Bad Choices or Just Unfulfilled Potential
Bad Choices or Just Unfulfilled Potential The inexact science of drafting can and does play an enormous part and have a long term effect on team competetiveness and performance. The difference between getting right it or lucky, against being left in the wilderness with duds. Prior to 2006 the Tigers relied primarily on a part-time recruiter, the annual recruitng budget for 2005 was reportedly less than 100k (the Dirty Rotten Wobbles at the time were spending 15 times that a year).
Since 2006 the highly astute Francis Jackson has filled the full time position of recruiting, in 2009 another 2 recruiters were added to the department.
The Tigers recruiting renaissance was not left to chance, the funds were made available to ensre the recruting department was well staffed with the addition of opposition analyst Blair Hartley, who primarily spends his time pooring over opposition lists and was instrumental in the acquisitions of Shaun Grigg from Carlton and Bachar Houli from the Bombers.
Since coming on board Francis has turned the tables on the Tigers poor showing at the National drafts, gone are the days of the draft wipe outs. Even though recruiters can study players at length, there are still no absolute guarantees that they will get it right every time.
However,since 2006 our draftee retention rate has improved remarkably: 2006-2013 59 players selected, 25 still remain, minimum 2 players per year* still on list, all top picks still with the club (*2008 having 1 player). Considering the retention rate from 2004-2005 (17 players selected, only Brett Deledio still remains). Recruiting blunders are our history, its a common thread in the club's struggles since the 1982 grand final.
Indeed, it was that recruiting war with Collingwood during the early and mid-1980s, that was a main instigator of the Tigers' freefall from powerhouse to poor house, and it plunged the club into long-term debt.
Long term fans remember well the past, the Lost Years as they are often refered to, the years when debt and bad decisions were the Richmond condition.
Bad Trades, Drafts and Dud picks! Look at this team from the last 20 odd years of trades and picks of unfullfilled potential, check out the very long interchange bench! Makes you sick when to look at these all these names.
What a tale of woe! B: Clinton King (traded for pick 7, 1999), Luke Weller (pick 11 pre-season draft 2004), Clay Sampson (pick 6, pre-season 1999) HB: Tim Fleming (pick 41, 2002), Aaron James (trade, 1997), Aaron Fiora (pick 3, 1999) C: Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls (pick 8, 2005), Simon Fletcher (pick 79, 2003), Alex Gilmour (pick 21, 2003) HF: Billy Nicholls (pick 47, 2002), Shane Morrison (pick 64, 2003), Ashley Blurton (trade, 1997) F: Paul Hudson (trade, 2001), Kent Kingsley (pick 6, pre-season draft 2007), Adam Houlihan (pick 63, 2001) FOLL: Ben Marsh (pick 4, pre-season draft 2004), Steven Sziller (pick 57, 2000), Justin Blumfield (trade, 2002) Inter: Tom Roach (pick 37, 2003), Dean Limbach (pick 52, 2004), John Rombotis (trade, 1997) Emerg: Richard Lounder (pick 1, 1987), Jamie Elliott (pick 3, pre-season draft 1994), Ty Esler (pick 75, 1988)
