IT HAS BEEN three months since we completed the drafting process of 2010, but to kick off a weekly column I will look at the drafts of 2010 and preview what this column will look at for 2011.
Firstly the drafts: NAB AFL Draft, Pre-season and Rookie.
It was a big year on the drafting table. For our supporters it didn’t create as much hype as the 2009 and 2010, but for the recruiting team the challenge of having 10 picks, six of those in the rookie draft, presented an enormous challenge.
Drafting and list management requires great planning, but it is also unpredictable especially on a young list such as ours where there are more unknowns.
Having brought in 27 new faces from 2007-09, we certainly didn’t bank on having 10 more opportunities to add to our playing list in 2010.
However for the recruiting team each year, we scour the country to get a thorough knowledge on the entire talent pool to be ready for these opportunities.
The retirement of James MacDonald and the departures of Kyle Cheney and Cameron Bruce to Hawthorn gave us three more picks in the drafting period and gives examples of these unpredictable opportunities.
After the elevation of Jordie McKenzie and Jake Spencer, we had four NAB AFL Draft selections and six Rookie Draft selections. While for the first time in four years we did not participate in the Pre-Season Draft.
This drafting period, with the large amount of selections and the continual rebuild of our list, was important as any other for the Melbourne Football Club.
Firstly the drafts: NAB AFL Draft, Pre-season and Rookie.
It was a big year on the drafting table. For our supporters it didn’t create as much hype as the 2009 and 2010, but for the recruiting team the challenge of having 10 picks, six of those in the rookie draft, presented an enormous challenge.
Drafting and list management requires great planning, but it is also unpredictable especially on a young list such as ours where there are more unknowns.
Having brought in 27 new faces from 2007-09, we certainly didn’t bank on having 10 more opportunities to add to our playing list in 2010.
However for the recruiting team each year, we scour the country to get a thorough knowledge on the entire talent pool to be ready for these opportunities.
The retirement of James MacDonald and the departures of Kyle Cheney and Cameron Bruce to Hawthorn gave us three more picks in the drafting period and gives examples of these unpredictable opportunities.
After the elevation of Jordie McKenzie and Jake Spencer, we had four NAB AFL Draft selections and six Rookie Draft selections. While for the first time in four years we did not participate in the Pre-Season Draft.
This drafting period, with the large amount of selections and the continual rebuild of our list, was important as any other for the Melbourne Football Club.
We need to keep moving forward on the rest of the competition with our talent pool.
It was impossible to match the Gold Coast in this regard, but clearly if we select wisely we can match or surpass any other team in the competition irrespective of our drafting position in 2010.
The NAB AFL Draft is our big day.
It’s our grand final in this part of the industry.
It’s like game day, all about preparation, knowledge, responding to the unpredictable nature of the day and in the end delivering good outcomes to help us move forward over the rest of the competition.
I find the emotions on draft day the same as being in the coaching box game day.
The game plan is well rehearsed, but sometimes there are 50/50 calls to be made later in the draft.
It’s not about who you want, because you have decided that, but which player is most likely to sneak through to your next pick.
Like on game day knowing the draft and your competitors and analysing what has happened is very important.
We all know we went tall in the NAB AFL Draft.
Clearly we needed to bolster this part of our list. And in some quarters the perception appears to be, in some way, we may have compromised some picks to achieve this end.
No doubt there is a temptation to apply a “glass half full” attitude to player types, if they are a need on your list.
Our philosophy is to draft AFL players.
In other words, drafting for needs is okay, but only if that player can fulfill it.
It was impossible to match the Gold Coast in this regard, but clearly if we select wisely we can match or surpass any other team in the competition irrespective of our drafting position in 2010.
The NAB AFL Draft is our big day.
It’s our grand final in this part of the industry.
It’s like game day, all about preparation, knowledge, responding to the unpredictable nature of the day and in the end delivering good outcomes to help us move forward over the rest of the competition.
I find the emotions on draft day the same as being in the coaching box game day.
The game plan is well rehearsed, but sometimes there are 50/50 calls to be made later in the draft.
It’s not about who you want, because you have decided that, but which player is most likely to sneak through to your next pick.
Like on game day knowing the draft and your competitors and analysing what has happened is very important.
We all know we went tall in the NAB AFL Draft.
Clearly we needed to bolster this part of our list. And in some quarters the perception appears to be, in some way, we may have compromised some picks to achieve this end.
No doubt there is a temptation to apply a “glass half full” attitude to player types, if they are a need on your list.
Our philosophy is to draft AFL players.
In other words, drafting for needs is okay, but only if that player can fulfill it.
There is a lot of short-term hype about the drafting of certain players. This is generally based on their player type (are they a need) and their positive perception created in the media.
Conversely negative sentiment prevails if the reverse is true.
Jordan Gysberts is a recent classic example of the latter. There was a lot of external expectation we would go tall in 2009.
While we were very mindful of our need for talls, if we felt Daniel Talia (pick 13) and Ben Griffiths (pick 19), for instance, were going to be as good as prospects Jordan Gysberts (pick 11) and Luke Tapscott (pick 18), we would have taken them.
Hindsight and history will obviously always be the final judge.
In 2010, we rated the skills and attributes of Lucas Cook, Jeremy Howe, Troy Davis and Tom McDonald very highly at those picks.
While they are all tall, they play their football in very different ways and bring a great mix and depth to the developing talls on our list.
In fact, they made it six talls in a row on the NAB AFL Draft table with the drafting of Max Gawn and Jack Fitzpatrick as our last two picks in 2009.
If we felt there were clearly better players at these picks - and different types - we would have taken them.
In a list rebuild, take the opportunities and build your talent. If holes develop then trading later on can plug them.
Brad Ottens to Geelong and Darren Jolly to Collingwood are recent successful examples of this philosophy.
The Rookie Draft was seen as one of the shallowest pools we have seen for some time.
Under that scenario it is a little bit of “get what talent you can”.
Having drafted so tall in recent times, getting some run and speed at ground level was clearly a priority.
The Rookie Draft is always a great chance to speculate more on needs.
We were thrilled to get Daniel Nicholson, Michael Evans, Kelvin Lawrence and Cameron Johnston with our first four picks as we rated them very highly in the remaining pool.
Daniel and Cameron had impressed our coaches with their talent and application as ‘train-ons’ at our club.
The two WA boys in Michael and Kelvin bring a lot of class, talent and X-factor to our list.
Very difficult choice at the time between Daniel and Michael at our first pick, but we felt Michael was a much stronger chance to slide through.
I can tell you once he slipped past Fremantle, where he ‘trained-on”, we rode those last few picks hard to 31.
Obviously, we were keen to acquire Rob Campbell to bolster our ruck stocks and experience, while also retaining Tom McNamara in the Rookie Draft to add to our first four selections.
The fact we were able to do this with our last two selections was a great result.
Conversely negative sentiment prevails if the reverse is true.
Jordan Gysberts is a recent classic example of the latter. There was a lot of external expectation we would go tall in 2009.
While we were very mindful of our need for talls, if we felt Daniel Talia (pick 13) and Ben Griffiths (pick 19), for instance, were going to be as good as prospects Jordan Gysberts (pick 11) and Luke Tapscott (pick 18), we would have taken them.
Hindsight and history will obviously always be the final judge.
In 2010, we rated the skills and attributes of Lucas Cook, Jeremy Howe, Troy Davis and Tom McDonald very highly at those picks.
While they are all tall, they play their football in very different ways and bring a great mix and depth to the developing talls on our list.
In fact, they made it six talls in a row on the NAB AFL Draft table with the drafting of Max Gawn and Jack Fitzpatrick as our last two picks in 2009.
If we felt there were clearly better players at these picks - and different types - we would have taken them.
In a list rebuild, take the opportunities and build your talent. If holes develop then trading later on can plug them.
Brad Ottens to Geelong and Darren Jolly to Collingwood are recent successful examples of this philosophy.
The Rookie Draft was seen as one of the shallowest pools we have seen for some time.
Under that scenario it is a little bit of “get what talent you can”.
Having drafted so tall in recent times, getting some run and speed at ground level was clearly a priority.
The Rookie Draft is always a great chance to speculate more on needs.
We were thrilled to get Daniel Nicholson, Michael Evans, Kelvin Lawrence and Cameron Johnston with our first four picks as we rated them very highly in the remaining pool.
Daniel and Cameron had impressed our coaches with their talent and application as ‘train-ons’ at our club.
The two WA boys in Michael and Kelvin bring a lot of class, talent and X-factor to our list.
Very difficult choice at the time between Daniel and Michael at our first pick, but we felt Michael was a much stronger chance to slide through.
I can tell you once he slipped past Fremantle, where he ‘trained-on”, we rode those last few picks hard to 31.
Obviously, we were keen to acquire Rob Campbell to bolster our ruck stocks and experience, while also retaining Tom McNamara in the Rookie Draft to add to our first four selections.
The fact we were able to do this with our last two selections was a great result.
Once again it is about doing your homework and holding your nerve because not much is certain, especially out in the 70s in the Rookie Draft.
Finally, in this column each week, I will look at each draft pick of the last three years that remain on our list, from all drafts participated in. This won’t include redrafted players to our club.
Fortunately all bar one remain.
I will focus on why we took that player and how we see them tracking against our expectations as recruiters.
Basically, what we saw, what we expected and finally what we are getting.
I will kick it off with my first draft pick Jack Watts and work onwards from there.
Mid-year we will break to focus on the NAB AFL under 18 championships.
Hope it interests you.
Finally, in this column each week, I will look at each draft pick of the last three years that remain on our list, from all drafts participated in. This won’t include redrafted players to our club.
Fortunately all bar one remain.
I will focus on why we took that player and how we see them tracking against our expectations as recruiters.
Basically, what we saw, what we expected and finally what we are getting.
I will kick it off with my first draft pick Jack Watts and work onwards from there.
Mid-year we will break to focus on the NAB AFL under 18 championships.
Hope it interests you.
