List build - where are we? Where are we going next (Part 1)

Ants · August 15, 2018, 4:52am

SCarey:

Ants:

Walla, Brown and Hartley were drafted in the 2015 national and rookie drafts. They had nothing to do with saga top-ups.

I thought your memory was better than that. Top ups were used at the beginning of 2015 for the NAB Challenge before the AFL Tribunal Verdict when most of the 2012 players still on the list were provisionally suspended , only to be found not guilty by the AFL before ASADA appealed to CAS.

Brown, Walla and Hartley were part of the top up squad and trained as part of the AFL list until the not guilty verdict on the 31st of March clearing the provisionally suspended players to play against Sydney in the first round with no preseason games.

I found a couple of articles relating to this time to remind you, but probably digressing a bit too much for this thread. Although the second article indicated that Hartley didn’t pass the medical (which I’d forgotten) and didn’t end up playing in the NAB Challenge, but the saga certainly brought him to the club, and Dodoro’s attention, in the first instance.

So here’s a link - (and I wasn’t meaning to rub it with posting the below thread title - it’s just a happy coincidence):
Sorry Saga - “It’s actually quite funny people thinking they know more than they actually do”

Ok, I’ll admit I was wrong to say they had nothing to do with being top-ups.

But you said “10% of our senior list, and one of our most promising young coaches got on our list initially as ‘Top Ups’ because of the Saga.”.

That just implies something very different from what any layman means when reading that. They didn’t get onto our list due to being top ups. They got a few weeks of training with the ones before the 2015 season, then went and played VFL throughout 2015 with various clubs (and did well), and then got drafted by us in the 2015 ND and rookie drafts when anyone else could also do so. They would have been on multiple clubs’ radars, and others could have taken them. Similar to how Adams, Collins and Menegola were all drafted from state leagues that year.

And as this thread discusses the list build, including how its built, I think this is relevant for this topic.

Finding_Nino · August 15, 2018, 4:54am

For a second there i thought he was in doubt against Tigers

SCarey · August 15, 2018, 5:15am

We progressed our relationship with these players as a result of our unusual circumstances and this helped Dodoro believe in them.

You can’t deny that and it is relevant at least in my opinion. You are entitled to your opinion as well.

SCarey · August 15, 2018, 10:30am

Sorry fellas

jonovdp · August 15, 2018, 11:35pm

This is spot on.
Tippa played 1 NAB cup game. He was average in that match and didn’t play again.
Are all VFL listed players who play in the Seniors intraclub match, top up players also?

That is not the reason he got drafted in the following rookie draft. He got drafted because of the 3 VFL seasons of hard work.

And tbh I’m sick of opposition supporters implying that if we hadn’t have ‘cheated’ we wouldn’t have Tippa at the club… because he was a ‘top up player’. Which is misinformed and wrong. He isn’t a carry over ‘too-up player’ from the Saga like Dea and Kelly.
Tippa was drafted prior to the players being suspended.

FuriousGeorge · August 16, 2018, 1:46am

The other thing with picking up Dea and Kelly, was that they were classified as Delisted Free Agents after 2016, so eveyone had the chance to make them an offer if they wanted them. We had no exclusive rights to offer them a contract.

If anyone ever whinges about this sort of stuff I’m generally pretty quick to state that I would happily forego having Matt Dea and James Kelly on the list if it meant the Saga had never occurred (even though I’m happy with having had them at the club since).

That_s_special · August 17, 2018, 1:10pm

Back line looks OK: Francis, redman, saad, Hurley, hooker, McKenna

Forward line OK: daniher, McKernan, stringer, walla, fantasia, one more elite small

Midfield a disaster: zerrett good. Hopefully McGrath and parish on.

I’d trade heppell, myers, Langford, colyer and zaka

barnz · August 17, 2018, 1:12pm

i’d trade 3 of those players.

HirdMentality · August 17, 2018, 1:13pm

One of those players wouldn’t get you much

barnz · August 17, 2018, 1:14pm

cap space for shiel, good enough.

IceTemple · August 17, 2018, 1:15pm

lol trade Heppell

That_s_special · August 17, 2018, 1:17pm

Clarko would do it

BomberSam · August 17, 2018, 1:17pm

This is an unpopular opinion it seems:

Josh Green is a good small forward and is worthy of another one year contract.

barnz · August 17, 2018, 1:17pm

clarko also mainly brought in players that could kick to a standard.

DonToDeath · August 17, 2018, 1:23pm

He would not trade his 26 year old captain.

IceTemple · August 17, 2018, 1:23pm

Nope, he trades old blokes or fringe players.

alex.f.94 · August 17, 2018, 1:25pm

I think what would improve our midfield is if we stop relying on zaka and hepp to carry it.

Tell Zach, Smith, parish, McGrath and Langford that the midfield is theirs from now on. Hepp and zaharakis are role players.

That_s_special · August 17, 2018, 1:32pm

Zach carries this midfield singlehandedly. Zaka and hep don’t or can’t run the other way. Basically liabilities. McGrath never plays in the guts. Never. I have no idea what role parish plays. Its a woosha special. If we get shiel, I want Zach, shiel and McGrath following the ball all year

HirdMentality · August 17, 2018, 1:33pm

They should be feeding the ball to their teammates who can actually spot up targets

alex.f.94 · August 17, 2018, 1:37pm

What I’m saying is get hepp and zaharakis into areas where their strengths can be used. Get hepp off hb again where his marking and calmess can shine, and get zaharakis into the forward 50 again where his goal sense will make him a 40 goal a year small forward. They can rotate through the middle but they shouldn’t both be getting 30 disposals a game.