Our Club has always looked for the easy out and quick fix over the past 25 years and some still want us to go down that path again
. If I hear another Richmond supporter get on the radio and say we've been rebuilding for the past 25 years I'll do this ->
.
You can only rebuild when you bring through a large number of youngsters together. Prior to 2004 that was only done once in the last 25 years starting under KB.
IMO people severely underrate how decimated our list was at the end 2004. A list full of mid-age duds and little youth.
2004Old: 8
Mid: 23
Youth: 9 + 2 rookies
Rucks: 3
Big Talls: 3
Talls: 4
Tall Mids: 8 + 1 rookie
Mid Mids: 17
Small Mids: 4 + 2 rookies
32: Campbell
31: D.Kellaway, Rogers
30: Stafford
29:
Richo, A.Kellaway
28: Gaspar, Marsh
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27: Blumfield, Chaffey
26:
J.Bowden, Brown, Johnson, Fleming, Fletcher, Houlihan
25:
Tivendale, Hilton
24:
Hall, Morrison, Nicholls, Ottens
23:
Tuck, Fiora, Dragga#
22:
Coughlan, Hyde, Newman, Pettifer, Weller, Zantuck
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21:
Krakouer, Rodan
20:
Moore#19:
Foley#, Schulz, Hartigan, Roach
18:
Raines, Jackson, Archibald, Gilmour
Compare that to 2007 (age they'll be entering 2008)
Old: 7
Mid: 14 + 2 rookies (at least 5 of these to go come the end of the year)
Youth: 18 + 2 rookies
Rucks: 2 + 1 rookie
Big Talls: 4
Talls: 6
Tall Mids: 10
Mid Mids: 11 + 2 rookies
Small Mids: 6 + 1 rookie
32: Richo
29: J.Bowden, Brown, Johnson, Kingsley, Simmonds
28: Tivendale
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27: Hall, Knobel
26: Tuck, P.Bowden
25: Coughlan, Hyde, Newman, Pettifer
24: Krakouer
23: Moore, Polak, King#
22: Foley, Schulz, Hartigan, Howat#
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21: Raines, Jackson, Meyer, Pattison, Polo, Tambling, Thursfield
20: Casserly, Deledio, Hughes, McGuane, Peterson, White, Graham#
19: Collins, Connors, Edwards, JON, Riewoldt, Clingan#
And some people say we were better off in 2004 ???
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Now of course not all the draftees will make it. In fact no matter which club almost half usually don't make it from each draft. Also all clubs make mistakes too. Hey the Eagles pick 5 in 2000 is now playing for Werribee reserves and only 3 first round draftees played in their premiership side last year. You only try to get more early picks because they have a higher probability of having long AFL careers and becoming star players. Simple risk analysis. You bring heaps of kids to keep your list balanced in the long run. In the past 2 and half years the number of youngsters on our list has doubled.
So being on the very conservative side, say the following "make it" from the past 3 drafts.
2004: Lids, Tambo, Patto, Polo
2005: Foley, Thursfield
2006: Edwards, Connors, Polak
I still could include the likes of talls Hughes, Riewoldt, Graham also Casserly, Peterson plus maybe someone we've written off who may be a late developer. Also going the other way someone I've included might not make it for whatever reason. But for the point of this exercise say the above are the only ones to make it in years to come from our current crop of Plough's youngsters.
That's 10 from past 3 drafts plus possibly a Rainesy who'll be of similar age and either Petts, Newman and/or Cogs who'll be still around in their late 20s in 4 years time. Repeat the process for drafts 2007-09 plus some gains from trades and you'll form the basis of our 22 for the next decade where the above names will have come through together and will have played 100+ games as 22-25 year olds by then. That's the process we are going through now.
Plough and his 5 years may see it through (a la Mark Thompson) if the kids develop quickly and we find more make it than don't (a few clever trades and a smart drafting effort in 2007 would help too). Or he may become the sacrifical lamb (a la Ken Judge at the Eagles, Peter Schwab at Hawthorn) that will leave the next coach with a good young list on the cusp of hitting its prime with a few more additions.
Whatever the case may be, the tantrums of the "faceless backroom boys" are best exposed and then ignored which is what March is rightly doing.