Elwood Blues1 wrote:
While I have been happy with this period of recruiting I have some concerns about our lack of leg speed and ball carrying ability........
We are really left with Simpson, Walker and Carrazo to do a lot of the running and ball carrying duties...its going to be real tough on these blokes at some of he interstate venues especially with the warmer weather and even at our home venue at Telstra where conditions are usually good.
The balance of the list has changed and we are bigger and stronger which I like and have been in favour of but I would have selected another running player in the national draft or PSD and another runner as a rookie.
Maybe Mclaren and Flint should have been two smaller runners IMHO...I don’t mind McLaren but did we really need another spare parts ruckman and did we need another medium size defender...facts are too that Chambers and Bannister probably wont be on the list after next season....thats going to make us very slow....and the AFL are making the game quicker by changing the rules....
Elwood it's about more than just leg speed. You also have to win the ball first. It also comes down to a players character, desire, work rate, versatility and being able to stand the rigors of AFL.
I can't answer any questions regarding McLaren only to say that A) French needed help. Deluca is hopefully going to cause more problems with his mobility as a key marking forward. B) Aisake and Batson are 200+ genuine ruckmen of the future but not in 2006 or even 2007.
Mclaren is a very competitive ruckman who the Lions wanted to keep. He will give you 110% and he will give Frenchy a much needed rest for 10 minutes a quarter at least. French is a superbly fit athlete but he needs his rest as you know. We tried to get Knoble last year but got piped by the Tigers.
Getting onto the selection of Flint and leg speed lets look at what happened in the ND and RD.
With picks 1,4 and 20 CFC tried to select 200+ game players. 2 terrific KP players and a brilliant ball getter/carrier were selected. With pick 36 we got a very mobile, very quick (sub 3 sec 20 metres) leading, marking 17 yr old with a terrific work ethic and great character. Believe me when I say Jake has ALL the right attributes you want in a kid.
So he has the leg speed and mobility to play both tall and short. He played onball in the TAC and did very well at the clearances. He has versatility.
When it came to the RD, those in some sort of contention (in alphabetical order) were Flint, Jackson, Looby, Simpkin, Thomas and White. White was asked to train but he had already committed to the Tigers. Another quickie in Andre Gianfagne was also a chance to train but he went to Melb and later the Tigers for a run.
We had enough 193 types and future ruck prospects so they obviously weren't a priority in the RD.
So White and Thomas went in the PSD. Such is life. Just on White, he has suffered alot of soft tissue injuries this year and missed alot of the season. There may be some questions about physical durability down the track. He is a very finely tuned athlete and sometimes with finely tuned athletes it doesn't take many knocks to put them out of action for awhile.
Jackson at 188cm is a very versatile player. What he lacks in initial leg speed he makes up for in aerobic capacity with a 14.5 beep (top 10% at draft camp.) He has the running ability to play onball or as a tagger. He has the height to be a running winger or annoying forward for the opposition ala Fisher.
He is not quick from a standing start but he never stops moving and therefore often leads players who are quicker than himself to the ball. He reads it very well up field and works damn hard to present an option. His 1%ers are the equal of anyone I have seen this year and he will never die wondering. His efforts in the 2nd 1/2 of the year for the Northern Knights, in the Under 18 champs and the TAC Finals series were terrific. He is very good overhead which also makes him a versatile prospect. What he needs now is size and a running coach (which CFC just happen to have
)
Rookie selection is also about impressing those watching and the fact that Jacko was always 1st to arrive and last to leave training didn't go unnoticed. He ran himself ragged in every session.
So we picked Jacko at #1. Simpkin went at #16.
Flint is 189cm and Looby is 186cm. Looby is a wonderful kick but Flint is no slouch in that area and rarely misses a target coming out of defense. Both run hard out of defense and both like a dash carrying the ball. Flint is a better mark overhead and a natural 1 on 1 spoiler. He is probably more versatile overall. Aerobically and speed wise both a fairly neck and neck. Flint impressed more in his time on the track at CFC. Both have good leadership qualities with Flint captaining GP in a few games mid year. Flint tends to show abit more poise under real pressure on the last line of defense.
In terms of outright leg speed here are some comparisons
5 metre - Flint 1.07 White 1.07, Simpkin 1.06
10 metre - Flint 1.79, White 1.76, Simpkin 1.78
If you look at who was picked after 17 there isn't much that really compares with Flint. Nicholls is quick but only 176cm. Gianfagna didn't really impress during the year and isn’t a huge ball winner. The rest IMHO are either 'JUST' a chance to make it are possible Rucks or KP's which we didn't need.
You also have to remember that if you take an interstate rookie you have to pay his moving cost and keep him for 2 years. The 2 year deal is a big call in this day and age.
So can see what you wanted but hopefully this explains how things really went in the end.
Regards Cazzesman
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