Some interesting points mentioned in Melbourne's midseason football review that may apply to the Tigers as well. Especially point 7 about top picks taking 6-7 years to mature.....http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/rfnews/melbourne-plots-renaissance/2009/06/18/1244918138710.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1■1. That Melbourne, already paying around the minimum salary cap of 92.5 per cent, intended to "front-load" contracts just to reach that mark in the next couple of years. Harrington, when working in a similar role at North Melbourne, saw the Roos fall foul of the AFL Players Association when they acknowledged they were paying below the minimum.
While there has been speculation that the Demons could eventually reach a "real" salary cap of 86 or 87 per cent — a figure that would be officially 92.5 per cent by dint of paying some players higher wages up front, in the first year of a contract — Schwab said this was possible, but not certain. "We possibly could, but there's also going to be pressures from the introduction of two clubs."
■2. Melbourne has long lacked stars, and needs them, more than any specific type of player. "We want to pick AFL players, actually get some stars," said Prendergast, who made talent — rather than positional need — the priority in last year's drafting.
If players in the draft pool were similarly rated, then needs would enter the picture. "The other philosophy is that we can't fix everything in just one hit," said Prendergast. "And that was very much the philosophy last year.
"But we'll certainly be drafting on the basis of that bloke there could be a superstar."
■3. While stars of any description were the priority, Bailey felt that a midfielder with excellent kicking skills and a contested-marking forward were the most critical needs. "I still think a good kick in the middle of the ground, kicking to a contested-marking forward, is still a great way to go."
The coach said that tall defender Colin Garland was capable, however, of filling a key forward spot. "He could give us that opportunity as a forward." Jack Watts, obviously, would be a key forward target in the future.
■4. Melbourne was not really in a position to emulate Hawthorn's successful model and trade away seasoned mid-20s players with high currency for top-20 draft picks. While the Demons had closely examined the "premiership models" of Hawthorn and Geelong in particular, their capacity to trade away mid-20s players for picks (eg Jonathan Hay and Nathan Thompson) was limited, simply because they didn't have many players in that category.
"Hawthorn … started their process around 2004," said Schwab. "But they actually got to the preliminary final in 2001 with a relatively young team. We got to the 2006 finals with a team reaching the end of its career. What that's done is create a generation gap on your list, and our generation is players aged 22 to 27."
■5. Expanding upon the scope for trading, Bailey said that Sylvia, now developing some consistency in his performances, had never been prospective trade bait. "It's never entered my mind."
■6. The Demons were reluctant to specify precisely when they saw the club entering premiership contention.
"And we're not putting time frames on dates of when our club evolves into a … hopefully premiership," said Schwab.
■7. That said, Harrington said the research suggested that it took a team six or seven years to develop from scratch into a premiership contender. "So the maturing of those great picks is about six or seven years."
The upshot is plain. If 2008 was year zero for Melbourne, then the premiership window would open around 2014.
But Hawthorn has shown that it can happen ahead of schedule.
