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terry smith rules wrote: ↑Wed 15 Sep 2021 10:14amCurrently we have picks 9 46 and 64 . Not a lot of depth
I wouldn't be surprised if they traded pick 9 into next year for a potential run at Bing. I just don't think drafting early is a particular priority for the crowd running things right now. We're more about trading for good players and getting value out of our later draft picks than trying to amass early picks.
Out of the last few years of drafting (since Trout left) we've picked up Bytel, Wilkie, Byrnes, Connolly, Highmore and Sharman all outside the top-40. Hard to argue with selecting Hind either. I'm pretty comfortable seeing what they can find with later picks, if the that's the way we go. I think they've earned our trust.
We're building to compete for flags during King's (Kings'?) prime. Looking at the top two players on our list in terms of goal assists per game over their careers, number one is Gresham, number two is Billings. If the goal is to get the ball to our best players, then we need Billings a lot more than we need a mystery box.
Ghost Like wrote: ↑Wed 15 Sep 2021 1:57pm
I'd be surprised if he was not in our Top 12 performing & paid players. You think somewhere from 13 to 22.
If Billings is in fact our 17th (median) best player, then I'm surprised we are not a Top 4 team already - that is pure icing on a Premiership cake.
My top 13:
Steele
Sinclair
Howard
Wilkie
Jones
Gresham
Crouch
Clark
King
Ryder
Marshall
Higgins
Membrey
Next Tier: Coffield, Ross, Hill, Hannebery, Billings, Butler, Battle, Webster, Highmore, McKenzie, Paton and Byrnes.
So yes, he is probably around 17th best player. He is not that good! In fact that tier of players is not that good! Hopefully he is now paid appropriately and that has freed up salary cap $ because I suspect he has been overpaid in the past.
Our chances of getting into the top 4 this year were killed by the worst draw and the loss of Ryder and Marshall.
I think we will make the final 8 next year and compete for the flag.
Replace Higgins with Ross and you might be right. Webster will finish top 10 in my opinion
Ghost Like wrote: ↑Wed 15 Sep 2021 1:57pm
I'd be surprised if he was not in our Top 12 performing & paid players. You think somewhere from 13 to 22.
If Billings is in fact our 17th (median) best player, then I'm surprised we are not a Top 4 team already - that is pure icing on a Premiership cake.
My top 13:
Steele
Sinclair
Howard
Wilkie
Jones
Gresham
Crouch
Clark
King
Ryder
Marshall
Higgins
Membrey
Next Tier: Coffield, Ross, Hill, Hannebery, Billings, Butler, Battle, Webster, Highmore, McKenzie, Paton and Byrnes.
So yes, he is probably around 17th best player. He is not that good! In fact that tier of players is not that good! Hopefully he is now paid appropriately and that has freed up salary cap $ because I suspect he has been overpaid in the past.
Our chances of getting into the top 4 this year were killed by the worst draw and the loss of Ryder and Marshall.
I think we will make the final 8 next year and compete for the flag.
Replace Higgins with Ross and you might be right. Webster will finish top 10 in my opinion
Webster IMO will definitely finish top 10 in our B&F but JB will struggle, maybe just . Still happy to have JB on board for another 4 years he does add some class to the team IMO
Billlings in my mind transcends one of the biggest issues plagueing our club for many years now., and it has right back to and beyond Lethers well known public comments regarding onfield leadership.
Interestingly I noted while listening to Adam Simson and Ratts on AFL360 this week discuss the topic of what area needs to improve in 2022 for each of the coaches respective clubs and Simmo said his club needed to be capable of arresting an opposition's surge and then subsequently went on to say he knew that was also an issue for his mate Ratts. Clearly they chat as mates off screen.
And so the thing that frustrates me the most about Billings is him going missing in games, especially at crucial moments and/or in the games we just have to win.
If he fixes that he goes to next level. Other than that he has silky skills with ball in hand.
B.M wrote: ↑Wed 15 Sep 2021 2:01pm
Billings is a top 6 player fully fit
A second round draft pick eh?
If you selected a player of Billings caliber (and that’s if?) would you be happy
Chances are you would get a Ben Long level player, and I’d be filthy with that swap!
Billings is a good player - better to hang on to good players
Draft picks mean FA
This. 100% this. Seriously - letting Billings go for a 2nd round compo pick (around 30) would've been madness. Do you really think our draft team would've selected a better player than Billings with pick 30? I certainly don't (and even less so in a draft where recruiters have barely seen any players play for 2 years). We've barely been able to nail top 10 picks in the past let alone something way later than that. Apart from the odd outlier like Paton - we're not much chop at drafting (and even worse at then developing that talent).
I for one am bloody delighted that we've retained Billings and on lesser money to boot. We need more good kicks in our team; not less.
Vortex wrote: ↑Thu 16 Sep 2021 8:47am
Billlings in my mind transcends one of the biggest issues plagueing our club for many years now., and it has right back to and beyond Lethers well known public comments regarding onfield leadership.
Interestingly I noted while listening to Adam Simson and Ratts on AFL360 this week discuss the topic of what area needs to improve in 2022 for each of the coaches respective clubs and Simmo said his club needed to be capable of arresting an opposition's surge and then subsequently went on to say he knew that was also an issue for his mate Ratts. Clearly they chat as mates off screen.
And so the thing that frustrates me the most about Billings is him going missing in games, especially at crucial moments and/or in the games we just have to win.
If he fixes that he goes to next level. Other than that he has silky skills with ball in hand.
True enough. Most coaches will say that the hardest thing they find to deal with on match day in-game is that or arresting momentum when it turns against you. And it's pretty simple to understand - with 6/6/6/ ... you can't really put men behind the ball now to stop a surge so then it all comes onto the players to take charge or that once it happens and if you're a quiet, timid group - as we are - that's a very difficult thing to acheive.
