Isn't that why we got Dean Polo?

[plugger66]

Recruiting this bloke was a step backwards anyway

Lets not continue the long walk into oblivion by actually playing him

We got him with pick four billion when we could have taken, what, four billion and one?

He was a top up bonus no matter which way you look at it.

I gather from your posts you're not a particularly positive kind of dude.

But why bother posting utter bulls***?

Why would we pay a top up bonus player.

Why not take a young project player?

I am being a bit negative at the moment and i am sorry for that but i genuinly think we are a 10 goal better side than richmond with the right team picked.

Because our time is now or never. When you have one or maybe two years to win the thing, why bother with a seedling who may not grow? Better off with a physically capable player who can fill a slot if required.

But that is not the way to sustain success at a club. You sustain success by slowly introducing new players to take over from the previous generation. No club should be standing still

The old saying u r either building to win a flag or trying to win one is bullsh!t. You should always be building towards ur next tilt.

What ur saying is exactly how Australian cricket ended up where it is. They continued to top up there batting stocks when young batsmen should have been being blooded at number 6 allowing them to take over when retirments set in.

Good coaches and selection commitees coach for the now while planning for the future. I really do hope we are doing this

Sorry but australian cricket doesnt have a draft. Footy is designed to give it your best shot which we have certainly done and then you go down to the bottom and start again. It is just about impossible to plan for the future because when on top the draft picks ar poor. There is no getting away from that.

[bobmurray]

Why draft a player with good skills when we can top up with more of the same as we already have.....

The more whipping boys Ross drafts the more it gets shared around

[NoMore]

collingwood had 1 year at thew bottom
Geelong never went down
Hawthorn bottomed out but that was because schwab never planned for the future in the early 2000's and picked up recycled players thinking they were closer than what they were
sydney went down for maybe one year
we went down because watson topped up and that went really well as i remember it

Topping up is a sure fire way to consign ur club to future years in the doldrums

[plugger66]

collingwood had 1 year at thew bottom
Geelong never went down
Hawthorn bottomed out but that was because schwab never planned for the future in the early 2000's and picked up recycled players thinking they were closer than what they were
sydney went down for maybe one year
we went down because watson topped up and that went really well as i remember it

Topping up is a sure fire way to consign ur club to future years in the doldrums

And we havent gone down yet either. Why have we all decided the year is over already. Love to have seen some of the comments in 1997 had a forum been going then.

[Thinline]

What would we have got if we didn't take Polo?

Draft Pick last minus two.

Anyone care to name any such player who has been anything other than a fleeting irritation in the VFL seconds since the inception of the draft?

And if we were to promote a rookie who would it have been?

[degruch]

collingwood had 1 year at thew bottom
Geelong never went down
Hawthorn bottomed out but that was because schwab never planned for the future in the early 2000's and picked up recycled players thinking they were closer than what they were
sydney went down for maybe one year
we went down because watson topped up and that went really well as i remember it

Topping up is a sure fire way to consign ur club to future years in the doldrums

If you look at the laste 10 years, Collingwood and Geelong go up and down like a yo-yo, Hawks pop up out of nowhere for a few years sustained success (07/08), Sydney never really goes down, and the Saints rise quickly up and stay there.

Sydney was big on recycling, so are we, so were the Hawks during their successful period...Geelong and Collingwood tend not to recruit too many second hand players. All of this is very inconclusive, so I'm not sure you have a point.

And yes, it is round 2, and we do not appear to be missing out on the finals yet.

[degruch]

What would we have got if we didn't take Polo?

Most likely, pass.

[NoMore]

The thing with kids is u just never know

U might have taken someone who developed into a good player

i am not saying we are going to unearth the next big thing but we are talking about a bloke who couldn't get a game for richmond

[Thinline]

So essentially you're saying roll the dice on a probable list clogger rather than guarantee yourself a ready-made reserve.

I couldn't disagree with you more.

[NoMore]

So essentially you're saying roll the dice on a probable list clogger rather than guarantee yourself a ready-made reserve.

I couldn't disagree with you more.

Dean Polo was a list clogger with the worst side in the last 20 years

[Beekay]

I played against/with/ all of Heyne, Polo & Xavier Ellis.

Didn't think Ellis would amount to much (in terms of justifying his high selection).

Insanely surprised when Saints picked Heyne. I remember playing against Orbost and Heyne had his team hand him the ball at the back flank, he'd rund down the wing and spray the kick, never tore into packs, never any clever one-twos with his onballers (didn't appear intelligent). I thought there were better players in his and my team (we were Premiers that year).


And Polo.... wow wee.. nice guy, played years of indoor soccer against each other, same school, thought he was a try-hard jock, no where near skillful or agile enough to play professional sport (far too mechanic and junk-yard dog like - without the muscle or attitude needed)... then I'm checking over a years draft and I was perplexed... there was the name Dean Polo.

[Thinline]

So essentially you're saying roll the dice on a probable list clogger rather than guarantee yourself a ready-made reserve.

I couldn't disagree with you more.

Dean Polo was a list clogger with the worst side in the last 20 years

So now you want a list clogger for what you say is a list clogger.

You make no sense.

[NoMore]

So essentially you're saying roll the dice on a probable list clogger rather than guarantee yourself a ready-made reserve.

I couldn't disagree with you more.

Dean Polo was a list clogger with the worst side in the last 20 years

So now you want a list clogger for what you say is a list clogger.

You make no sense.

No i want a young kid who cold develop into a very good player

Not a hack who will go backwards and take up space

[Thinline]

So who is this magical young kid to who you refer?

Go to last year's draft group and rookie crop and tell me what it is we could have done better with pick four billion.

A factual answer, too.

Not some make believe cinderella story 'might happen one day' fairy tale.

[NoMore]

So who is this magical young kid to who you refer?

Go to last year's draft group and rookie crop and tell me what it is we could have done better with pick four billion.

A factual answer, too.

Not some make believe cinderella story 'might happen one day' fairy tale.

Even a gumby young kid is better than a no hoper who comes from a losing culture at a club where he couldn't game even when they finished 15th

[Thinline]

WHO?????

It's all in your head! You're making it all up!

[NoMore]

Mate how stupid are u
There are kids in every VFL side in this state that came out of TAC cup last year and the same inevery other state. Your telling me that he is better for our list than every one of those 18 year olds

Again i repeat he couldn't get a game in the side who finished 15th. How is he going to get a game for us. It is not going to happen.
Who is he going to replace. If we ever have enough injuries that he plays we might as well write our year off

[SainterK]

Mate how stupid are u
There are kids in every VFL side in this state that came out of TAC cup last year and the same inevery other state. Your telling me that he is better for our list than every one of those 18 year olds

Again i repeat he couldn't get a game in the side who finished 15th. How is he going to get a game for us. It is not going to happen.
Who is he going to replace. If we ever have enough injuries that he plays we might as well write our year off

I can't find any club that took a pick equivalent to 103 on a kid to compare.

The latest picks used by clubs on kids were 75 by Saints, 80 by Essendon, 89 by the Dogs....the rest of the later picks were used to promote rookies.

[Thinline]

Stupid? Now, now.

You're putting yourself up as some sort of recruitment genius. I'm asking you to tell me who it is that was a better option.

Personally I don't think it's a difficult question to understand, but so far you'd have us taking on 'A Young-Gumby' with our four billionth pick. I'm not certain he's much chop at all.

[NoMore]

In fairness i shouldn't have called u stupid sorry

But i don't want to take more recycled plodders

We have enough of them. I don't understant or fascination with them. I want to invest in youth. Y does it matter no other club took a young player i am sure people took players in the rookie draft. Couldn't we take one of them.

[Thinline]

Mate how stupid are u
There are kids in every VFL side in this state that came out of TAC cup last year and the same inevery other state. Your telling me that he is better for our list than every one of those 18 year olds

Again i repeat he couldn't get a game in the side who finished 15th. How is he going to get a game for us. It is not going to happen.
Who is he going to replace. If we ever have enough injuries that he plays we might as well write our year off

I can't find any club that took a pick equivalent to 103 on a kid to compare.

The latest picks used by clubs on kids were 75 by Saints, 80 by Essendon, 89 by the Dogs....the rest of the later picks were used to promote rookies.

By deduction then - a kid of sufficient quality simply did not exist.

Other than 'A Young-Gumby' of course.

[NoMore]

Mate how stupid are u
There are kids in every VFL side in this state that came out of TAC cup last year and the same inevery other state. Your telling me that he is better for our list than every one of those 18 year olds

Again i repeat he couldn't get a game in the side who finished 15th. How is he going to get a game for us. It is not going to happen.
Who is he going to replace. If we ever have enough injuries that he plays we might as well write our year off

I can't find any club that took a pick equivalent to 103 on a kid to compare.

The latest picks used by clubs on kids were 75 by Saints, 80 by Essendon, 89 by the Dogs....the rest of the later picks were used to promote rookies.

By deduction then - a kid of sufficient quality simply did not exist.

Other than 'A Young-Gumby' of course.

Mitch Gent

A young midfielder. Kicks well on both feet, is tough, around6'1", 75kg is starting at Casey this weekend in the ones

[degruch]

Mate how stupid are u
There are kids in every VFL side in this state that came out of TAC cup last year and the same inevery other state. Your telling me that he is better for our list than every one of those 18 year olds

Well, he might be better than Mini, speaking of TAC kids. That's the punt you take I guess. It's really a punt either way...who knows why Polo didn't get a game at Richmond...attitude, injury, talent? Conversely, who knows if you're TAC kid is going to work out either???

Do you go for Mini, or do you go for Dawson? Do you go for NDS, or do you go for Brooks?

[Thinline]

So a slow, medium sized in betweener without any ground skills.

Just what we need.

At least he barracks for the Saints.


Height: 183cm
Weight: 78kg
DOB: 05/02/92
Club: Dandenong Stingrays (Vic)

Bio: Agile, average-sized midfielder. Adept at handing the ball out of packs. Impressed with the Dandenong Stingrays in 2010.

In his own words
What type of player are you?
Balanced midfielder who makes good decisions and can read the play well.

Which AFL player do you feel you resemble and why?
Nick Dal Santo, because he makes good decisions and uses the ball well.

What are your strengths as a footballer?
Skills by hand and foot, decision making, reading the play.

What parts of your game would you like to improve?
My leg speed needs a little bit of improvement and I would like to improve my ground skills.

Which AFL team do you support and how did you come to barrack for them?
St Kilda. I did barrack for the Sydney Swans but I never got to see them play, so I followed who my cousin barracked for - the Saints.

Who has been the biggest influence on your career so far, and why?
Former Bonbeach under-18 coach Shane O'Connor and senior coach Damien Carroll for always keeping me in a positive mindset about my football.

[Dr Spaceman]

Mate how stupid are u
There are kids in every VFL side in this state that came out of TAC cup last year and the same inevery other state. Your telling me that he is better for our list than every one of those 18 year olds

Well, he might be better than Mini, speaking of TAC kids. That's the punt you take I guess. It's really a punt either way...who knows why Polo didn't get a game at Richmond...attitude, injury, talent? Conversely, who knows if you're TAC kid is going to work out either???

I'd still like to see him play a game, after they find him a replacement finger, before forming an opinion.