Good kids on our list now are...

[BigMart]

We are starting to assemble plenty

22 Tom Hickey.... Not so sure, but improved in 2013
21 Arryn Sippos.... Plenty in 2012
20 Seb Ross.... Signs in 2013
22 Tom Lee .... Showed a bit in 2013
21 Daniel Markworth.... Sign at Sandy in 2012
20 Jack Newnes .... Showed plenty
22 Dylan Roberton .... Excellent 2013
19 Spencer White .... Some teasing at Sandy
20 Jimmy Webster ... Impressive in 2013
19 Brodie Murdoch.... Signs in 2013
19 Nath Wright..... Super impressive
19 Josh Saunders .... Scrapper
20 Darren Minchington.... Likely
19 Lewis Pierce ..... 202cm
21 Tom Curran ...... Worker
22 Shane Savage .... 50 gamer
20 Billy Longer ....... Top ten DP
21 Josh Bruce ....... Key Defender
18 Jack Billings ..... Elite junior
18 Luke Dunstan ..... Blue Chip junior
18 Blake Acres ....... Looks a versatile talent

That's over 20 player under 23

There are lots of 187-190 cm players.... 3 Ruckman ..... A number of mids and KPPs


Just a pity GWS and GC have an arsenal of kids better than have ever been assembled.... Believe me

[thejiggingsaint]

There was me thinking we were going to hear something positive about our club, but then you have to add the footnote! Just WHO says the list at GWS cited by you as "the best ever assembled" is going to actually DELIVER? I prefer to concentrate on the positives at OUR club personally.

[Toy Saint]

Bloody good effort by Pelchan to get us in this situation ofter the Ross Lyon era

[BigMart]

I try to think about where the club sits in the whole comp. I reckon it gives you a realistic viewpoint and a better understanding of the team comparatively....

There is no denying what the AFL have gifted GWS and GC

To put it on perspective .... We have a few top ten DPs on the list.... They have double figure numbers which include plenty of #1s and 2s

[BigMart]

Ill say it again

Isn't Ameet Baines our list manager and Tony Elshaug the head recruiter?!

[derby Street]

You were going well there for a change BM - in fact I thought you might have been ill there for a moment. However the last line is more like the old " misery guts" we know so well.

[Toy Saint]

Ill say it again

Isn't Ameet Baines our list manager and Tony Elshaug the head recruiter?!

Do these guys report to Pelchan?

[cwrcyn]

I'd argue that Saunders is better than just a scrapper. He's a favourite of mine

[Old Mate]

GWS have that many top picks the opportunity may never be there for some to build an AFL career. Careers may be ruined due to this model created by Vlad.

[desertsaint]

Lot of people seem wary on Pelchen, but i think recruiting him is the best off field decision by this club in many years - hopefully only surpassed by Richardson.

[maverick]

Man City have the best team, pound for pound in the EPL and it doesn't work for them…
Arsenal spend 2/3 of stuff all and are on top…

The best players don't always work well together, you always need a balance…salary cap will even things out in 4-5 years time….

Saints and other vic teams need to work hard on the go home factor when GWS and GC move mid way up the table….2014 & 2015 trade periods will be vital….

[bergholt]

Man City have the best team, pound for pound in the EPL and it doesn't work for them…
Arsenal spend 2/3 of stuff all and are on top…

Mesut Ozil cost £42.5m. I'm not sure your analogy works!

[thejiggingsaint]

But you are on the right track maverick

[suss]

But you are on the right track maverick

We may get a maverick to add to the list too - of the weller variety.

I like where the club is going right now. We've made a mistake or too (e.g. watters) but otherwise we seem to be doing a great job of refocussing the club and rebuilding the list.

We need to add a little more draft gold next year and pinch some free agency talent to get back to the top in 2016 / 2017.

[BigMart]

Ill say it again

Aren't Baines and Elshaug in the list manager and recruiter roles?

This feeds the whole guru mystery IMO

[Old Mate]

Ill say it again

Aren't Baines and Elshaug in the list manager and recruiter roles?

This feeds the whole guru mystery IMO

Given that Pelchen has a background in list management I reckon he would still have some input. Did you watch the draft last night when Baines consulted with Pelch with our selection at pick 19? It looked like a nod from Pelch then Trout called out Acres name.

[Sainternist]

Fantastic signs. One of the keys to good list management is to combine a group of players of all roughly the same age. Looks like we could be on the right track with these youngsters.

[BigMart]

It's funny when I comment on something in which I find quite positive.... It still gets

Don't think I mentioned a negative thing about StK in the OP but it seems I can't even mention if other clubs are good, as that may infer we are not? It's interesting

I do believe the group we have assembled since 2011 has been solid.... Our drafting has been exemplary

Billings was not my first choice.... Kelly was... He was gone?

It came down to billings, Scharenburg, bontempelli, Aish

I rate Scharenburg the best player, but we don't need another 6'3" rebounder... We have 10 already... And the gap is minimal
Aish the best mid... But he'll be back in SA in a few years at the Crows
Billings the most talented, but not a midfielder.... Almost identical to Nathan Brown... He's clever and will be A Grade at worst
Bontempelli has the biggest upside but is the only one of the group who could flop... We can't afford this pick to bust... His numbers are erratic and really a bit low for a top 5 pick... But his potential to be a David Mundy is there

[citywest]

We are starting to assemble plenty

22 Tom Hickey.... Not so sure, but improved in 2013
21 Arryn Sippos.... Plenty in 2012
20 Seb Ross.... Signs in 2013
22 Tom Lee .... Showed a bit in 2013
21 Daniel Markworth.... Sign at Sandy in 2012
20 Jack Newnes .... Showed plenty
22 Dylan Roberton .... Excellent 2013
19 Spencer White .... Some teasing at Sandy
20 Jimmy Webster ... Impressive in 2013
19 Brodie Murdoch.... Signs in 2013
19 Nath Wright..... Super impressive
19 Josh Saunders .... Scrapper
20 Darren Minchington.... Likely
19 Lewis Pierce ..... 202cm
21 Tom Curran ...... Worker
22 Shane Savage .... 50 gamer
20 Billy Longer ....... Top ten DP
21 Josh Bruce ....... Key Defender
18 Jack Billings ..... Elite junior
18 Luke Dunstan ..... Blue Chip junior
18 Blake Acres ....... Looks a versatile talent

That's over 20 player under 23

There are lots of 187-190 cm players.... 3 Ruckman ..... A number of mids and KPPs


Just a pity GWS and GC have an arsenal of kids better than have ever been assembled.... Believe me

I agree with you Bigmart. The concessions given to GWS and GCS will create 2 power houses the likes never before seen in the AFL. Unfortunately for us it means that when we get to the top again in about 5 years we will have virtually no chance of winning that elusive 2nd flag. I fear that fate has/will conspire against us again. Just like the toe poke in 2009 and the bad bounce in 2010.

I hope our recruiters can also see this and take the appropriate action by delaying our rise up the ladder as much as possible. The reason for this is we need more top 20 draft picks in our team so when we do rise we are as strong as possible. The only way to do this is to keep trading at least 1 player every year that gains us a top 20 pick. The last 2 years being perfect examples, although strictly speaking McEvoy was the only trade, Goddard and Dal were FA but had the desired effect in gaining us top picks.

Is there a player on our list that we can do the same again next year? Yes there is, Gilbert. Would any team give a top 20 pick for him? Not sure. If we don't take this path and our rise coincides with GWS and GCS then we're stuffed.

[BigMart]

What we need to do is use free agency well in a few years.... And get the off field right.... Coaching/recruiting and development/conditioning....

Player don't win grand finals... Nor do teams.... Clubs do...

Get the whole club in order, and anything is possible... 2005 and 2009 are the closest I've seen to perfect, but for a hiccup

[st.byron]

Be interesting to see where we sit this year for average age of the list. We must be moving towards having one of the youngest lists.

[BigMart]

We lost 3 players over 30 and some mid rangers

Added kids, so I reckon th avg age has dropped a heap.

[samuraisaint]

Brisbane won three in a row, but only after merging with another team. Yes, GWS and GC will be good. They may make the finals regularly for a while, but when the sharks like Sydney start circling that will be the end of that. I actually think that gifting all these stars to expansion clubs gives us a better chance. It dilutes the talent pool and allows teams with a bit of luck with injury and development to have a crack. Just my opinion.

[citywest]

What we need to do is use free agency well in a few years.... And get the off field right.... Coaching/recruiting and development/conditioning....

Player don't win grand finals... Nor do teams.... Clubs do...

Get the whole club in order, and anything is possible... 2005 and 2009 are the closest I've seen to perfect, but for a hiccup

Normally I would also agree with this as well BigMart but not in this case. GWS and GCS will set new benchmarks in the AFL over the next decade. Once they get to the top 4, they will both remain there for at least 10 years. They will each play in at least 5 Grand Finals (more than likely 2 or 3 of them will be against each other).

Most "Great Clubs" have 5 super stars at various stages of their careers. GWS and GCS will have at least 10 but the scariest thing is that they are all the same age and coming through together. The only exception being Ablett.

[battye]

Every year people say the youngsters "look likely" or "show plenty" and they maintain that line until they invariably get delisted. The truth is that for this group we're not going to know, realistically, how good any of them are for another few seasons. There's no standouts on that list in the original post; there are no players ala Riewoldt that you knew from the word go would be superstars. If one becomes a gun, half a dozen more become regulars in the team and the rest get delisted that's probably a good outcome.

I am worried that we are putting a lot of eggs in the "rejects from other clubs" basket. Longer? Savage? These are known quantities that are known to be not very good. Likewise with Hickey and Lee. We seem to waste a lot of highish draft picks on guys we think have improvement left in them, when we may as well just develop our own talent from the national draft. I certainly hope there is improvement left in these guys and a change of scenery is all they need to step up the next level - but the strategy worries me.