Collingwood celebrates on the dais during the 2010 Toyota AFL Grand Final replay between the Collingwood Magpies and the St Kilda Saints at the MCG, Melbourne.
Yes, I am a Collingwood supporter writing this article, but I like to think that I’m not a typical one eyed biased one. Although my first article may not seem like it, as I want to give our recruiting staff a massive pat on the back.
I remember a few articles written when Geelong started their good run a few years back, talking about a few late round selections like Chapman and how good their recruiting staff had done.
I will go through our premiership side from last year plus a few of this year and you tell me how well our recruiting has been.
4. Alan Didak. Was pick three in the 2000 draft.
5. Nick Maxwell. Drafted as a rookie in 2002 and wasn’t elevated until 2004.
6. Tyson Goldsack. Pick 63 in the 2006 draft, whilst still not a first team regular in 2011, is rumoured to be highly sought after by other clubs.
8. Harry O’Brien. Drafted as a rookie in 2004 in the second round, elevated in 2006.
10. Scott Pendlebury. Pick five in the 2005 draft.
12. Luke Ball. Great coup by the club to get him for pick 30 – and in 2011 has returned to his best form; was an important recruit for us last year.
13. Dale Thomas. Pick two in the 2005 draft, but at the time was a surprise to be taken that highly.
15. Leigh Brown. We are his third club and took him with pick 73 – structurally a very important player for us.
16. Nathan Brown. Pick 10 in the 2006 draft.
17. Dayne Beams. Second round selection 29 in the 2008 draft.
18. Darren Jolly. We clearly needed a number one ruckman and gave up pick 14 and 46 (Lewis Jetta and Ben Stratten) for him – another smart trade for a ready made player we needed.
20. Ben Reid. A player we got with pick eight in the same year we got Nathan Brown. We traded Chris Tarrant to get that selection, along with Paul Medhurst.
21. Sharrod Wellingham. 2006 rookie draft first round pick and was elevated in 2008.
22. Steele Sidebottom. First round selection pick 11 in the 2008 draft with Beams.
26. Ben Johnson. One of the biggest successes, I think, was pick 62 back in 1999 and at one point was nearly delisted before maturing and committing to the cause.
30. Brent Macaffer. Second round in the 2006 rookie draft and elevated in 2008.
31. Chris Dawes. Pick 28 in 2006.
32. Travis Cloke. Father-son selection with pick 38.
34. Alan Toovey. 2005 rookie draft and elevated in 2006.
36. Dane Swan. Arguably one of the best midfielders in the competition and was taken pick 58 in 2001.
39. Heath Shaw. Father-son at pick 48.
47. Jarryd Blair. 2008 rookie selection and elevated in 2010.
That was how our 2010 premiership side was put together, and even if I do say so, I think they did a very good job.
We have had a few flops with first round picks, but managed to make up for them with the rookie draft and late picks in the national draft in the past 10 years.
A few players that we have seen this year, including the return of Tarrant have again been genius. I, myself, questioned what Tarrant could bring the club, but with Brown going down and Tarrant picking up the slack, it was a masterstroke.
The added bonus of the Tarrant trade (we gave away 44 and 56) was that we picked up Alex Fasulo (pick 45 we got from the deal), who looks like a very good player in his first season and has that bit of x-factor about him. Not to mention Tarrant is a big reason for a lot of the players being motivated to go back-to-back.
This season we have also seen John McCarthy back (pick 31, 2007) and Simon Buckley (pick 85, 2009) who were injured last season. These two give us a lot of depth.
Then the form of Neon Leon (pick 34, 1999), who is close to All-Australian at the moment. He has had his doubters and still will until he performs on the big stage. The only one I haven’t mentioned yet is Krakouer, as everyone knows his story.
The players to watch over the next month who will most likely get a game are Sinclair, Young and Thomas, who were all picks after the 45-mark – there are also big wraps on these players. We have already seen Keefe, who is only in his third year of playing football and is a rookie elevation, plus Rounds (pick 46, 2008).
This all bodes well for the Collingwood Football Club, who have to look outside the box for players, especially with the compromised drafts over the next few seasons to keep our side competitive and successful.
I just hope Eddie locks these people away on deals so other clubs don’t lure them away
Talisman51
Guest
Good article about the real reason behind the Pies flag. Hine & Buttifant are the main men - as mentioned, Malthouse got the game plan, Hine got the players & Buttifant got the fitness. Team effort (with more than a little help from Eddie).
Richard
Roar Guru
Essendon took Richard Cole towards the end of Sheeds' reign. By that time they were making a lot of bad decisions at Windy Hill. Sheeds was well past his prime and appeared to be in melt down mode. Pity they didn't plan for it with some succession planning which could have avoided the last few years of fruitless bitterness over there. I'm sure it will be different under Hird, given time for him to mature as a coach, as long as he doesn't take too much notice of Bomber Thomson. With regard to Coley, I remember Neil Balme being interviewed I think by Bruce McAveney in 2001 and being asked who was the best recruit that year. Balme said "far and away, Richard Cole". Welll , they've both gone now.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Good post, but you'd think that every club would be thinking along similar lines: recruiting to a certain theme, game plan in mind, or to plug holes in that game plan - Collingwood appears to have got the formula right within a very short space of time
Richard
Roar Guru
Good comment. Something some commentators and other clubs clearly don't understand when criticising the 'Pies succession planning. The current success at CFC is a team effort, brought about through forward thinking, sound strategic planning and the recruitment of talented people from the board down. The man who started it was Eddie, supported on the field by Mick. In addition to Eddie and Mick, the men who will carry it forward are Perty and Walshy, supported by Bucks. Leadership teams like that attract talented quality people. like Hine, Buttifant, Neeld and Watters. A strong back office builds on-field capability and success, and CFC understand that better than most. Long may it continue. Floreat Pica!
Renster
Guest
One of the admirable things about the Pies is that they now recruit to a plan. Malthouse described Derek Hines, head recruiter, as 'a visionary'. Hines is looking for footskills because Malthouse's plan has always involved kicking. He's also targeting pace because it's something you really can't impact that much by training. The Pies have quietly and, while not announcing the fact, built up a fast list - so they'll give rookies a go if they show a bit of toe. It's one of the reason they spread so well from stoppages. When they recruit from other clubs, they are looking for specific role-players.... and will take discards or recycles from other clubs if they see that they can play a definite role they want fulfilled... All kudos to Hines, the training staff and the whole off-field Pies team.
Piesman
Guest
My question would be how much of it is good draft selections and how much of it is good development? Perhaps with Collingwood's development program we can turn most average footballers (with the right attitude and no injuries) into good AFL players.
brendan
Guest
You gotta hand it to Collingwood for how they recruited a Premiership side that beat each of its opponents in the finals by over 39pts(the tab betting mark).This article combined with the great recruiting job Steven Wells has done at Geelong (a premiership player drafted every year for ten years) makes me wonder whether the draft order is a useless exercise.It seems it is not what you get from the draft it what you do with it that determines team success.Obviously the premiership is the barometer of success and i cant think of a flag that has been won on the back of high draft choices.
Searly
Guest
You seriously trying to tell me Essendon gave us pick 23 in return for Richard Cole?!! I wouldn't have given you 23 cents for him! Pity we didn't end up using it on someone who's turned into an absolute star. That'd be a nice tale to recall every ANZAC Day (and this weekend too...). Still despite his de-listing I always thought Ryan Cook wasn't the worst. Would be good to see him get a gig somewhere else a bit like Stanley and Iles have at GC this year. They're doing a great job too.
Tenchy
Roar Rookie
Pick 23 we got for Richard Cole... Which we used to draft Ryan Cook who we delisted at the end of last season and maybe some WAFL followers maybe able to fill us in but im pretty sure he is playing some good footy at south fremantle??
Swampy
Guest
Richard, that is a masterpiece. I'm a bombers man and I'd have to look up who the bombers drafted between '98 and '06 as I'm pretty convinced 90% are no longer in the AFL. Ritchie Cole - yeah thanks! I think we traded you back some equal garbage in return (olerenshaw perhaps)? The Luke Ball/Chris Tarrant deals are just plain old robbery. -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.
Tenchy
Roar Rookie
Thanks for the positive look on my first article guys... I did mention our failures without going to much into it... Egan and Cole, absolute shockers.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Just taking a look at where some of the lesser woods players have come from: Dayne Beams - Southport, Qld Jonathon Ceglar - Gold Coast Josh Thomas - Broadbeach, Qld Tom Young - Wollondilly, NSW Lachlan Keefe - Qld U18s
Searly
Guest
Oh man, you're killing me with those names, Richard! What a sorry bunch they were, but at least their impotence landed us some high draft picks in 05, which Hines then used to great effect. I fair dinkum couldn't bear watching Richard Cole run around for us. He was a dead set calamity every time he touched the ball. Can't believe Essendon took him off our hands! To be fair to the rest of the Pies staff, I reckon that a lot of the success has also been about developing some of rough diamonds. Swan just about went off the rails but was polished into a gem. Maxwell, O'Brien, Toovey, McCaffer and Blair were all rookies who have been developed into great role players (and O'Brien even more than that I'd argue). You can imagine that plenty of 2010 Premiership team may have faded into obscurity at other clubs. Oh yeah, and Ross Lyon deserves plenty of credit for being too bloody-minded to accept anything in return for Luke Ball! Good onya Rossy! Fool.
LK
Guest
Interesting list. The pies have built a premiership team through a variety of methods including draft picks, rookies, and trading. They have also invested in the NSW scholarship scheme and international rookies. It debunks the theory that the only way to bulid a successful team is to bottom out repeatedly and get a bunch of early draft picks. Of course the challenge now is to keep the team together. As mentioned, guys like Goldsack and Macaffer would be targets for other clubs.
Richard
Roar Guru
Yes, since Derek Hine joined the club things have improved incredibly. But before then the draft for CFC was littered with mistakes. Look at 2001. We took Richard Cole, Tom Davidson and Mark McGough before we took Swanny at 58(Lucky!!). 2002 was a shocker: Bo Nixon, Luke Shackleton,Cameron Cloke, David King, Matthew Lokan, Andrew Williams. We scooped up Woewodin, who turned out to be no Luke Ball. Look at these names in 2003 (Heath Shaw was F&S), Luke Mullins, Billy Morrison, Brayden Shaw, Brent Hall, and Julian Rowe. And remember the fuss we made in 2004 when we recruited Chris Egan at No.10, Sean Rusling and Adam Iacubucci. We better learn what Derek Hine knows, as clearly he is one of few who knows what he's doing when it comes to recruiting. By the way, nothing wrong with being one-eyed. ;)
stabpass
Guest
Lachlan Keefe from Gympie QLD, the ex soccer goalkeeper will prove very good, and they got him outside the draft as well.
Renster
Guest
I am of the opinion that Derek Hines, the Pies' head recruiter, may be the most feared man in football. Any time the Pies make a selection now, the other recruiters must be thinking in the back of their mind 'Okay, who did we overlook?' He said he couldn't believe that Fasolo was available at pick 45... Already looks like he'll perform at the highest level and may even hold his place in the finals. His recruitment of Leigh Brown has changed how teams think of second ruckmen... I heard that when Scott Pendlebury was taken at Pick 5 in 2005, the other clubs went 'Huh?' The NSW scholarship players they've signed look pretty special too... All done without a top 10 pick since 2005.. Future looking pretty solid...
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Tenchy You have a great sense of humour, introducing yourself as a pies man who isn't one-eyed. But I admit that that's a pretty good list there with some outstanding selections. Dane Swan at pick 58 speaks for itself, but equally impressive are the long line of rookies you have used to plug specific holes in the team's overall structure: blokes like Maxwell, O'brien and Blair. Also, that father-son selection at 38 was a damn handy one! Speaking of which, I have an article in the queue that will cover the history of famous father-son selections, to celebrate the birth of Oscar Dylan Judd.