Boppa wrote:Not too many of our draft picks from the last two drafts are playing regularly. Had some injuries. The best you could rate this - assuming we have picked up players with the potential to play senior footy - would be FAIR.
How would you rate our draft picks then from the 2 drafts before that. Remembering that they are in their 3rd and 4th years, you would have to rate that abysmal surely.
The results certainly rate abysmally. The picks themselves I don't have too much issue with, though the path since their recruiting and lack of backup through use of the rookie list has made the outcome abysmal.
McQualter- Delisted, now a rookie
Miss pick, looked alright for a time, but never matured into the player he needed to. Decent pick, poor development.
Ackland- Now at Carlton
Left for Carlton while still a required player. Decent pick, poor personnel management.
McGough- Gone
Couldn't make the Saints for all the same reasons the Pies let him go.
Poor pick.
Gwilt- Just hanging on, hasn't shown much
Decent pick given where he was taken... biggest trouble with him is really that due to lack of use of rookie list the spot hasn't been pressured, perhaps we could be getting more out of it.
Gilbert- Potential
As a second rounder on the balance so far I'd say he's a good pick.
Rix- Battler, depth only
Perfect example of what we'd hope to have gotten from the rookie list. Had we taken him this way when Hawthorn did, and promoted him accordingly without finding anyone to take the spot, he'd be fine. As a 3rd round pick who continues to be considered for selection, the pick is fine, but a barometer of where our ruck stocks actually are, which is not in great shape.
Raymond- Gone
Bad pick
Sweeney- Gone
Not fussed about this being a miss pick, agains, had there been rookies pressuring and then filling the spot, there would be no issue.
Watts- Used first round draft pick and recieved the pricely sum of 1 game.
Straight out miss... effectively a bad pick.
Those 3rd to 4th year players that we haven't produced are costing us now. We should be seeing at least 4 of them in our starting 22 but from that list Gilbert is the only one that looks likely.
For games played by our draftees from the National Draft since '04-'05, the Saints rate 8th (includes games played by Ackland at Carlton). Middle of the table, and should probably be discounted slightly to account for the "ready made" mature draftees.
Once you add in the rookie and preseason drafts, the Saints fall to 13th by the same measure (Melbourne, Fremantle and Sydney are the teams that have done worse).
On the numbers, I think it's fair to say the Saints penny pinching on the rookies has probably cost them a player or two... so make what you will of how big or little a loss that may be.
The last 2 drafts it may be a little too early to judge, but Armitage definitely looks like a player, Allen and McEvoy seem to be coming along quite nicely and young Jack Steven (bottom aged recruit) is showing alot of promise. From a drafting perspective it's certainly looking alot more successful than the debacle of the drafts 3 and 4 years ago
Unfortunately, the Saints aren't the only ones finding those results. 2006 is rated as one of the strongest drafts since 2001, and '08 is looking good too. More promising is the fact that the Saints are now using their rookie list, which should increase the number of players pushed through the pipeline.
Draw what conclusions you will. I avoid any coach naming deliberately.
P.S. Robert Walls is a blowh4rd who admits he doesn't watch all the games, and is either too lazy to learn the latest tactics, or too self-important to explain them to viewers. He's mellowed in recent years enough to keep me from yelling at the TV, but I don't tune in just to hear a commentary on ruckmen. Compared to most other special comments guys, he's a bona fide genious.
