BigFooty Official 2023 Bigfooty Phantom Draft

PMBangers · Oct 30, 2023

Round 1
Pick 1 - West Coast Eagles - Harley Reid
Pick 2 - Gold Coast Suns - Jed Walter (Matched bid) [Picks 24, 26 and 27 used to match, 203 points in the bank for next match]
Pick 3 - North Melbourne - Colby McKercher
Pick 4 - North Melbourne - Daniel Curtin
Pick 5 - Hawthorn - Zane Duursma
Pick 6 - Western Bulldogs - Nick Watson
Pick 7 - Gold Coast Suns - Ethan Read (Matched Bid) [Picks 30 and 34 used, 58 points for next match]
Pick 8 - Melbourne - Nate Caddy
Pick 9 - GWS - Ryley Sanders
Pick 10 - Geelong - Connor O'Sullivan
Pick 11 - Western Bulldogs - Jordan Croft (Matched Bid) [Picks 46, 48, 50 and 51 used, 101 points for next match]
Pick 12 - Essendon - Caleb Windsor
Pick 13 - Adelaide - Darcy Wilson
Pick 14 - Melbourne - James Leake
Pick 15 - Sydney - Zane Zakostelsky
Pick 16 - St Kilda - Ollie Murphy
Pick 17 - Adelaide - Harry Demattia
Pick 18 - North Melbourne - Mitch Edwards
Pick 19 - Gold Coast Suns - Jake Rogers (Matched Bid) [Picks 36, 60 and 65 used, 45 points for next match]
Pick 20 - GWS - Luamon Lual
Pick 21 - North Melbourne - Arie Schoenmaker
Pick 22 - North Melbourne - Riley Hardeman
Pick 23 - Hawthorn - Will McCabe (Matched bid) [Picks 42 and 45 used, 124 points for next match]
Pick 24 - Collingwood - Archie Roberts
Pick 25 - Adelaide - Taylor Goad
Pick 26 - St Kilda - Lance Collard
Pick 27 - Carlton - Koltyn Tholstrup

Round 2
Pick 28 - West Coast Eagles - Charlie Edwards
Pick 29 - Geelong - Joel Freijah
Pick 30 - Carlton - Ashton Moir
Pick 31 - Richmond - Archer Reid
Pick 32 - Brisbane - Angus Hastie
Pick 33 - Essendon - George Stevens
Pick 34 - Collingwood - Will Green
Pick 35 - Gold Coast Suns - Will Graham (Matched bid) [Pick 65 gobbled up. Deficit of 190 points applied to Gold Coasts 2023 2nd round pick]
Pick 36 - Fremantle - Luke Lloyd
Pick 37 - Hawthorn - Calsher Dear (Matched Bid) [Pick 46 used]
Pick 38 - Essendon - Tew Jiath
Pick 39 - West Coast - Wil Dawson
Pick 40 - Brisbane - Phoenix Gothard
Pick 41 - St Kilda - Harvey Johnston
Pick 42 - Richmond - Koen Sanchez
Pick 43 - Melbourne - Clay Hall
Pick 44 - GWS - Lachie Charleson

Round 3
Pick 45 - Sydney - Caiden Cleary
Pick 46 - Fremantle - Shaun Mannagh
Pick 47 - Brisbane - Cooper Simpson
Pick 48 - Brisbane - Joe Fonti
Pick 49 - Sydney - Jack Delean
Pick 50 - Western Bulldogs - Kane McAuliffe
Pick 51 - North Melbourne - Logan Morris
Pick 52 - West Coast - Will Patton
Pick 53 - GWS - Vigo Visentini
Pick 54 - Fremantle - Sam Clohesy
Pick 55 - Essendon - Michael Rudd
Pick 56 - Hawthorn - Nathan Philactides

Round 4
Pick 57 - Hawthorn - PASS
Pick 58 - Fremantle - Thomas Anastasopoulos
Pick 59 - Richmond - PASS
Pick 60 - Brisbane -PASS
Pick 61 - Richmond - PASS
Pick 62 - Western Bulldogs - Kade De La Rue
Pick 63 - Carlton - Aiden O'Driscoll
Pick 64 - Western Bulldogs - PASS
Pick 65 - Port Adelaide - Jack Callinan
Pick 66 - Western Bulldogs - PASS
Pick 67 - Geelong - Billy Wilson
Pick 68 - GWS - PASS
Pick 69 - Carlton - Sam Van Rooyen
Pick 70 - GWS - PASS
Pick 71 - Collingwood - Will Lorenz

Round to get Port Adelaide to reach the two minimum selections
Pick 72 - Port Adelaide - Tarkyn O'Leary

MINI DRAFT (2024 First Round)
Pick 1 - West Coast Eagles - Jagga Smith
Pick 2 - North Melbourne - Josh Smillie
Pick 3 - Hawthorn - Finn O'Sullivan
Pick 4 - Gold Coast Suns - Sid Draper
Pick 5 - Fremantle - Levi Ashcroft (Brisbane F/S)
Pick 6 - Richmond - Christian Moraes
Pick 7 - Geelong - Tyler Welsh (Adelaide F/S)
Pick 8 - Essendon - Tom Gross
Pick 9 - Adelaide - Sam Lalor
Pick 10 - Gold Coast Suns (From Western Bulldogs) (Pie 4 Life to select) - Leo Lombard (GCS Academy)
Pick 11 - Sydney -
Pick 12 - St Kilda - Archer Day-Wicks
Pick 13 - Melbourne - Kade Herbert
Pick 14 - Fremantle (From Port Adelaide) - Phoenix Hargrave
Pick 15 - GWS - Murphy Reid
Pick 16 - Carlton -
Pick 17 - Brisbane -
Pick 18- Fremantle (From Collingwood) -
Pick 19 - Sydney (From North Melbourne PP) -
Pick 20 - Gold Coast Suns (From North Melbourne PP) -

PMBangers · Oct 30, 2023

IF YOU WANT TO READ THROUGH THE THREAD AND ONLY SEE SELECTIONS, CLICK 'READER MODE' AT THE TOP OF YOUR PAGE!
Selections and Draft Order will be the pinned post, showing at the top of every page

Welcome to the 2023 edition of the annual bigfooty phantom draft, where some of the best draft minds on the site, and Pie 4 Life, come together for a collaborative effort with their own spin on it. As always we want to say a big thanks to our drafters for putting their time into this, and being a part of what is undoubtedly the biggest and most anticipated event on the DTFA board, possibly even the entire site!

List Managers;
Adelaide; Thunderstruck
Brisbane; Ysaye
Carlton; LemmingMaster
Collingwood; Pie 4 Life
Essendon; eDPS
Fremantle; Chris25
Geelong; goodcop badcop
Gold Coast; PMBangers
GWS; PMBangers
hawthorn; TDS7
Melbourne; ModernArtillery
North Melbourne; roos_fanatic08
Port Adelaide; Bastyy
Richmond; Smythe
St Kilda; TDS7
Sydney; Ysaye
Western Bulldogs; goodcop badcop
West Coast Eagles; Monocle

Rules;
Draft Order as of Tuesday 31st of October, 8 PM AEST will be used for the purposes of this phantom, with no live trading taking place

Father-son and Northern Academy players can be matched at any point in the draft, with bids inside the first 18 picks receiving a 20% discount to match, picks between 19-40 receiving a flat 197 point discount, and bids after pick 40 able to be matched with a clubs next selection. NGA players can be matched after pick 40 with the same discount rate occurring. Picks within the pinned post will be adjusted accordingly in due time. We ask bidders to tag the person involved in matching the bid to ensure a quick response, if a poster does not respond within 24 hours the assumption will be that the bid is not matched!

A MINIMUM of 2 picks applies, and whilst we do try to keep the phantom somewhat realistic, we're not going to enforce clubs only selecting the amount of players that they have list spots for

Please RESPECT SELECTORS. We understand the world of hypothetical drafting is super serious business, and directly impacts what happens on draft night, but we must remember that draft rankings, particularly this year, are a matter of opinion, and if you disagree with a selection you must express this in a respectful manner or risk being booted from the thread.

Further to this, avoid cluttering the thread, if you feel you have an opinion on every second selection, perhaps you could make your own thread with a phantom draft of your own, with people giving you the attention it deserves =)

Draft will start sometime on November 1st, or October 31st, around then

PMBangers · Oct 31, 2023

And we're open for business!
Monocle to kick us off when ready

ArdentEagle · Oct 31, 2023

Is Uncle Mon going to pull out the biggest surprise in BF PD history?

I suspect a bid then HR

Monocle · Oct 31, 2023

Pick # 1. West Coast . Harley Reid. 187cm 85 kg. Bendigo Pioneers. Midfield Forward.

Nothing really more to say, you all know why, best available and fits a need.
Been touted as the number 1 pick for over 18 months ...... it now happens.
If you don't already know about his footballing ability, then you have been living under a rock the last two years.

roos_fanatic08 you are on the clock.

roos_fanatic08 · Oct 31, 2023

North Melbourne bid on Jed Walter. PMBangers safe to assume Gold Coast aren’t interested?

PMBangers · Oct 31, 2023

Jed Walter
194 cm 97 kg
Tall Forward

Arguably the gold standard for Key Forwards in the draft from this point out, there's not much that Walter doesn't do as a footballer let alone a forward target. The athleticism, marking, strength and skills are obvious, but what sets Jed apart from other KPF's that have come through the system is his hunger in the defensive phase of the game, chasing opposition hard to lay a tackle when they win the ball, and throwing himself at anything loose in his area.

At 97 kg already he's likely to fit into the Suns line up from Round 1 onwards, partnering with Ben King for, hopefully, a long time, with Jed's ability in packs and grapples likely to compliment King's style and give the Suns midfielders a reliable target regardless of situation.

The only fault in Jed's game is probably his agility, with his lateral movement not quite as smooth as you'd absolutely love to see, but it's nitpicking for the sake of it
roos_fanatic08 go again x2

roos_fanatic08 · Oct 31, 2023

Pick 3 - North Melbourne - Colby McKercher - Tasmanian Devils - 182cm & 78kg.

North are simply in no position to be picking and choosing, when it comes to the top end of the draft we simply have to take best available. While we have plenty of midfield depth, we don’t have players that can consistently accumulate the footy and cover the ground with ease. That’s where McKercher offers a point of difference to our other developing midfielders in LDU, Phillips, Wardlaw, Thomas and Powell.

Because of our midfield depth North can take their time with McKercher and allow him to develop his body before unleashing him in the big leagues. He has so many attributes that make him perfect for modern day footy: dynamic movement, agility, endurance, a powerful burst of pace, stacks of footy IQ and sound decision making.

As a midfielder, he finds the ball in and around the stoppages as both a primary ball winner and first receiver. He then uses his speed to burst away from the contest, which is a real highlight of his game. From there his damaging left foot comes into play, often kicking inside 50 lace out to his leading forwards. McKercher has an innate ability to find the footy on the outside too, racking up plenty of uncontested footy all across the ground. He loves to get involved in link up play and he uses his running capacity to great effect.

This year he predominantly played as a pure centre square midfielder, given the freedom to play his own game. His talent was on show no matter what level he played at. He averaged a smidge under 33 disposals per game for the Allies and was the runner up Larke Medalist. At NAB league level he was Tassie’s premier midfielder and averaged 29.5 disposals per game. He also doesn’t mind getting forward of centre and impacting the scoreboard as he was a consistent goal kicker across both levels. However, he can at times be a little wayward in front of goals.

The three biggest critiques of his game would be his one sided-ness, his kicking consistency and his overall physicality. I’d say his opposite disposal will improve over time, but it’s one thing he needs to work on. He can sell himself into trouble at times trying to find space to get to his left foot. At times he can also over kick the ball, but in a full time AFL environment I wouldn’t think this will be a long term issue. While he had no worries in and around the contest, he is by no means a bash and crash type, more relying on his footy IQ to find the footy. He’ll have to improve this side of his game to get the most out of himself at AFL level.

As an AFL footballer, I think he’ll start off as a hard running wing and transition to becoming a genuine mid across the space of a few seasons. He’ll be a slower burn than some might expect as he has to add a good 4-5kg to his frame to withstand the mature bodies of AFL level.

An exciting pick who will no doubt be a 200+ game player.

roos_fanatic08 · Oct 31, 2023

Pick 4 - North Melbourne - Daniel Curtin - Claremont - 197cm & 95kg.

With Ben McKay walking out the door and Griffin Logue on the side lines for an extended period of time, North need to start loading up on developing talls to start shoring up their spine. Thankfully, there is a player around this pick who more than justifies getting selected, and that is the highly touted Dan Curtin.

Curtin's footballing ability has been in the spotlight over the last 2 years, and outside of Harley Reid, there hasn't been an under age player more talked about, and rightly so. Curtin has so many attributes that could result in him becoming a force at AFL level. He is tall, agile, classy, composed, versatile and has natural footy smarts. A combination of things that are rare for a player who is 197cm.

As a defender, Curtin has an innate ability to position himself in areas where he can either intercept or at least impact the play. At this early stage he isn't a prolific intercept marker, but he has more than enough tools to play that role at AFL level. With ball in hand, he rarely makes bad decisions, using his composure and agility to find space and make the most of his possessions. Defensively, he backs himself to beat his direct opponent and he uses his closing speed to good affect. At this stage, he isn't the best one on one physical defender, but he has a frame that will allow him to add muscle that will allow him to compete in the one on one contests. At stages this year he also showed his wares as a midfielder, while I don't think he ends up as a midfielder at AFL level, he showed plenty enough to suggest that he can play other positions around the ground. His stoppage craft and ability to step would be tacklers is impressive. His vision and once again his composure ensure that he makes best use of the footy.

The biggest critique of his game would really only be his marking, ground balls and perhaps his strength at this early stage. The strength will come, and I have no doubt his marking consistency will improve once he is in an AFL environment.

As an AFL footballer, I think he’ll start off as a third tall defender before transitioning to becoming a genuine Key defender within the space of a few seasons. With his professionalism, drive and leadership credentials, I think he is a sure thing to be a 200+ game player.

TDS7 Hawks are on the clock.

TDS7 · Oct 31, 2023

Pick 5 - Hawthorn - Zane Duursma - 189cm 79kg - General Forward

Zane Duursma

Weapons:
Aerial Presence
Forward Craft
Scoreboard Production

Weapons are a players point of difference, what makes them truly stand out and the tools they can use to win games. For Duursma, I can see him coming into the league and amazing with his aerial feats. This kid puts it all together once he gets a metre off the ground, he has the athleticism to get above everyone in a pack, the reach to get his hands to the footy first, and the composure to pull the footy down once he gets his hands on it. Duursma couples this aerial insanity with incredible forward craft, and he uses his smarts to make the most of every opportunity that goes forward. The Hawks had some major problems going forward this year, and our last kicks inside 50 seemed to lack the intention and grace of the famous Hawthorn forwardlines of the past decade. Duursma is the perfect player for us for this reason, he's a threat in a pack, one-on-one out the back, and as an option further up the ground for that last kick in. His positioning one-on-one is great, he typically tries to lead his opponent past the drop zone and bank on his leap and reach to grab a mark at it's highest point. Once the ball hits the ground, Duursma shows why everyone wants to turn this kid into a midfielder. His clean hands in the air become footy vacuums at ground level, and he puts his agility and speed to use finding just enough space to get off a kick. Duursma is a mismatch for any third defender, too quick off the mark for a player who could match him in the air and too good above his head for players fast enough to match him in space. Where he really shines is forward 50 stoppages, where he will collect the footy from a tap or quick flick out at top speed in perfect stride and streaming into space. Putting all this together, you get a player who creates goals for his team like no (well, one) other in this draft, who scores from any angle, is a threat in a pack, and a menace at a stoppage. He'll come into the league looking to be Bailey Fritsch with better hair and more impact higher up the ground, and the thought of that player should excite any Hawks fan.

Strengths:
General Athleticism
Short Kicking
Burst Running
Stoppage Craft

Improvements:
Long Kicking
Endurance

Key to Duursma's presence in the forwardline is his athleticism. While his actual numbers are great individually, it's the combination of them all that makes him an absolute nightmare for opponents. He probably won't be faster and a better leap than every defender, but he will be at least one of those 99% of the time. Duursma is a high-energy athlete, but his endurance suffers if asked to run too much up the ground. You wouldn't want him on a wing or off half-back, but as a forward he can make every burst of energy worth it. His disposal around the ground varies from very good to iffy. In short, up until about 40 metres, Duursma is very clean and can hit targets from all angles with deft precision. Beyond that range, his kicking goes from great to just okay and he hooks his kicks to try and get those few extra metres. He's gotten a lot better over the season with this, but there's still times he'll line up from 45 out and hook it wide going for that extra bit of distance. With the right coaching who knows how he'll improve it, but it will need ironing out especially if he wants to play higher up the ground. Duursma's stoppage work is an absolute treat to watch, and building his scope as a midfielder is built around his work in congestion. If he can build up his endurance base and start to get into stoppages further up the ground, even as a forward, he'll be tearing open games in no time.

Development Timeline

0 - 1 VFL Development Years

Duursma is a player who could come right into a team and be a menace against the fourth best defender. A forwardline like Hawthorn's is perfect for his development, with a few strong key forwards taking a lot of attention and some high-half forwards pushing up the ground and leaving a bit of space to operate. He's still a slight player for some of the leagues general defenders, and it might do him some good to give him a break through his first couple of seasons in the VFL.

Others Considered:

Nick Watson - Hawk's board favourite and the next in line. Will be a dynamite player, but doesn't offer the range of threats Duursma does.

goodcop badcop

goodcop badcop · Nov 1, 2023

Nick Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaatson you beauty

Pick 6 - Western Bulldogs - Nick Watson

ModernArtillery you're up

ModernArtillery · Nov 1, 2023

PMBangers

Melbourne bid on Ethan Read

PMBangers · Nov 1, 2023

Pick 7 - Gold Coast Suns - Ethan Read

202cm 92 kg
Ruck

I'm really high on Read as a prospect, but I am also a sucker for talls with the mobility of smalls generally. Read is almost the picture of 'plays smaller than he is' in the sense that his ability at ground level and skills are just ridiculous for a ruck, along with his running capacity and general mobility making him able to cover ground with great ease.

I don't think Read ends up a ruck at the next level, I think his traits and Gold Coast's list position will see him deployed as a CHB with the freedom to roam up the ground when he's at his pick, making use of his height in dangerous areas but not limiting his impact when the balls further afield.

As it stands, he's got some work to do in building up his size and strength before consistently impacting at AFL level, but I do think he's got the potential to play some games next year injuries pending

ModernArtillery · Nov 1, 2023

Pick 8 - Melbourne
Nate Caddy
193cm 88kg
Northern Knights / Vic Metro

With the loss of Jackson and Max Gawn nearing the end of his career, I felt like Ethan Read would be the perfect fit here for Melbourne. Of course, that was never going to happen but a bid from the Dees (if it doesn't come earlier) makes a lot of sense to me.

Melbourne's depth has taken a bit of a hit, so a legitimate case could've been made for the other top tier prospects in this range (O'Sullivan and Sanders). Ultimately it came down to Sanders and Caddy for me and I couldn't pass on the positional value that Caddy offers. I love his ceiling and while Melbourne will need to give him some time to build, I think he could be a dominant forward for years to come.

Caddy's a pretty special vertical athlete and has a nice combination of speed and strength that make him a difficult 1 on 1 match up. It seems silly to compare him to Charlie Curnow, though I think Caddy will be a similarly slowish burn who over time, I project will be able to impact the game in similar ways.

PMBangers you’re up for GWS

PMBangers · Nov 1, 2023

Pick 9 - GWS - Ryley Sanders
185 cm 86 kg

Going to copy the RMC draft profile since I wrote it;

Ryley Sanders

A picture of consistency in midfield, Ryley Sanders is a high-accumulating ball winner with clean hands and elite footy IQ.

central.rookieme.com

STRENGTHS:

Accumulation
Clean hands
Consistency
Inside game
Stoppage craft
Work rate

IMPROVEMENTS:

Explosive speed
Impact-per-possession

An old school footballer in both look and method, Sanders is the embodiment of ‘pull your socks up’. He often cracks in at the contest with 100 per cent intensity, and that team orientated focus allows his more outside-leaning teammates to thrive off his inside craft. For this reason, Sanders has been a mainstay in his various sides' midfield groups over the last two years.

Playing a major role in the undefeated Allies side this year, Sanders was recognised for his efforts across the four games with the Larke Medal, given to the best player across the carnival. It was well deserved given he averaged 35.8 disposals, 5.0 clearances, 6.3 marks, 4.0 tackles and a goal. Sanders linked up well with fellow Tasmanian Colby McKercher at the Champs, with one of them often handing it off to the other if they had won a clearance, or finding each other around the ground.

Sanders has a well-rounded midfield game and balances between inside and outside roles - which he has vastly improved on this year - but thrives more when given the responsibility to win the ball in the coalface. Sanders’ size and strength lend to the contested side of the game, but is by no means the sole reason he is so effective. Sanders uses his physical advantage along with his natural stoppage craft and technique to push opponents off the ball and take it on himself, running at roughly a 40 per cent contested possession rate through the Champs.

On the outside, Sanders is an exceptionally hard worker around the ground, often breaching the defensive 50 arc to assist in winning the ball back, or running hard to lose opponents and accumulate uncontested marks around the ground. However, Sanders is a fairly good contested mark when caught in the situation, displaying strong hands overhead.

Sanders' disposal and general cleanliness at ground level make him extraordinarily reliable. Although he does tend to favour handballing and is often in situations where it’s the best option, Sanders is a damaging kick when given time and space. He's able to assess options quickly and pick out inside-45s almost before his opponents have time to react. What's more, he has developed his scoreboard impact to compound that hurt factor.

There’s not much holding Sanders back from becoming a top level midfielder given his traits and well developed game, with his current style well suited to a first possession winner at the next level. However, Sanders could become an even more damaging player if he more often looked to drive his legs out of congestion to give himself better opportunities to kick rather than handball. An overall focus on improving his explosive power would allow him to do so easier, with more pressure in the elite grade.

That essentially sums it up, I don't see Ryley being a 'bust' per say but can see a world where he ends up a third in line midfielder that doesn't get too many outside accolades. There's been some concerns expressed around BF and other platforms about Sanders speed, but his raw 20m sprint time is actually better than McKercher, so I choose to believe we don't see this burst moreso due to instruction or a lack of coaching in the area.

For where GWS are at, midfield depth in the immediate future, and best 23 options in the longer term, is probably the closest thing to a 'need' that can be addressed in this area of the draft.

Also considered; James Leake, Darcy Wilson, Connor O'Sullivan
goodcop badcop

goodcop badcop · Nov 1, 2023

Pick 10 - Geelong - Conner O'Sullivan

KPD write-up to come

eDPS

eDPS · Nov 1, 2023

Don’t go anywhere goodcop badcop Essendon bids on Jordan Croft

goodcop badcop · Nov 1, 2023

eDPS said:
Don’t go anywhere goodcop badcop Essendon bids on Jordan Croft

I thought you might

Will match

eDPS · Nov 1, 2023

Pick 12 - Essendon - Caleb Windsor
184cm - Wingman

This part of the draft is tough I have Darcy Wilson and James Leake as players I could easily have taken instead but have settled on Windsor.

Windsor has some elite attributes that have seen him firm as a top 15 prospect, his speed and agility is impressive able to get around players with ease and his ball use for the most part is very good. Another key quality is his ability to be a constant threat to the scoreboard proven to be a great finisher and he could easily play as a half forward early days with that position a more likely starting point with Essendon with the likes of Martin/Durham/Duursma and maybe even Cox more likely to be used for the next few years.

Windsor suits the modern game with his flare with ball in hand and improved running capacity a key area the best teams can cut the opposition open, at the end of the day Essendon needs to find the right fit to play within the system and hopefully Windsor is the right option.

eDPS · Nov 1, 2023

My last post wouldn’t let me tag for some reason Thunderstruck

Thunderstruck · Nov 1, 2023

Pick 13 Adelaide - Darcy Wilson Murray Bushrangers 186cm 74kg

Adelaide are crying out for a dashing user with great skills and speed on the outside and who better to do that than Darcy Wilson, there won't be anyone better in the draft in terms of needs and best player available all at the same time.

Darcy is classy hard running and smooth moving wingman who can push forward and impact the scoreboard with sound overhead abilities, with a very good vertical leap. He gets good separation from his opponents with his quick decision making and clean pickups and always seems to cruise around in 2nd gear but that 2nd gear is of a high pace, he just glides across the ground and covers it so easily and with the 2nd best 2km time at the recent combine, he will run opponents into the ground at the next level. He will be that metres gained type that tops the team most weeks - runs 30m kicks it 50m and be a player others look to play through going forward. Now often outside players get labelled at being soft or poor with contested work but Darcy is above average in that area and will put his head over it no troubles. He's got a very tough and wirey frame that stands up well in tough situations. His elite IQ allows him to turn contested situations int uncontested situations very quickly with a few powerful steps and he is away, with a constantly attacking mindset. His finishing is also first class and defensive prowess above average for a running outside player.

With Paul Seedsman sadly retired and Brodie Smith nearing the end of his tenure plus Lachie Sholl being average at best, Wilson would find a role very quickly in the side and be a huge missing piece of what the crows need going forward.

ModernArtillery ur up

RUNVS · Nov 1, 2023

Thunderstruck said:
Pick 13 Adelaide - Darcy Wilson Murray Bushrangers 186cm 74kg

Write-up to follow, but this kid is a case of best available and absolutely what the crows need right now. Skill plus run and carry to a high level.

ModernArtillery ur up

Isn't "skills plus run and carry" usually code for "can barely find the ball and will shirk at every contest"?

Thunderstruck · Nov 1, 2023

RUNVS said:
Isn't "skills plus run and carry" usually code for "can barely find the ball and will shirk at every contest"?

I strongly advise you go and watch the lad play

roos_fanatic08 · Nov 1, 2023

RUNVS said:
Isn't "skills plus run and carry" usually code for "can barely find the ball and will shirk at every contest"?

Maybe it has in the past, but definitely doesn’t apply to Wilson. He cracks in hard and has no worries accumulating the footy across the ground.

ModernArtillery · Nov 1, 2023

Pick 14
Melbourne
James Leake
187cm 77kg
Tasmania Devils / Allies

I was always going to take whoever was left out of Wilson, Windsor and Leake. The versatility of Leake is a handy attribute and dramatically raises his floor. I would love to see him developed as a mid/forward with the plan for him to become a tough, combative, inside midfielder. I wonder if there's scope for him to fill out and play a role similar to Jack Steele or Callan Ward. I think Melbourne are in a really strong position to develop that version of him.

If the midfield version of Leake doesn't come to fruition, there's plenty of scope for him to carve out a career at either end of the ground where he's more proven at junior level.

Ysaye

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