Tale of Two Rookies

[Con Gorozidis]

Just thought it was worthwhile comparing these 2 guys. Both from the 2006 rookie draft and both similar types of players. Even their names are similar.
Not sure what the point of the post it - that the draft is a lottery - But just disappointing we havent uncovered a quality speedy midfielder like Wellingham. Geary is miles off Wellinghams class at this stage.


Wellingham

Age: 22
Weight: 82kg
Height: 185 cm
Games: 52
Drafted: 2006 Rookie

Geary

22
82
183cm
44
2006 Rookie

[johnpeterbudgefanclub]

Just thought it was worthwhile comparing these 2 guys. Both from the 2006 rookie draft and both similar types of players. Even their names are similar.
Not sure what the point of the post it - that the draft is a lottery - But just disappointing we havent uncovered a quality speedy midfielder like Wellingham. Geary is miles off Wellinghams class at this stage.


Wellingham

Age: 22
Weight: 82kg
Height: 185 cm
Games: 52
Drafted: 2006 Rookie

Geary

22
82
183cm
44
2006 Rookie

Fair call Con but u would be doing a dis-service to other rookies.....Macaffer, Toovey, O'Brien, Blair, Maxwell......

[Con Gorozidis]

Just thought it was worthwhile comparing these 2 guys. Both from the 2006 rookie draft and both similar types of players. Even their names are similar.
Not sure what the point of the post it - that the draft is a lottery - But just disappointing we havent uncovered a quality speedy midfielder like Wellingham. Geary is miles off Wellinghams class at this stage.


Wellingham

Age: 22
Weight: 82kg
Height: 185 cm
Games: 52
Drafted: 2006 Rookie

Geary

22
82
183cm
44
2006 Rookie

Fair call Con but u would be doing a dis-service to other rookies.....Macaffer, Toovey, O'Brien, Blair, Maxwell......

yeah but of them is called sharrod and the other jarryn. So the comparison appealed to me because they have silly names and that 22yo age bracket and speed are big holes for the saints. So i thought it was an appropriate comparison. but yes pies record on rookies is pretty good.

[BigMart]

Geary's fit, he's a goer, but he's a messy player, and won't get much better.....a reasonable fringe player at best.

[johnpeterbudgefanclub]

Just thought it was worthwhile comparing these 2 guys. Both from the 2006 rookie draft and both similar types of players. Even their names are similar.
Not sure what the point of the post it - that the draft is a lottery - But just disappointing we havent uncovered a quality speedy midfielder like Wellingham. Geary is miles off Wellinghams class at this stage.


Wellingham

Age: 22
Weight: 82kg
Height: 185 cm
Games: 52
Drafted: 2006 Rookie

Geary

22
82
183cm
44
2006 Rookie

Fair call Con but u would be doing a dis-service to other rookies.....Macaffer, Toovey, O'Brien, Blair, Maxwell......

yeah but of them is called sharrod and the other jarryn. So the comparison appealed to me because they have silly names and that 22yo age bracket and speed are big holes for the saints. So i thought it was an appropriate comparison. but yes pies record on rookies is pretty good.

Con, to be honest the depth and quality of your rookies cannot be under-estimated. Our VFL side travelled to Geelong with only Goldsack, Luke Rounds and Tom Young anf still beat them by 17 points. Not sure of the depth of Girlong though.

Rookies r critical.

Cheers.

[kosifantutti23]

Just thought it was worthwhile comparing these 2 guys. Both from the 2006 rookie draft and both similar types of players. Even their names are similar.
Not sure what the point of the post it - that the draft is a lottery - But just disappointing we havent uncovered a quality speedy midfielder like Wellingham. Geary is miles off Wellinghams class at this stage.


Wellingham

Age: 22
Weight: 82kg
Height: 185 cm
Games: 52
Drafted: 2006 Rookie

Geary

22
82
183cm
44
2006 Rookie

What's the point?

How about the 2003 National draft?
Collingwood 17 Billy Morrison
St Kilda 55 Sam Fisher

[InkerSaint]

I think you demonstrated the point nicely kft.

Picks in the draft are like bets on a horse race.

[BigMart]

And good linters fair better

[Ice Wolf]

At least our Rookie didn't cost us a lucrative sponsorship.

[QuestionOfAccuracy]

.....a reasonable fringe player at best.

To me this sums up nearly all of the youngsters that have been exposed to our senior team over the last 4 years or so. Hard-working, solid young players but you can't see them ever developing past being a fringe or 'role' player.

[Con Gorozidis]

i said there was no point . but the point is:

we lack a player with BOTH skills and pace.

thats the point of this thread. the comparison exemplifies the pathways for getting this player.

[Spinner]

To think Wellingham was offered to increase 5 spots in the draft order, something like 30 to 25...

Just shows that the dogs, roos, saints and pies didnt rate him that much at that stage.

Player development is so so difficult, and even harder to predict.

[SydneySainter]

Wellingham has had one good year with the Pies, after he was used a trade-bait. Before that he wasn't even in their best 22. I would wait for consecutive seasons of consistency before I rate him as a rookie success story.

[meher baba]

.....a reasonable fringe player at best.

To me this sums up nearly all of the youngsters that have been exposed to our senior team over the last 4 years or so. Hard-working, solid young players but you can't see them ever developing past being a fringe or 'role' player.

Agree 100%. I think McEvoy is the only outstanding exception to this rule. Perhaps I'm deluded butI think Armo is still developing and could still get there. Stanley is another with prospects. And Jones has already made it, albeit only as a GOP with seriously limited disposal skills).

And a couple of this year's pickups - Cripps and Ledger - look like they have something. And I've only seen about 5 seconds of Winmar, so I have no idea about him. And, while I wasn't all that excited by Walsh in the NAB everyone else on here seemed to be, so I must have missed something).

None of the rest (Steven, Geary, Eddy, Heyne, Lynch, Simpkin, etc, not to mention Attard, Howard, Gaertner, Eljay whatever his name was, etc.)

I really think the recruitment dept in our club has been overly preoccupied with trying to make killer trades/picks for recycled players from other clubs (with, as we all know, moderate success at best), rather than scout for young talent. McEvoy, whose enormous potential was a long way from being a dim, dark secret, is the one genuinely high quality pickup with a first round pick since McQualter (who I would rate as a par and who, despite the vitriolic criticism on here, I believe will play regularly this year and play well).

The comparison with the Pies is valid. Their draft picks haven't been much better in recent years, and they have used some poorly, but have ended up with a team of young stars whereas we are still dependent on a core recruited by Bevo from 2000-2005.

I hope Cripps and Ledger turn out to be the first results of a better model of recruiting in future years.

[Con Gorozidis]

I hope Cripps and Ledger turn out to be the first results of a better model of recruiting in future years.

So do I

People arguing over Wellingham are missing the point of this thread (for the record I think hes a gun buts that neither here nor there). And peter-budge tried to make it a tribute to the pies rookie success in the past decade. Also not relevant.

The point is - that we haven't had a player that has BOTH pace AND skill since Harves retired. In his case he possessed pace, skill, endurance, consistency and longevity. Which made him a freak.

But all I want right now is one player on our list with BOTH pace and skill. Hopefully one of Cripps and Ledger can be that guy.

[avid]

The sad thing is we could have had them BOTH.
Wasn't Wellingham offered to us for Luke Ball?
Not that I wanted Ball to go, but I was saying Yes! Yes! Yes! to Wellingham if a deal had to be made.
He was already looking good back then.

Geary was looking OK back then too. Frustratingly, I've been seeing less and less in him as a prospect as time has worn on.

[SainterK]

The sad thing is we could have had them BOTH.
Wasn't Wellingham offered to us for Luke Ball?

No.

[Con Gorozidis]

i think maybe goldsack was offered.

not sure what the GO is with gears. 2 years ago he just looked so promising.
not sure theyve done a great job developing him. he seems too stifled. sometimes u need to just let kids play footy and go and enjoy it. saints footy can be a big burden on young kids. its very intense. we all want to win the flag but footy should be fun. hes doesnt look like hes having fun out there.

[kosifantutti23]

The sad thing is we could have had them BOTH.
Wasn't Wellingham offered to us for Luke Ball?

No.

[mad saint guy]

Geary seems to have had his talent coached out of him. As a junior and VFL player early on he was an attacking, creative flanker with neat skills. His accountability might not have been quite up to scratch and I'm not sure about his 'spread,' but he got the footy and found targets on front of him, including goals quite regularly.

I think he has suffered under the huge expectation of defensive discipline and has lost the flair that made him look a genuine prospect a few years ago. And I have no idea if that can be rediscovered

[Con Gorozidis]

Geary seems to have had his talent coached out of him. As a junior and VFL player early on he was an attacking, creative flanker with neat skills. His accountability might not have been quite up to scratch and I'm not sure about his 'spread,' but he got the footy and found targets on front of him, including goals quite regularly.

I think he has suffered under the huge expectation of defensive discipline and has lost the flair that made him look a genuine prospect a few years ago. And I have no idea if that can be rediscovered

i cant help feeling the same way about him.
he used to be a goalkicker. all this obsession with defense and saints footy has got us to 2 GFs but sheesh. are we stifling our youngsters? let the kids play!

[noob]

Most of the midfield don't attack the big sticks often.

[WinnersOnly]

I dont believe in the modern game we can carry too many poorly skilled players like GEARY. We already have JONES, CLARKE, McQUALTER, DEMPSTER and PEAKE. Our whole game plan works around maintaining possession of the ball and when we have players giving it straight back to the opposition we are in trouble. Because as a team we simply dont have the pace to match oppositions like Essendon, Collingwood etc.

It's as if the SAINTS recruiters were actually targeting players who cant kick, cant make decisions under pressure and couldn't run out of sight in the dark.

Not only that I believe as a collective team we would have the worst set shot record in the competition.

[SydneySainter]

Geary seems to have had his talent coached out of him. As a junior and VFL player early on he was an attacking, creative flanker with neat skills. His accountability might not have been quite up to scratch and I'm not sure about his 'spread,' but he got the footy and found targets on front of him, including goals quite regularly.

I think he has suffered under the huge expectation of defensive discipline and has lost the flair that made him look a genuine prospect a few years ago. And I have no idea if that can be rediscovered

i cant help feeling the same way about him.
he used to be a goalkicker. all this obsession with defense and saints footy has got us to 2 GFs but sheesh. are we stifling our youngsters? let the kids play!

I think Armitage is in the same boat.

[Con Gorozidis]

Geary seems to have had his talent coached out of him. As a junior and VFL player early on he was an attacking, creative flanker with neat skills. His accountability might not have been quite up to scratch and I'm not sure about his 'spread,' but he got the footy and found targets on front of him, including goals quite regularly.

I think he has suffered under the huge expectation of defensive discipline and has lost the flair that made him look a genuine prospect a few years ago. And I have no idea if that can be rediscovered

i cant help feeling the same way about him.
he used to be a goalkicker. all this obsession with defense and saints footy has got us to 2 GFs but sheesh. are we stifling our youngsters? let the kids play!

I think Armitage is in the same boat.

the ross lyon apprenticeship means drilling all the creative flair and dare from your youngsters when they arrive at the club and turn them into dour nevous wrecks with anxiety disorders.