Hmm, look I was going to wonder whether or not you’re being obtuse deliberately or not, but given you’re asking me if I’ve backed myself into a corner and can’t admit I’m wrong, its obvious we’re just poles apart. Frankly, I think some of what you’ve written is terrible logic, and its clear you think the same of me.
Sheedy
Surely you know you’re whole Sheedy + Judkins = flag, while Sheedy + Dodoro doesn’t is silly. If Sheedy never changed his level of capability, we wouldn’t have got rid of him in 2007. And I never said Sheedy was the problem, I said he was one contributor (early on), and was one of the ones running list management and trading. Please stop saying I said things I didn’t.
Geelong
Huh? Did I even mention Geelong? They clearly recruited brilliantly, and Wells would be hands down the #1 recruiter of the 1999 to 2005ish era. I’ve said before, if we can poach one of the best 2 recruiters going around, Dodoro should be out the door. I would point out you missed a key word, instead of “they drafted” it should be “they drafted and developed” those players. They also did the rebuild I mentioned - finished out of the finals for 5-6 years straight, traded out Colbert, Bizzell, Mansfield and Murphy. Of course, luck was involved - they didn’t initiate those trades and got lucky they were in good drafts, whereas for us when forced to trade out players it was in weak ones. They also didn’t have any of their best players become injury prone crocks (unless I’ve forgotten someone, or you really rate Spriggs).
What changed pre/post 1999
Oh I don’t know. Maybe the stopping of zoning picks? Maybe not getting top 5 picks to use on guys like Lloyd & Lucas? Maybe Jackson cutting the budgets, including moving to a part-time head of recruitment? Maybe our poor injury history during that period? Maybe draft sanctions? Maybe finishing higher up the ladder? Maybe injuries to guys like Rama/Winders/Laycock who should have moved us forward? Maybe opposition spending on recruiting jumping way up? Maybe poorer development coaches? Maybe bad luck on Sheedy - if we’d refused him to take Davies, but accepted on Pike, it might have made a difference. Maybe that we stuffed up the salary cap and gutted team morale?
average players
Just to be clear, keeping average players was the right decision, for the team’s goals. Take 2018. If there is a decision that we should be competing, keeping guys like Bird, Howlett, Dea, Brown etc. around for depth makes a tonne of sense. If we actually think we’ve missed the boat, having guys like them and Myers, Goddard, Bags in the team over kids is the better way to go. If the strategy is to play finals, then keeping those average guys on the list and in the team is the right decision.
Now, do you think Dodoro makes the decision about the direction the club will take in 2018? I’m sure he has a voice, but from what other’s have posted its a broader group. Personally, I would assume the coach has the most say, followed by the CEO. At some clubs, maybe the board directly, although Catherine appears to have said that’s not the case here.
Pick success
Using the Tambling decision. Yes, I think Adelaide picking up Tambling helps vindicate Richmond’s recruiter on taking Tambling (although not necessarily at using a top 5 pick). Same with us and Zantuck.
I find your statement “Other clubs rating a players talent before they’ve actually been at their club doesn’t mean the talent is there or that it can be developed into a senior player of any note” interesting. It is technically true, people thinking the talent is there doesn’t make it so. But the job of recruiters is to pick guys with potential, and the only point of getting rid of Dodoro is if you could get someone better. If everyone agrees with a pick Dodoro makes (or whoever recruited Tambling or Zantuck), then that isn’t a bad pick. It is an unsuccessful pick. The two are not the same. Pears would be a great example of this.
But I feel that our differing views on if a pick is a bad one or an unsuccessful one is at the crux of our disagreement. I don’t think we’ll be aligning views anytime soon.
