Pick 29: Shai Bolton | PUNT ROAD END | Richmond Tigers Forum
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Pick 29: Shai Bolton

Who is on your list

I have Gibcus and Brown.

Potential for Campbell, McAuliffe, Sonsie, Green, LeFau, Smith, Bauer, Fawcett, Miller, Young, Coulthard.

Doubts on the rest for a variety of reasons.

This list is very thin.
Balta, Bolton.

Look at Hawthorn's threepeat and our dynasty. The core were all 28-32 over the premiership years. 24/25 is very young.
 
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This may seem like a knee jerk post given the timing, but I’m warming to the idea of using whatever currency that we might have to get our selves more higher end pics.

Just looking at last years premiership winning Collonwood main mids, (not because I consider them to be the gold standard, but because they are the current premiers)

Daicos p4
DeGoey p5
Pendles p5 (still contributing)
Sidebottom p11
Adams p13 (contributed during the year)

For the Tiges Cotch is gone and Dusty is not the player he was and looking slow without the machinery he once had around him.

Hopper is injury prone and at this point unproven. (To me)

Bolton a star bit is not a full time mid (and shouldn’t be)

Taranto is good pic up and will serve us well going forward.

So who is coming through that will be the tip of the spear?

And our current provisional 2024 top end pics are currently 6, 25 & 26 (with 10 junk pics after that) (which I know will change somewhat)

How many pics outside of 20 are we expecting to nail like the Bolton pic?

Given the current list balance for be the writing is now on the wall.

Yes we have some young kids that will improve, and some of them beyond our initial expectations, however we are missing the cream. We are missing a Ried and a partner in crime.

Are we expecting to just pry top end key position players and or mids from other lists with $$?

Get more top end pics asap; not one top end pic per year with some additional hopeful pics for dessert.

Otherwise the regeneration will most probably end up being too slow.

I would seriously look at Bolton & Baker trades from sides that needed them enough to pay what they’re worth.

If trading both netted us a total of (X1) top 10 pic and (X3) pics in the teens - (I may be dreaming about what the market would pay), then this in addition to this years existing pics would be boost the regeneration.

With the (X3) pics in the teens being parlayed into something higher. (If possible)

Without some wheeling and dealing my concern is that we will end up a mid table team, or a team that makes the eight; gets some plucky wins but is never in danger of winning the thing.

Apologies for the length; that’s my brain dump.
Because norths 11 top 20 picks are doing them so well at the moment.

Also Pendlebury 35, Sidebottom 32, Adams 30 during that premiership year.
 
Because norths 11 top 20 picks are doing them so well at the moment.

Also Pendlebury 35, Sidebottom 32, Adams 30 during that premiership year.
The point I was making regarding the Collingwood mids was their caliber which is tied to their pic numbers. The fact that they’re still performing at their age if anything highlights their ongoing quality, (not sure what point you were trying to make by listing their age)

Note:
Pendlebury and Sidebottom have now performed well in 2 premierships 13 years apart.

How long do you think it’s going to take the Tiges to assemble a midfield group that has players that are a similar caliber to last years Collonwood main mid group? (Which is the predicament that we’re in)

You forgot that trading out a couple of players would irredeemably destroy the fabric of the club and lead to untreatable depression throughout the club.
 
Yes Bolton and Baker are both leaders at this point in their careers but surely you’re not suggesting that they are shouldering the lion’s share of standard setting around the club?

Do you really think that without them the other players would be ‘left with an emptiness that can’t be replaced’.

This comes across more like fan talk then a reflection of reality. (No offence intended; you’re entitled to your point of view)

The club has come a long way and I don’t thing would disintegrate if a couple of players left (on good terms and beneficial for both parties).

Bolton turns 26 at the end of this year, and Baker has already turned 26.

And having a look at the Tiges current list, and given how the draft system is setup we may be in trouble regarding being able to rebuild before all of our good players are finished.

So potentially expediting the list rebuild using additional picks and or player swaps (if possible) that suit both parties seems logical to me.

Out of interest when do you think the club might be contending again considering the current list balance?
I am suggesting they are a key cog in our leadership program, with one being VC.

We have already lost a huge amount of leadership over the last year or two. If you continue to lose leaders in your organisation you are left with youth that has no support. You end up being North.

As when we will next contend, no reason why we cant get back up there in the next 3-4 years.
 
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I am suggesting they are a key cog in our leadership program, with one being VC.

We have already lost a huge amount of leadership over the last year or two. If you continue to lose leaders in your organisation you are left with youth that has no support. You end up being North.

As when we will next contend, no reason why we cant get back up there in the next 3-4 years.

Yeah - you need some balance in your age profile even when in a rebuilding phase.
 
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I reckon Tim Taranto, Shai Bolton, Tarryn Thomas, Kane McAuliffe, Finn O'Sullivan, Seth Campbell and Taj Hotton will be a sh!t-hot midfield.
 
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I reckon Tim Taranto, Shai Bolton, Tarryn Thomas, Kane McAuliffe, Finn O'Sullivan, Seth Campbell and Taj Hotton will be a sh!t-hot midfield.

Where do you think Hotton is likely to end up in the draft? Seems to be flying up rankings at the moment. Top 10? Or just outside?
 
Where do you think Hotton is likely to end up in the draft? Seems to be flying up rankings at the moment. Top 10? Or just outside?
Way too early to say. But he couldn't have started the season any better. I really like him.
 
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I reckon Tim Taranto, Shai Bolton, Tarryn Thomas, Kane McAuliffe, Finn O'Sullivan, Seth Campbell and Taj Hotton will be a sh!t-hot midfield.
Disgusted by how many people I've seen in PRE suggest we pick him up. He's already had plenty of second chances, I'd burn my membership if we even looked at him.
 
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Disgusted by how many people I've seen in PRE suggest we pick him up. He's already had plenty of second chances, I'd burn my membership if we even looked at him.
I don't know the full extent of how he's behaved, tl, but I can see why you'd feel that way. I would only recruit him if he had completely reformed as a human being. As a footballer, a fit, focused, committed TT is exactly the type we (or any team) need.
 
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I don't know the full extent of how he's behaved, tl, but I can see why you'd feel that way. I would only recruit him if he had completely reformed as a human being. As a footballer, a fit, focused, committed TT is exactly the type we (or any team) need.
Not sure that reformation can happen in 6
Months. Runs on the board can’t happen.
 
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I would only recruit him if he had completely reformed as a human being. As a footballer, a fit, focused, committed TT is exactly the type we (or any team) need.
Yeah, I'll be honest I'm pretty concerned that some clubs (and Geelong seem to be as a club the closest to acting on it) have this idea that there's something magic about *these* 4 walls that's different to North's which will suddenly make him change & make the respectful relationships & anger management & whatever else trainings he's been through actually sink in. But I think it's about him being willing to change, and environment alone won't fix that (if anything being in a high paying contract while these issues are known only says "hey don't worry about the behaviour issues, it's not that important, just make sure it doesn't get too much publicity").

I think he needs to step out of the limelight, work out & fix whatever is making him act so horrible towards the women in his life, and then after a year or 2 of doing the work, maybe he can be reconsidered.
 
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Building off of what I said, I've actually got a huge concern that if he gets a contract soon, it could encourage him to be *more* violent, because there's 2 ways to avoid the publicity and having it all blow up in his face.

1) Don't do it, but if it was that simple then it would have stopped while he was at North
2) Make the victim *SO* scared that she doesn't feel like she can even talk about it without things escalating even further

Hope I'm wrong, but it's a genuine worry and something I'd hate to see happen.
 
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I reckon Tim Taranto, Shai Bolton, Tarryn Thomas, Kane McAuliffe, Finn O'Sullivan, Seth Campbell and Taj Hotton will be a sh!t-hot midfield.
Minus Taryn Thomas.
He can gfh. I don’t want him anywhere near our club. Repeat offender. Recidivist woman abuser.
Imagine having that prick walking around with our AFLW players.
Says a lot for the standards we accept.

As long as “you’ve reformed”. In other words we’re very”forgiving” if you’re a good footballer. Next will a “reformed woman basher” a “ reformed rapist”. What’s next,maybe a “reformed pedophile”.
As long as they can play footy good.
Nup.
 
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Just to get back on track, Bolts has put some consistent Footy up this year.
Kicked Goals in every match bar the Blooz.
Would be leading B and F by a country kilometre to this point 5 Rounds in (or is it 6, AFL clowns!)
Along with Myki battling manfully in a largely dysfunctional forward line.
Keep going, $hai.
Kudos.
 
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