emma quayle says saints will be going downhill in 2 years,.

[skeptic]

our fate like many others is the the hands of our youngsters...

if guys like Armitage, Eddy, Geary, Steven, McEvoy, Stanley, Heine, Lynch etc are able to improve and a few become a-grade players, we'll do very very well.

if they do not, we'll be celler dwellers within 3 years

[bobmurray]

It's all a bit of a raffle anyway when it comes to drafting..

We recently delisted a former No.27 draft pick,not one the recruiter would ever hang his hat on....

Some seem to be making the assumption that all the TAC kids that get drafted make the grade.....that is not so...whatever number draft pick they are....

It's all about the player mix but Ross seems to have a fixation with recycling players from other clubs.....

[Dr Spaceman]

It's all a bit of a raffle anyway when it comes to drafting..

We recently delisted a former No.27 draft pick,not one the recruiter would ever hang his hat on....

Some seem to be making the assumption that all the TAC kids that get drafted make the grade.....that is not so...whatever number draft pick they are....

It's all about the player mix but Ross seems to have a fixation with recycling players from other clubs.....

I'm not sure it's a fixation. Making the Grand Final meant we weren't gonna get an early pick anyway. Trading 16 for Lovett will be liked by some and hated by others but the GF certainly exposed the Saints lack of pace & accuracy in the forward line, whether that be hitting targets or scoring goals. Could we have solved that with a kid at pick 16? Perhaps, but it probably would have taken a few years for that kid to make it to the seniors even if he was good enough. So I don't have any problem with giving up our earliest pick for Lovett.

As I stated in my previous post I also don't have a problem with recycled players with our later picks where there was a perceived lack of talented kids available in a weak & compromised draft.

[saintly]

I understand her opinion and I guess against perhaps the amount of young talent other clubs have stockpiled (Geelong again this year) it could be argued we may struggle when Hayes/Roo/Kosi et al go.

Lyon has backed the here and now which I also understand....but geez......last time we were here and now we didnt get another shot for 13 yrs....

Mind you its interesting that Smith is only 23, Pattison 23 (have copped a heap of cr@p off mates for this selection...) so while they arent kids.....they arent 28.

I guess is we get 1 flag at least in the next couple of years you could argue its paid off? .....however, 2 would be in the realms of this group IMHO.

my thought is that
geelong has been on top for three years still likely to be their for te next 2-3 and yet they still go with youth.

the saints tried the route of topping up after 1997 and still took us 13 years to make a grand final. if the saints do not win the grand final within the next 2 years the topping up (even if they are low 20 year olds) may come back to haunt the saints in the years of GC and GWS drafts.

[Milan Faletic]

Quayle is a goose !

Maybe I could have a serve of Quayle with some fava beans and a glass of chianti

[saintnick12]

Geelong had to go with youth as they couldn't afford anyone else. They were interested in Lovett last year and apparently some others this year. But they are under such tight salary cap pressure due to the ongoing success that they cannot afford to do anything other than go for kids. If we have room for a few older players in our cap that might make the difference to winning a flag then go for it I say. We still drafted young with our first and last pick and also most of our picks last year. We have also increased our number of rookies over the past few years and have had great success with this - Jones, Geary, Dawson, McQualter and Eddy were all rookies.

[realdeal]

Geelong had to go with youth as they couldn't afford anyone else. They were interested in Lovett last year

They also wanted to get Jesse Smith so thats tells you something too..

[Top4King]

when we got peake they got drum

[chook23]

We have/are been recruiting in the now

she is not far off the mark

[Top4King]

she's the type of cat that sits in the rain and wonders why she gets wet.

[chook23]

she's the type of cat that sits in the rain and wonders why she gets wet.

a saints supporter who is not far off it in this article

[Top4King]

if she is so a saint what's she doing having a dig. that's not a supporter, that's an opinion.
IMO 27 is when you are at your peak. our list is redlining. we dont need talk of player shedding.

[plugger66]

Seems resonable with what she said. We are definately drafting for the now with a litlle for the future. I natural reaction from a club trying to win a flag. No issue with what she says or with what we are doing.

[saintsRrising]

Ok..based on Saints who are currently 26 or less we have a team of:

Smith Dawson Miles
Dempster Gilbert Peake
DalSanto Goddard Montagna
Gram Lynch McQualter
Schneider Cahill Jones

McEvoy Armitage Steven

Stanley Geary Ray Clarke

Quite likely to still be playing in 2012 = Roo, Lovett, Kosi, Sam Fisher

Wildcard = Walsh

Rookies = Given our recent success it is likely that one or two new rookies will have forced their way in the 2012 team

Lenny and Roo are our only two true current elites. Losing them would make a hole in any team.

however BJ may well soon be one.

[Top4King]

how many draft picks in the first round did she get right this year plugger66?
it seems they have removed her predictions article from The Age.com

saintbrat? can you find her predictions article. i would love to know how many first round selections she got right.

[plugger66]

how many draft picks in the first round did she get right this year plugger66?
it seems they have removed her predictions article from The Age.com

saintbrat? can you find her predictions article. i would love to know how many first round selections she got right.

And what does it matter how many draft picks she has right. She has an opinion which cannot be right or wrong. Amazingly before she han a negative opinion about the saints this time( I dont think it is negative) most people rated her just about the best journalist around.

[Top4King]

how many draft picks in the first round did she get right this year plugger66?
it seems they have removed her predictions article from The Age.com

saintbrat? can you find her predictions article. i would love to know how many first round selections she got right.

And what does it matter how many draft picks she has right. She has an opinion which cannot be right or wrong. Amazingly before she han a negative opinion about the saints this time( I dont think it is negative) most people rated her just about the best journalist around.

most ppl. i think she's crap. monday's expert always has been.

[plugger66]

how many draft picks in the first round did she get right this year plugger66?
it seems they have removed her predictions article from The Age.com

saintbrat? can you find her predictions article. i would love to know how many first round selections she got right.

And what does it matter how many draft picks she has right. She has an opinion which cannot be right or wrong. Amazingly before she han a negative opinion about the saints this time( I dont think it is negative) most people rated her just about the best journalist around.

most ppl. i think she's crap. monday's expert always has been.

Well I am speaking from a pedophile point of view apparently. She is also no Monday expert as you call her as she puts her picks out there before the draft not after.

[saintsRrising]

Emma I normally rate quite highly...but in this case people should not get too excited. It was a "filler" article with a few paragraphs on each club and mainly lightweight lines. Not normal Emm material at all.

Compared to the detailed in-depth articles that she normally writes this was paper to line the bird-cage.

[Top4King]

i think it's important that we publish the article in full:

Mods edit: Deleted for posting entire article...heres the URL

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/t ... -jyed.html

[Top4King]

how many draft picks in the first round did she get right this year plugger66?
it seems they have removed her predictions article from The Age.com

saintbrat? can you find her predictions article. i would love to know how many first round selections she got right.

And what does it matter how many draft picks she has right. She has an opinion which cannot be right or wrong. Amazingly before she han a negative opinion about the saints this time( I dont think it is negative) most people rated her just about the best journalist around.

most ppl. i think she's crap. monday's expert always has been.

Well I am speaking from a pedophile point of view apparently. She is also no Monday expert as you call her as she puts her picks out there before the draft not after.

and saintbrat will find them........... if anyone can find it saintbrat will.

[saintsRrising]

i think it's important that we publish the article in full:

:

I think you might want to read the first Stickie then.....see at top of page.

[saintsRrising]

i think it's important that we publish the article in full:

:

I think you might want to read the first Stickie then.....see at top of page.

[Top4King]

i think it's important that we publish the article in full:

:

I think you might want to read the first Stickie then.....see at top of page.

i've read it. i thought this was an extra-ordinary situation. hey did you read the homepage 'True Believer'?. Yeah that's mine.

[Top4King]

< is waiting patiently for Emma's First Round picks................