Draft Analysis

[wayne]

Anyway why do we only cop it for not taking Franklin. The Doggies were/are crying out for a quality tall forward yet chose Griffen who this year hasn't set the world on fire in the stronger list of the 3 clubs. It's not like they aren't loaded with smalls.

The same way the Hawks cop it for Judd and the Saints don't.

[Ramps]

itll get worse if Mitch Clark or Shannon Hurn really start to turn it on as well and JON doesnt improve.

[julzqld]

Everyone knew before the day that Deledio was going to be the #1 pick.  Even Blind Freddy knew it.  Tambling was thought to have gone at #2 but he didn't.  The Hawks didn't use their first pick to get Buddy and neither did the Dogs.   So why try and rewrite history?  What's done is done - no point moping about it. 

[Gordon Bennett]

Everyone knew before the day that Deledio was going to be the #1 pick.  Even Blind Freddy knew it.  Tambling was thought to have gone at #2 but he didn't.  The Hawks didn't use their first pick to get Buddy and neither did the Dogs.   So why try and rewrite history?  What's done is done - no point moping about it. 

Exactly, julz.
Queensland...beautiful one day, reasonable the next   (or something like that)

[one-eyed]

Tiger critics: Dermott Brereton believes Richmond have taken the heat for selecting Richard Tambling in the 2004 national draft at No.2 instead of Lance Franklin who was picked up at No.5 for Hawthorn.

Buddy of evidence
11 May 2007   Herald-Sun
Dermott Brereton

THE Tigers have been copping it in the neck all week. And rightly so. But the venom should all be directed at the players.

Terry Wallace didn't lose his ability to coach in seven days. The players were terrible.

Wallace could have put fluoro-coloured witches hats out on the ground last Sunday instead of his side and there would have hardly been any difference to the game.

Except, perhaps, that the witches hats would have started in the correct position for each contest.

The Tigers have also taken some heat for having selected Richard Tambling in the 2004 national draft at No. 2 instead of Lance "Buddy" Franklin, who was picked at No. 5.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Every team gets it wrong at the draft at some stage.

At the plump 2001 draft West Coast chose Ashley Sampi while Jimmy Bartel and Nick Dal Santo were still available. To isolate cases at the draft is almost as unfair as it is difficult to make the choice in the first place.

After finishing last in 2004, Richmond held the first selection in the national draft.

At the time, 16 AFL clubs would have agreed and picked Brett Deledio first. He virtually chose himself. Thereafter the plot thickened because most judges believed Tambling would go at No. 2.

Even Hawthorn, which held that choice, believed Tambling had the credentials to be selected at two.

But the Hawks had a clear charter - decided upon by coach Alastair Clarkson, the football department and the recruiting team led by Gary Buckenara - to create a spine of key-position players that would be the backbone of the team for a decade.

In the lead-up to the draft, Hawthorn, like every other club, drew up a mock draft to decide what strategies should be employed should their be a twist in the proceedings.

Hawthorn was at an advantage because it believed it knew the first eight selections that were going to be made.

The only question mark was over Richmond's choice at No. 4.

The Hawks knew that Richmond believed them to be keen on Tambling, (which was true but outside Clarkson's plan), so the Tigers put a lot of work into Leongatha lad Jarryd Roughead, who they probably assumed they would get at pick No. 4.

The home-grown kid tested excellently in all areas and his psychological evaluation was exceptionally good.

Hawthorn was of the opinion the Tigers believed they would get Roughead at No. 4 after Hawthorn took Tambling at No. 2.

Hawthorn, like everyone else, also knew that the Western Bulldogs had made a strong and honest commitment to taking South Australian Ryan Griffen at No. 3.

On the day, Richmond took Tambling with its second pick at No. 4, like most others would have, because Roughead was snatched early.

The funny thing about that draft was that, more than likely, 16 teams would have rated Lance Franklin a greater natural talent than Brett Deledio at No. 1.

And it was mentioned by some that he was the best natural talent to come through since Nick Riewoldt.

But, swayed by several factors, he was picked up in the draft at No. 5, which was not considered a big shock.

He had a very poor under-18 national championships a couple of months earlier. Then his psychological evaluation showed up to be a friendly and amiable young man, but possibly too much of a fun-loving kid.

He was viewed as a likable rogue who might take a while to settle down and work it all out.

And, not least, he was going to have to cross from one side of Australia to the other, possibly without the support network of his parents.

As we have seen in the past with the likes of Luke McPharlin, the lure of home can be a very magnetic influence to a West Australian boy.

The West Aussie lads know that they can go home and still get paid to play in the AFL after serving an apprenticeship in Victoria. In contrast, players from the Northern Territory, like Tambling, have to spend their entire career away from home to play at the highest level and make a great living.

He, like every other kid from the Northern Territory, cannot be lured home by an AFL club.

It was also known that Tambling was motivated. He would travel hundreds of kilometres each week to get to training and play with Southern Districts in Darwin.

For the beautifully free-spirited, indigenous sporting kids of NT this dedication at such a young age was unheard of. It spoke volumes to everyone that he wanted to make it.

From the outside now, Tambling appears to be a dedicated but mellow soul for an AFL player. He will be good player in time. It's just taken a little longer than the Tigers had hoped for Tambling to embrace the place by believing he belongs in this company.

On the flip side, the little worries that caused some apprehension among those viewing Buddy Franklin have actually worked in his favour.

Buddy's confidence and almost extroverted belief in his own ability have allowed him to mentally flourish in an environment that can emotionally gobble up players who harbour self-reservations.

Of course, there will always be some little edges that will be knocked off him along the way. But the cocky smile and grin after a goal is part of that roguish attitude that helps create footballing artistry. And let's pray in this day and age that he never loses it.

Hawthorn strongly believed the Doggies would take Queenslander Tom Williams with pick No. 6 in the 2004 draft.

That left Hawthorn open at pick No. 7 to select Jordan Lewis, who Gary Buckenara was hell-bent on getting.

[one-eyed]

My report sheet is as follows for the '04 draft.

Pick 1
Brett Deledio (Richmond)

WILL be a star when he learns to find more football. Relies too heavily on his pace right now and needs to accept that at times he has to be physically strong over the ball. A legitimate top-three selection.

Pick 2
Jarryd Roughead (Hawthorn)

STRONG-minded kid who will play 150-plus games. He will be the rock who will take heat while those around him flourish.

Will win some games for the club but it is hoped he will be a consistent key position, jack-of-all-trades player like Paul Dear in the '90s.

Pick 3
Ryan Griffen (Bulldogs)

A STAR in the making. Quality kid who will play 150-plus games. If he learns how to exploit his height over most other midfielders, he will become dangerous in front of goals.

The Bulldogs have been heard to say they would have taken him at No. 1 if they had the chance.

However, they knew they were never going to be tested on the question.

Pick 4
Richard Tambling (Richmond)

HAS all the attributes to make it as a small midfielder. Pace and agility are great. He just doesn't get it enough.

We all thought he would come on quicker. And if he does, he will be something special. But even now that we are talking about him like this, it is not what he needs to hear.

He needs to go out and play as if he is in the schoolyard running circles around the big kids. His biggest obstacle now is self-belief.

Pick 5
Lance Franklin (Hawthorn)

PROBABLY more talented than Nick Riewoldt, which in itself is an enormous statement.

Has improved his overhead marking this year. So now there is actually no correct way to play him if he's "on".

He is too tall, too quick, too agile and has too much endurance for every defender I can think of. But he is also, on occasion, too confident. Even though I kind of like that!

He is the only player that Jason Dunstall and I have gasped at in amazement over pure ability. We were sitting together watching pre-season training last year when Franklin crumbed a half-volleyed ball at blistering pace without breaking stride.

Running directly towards the contest, the spiked spoil from Trent Croad flew to Buddy's ankles like a tracer bullet.

Franklin gloved it cleanly, and in one take - his reflex reaction would have made Brian Lara sit up and applaud.

He ran through the congestion as fast as Carl Lewis before the pack of players even knew he had the ball.

My jaw and Dunstall's dropped simultaneously.

His face had the same look of wonderment that Mike Gatting had on his when Shane Warne bowled him around his legs.

I don't believe that people that tall should be allowed to run that quick and be that well co-ordinated. It defied human physiological capabilities.

In that briefest of moments we both knew that this kid was rare. Not the type of footballing species that was becoming extinct, but the type of footballer that had not yet been invented!

Pick 6
Tom Williams (Bulldogs)

THE Bulldogs pinned very high expectations on what they had seen in the limited time he was out on the park. No real strong judgment can be made because of the unfortunate run the boy has had with injuries.

Pick 7
Jordan Lewis (Hawthorn)

FOR all the hype about this draft, Lewis has given the most value at senior level.

If he was born in the days of the Wild West, he would be dressed all in black.

---------
If Richmond was after the best talent at No. 4, as Greg Miller has said, Tambling was the most talented rover, but Franklin was the most talented.

One can only assume that the Tigers wanted the best talented midfielder.

But Lewis was the safest bet. Besides being a very good player, he was Victorian-born, tough as they get and a physique that was ready in Round 1 the next season.

In November 2004, Gary Buckenara said Lewis would play AFL before Roughead and Franklin. My personal take on it is that Richmond wanted to build an on-ball dynamic duo that few could match for pace.

Deledio and Tambling could still become that. They need to learn to find the football more often in the centre and the Tigers will be away.

In taking Tambling at pick four, Richmond was doing what most other clubs probably would have done in the same situation.

The Tambling-Franklin selection battle is making Tiger fans yell, but to me it is more appropriate to nominate Lewis as the one that got away.

We all knew that Franklin had the most talent, yet three clubs chose four other players before Buddy. Richmond has not let its supporters down with the Tambling selection.

It did what most others would have done on the day.

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,21710145%255E20322,00.html

[Mopsy]

Well there you have it fellows - 'like a punch up the nose'

Dont let it bleed for too long

[mightytiges]

How does Dermie explain Hawthorn hestitating for 2 minutes before picking Franklin if he was all the time part of the plan. Dermie is correct to say we wanted Lids at 1 and Roughead at 4 and the Dogs were always after Griffen. Pretty sure Casey had invited Roughead to his house as part of that after-draft draftee show-off to the media gathering believing we would pick him up. Hawthorn wanted Roughead and Tambling. They knew if they went for Tambling at 2 they wouldn't get Roughead at 5 and would have to go for Franklin (Buddy's attitude and talk he would head back to WA was a concern to all clubs). So they picked Roughead at 2 hoping we'd go for Franklin at 4 to get a KPP after missing out on Roughhead, leaving Tambling to fall through to 5. We took Tambling instead and the rest is history.

There's often a toss up in these quality drafts between the safe option and going for the superior talent. Judd missed out going at 1 because of his shoulder injuries at a junior so the safer options at the time in Hodge and Ball went before him.

[Life goes on]

can tell you all that we wanted speed in the draft with the early picks, it was a wallace directive. ala Bulldogs model

[julzqld]

What's the maximum number of picks we can have?

If it were up to me (horrible thought), I'd say "I want one ruckman, one forward, one defender, a couple of midfielders.  Lots of muscles, no sticks".

[mightytiges]

What's the maximum number of picks we can have?

If it were up to me (horrible thought), I'd say "I want one ruckman, one forward, one defender, a couple of midfielders.  Lots of muscles, no sticks".

Sounds good to me from a footy point of view lol.

The maximum number of picks is basically equal to the number of players you offload. The problem is even if you could offload 20 players then you are left with 15 late picks who have a low percentage of making it.

[Stephanie]

What's the maximum number of picks we can have?

If it were up to me (horrible thought), I'd say "I want one ruckman, one forward, one defender, a couple of midfielders.  Lots of muscles, no sticks".

Sounds good to me from a footy point of view lol.

Who said it was for a footy team?
That's for Julz's personal use lol
One for everyday of the week 

[mightytiges]

Shaun Higgins would've have been a good get in the 2005 draft. He was highly rated too at the time.

[mightytiges]

You know by now Ramps I like bumping up your thought-provoking threads from the past 


2004-

Deledio- HBF, wingman, pinch-hitting forward. A key player but not yet a gamebreaker. 
Tambling- Getting there slowly as a midfielder although the Geelong game was forgettable.
Meyer- hip problem. Last chance to see if he can come back?
Pattison- yep resting ruckman/forward pocket. Big blokes take far longer.
Polo- Stagnated since the shoulder, playing VFL.
McGuane- Significant improvement since this time last year yet dropped this week for reasons most outside don't know why.

2005

Oakley Nicholls- Flanker. Playing VFL although named as an emergency last couple of weeks before breaking his arm. Opinions on him still vary  .
Hughes- The gap between his good and bad games is still vast. Needs to impose himself more on games as a KPP and believe in himself. Seems a confidence player. Back playing VFL.
Casserley- Injury Prone. No change  .
White - Improved and has found a spot in the seniors. Now needs to develop further and hold his spot.

2006

Riewoldt - Upward curve and playing seniors now.
Edwards- Has polish will be a player in time - no change but needs to do more and get more of the ball to keep his spot in the seniors.
Connors- Lack of preseason due to foot injury stuffed him up fitness wise. Wait till 2009.
Collins - Still light on size wise but knocking on the door.

2007

Cotchin - Early days but  despite no preseason.
Rance - Once again early days but I'm a fan and think he'll be a player.   
Putt - Long term ruckman. Too early to judge
Gourdis - Project type which is what you'd expect from a PSD pick. Another long term option. 50/50 at this stage whether he'll make it. Could be a great find; could be a dud.

Analysis

2004 - Not wasted but it hasn't been the superdraft fans we were hoping for. More decent players that form the foundation of a new core.

2005 was another average effort - yep the worst by far in return of the 4 Wallace drafts. We're still hoping long-term that it can be rescued by late developers but it would be a  surprise.

2006 - Still early days but potentially could get 4 AFL-standard players out of this draft. 

2007 - Potentially the best in terms of quality long-term but still we only had 3 National draft picks. The first year we finally recruited kids with size.

Overall - still work in progress but we're in better shape than this time last year. Francis Jackson appears to have take over in the last two drafts 06-07 from Miller. It goes without saying we need a strong draft performance this year to complement what we already have.

[Ramps]

this place wouldnt be the same without my thought provoking rubbish  mind you I wasnt far off on most of what I wrote. Have to say I wasnt overly impressed with much tonight. We have a long long way to go before we become a top team.