Bradshaw a Swan

[Cheer Squad]

The debate is healthy........but I cant see a clear strategy that you have outlined re recruitment that is better than taking Bradshaw for 2010, 2011 minimum

It appears pinned on 2 or 3 youth becoming 50 goal kickers in 2010 ??

That aint going to happen !

so what is strategy for 2010 and 2011 ?

who would you recruit for 2010 and 2011?

....we have alot of $ and we have lost 70 to 80 goals pa minimum to replace with Mick and Barry gone..........it is very obvious that if we loose one of Goodes or White for an extended period of teh season we are screwed in our ability to maintain posession in our 50m let alone get goals

i personally dont think it is best to alter a tremendous on baller like Goodes to become a stilted CHF and or out and out Forward........he can do it but he also can rip a team apart if he has someone to deliver to week in week out..........Bradshaw and White are two targets !!

There are so many levels to this argument of getting the team balance right for 2010 and 2011 vs 2012 and beyond

Culture
Sponsorship
TV screening
Supporters
Competitiveness now vs future

ensuring that we can maintain a challenge for the top 8 in 2010 and 2011 hopefully top 4 is an absolute must..........do you think Roos and the lads havent looked into 2010 and 2011 and discovered that there really isnt anyone else outside or inside the club now that we can get 50 goals plus from

I would love to say White and or Johnston could but that is a massive stretch and not one I would put money on

Saints had 250goals from there top 5 players

who is going to do that without a Bradshaw........ who had 58 last year?? in a year that Brownie killed it and demanded a lot of ball......


im open

Lewis Johnstone is untested at senior level, so I'm not pinning my hopes on him just yet. The jury is still out on Vespremi as a forward as far as I'm concerned.

IMHO, we've been caught out by Hall's premature departure, but there was no way we could have trusted him after his behaviour in the past two seasons.

We might be able to make do with Goodes and Seaby down in the forward line for a while, especially since recruiting Mumford as a ruckman (I hope he works out!), and Josh Kennedy able to handle the midfield.

As far as our overall strategy and position in the Sydney market is concerned, it's pretty clear we'll get the crowds and corporate support again when there's a general perception we're on the way up again. It happened in the mid-80s, mid-90s and mid-noughties.

The point I'm making is that we have tried to defy the draft system for too long and now we should be ruthless in clearing out any passengers. Otherwise we'll be waiting the better part of another 72 years for our next premiership.

[Auntie.Gerald]

the big blade swinging appeared to work for Brisbane as they replace with quality just as aggressively

I still cant see how clearing the decks without adding one or two above average players will work in 2010 and 2011.

Im not saying Bradshaw would be my first pick with lots to choose from......

Im saying we have very limited choice yet we still need to prosper in the short medium and long term......and just letting go of peripheral players for teh sake of it doesnt help right now

ie no bradshaw in 2010.......yet we probably have $500k plus to spend so why not invest in some quality..........;if not bradshaw who will get us 50 plus goals ? to replace our 80 !

[Glenn]

I don't think there would be too many people who truly believe we will have a premiership tilt in the next 2-3 years.

Getting Bradshaw is dumb IMO. Where does it leave Daniel Currie now? With Mumford and Seaby both rucking, the forward line was looking likely for him. But with White, Bradshaw, Johnstone and possibly Goodes up there how is he going to fit in?

Sydney will need a focal point in the forward line to fill the void left by Hall, do you want to rely on Currie to fill that goal scoring void?

[Captain]

Getting Bradshaw is dumb IMO. Where does it leave Daniel Currie now? With Mumford and Seaby both rucking, the forward line was looking likely for him. But with White, Bradshaw, Johnstone and possibly Goodes up there how is he going to fit in?

Goodes will play midfield.

Johnston has a long way to go. Doubt he will be a regular senior player for another couple of seasons, plenty of time with him. Plus what happens if he is a dud? Have you seen him play much?

[Cheer Squad]

the big blade swinging appeared to work for Brisbane as they replace with quality just as aggressively

I still cant see how clearing the decks without adding one or two above average players will work in 2010 and 2011.

Im not saying Bradshaw would be my first pick with lots to choose from......

Im saying we have very limited choice yet we still need to prosper in the short medium and long term......and just letting go of peripheral players for teh sake of it doesnt help right now

ie no bradshaw in 2010.......yet we probably have $500k plus to spend so why not invest in some quality..........;if not bradshaw who will get us 50 plus goals ? to replace our 80 !

I think we should put aside any hopes of making the eight for a while and aggressively de-list and trade to start assembling our next premiership team.

I've already stated in these pages I'm in favour of trading players like Ted Richards and Ablett NOW while we can still get some value for them.

IMHO, 2010 should be seen as a make-or-break year for Barlow, Grundy, and Malceski.

[Auntie.Gerald]

good point re trading but we would have just got the same me thinks ie look at Kennedy and McGlynn........they are pretty much the same as Malceski, Ablett etc but may or may not prosper by the change of environment......so we did it already by bringing 4 new players to our club in 2010 already....Mumford, Seaby, Kennedy and McGlynn

they will hopefully compete strongly for the 22 spots each week............plus we have youth approx 5 or 6 that have less than 15 games ie Smith, ODwyer, Vespa, White, Johnston, Meredith,

That is a massively new team with 6 leaders leaving !!........massive change !

BUT to keep it relative

If the Pies lost say equivalent key players they wouldnt sit around waiting for a their youth when you can combine current youth with some quality ie they bought Jolly and the Hawks bought Burgoyne

ie imagine these 6 dominant players leaving the Pies in 2010.........@@@@ what a change

Hall = Anthony
Jolly = Fraser
Mick = Penddlebury
Barry = Maxwell
Amon = D.Thomas
Crouch = Swan

[Cheer Squad]

good point re trading but we would have just got the same me thinks ie look at Kennedy and McGlynn........they are pretty much the same as Malceski, Ablett etc but may or may not prosper by the change of environment......so we did it already by bringing 4 new players to our club in 2010 already....Mumford, Seaby, Kennedy and McGlynn

they will hopefully compete strongly for the 22 spots each week............plus we have youth approx 5 or 6 that have less than 15 games ie Smith, ODwyer, Vespa, White, Johnston, Meredith,

That is a massively new team with 6 leaders leaving !!........massive change !

BUT to keep it relative

If the Pies lost say equivalent key players they wouldnt sit around waiting for a their youth when you can combine current youth with some quality ie they bought Jolly and the Hawks bought Burgoyne

ie imagine these 6 dominant players leaving the Pies in 2010.........@@@@ what a change

Hall = Anthony
Jolly = Fraser
Mick = Penddlebury
Barry = Maxwell
Amon = D.Thomas
Crouch = Swan

You're flattering Anthony, Fraser, Pendlebury, and probably Amon. The others are fair comparisons.

[Auntie.Gerald]

the point actually being is that we have had wholesale changes

we have taken affirmative action in 2007, 2008, 2009 in blooding emerging youth

we have taken affirmative action in recruiting top 22 depth

now we simply need a little more credible goal kicking quality - hence Bradshaw

I just cant see any other strategy being superior at this point in time

[DeadlyAkkuret]

It's a war against Carlton now, which makes it even more important to win. Get him!

[Claret]

.... imagine these 6 dominant players leaving the Pies in 2010

Hall = Anthony
Jolly = Fraser
Mick = Penddlebury
Barry = Maxwell
Amon = D.Thomas
Crouch = Swan

You're flattering Anthony, Fraser, Pendlebury, and probably Amon. The others are fair comparisons.

Crouch = Swan is fair???????

[Auntie.Gerald]

geese its hard to find an equivalent 6 when we came 12th and they came just a little higher on the table

point being we have lost massive talent and experience

[Captain]

Crouch = Swan is fair???????

Makes you wonder doesn't it....

[Cheer Squad]

Makes you wonder doesn't it....

Please explain...

[hammo]

Makes you wonder doesn't it....

I was thinking exactly the same thing

[bennyfabulous]

We should only go after Bradshaw if we think he's going to be part of our next premiership team. Given that he's 31 next month, somehow I doubt it.

We've defied AFL gravity for as long as we can - probably longer than we should have - and as far as our next premiership team goes, we're better off going along with the system, bottoming out for a few years, and obtaining the highest possible draft picks. There's no point worrying about Gold Coast and the GWS venture; there's nothing we can do about that.

Everything we do concerning list management has to ensure that players like Jesse White, Nick Smith, Craig Bird, and Josh Kennedy amongst others, are part of our next premiership team.

There's no point of spending up big to obtain players like Bradshaw and Fevola at the expense of future premiership players.

It should be noted that its rare to win a premiership without previous finals experience in your players.

With Bradshaw i think we are a better chance of getting said valuable experience sometime in the next 3 years and that therefore makes him worth drafting.