Live Event 2014 NAB AFL Draft Discussion - Coming to a Board Near You...

[The Slitherin' Snake]

Would I have liked a key forward? Yes, absolutely. But I also want the recruiters to back themselves. They clearly think that these KPPs won't make it at AFL level, and that our picks will. Would you rather a small/medium midfielder/forward that the club is confident will make it, or a KPF that nobody really has any faith in?

Basically you are saying nobody can criticise a selection because the club thinks they'll make it. And the bloke who has faith in these selections also had faith in Christian Howard as a first rounder.

We've been short on tills for years know, we'll never find one if we don't have them on our list.

 

[doggies ftw]

Feeling pretty similar to most on here I think, was a bit confused and slightly pissed at first but after having a think about it and reading on here (yet to watch any highlights, pretty excited!) I'm pretty rapt with how its turned out.

Knew we were gonna pass on Menadue

 

[ossie_21]

We lost Griffen, Cooney & Tutt. 3 of our fastest players & we were able to start replacing them with fast players with good skills. Pretty happy with our picks after it's sunk in

 

[Zgope1]

Feeling pretty similar to most on here I think, was a bit confused and slightly pissed at first but after having a think about it and reading on here (yet to watch any highlights, pretty excited!) I'm pretty rapt with how its turned out.

Knew we were gonna pass on Menadue

Get a load of the class on Hamilton. Has been playing sanfl this year too

 

[Dav1d]

Feeling pretty similar to most on here I think, was a bit confused and slightly pissed at first but after having a think about it and reading on here (yet to watch any highlights, pretty excited!) I'm pretty rapt with how its turned out.

Knew we were gonna pass on Menadue

I thought we were going to pass on Menadue as well when a few clubs didn't even consider him

Richmond took forever with every pick, except Ellis!

 

[fronkalicious]

Fronk's ignorant, yet important, excitement-meter ratings:

1. Hamilton
2. Webb
3. Dale
4. Mclean
5. Daniel

Now where do we think these guys will be played?

Hamilton - wing/half back??
Webb - half-back??
Dale - half-forward?
McLean - midfield?
Daniel - midfield??

 

[Yojimbo]

All i want to know is where the experts rated our new players before tonight's draft?

I.e - Were these players rated higher picks than what we got them for?

any thoughts ?

From the highlights , they all seem like skillful players wit footy brains ( which is exactly what we need) So im not complaining at all

Hamilton-31,65,67,68,69,75.
Webb-50,54,67,68,77.
Daniel-45,75,75.
McLean-43,45,49,49,59,61.
Dale- not mentioned
These were off phantoms from some of the
more experienced posters, but i would
back the recruiting staff.

 

[TMoney22]

So.. how about that Foster?

 

[Dannnnnnnnnn]

Basically you are saying nobody can criticise a selection because the club thinks they'll make it. And the bloke who has faith in these selections also had faith in Christian Howard as a first rounder.

We've been short on tills for years know, we'll never find one if we don't have them on our list.

How does any of that bear even a semblance of relevance to what I said? Criticise the players we selected all you want. I've already expressed concerns with Daniel and I think 26/27 were slightly too early for McLean and Webb. None of what you quoted suggests that blind faith is the way to go. None of what you quoted mentioned whether Dalrymple has it right or not. None of what you quoted bars you or anybody else from querying the selections.

What I'm saying is that Dalrymple clearly didn't rate any of the tall forwards available to us. If he selected them it would be only because they're tall, not because he expected them to make it, which is utterly ridiculous. There are people on here that wouldn't know draftee x from draftee y throwing the toys out of the cot because we didn't take a key forward, and that's what I have an issue with - not those that have specific and legitimate queries on the players selected. We'll know in time whether Dalrymple picked the right players or not - but people are suggesting that his draft strategy should be, "Just take whatever tall's around, don't worry if you don't think they'll make it, they're tall!" Why even bother employing a professional talent identifier? Let's just chuck the work experience kid in to identify which player is over 190cm and get him to pick him.

I'd rather a small midfielder that forges a career even as valuable depth over a tall forward that doesn't make it. If our recruiter doesn't rate a player, he shouldn't select him. Feel free to criticise the selections and whether Dalrymple's a good recruiter, but there's absolutely no logic in suggesting that our entire decision making process should focus on one question: "How tall is he?"

 

[Dav1d]

A good few 'draft experts' though Dale was going to go to Geelong in the 3rd round
so

 

[Dannnnnnnnnn]

An interesting tidbit: in Dalrymple's interview, he says that Daniel will fit in nicely next to our taller midfielders such as, "Bonti, Stringer, Macrae and Jong..."

 

[doggies ftw]

Get a load of the class on Hamilton. Has been playing sanfl this year too

Looks super composed, probably more excited with Dales highlights but I guess thats probably just because its a bit flashy-ier and who doesn't love that in a highlights package Hamilitons the one that they still reckon he has a bit of growth in him right? With those two, Webb and Mclean (along with the ones we've already got) were going to have some serious marking power through the midfield.

Gee Daniel's highlights are just fantastic, his vision looks unreal. When you look at our recent midget picks (Hrovat, Honey, Daniel) they all have very very few weaknesses besides height, and all have some real aggression in the way they attack the ball so they may be small but I can't see why they wouldn't make it.

 

[fronkalicious]

Looks super composed, probably more excited with Dales highlights but I guess thats probably just because its a bit flashy-ier and who doesn't love that in a highlights package Hamilitons the one that they still reckon he has a bit of growth in him right? With those two, Webb and Mclean (along with the ones we've already got) were going to have some serious marking power through the midfield.

Gee Daniel's highlights are just fantastic, his vision looks unreal. When you look at our recent midget picks (Hrovat, Honey, Daniel) they all have very very few weaknesses besides height, and all have some real aggression in the way they attack the ball so they may be small but I can't see why they wouldn't make it.

Dale's the kid who looks to be still growing

 

[doggies ftw]

Dale's the kid who looks to be still growing

Ahh okay, was thinking Dale was already around the 186 mark for some reason.

 

[BEaston]

Who were the decent talls we could have selected after 25?

McDonald
McGovern
Lamb
Howe
Howard

I just don't understand the argument of, "We should have added a KPF/KPD!" We clearly didn't rate any of the ones available at our picks. Would you rather us take a player we don't think will make it instead of somebody we think will make it based on position?

If these multitude of mediums/smalls don't get games because they don't fit into the side, it doesn't matter how good they are. They may as well have not made it because they will be wasting away in the 2's anyway, even if they are good enough for AFL footy.

Also, given these KP players went around our picks anyway that argument is void. No-one is saying reach 20 picks for some obscure player because he's a KPP. There were players that were generally rated by clubs, which is proven because they were picked up. Ok we might not have rated them but that just seems weird. What do we know that the other clubs don't? Not much I don't reckon. So it comes down to just not wanting to get a KP player which is stupid.


Also this is not a a criticism of the individual players themselves. I'm not big on Webb tbh but the McLean, Daniel, Dale and Hamilton all look really good. It's not even a crack against picking small players in isolation. I just can't agree with the drafting strategy in general, when you consider a) our list and b) who was still available.

 

[VitalDread]

I see Dale becoming the grant role, playing half forward leading up the ground
Put some size on him and hope he grows a bit and we have another great get

 

[dogwatch]

All i want to know is where the experts rated our new players before tonight's draft?

I.e - Were these players rated higher picks than what we got them for?

any thoughts ?

From the highlights , they all seem like skillful players wit footy brains ( which is exactly what we need) So im not complaining at all

Experts aren't always that reliable as we have seen many times but for what it's worth, neither Emma Quayle nor Callum Twomey rated any of our picks in their top 30 and yet we had two picks inside the top 30. Quayle's was a power ranking while Twomey's was a phantom draft (so he would have been second-guessing club needs hence it doesn't necessarily equate to the 30 "best available").

Just a selection from BF phantoms:
Knightmare - one of many doing phantoms drafts on BF had them as follows (in red). Skippo's are in blue. Snoop Dog's are in green.

26. Toby McLean (Oakleigh U18) 40 36 29
27. Lukas Webb (Gippsland U18) 32 37 65
39. Declan Hamilton (Port Adelaide SANFL) 35 23 60
45. Bailey Dale (Dandenong U18) 58 58 55
46. Caleb Daniel (South Adelaide) no pick ... but power ranking 34! no pick ... but power ranking 28! 15 ... but that's in his rookie draft!

NB: I've left out Zaine Cordy as he was a declared FS pick before the draft. His true value is a separate debate to what we did on draft night.

I'm not sure you should read too much into this but you could argue from the above that Toby McLean and Lukas Webb were slight reaches. Hamilton a slight bargain. Caleb Daniel a bit of a speculator... people rated him but thought clubs would be too scared to pick him because of his lack of height.

 

[Aldo]

An interesting tidbit: in Dalrymple's interview, he says that Daniel will fit in nicely next to our taller midfielders such as, "Bonti, Stringer, Macrae and Jong..."

Yeah I noticed that at the end. Like that Stringer and Jong were among those singled out as our big mids.

Really good to hear Dal's rationale for our picks. I like that there's that common thread of good game sense, outside ability and skill. Interesting that he noted that he would have been willing to take Declan Hamilton with our picks in the 20s.

 

[BEaston]

How does any of that bear even a semblance of relevance to what I said? Criticise the players we selected all you want. I've already expressed concerns with Daniel and I think 26/27 were slightly too early for McLean and Webb. None of what you quoted suggests that blind faith is the way to go. None of what you quoted mentioned whether Dalrymple has it right or not. None of what you quoted bars you or anybody else from querying the selections.

What I'm saying is that Dalrymple clearly didn't rate any of the tall forwards available to us. If he selected them it would be only because they're tall, not because he expected them to make it, which is utterly ridiculous. There are people on here that wouldn't know draftee x from draftee y throwing the toys out of the cot because we didn't take a key forward, and that's what I have an issue with - not those that have specific and legitimate queries on the players selected. We'll know in time whether Dalrymple picked the right players or not - but people are suggesting that his draft strategy should be, "Just take whatever tall's around, don't worry if you don't think they'll make it, they're tall!" Why even bother employing a professional talent identifier? Let's just chuck the work experience kid in to identify which player is over 190cm and get him to pick him.

I'd rather a small midfielder that forges a career even as valuable depth over a tall forward that doesn't make it. If our recruiter doesn't rate a player, he shouldn't select him. Feel free to criticise the selections and whether Dalrymple's a good recruiter, but there's absolutely no logic in suggesting that our entire decision making process should focus on one question: "How tall is he?"

Except other teams selected them so either they're all wrong and Dalrymple is right or.....

 

[Hobo Wizard]

Look at the post I quoted: I'm talking PURELY about the sound of their name. Not their talent or their achievements. Just how their name sounds. And honestly, if he didn't play for us and you had never heard the name "Chris Grant" before, it would sound a bit bland and boring.

I was hoping we would pick up Trent Steele or Max Power.

 

[dogwatch]

An interesting tidbit: in Dalrymple's interview, he says that Daniel will fit in nicely next to our taller midfielders such as, "Bonti, Stringer, Macrae and Jong..."

So in the smalls vs talls debate that's one less potential KPF, if we are trying to pigeon hole them. (Some would have him as a KPF.)

 

[BEaston]

I wouldn't be surprised if Daniel ends up being the best of our draftees this year. Just makes the right decision every time.

 

[timtamWB]

I was hoping we would pick up Trent Steele or Max Power.

He's the name whose you'd love to touch!
BUT YOU MUSTN'T TOUCH!
His name sounds good in your ear,
But when you say it, you mustn't fear!
Cause his name can be said, by anyone!

 

[Dale4captain]

'Jayden Foster has earned a healthy reputation as a high-flying, pack-marking forward who can pinch-hit as a ruckman.'

Are Carlton on crack? He's a lead up forward who has no rucking ability whatsoever.

 

[PJPoet]

GWS pick McKenna in the 20s, what the actual ****?

I've seen Paddy Mckenna play live 3 times this year in the BFL for Gisborne. Make no mistake, he will be a very good player. He carried Gisborne's forward line this year. At AFL level he'll probably play as a third marking tall. Has plenty to offer