Spriggs a swan

[Ruda Wakening]

Smart Cow.

[ScottH]

"Cressa is a big Spriggs fan" according to Roos.

suprise suprise!!

[Schneiderman]

Originally posted by NMWBloods
Um... these aren't "2-bit rejects."

I completely agree... isn't hindsight a wonderful thing.

They were all rejected by their respective clubs though, and most comentators had written them off when they went to new clubs.

Hardly fair to be calling either Spriggs or Jolly 2-bit rejects at this stage either.

[liz]

Originally posted by Schneiderman


They were all rejected by their respective clubs though, and most comentators had written them off when they went to new clubs.

Except that they weren't. Caracella and Hardwick were victims of the Dons's salary cap issues while Pickett was keen for a move to SA. I reckon their original clubs would have been delighted had they been able to retain these players.

I don't recall a single commentator or media writer "writing them off" when they changed clubs.

[cruiser]

Item about Spriggs from the Herald Sun. It appears that Cressa had a hand in his move to Sydney (we still love ya Cressa).

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,11457490%255E19742,00.html

[Schneiderman]

Originally posted by liz
Except that they weren't. Caracella and Hardwick were victims of the Dons's salary cap issues while Pickett was keen for a move to SA. I reckon their original clubs would have been delighted had they been able to retain these players.

I don't recall a single commentator or media writer "writing them off" when they changed clubs.

Well I distinctly do. In fact all of their first few games for their new clubs were very ordinary. And the fact remains that they were let go, regardless of the reason... as we had to do with Heath, and Melbourne with Jolly, and Geelong with Spriggs.

[NMWBloods]

I don't recall anyone saying those players were second-rate, and I think it a bit silly to compare them to either James or Spriggs.

The 'Roos wanted to retain Pickett, but he wanted to go to Port.

[Jimmy C]

I just can't see where the problem with this is!

The Club wanted a Ruckman, Midfielder, and KP Defender (plus whatever).

The Club GOT a Ruckman, Midfielder, and KP Defender (plus whatever).

O.K. The quality isn't what everyone expected, however, I think all will be extremely serviceable. Two of the players (Jolly/Spriggs) are senior players from clubs which could not accommodate them. Just like Bolton the C

Its sort of good news (some just aren't awake to it yet!!!).

[midaro]

Originally posted by Jimmy C
I just can't see where the problem with this is!

The Club wanted a Ruckman, Midfielder, and KP Defender (plus whatever).

The Club got a Ruckman, Midfielder, and KP Defender (plus whatever).

O.K. The quality isn't what everyone expected, however, I think all will be extremely serviceable. Two of the players (Jolly/Spriggs) are senior players from clubs which could not accommodate them. Just like Bolton the C

IMO the perceived problem with our recruiting, is that the potential 'upside' is very small.

It is very unlikely that we have recruited a champion this year. James, Spriggs or Jolly (the best of the bunch) are pretty much of known ability - they will never win a Brownlow and everyone knows this.

With some kid noone has ever heard of, people can at least dream that he'll be something special - even though on the balance of probabilities he won't.

People have the mindset that "you have to be in it to win it". That is, you have to take lots of kids so eventually you get a champion for nothing - ie Goodes, Hird, etc.

Frankly, I'm not sure what to think. meh

[Plugger46]

Everytime I watched Spriggs play for Geelong he was ordinary, so I'm really not confident of him playing well for us.

[swansrule100]

there wasnt any champion to recruit very few in the league tho!

i guess its hard to know what to think cos its all at an unknown stage. James could lift, spriggs might love the change and become a star. They all might fail

its just unknown.... a lot of luck will decide wether the draft was a success for the swans

[ScottH]

It will be interesting reading these posts in 12 months time!

Like it or not we have Spriggs and like all other players he has to prove himself to get a regular senior spot. The swans (and Cressa) think he was worth selecting.

I mean Cressa (and kelly) had pretty ordinary skills in their early years, but by the end of their careers they had improved (just a little ) to the point where they had won several B & f's between them and a brownlow.

So, I think he deserves a chance to prove himself before we all shoot him down in flames.

[Scottee]

A couple of points on Spriggs ability.

He has a career record of 9 brownlow votes. All before his knee problem, which happened after about 50 games.

In comparison, at the beginning of 2004 the following career votes collected by some of the Swans players were as follows:

Leo Barry: 7
Craig Bolton:0
Jared Crouch: 5
Nick Davis: 8
Nic Fosdike: 13
Tadgh Kennelly: 5
Brett Kirk: 5
Ben Mathews: 3
Ryan O'Keefe: 3
Jason Saddington: 5
Andrew Schauble: 8

Going by the above, providing he is over the knee problem, he looks like a great pick-up. It's just a long tiome since he has been fit enough to show his ability it seems.

Whilst some may not respect the opinions of the "coloured maggots", I'm prepared to say that Spriggs was a good pick-up so low inthe draft considering the probablility of finding a good player there, and he still has a number of years left in him.

[swansrule100]

Originally posted by ScottH
It will be interesting reading these posts in 12 months time!

Like it or not we have Spriggs and like all other players he has to prove himself to get a regular senior spot. The swans (and Cressa) think he was worth selecting.

I mean Cressa (and kelly) had pretty ordinary skills in their early years, but by the end of their careers they had improved (just a little ) to the point where they had won several B & f's between them and a brownlow.

So, I think he deserves a chance to prove himself before we all shoot him down in flames.

agreed
i think he might surprise us all and finish high up in the best and fairest

[liz]

Originally posted by midaro
IMO the perceived problem with our recruiting, is that the potential 'upside' is very small.

It is very unlikely that we have recruited a champion this year. James, Spriggs or Jolly (the best of the bunch) are pretty much of known ability - they will never win a Brownlow and everyone knows this.

Dunks was little more than a hard-trying workmanlike defender who hadn't had an easy ride into AFL footy until 1996 when he suddenly emerged as a top quality fullback (probably robbed of AA selection that year by the selectors' obsession with SOS).

Luffy was a battler who suddenly came good in 1996 and played some mighty fine football.

Without these two players I very much doubt the Swans would have got close to a GF berth that year.

Even within the current team we have seen Leo Barry, Brett Kirk and Barry Hall develop from OK players to top quality, consistent performers well into their mid-late 20s.

Just because a player doesn't burst onto the scenes, ala Riewoldt or Judd, as a teenager doesn't mean they can't become a very good player. I suggest that the vast majority of players don't play their best football until 25+, and there are probably many who have been discarded after just a couple of years on a list who would have been capable of becoming good AFL players had someone shown more faith. Unfortunately, the limited list sizes and need to keep new blood flowing through the competition mean that many a player is lost to the system before fulfilling his potential.