MB: We’re now just a few days from the NAB AFL Draft. How clear are you about which player Melbourne will select at No. 4?
TV: We’re really clear on how we rank the first 10 players.
Obviously we can’t control what GWS does, but certainly we’ve got a list of players that we’ve rated in order of preference. So, depending on what GWS does, we’ll just cross off the players that they call out and then we’ll be really clear on what that pick looks like.
That will be our highest ranked player.
MB: With the intelligence you’ve collected, are you confident you know the three players GWS will select with its first three picks in the Draft?
TV: It’s still open. We don’t know what GWS is doing.
With the conversations we’ve had with our guys, and within the recruiting industry, it’s a pretty wide open 10 or 15 picks. Lots of clubs will see it slightly differently.
It’s going to be harder to slot them into position, but as we get closer, who knows, there might be something that leaks out a bit. It’s still a pretty closed shop and everyone is still finalising and nailing their thoughts.
The top 10 to 15 picks - depending on how you see talent and how you measure it - there could be some different points of views there. So I wouldn’t be surprised if there are some ‘so-called’ surprises along the way.
MB: What is Melbourne looking for with its first selection at No.4?
TV: We’re obviously really confident that pick four is going to be a really good [player] for us.”
With an analysis of our list - we’ve still got a lot of holes to fill.
We’ve addressed some of those holes via the free agency and trade period, but we’ll definitely select the best available talent there at pick No. 4.
MB: Do you still look at specific needs at No. 4?
TV: You have an understanding of where your needs fall, so we shouldn’t have too much trouble of that talent fitting in at No. 4.
When I talk talent, it’s not just about who can kick it the best, who can mark it the best or who can handball the best. We’ve got four key pillars that we try and identify. When we talk about talent, we talk about all four.
The first pillar is competitiveness - they’ve got to be highly competitive - no matter what role they play.
The second one is their football talent. There are football attributes that they have to exhibit in their role - that’s how you kick it, catch it, win contested ball or how you win handball receives - depending on how you play.
The third pillar is the physical attributes that you need to play the game of AFL, and they keep becoming more and more demanding. If the rules change again in the future with two [interchange] and two [substitute] players - then they must have the attributes that need to be ticked off.
And the fourth one is character - they need to be able to handle being in an elite environment, and strive to be the best. They need to be a self-starter and be resilient. It’s a tough environment, and it’s not for everyone.
So when we talk talent, it’s those four things rolled up into one. We just won’t take someone because he can kick it better than the next guy. I think there have been way too many mistakes over a long period of time, where people talk about how talent is about how they can kick it or catch it.
All four of those pillars are rolled into one, and that’s what we’re saying talent is.
MB: Ollie Wines has been one name strongly linked with Melbourne at selection No. 4. How have you found that speculation, given he’s close mates with Jack Viney and the two families are friends?
TV: There has been a lot of speculation about Ollie and it’s been a big story, but it doesn’t influence our decisions, as far as we’re concerned.
We’ll pick the best available talent, and we’re clear on what that looks like and that could depend on what GWS does. But we’ve got our rankings and we know where Ollie stands.
He’s up the top end of the Draft, no doubt, but we’ll have to wait and see how that unfolds.
MB: Melbourne has two ‘live’ picks close together at No. 49 and No. 53. What’s the plan with those two choices?
TV: It’s getting further out in the Draft. We’ll certainly be looking, once again, at the talent and the four key pillars, which need to be ticked off. But then we can perhaps look at what we need.
We’ll have a look at what pick No. 4 has done for us with our list, but No. 49 and No. 53 could be a little bit more targeted towards needs.
But the big criteria will be about talent as well.
MB: Last year, the club selected former Crow James Sellar at No. 54. Is there any thought of drafting a player with AFL experience at No. 49 or No. 53?
TV: Last year, Sellar was delisted and we picked him up in the Draft, whereas we recently picked up Tom Gillies as a delisted free agent before the Draft.
But with No. 49 and No. 53, those picks will more than likely be young kids or potentially VFL players, who are in the right age group and haven’t played AFL footy.
MB: The final ‘live’ selection will be at No. 70. Will that be used at the Draft or held over for the NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft?
TV: At this stage, we’ll look at how the day unfolds. We could hold that over as a pre-season pick. We’ve got a substantial list of players we’re keen to draft, and if a player is there that we’re happy with, then we’ll use it. If not, then we might look to hold it over as a pre-season pick.
We’ll wait and see on the day.
MB: How much consideration is given to likely rookie selections at this stage, even though that Draft is on December 11?
TV: You should have a list of players who you think are draftable and you think will have the ability to play AFL footy.
At the end of this Draft period, we look at who we’ve got left on our list and they should be the ones that we consider for rookies.
We’ve got a list of players who we think are good enough to be drafted, and will help us get better. So on the day, we’ll wait and see how that unfolds. But if there are a few left over, which we hope there are, then they’ll be in contention as rookies.
MB: Overall, how do you rate this year’s talent pool?
TV: It’s hard to exactly say - there is certainly some top end talent, but I’d say it’s an even Draft and there is a lot of discussion on where mature age guys will go - the guys who are 22 and 23 years old.
It will be interesting to see if they’re taken as rookies or whether they’ll be selected in the main Draft. Some of the younger players that might need a bit more development might be rookies.
Each club will view the Draft slightly differently, but overall it’s pretty even in the first two to three rounds.
