Unofficial Preview 2015 AFL draft thread - needs, wants, prospect discussion, the whole nine yards - all in here

[Oooh Cyril]

Everyone banging on about Collins does realize that we chose to get rid of Lake this year, he wanted to go on but we didn't want his services.

Why did we need to rush out and replace him given we didn't actually want him anymore?

Bizarre logic.

Time will tell. Collins will be right here developing at the Doggies so we can watch him closely

I was derided by one of the so called top experts when I had the audacity to suggest that Jack Riewoldt could be a better choice than Mitch Thorp before that draft .

Time will tell and I wont forget
Interesting that Gary Buckenara is quoted as saying that he considered Collins to be in the top 3 draft picks

 

[PhatHQ]

Not getting Collins at 22 will prove to be a huge mistake, Brian Lake arrives and we win the next 3....just a coinincidence???
Now we have Gibson and Frawley as our key backs . What happens if one gets injured and/or Gibbo retires eventually?
Who are the backups? Heatherly (not really key back) and Brand (hope his shoulder comes good because he injured it very innocuously)
I would be far more comfortable with Collins developing......true key backs are a far rarer commodity than mids
Should have got Collins at 22 and the best available mid at 44

I was pretty keen on Collins myself but if you take a punt on what is there & throw in potentially Fitzy or to a lesser extent, if it is a positional change, maybe TOB as he has had a few runs there as well. Key back... Definitely an apparent need considering the Carlisle play but not necessarily an absolute need for next year

 

[Alsmypal]

Time will tell. Collins will be right here developing at the Doggies so we can watch him closely

I was derided by one of the so called top experts when I had the audacity to suggest that Jack Riewoldt could be a better choice than Mitch Thorp before that draft .

Time will tell and I wont forget
Interesting that Gary Buckenara is quoted as saying that he considered Collins to be in the top 3 draft picks

I'm sure Bucks and Wrighty have forgotten as most of us with 4 premierships since 08. Can't remember how many Riewoldt has? Sometimes you get it right sometimes you don't. Most of our calls have been W(right)!

 

[Main Man]

Time will tell. Collins will be right here developing at the Doggies so we can watch him closely

I was derided by one of the so called top experts when I had the audacity to suggest that Jack Riewoldt could be a better choice than Mitch Thorp before that draft .

Time will tell and I wont forget
Interesting that Gary Buckenara is quoted as saying that he considered Collins to be in the top 3 draft picks

Wrighty obviously didn't, even if Collins develops into a reasonable player in the long term I still don't think he was necessarily the right selection for us.

The days of the slow FB are numbered, look at Rance for example, he was an athlete who was a poor one on one player with poor skills, with a few years development he is now the premier defender in the competition, fast, agile good one on one and runs the ball out of defense.

We have Frawley who is fast and a great one on one player, Lake was just about the last of a dying breed and he got by because of his brilliant ability to read the flight of the ball, the best in the past 15 years or so.

Collins has been a dominant player against his own age, I personally think he had a huge advantage because of his physical maturity, whilst he has room to improve he doesn't have much upside in terms of athleticism and offense in his game.

I don't think a high pick was necessary on that type of player.

Weitering went number 1 as a defender so lets be honest if Collins was really that good he wouldn't have got to 29 or whatever it was.

 

[MrPremiership]

GW overlooked Collins twice, must be a very very good reason(s) for it.

Overlooked it for:
- a kid with a broken leg who hadn't played in 15 months
- a midget who can get touches

I'm of the school of thought that Collins dominated due to his size advantage over opponents, which may be found out at AFL level. He seemed very slow and a one trick pony. Time will tell though.

 

[Blaze Storm]

I never complained about Dan Howe Poppy or Stratton and if we picked up Lovell with a later pick I would've thought no problem the recruiting guys obviously know what they are doing I just would've thought that there were better available at pick 22 than a 173 cm (around 5'6") midfielder keeping in mind that it was actually pick 18 taking into account the Northern teams and their bidding processes .At that stage you can get guys still who you can build a team around in the future key position players don't grow on trees especially KPDs .He might turn out to be a gem he better be he's got a hard act to follow because take Sewell ,Mitchell ,Shiels Langford all premiership mids for us and none of them taken that low in the draft that's for sure .

See this is the thinking. The hawks #1 rated player at that pick was Lovell, that's why they took him. Take who YOU want, not who your OPPOSITION wants.

 

[vanders]

I hope we pick up another smallish forward that has pace in the rookie draft. Give them 2-3 years and by then Breust might be a full time mid and they can take his spot up forward.

 

[TheFourPillars]

Time will tell. Collins will be right here developing at the Doggies so we can watch him closely

I was derided by one of the so called top experts when I had the audacity to suggest that Jack Riewoldt could be a better choice than Mitch Thorp before that draft .

Time will tell and I wont forget
Interesting that Gary Buckenara is quoted as saying that he considered Collins to be in the top 3 draft picks

Mitch Thorp was a gun when drafted an under 18 superstar however football was not his focus in life hence he never made the most of his talents

 

[Bremner20]

Time will tell anyway already a lot of rumours getting around about who we are into in free agent terms end of 2016 might explain our selections in this draft if true.

 

[PLAYOUROLE]

Who got closest to the pin?
Anyone?

I don't recall any of our draftees being flagged here.

I stated that we would get Burton with our first pick but don't think that anyone could have predicted our other two picks though...

However the more that I look into them, the more comfortable I become with GW's choices...

 

[ScottMaginness]

I'm hoping for Glass-McCasker in the rookie draft but S.Capegoat would be next on the list if we are after someone who can play a role in defence.

 

[killerspud]

Not getting Collins at 22 will prove to be a huge mistake, Brian Lake arrives and we win the next 3....just a coinincidence???
Now we have Gibson and Frawley as our key backs . What happens if one gets injured and/or Gibbo retires eventually?
Who are the backups? Heatherly (not really key back) and Brand (hope his shoulder comes good because he injured it very innocuously)
I would be far more comfortable with Collins developing......true key backs are a far rarer commodity than mids
Should have got Collins at 22 and the best available mid at 44

Matt Spangher is a premiership key defender who not only destroyed Sam Reid in that grand final but went to aid Lake and Gibson. He is fearless and knows our system.

Kurt Heatherly looks like he will be a great defender - he has been meticulously groomed for the position.

Brand has shown alot too and like Heatherly has been taught our systems of play and groomed for the role.





Do you honestly think a first year player is going to come in and magically fill the role of Brian Lake - who was an All Australian 200 game player before he came to the club????

 

[killerspud]

Platten wouldnt even get a job cutting oranges according to a few on here
" short, hairy and slightly built = no good"

Those same people also close their eyes and stop watching when Puopolo gets the ball - seriously

The great thing about Australian rules football is anyone of any size and shape can find a place on the ground and contribute

 

[Scissor4life]

Clarko and GW are visionaries ...the game is evolving...the smaller guys for the doggies tore us a new a#%hole in the vfl grand final this year...it's all about speed, endurance and footy skills and that's why we drafted these guys

Relax, we just won three in a row...number 4 is still a big chance...just wish we gave Lakey one more yer

 

[Steven Tyler]

Clarko and GW are visionaries ...the game is evolving...the smaller guys for the doggies tore us a new a#%hole in the vfl grand final this year...it's all about speed, endurance and footy skills and that's why we drafted these guys

Relax, we just won three in a row...number 4 is still a big chance...just wish we gave Lakey one more yer

Williamstown beg to differ!

 

[Scissor4life]

Williamstown beg to differ!

Whoops...meant williamstown...thanks for reminding me

 

[marklar]

Matt Spangher is a premiership key defender who not only destroyed Sam Reid in that grand final but went to aid Lake and Gibson. He is fearless and knows our system.

He also smashed a once-in-a-generation KPF when it was his turn on the biggest stage in our game, yet also knows his place in the hierarchy of things.

A 3 club journeyman, a slow ruck with 3 knee recos and an overweight and unfit Dew can be premiership players... we should all have faith that our recruiters know what they are doing. If they passed on Collins then they obviously had their reasons.

 

[Messenger]

You guys carrying on about the club not picking the players you had your hearts set on are bloody embarrassing...yourselves.

I'm gutted about Jack Watts.

 

[sven_inc]

Fitzpatrick can also play as a KPD if needed.

 

[Big A]

Fitzpatrick can also play as a KPD if needed.

Can he really? Would be a bonus of epic proportions.
Edit: This needs deeper analysis

 

[sven_inc]

Wasnt he the winner or runner up in Casey's BnF as a Key Back? Still a good prospect as Ruck/KPF/KPD

 

[Big Hotdog]

Time will tell anyway already a lot of rumours getting around about who we are into in free agent terms end of 2016 might explain our selections in this draft if true.

Or who we are looking at in next years draft. There was no way an 18yo kid was going to come straight in and be our 1st choice full back.

 

[Baz_hawk]

Any chance we grab a delisted player tomorrow?

 

[Bad Boy Beama]

How about we take Luke Surman as one of the rookie picks, from the video highlights he looked like he reads the ball in flight well about 197cm could be a useful pick up if he comes on as a Key defensive Back.

 

[Collins-Langford-Ayres]

I don't think Wrighty didn't rate Collins, it was more about the faith we obviously have in Kiwi and Brand and the fact that Burton was too good to pass up and we know we need to find some centre square mids and obviously with our second pick the club felt Lovell was the best available.

In a weak draft, they obviously felt Hardwick was then the next best available.