Originally Posted by
liz
I haven't crossed-checked which posters have made which comments, but in the last few days there have been comments asking "where's our Henderson", or similar.
Henderson was the ultimate in fringe player when he joined the Hawks but has carved out a very valuable role for himself in the Hawthorn team. Similarly Matt de Boer at the Giants.
McGlynn was a fringe player when he joined us. Arguably so was Joey Kennedy. And Rhyce Shaw was unwanted by Collingwood. We paid very little for them, but all were valuable acquisitions (mega understatement for Kennedy). Sure, the three we picked up last year (and paid very little for) didn't set the world on fire, for a variety of reasons. Clarke, in particular, still played some decent football at times.
The reality is teams get injuries so can't rely on simply a best 22. But the salary cap doesn't permit you to have 30 or so strong players. Or if you do, you have to sacrifice on your absolute top line talent. You need guys who can play a role, and whose noses won't get out of joint if they have to play a bit of NEAFL. Look at the Richmond team. It's full of players with limitations and flaws, but they play for each other, play in a consistent style and at consistent effort levels, and complement the four or five A+ graders and handful of B graders (or A- graders) that the Tigers also have on their list.
I don't think we have that many players in this mold at the moment. Rose will almost certainly go. (You clearly didn't spot the tongue in my cheek re my suggestion of him as trade bait). Fox is another. He might go or might stay. Thurgood disappointed this year but he's got one more year (by way of contract) to show he can deliver more or he'll be out of the door. Menzel is probably in a similar situation. It's not like we have multiple long-term list cloggers. Get them in, see what they have to offer, and then move them on if necessary.
Below our best 22 we have a decent raft of players who still too early in their development to really be list cloggers (or fringe players). Some of these may just have one more year to show they can step up. Some won't be able to step up. Hopefully they - and I mean the likes of Stoddart, Bell, Ling, McInerney, Foot - will get some opportunities at senior level in the next season. But injuries in 2019 meant we fielded one of, if not the, youngest 22 for around half the season. Too many immature bodies makes it hard for the team to sustain the effort over four quarters. And in a lot of the games we lost, it was one poor quarter that cost us the game. To take the next step, the team needs to become a little physically harder and attain greater consistency over the course of a game. To do that, a couple more mid 20s players, who don't cost a huge amount trade-wise, or cap-wise, can't be a bad thing. And who knows, we might uncover one who becomes "our Henderson" or our "de Boer" (or even, dare I say it, "our Nick Newman").
Having said all of that, I'm not personally a fan of Lewis Taylor. To me he's a player that buzzes around and gets a lot of the ball but without much purpose. Even at NEAFL level, he didn't really stand out to me this year as a player of purpose and thrust.
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