Opinion 2014 Draft ( Live discussion ) Mod notice post #6629

[etsal1]

Just read Jake Lever is back in full training after his knee. Anyone know if he's a chance to play a game this year?

We have history for taking injury risks. Wouldn't be shocked if we were considering him. Was touted as top 5 before he did his knee.

 

[Aphrodite]

Laverde was just on almost footy legends for a mark he took against Sandy.

You watch The Footy Show.

 

[etsal1]

You watch The Footy Show.

Sometimes

 

[Aphrodite]

Sometimes

Shame on you.

 

[BlackGoanna]

You know that girl who got big on twitter following drafts and I think works at a newspaper or some website or some s**t now, basically someone who gets paid 12$ an hour to write phantoms rather than Knightmare who does it for free

I wouldn't pay much credence to Knightmare.

 

[Jeremias]

I wouldn't pay much credence to Knightmare.

Knightmare does show enormous bias towards Collingwood at times but he deserves a hell of a lot of credit for the work he puts in year after year.

Take the information he provides as gospel at your own peril but when taken on face value his input is enormous. As is the case with the rest of us he can only comment on what he sees in front of him, without knowledge of any kind with regards to the stories behind the faces and what they produce out on the field.

Let's not forget he does what he does without remuneration.

I just don't understand why some people jump at his throat for putting forward his opinions on each player and the same can be said for others who do it every year. OK more often than not he won't be on the money but at least he puts his opinions out there for people to read and take from it what they wish.

It's funny that those who are first to be critical are those who don't put forward an opinion on the matter.

 

[BM123]

Knightmare thinks Marley Williams is going to be better then Menzel

On the other hand I do enjoy reading his phantom and he doesn't have the resources that pro recruiters have. Hobby v Full time job etc etc

 

[HBF]

Just read Jake Lever is back in full training after his knee. Anyone know if he's a chance to play a game this year?

We have history for taking injury risks. Wouldn't be shocked if we were considering him. Was touted as top 5 before he did his knee.

He won't play any footy this year, which is a shame as I would have loved to have seen what all the hype is about.
Guess we'll see him at the Draft Combine though.

 

[Blue Dimension]

For anyone interested, Bound for Glory News have been posting up a whole load of player draft profiles over the past few weeks.

http://boundforglorynews.com/2014-draft-profiles/

Here's one on Paul Ahern who could potentially be round abouts our pick.

http://boundforglorynews.com/2014-draft-profile-paul-ahern/

 

[No1Suspect]

LaVerde or Ahern I don't think anyone here would be upset, both sound like exactly the type of player we need!

Anyone have any info on how James Tsitas has been travelling? Looking your way Sin City.....

 

[BlackGoanna]

Knightmare does show enormous bias towards Collingwood at times but he deserves a hell of a lot of credit for the work he puts in year after year.

Take the information he provides as gospel at your own peril but when taken on face value his input is enormous. As is the case with the rest of us he can only comment on what he sees in front of him, without knowledge of any kind with regards to the stories behind the faces and what they produce out on the field.

Let's not forget he does what he does without remuneration.

I just don't understand why some people jump at his throat for putting forward his opinions on each player and the same can be said for others who do it every year. OK more often than not he won't be on the money but at least he puts his opinions out there for people to read and take from it what they wish.

It's funny that those who are first to be critical are those who don't put forward an opinion on the matter.

I have been reading his phantom drafts for years, while I genuinely appreciate his efforts I just don't really rate his opinion that highly. He seems to be way of the mark from his initial assessments to his final product. Maybe he goes out too early with his initial phantom and should hold back until after the championships? he just seems to come in on popular opinion late.

I have my opinions, which I share occasionally. I don't the time or the inclination to spend my days on bigfooty posting bio's on every prospect. I also don't need to go to every TAC cup game to spot a player I rate, and generally stick to my assessments and don't chop and change every 2nd day.

RB@Y

 

[BlackGoanna]

LaVerde or Ahern I don't think anyone here would be upset, both sound like exactly the type of player we need!

Anyone have any info on how James Tsitas has been travelling? Looking your way Sin City.....

I have LaVerde ahead of him. I think Ahern is a stretch at our pick.

 

[Silvagnis]

For anyone interested, Bound for Glory News have been posting up a whole load of player draft profiles over the past few weeks.

http://boundforglorynews.com/2014-draft-profiles/

How would the top talents be ranked if you factor in leadership, consistency and competitiveness?

Reckon this has been the difference in the last few drafts.

Like the wraps on Lever as being a potential captain and a competitive player. Competiveness is what separates Hurley, Talia and Henderson from Watts, Lucas Cook and Patrick McCarthy. Will be interesting to see how Lever goes at draft camp with his testing and agility.

Can see Durdin falling if his lack of form is to be believed.

Laverde.

We need more flankers.

 

[coryne]

From Paige Cardona's phantom draft 3.0 we end up with


Pick 6: Carlton - Paul Ahern

Position: Midfielder/forward
Height: 181 cm, Weight: 77 kg, DOB: 01/08/1996
Club: Calder Cannons
Projected draft range: 5-15
Player comparison: Dale Thomas

With a stand out National Championships netting All-Australian honours, Paul Ahern’s rise up the draft ranks has been profound. The Calder Cannons star has come from a long way back, but since averaging 17 disposals and 1.5 goals per game for Vic Metro, Ahern has become a busy midfielder with a knack of making things happen when he’s around. His vision and awareness through traffic is top-drawer, as are his foot skills. He finds targets short or deep, and importantly can do either off a step. He has great spatial awareness, which – coupled with incredible explosive speed and agility – makes him such a dangerous player with ball in hand. Around the packs he has clean hands and an uncanny ability to slip out of tackles and take off from a stoppage. He is lethal around goal and kicks goals on the burst, and his pace and link up work are focal points of his game. He is an important avenue to goal with score involvements and assists and was Vic Metro’s highest in both statistics. Ahern averaged 7.8 contested possessions, 3.2 inside 50s and three clearances in the carnival at 72.8 per cent disposal efficiency. His gut running and flair will feature prominently in this year’s draft. Since returning to the TAC Cup, Ahern has averaged 15 disposals, 1.5 marks, four tackles and a goal a game.

Pick 26: Carlton - Alex Neal-Bullen

Position: Midfielder
Height: 182 cm, Weight: 77 kg, DOB: 09/01/1996
Club: Glenelg
Projected draft range: 20-40
Player comparison: Dane Swan

Unrighteously overlooked for an All-Australian jumper off the back of a super National Championships, Alex Neal-Bullen is one of the more fancied inside midfielders that offers bang for buck. Forced to play predominantly forward with cameo appearances through the midfield in 2013, Neal-Bullen has since stamped himself as a bona fide, ball-winning machine for Glenelg. It’s difficult for some players to find another level post-championships, but that is exactly what Neal-Bullen has done. Coming into the championships, Neal-Bullen averaged 15 disposals per game, but has since averaged 21 per game on return from the carnival. At the National Championships, he averaged 19 disposals, 10 contested possessions, four tackles, four inside 50s and five clearances a game. Above all, it highlights his appetite to hunt the ball, his dominance at the stoppages and his tackling efforts which often stop the opposition in their tracks. He is deceptively quick, and has a lot of Dane Swan about him in the way he collects the ball and arches his back to create separation to breakaway from a contest. He is versatile enough to play off half back and half forward, and has a big tank that allows him to cover so much of the ground, testing very well earlier in the year during the three-kilometre time trial and beep test.


Pick 43: Carlton – Reece McKenzie

Position: Key forward/ruck
Height: 196 cm, Weight: 100 kg, DOB: 28/03/1996
Club: Northern Knights
Projected draft range: 25-60
Player comparison: Travis Cloke

Reece McKenzie’s positioning in this draft has caused a lot of debate within the draft expert fraternity. Whilst some rate him as a first to second round pick, I am not convinced. McKenzie – who is blessed with height, strength and a terrific contested grab – is still very raw in facets. He is particularly slow in his recovery from a contest, has the turning circle of a ship, and doesn’t have a whole heap of agility. However. like Paddy McCartin, he goes ten-pin bowling when faced with an opportunity to make his presence known in pack. His kicking for goal can be wayward at times, but there is also plenty to work with from a development point of view. Kids this big are well worth the punt, but he’s not somebody I’d put the house on in terms of making an immediate impact. Quite a few have gotten carried away with his bags of 10 and seven goals against lowly opposition, but whilst he won’t have an opportunity to do it in finals against the best sides, he has attributes that can be filled out to make him an AFL-ready player. At this stage, he relies on his size to out-muscle small opponents, but at AFL level he’ll have to adapt a few more footy smarts and really work hard defensively to really make a fist of it at AFL level, which he’s more than capable of. However, overall, he’s still very much a development prospect.



Pick 61: Carlton – Nathan Drummond

Position: Utility
Height: 181 cm, Weight: 85 kg, DOB: 19/01/1995
Club: Murray Bushrangers
Projected draft range: 50-rookie
Player comparison: Bob Murphy

A really exciting prospect that’s gone from just a forward last season to a bonafide utility type. However, injury has really prohibited Nathan Drummond from getting a serious run-on in form. He showed flashes of his brilliance at the nationals for Vic Country, but a hamstring injury has held him back. His strengths lay in his speed, his running capacity and his thumping kick which carries over 50 metres. The top-age prospect this year has become more of a well-rounded player, being able to play through the midfield, off half back and forward where his marking attributes and long kick have been highlighted. I really rate his strong attack at the ball and his agility to lend regular surges through the midfield. He is explosive, has x-factor in his game while he’s also bit of a spare-parts man: he can play several roles as required on the day. He doesn’t necessarily excel in one position, but he’s a handy utility that is a side’s reliable fix-it option.


How would we feel if this was to occur ??? I take it Ahern is an outside mid, another inside mid and a KPF (plus a project player in the 4th rd). Would personally be pretty happy with that (without knowing too much about the specific players outside of what I hear on here)

 

[etsal1]

Must we mention her name on this board.

 

[coryne]

Must we mention her name on this board.

Sorry did I do something bad

 

[HBF]

I'm still unsure if I like Ahern or not. When he's good he's good, but he can drift in and out of games too often for my liking.

 

[etsal1]

Sorry did I do something bad

No. Just not a fan of Paige. And it's nothing to do with her phantom draft work etc.

 

[coryne]

I'm still unsure if I like Ahern or not. When he's good he's good, but he can drift in and out of games too often for my liking.

Yeah I wasn't sure about his stat (I know, not a true measure of a player but they can paint a picture). 17 disposals/game suggests an outside player who (hopefully) cuts teams apart with their limited disposals (ala Yarran) but 7.8 contested possessions, 3.2 inside 50s and three clearances suggests a player who can win disposals out of a contest. Question, if he can play inside then why are the disposals a little low? Sounds like that may be due to drifting in and out of games.

 

[Aphrodite]

Sorry did I do something bad

'Aspiring journo'

 

[coryne]

'Aspiring journo'

So she works for the HS then ??? SURELY she can't be any worse than Robbo .............

 

[etsal1]

So she works for the HS then ??? SURELY she can't be any worse than Robbo .............

You'd think....but sadly not.

 

[Aphrodite]

So she works for the HS then ??? SURELY she can't be any worse than Robbo .............

Maybe related!

 

[Aphrodite]

Must we mention her name on this board.

Cardable to the next person who does!

 

[coryne]

Cardable to the next person who does!

Who's name ???