cumberland - hasnt played - Question Mark
Will Martyn - Dont rate him on performance so far
Hugo Ralphsmith - Ill give a tick Just.
Biguo Nyuon - Hasnt played - Question Mark at best

1 tick 3 Question Marks

5 kids who've been in the system only 2 years that with due to the impact of COVID have had very little 2nd tier footy to help with development.

Kids who have come to a club that's won 3 of the last 5 flags.

2020
Samson Ryan played hasnt shown much - Question mark
Maurice Rioli - Father Son only shown glimpses

0 ticks so far

2021 was their first year and it's already "zero ticks" come on? how unrealistic/unfair is that?

Ryan - a ruckman taken at pick 40. Played 1 game and if we are honest he should have played that game as he was clearly not ready. 

2021
Josh Gibcus
Tom Brown
Tyler Sonsie
Sam Banks
Judson Clarke

All just drafted. So no judgement can be made.

Based on that we have 3 ticks in 4 years. Matt Clarke needs to have picked some decent players this draft because our national draft selections have been ordinary at best and theyve hidden behind the 3 premierships delivered by players drafted between 5 and 10 years ago.

In your opinion Ramps, it's 3 ticks

IMO making calls on kids who've only been on lists for 2-3 years, especially when you throw in the chaos COVID created with the VFL comp, relocating to QLD for 3 months in 2020 etc is simply not fair.

Yes season 2022 is going to crunch time for a couple but for now I'm prepared to back them and support them.