Draft 2010 - who i think we should take

[ant555]

Ok just over a month out and I have not made a lot of comments about the draft but I thought I would work my way through the players I think we should draft. This is not the list of who I believe we will actually take as the evenness of this years draft has lead to a lot less solid rumours about who will be heading where in the pick 5 to 20 bracket.

Anyway who do I think we should select with pick 10?

Daniel Talia 195cm 79kg Calder Cannons.

Now I can here the confusion already, another tall? We already have Hurley, Pears, Daniher, Gumbleton, Neagle, Still etc. There is also the point that in recent years I have been leading the band wagon for picking quality mids with our first pick but there is some logic within the madness. Over the next 3 drafts the quality talls will be picked off by the Gold Coast and West Sydney leaving 16 other clubs to fight for the tall scraps.
The time is right to top up with one more tall before the landscape becomes a bit barren.

With the way things look most of the best midfielders will be picked up before we get a go at 10 leaving us to pick out the best of the remaining even bunch. With two picks in the 20's and the final pick at 33 I believe we can still land a couple of midfielders that will suite our needs.

So back to Talia, the big question is will he go before pick 10? Most don't believe so despite the fact that he is generally recognised as the second best tall in the draft. I am hoping he does not.
To the player himself well he is a versatile KPP who can play at either end of the ground and even spent some time in the midfield during a couple of the champ games this year.
Talia is very mobile and is very clean at ground level and he did well at the stoppages when used through the midfield.
His biggest strength is his attack from defence. He loves to run the ball out of the back half and he has good enough and composure to do it. He is pretty strong over head and his defensive efforts and second efforts are very good. His man on man coverage is ok and he does have a reasonable leap and spoil.

Over the Champ series Talia averaged 18 disposals at 74.5% efficiency with his kicking efficiency at 72.5%. Now the 72.5 does not look great but it was in the top bracket of players over the Champ series. However it does indicate one issue that Talia has with his game and that is he does not always choose the best option to kick to and he did kick to contests at times or to team mates who where out numbered.
Overall his disposal gets a pass as he still hits a lot of targets and his technique is pretty solid.

Now one reason why Talia may not be as highly regarded as he might be would be his shocking run at TAC Cup level. Due to injuries or school footy at Assumption College he hardly played at all in the TAC Cup and the games he did play where ok without being anything flash.
Last season Talia played 7 games for Calder and was named in the better players 4 times including the last 3 games he played.
This year was a total wipe out for him at TAC Cup level only playing 3 games and missing the end of the season with a hamstring injury. It is fair to say that Talia gets most of his wraps from his Champ series and particularly the last 4 games where he was one of Metros better players on each occasion.

Now one final negative could be his hammy injury. It was a hamstring tendon tear but not a serious one. Unlike Trengrove’s from last year or Lloyd’s it was only a tear in the tendon and he did not tear the tendon from the bone. Reports are he will be fine but obviously it is a question mark.

So there you have it. My thoughts on pick 10. Sure to give most something to talk about (bomberno1 don’t bother commenting because we all know you want good looking mids) and a selection that is a bit left field given I have not seen anyone pencil us in for a tall first up.
Pick 24 to follow soon.

[DaSawx]

If only for the fact a lot of Carlton fans want him, after swiping Hurley last year we can take Talia this year and leave them to draft Lewis Jetta :D

In all seriousness I like what I've seen and wouldn't have a problem getting another tall, it's not like all of ours are guaranteed to be stars and seeing as we would have taken Trengove as well last year, I don't think the recruiters would have a problem if they see him as the best available.

[saladin]

Not entirely from left field. I've wondered a few times what we'll do if all the wanted mids on our list are ticked off before #10 comes around. Take the name on our list that we rate as "best available"? If that means Butcher or Talia, do we do it? Or look for "best available that suits our needs"? And as you've noted ant, with the new clubs arriving "suits our needs" may not be merely an on-field structural point focused on next year only.

I'm hoping we can get very good mid to fall through. But if we really rate him as the best kid available and go Talia, so be it. I like his versatility to play both ends.

oh, and carlton fans will be spewing if we pinch their preferred KP option from under their noses two years running :D

[saladin]

Taking this idea of Ant's further, it would certainly make it easier for our drafting to produce a "balanced" haul from the crop. The true quality KPP, plus three mids.

maybe (names chosen largely at random, but with a thought that they may be available):

#10 Talia
#24 bastinac
#26 Crichton
#33 ? Not sure. Bartlett as the high risk, big reward potential gun? Or someone who might produce as a small defender?

A KP, two mids and perhaps a utility seems a good mix moving forward. There certainly appears to be more likelihood of finding winning mids in the 20's than good Rucks or KP's.

[GoldenboyHird_5]

Been looking forward to ant's thoughts on the draft, as always.

I wouldn't be against a drafting strategy like this, though I just can't see Dodoro and Keane reading out 'Daniel Talia, Calder Cannons' on draft day.

Would you see that he plays a bit like Jackson Trengove, perhaps minus the freakish leap?

[GoldenboyHird_5]

Question for you ant.

In the other thread you listed Scully and Trengove as the two top mids, underneath them are Cunnington, Morabito, Lucas, Martin etc.

Say that one of those group slip down to #10 e.g. Kane Lucas, would you still want to take Talia or would you go for a Lucas?

Interesting proposition

[LeeARM]

Over the next 3 drafts the quality talls will be picked off by the Gold Coast and West Sydney leaving 16 other clubs to fight for the tall scraps.
The time is right to top up with one more tall before the landscape becomes a bit barren.

Our KPPs aren't definetely going to be good so I get your point about stocking up on talls but it seems like we're not going to be able to get great midfielders in the next drafts either. Seeing as we've already got heaps of young talls wouldn't it be best to get a midfielder with our first pick and a tall with one of our second rounders? Or is more complicated than that?

[GoldenboyHird_5]

The thing is that, as ant said, the quality of the talls diminish very very quickly after the first round. Blokes of the quality of Talia will be almost impossible to find past pick #10.
Conversely, what I believe ant is saying is that there's not a big difference between the quality of the mids between #10-#33.

[Ludwig van Bertstare]

Makes sense. I wouldn't complain.

[morebeer]

Wouldn't have a problem with it if they think he is the best player available. I didn't think they needed to go tall last year but they look pretty smart now because Hurls was also best available.

If everyone else goes for mids it would just dilute the quality of player we could draft if we opt for best mid available. Rekon we have just about cornered the market in average mids so no need for another one. We need high level talent more than anything.

Hamilton said somewhere that they are after a mid and an x factor forward. We now know that the fwd was Willo and I would assume the mid will come from pick 10.

This regime are pretty predictable and up front in regards to drafting and even team selection. Knights will often mention a player earlier on in the week who will end up in the team come Thursday.

[ant555]

Our KPPs aren't definetely going to be good so I get your point about stocking up on talls but it seems like we're not going to be able to get great midfielders in the next drafts either. Seeing as we've already got heaps of young talls wouldn't it be best to get a midfielder with our first pick and a tall with one of our second rounders? Or is more complicated than that?

Good midfielders are a lot easier to find than good talls. Yes some of the absolute super star mids have been taken early but to use a few of the previous premiership sides as an example
Hawthorn - Bateman pick 48 ,Mitchel pick 36 , Sewel rookie list are all just as improtant as Hodge , Lewis etc who went inside the top 10.
Geelong are slightly different with bartell and corey coming at pick 8 and Ablett via ftaher and son but the likes of Chapman pick 31 , Enright pick 47 , Johnson pick 24 , Ling pick 38 , Kelly pick 17 and Milburn pick 48 all played key roles at mid range picks.
St.Kilda have blokes like baker pick 27 ,Gram pick 19 ,Jones rookie , Montagna pick 37 in the middle along with the mid first rounders like Hayes and Dal Santo.

The point is picking mids through picks 20 to 40 has been just as productive as picking them at around 10.
In general there are always more good mids in the draft than anything else which is why you see talls taken early in a lot of the strong drafts.

Despite my recent wishes as far as taking a quality mid with our first pick you can not agrue that taking talls has been a flop for us.
Come trade week clubs are always seeking good talls.

[LeeARM]

The thing is that, as ant said, the quality of the talls diminish very very quickly after the first round. Blokes of the quality of Talia will be almost impossible to find past pick #10.
Conversely, what I believe ant is saying is that there's not a big difference between the quality of the mids between #10-#33.

If that is the case then I'd be fine with taking him. I don't really know though as all I have is youtube highlights and draft discussion on BigFooty. I just don't want us to end up with a really good forward and back line with too many KPPs while having an average midfield.

[ant555]

By the way i think a few should read the first line of my post again.
This is not the "who i think we will take thread.
What actually happens or who Hamilton , Knights or Dodoro have commented on is not an issue. This is what i belive we should do based on my thinking.

If i was to predict who we may get i would probaly go a guess of Lucas , Cunnington , Stevens, Melksham or similar depending on the order they go.

I just think that whoever jumps first with Talia will come out a winner in the long run.

[LeeARM]

The point is picking mids through picks 20 to 40 has been just as productive as picking them at around 10.
In general there are always more good mids in the draft than anything else which is why you see talls taken early in a lot of the strong drafts.
Well seeing as we have 3 2nd rounders that does sound like a smart option. As long as injuries aren't too much of a worry.

Despite my recent wishes as far as taking a quality mid with our first pick you can not agrue that taking talls has been a flop for us.
If you feel this way about drafting talls why did you want us to get midfielders last year? Is it the extra picks or just a change of opinion?

[LeeARM]

By the way i think a few should read the first line of my post again.
This is not the "who i think we will take thread.
What actually happens or who Hamilton , Knights or Dodoro have commented on is not an issue. This is what i belive we should do based on my thinking

I just needed to see the method in your madness.

[ant555]

Well seeing as we have 3 2nd rounders that does sound like a smart option. As long as injuries aren't too much of a worry.


If you feel this way about drafting talls why did you want us to get midfielders last year? Is it the extra picks or just a change of opinion?

Finding out just how many extra picks the Gold Coast and West Sydney where actually going to get which is why i mentioned it several times.

Now I can here the confusion already, another tall? We already have Hurley, Pears, Daniher, Gumbleton, Neagle, Still etc. There is also the point that in recent years I have been leading the band wagon for picking quality mids with our first pick but there is some logic within the madness. Over the next 3 drafts the quality talls will be picked off by the Gold Coast and West Sydney leaving 16 other clubs to fight for the tall scraps.
The time is right to top up with one more tall before the landscape becomes a bit barren.

Unless i typed this in German i thought it was pretty self explanitory :D

It may be the last chance to pick up one more good tall for the future. Even more so if we finish in the top 8 again next year and our first round pick for finishing say 6th ends up being around pick 18 due to the Gold Coast have a heap of picks inside the top 20.

[Wahooti Fandango]

I have not been following the draft discussion that closely, but ant's reasoning makes complete sense in that if we can pick up some quality mids with our plethora of 2nd round picks, then we should draft a KPP at 10. People may have also forgotten that we have Still as another prospective KPP. A question for you ant; where would Still have gone this year considering we took him as an under-aged player (17yrs)?

[Ben the Gooner]

*waits for bombersno1*

[The Donners]

The thing is that, as ant said, the quality of the talls diminish very very quickly after the first round. Blokes of the quality of Talia will be almost impossible to find past pick #10.
Conversely, what I believe ant is saying is that there's not a big difference between the quality of the mids between #10-#33.

Could Carlislse slip to pick 24?

[Lance Uppercut]

excellent thread. Well reasoned & balanced :thumbsu:

It's an interesting perspective, & one I think has a lot of merit. The Hurley/Zaharakis double was a massive win for us last year, & with the coming dearth of big players, it's probably a smart play again.

Food for thought

[GoldenboyHird_5]

Could Carlislse slip to pick 24?
Wouldn't have a qualified view on this one.

But I have seen a few clips of the kid, looks to have some real athletic qualities and a smart footy brain. By the looks of it, he seems to have a pretty big frame as well. Possibly a Tippett-like?

Best to ask ant;)

[GoldenboyHird_5]

excellent thread. Well reasoned & balanced :thumbsu:

It's an interesting perspective, & one I think has a lot of merit. The Hurley/Zaharakis double was a massive win for us last year, & with the coming dearth of big players, it's probably a smart play again.

Food for thought
If we pick up Talia, it won't just be a double, it'll be Talia/Duncan/Bastinac treble.:)

[bomba4eva]

Would still take a midfielder. Need more talent in there and unless the quality of midfielders this year at pick 10 are equivalent to a 2nd rounder next year, I would feel uncomfortable having gone the past 4 years with a tall (excluding Myers who is a worry anyway).

I see your point and it has merit but personally I'd go for a midfielder that has slipped. Of course with the huge worries over Neagle and Gumbleton having another option in Talia would be handy.

Out of Lucas, Scully, Trengove, Rohan, Lucas etc surely one will slip to 10?

[GoldenboyHird_5]

Doubt it.

#1: Scully
#2: Trengove
#3: Martin
#4: Morabito
#5: Cunnington
#6: Rohan
#7: Lucas
#8: Tapscott
#9: Butcher
#10: ???

Rumours are it'll go like this.

Who knows?

I'm acting on the pretense that it things pan out as expected, then we won't have a crack at the 5 you suggested. Thus, Talia becomes a really viable option.

[Bombers41]

Interesting view and certainly didn't see that line of thinking coming in, would be an interesting strategy.

Question for you ant.

In the other thread you listed Scully and Trengove as the two top mids, underneath them are Cunnington, Morabito, Lucas, Martin etc.

Say that one of those group slip down to #10 e.g. Kane Lucas, would you still want to take Talia or would you go for a Lucas?

Interesting proposition

Ant555?

[kelvin_sheedy]

Ant... whatever happened to your take best available approach that you were so adamant about last year?

Is he the best available at that pick?

[saladin]

surely that is what he is saying? that in his opinion Talia is a better player than any of the mids we are likely to be able to get at #10.

[Vtorians]

Should take the best player available whoever he is. Quality KPP's will always have trade value, so if all our talls come good in the next few yrs the one least valuable to us can be traded for a proven young mid anyway.

[fishguts]

Ant, if Butcher was still left at our pick, who of the two would you take?

[Colin D'Cops]

I just think that whoever jumps first with Talia will come out a winner in the long run.

Very sound logic Ant.

But, if he does manage to look unco (like K. Bradley) in the first few seasons; his value would sky-rocket downwards very quickly. High risk/high reward combination. Where as a midfielder's value would still go down, but there's often an excuse; 'He's working on his engine this preseason'...'Just got to work a lot better in-close'. With talls, attributes are alot different to work on and many aspects can't be taught over one or two preseasons. Where as some aspects of a midfielders role, can be generally taught over a preseason or two.

Looking @ some of the threads on the draft, some have Lucas slipping to us. I highly doubt that, and would shout the BigFooty 'Essendonians' a beer each if it eventuated.
How's that for value? :D

[Skeeta Olly]

Very sound logic Ant.

But, if he does manage to look unco (like K. Bradley) in the first few seasons; his value would sky-rocket downwards very quickly. High risk/high reward combination. Where as a midfielder's value would still go down, but there's often an excuse; 'He's working on his engine this preseason'...'Just got to work a lot better in-close'. With talls, attributes are alot different to work on and many aspects can't be taught over one or two preseasons. Where as some aspects of a midfielders role, can be generally taught over a preseason or two.

Looking @ some of the threads on the draft, some have Lucas slipping to us. I highly doubt that, and would shout the BigFooty 'Essendonians' a beer each if it eventuated.
How's that for value? :D

Quoted.

[Colin D'Cops]

Quoted.

Sweet. You must feel good now 'eh? :p

[eth-dog]

Sweet. You must feel good now 'eh? :p
I'm happy he did

[Colin D'Cops]

I'm happy he did

I'm over happy.

I'm fuc**** terrified now. There goes my savings account!

http://media.pegasusnews.com/img/categories/HelenLovejoy_t630.jpg

[bomber c]

if we recruit another tall ,it may be asking for trouble....
we run the risk of losing one of our talls if they become disenchanted with lack of security ....
very risky policy with gold coast preying on our young talent with the likes of hurley pears neagle still hooker gumbleton ryder...
port adelaide with ageing kpp players must consider talia if hes the best tall in the draft...

[Knight Ryders]

If we don't take the best available mid, I'll be a bit pissed. My thinking is it is our one great need, so if the more mids we take, the more likely it will be that we get a good one. Let's face it, good mids are flexible enough to be half forwards or half backs, such as players like Chapman and Kelly have proven at Geelong. Load up Dodoro!!

[GoldenboyHird_5]

Are you listening to what ant is saying???

Clearly the point has been made that the the difference between the mids of pick #10 to #26 is not that big. They are more or less around the same quality.

THe talls, on the other hand, have a much steeper downward slope in quality once past pick #10.

Coupled with the fact that GC and WS are going to leave us with rare opportunities to pick up a Hurley/Talia in the first round.

That's why Talia is an attractive proposition.

[bombersno1]

Don't agree with it, but the logic is fine. I can see where you are coming from but if all our talls are fit where would Talia play? Gumbleton is a CHF, Neagle/Still are FF's, Hurley CHB, and Pears FB. Honestly at full fitness I struggle to see where Talia fits in. Whereas a midfielder, especially one with good skills can easily fit into our midfield, it is our one glaring weakness. I would target Christensen at pick 10 the more I think about it.

[GoldenboyHird_5]

I would say that the chances of all the talls being fit is next to nil.

What we can also gather is that M. Still will play alot of VFL footy next year.

Question marks, big question marks on Jay's fitness but, obiviously and more importantly, his work ethic.

Gumbleton well... the less said about his injury propects the better.

[centrelink1]

I would say that the chances of all the talls being fit is next to nil.

What we can also gather is that M. Still will play alot of VFL footy next year.

Question marks, big question marks on Jay's fitness but, obiviously and more importantly, his work ethic.

Gumbleton well... the less said about his injury propects the better.

Not to mention we will run out of Ruck men again and need heeps of KPP to fill in.

[bombersno1]

I would say that the chances of all the talls being fit is next to nil.

What we can also gather is that M. Still will play alot of VFL footy next year.

Question marks, big question marks on Jay's fitness but, obiviously and more importantly, his work ethic.

Gumbleton well... the less said about his injury propects the better.

Thing is that is all well and good. But you are drafting "in case of injury". Does Talia fit into our best side, he might, but I doubt it at full fitness and you are using a high draft pick just in case we have injuries. We need to back our medical staff. If we are going to go for a tall, I'd rather go for Vardy not that I agree with that at all. Christensen OR Stevens for mine.

[kelvin_sheedy]

surely that is what he is saying? that in his opinion Talia is a better player than any of the mids we are likely to be able to get at #10.

Not the way I read it. It pretty much says we should grab the best tall because GC and WS will pick the best big guys out. Doesn't read like best available to me.

I think it's time we grabbed best mids available first two selections then look for another ruckman and then either Smith or another mid or small forward.

[GoldenboyHird_5]

Grab another ruckman?

Vardy is the best one in the draft and he's miles off Vickery, Naitanui etc. of last year.

He'll probably be gone by #26.

Would rather go
#10 Talia
#24 Duncan
#26 Bastinac
#33 ???

[King Of The Hille]

if we recruit another tall ,it may be asking for trouble....
we run the risk of losing one of our talls if they become disenchanted with lack of security ....
very risky policy with gold coast preying on our young talent with the likes of hurley pears neagle still hooker gumbleton ryder...
port adelaide with ageing kpp players must consider talia if hes the best tall in the draft...

This may be the ugliest post i have ever read.

I agree with above, if all our players are fit i cant see where he would fit in. Im still all for taking Stevens with 10.

[yaco55]

To answer this question definitively you need to have a good knowledge of possible key position players from the under 15's - That is players who will be entering the system in the next 3 years.

I have no idea of the quality of upcoming KP's but I hope somebody on this forum can provide information.

[yaco55]

We also need to study GC's current list - the twelve seventeen year olds currently contracted and the run on squad which competed in the TAC Cup.

[resurrector]

i can see the reasoning behind ant's suggestion but i don't think it's the right call.

current young KPPs on our list:
neagle, gumbleton, hurley, pears, daniher, still, hooker, ryder = an embarassment of tall talent who've all shown a bit or more.

thus i think we need to take the best midfielder available as is the popular sentiment OR the best ruckman - roaming or otherwise (not so sure if there's one about however)

anyway thats my 2 bob

[Daytripper]

Ok just over a month out and I have not made a lot of comments about the draft but I thought I would work my way through the players I think we should draft. This is not the list of who I believe we will actually take as the evenness of this years draft has lead to a lot less solid rumours about who will be heading where in the pick 5 to 20 bracket.

Anyway who do I think we should select with pick 10?

Daniel Talia 195cm 79kg Calder Cannons.

Now I can here the confusion already, another tall? We already have Hurley, Pears, Daniher, Gumbleton, Neagle, Still etc. There is also the point that in recent years I have been leading the band wagon for picking quality mids with our first pick but there is some logic within the madness. Over the next 3 drafts the quality talls will be picked off by the Gold Coast and West Sydney leaving 16 other clubs to fight for the tall scraps.
The time is right to top up with one more tall before the landscape becomes a bit barren.

With the way things look most of the best midfielders will be picked up before we get a go at 10 leaving us to pick out the best of the remaining even bunch. With two picks in the 20's and the final pick at 33 I believe we can still land a couple of midfielders that will suite our needs.

So back to Talia, the big question is will he go before pick 10? Most don't believe so despite the fact that he is generally recognised as the second best tall in the draft. I am hoping he does not.
To the player himself well he is a versatile KPP who can play at either end of the ground and even spent some time in the midfield during a couple of the champ games this year.
Talia is very mobile and is very clean at ground level and he did well at the stoppages when used through the midfield.
His biggest strength is his attack from defence. He loves to run the ball out of the back half and he has good enough and composure to do it. He is pretty strong over head and his defensive efforts and second efforts are very good. His man on man coverage is ok and he does have a reasonable leap and spoil.

Over the Champ series Talia averaged 18 disposals at 74.5% efficiency with his kicking efficiency at 72.5%. Now the 72.5 does not look great but it was in the top bracket of players over the Champ series. However it does indicate one issue that Talia has with his game and that is he does not always choose the best option to kick to and he did kick to contests at times or to team mates who where out numbered.
Overall his disposal gets a pass as he still hits a lot of targets and his technique is pretty solid.

Now one reason why Talia may not be as highly regarded as he might be would be his shocking run at TAC Cup level. Due to injuries or school footy at Assumption College he hardly played at all in the TAC Cup and the games he did play where ok without being anything flash.
Last season Talia played 7 games for Calder and was named in the better players 4 times including the last 3 games he played.
This year was a total wipe out for him at TAC Cup level only playing 3 games and missing the end of the season with a hamstring injury. It is fair to say that Talia gets most of his wraps from his Champ series and particularly the last 4 games where he was one of Metros better players on each occasion.

Now one final negative could be his hammy injury. It was a hamstring tendon tear but not a serious one. Unlike Trengrove’s from last year or Lloyd’s it was only a tear in the tendon and he did not tear the tendon from the bone. Reports are he will be fine but obviously it is a question mark.

So there you have it. My thoughts on pick 10. Sure to give most something to talk about (bomberno1 don’t bother commenting because we all know you want good looking mids) and a selection that is a bit left field given I have not seen anyone pencil us in for a tall first up.
Pick 24 to follow soon.

Fellow posters take note - The above is a good post and is something we should be aiming for on the board.

Its knowledgable, opinionated and has plenty of detail to back up his conclusions.

Certainly has given me something to think about. Yaco raises a good point. What are the talls like coming through at the next 3 age levels ? I know, its a bit like asking how long a piece of string is as kids can grow but in order to implement your strategy it would be good to know this information as well.

[bombermick]

I've watched some footage of Talia and he is not your traditional KPP anyway, so posters don't have to get too worked up about us loading up on too many. He seems to play a bit like Andrew Mackie, except he seems a better contested mark. He can also play in the middle, he could play an Adam Goodes type role.

[Vtorians]

If the best mid @ pick 10 is potenially no better than the current mids on our list what is the point?, we need class whatever their size is.

[ant555]

Just to reply to a few points without having to quote everyone.

1)I see that Chops mentioned Talia and Bradley in the same sentance. Not sure where that came from but Talia is no Kepler Bradley, he is quicker , more skilled and reads the play well enough to have been able to play midfield.

2)A comment on what is coming through at under 15 level. I can not comment a lot on WA and SA but i do know Metro is a bit thin and Vic Country may be reasonable, the problem is once the Gold Coast have a crack at the draft (and belive me if there are quality talls they will pick them) we introduce West Sydeney who get an even bigger crack and they will certainly be looking for quality talls and proably more players as a good number of the 15 and 16 years olds in the NSW system are tied to an AFL scholarship. On top of that Sydeny will still have their acess to the NSW talent pool.

3)To reply to Kelvin , draft sratergy can be different every year depending on the draft . In this case i actually rate Talia anyway or i would not have suggested picking him. If i thought he was a mid second rounder then i would suggest we look at him with our two picks in the 20"s. Personally i rate him as a mid to lat first round pick so us taking him at 10 is not a stretch. It is the same as last year when you choose between a tal or a mid who you rate around the same area.

4) Now we get to the argument about having too many talls . Give me a break. For a start Gumby has to get on the ground. Secondly he has to actually play a really good game. I think he can make it but the question marks are rather big.
Neagle has to prove he has the mental capacity to play at the top level and if he can not improve his endurance by a lot he will continue to struggle.
Hurley and Pears look to have the goods.
Hooker looks ok so far and Daniher , well he is not really a genuine KPP. He plays more like McPhee than a lock down defender.

5)What is all the rubbish about where are they all going to play ? Where the **** are all the mids going to play ? We just delisted two tall forwards and we are replacing them with mids ? So what you are saying is it is ok to have midfield depth because they will all stay but a tall may not stay. Please.

6) Then we have the rubbish line about drafting to cover injury. See comment 5. If Pears, Hurley,Neagle and Gumby are in the side then who is not. Hooker , Daniher , Still (who is a couple of years away) and one of the ruckmen. Non issue.
The so called embarresment of riches in the tall department is rather unproven. They are potentially good.

[ant555]

And finally something like Talia/Harwood/Bastinac/ someone looks just as good.

Chances are that the pool available for pick 24 & 26 could contain Harwod , Bastinac,Duncan,Jetta,Carey,Crighton,Ah Chee,Christensen,Gysberts, Moore etc

The difference between then and the likes of Stevens and co is not a lot. This draft is a very even bunch of mids with 2 players i think are elite (Scully and Trengove)and another 2 or 3 (Martin, Cunnington, Morabito)that are very good and likely to be gone before 10.

[kelvin_sheedy]

Not hugely fussed if we pick up a KPP after a little thought tbh.

We've just had Lloyd, Lucas retire, Fletch has one more year and Hille is an unknown quantity in how long he'll be going for... 3 years?

4 big men need to be replaced on the list one way or another.

I have an inkling that Gumbleton might be able to turn into a second ruck/forward with Ryder No. 1. I haven't much faith in Laycock and I don't think either of Bellchambers or Bock will make it.

I think all our talls so far have shown enough to suggest they'll make it including Gumbleton, Hooker, Daniher.

The Gumbleton/Myers selections could be the difference between us challenging in the next few years or being middle of the road. We can't afford two top 10 misses in a row. I have confidence in the former but the latter worries me. If Myers turns it around and makes it then selecting a good KPP in this draft might be icing on the cake.

[Afrojack]

IMO this is a really good idea.
Hurley at FB, Talia at CHB, would allow us to play Pears on a flank and Hooker in the back pocket.
Imagine a backline of:

Houli - Hurley - Hooker
Pears - Talia - Reimers/Jetta?

in 5 years.. and we can still play Gumbleton, Neagle, Daniher and Still up forward.

[GoldenboyHird_5]

Not a great idea.

Pears looks really settled playing on the best Key forward of the oppo.

If we get the kid, then Talia and Hurley can both negate and then rebound from the CHB line.

What a sight to see. Would be Scarlett & Mackie all over again!

[Afrojack]

Pears was drafted as a half back flank/wingman though wasnt he? im pretty sure it wasnt as a full back, CHB maybe

[eth-dog]

I want what ant wants, so Talia it is

[Colin D'Cops]

1)I see that Chops mentioned Talia and Bradley in the same sentance. Not sure where that came from but Talia is no Kepler Bradley, he is quicker , more skilled and reads the play well enough to have been able to play midfield.

Sure he is at underrage level. Still an unknown prospect against the big boys; lets not forget that. Kepler had a super carnival IIRC and his value dramatically dropped two seasons after. Has got nothing to do with similar attributes between the two players; both are/were KP players and Talia's value could skyrocket downwards much like Bradley's. A midfielder's game can be worked on a fair bit quicker, KP players are a little harder to educate. Tall players - risk/reward combo.

I suggest you read my reply a little more clearly Ant. Had nothing to do with comparing the two in terms of ability.

[ant555]

Sure he is at underrage level. Still an unknown prospect against the big boys; lets not forget that. Kepler had a super carnival IIRC and his value dramatically dropped two seasons after. Has got nothing to do with similar attributes between the two players; both are/were KP players and Talia's value could skyrocket downwards much like Bradley's. A midfielder's game can be worked on a fair bit quicker, KP players are a little harder to educate. Tall players - risk/reward combo.

I suggest you read my reply a little more clearly Ant. Had nothing to do with comparing the two in terms of ability.

What is this a captain obvious statement. You could say the same for anyone in the draft!!!.
The problem with Kepler was he was a KP who could only play ruck or forward.
Talia has already shown at under 18 he can play at both ends.
Despite the lack of TAC Cup games Talia had some form or he would not have been picked for Metro and played 5 games for them.
I did read your comment clearly. If we go by your comment here then all talls had better be taken after pick 40.
Total rubbish statement. 99% of the time it comes down to a players body being ready to play footy at AFL level and not ability when it comes to players getting games in their first year.
You could just as easily draft Stevens and find out his clearance work was not up to AFL level and loose the same value.
I think every year you umpire the more it starts to effect your brain :eek:

[Colin D'Cops]

You could just as easily draft Stevens and find out his clearance work was not up to AFL level and loose the same value.
I think every year you umpire the more it starts to effect your brain :eek:

Ah huh. Of course if a midfielder doesn't look up to scratch, his value would decrease (duh). Not as much as say a KPP though IMO. You could have a heap of reasons why say Stevens can't cope with the clearances at AFL level. Isn't big enough, needs to up his endurance work, work on his opposite foot, etc. For KP players, it's much the same but again IMO I think if they don't show something in their first few seasons; there'd value would drop more dramatically compared to an under-performing mid.

Love the umpire comment again Ant. Pity last season ended so quickly, was some good pocket money indeed. And brain's working perfectly, cheers mate. :thumbsu:

[ant555]

Love the umpire comment Ant. Pity last season ended so quickly, was some good pocket money indeed. And brain's working perfectly, cheers mate. :thumbsu:

Yes but you start to think like an umpire which is often not normal :p
Just remember pazza is an umpire :eek:

[Colin D'Cops]

Yes but you start to think like an umpire which is often not normal :p

Two of the Grand Final field umpires were lawyers. That's not tooo bad.

Just remember pazza is an umpire :eek:

Good on him. Gets some exercise plus gets some extra cash; big thumbs up. :thumbsu:

[Ludwig van Bertstare]

Two of the Grand Final field umpires were lawyers. That's not tooo bad.

And I thought umpires couldn't be less trustworthy...

[Ben the Gooner]

sooz is an umpire.

End thread.:thumbsu:

[ant555]

Two of the Grand Final field umpires were lawyers. That's not tooo bad.



Good on him. Gets some exercise plus gets some extra cash; big thumbs up. :thumbsu:

Not the point i was making. never said umpires where stupid.
They just see the game from a different view because their main focus in on seeing the free kicks and not the actual play.

Many years ago after i finished playing i umpired under 19 footy for a couple of years. It is a lot different from actually evaluating the play or players from the side line.
That is why i said the more years you umpire the more it effects your brain ;)

[frosty1]

The problem with Kepler was he was a KP who could only play ruck or forward.


I actually think the problem was that except for his willingness to get involved in the physical side, his big man skills were fairly non existant for a guy 196cm tall. He never looked like taking a contested mark (a problem for a KP whose best option is as a forward) and he had no leap (a problem for a shortish ruck).

He had some short man skills (could find the ball etc), but his decision making and disposal meant he wasn't that damaging in a 'smaller' role.

On the choice of Talia. The real question is how good he is compared to what's available. I'd wait and see how it plays out. It wouldn't surprise me if there are some strange choices between 3 and 10 (strange compared to 'group-think' anyway). This might mean someone we like might fall, or, more likely in my view, we might be one of the ones pulling something unexpected. A Taylor, or someone that we just happen to rate and think we can make a long term star might be more appealing than the sort of mid we can get every year. Maybe Talia (or Carlisle or Butcher or Black) will be that selection, if we think they are a genuine long term star tall. But if they're still only worth a 2nd round pick in a decent talls draft then the appeal of going tall 'because GC/WS will load up' is diminished. I guess that's my concern. Are they (Talia specifically, or the talls available generally) good enough to justify taking them before whoever else we might like. If the guy we like is a 'generic mid' then sure. If he's something more I think it'll be a harder sell.

[Enki]

This is a fair opinion. I would have liked a really good first round midfield prospect, but honesty if the club thinks they can get two midfielders with 24 and 26 that are not much different to what they would have gotten at pick 10 then I'd be happy to go for another KPP.

Talia does look like a good option, looks like a smooth mover who has plenty of room for improvement. At 194 cm he is a nice size and looks to have good reach, but looks to have the agility of a smaller player.

[Happy Daze]

Ok just over a month out and I have not made a lot of comments about the draft but I thought I would work my way through the players I think we should draft. This is not the list of who I believe we will actually take as the evenness of this years draft has lead to a lot less solid rumours about who will be heading where in the pick 5 to 20 bracket.

Anyway who do I think we should select with pick 10?

Daniel Talia 195cm 79kg Calder Cannons.

Now I can here the confusion already, another tall? We already have Hurley, Pears, Daniher, Gumbleton, Neagle, Still etc. There is also the point that in recent years I have been leading the band wagon for picking quality mids with our first pick but there is some logic within the madness. Over the next 3 drafts the quality talls will be picked off by the Gold Coast and West Sydney leaving 16 other clubs to fight for the tall scraps.
The time is right to top up with one more tall before the landscape becomes a bit barren.

With the way things look most of the best midfielders will be picked up before we get a go at 10 leaving us to pick out the best of the remaining even bunch. With two picks in the 20's and the final pick at 33 I believe we can still land a couple of midfielders that will suite our needs.

So back to Talia, the big question is will he go before pick 10? Most don't believe so despite the fact that he is generally recognised as the second best tall in the draft. I am hoping he does not.
To the player himself well he is a versatile KPP who can play at either end of the ground and even spent some time in the midfield during a couple of the champ games this year.
Talia is very mobile and is very clean at ground level and he did well at the stoppages when used through the midfield.
His biggest strength is his attack from defence. He loves to run the ball out of the back half and he has good enough and composure to do it. He is pretty strong over head and his defensive efforts and second efforts are very good. His man on man coverage is ok and he does have a reasonable leap and spoil.

Over the Champ series Talia averaged 18 disposals at 74.5% efficiency with his kicking efficiency at 72.5%. Now the 72.5 does not look great but it was in the top bracket of players over the Champ series. However it does indicate one issue that Talia has with his game and that is he does not always choose the best option to kick to and he did kick to contests at times or to team mates who where out numbered.
Overall his disposal gets a pass as he still hits a lot of targets and his technique is pretty solid.

Now one reason why Talia may not be as highly regarded as he might be would be his shocking run at TAC Cup level. Due to injuries or school footy at Assumption College he hardly played at all in the TAC Cup and the games he did play where ok without being anything flash.
Last season Talia played 7 games for Calder and was named in the better players 4 times including the last 3 games he played.
This year was a total wipe out for him at TAC Cup level only playing 3 games and missing the end of the season with a hamstring injury. It is fair to say that Talia gets most of his wraps from his Champ series and particularly the last 4 games where he was one of Metros better players on each occasion.

Now one final negative could be his hammy injury. It was a hamstring tendon tear but not a serious one. Unlike Trengrove’s from last year or Lloyd’s it was only a tear in the tendon and he did not tear the tendon from the bone. Reports are he will be fine but obviously it is a question mark.

So there you have it. My thoughts on pick 10. Sure to give most something to talk about (bomberno1 don’t bother commenting because we all know you want good looking mids) and a selection that is a bit left field given I have not seen anyone pencil us in for a tall first up.
Pick 24 to follow soon.

Excellent post - however, and I'm not sure if this has been covered on the thread yet, if going for a tall is a sensible option in the first round given the next few drafts will be barren for them, won't the other teams picking ahead of us be looking to do the same thing? In other words, if Talia and his ilk are valuable, then we might find he's gone by our pick.

[yaco55]

It is an interesting discussion when looking at KP's and ruckman.

I believe it is essential that the above have tall man attributes in their playing style.

That is play like a tall player.

As an example, Josh Fraser ( a good to very good AFL player) is very athletic, has small man skills, but is deficient in the tall man skills.

So in summary tall players need to have tall man attributes.

[ant555]

Excellent post - however, and I'm not sure if this has been covered on the thread yet, if going for a tall is a sensible option in the first round given the next few drafts will be barren for them, won't the other teams picking ahead of us be looking to do the same thing? In other words, if Talia and his ilk are valuable, then we might find he's gone by our pick.

Of course it could happen. In fact i am sure that several clubs are weighing up that option which is why i did not make this a prediction thread.
I will say it again this is the thread where i put the case forward for the players i think we should pick.

[ant555]

http://www.afldraftinfo.com/2009/08/daniel-talia-calder-cannonsvic-metro.html

Just some highlights from his game against SA thanks to afldraftinfo.com.

[Slattery_20]

Interesting to read your "workings out" ant. Personally, I would be hoping the other 9 clubs are taking your line of reasoning... I think we could at the very least survive (if not thrive) with the talls we have now and go with as many good smalls as we can get in the door.

[edstar10]

if port get tapscott they will replace carlton as my most hated isde, tapscott is an absolute gun and we need someone with his incredible foot skills

[fishguts]

Ant, who would you take iif given the option.

Butcher or Talia?

[fishguts]

http://www.afldraftinfo.com/2009/08/daniel-talia-calder-cannonsvic-metro.html

Just some highlights from his game against SA thanks to afldraftinfo.com.

On that footage I wouldn't mind taking him as a midfielder.

[Happy Daze]

Of course it could happen. In fact i am sure that several clubs are weighing up that option which is why i did not make this a prediction thread.
I will say it again this is the thread where i put the case forward for the players i think we should pick.

Yep, fair enough. Wasn't having a go at you - your input on these forums is valued by most of us.

[GoDons]

Not sure about this.

Personally, I think we've got the star potential in KPP stocks. Neagle, Gumbleton, Hurley and Pears have the potential. Whether that potential will be fulfilled is hard to say, but it is there.

I don't see that with our midfield. Stanton, Watson and Winderlich are good players, Zaharakis, Myers are two with the potential. Behind them are a large group of capable players and guys that are probably better suited to a flank. That's not near enough for my liking.

Whether that star on baller is there or not is another thing, but I lean towards gambling that way than with a tall.

As for the argument that the same calibre midfielders at pick 10 will be available at 24 and 26, that sounds a bit too good to be true. I think it's far more likely we'll end up with servicable players there which we've already got in droves.

[DaSawx]

Some hypotheticals for you Ant, if you were head recruiter

Lucas or Talia
Lucas or Butcher
Talia or Butcher

[Enki]

As for the argument that the same calibre midfielders at pick 10 will be available at 24 and 26, that sounds a bit too good to be true. I think it's far more likely we'll end up with servicable players there which we've already got in droves.

Have you read this (http://www.theage.com.au/news/rfnews/dissecting-the-draft/2009/10/10/1255019653282.html) article?

If all the midfielders we rate as quality are gone by 10 and a KPP who we rate is available at 10 because everyone else took the good midfielders, it would be foolish to take a midfielder just because we need more quality midfielders (which I agree we do).

Grabbing a midfielder at 24/26 similar in potential to what may be left at pick 10 is far from being "too good to be true", in this draft it sounds like it's exact opposite (and not in a good way). From all reports the fact is depending on what other clubs do there may not be highly likely "gun" midfielder available to us, and we may be gambling almost as much at 10 as we would be at 24.

Of course if someone like Lucas slipped to us I'd hope we grab him (assuming the club rates him, I like him).

[Bombers41]

Some hypotheticals for you Ant, if you were head recruiter

Lucas or Talia
Lucas or Butcher
Talia or Butcher

And Melksham or Talia?

[GoDons]

Have you read this (http://www.theage.com.au/news/rfnews/dissecting-the-draft/2009/10/10/1255019653282.html) article?

If all the midfielders we rate as quality are gone by 10 and a KPP who we rate is available at 10 because everyone else took the good midfielders, it would be foolish to take a midfielder just because we need more quality midfielders (which I agree we do).

Grabbing a midfielder at 24/26 similar in potential to what may be left at pick 10 is far from being "too good to be true", in this draft it sounds like it's exact opposite. From all reports the fact is depending on what other clubs do there may not be highly likely "gun" midfielder available to us, and we may be gambling almost as much at 10 as much as we would be at 24.

Of course if someone like Lucas slipped to us I'd hope we grab him (assuming the club rates him, I like him).

I did read the article, and obviously there's the quote that the draft flatlines after pick 10. That's also just somebody's opinion, and it certainly won't be held by everyone.

As I mentioned in my post, there is the matter of a top on baller being available. However, I think it's extremely unlikely that there won't be somebody we rate highly still on the table. There are surely enough quality midfield prospects to fill out 10 picks and that's not including selections of KPP in there. We'd be stupid to take a midfielder for the sake of taking a midfielder, but if a midfielder that we see as quality is still there, I think we should take him every time.

I know it says that somebody's 11 is another's 30, but that is anything but a guarantee that our other midfielder options at 10 will still be there 14 and 16 picks later. Maybe we'll get lucky, it's happened in the past, but that's far too up in the air for my liking.

At the end of the day, we need midfielders and I think, provided we rate the player/s available to us at 10, we've got to get the guy we see as the best available midfield prospect. The chances of that guy being there at 24 are just too slim.

We've got the players to potentially have a really, really good spine. In my opinion, we don't have the players to have a strong midfield going forward. This is too good an opportunity to grab a midfielder and fill a piece of the puzzle to pass up.

[kelvin_sheedy]

We've got the players to potentially have a really, really good spine. In my opinion, we don't have the players to have a strong midfield going forward. This is too good an opportunity to grab a midfielder and fill a piece of the puzzle to pass up.

No faith in Myers, Zaharakis, Hocking, Lonergan?

[GoDons]

No faith in Myers, Zaharakis, Hocking, Lonergan?

I think Myers and Zaharakis have the potential, but I'm far from locking them in as elite players. In my mind, if we're going anywhere, these two are going to have to shoulder a fairly big load. If we could find a third top prospect, things would be looking brighter.

Hocking's a capable player, but I don't see him being more than solid.

Lonergan I have my doubts over, I'm unconvinced that he'll ever be anything more than a tough tackling half forward.

[Enki]

We've got the players to potentially have a really, really good spine. In my opinion, we don't have the players to have a strong midfield going forward. This is too good an opportunity to grab a midfielder and fill a piece of the puzzle to pass up.

Fair enough. I've already said I think we will take Melksham if he is there, so I think we will take a midfielder. I'm just not totally discounting the club taking a KPP if all nine picks before us we midfielders we wanted.

[GoDons]

Fair enough. I've already said I think we will take Melksham if he is there, so I think we will take a midfielder. I'm just not totally discounting the club taking a KPP if all nine picks before us we midfielders we wanted.

It's not out the question, and if the club was sold on a guy like Talia being a really good player for us, I'd be happy enough.

[SirJimi05]

Who's to say Talia won't be the best available mis at 10? :cool:

Bit of James Hird about him i reckon.

Check out the mark ay 0.37. Very Hird-esque.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv8PN_msTcw

[efcboy]

i liken talia to chad cornes. i think he is a top 10 prospect and ant is on the money.

[SirJimi05]

i liken talia to chad cornes. i think he is a top 10 prospect and ant is on the money.

Except he isn't a complete knob like Chadwick.

[ant555]

Some hypotheticals for you Ant, if you were head recruiter

Lucas or Talia
Lucas or Butcher
Talia or Butcher

I would go either tall over Lucas just and i like Talia over Butcher mainly becasue he can play at both ends.

I will finish of this my selections later today but if things went to my plan :D it could look like
Talia
Bastinac
Gysberts
Bartlett

Or Talia plus any one of Cristenson (if he slides) Carey , Moore , Jetta , Harwood , Duncan , Taylor , Sheppard etc

[shalvross]

Looking at the you tube video of him, it seems he can fill the mid field role as well. I would be happy if we went with that way ant.
And I thought of James Hird also. Maybe it was just the fact he has blonde hair and was wearing the number 5 guernsey! Ah, the glory days...

[ant555]

ok with a few pages between my opening pick and the next few i thought i would put Talia down here again along with my next two picks.
Now with some comments happening about the method and reasoning i though that i would explain a few more things so here we go.

Anyway who do I think we should select with pick 10?

Daniel Talia 195cm 79kg Calder Cannons.

Now I can here the confusion already, another tall? We already have Hurley, Pears, Daniher, Gumbleton, Neagle, Still etc. There is also the point that in recent years I have been leading the band wagon for picking quality mids with our first pick but there is some logic within the madness. Over the next 3 drafts the quality talls will be picked off by the Gold Coast and West Sydney leaving 16 other clubs to fight for the tall scraps.
The time is right to top up with one more tall before the landscape becomes a bit barren.

With the way things look most of the best midfielders will be picked up before we get a go at 10 leaving us to pick out the best of the remaining even bunch. With two picks in the 20's and the final pick at 33 I believe we can still land a couple of midfielders that will suite our needs.

So back to Talia, the big question is will he go before pick 10? Most don't believe so despite the fact that he is generally recognised as the second best tall in the draft. I am hoping he does not.
To the player himself well he is a versatile KPP who can play at either end of the ground and even spent some time in the midfield during a couple of the champ games this year.
Talia is very mobile and is very clean at ground level and he did well at the stoppages when used through the midfield.
His biggest strength is his attack from defence. He loves to run the ball out of the back half and he has good enough and composure to do it. He is pretty strong over head and his defensive efforts and second efforts are very good. His man on man coverage is ok and he does have a reasonable leap and spoil.

Over the Champ series Talia averaged 18 disposals at 74.5% efficiency with his kicking efficiency at 72.5%. Now the 72.5 does not look great but it was in the top bracket of players over the Champ series. However it does indicate one issue that Talia has with his game and that is he does not always choose the best option to kick to and he did kick to contests at times or to team mates who where out numbered.
Overall his disposal gets a pass as he still hits a lot of targets and his technique is pretty solid.

Now one reason why Talia may not be as highly regarded as he might be would be his shocking run at TAC Cup level. Due to injuries or school footy at Assumption College he hardly played at all in the TAC Cup and the games he did play where ok without being anything flash.
Last season Talia played 7 games for Calder and was named in the better players 4 times including the last 3 games he played.
This year was a total wipe out for him at TAC Cup level only playing 3 games and missing the end of the season with a hamstring injury. It is fair to say that Talia gets most of his wraps from his Champ series and particularly the last 4 games where he was one of Metros better players on each occasion.

Now one final negative could be his hammy injury. It was a hamstring tendon tear but not a serious one. Unlike Trengrove’s from last year or Lloyd’s it was only a tear in the tendon and he did not tear the tendon from the bone. Reports are he will be fine but obviously it is a question mark.


Now of course this is will be all for nothing if Talia goes before hand.
I suspect theat the draft will go soething like
Melbourne - Scully
Melbourne - Trengrove
Richmond - Martin / Butcher
Fremantle - Morabito
North - Cunnington/Butcher
Sydney - Rohan / Cunnington / Butcher
West Caost - Lucas
Port 8 or 9 - Tapscott/Butcher/Stevens/Rohan/Cunnington/Melksham/Talia

So what happens with Talia will depend mainly on Port and he could go one pick before us.
If that happens then my pick becomes Tapscott /Stevens/not happy lol
Tough choice. I like Melksham but i still have visions of a number of games where his kicking was second rate. Fitzpatrick could be anything but he can kick worse than a Rugby Union front rower. Carlisle could be a serious contender as i think he is the thrid best tall after Talia.
I guess if i was to go midfield here it would come down to Tapscott if Port do not take him but i suspect they will. After that i would bite the bullet and go Christenson ,a player i have always rated ahead of my second choice in Stevens a played that has disapointed me a bit but maybe i have been too harsh on him this year because he has struggled with niggling injuries.
So there it is for pick 10 Talia / Christenson/Stevens or maybe Carlisle.

[ant555]

Ok now to the second round picks. Anything at all could happen here. If Christenson was available I would jump straight away here but I suspect he may go in the 5 or 6 picks before 24. Then we have Jetta who depending who you talk to could go anywhere from mid first round to anywhere in the second round. Personally I think he is fits somewhere in the second round but I do have concerns on his finishing.
So I have to pick someone so who is it?

Ryan Bastinac 182cm 73kg Dandenong Stingrays.
Now in some peoples books he could well also be gone but I suspect his position in the draft will be around the 20 to 30 mark.
Bastinac is a midfielder who is not really a hard nut inside mid but more of a free running mid who is smart at the clearances and generally has a fifty / fifty mix of contested footy and handball receives. Despite me not calling him a hard nut he will not shirk a contest and he has no qualms with putting his body on the line in pursuit of the football.
His pace is pretty good. He is not a jet that will fly through the lines but he is a good run and carry player who has enough speed to run through the lines and have a bounce.
His skills are reasonably good but like a lot of players when he is working in close and under pressure he can often have a few kicks that do not find targets. Overall his kicking efficiency in the TAC has varied from games where he has produced 80’s and high 70’s to games where he has had 50’s to mid 40’s. By hand he is pretty creative and he uses both sides of his body.
He does not take a lot of contested marks but when he has played forward he is good at leading into space and marking inside 50. When he plays forward he does kick goals and his crumbing in the forward line is a strength.
One other strength he has is his ability to run all day. His work rate is generally very good and he will push back into defence to provide run out of the back half.
If I have one concern about his game it is his defensive side when he is in the midfield. He can struggle to find his man and he does get caught running in front of the footy.

Next up at 26

Andrew Moore 188cm 81kg Eastern Rangers.
Medium defender/half forward who is not on the radar of a lot of people because of him missing a lot of the TAC Cup due to school footy with Yarra valley Grammar.
Moore has played in a few different spots but mainly as a half forward or hard running half back with very good defensive skills and an ability to provide run from half back.
His champ series was solid but nothing more averaging thirteen disposals at a disappointing 68 % efficiency. His stoppage work around the ground is pretty good and his hands at ground level are also good. Kicks mainly right foot and despite the high 60 rating during the champs his skills at TAC Cup level where pretty good with him pushing up to the 75 to 80% efficiency range in most games.
Moore is pretty strong overhead which has been handy when he has played forward as he has provided a very good third marking target a few times.
He seems to run games out well so there is no reason why he would not play midfield in the future. His pace is good enough to keep him out of trouble and allow him to run and carry a bit.
The down side with him may he could end up as a player who has no real defined spot on the field and the fact his left side is not overly strong.

Now at pick 24 and 26 anything could really happen. Like I said earlier Christenson could be available. Bastinac or Moore may have already just gone and someone like Gysberts could be available and he is a player that I would take in front of Moore if he was there at 26.
Of course if we go for a mid with pick 10 the tall options around the late first round mark to late second round are in no particular order Carlisle ,Black ,Vardy ,Fitzpatrick , Panos ,Griffiths ,Reid , Temel (yes Temel who I predict will go 20 or so spots hight than the 40 or 50 range most are predicting).
Of course other mids around this area could include Crichton, Carey, Harwood and Duncan.

Now with pick 33 I have struggled to come up with a plan. Do we take another mid or maybe a tall or even have a reach at a ruckman?

In the end I am probably slightly in favour of Ah Chee or taking a risk on Callum Bartlett who looked like a serious mid to late first round contended before he was injured. He has missed the whole of this season but last year he was a very promising winger/small forward with great pace and pretty good foot skills.

Other real possibilities here would be Alex Carey, an inside mid with reasonable skills but is not overly quick. Ryan Harwood, a good inside mid from Tassie who I like everything about him except his kicking which can be very up and down. A player like Ah Chee could be in the mix at 26 or 33. Very good solid mid who finds the contested footy and has a good side step. His pace is not bad but I do not agree with a few who have him rated as very quick. WA captain Mark Hutchings is also an outside consideration here. Hard at it midfielder/defender who would be a very good run with player who has good clearance work.
Menzal a good small defender from SA would also possibly be a good fit here.
Of the talls those possibly available would be Griffiths , Reid ,Grimes , Hill plus a few other different players like Donaldson ,Kennedy ,Astbury ,McNeil ,Hooper , Pitt.

As for the ruckman I don’t really know. Maybe Max Gawn but I personally do not see him as top 40 material. Despite his 206cm height I thought he got out rucked by smaller guys with a good leap a lot of the time.
Hayward from WA possibly and the other one is Craig from SA but at 195cm I just don’t see him as a ruckman at AFL level.

So with pick 33 I an a bit undecided so I will say one of Bartlett or Ron Ah Chee with maybe Ronnie by a nose as he is a big enough unit to be able to play next year.

I will produce a few names for rookie consideration later on.

What i will say is becasue my main area of work involves TAC Cup and the Champ series it will reflect in my selections being mainly from the TAC Cup or players i have seen in a few champ games.
I could very easily miss what we will actually select by 100% as i do not know or have i seen a lot of the SA or WA players in the SANFL or WAFL who did not play big parts in the under 18 series. there is a big chance we could select a number of interstate players as the overall standar of the TAC Cup comp this year was not as good and very even.
I guess the proof will be seeing how these players go at the clubs they are drafted to.

[beev]

Ant,

If we go Talia were do see him fitting into our structure?

Could he be like Jarrad Waite - a swingman or even on a wing?

Also, Brendan Fewster, do you see him getting picked up? Rookie or ND?

[ant555]

Ant,

If we go Talia were do see him fitting into our structure?

Could he be like Jarrad Waite - a swingman or even on a wing?

Also, Brendan Fewster, do you see him getting picked up? Rookie or ND?

Tall defender for Talia to play on the mobile tall forwards.
I do like Frewster i would be a surprised if he was not drafted. He may not have any real pace but he is mobile enough and finds the ball around the ground.
If we where having a pick around the 50 mark i would have him in contention. You could do a lot worse than him.

[GoldenboyHird_5]

Interested in the 2nd rounders.

How would you rate Mitch Duncan in terms of Christenson, Bastinac and Moore.

ALso have heard that Gysberts is not as good as people rate him.

Shed some light?

Well done again on a brilliant analysis.

[morebeer]

Cheers Ant. Great read.

Slightly OT but is there any scholarship or father sons who may impact their drafting strategy over the next couple of years?

[beev]

Cheers Ant. Great read.

Slightly OT but is there any scholarship or father sons who may impact their drafting strategy over the next couple of years?

Jim Buckley's son will be at Carlton next year or the year after.

[swans16]

Essendon should take Koby Stevens at 10. He is Best Available Midfielder.

[SirJimi05]

Essendon should take Koby Stevens at 10. He is Best Available Midfielder.


Do you have a crystal ball?

[bombersno1]

Essendon should take Koby Stevens at 10. He is Best Available Midfielder.

Yes, but that is assuming other players don't slide. If Tapscott slides, Essendon will take him at 10.