Thinking ahead to 2024 draft...(and beyond)

[The Black and White Lion]

If this eventuates, I would be very happy with this but given Fly's players over picks comments this week it would seem we'd be chasing Houston, Lord + others with one or more of those picks instead

[SLORT]

I want a DNA test of Armstrong. We may be able to get him under father-son...

[SLORT]

If we get pick #12 we could land Taj Hotton...According to rookie central he's currently ranked at that number. Imagine picking at that old wound. Tony Shaw would have a stroke.

[Presti35]

If we get pick #12 we could land Taj Hotton...According to rookie central he's currently ranked at that number. Imagine picking at that old wound. Tony Shaw would have a stroke.

Racking the brain here... the old man Trent came to training half pissed? And got the nickname Trent Hothead? Olli Hotton fell to pick 35, but was expected to be much higher? (We took Jakon Ryan at 28 and Ed Allan at 18). I'd be somewhat shocked if we drafted Taj.

[SLORT]

Racking the brain here... the old man Trent came to training half pissed?

If I remember it rightly the rumor was that Trent, after getting the boot, sold out Tony's playbook. At the time we were doing a lot of set play type of ball movement and we were improving. Suddenly it all went sideways, the spoon, and badda-bing badda-boom Tony's gone. And to rub salt in the wound Hotton got another go a couple of years later with Carlton. Don't know how true it was, but they were the rumors and it seemed to explain a lot.

[stui magpie]

I recall the playbook rumours but the rumour was it wasn't alcohol he was under the influence of, allegedly more of a tablet type substance.

[Culprit]

I remember Alan Richardson talking Trent into playing at East Burwood. Trent had a cracker of a year and helped win the Premiership and was picked up by the Blues. I catch up with Trent a few times a year at past player functions. He's never mentioned anything to me about the playbook. I will ask him when I next catch up with him. He's very calm these days and I feel his experience has helped his kids. I can't see us looking at Taj simply because he isn't 194cm plus.

[Pies2016]

^^^
Wouldn’t help that Taj is currently recovering from an ACL. Hes has got some serious tricks but his knee injury will likely see him slide a few spots down the draft order though.

[SLORT]

Another thought / observation about using our hoped for pick 12 on a forward. Charlie Curnow was drafted pick 12 in 2015. It then took him 6 years to reach the next level. Would we be as patient as a supporter base should we go for H.Armstrong (or similar)?

[Charlie Oneeye]

Given our current draft hand and considering several factors, I just posted in another thread, a case for trading Vrs and drafting.

That said, If there is a good chance to select H. Armstrong at pick 12, I'd go for it.

[Pies2016]

^^^
Loved his ( interrupted) U18 championship series. I’d be shocked if Armstrong was still there at #12.
I would expect Richmond will pull the trigger on him first, possibly with # 6 ( Rioli trade ) and that would drift out to #7 or #8 on the night.

[neil]

Another thought / observation about using our hoped for pick 12 on a forward. Charlie Curnow was drafted pick 12 in 2015. It then took him 6 years to reach the next level. Would we be as patient as a supporter base should we go for H.Armstrong (or similar)?

Max King at St Kilda played senior football in his first year
Travis Cloak played in his first year
Darcy Moore drafted 2014 debuted round 14 2015

Not everyone takes as long as Curnow
Yes the first year is not the best but who would you rather Armstrong or Frampton as a KPF?

[SLORT]

^Frampton! Oh wait, was that a trick question?

[Culprit]

McCrae coming out and saying he wants 'players not draft picks" is talking the talk.

[RudeBoy]

There's no hard and fast one best way to build a squad.
However, I can see McCrae's point. Drafting any 18 yr old is always a gamble.

We lost those gambles when we used prized early draft picks selecting Scharenberg, Freeman, Stephenson and Henry. There were very good reasons to select each of these, but the fact is NONE of them gave us any return for our significant investment of valuable first round draft picks.
By comparison, bringing in ready-made players, is far less risky, though obviously very difficult to obtain absolute champion players. Nevertheless, at the end of 2022 we welcomed in 4 ready-made players (Hill, McStay, Frampton and Mitchell) who went on to play significant roles in us winning the 2023 flag.

My view, and I expect it is shared by our recruiters, is that it's all about balance. The devil is always in the detail.

I certainly expect us to use draft picks to secure Tom McGuane next season, as well as a couple of youngsters in the 2024 draft. However, our immediate improvement next season will be significantly enhanced by the trading/buying in of 2-3 established players, the first of whom seems to be Perryman.