Big Footy Phantom Draft 2014 - Trial Run

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#5
Sam Durdin
196cm/87kg/West Adelaide

Not an overly impressive champs from the games that I saw, but his talent is just too go to pass up at No.5. And to be honest a bit surprised he slipped this far. A legitmate swingman in that he can play at both ends of the ground. I dare say Carlton would develop him as a forward and with Henderson and Casboult going ok up forward this year, he will be given time to develop.

A terrific contested mark, as shown down at Simmonds Stadium against VC when Hugh Goddard lined up on him. Would have liked to have seen more of him at the champs, but a genuine KPP size Carlton would be mad to pass him up at 5.
 
Aug 24, 2012
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Bloody good timing, just got home.

Pick six - Western Bulldogs: Jayden Laverde
Height: 189cm
Weight: 82kg
Position: Utility


Y U NO GO KEY FORWARD?!

Yes, the Dogs need talls, and ideally we're in a position to take one of the likes of Durdin or Wright. However, with both of those already selected, there are no other key position players that I rate as top six talent. So I've selected who I deem to be best available - and luckily enough he suits the Dogs' needs for a big midfielder with pace and skill. Three boxes ticked in one was too good to refuse, especially with a player of Laverde's quality. I should also note that I'm keen for the Dogs to move this pick should it fall outside the top five.

Strengths: The biggest thing with Jayden is that he's truly versatile - short of the ruck, he can play anywhere on the ground to a high level. Laverde is a brilliant kick off both sides of the body, pulling off excellent passes and setting up his teammates more often than not. He has good defensive awareness without it necessarily being the best part of his game, which enables him to play in the back half and put his kicking skills to good use. He reads the play very well and peels off his man when necessary, taking intercept possessions and really hurting the opposition the other way. Complemented by this is his pace. Laverde is not a truly explosive runner, but he has some real breakaway pace that allows him to break the lines and gain an extra few metres for his side. This, combined with his agility and awareness, makes him quite a difficult player to catch. It also makes him effective on the lead, especially up forward. He creates separation on defenders with ease, especially if he is given a head start due to improper defensive positioning or poor awareness. He's also a good overhead mark with excellent ability one-on-one, putting his size to good use and allowing him to compete if he doesn't get out on a lead.

Through the midfield he plays predominantly as an outside receiver, and it is a role he does exceptionally well. His athleticism commonly allows him more time and space than you'd like to give such a good kick, and his awareness and footy IQ aid him to peel off and get in a position to do some real damage. His contested game isn't brilliant but I see it projecting as a real strength in the future, with both his ability at ground level and his bigger body contributing. He puts his height to good use and is able to grab those connecting marks, or to be a good option on the kick-out.

In short, it's his versatility - combined with his excellent skills - that puts him over the line for me.

What he needs to work on: His contested game is probably the first area of improvement. He's not terrible by any means but it's not at a level where you can consider it a genuine strength. He will win his own ball when he has to, but he's not the kind of player you would chuck on-ball in the dying stages of a close game. At the moment he's that pacy outside runner that gives you some creativity and flair going through the midfield, but for him to continue to progress his game you want him to become that sort of player that you can totally rely on inside and out. He has the tools, he just has to work at them.

Secondly, I imagine the club that selects him will be quick to reel in his flair. Not to drop it completely - as it's what makes his game unique - but as somebody that likely begins his career running off half back he can't take the dangerous option as often as he does. At the moment he can try to push past his limitations a bit too often and it can result in shanked kicks or poor decisions, which have left his team vulnerable to opposition scores off turnovers. You don't want to take that tendency to be dangerous with possession away from him - as, more often than not, his intentions work out - but it does need to be limited to fit more into team 'policy.'

Laverde is prone to inconsistency and fade outs during games, however this is something I see being ironed out relatively quickly. A lot of the time it just seems to be a lack of concentration however endurance may play a part. It will take some work but I can see him being able to improve this significantly over a period of time. The beauty with Laverde is that he is a reliable option defensively, meaning that even if he isn't at his best offensively, his opponent rarely gets totally off the leash.

Past that, for me, it is simply just continuing to put some muscle on that frame to aid him further inside and around the ground.

Where he fits:
Short-term, I see Jayden playing a similar role to what Jake Stringer did mid-year for us: significant minutes down back, combined with some time on-ball, on the wings and up forward. He'll provide some drive from half-back - which the Dogs desperately crave - as well as continuing to develop other areas of his game. As he progressively develops that inside game and his endurance I see him moving into the midfield on a more permanent basis. With an inside quartet of Liberatore, Griffen, Wallis and Boyd (short-term; long-term Clay Smith), Laverde will be able to flourish in his natural outside role while also being given time at stoppages and really using his pace and athleticism to break through. As a player that can play most positions on the ground to a reasonable level, he will always be a genuine utility and somebody that is moved around as the game ebbs and flows. However, if he is to reach his potential, he needs to maximise his minutes through the middle - and in my opinion, that will come with the development of an inside game and natural progression.
 
Last edited:
Sep 25, 2005
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Bloody good timing, just got home.

Pick six - Western Bulldogs: Jayden Laverde

Will edit my post now to add in a write up; just want to keep this moving.


There he does. I would have taken at 4 if Wright, Petracca and McCartin had of been top 3. No slight on Brayshaw just not what GWS need. Thats the top 6 with Durdin in it for me.
 
Aug 24, 2012
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There he does. I would have taken at 4 if Wright, Petracca and McCartin had of been top 3. No slight on Brayshaw just not what GWS need. Thats the top 6 with Durdin in it for me.
Pretty much my thoughts exactly.

Durdin is someone I'm really keen on despite the average champs and with his versatility, height and marking ability suits the Dogs perfectly. I knew I was a chance to get him at pick five, but with Carlton taking that pick I doubted there was any chance of him sliding to six. Would still be very happy with Laverde.

There was a better prospect than Laverde available but I wanted to keep it semi-realistic for the Dogs board.
 
Oct 30, 2007
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Don't think it's the popular BigFooty opinion, but I think Laverde is overrated at the moment. With a good finish and some solid testing, maybe he proves that he is worthy of a top 8 pick. But at the moment, it's purely the fact that he is tall and fast. Everyone is looking for the next Macrae or Bontempelli, but I don't think he projects quite as well as a midfielder. I just can't see why you would pick him or Ahern ahead of Duggan and Weller.
 
Don't think it's the popular BigFooty opinion, but I think Laverde is overrated at the moment. With a good finish and some solid testing, maybe he proves that he is worthy of a top 8 pick. But at the moment, it's purely the fact that he is tall and fast. Everyone is looking for the next Macrae or Bontempelli, but I don't think he projects quite as well as a midfielder. I just can't see why you would pick him or Ahern ahead of Duggan and Weller.

Of the players i've seen I think he leads the pack after the top 5. Elite kick on both sides of his body, good decision maker, can play anywhere on the ground and good overhead. Not sure what's not to like about him.
 
Mar 10, 2007
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Of the players i've seen I think he leads the pack after the top 5. Elite kick on both sides of his body, good decision maker, can play anywhere on the ground and good overhead. Not sure what's not to like about him.

Which fits the Dogs need (elite kicking skills) and our longer term strategy (players with flexibility, like Stringer, Bontempelli).
 
Aug 24, 2012
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Don't think it's the popular BigFooty opinion, but I think Laverde is overrated at the moment. With a good finish and some solid testing, maybe he proves that he is worthy of a top 8 pick. But at the moment, it's purely the fact that he is tall and fast. Everyone is looking for the next Macrae or Bontempelli, but I don't think he projects quite as well as a midfielder. I just can't see why you would pick him or Ahern ahead of Duggan and Weller.
It's not so much looking for the next Macrae/Bont for me; Laverde is a different player that adds something in his own right. Laverde probably isn't the most well-performed available at this selection, I agree, but his flashes have been seriously brilliant and he ticks all the boxes. Long-term I believe he projects as a better, more versatile player than both Duggan and Weller so we may just have to agree to disagree on that one. He's an interesting one though; along with Lever, it's going to be interesting to see where they place in the real thing.
 
Which fits the Dogs need (elite kicking skills) and our longer term strategy (players with flexibility, like Stringer, Bontempelli).

Saw him play at Dandenong in the wet and his ball handling and kicking stood out.
 
Oct 30, 2007
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Alright, no point dragging this out any longer...

Pick 7 Richmond - Jarrod Pickett

I'll do a proper write up later on, but it was between him and three others - Weller, Duggan and Lever. Pickett wasn't quite top of the list, but I have very strong opinions on Richmond's list and I think they desperately need help on the outside and up forward. And Pickett is a pretty handy little player.
 

Quigley

Norm Smith Medallist
Sep 23, 2006
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I really like Pickett. If you have a good midfield unit and want to add some class and pace he is an excellent option. If the pressure is on others he could do really nicely. If we are picking at 5 I would have no problem with us taking him.
 

Offsider

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Mar 15, 2009
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I agree with you on Pickett, I was hoping that he would slide to pick 10, but that was wishful thinking clearly. He has all the tools to be a dangerous half-forward which is where he is best suited imo.
 
Sep 25, 2005
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It's not so much looking for the next Macrae/Bont for me; Laverde is a different player that adds something in his own right. Laverde probably isn't the most well-performed available at this selection, I agree, but his flashes have been seriously brilliant and he ticks all the boxes. Long-term I believe he projects as a better, more versatile player than both Duggan and Weller so we may just have to agree to disagree on that one. He's an interesting one though; along with Lever, it's going to be interesting to see where they place in the real thing.

Thats how I see him.
His positional scope is enormous and his best is as good as anyones. Gettign the consistency is critical but been plenty of kids taken high where clubs have backed themselves in on that score with huge dividends.
 
Interesting job for Swannies with our three most wanted players (Petracca, Brayshaw, Laverde) all gone before our first pick.
You can expect swannies to pick from the Calder Cannons .
 

Dale4captain

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Sep 14, 2010
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How has nobody grabbed Heeney yet? Insane. Would be first picked if available. Similar to Lachie Whitfield in many ways. Complete package.
 
Aug 24, 2012
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How has nobody grabbed Heeney yet? Insane. Would be first picked if available. Similar to Lachie Whitfield in many ways. Complete package.
I know they're all in the pool for the trial but it was just about keeping it semi-realistic for me. I know the Dogs board follow this closely and like to generate some discussion around the picks, so it would have been a bit of a let down to pick somebody we can't actually select.
 
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