JASON Taylor says the Melbourne recruiting team has gained what it needed and says this year’s NAB AFL Draft Combine was a success, as it now looks towards the trade and draft period.
Speaking at Etihad Stadium on Sunday, the final day of the combine, Taylor said some important information had been gleaned from the four-day camp.
Taylor said the recruiting team would now gather its thoughts and assess all the information gained from the combine and then convene at a club conference to determine its strategy – and players to target – for the NAB AFL Draft.
But Taylor said he would be in the thick of the trade period, which starts officially on Monday.
“We’re looking forward to that and hopefully we can nut some things out and get some things done reasonably quickly and get back to focusing on the draft,” he told Dee TV.
“We’ve done a fair bit of our work already, but from this process, we do have some follow up points to make sure we get them done leading into the [draft].
“There might be some guys outside of the combine that we need to speak to as well, so there is a still a little bit more to do, but the bulk of our work’s been done.”
Taylor said Saturday was a full, yet productive day at the combine.
“It was a really good day – a testing day for a lot of the players. They started with their jumping and agility, and then into the 20-metre sprint and then the repeat sprint, and then into the beep test, in pretty humid conditions,” he said.
“It was a real test of their mettle and I was pretty impressed with some of the taller players that were able to push through and test well. There were some strong performances in the beep test and it was a good day all round.
“To have it jam packed like that – you could really see who was going to grind it out.”
Taylor said the three-km time-trial, held on Sunday morning, was one of the most critical components of the combine.
“It’s a crucial part of the game these days … the ability to cover the ground and guys are at different rates at the moment with their endurance running,” he said.
“We just like to see some intent in their processes.”
Overall, Taylor said the Combine had confirmed information, rather than providing any major surprises.
“There hasn’t been a lot of change [in our thoughts], but through the interview process and also the testing there has been some support to what you’ve been thinking,” he said.