Should we draft more top up players like last year?

[Special]

Let’s look at the 4 top ups we drafted:

Parker - started well but has faded. Still a better version of shaggy and a depth player for next 2 seasons.

Young - fast but looks like a dud. Delist end of next year unless he comes good.

Wilkie - very solid and already signed up until end of 2021. Exciting debut year.

Hind - getting better every week, definitely a best 22 player also.

I reckon we should go for another 2 top up’s next year. The 22 to 23 year age bracket is perfect and you can still get a 150 to 200 gamer out of them.

We still need top ups due to effing Pelican and the list mess he helped create

[Sainter_Dad]

What do you call a top up player - Topping up for what???

I would refer to them as mature age recruits - Top up implies that we only have them for a short term - in essence they are just players who took a little longer to develop at lower levels.

[Myron Gaines]

We should & probably will top up with a back up ruckman

[Special]

What do you call a top up player - Topping up for what???

I would refer to them as mature age recruits - Top up implies that we only have them for a short term - in essence they are just players who took a little longer to develop at lower levels.

They are topping up our list that was left in a mess by some idiots that tried to destroy our club.

Some clubs can recruit 18 year olds that are instantly best 22 players but that is not our forte (bar The Gresh)

[Ghost Like]

I think we recruited quite well last year, King & Bytel are still unknowns but promising. I'm not sure who we missed going for the mature agers, no one stands out and these lads filled a gap in our age demographic.

Cliche but best available, kid or mature ager, happy to let the recruiters continue from last years effort.

Definitely need a mature ruck & a developing ruck. Longer gone, Pierce gone...a glaring hole.

[desertsaint]

was pelchen responsible for whom we recruited? if so it's part of his mess, if not then how did he stuff us? our list management was a shambles - he provided us with many opportunities to rebuild and get our salary cap in order. then lethlean comes along and in one stupid move stuffs us again.

[tedtheodorelogan2018]

I still think drafting 18 year old kids is the best option 80-90% of the time. They don't have bad habits and can be developed from year 1.

Mature age recruits can instantly come in and play AFL level footy though and many have been unlucky not to be drafted at some point or they weren't committed as a kid. You can find some gems like we did this year in Wilkie.

[evertonfc]

I'm a big fan of mature aged recruits; largely because our development system has been truly abysmal.

Hind and Wilkie have been two genuine finds.

Look, you don't waste top 40 picks on players who are over 18. But in the 50+ range, I'm very comfortable about hunting state league talent - especially ruckman and defenders, who rely on physical development and look very different at 18 than they do at 22.

Remember, so many 18-year olds are totally immature and have no idea about what they want to do with their lives and have no idea about what it takes to make it.

At the time, I'd have taken Jacob Koschitzke ahead of Matthew Parker, but Parker has been 6.5/10 in his first season. Will he make it? He's a chance. He's got a few tricks. No regrets.

[Impatient Sainter]

Definitely there has been numerous diamonds picked up in the state leagues over the years. I cant believe so many players can dominate against AFL listed players and not get looked at as options. Yet we draft or traded in borderline 18 year olds or other AFL clubs cast offs.

We desperately need midfielders if there are not 10 examples playing in the state leagues Id be very surprised.

[bigcarl]

Wilkie, gun.
Hind, will be a gun.
Parker, will be a gun.

What’s not to like?

Great job by the club to get them on board.

I’m sure there’s some other gems out there, too.

[asiu]

i’m a fan

a rest , a pre season
... he could be an absolute legend by the time he hangs up his sandels

I'm a big fan of mature aged recruits; largely because our development system has been truly abysmal.

same.

+ the maturing aspects of being a young fella
as also mentioned

[DJ Higgins]

We could draft more but it really depends who is available. I havent checked all our picks but I assume we don't have a round two pick because, well it's st Kilda. So first round pick is probably about 5 this year so get best outside midfielder. I don't care if there are more highly rated players, get the best outside mid. Then the pick is 40 odd so it's a lotto after then so not too fussed if we get a draftee or a guy killing it at state level

[bigcarl]

There’s got to be a gun mature age ruckman playing in one of the state leagues, surely. I’d be looking there before trying to snare one from another club.

[saintsRrising]

If you mean players who have been overlooked and may be late bloomers, then yes.

Marshall - Boooom!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wilkie - Has been a great player and is already AFL Level
Hind - looking useful
Parker - could be a player - has all the tools, but needs to work out how to play team football at an AFL level
Young- Looking less likely

That is a pretty good recent hit rate.

[saintsRrising]

We could draft more but it really depends who is available. I havent checked all our picks but I assume we don't have a round two pick because, well it's st Kilda.

With no second and third rounders as it stands, but 2 fourths are later then mature agers are likely to again offer great value given that we only have one current pick when the real quality abounds.

And we may trade that pick for a quality current player from an AFL List.

Gaining more mature agers I think also suits us as we have so many youngish players, and where our list is at development wise.

[Joffa Burns]

Depth looks solid at the moment, if anything I’d be trying to up grade our picks and get some top end talent via the draft or a trade.

Are we going to find a mature age classy quick mid?
Doubt it, and I don’t think we need more Parker, Young or Wilkie types, though happy we have these guys.

We need quick skillful mids.

[St Chris]

The state leagues have been mined of nearly all of their talent. Between a shallow national draft last year, and the changed rules with injury replacements and the mid year draft, there's not too many diamonds in the rough left.

[vacuous space]

Some clubs can recruit 18 year olds that are instantly best 22 players but that is not our forte (bar The Gresh)

This is an oddly specific complaint. There are four players from the 2018 drafts who have played every game this year: Sam Walsh, Connor Rozee, Bailey Smith and Callum Wilkie. We have one of them. I would have though that cause for excitement, but apparently not, since he's in his 20s. I don't understand. It's not like we tried to draft guys for an immediate impact and failed. We didn't look at Rozee and Smith and say 'no, we don't want them'. We just preferred King, which should be a perfectly understandable decision, even if you don't agree with it. Bytel was taken with pick 41. The only guys getting regular games taken after him were mature-agers.

It's not like we're struggling for input from younger players either. We currently have three players selected as teenagers from 2017 in the side, plus one each from the 2015 and 2016. Clark, Coffield and Paton all got games as first-year players. Given the number of the current top ball-winners and goal-kickers who played 22 games in their first year is exactly zero, I don't see any need for this 'woe is us, we never get to open our Christmas presents early' mentality. Our kids are going just fine.