COACH Paul Roos says the acquisition of Dom Tyson in the recent trade period and now Christian Salem in Thursday night’s NAB AFL Draft will pay dividends for the Demons in the long term.
Roos said to bring two quality midfielders into the club – given it was an area that needed addressing – was critical to the future planning of Melbourne’s fortunes.
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Draft recap with Paul Roos
Draft recap with Jason Taylor
Pick 9: Christian Salem interview | Highlights
Pick 40: Jay Kennedy-Harris highlights
Pick 57: Jayden Hunt highlights
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“He’s (Salem) really talented. He’s a smooth midfielder, who can play high half-forward as well. He’s a good ball-user and has a good combination of speed and knows where to go,” he told melbournefc.com.au.
“He’s a classic good footballer, we believe. With Dom [Tyson] coming in as well, we think getting Tyson and Salem … certainly we’re happy with those two boys coming in and the other two (Kennedy-Harris and Hunt) as well.
“It’s a great day [for the draftees] and you just let them enjoy it for three or four days and then they’ve got to get to work.”
Roos praised the work of Todd Viney and Jason Taylor in the drafting period, adding that he was pleased with the addition of small forward Jay Kennedy-Harris and smoky speedster Jayden Hunt.
“With the list management with Todd [Viney], Jason [Taylor] and the crew, they’re very thorough and we went through trade week and had some needs and we fulfilled those,” he said.
“We came to the draft and pick nine, we wanted to get a really good player and a good midfielder and we think we’ve done that.
“Then you go to [pick No.] 40 with Kennedy-Harris and he’s that real pressure small forward that can go into the midfield and Jayden Hunt’s got real speed at pick 57, so it’s really strategic, but you never know which players are going to fall and which players are going to go early.
“It’s really subjective – everyone has different lists and different needs and rates players differently.”
Roos said his role in the recruiting was to offer guidance, but ultimately he let the recruiters do their job.
“It was just a bit of advice on what types of players and how I see them. I also left it up to the recruiting guys, but I threw a hand grenade in every now and then, and I talked about the players I liked,” he said.
“We had some similar philosophies, which first hit me, particularly with Todd in list management and then with Jason.
“There hasn’t been too many arguments about players, because that’s their job. My job is just to talk about – do I like players who can kick? Tough guys? Bigger guys? Smaller guys? Quicker guys? Then it’s about assessing them briefly on the vision I see.”
With the rookie draft set to be held on November 27, Roos said the Demons would “reassess and see what’s available”.
“Now … you see what your list looks like,” he said.
“But we know that there’s some good players to come out of the rookie draft – there’s no question.
“There’s a bit of work to be done now and you try and get three or four more players in to your footy club.”
