Petracca

[B.M]

Well it was the worst drafting incident in StKs history IMO

So it’s worth discussing

Why do we need to accept it was a poor process??
so we learn from it. We don’t just sweep it under the rug and go - that was just bad luck!!!

Just on Cal Twomey

He had good mail, he does those phantom drafts, not on who HE thinks are the best, he does them on WHO he thinks the CLUBS will take.
He knew we were after a replacement for Roo (32yo) Kosi gone, Bruce and Membrey not yet arrived.
Flawed logic

I keep say it
You draft based on talent
You trade based on need

In 2000, 2001 and 2002 we had
Pick 1, Pick 2, Pick 2, Pick 5, Pick 13, Pick 21, Pick 37, Pick 1, Pick 22
From those 9 picks we picked 8 A Graders
We drafted our way to success

2012- 2015
Pick 24, Pick 25, Pick 3, Pick 18, Pick 19, Pick 1, Pick 21, Pick 22, Pick 15
(We traded down from pick 12 to pick 25 in 2012 and traded down from pick 6 to pick 15 in 2015)
Billings and Gresham been good, the rest average to poor

[Banger9798]

Oh My God!

Did we really pick McCartin over Petracca?

I never knew! Maybe we should bang on about it for another 50 years because that is what us fans do.... not let go of something.

WHO CARES?!?!

It was done, it was a mistake, the people involved are no longer at the club.

Some of you probably aren't over your first girlfriend either.

MOVE ON

Now you mention it, I never really got over either of those things....mind you she never went on to be AA

[B.M]

Was McCartin a monster forward?

Maybe at TAC cup level at 193/100 he could rag doll lighter kids

But if anything he was undersized as a power forward in the big league

And you build sides around elite talent
Not size

[st.byron]

It's still the history of drafting, it may have improved but it's still an inexact science, it's why reputations are destroyed.

The science is relatively exact. It is the interviews and pseudo psych assessments that are flawed, in this case, fatally & embarrassingly.

If you take a look at guys like Wilkie Highmore and Sharman recruiters are often hindered by the flawed TAC system. TAC basically most money more opportunity more barrows being pushed.

So are you saying our choice of McCartin was because of a flawed TAC system, excusing the (flawed) reasoning our recruiter added to the science available to him?

The choice of McCartin was needs based nothing else. Both were rated 1 or 2 everywhere you read. We needed a key forward and that’s the path we chose. Without the concussions it’s fair to say McCartin would be a very capable AFL key forward.

It wasn't just the concussions. He was never really really really AFL fit. I recall one of the questions Richardson asked of Elshaug when they were deciding who to take was about his ability to get super fit and how, even pre-draft he wasn't the fittest of prospects. That and his diabetes alone should have been a huge red flag. As for the idea he would have been monstering defences. He was 193 cm.
Disastrous choice. F*** you Elshaug.

[Viscount Jeremiah]

Gun player but I hate the way the media & commentators seem to think the sun shines out of his arse.

[Trev from the Bush]

Time to move this thread to the Opposition and General Sports Discussion forum. It has become too much like lonely old blokes sitting in public bars lamenting about the love they lost. When they were seventeen years old.

[B.M]

If he played with us, you’d think the sun shines out of his arse!!!

[Ghost Like]

Time to move this thread to the Opposition and General Sports Discussion forum. It has become too much like lonely old blokes sitting in public bars lamenting about the love they lost. When they were seventeen years old.

Your shout Trev

[B.M]

Not really?

We are talking about a f***ed decision made by OUR club!!!

And yes we are lamenting because pre draft most of us wanted Petracca

Post draft many of us said it was a huge mistake

7 years later
I don’t think we could have imagined the size of the mistake

It’s like passing up on a supermodel and ending up with a bush pig!!!

[magnifisaint]

Not really?

We are talking about a f***ed decision made by OUR club!!!

And yes we are lamenting because pre draft most of us wanted Petracca

Post draft many of us said it was a huge mistake

7 years later
I don’t think we could have imagined the size of the mistake

It’s like passing up on a supermodel and ending up with a bush pig!!!

Yeah but she has a nice personality

[Sainter_Dad]

Not really?

We are talking about a f***ed decision made by OUR club!!!

And yes we are lamenting because pre draft most of us wanted Petracca

Post draft many of us said it was a huge mistake

7 years later
I don’t think we could have imagined the size of the mistake

It’s like passing up on a supermodel and ending up with a bush pig!!!

Yeah but she has a nice personality

And comes from a good family

[B.M]

And manages her condition well

Probably make her an even better root

[st.byron]

Getting ugly

[amusingname]

Not really?

We are talking about a f***ed decision made by OUR club!!!

And yes we are lamenting because pre draft most of us wanted Petracca

Post draft many of us said it was a huge mistake

7 years later
I don’t think we could have imagined the size of the mistake

It’s like passing up on a supermodel and ending up with a bush pig!!!

It’s not really discussing it though is it? It’s just regurgitating the same points over and over. I am certain everyone on this forum would take Petracca over McCartin if they were told the situation both would be in by 2021. Unfortunately we didn’t know that on draft night and made a mistake and, as you consistently state, you thought we made a mistake. What is gained by the constant going over of it? What would satisfy you? An apology from the club, paddy and everyone on the forum who were happy with the choice?

[Freebird]

Petracca was always the best talent and all other clubs recognized this but us - On drafting McCartin we (supporters) hoped our recruiters seen something that everyone else did not.
Recruiting is not exact science but we appear to take more left fielders than any other club.

I'm still pissed with them recruiting Howard 27th when they could have taken him 127th.

Not hindsight just idiotic

[B.M]

Not continually making the same mistakes, that would satisfy

You need to get first picks right

And really, it’s just taking the best available

Ross
Wright/White - No
Billings
McCartin - No
Gresham
Long - No
Clark/Coffield
King
Trade for Hill - not sure
Allison - No

That’s 10 years worth of FIrst Picks, with a 50% success right

Not good enough

[saintkid]

This thread's later comments have given me a good laugh! Just as well and keep it up guys.

Seriously though, it was a massive 'fu**up' and I together with all our family have been saying it since day one. Petracca had heaps of natural talent, was strongly built as a kid already and was only going to get bigger and turn into a bull. You DON'T pass on someone like that. We're still in footy wilderness since 1966 and Melb look like they could get that elusive next premiership. A big part of their resurgence is picking Petracca.
We've had to eat humble pie at a few Saints vs Demons games with friends of ours supporting Melb rubbing it in and it's going to keep going for a while.
One of the most idiotic decisions ever made. Another example of how poorly our club has been run since our Grand Final appearances in 2009 and 2010.

[samoht]

Elshaug says wassup.

[The_Dud]

And
Saying we needed a forward, that is breaking the cardinal rule of drafting
Never draft for position, ALWAYS draft BEST player available.

You don’t know what will be available in trade in the future, you can’t forecast the shape of your list over 12 years - and that’s what you draft a player for, a career - not the next 3 or 4 years.

No I don’t think it’s that black and white.

You can have too many ‘talls’, you can never have too many ‘smalls’

If the best available is a midfielder you should draft them everytime.

If it’s a toss up between a KPP and a mid and you’re set in the talls department, go the mid.

We need mids more than talls atm, pick the best mid available.

[vacuous space]

In the Emma Quayle article from 2015 about drafting McCartin, Richo made the comment that 'there's always midfielders'. We haven't drafted a full time starting mid since then and we just can't stop finding forwards. For all the misplaced panic about Boyd, we had Bruce kick 50 the following year, then Membrey kicked 40 the year after. Since then, we've found Marshall, Battle and now Sharman. At the same time, we've had to 'back the truck up' to bring in most of our midfield from other clubs.

Fortunately, most (all?) of the people involved with that pick have moved on, one way or another. I think we've done better in recent years. In particular, we're getting a ton of value out of later selections. Whoever is picking the mature-agers out of the SANFL needs to be well looked after.

[magnifisaint]

Why is Allison a bust. The kid hasn’t played a game yet?

[samoht]

It's important to note (and I don't think you can emphasise this enough):
Elshaug was the recruiter and Richo relied on Elshaug's expertise and in fact this is what Richo said in the Emma Quayle article ....
... " it's reassuring for Trout to say, "No, this guy (McCartin)is the better player, he's the best player in the draft'."'

He was obviously relying on Elshaug ... Elshaug could have made a better case for Petracca, but he didn't. Elshaug is the culprit, and as the recruiter, he deserves all the blame.

[skeptic]

It's important to note (and I don't think you can emphasise this enough):
Elshaug was the recruiter and Richo relied on Elshaug's expertise and in fact this is what Richo said in the Emma Quayle article ....
... " it's reassuring for Trout to say, "No, this guy (McCartin)is the better player, he's the best player in the draft'."'

He was obviously relying on Elshaug ... Elshaug could have made a better case for Petracca, but he didn't. Elshaug is the culprit, and as the recruiter, he deserves all the blame.

As a non Richo fan and generally blamer of all things to AR…
This is one instance where he gets a pass

I read that article and in it, Richo asks a lot of reasonable/good questions and ultimately backs his recruiting team.
Does not push for or attempt to influence the recruiters whatsoever

[vacuous space]

It's important to note (and I don't think you can emphasise this enough):
Elshaug was the recruiter and Richo relied on Elshaug's expertise and in fact this is what Richo said in the Emma Quayle article ....
... " it's reassuring for Trout to say, "No, this guy (McCartin)is the better player, he's the best player in the draft'."'

He was obviously relying on Elshaug ... Elshaug could have made a better case for Petracca, but he didn't. Elshaug is the culprit, and as the recruiter, he deserves all the blame.

I don't think there's any doubt that Trout was the most wrong in a room full of wrong people. If he had been the one who had said 'there's always midfielders', I'd have quoted him on that - but that was Richo. Same with the 'back the truck up' quote. My point was much more that they were completely wrong on the whole thing. It turns out there's always key forwards and we've had to back the truck up to get mids multiple times.

[saynta]

I n the end I had to turn of that game. Couldn't stand to watch Petracca.To painful.