Petracca and Bont

[CURLY]

Hawthorn the greatest team of the modern era renowned for their professionalism took Xavier Ellis before Pendlebury and Josh Kennedy. Beau Dowler at 6. They also took Mitch Thotp before Selwood FFS.

There is no exact science to drafting kids.

[B.M]

Hawthorn made a few blunders

You missed Elstone, Muston, maybe Ladson too…

Having said that, those players were expected to go there in the draft and were predictable selections.

But they got a few right too, more importantly

Hodge, Mitchell, Roughead, Franklin, Lewis, Birchall, Rioli and so on…

They key is to get more right than wrong

And their trading has been outstanding

Gibson, Guerra, Burgoyne, Lake, Hale, McEvoy, Gunston

[CURLY]

Hawthorn made a few blunders

You missed Elstone, Muston, maybe Ladson too…

Having said that, those players were expected to go there in the draft and were predictable selections.

But they got a few right too, more importantly

Hodge, Mitchell, Roughead, Franklin, Lewis, Birchall, Rioli and so on…

They key is to get more right than wrong

And their trading has been outstanding

Gibson, Guerra, Burgoyne, Lake, Hale, McEvoy, Gunston

Did they get Hodge right though? Not the best player in the draft.

[desertsaint]

Reckon when you look at overall influence on a game Hodge was confortably the best pick of that draft. Certainly a better leader. Four time premiership player and three time captain and two norm smiths. If time repeated I'd take him over Judd. His influence extended well past what he did himself on the field.

[CURLY]

Reckon when you look at overall influence on a game Hodge was confortably the best pick of that draft. Certainly a better leader. Four time premiership player and three time captain and two norm smiths. If time repeated I'd take him over Judd. His influence extended well past what he did himself on the field.

I love Hodge he was a jet and a leader with great character. Judd though was the better player. The point is Hodge took time and eventually proved a worthy pick after being behind for a long time. MCacrtin didn't get the chance to prove how good he was going to be.

[B.M]

Hodge captained 3 premierships and played in another

So I think they got it right!

Ablett and Judd were better players, Hodge the better leader

[CURLY]

Hodge captained 3 premierships and played in another

So I think they got it right!

Ablett and Judd were better players, Hodge the better leader

So what your saying is that Hodge over his entire career showed through character that the pick was correct even though he wasn't the best player. Amazing that we can pot McCartin who's injuries put a end to any chance of proving that.

[B.M]

If McCartin ever looked the player Hodge did at any stage

I’ll be a monkeys uncle

[SuperDuper]

Hawthorn made a few blunders

You missed Elstone, Muston, maybe Ladson too…

Having said that, those players were expected to go there in the draft and were predictable selections.

But they got a few right too, more importantly

Hodge, Mitchell, Roughead, Franklin, Lewis, Birchall, Rioli and so on…

They key is to get more right than wrong

And their trading has been outstanding

Gibson, Guerra, Burgoyne, Lake, Hale, McEvoy, Gunston

Did they get Hodge right though? Not the best player in the draft.

You can get it right in the draft without actually getting the best player at the pick. Hodge is a very worthy pick one and if there was a draft tomorrow and someone guaranteed you a Hodge career at pick one or to take a punt on a possible better career on some other choice, you take Hodge.

Simply looking at every single player that comes after you pick and saying there is someone better, is not really the best way to asses, it is just too harsh because the numbers are against you.

McCartin on the other hand. If offered his career at pick one or taking a punt on someone else, you obviously take a punt. Which in this case would not even be a punt.

[samuraisaint]

Would be great if we could let the Petracca/McCartin and Bont/Billings thing go. Melbourne picked Trengove and Scully over Dusty and now they're playing in a GF. Bloody good on em.

Let's focus on what we can do rather than what we didn't do. We've got a solid list that needs some tweaks. Hopefully we can follow Melbourne's lead and really challenge next year. We should take heart in what they've done this year.

Go Saints

Spot on. The Dogs lost players like Callan Ward, Ryan Griffen, and Kobey Stevens when they could least afford to, and two years later won a Grand Final.

Melbourne have played in just two finals series since 2007, so I wouldn't say that their recent and not so recent past has been exactly stellar.

Hell, we beat the Dogs last year in a final ourselves. Let's see what we're capable of when we don't have seven of our starting eighteen out every week for an entire season.

[CURLY]

If McCartin ever looked the player Hodge did at any stage

I’ll be a monkeys uncle

Hodge was nothing special early days.

[B.M]

Didn’t he win a B&F in his third year?

He was picked one in the super draft of 2001

That says something about his potential

Don’t worry about how the picks after yours perform, if your guy goes ok.

It’s only when you make an absolute meal of your decision and take the wrong guy over the obvious- and that obvious selection goes on to be the best player in the comp.

Scully and Trengove were poor picks in hindsight

But at the time we’re obvious choices