PSD & Rooke Drafts

[CyberKev]

Hmmm...

Not many surprises in the PSD yesterday, with club selections generally going to plan.

Not so for the rookie draft though...

I was almost certain that Richmond would run with Kirkby with their opening pick and there was much excitement in the Hawk camp when the Tigers called Will Thursfield at number one. I suspect that Hawthorn had been eyeing off Ryan Bain for pick 2, but Kirkby was too good to pass up, given that he had been universally perceived as a first round pick in the main draft before being surprisingly overlooked.

I don't know a lot about Thursfield and it will be interesting to see how he comes along.

Missing out on Bain has tempered the joy of nailing Kirkby somewhat, and the fact that he has ended-up at the Bombers has only aggravated matters.

Hawthorn (who also scored highly thought-of peripheral forward goalsneak Young) aside, Sydney would consider themselves preliminary winners from the draft, having picked-up agile, strong marking youngster, Heath Grundy for a steal with its third round pick. You wouldn't have found any pundits willing to suggest that Grundy wouldn't have gone top thirty in the main draft, so getting him at 42 in the rookie was a fab effort by the Swans.

CyberKev

 

[meltiger]

Hmmm...

Not many surprises in the PSD yesterday, with club selections generally going to plan.

Except Zantuck. Thought he'd be gone before Essendon.

I am rapt with Knobel. Even if you purely look at it through the view of McKee - He is useless and the idea of him coming back was awful.

 

[meltiger]

& yeah, the Hawks should be rapt with Kirkby... Hope my Tiges know what they were doing :?

 

[CyberKev]

& yeah, the Hawks should be rapt with Kirkby... Hope my Tiges know what they were doing :?

Time will tell, although you have to wonder why everyone passed on him during the main draft???

I know he didn't come off well with the athletic tests at draft camp, but he blitzed at the carnival and went All-Australian. If the Hawks are to be believed, they say that they would have loved Kirkby with pick 53 in the main draft, but were committed to getting a ruckman.

I'm hoping that this is yet another case of "recruiting gurus" obsessing over athletic asides, instead of focusing on the player's skills and smarts. At any rate, I'm pleased that Hawthorn has finally decided to move away from its ludicrous obsession with recruiting athletes first, footballers second! Give me youngsters who can kick well and think their way through situations ahead of greyhounds any time!

I think the Tigers might be playing with a shortened list for 2005. I have heard that financial considerations relating to the acquisition of Simmonds & Knobel were central factors behind their decision not to pick up Kirkby at pick 8 in the PSD, but I can't confirm this.

 

[meltiger]

I think the Tigers might be playing with a shortened list for 2005. I have heard that financial considerations relating to the acquisition of Simmonds & Knobel were central factors behind their decision not to pick up Kirkby at pick 8 in the PSD, but I can't confirm this.

Jesus. Might well be true but is another reason why the members must give Casey and his mob of yes-men cronies the arse.

They would have had to pay the kid a base of 40 and up to a maximum of around 100 (Same as Deledio is expected to get next year).

Given the club is well within the cap, it's a joke they cannot afford to shell out 40k or so on such a talented kid.

 

[CyberKev]

Given the club is well within the cap, it's a joke they cannot afford to shell out 40k or so on such a talented kid.

I would stress that the financial angle is only what I've been hearing third-hand through other sources.

Both Thursfield and Kirkby were training at Richmond, so perhaps the former just impressed the coaching panel more.

I hear that Thursfield is only a centimetre or two smaller than Kirkby and can move a lot quicker. He hasn't been playing the game all that long, however, and struggles to make correct position and tries to fly for speccies too often, but these things can be worked on over time.

Kirkby is a little light-on at 81kg and will have to put on at least a stone in muscle to make it at AFL level, although this is true for all Hawthorn's drafted talls and almost all tall youngsters drafted by other clubs.

We'll just have to wait a couple of years for a clearer picture.

CyberKev

 

[meltiger]

Given the club is well within the cap, it's a joke they cannot afford to shell out 40k or so on such a talented kid.

I would stress that the financial angle is only what I've been hearing third-hand through other sources.

Richo is not on the Veterans List so that they can include his entire salary in the 95% of cap rule or whatever it is .... I'd tend to beleive what you have heard is true mate.

 

[meltiger]

Both Thursfield and Kirkby were training at Richmond, so perhaps the former just impressed the coaching panel more.

That being the case then wouldn't Thursfield be on the main list??

Unless the financial angle is in fact true.

 

[CyberKev]

Richo is not on the Veterans List so that they can include his entire salary in the 95% of cap rule or whatever it is .... I'd tend to beleive what you have heard is true mate.

Isn't he?

He's been there for 10 years, why the flock aren't they putting him on it?

Is there some AFL sub-clause that prevents you from doing so if financial restraints are preventing you from paying the full cap?

CyberKev

 

[CyberKev]

Both Thursfield and Kirkby were training at Richmond, so perhaps the former just impressed the coaching panel more.

That being the case then wouldn't Thursfield be on the main list??

Unless the financial angle is in fact true.

Not necessarily...

Although you would think that if they had any time for Kirkby then they would've used pick 8 in the PSD to get him.

Either there are financial issues at play, or they looked at Kirby and decided he wasn't up to it.

The latter would be surprising. Not that you can put much stock in December training, but he played on Richo in a scratch match and went very well I hear.

CyberKev

 

[meltiger]

Richo is not on the Veterans List so that they can include his entire salary in the 95% of cap rule or whatever it is .... I'd tend to beleive what you have heard is true mate.

Isn't he?

He's been there for 10 years, why the flock aren't they putting him on it?

Is there some AFL sub-clause that prevents you from doing so if financial restraints are preventing you from paying the full cap?

CyberKev

According to the EBA between the AFL and the Players Association, you need to pay a minimum percentage of the salary cap.

If they put Richo onto the Veterans list, only half his salary would count, therefore they would need to spend that money they are saving to ensure the minimum spend.

The clubs argument 3 months ago was they couldn't afford to do this.

 

[meltiger]

http://afl.com.au/default.asp?pg=news&spg=display&articleid=180915

2005 AFL club lists
10:17:30 AM Wed 15 December, 2004
(v) – outside = veteran outside list of 38
(v) – inside = veteran inside list of 38

RICHMOND
1. Archibald, Kyle
2. Bowden, Joel
3. Brown, Nathan
4. Campbell, Wayne (v) - outside
5. Chaffey, Mark
6. Coughlan, Mark
7. Deledio, Brett
8. Gaspar, Darren
9. Gilmour, Alex
10. Graham, Mark
11. Hall, Ray
12. Hartigan, Brent
13. Hilton, Rory
14. Hyde, Chris
15. Jackson, Daniel
16. Johnson, Kane
17. Kellaway, Andrew
18. Krakouer, Andrew
19. Knobel, Trent
20. Limbach, Dean
21. McGuane, Luke
22. Meyer, Danny
23. Moore, Kelvin
24. Morrison, Shane
25. Newman, Chris
26. Pattison, Adam
27. Pettifer, Kayne
28. Polo, Dean
29. Raines, Andrew
30. Richardson, Matthew
31. Roach, Tom
32. Rodan, David
33. Schulz, Jay
34. Simmonds, Troy
35. Stafford, Greg
36. Tambling, Richard
37. Tivendale, Greg
38. Tuck, Shane
39. -
Rookie List
1. Foley, Nathan
2. Thursfield, Will
3. -
4. -
5. -

As you can see Kev, Campbell is but Matty isn't on the Veterans list.

 

[meltiger]

Not so for the rookie draft though...

I was almost certain that Richmond would run with Kirkby with their opening pick and there was much excitement in the Hawk camp when the Tigers called Will Thursfield at number one. I suspect that Hawthorn had been eyeing off Ryan Bain for pick 2, but Kirkby was too good to pass up, given that he had been universally perceived as a first round pick in the main draft before being surprisingly overlooked.

I don't know a lot about Thursfield and it will be interesting to see how he comes along.

Guess Richmond made the right choice Been promoted to the main list now

 

[CyberKev]

Seems like it.

Its quite odd really, Kirkby appeared to be making solid (if unspectacular) progress, although his weight (or lack thereof) remains a concern.

I thought he would have been given another year on the rookie list, and I'm wondering if part of the decision to de-list is that he wants to try his luck in the upcoming drafts.

A couple of Hawk-types more closely affiliated with the club assured me that Clinton Young was the better rookie list pick-up for us last season, and they appear to have been proven correct by subsequent developments.

The Tigers did have both Thursfield & Kirkby training at the club for a few weeks prior to the rookie draft, and --barring unexpected future developments -- do seem to have made the correct call.

 

[meltiger]

Could you lot have carried 2 really skinny blokes? You have that red headed dreadlocked dude as well? (Forget his name)

He is actually quite impressive. Hopefully he doesn't turn into a David Bourke type - All the courage and talent in the world, but snaps in half when touched by a fingertip lol

 

[CyberKev]

Could you lot have carried 2 really skinny blokes? You have that red headed dreadlocked dude as well? (Forget his name)

He is actually quite impressive. Hopefully he doesn't turn into a David Bourke type - All the courage and talent in the world, but snaps in half when touched by a fingertip lol

Someone closely associated with the HFC assures me that a final decision on Kirkby won't be made until Wednesday???

He is skinny, but most young KPP are a little on the lean side early on.

Josh "Sideshow Bob" Thurgood Is skinnier than most, although he is suprisingly strong for his weight. Would be a very hot Fullback prospect if he could find a stone of muscle, but will most likely play a peripheral Danny Jacobs type role.

His weight, plus his tendency to travel from afar for games and not train with the side, were the key factors in him not being taken a lot higher in the draft.

But, yes, it need be said that we have had too many light-on types of late.

Of course, the Bulldogs appeared to be making good progress last season with a side made up predominantly on scrawny types.