I have no experience in recruiting but I sometimes despair at the lack of imagination certain list management teams have, in particular my beloved Saints.

If you look at one of the most successful teams in world sport, The Melbourne Storm coached by the irrepressible Craig Bellamy for over twenty years, they have had more of a ‘Moneyball ‘ approach.

Bellamy is renowned for taking discarded players from other NRL teams and turning them into role playing gems for The Storm.

He simplifies everything for the player and enables them to be part of a more important structure, that being the team.

If you ask most AFL players they would gladly drop a bit of cash for an opportunity to play in a premiership side.

Hawthorn had a halcyon period of attracting this type of player between 2004 and 2015. List Manager Chris Pelchen joined Hawthorn legend and Recruiting Manager, Gary Buckenara to achieve an imposing four premiership reign in the AFL.

In order to achieve that they acquired three important players from rival clubs that were considered talented but stagnant in terms of their careers.

Josh Gibson played sixty five games for North Melbourne before being traded for two second round draft picks in 2009. He would play in three premierships, win a B&F in two of those and make All Australian.

David Hale played one hundred and twenty nine games for North Melbourne before being traded for a first round draft pick in 2010. He would play in three premierships and is now a highly respected Senior Assistant Coach at Hawthorn.

Brian Lake played one hundred and ninety seven games for the Western Bulldogs before being traded to Hawthorn in exchange for picks twenty one and forty one in 2012. In fifty four games with Hawthorn he would play in three premierships, winning the Norm Smith Medal in 2013.

The recruiting of these three was a masterstroke and although they weren’t superstars, it was their capacity to play their role that was so critical.

List Manager Pelchen was lauded a genius at the time and was swept up by The Saints after his stint at Hawthorn.

Typically this decision to appoint Pelchen as the Football Manager was in true Saints form an unmitigated disaster and barely lasted two years, proving that moving to a different club sometimes can be fraught with danger.

I’ve been thinking about some diamonds in the rough such as the Hawthorn example mentioned earlier and there is a couple of players that might just make a difference come the finals this year.

I’m not a fan of the Gold Coast but they have picked up a few diamonds in the past few years. Sam Collins discarded from Fremantle is now a terrific leader and potential All Australian and John Noble whose omission in the 2023 Collingwood Grand Final team was akin to the Derek Kickett 1993 Essendon exclusion.

My favourite though is Ben Long. I loved him at the Saints but he never looked settled and made plenty of mistakes as a result.

He was and is however as hard as any player in the AFL. I’m tipping that there would be players at GC who would be hoping not to line up on him during competitive work at training.

He has one of those boney physiques that can cause damage when used indiscriminately. Add to that his inherent fearlessness and Long has become a dangerous weapon in the GC forward line.

Both his coaches Dew and now Hardwick have given him so much confidence that he looks almost reborn as a player. He was very popular with Saints fans and we hope he does well in September.

One player who has always divided the public is Jake Stringer. He’s always looked laconic or lazy in his approach which has been frustrating but he looks like he will, barring injury, fulfil his innate talent at GWS.

I must confess I have a soft spot for GWS. Apart from the exciting way they play, I’m a fan of the players who have been there since its inception and I would love nothing more than to see Toby Greene hold up the cup alongside the injured Callum Ward on the dais with Ward wearing the medal Adam Kingsley generously handed over to him.

Stringer is high impact and just the type to spark the GWS in the space of twenty minutes. He looks fit and most importantly happy. Along with another jewel in Jesse Hogan, maybe 2025 could be the year of the Orange Tsunami?

Whatever happens, there are plenty of diamonds out there in the minor leagues and sitting at the lower ends of AFL lists ripe for the picking. Just ask Stephen Wells at Geelong who is the key behind Geelong’s sustained success. That man deserves a statue at Kardinia Park.

It just takes some imagination and a clear picture of what success looks like for your club. Getting those picks right still remains the most important function at a club.