Mr Negativity Asks: Who Makes it???

[mjp]

OK.

So in the past two drafts we have selected:

2020: Academy Selection JUH at pick #1
2021: Father Son Selection Darcy Jr at pick 2

BOTH were WAY above our 'place' in the draft order due to the circumstances of their selection. Both had barely played footy in their draft year. Both a tall, athletic KPP's who (reportedly) played their best when forward at under-age levels.

Reality: Only one will make 'IT' and become a superstar.

Who have you got???

[GVGjr]

I think Darcy should end up being the better footballer but it's going to be an exercise in patience for our supporters with both youngsters given how much development games they missed in the year or two leading up to their draft.
I wish there was a couple of other options in the poll because I can't quite find something I can agree on.

[Bulldog Joe]

Too early for me to make any sort of vote, but the optimist in me sees both contributing strongly to our next 5 flags.

[Grantysghost]

I went option 1.

Both to crush it for many years!

[bornadog]

I went option 1.

Both to crush it for many years!

Ditto here, but I am the eternal optimist

[The Underdog]

I mean if you’re saying that one of the two will become a superstar, you’re not really Mr Negative. That’s a pretty reasonable result. I’d say Marra based on the dynamic upside but we certainly have more exposure to him which may just lead to a bias.

[Go_Dogs]

Darcy seems to have more tools for the modern game with his size and apparently superior tank, however way too soon to make a call on either of them. Let’s ask again in 12 months time.

If forced to choose, I’m confident both play 150 games as it stands today!

[mjp]

I wish there was a couple of other options in the poll because I can't quite find something I can agree on.

Fair. I started with 8x options but when I've done polls with a lot of options in the past it always ends with no 'winner'.

[bornadog]

Fair. I started with 8x options but when I've done polls with a lot of options in the past it always ends with no 'winner'.

How did you vote?

[mjp]

How did you vote?

I haven't voted.

My thoughts are that JUH has the talent but lacks the application to play good week-in, week-out footy. It's hard to teach effort and for him to have an impact the ball needs to be kicked to him 5-6 times each quarter. In 1985 he would be a sensation, right now I have my doubts as to whether he can make it...very interested in what he does this year.

Darcy? I worry about his leg speed. I guess if I see him making it then he is playing as an intercepting half-back (Rance style) more than a forward. I'm curious if that is a position anymore?

I think Darcy went at the right pick in the draft though (could maybe have dropped one or two slots further) but I still maintain JUH wasn't in the top 10 on the board the previous season and we paid a big price to get him. That said, that's the whole idea of the academy system and why it should be in place...the changing of the rules has penalised EVERYONE for the perception that one club benefitted in 2020 - and the proof of whether or not they DID benefit will not be known for years to come.

Given all of that (my messy opinion) why did I post the poll? The club (aka Bevo) is clearly feeling pressure with regards JUH as he has regularly brought him up (selection, non-selection) over the past 12-months even when not directly asked about him. I guess I read all the words and just wondered what everyone else was thinking about our recent draft 'fortune'.

I look at this years draftees and whilst I have an obvious bias I still like the Jones selection as much as any...he simply put runs on the board every week. It isn't the fault of someone like Darcy (who has obvious talent AND physical attributes) but his selection at pick 2 (and that of Daicos at 3) was a real challenge for the clubs involved as those players (along with so many others) have missed critical years in their development that we don't really know how they will react too...you would expect given their talent that these 'high' picks will fare so much better than the late round ones but...man, clubs are going to have to be patient.

I still look at the 2020 selections of those Oakleigh mids (Phillips etc) who played in a side with Rowell, Anderson etc the year before (meaning they had zero responsibility) then didn't play footy the next year then found themselves in the AFL...I mean, how's that going to work out?

[GVGjr]

Fair. I started with 8x options but when I've done polls with a lot of options in the past it always ends with no 'winner'.

I'd be surprised if they both don't get to 100 games but it's early days and it's going to be a slow journey given their disrupted entry into the AFL.

[jeemak]

If I think about the career of Jack Watts, he played 174 games with a lot of those awarded on the basis of him being the number one pick and a chance to be something special.

JUH and Darcy if they put in the required effort and stay fit will probably experience the same treatment.

[boydogs]

Jamarra will make it. Darcy more of an unknown quantity

[Danny the snakeman]

Jamarra will make it. Darcy more of an unknown quantity

Unfortunately i don't think it will be with us tho. If Bevo dosen't get games in him i can see him leaving at the end of his contract.

[Mofra]

Jarrad Grant played 81 games with us, and most of his good games were in one season. I do wonder if JUH is headed that way, but his recent Covid bout seems to have knocked the stuffing out of him.

Darcy I'm more concerned with injury/development than anything else. He isn't super quick which is why I see him more of a defender, a role he played very well at the Chargers. I'm not sure he has 'star' quality despite his agility but would we really be upset if he ended up a Roughead-style defender? That might be the prototype

[comrade]

Jarrad Grant played 81 games with us, and most of his good games were in one season. I do wonder if JUH is headed that way, but his recent Covid bout seems to have knocked the stuffing out of him.

Darcy I'm more concerned with injury/development than anything else. He isn't super quick which is why I see him more of a defender, a role he played very well at the Chargers. I'm not sure he has 'star' quality despite his agility but would we really be upset if he ended up a Roughead-style defender? That might be the prototype

Essentially locking ourselves out of at least 1 draft and trade period (you could argue that it actually handcuffed us to make deals across multiple years right when we are contending) for a Roughead style defender would be pretty disappointing.

[Mofra]

Essentially locking ourselves out of at least 1 draft and trade period (you could argue that it actually handcuffed us to make deals across multiple years right when we are contending) for a Roughead style defender would be pretty disappointing.
A Roughead style defender and Arty Jones.... and Parker seems likely.

[Mantis]

A Roughead style defender and Arty Jones.... and Parker seems likely.

I’d want more Andrews than Roughead.

[comrade]

A Roughead style defender and Arty Jones.... and Parker seems likely.

Or we could have bundled up picks and players across multiple draft periods and secured someone who will truly make a difference right now while we’re primed to contend.

There’s a fair chance we look back at the 2020/2021 draft ‘gifts’ as a bit of a poisoned chalice.

[Mofra]

Or we could have bundled up picks and players across multiple draft periods and secured someone who will truly make a difference right now while we’re primed to contend.
Salary cap?

TBH I Think we kind of did that with Bruce & Keath, and then Treloar fell in our lap.

[comrade]

Salary cap?

TBH I Think we kind of did that with Bruce & Keath, and then Treloar fell in our lap.

Good point but last year’s trade period will always be a head scratcher to me. We’d just lost Bruce, have the thinnest ruck depth in the league and just lost a GF, yet we put all our eggs into the Sam Darcy basket and made no moves to shore up our weaknesses.

[MrMahatma]

There’s a fair chance we look back at the 2020/2021 draft ‘gifts’ as a bit of a poisoned chalice.

Well, many of us have maligned our previous ability to develop KPPs, and we've done OK with Naughton. Others? Dunno. Jury's still out on a fair bit of our KPP stock - English? Schache?

I thought Jamarra showed enough in his matches last year for us to see his talent, and it was a fitness/work-rate thing from here. I see no reason he won't come on. Will it be as quickly as we want? Certainly not. Will it be this year? I expect we'll see a fair bit of him this year.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

I think it'll take longer for these two to develop than what most will be willing to accept.

I haven't seen much on Darcy so I can't comment, but Marra makes it and plays 150+ for mine. The challenge will be keeping him focused and hungry while not always playing him, but as long as we do that, I think he'll be able to stamp himself on the game at about year 4.

[1eyedog]

Jarrad Grant played 81 games with us, and most of his good games were in one season. I do wonder if JUH is headed that way, but his recent Covid bout seems to have knocked the stuffing out of him.

Darcy I'm more concerned with injury/development than anything else. He isn't super quick which is why I see him more of a defender, a role he played very well at the Chargers. I'm not sure he has 'star' quality despite his agility but would we really be upset if he ended up a Roughead-style defender? That might be the prototype

JUH becomes Essendon's greatest ever player and Darce morphs into Ayce v2 and is delisted as a 25 year old who has played 27 games.

Both showed amazing natural ability but Covid snuffed any chance we had to actually determine whether they are really any good.