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samoht wrote:We picked young key position players last draft - time for young midfielders. We missed out on Petracca and Brayshaw - last year. Time to catch up.
And we probably should have taken Petracca but we didn't. We have a top 10 midfielder already this year and we also can get a proven CHB. To good to pass up is what the club obviously believe.
The frog never realises he's being boiled until he's cooked. If you looked at Lenny at 21 would you know he was going to be elite? These sort of listing of players are too simplistic - he'll make it, he won't so get rid of him and get more talent in. It just doesn't work like that - you can't make snap decisions - things have to play out. And we have to balance developing our midfield with developing all our lines as they all need a lot of work.
I give the example of Daisy Thomas. At one point he's considered just a flashy player who drops in and out of games without pretty ordinary disposal. Then suddenly he's getting to contest after contest, linking up play all day, is usuing the ball with smarts and Lyon is calling him the best player in the AFL. Lenny never seemed a great kick, then he got an elite tank and composure and he's using the ball really well. Newnes could be like Thomas IF he keeps developing. We could look back in a few years and Ross has become the next Diesel Williams. You look at them now and its hard to see but that's the same with almost all young players except the exceptional like Selwood and Judd. Players can reach a transition point where everything comes together and you wonder where the hell they came from.
Plus we are doing a lot of chopping and changing which is common in developing teams. Once our first unit midfield begins to crystallise then they'll begin to work much better as a team and everyone will look better. In the McCArtin article Richo said "we can always get mids" so there has been a conscious choice of perhaps developing a blue ribbon engine room to last. We've got a fair chunk of the infrastructure in place and once the engine room starts going we'll generate a lot of electricity.
Great post. I have considerable faith in Newnes and Ross to keep improving. I think they have a lot more to give and same goes for Webster.
Acres needs a stand out year. Don't just think next year think where these guys might be in 2018.
Tom Curren and Minchinton may not end up making the midfield group, but it won't be for lack of trying. Minch in particular was so impressive in the last two Sandy games this year, you just never know. I mean the guy really dominated.
