The Roar
The Roar

Joel Erickson

Roar Guru

Joined August 2013

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It’ll come for North Melbourne. I actually think they’ve done pretty well in the past few drafts, they just got a kid who couldn’t hack playing for anyone not in Adelaide (not that I’m personally complaining). I’d view Port’s 2018 draft as similar to Carlton’s 2015. Rozee and Butters could easily end up being Top 5 midfielders in this league for the next 5-7 years, and Duursma was really good until he just couldn’t stay healthy. I think having that really positive youth in the club has helped Port fill some of their other gaps (although, not with the same quality as the guys Carlton got). For example, I don’t think Port gets Soldo if you don’t have the sell of being able to put it down Rozee and Butters’ throat for the next 3-5 years.

Appreciate this spirited debate. Good to have one that doesn’t degrade down to personal insults like others tend to do.

Six Points: Meet the AFL's dumbest team, and the most ridiculous ban in MRO history

I said ‘get rid of father-son and academies while we’re at it’. That’s advocating for getting rid of both in my books.

Say in 2015 Carlton decided to take Schache instead of Weitering at 1, then took Doedee and McKay. Do you think you get the stream of good free agents and wantaways coming to the club? I would argue no, because those three would have not had the same impact and potential ceiling as the three you got. No matter which way you shake it, your current success is built on the foundation of a really good draft.

Six Points: Meet the AFL's dumbest team, and the most ridiculous ban in MRO history

Not sure why you’re asking me that question, I agree that academies are unfair. The draft shouldn’t be compromised at all, if you nominate for the draft, you should be fair game to go anywhere.

Yes, considering those five who worked out are arguably the five most important players in a team that’s pushing for a premiership, I’d say that’s an advertisement for building clubs through the draft. You don’t become attractive to free agents and fringe players at other clubs until you’ve got the foundations of a contender.

Six Points: Meet the AFL's dumbest team, and the most ridiculous ban in MRO history

The basis of your club is built on Cripps and Walsh in the middle, Curnow and McKay up front, and Weitering anchoring the back, all blokes you drafted. Maybe I think differently because I support an interstate club, but if you were forced to pay closer to fair value than “relatively little” for some of those other players you mentioned at a midseason trade period, maybe the league would be a little more balanced across the board. And get rid of Father-son and academies while we’re at it.

Six Points: Meet the AFL's dumbest team, and the most ridiculous ban in MRO history

Tha goes for the regulation trade period as well to be fair. I just think struggling clubs have better chances of getting overs for their players mid-season than they do postseason.

Six Points: Meet the AFL's dumbest team, and the most ridiculous ban in MRO history

There’s plenty of proof that clubs can draft their way out of the doldrums though. Melbourne were an absolute rabble for years, then they got a few drafts right and became contenders. Port went from being a genuine chance of being shut down to pretty consistently competitive off the back of a few good drafts. Your club has built its current list on the back of a few key superstars you got through the draft as well. You’ve gotta give clubs the opportunity to draft well, and then it’s on them to have a strong culture to keep the young talent.

Six Points: Meet the AFL's dumbest team, and the most ridiculous ban in MRO history

Probably less than the 50+ years they’re currently working on. There are plenty of things in this sport that are already inherently unfair (Father-son rule at the top of that list), trying to move more draft assets from good teams to bad teams isn’t a bad thing.

Six Points: Meet the AFL's dumbest team, and the most ridiculous ban in MRO history

Sure, but because some teams are horribly run doesn’t necessarily mean mid-season trading as a whole is a bad idea.

Six Points: Meet the AFL's dumbest team, and the most ridiculous ban in MRO history

You’d be surprised. I reckon if you told the Saints brass they could win the premiership this year, but all they’d have to do is trade in a couple of first round picks, they’d bite your hand off to make that trade.

Six Points: Meet the AFL's dumbest team, and the most ridiculous ban in MRO history

Honest question for you Macca: Would you trade a first-rounder for a premiership? Because that’s how a lot of the contenders would be viewing it.

Six Points: Meet the AFL's dumbest team, and the most ridiculous ban in MRO history

It definitely works in the US. With the exception of baseball (no salary cap), you can pick a team out of a hat and point to periods of both contention and bottom feeding over the past 20-25 years, with only a few extreme outliers (Cleveland Browns come to mind).

Agree with your second point, especially with the way players are currently paid. They’re well off, but they’re not crazy rich like the blokes overseas are.

Mid-season trading would see even more premium draft picks moving from already good teams to bad teams. For example, say Adelaide has another ordinary season this year and decide their selling at the midseason trade deadline. They’d have a prime asset in someone like Taylor Walker who could be attractive to a team needing a key forward (Collingwood for example) as part of a premiership push. I think we both know Tex isn’t worth a first-round pick, but I reckon the Crows would get one given how desperate teams get for a premiership.

Six Points: Meet the AFL's dumbest team, and the most ridiculous ban in MRO history

If players could be moved without their permission, all of that advantage would be taken away. Mid season trading works in the all the US sports with a salary cap, and usually puts the lower team in a great position where they can go ‘either you pay our asking price, or you don’t get your piece for a premiership push’.

Six Points: Meet the AFL's dumbest team, and the most ridiculous ban in MRO history

I understand the point you’re trying to make here, but to call the EPL uncompetitive this season is questionable at best. Top 4 are separate by only two points, and fifth only a further two points back again. Why can’t we just let people enjoy what they like rather than trying to shame them for watching European football?

You can stick your uncompetitive EPL, Bundesliga and Serie A - this year's A-League is far more entertaining

I don’t mind Port’s trade period. They identified the two obvious needs on the list and added to them. The calibre of player could be better, but key defenders don’t become available every day either. I’d like to think Hinkley and the club can get the best out of them.

'Sold part of their future to tread water': Power failure leaves Port in the dark post-trade period

Is that the Same Chris Scott who won a premiership and made another grand final?

Finals Fix: They just pumped Port - and here's why the Giants might be Collingwood's worst nightmare too

It’s not my Xmas wish, it’s the only thing a club serious about winning would do. And they would have done it 5 years ago

Finals Fix: They just pumped Port - and here's why the Giants might be Collingwood's worst nightmare too

If you consider that a good year, I understand why you want Hinkley to stay at the club. You have no desire to see Port win a premiership

Finals Fix: They just pumped Port - and here's why the Giants might be Collingwood's worst nightmare too

Yep, which after 11 years should be enough to sack the coach.

Finals Fix: They just pumped Port - and here's why the Giants might be Collingwood's worst nightmare too

Are you Ken’s son? How can you possibly defend how the season ended?

Finals Fix: They just pumped Port - and here's why the Giants might be Collingwood's worst nightmare too

Who cares what anyone tipped before the season? Anything less than a premiership after a decade of terrible coaching is unacceptable.

Finals Fix: They just pumped Port - and here's why the Giants might be Collingwood's worst nightmare too

Straight sets exit after signing Hinkley to an extension is a terrible look for Port. How the man continues to pinch a wage from any footy club, let alone the same one for more than a decade, is footy’s biggest mystery.

Finals Fix: They just pumped Port - and here's why the Giants might be Collingwood's worst nightmare too

Surely Port tears up Hinkley’s extension if they lose on Saturday night. It’d be a terrible look for the club to go out in straight sets after re-committing to a dud.

Why every team will win their AFL semi final... and why they'll lose

I’d imagine Port saw the writing on the wall after the four-game losing streak towards the end of the season and knew they weren’t good enough to win a premiership this year, so started trying to fix the real weak areas as soon as they could.

Have Port taken their eye off the ball with trade talks while still alive in September?

Point 1 you call for the sacking of a bloke who was good enough to make two grand finals and turn one of them into a drought-breaking flag, but point 4 you’re having a go at Port fans who are disgruntled about re-signing a coach who hasn’t been able to get past a prelim for 11 years? These two opinions don’t really match up.

Six Points: The coach killer to end all coach killers, and why score review system will always be imperfect

The ‘best’ team doesn’t always win the premiership, but hinkleys never even given his side a chance to steal a flag with one good game. I’m also not sure what you’re not grasping with my view on Hinkley. The team isn’t premiership material this season BUT Hinkley should have been forced to conjure a miracle considering his past decade. Should have made it as hard as possible to keep his job

AFL News: Hinkley locked in at last, Riewoldt the retiring type, hobbled Hawks star's career in limbo

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