Always pick next best player!

[R. Harvey 3 votes!]

I remember Grant Thomas's way was always to pick the next best player in the draft and never trade your top picks so you keep building up from underneath with quality young talent. I agree with this way of going about things, that is why I disagreed with trading our second round pick last year to sydney for Schnieder. Although King and Charlie Gardner were worth a gamble for pick 90, but I wouldn't be trading any of our picks unless we are getting Gary Ablett, always get the best young quality talent into your club that you can so they are about to come through when more senior players might be dropping off, this should prevent a big slide?

What does everyone think?

[Sainterman]

GT - Barry Brooks trade? Wasn't that a top pick??

[st.byron]

I remember Grant Thomas's way was always to pick the next best player in the draft and never trade your top picks so you keep building up from underneath with quality young talent. I agree with this way of going about things, that is why I disagreed with trading our second round pick last year to sydney for Schnieder. Although King and Charlie Gardner were worth a gamble for pick 90, but I wouldn't be trading any of our picks unless we are getting Gary Ablett, always get the best young quality talent into your club that you can so they are about to come through when more senior players might be dropping off, this should prevent a big slide?

What does everyone think?

agree that keeping our high picks for developing young players is ideal, but not set in stone if a great deal was available.
You're risking a severe flaming by resurrecting the ghost of GT as an example of not trading picks.
Picks 6 and 31 for Barry Brooks?
Fergus Watts? etc.......

[chook23]

McGough

[The Saintsational Man]

It's a tough choice;

- Pick the player you need or,
- Pick the best of the bunch.

I say just take the best player, things have a way of working themselves out, so just take the best and hopefully the chips come your way.

[n1ck]

McGough

Wasnt exactly a top draft pick... *rolls eyes*

[chook23]

It's a tough choice;

- Pick the player you need or,
- Pick the best of the bunch.

I say just take the best player, things have a way of working themselves out, so just take the best and hopefully the chips come your way.

Although very easy just to say pick the next best....

but that is an opinion.........might not be the next best

[chook23]

McGough

Wasnt exactly a top draft pick... *rolls eyes*

I was referring to the point in OP...........pick next best

[n1ck]

There were only 8 players selected after him that are still on AFL lists 3 of those have been traded from their original clubs... and most are not in the best 22 at their clubs.

So at pick 49 everything is abit hit and miss. Wasnt a 'horrible' selection in that regard.

Nathan Ablett was selected at #48 and Jayden Attard to Brisbane at #50.

[bigcarl]

we should pick guys on their ability as footballers regardless of "type".

in other words, pick a guy because he can play rather than because he's a ruckman, for example.

there's always the trade table and the psd to fix glaring holes in the list, so i'm inclined to agree with "best available player."

assemble football talent, then mould it into a team. let's face it, you always find a spot for a good player, whatever "type" he is.

[Eastern]

that is why I disagreed with trading our second round pick last year to sydney for Schnieder.

What does everyone think?

From memory we got BOTH Schneider & Dempster for pick 28. I would call that a win-win trade for both us and Sydney, with us coming out a little bit in front at this stage !!

[True Blue Sainter]

we should pick guys on their ability as footballers regardless of "type".

in other words, pick a guy because he can play rather than because he's a ruckman, for example.

there's always the trade table and the psd to fix glaring holes in the list, so i'm inclined to agree with "best available player."

assemble football talent, then mould it into a team. let's face it, you always find a spot for a good player, whatever "type" he is.

Very true. Player for player, the Hawks backline is fairly ordinary. They seem far too short and small to handle big forward lines. But as a unit, particularly when they throw Hodge back, they function very well as a team. My point being, as Carl said, the personnel are relevant not because of what they do and how they play individually, but what they do, and how they play TOGETHER. The end result is more important than the individual parts that constitute it.

[sunsaint]

that is why I disagreed with trading our second round pick last year to sydney for Schnieder.

What does everyone think?

From memory we got BOTH Schneider & Dempster for pick 28. I would call that a win-win trade for both us and Sydney, with us coming out a little bit in front at this stage !!

Exactly, its easy to be selective, but that trade got us TWO ready made players that contributed for the whole year. People may not rate Dempster but he left a huge whole in the backline when he went down with his knee.
Easily one of the best trades the club has done in recent times.

[St Fidelius]

GT - Barry Brooks trade? Wasn't that a top pick??

Yep and what about Fergus Watts

[evertonfc]

What does everyone think?

Yeesh, you've dug one almighty hole for yourself.

I don't mean to be rude RH3V, because you're obviously young, new and love the Saints, but it riles me when this stuff gets put up without a proper sense of logic and history.

How have we drafted since 2003? Dreadfully. Awful. It's added nothing to our list, save for Sam Fisher (picked as a stationary FF, NOT a running defender). But trade week has been good for us for about eight years, save the Watts/Brooks effort.

In summary: Draft when you can, but trade if the deal is good.

How anyone can say Schneider, Gardiner, King and Dempster for a mid-range second round pick (which we used to pick up Brad Howard the year before) was a bad move defies belief.

[stinger]

I remember Grant Thomas's way was always to pick the next best player in the draft and never trade your top picks so you keep building up from underneath with quality young talent. I agree with this way of going about things, that is why I disagreed with trading our second round pick last year to sydney for Schnieder. Although King and Charlie Gardner were worth a gamble for pick 90, but I wouldn't be trading any of our picks unless we are getting Gary Ablett, always get the best young quality talent into your club that you can so they are about to come through when more senior players might be dropping off, this should prevent a big slide?


What does everyone think?

you are spot on the money....about not trading our early picks...never should ..but we have in the past and gt was a serial offender....

[big_mac_evoy5]

my theory works with hawthorn the icked all there talls early on in the draft and then got midfielders if u look at there 22 from the gf not many midfielders were top 10 beside hodge and ellis but they got ellis after they had buddy roughead williams and boyle. i believe if u are are tossing up between tall and small always go tall they take longer to develop and are alot harder to replace. use second rounders for mid's. if we were to go small with our small pick this year i would want a sidebottom rockliff type who can go play in the guts and can play forward and kick goals.

[saintsRrising]

I remember Grant Thomas's way was always to pick the next best player in the draft and never trade your top picks so you keep building up from underneath with quality young talent. I agree with this way of going about things, ?

Well you might agree with it...BUT you are not at all factual with your history...as that NEVER happened under GT....so it was not his way at all.

For example:

Never trade your top picks: GT traded up first round draft picks in more than one year...

Always pick the next best player: How does Rix for example fit your myth?? Clearly he does not.

[True Blue Sainter]

you are spot on the money....about not trading our early picks...never should ..but we have in the past and gt was a serial offender....

Watts and Brooks I believe are the two "victims" of circumstance...