Mike Sheahan says clubs should start looking closer at game breakers who can wreak havoc from half back, rather than tying down young key forwards to multi-year, mega money contracts.
The former Herald Sun Chief Football Writer said the days of recruiting the best young tall in the draft are becoming outdated, particularly with the current style of play.
“The traditional philosophy in recruiting that big is best is obsolete,” Sheahan said on SEN Breakfast.
“Unless I could get Tom Lynch I wouldn’t touch any of those blokes (young key-forwards). I would go straight to the half back flank and take (Jason) Johannisen, Jayden Hunt, Zak Jones, Shaun Atley, or Adam Saad.
“They are the only blokes who can cut through the traffic, because they have got pace and adventure.”
Sheahan said recruiters and list managers become too tantalised by a player’s height and how good they were as a junior, which then leads to massive contracts.
“In terms of cost benefit, if you get Josh Schache his price is apparently $800,000, based on the fact he’s six foot five and he was a good junior,” he said.
“Well you get these other blokes at half back for $300,000.
“It’s an old-fashioned view that you put a big bloke in the goal square and kick it in the air to him and he’ll get it, that’s not true.”
Despite admitting to being a fan of the key forward, he said if he was looking to build a team, the first player he would look at is young Demon Jayden Hunt.
“I probably have (always been a key forward fan),” Sheahan said.
“Lynch and Josh Kennedy are the only two now I would be interested in.
“I think (Jayden) Hunt is a great talent, he’s so much cheaper than the conventional tall who can take a mark and kick a goal.
“I’m talking about blokes who get the footy at half back, and take people on, bounce it two or three times and bang the chaos ball in there.
“Jayden Hunt would be my target, because you would get him cheaply and he’s a star.”