Phanton draft - 4 rounds

[ant555]

My effort for this year. Have only gone four round so far. May add on a 5th at some stage. I have tried to find something different in various areas but it is strange how you think you can find someone slightly different only to keep coming back to the same player.
Anyway like most years i will have players well out of order , just hoping that around 70% of the blokes i mentioned just get picked up

 

[ant555]

1Melbourne – Jack Watts
If Watts nominates then Melbourne will pick him. He has pace great skills and amazing agility for a tall. Can provide a good target up forward but has also had stints up the ground which shows that he could get a bid of game time playing half forward in his first season. One of Melbourne’s needs is a classy tall forward and this kid ticks that box.

2)West Coast – Nick Naitanui
For ages I was convinced that the Eagles would take Rich with this pick but when you look through their ruck stocks it is very thin. Although I am not sold on big Nats footy nous and kicking skills there is no doubting his athletic ability.
Having grown a bit more throughout the year is also a big plus. At worst they will probably get a ruckman who can jump all day, win a lot of taps and handballs a lot. The more you think about his potential the more you become sold on him even if you don’t rate certain aspects of his play.

3) Fremantle – Daniel Rich
The Dockers simply can not pass on this bloke. Although they would also like another ruckman the chance to get Rich into their midfield to go with Palmer will prove to be too great and I think they will look to fixing the ruck problem later.

4) Port Adelaide – Tyrone Vickery
With Lade and Brogan heading towards their last couple of years Port need to be looking for a replacement. With the delisting of Deluca their ruck stocks away from the main two are Giles and Lobbe (who I always thought was a much better KPP than a ruckman).
Vickery fits the bill here. Very good ruckman who can play a role as a forward too. Can find the ball around the ground and is one of the better players in the draft.

5) Essendon – Chris Yarran
Hard to know how the Bombers are going to go here. There are reports that they will go with three or four different player’s .They need tall defenders but they also need class in the midfield and if this bloke makes it as a midfielder there may not be many classier. He is different to a lot of the Aboriginal boys his height simply because he is a lot more solid through the body so like Rioli this year he could make an impact as a small forward early on before moving into the midfield.
Would not be my personal choice with this pick but I just have some sort of vibe that he will go here.

6) Carlton – Michael Hurley
I think the Blues will take the punt on Hurley. If they can improve his 20 meter sprint times then they could possibly have the full package with this bloke. Kicks the ball a mile on both sides, shows good on field leadership and has good footy nous. The other attractive part for the Blues is if he does not quite come up to scratch as a defender he has shown in a number of games he is very capable of playing a key forward role taking big marks and kicking goals.


7) Brisbane – Steele Sidebottom
Pretty sure Brisbane will be looking for midfielders first and this bloke is one of the better mids going around. Did not test brilliantly in the 20 meter sprints or agility but he has shown in games that although he is not greatly blessed with pace he can get out of tight situations with his skills and good footy brain.
Runs all day and his draft camp testing in the endurance events was up with the best of them.

8) Richmond – Shaun McKernan
A good draft camp result will see Shaun push his way into the top ten. Has the ability to provide a big target at CHF and is a massive kick. Has played a lot of ruck at under 18 level but I am not sure that it will be his full time spot at AFL level. Does posses a good leap which will certainly help him if he has to play some sort of rucking role.

9) North Melbourne – Jack Ziebell
A case of North going after the best available with this bloke. Will more than likely start off playing as a half forward who can provide a strong marking option but they will be looking for him to push into the midfielder after a couple of years in the system. Hard at it tough player who will fit the North spirit.

10) Adelaide – Lewis Johnson
Now the Crows have not been all that renowned for picking SA boys first up in the draft but I feel this kid will be too good for them to pass on. The Crows are not flush with good KP forwards. Craig wants to expand their offensive game. There was no one in the trade period that fitted what they wanted so the next best thing to do is draft him. Very good contested mark who kicks goals and has good pace for a tall. If they can get on top of a few defensive deficiencies he has they could have a great package.

11) Collingwood – Hamish Hartlett
Can’t really believe that I have this bloke going outside the top ten but here he is. The Pies will not be able to pass up on a midfielder with this bloke’s class at number 11. Adds pace and skill to their midfield.

12) Sydney – Mitch Robinson
I looked at going small or tall here as I was not sure what the Swans would do. In the end there is one thing I think the Swans may do here and that is look for the best player who will be ready to start performing in the quickest time. Tall winger/midfielder, who runs hard, finds heaps of the ball and tackles hard. Is a little on the skinny side but is probably only two pre seasons away from being ready to compete compared to guys like Steve Hill or Sam Blease who are two to three year prospects. Robinson has played some VFL footy and should be able to push for a few games next year before really hitting his straps in his second season.


13) St.Kilda – Jackson Trengove.
The Saints could be looking tall or small here but I think the will jump at getting one of the better talls going around here. Reports are that Trengoves injury is recovering very well and that will be enough for the Saints to add another quality tall to their list.

14) Western Bulldogs – Ace Cordy
Father /Son pick. Has huge potential but he will want to live in the gym and get some good helpings of KFC over the next few years. If you looked up stick man in the dictionary you will see a picture of Ace.

15) Geelong – Steven Hill
The Cats can come into this draft similar to last year and pick who they want. Hill will be close to the best player available here. Real running machine with pretty good skills and good pace. Not overly big at this stage but there is no hurry for him to break into the midfield just yet.
The only curve ball here may be if Geelong have identified someone playing in the SANFL or WAFL who can maybe have a more immediate impact on their forward line.

16) Hawthorn - Clancee Pearce
The Hawks are in a position to have a crack at a variety of players here but I still think they will spend their first pick on a player who may be able to have an early impact. Enter Clancee Pearce. Hard running solid kid with great work rate. His efforts without the ball are good which fits into the Hawks style of play and he has good skills. Already has the body size that will allow him to be a chance of playing some footy in his first year.

17) Melbourne – Sam Blease
To put it simply he would be the close to the best player here and you would think that Melbourne would jump all over him. Great pace, very good skills and a good reader of the game. Along with Morton he should provide some great run and finishing work for years to come.

18) West Coast – Tom Swift
Someone will have to pull the trigger on Swift eventually and the Eagles will have had a close up view of how he is travelling. Tested ok at draft camp and could well be worth the risk here.

19) Melbourne – Ash Smith
Thought about another tall here but I think this kid will be rocketing up the chart and Melbourne would be wise to grab him here. Tested really well at DC with good sprint and agility times. He is a magnificent long kick of the ball and is very quick. Solid and tallish he fits into the utility mould a bit given he has shown he can play half back, half forward ,wing or centre. With time he could develop into a great midfielder.


20) West Coast – Michael Walters
I looked hard through all my profiles trying to find something different here but I just kept coming back to this kid who could provide the Eagles a classy quick small forward who can provide some relief in the midfield once he develops.

21) Fremantle – Hayden Ballantyne
With another pick coming up shortly I am punting on Freo picking up this seasons Sandover Medallist and WAFL leading goal kicker in Ballantyne. Dangerous small forward who should help the Dockers fire power up forward.
Have probably put this bloke in way too early but hey it is different.

22) Port Adelaide – Rhys O’Keefe
Good half back/midfielder with great skills and work rate. Uses both sides of the body well and adds a little class with his work around the stoppages.

23) Essendon – Jordan Lisle
Before I started this draft I did not think that Lisle would end up in this spot. But here he is. Tall KP player who can be used at both ends of the ground. Has some question marks on his agility but otherwise a promising defender in the making.

24) Fremantle – Jarred Redden
I think that Fremantle will jump in here and grab their ruckman with the pick they received from Carlton. Redden is a mobile ruckman with good tap skills and reasonable pace. His skills are pretty tidy, the downside is he is slightly on the skinny side and is unlikely to be having a huge impact in his first couple of seasons.

25) Brisbane – Nick Heyne
Medium sized forward / midfielder with great potential. Has struggled at times to put together a whole game but when he is on song he is something to watch. Lovely left footer who can kick goals from everywhere. Is a strong mark and he reads the play well. Has also shown promise through the midfield and his pace is pretty good.

26) Richmond – Michael Broadbent
Highly skilled running machine who has been used off half back or in run with roles. Has the ability to shut players out of the game while still finding a lot of the footy and he uses it well. Loves to run and carry and has a great work rate.

27) North Melbourne – Ryan Schoenmakers
Mobile leading forward who takes a solid grab. Works hard and is a reliable goal kicker. Adds a different type of forward into the Roo’s future mix.

28) Adelaide – James Strauss
The Crows have shown in the past that they are not afraid to draft kids out of Victoria and I see no reason why they would change that this year. Going for Strauss here. Hard working half back / midfielder who excelled running ball of half back and spotting up targets inside 50. Has shown good on field leadership for the chargers and often controls the game through the middle. His skills are good and his pace is above average.

29) Collingwood – Nick Suban
The Pies will be looking for another midfielder and nick fits the bill. Solid kid with great kicking skills. Able to play as a small defender or in the middle controlling the game. Has good on field leadership and is very smart around the stoppages. Not the fastest kid going around but finds the ball and knows how to use it pretty well.

30) Sydney – Tom Lynch
Strong utility who can be used at either end of the ground and has shown that he is good enough to do well in either role. Considered by some to be a bit on the short side for KP but at 191 cm I think he will have enough height to do well in a key defensive role. One thing about him is he lives and breaths footy. Those who have worked with him over the journey say he will always be giving 120% to improve himself. Great work rate and a very good prospect.

31) Western Bulldogs – Alex Stopp
Slightly left field decision here. Having taken a player of the future first up I think the Dogs may look to a more ready made type here. Stopp is a good sized midfielder / half back with good skills. He likes to run from half back and push through the middle of the ground. He is good at finding targets by foot which will fit into the Bulldogs game plan well.

32) Western Bulldogs – Aaron Cornelius
With Aaron being available here the Dogs will be happy to garb another key forward prospect.

33) Geelong – Jayden Post
Athletic tall who can play both ends of the ground. Very good reader of the play and a strong contested mark with good skills. Tested very well at state screening including running a midfield time in the beep test. Geelong will be able to give him time to develop over the first couple of years and is he gets a bit more consistency into his game he could be a very dangerous player.

34) Hawthorn – Zack Sengstock
The Hawks can afford to draft a bit for need here and Zack can fill a need. Although not super tall Sengstock has done well as a key defender. What makes him attractive to the hawks is he is mobile, is prepared to run of his man and he finds a bit of the ball coming out of defence. His pace is ok and he is reliable at finding targets by foot.

35) Melbourne – Paul Cahill
Going for another tall KP prospect in Cahill. Very strong mark and is athletic and mobile. His set shots could use some work but generally his kicking is good.

36) West Coast – Rory Sloane
Small running machine. Rory can play either midfield small forward or defence. His pace is good and he tested very well at DC. Goes in hard but also runs all day.

37) Fremantle – Neville Jetta
I know he is another small forward but hey I am doing this mock and I am shocked that I have left him this long. Could develop into a great midfielder in the future.

38) Port Adelaide – Daniel Hanneberry
Classy left foot midfielder who can also play a defensive role. Very good left foot kick and has good composure under pressure. Will set Port up with a classy looking midfield further down the track.

39) Geelong – Zachary Leddin
Smooth moving left foot midfielder from Geelong Falcons. Leddin is a very smart player who uses the ball well and has good vision. Has had good numbers over the journey at TAC Cup level, has good pace and his work at the stoppages is good.

40) Carlton – Tom Rockliff
Half forward / midfielder with a good footy brain and good skills. Has started to play more time in the midfield and his result have been better as he has gone along. Real team player who will set his team mates up with goals but is also capable of kicking the miracle goal himself. Is not super quick but most questions on his pace and agility have been answered this year as it has gone on.

41) Brisbane – Riley Milne
Having grabbed two midfielders expect Brisbane to go a bit taller here. At the moment their ruck stocks look good and there is plenty of life in their tall forwards so I went for a defender who they can develop over time.
Milne had a pretty solid season in defence and was good during the Champs for Vic Country. His skills are pretty good and he can find a bit of the ball coming off half back.

42) Port Adelaide – Andrew Hunter
KP prospect who has seen action at both ends of the ground in the TAC Cup. Has looked good as a defender in several games. Versatile player who could fit in well with Ports other talls.

43) North Melbourne – Luke Shuey
Vic Metro MVP who comes off a good year in the TAC Cup. Able to collect good numbers most weeks Shuey has reasonably good pace and good skills.
Has the on field discipline to carry out specific on field roles and he can find his own ball.

44) Adelaide – Tom Hill
Bottom age tall forward/ruckman who is on the skinny side but has shown huge potential in the TAC Cup this season. Has seen some action in defence but it is as a forward / second ruckman that he should shine. Is very mobile for a tall and his pace is good. Needs to sharpen up his kicking skills but over all he looks a tempting prospect.


45) Collingwood – Jordan Roughead
Bit of a slide for this bloke and I am probably way off the mark. Anyway the Pies could be looking for a young ruckman at this stage and Jordan would certainly be the best left on the board.

46) Collingwood – Jarred Blight
Bit of an each way selection here. At 192cm he could in time end up being a KP defender but at the same time his pace and mobility could see him playing wing or half back flank. Either way there are some good whispers about him coming out of the West and he could be a good get at this spot.

47) St.Kilda – Kade Klemke
Hard at it half back/ midfielder who will give the Saints some extra grunt at the contest. Loves the physical stuff and goes hard and straight all day.

48) ST.Kilda – Zachary Clarke
Young ruckman who has had a good year in the TAC Cup. Will spend a bit of time developing but has the tools to make it.

49) Geelong – Will Young
With the Cats likely to pick up Ranga in the rookie draft I have gone for another tall here. Young is mobile forward who takes a strong grab and has good pace for a tall. He was used in defence for Vic Country at times during the champs and handled that ok.

50) Hawthorn– Michael Still
Bottom age tall forward who has also spent time at CHB in some games. Good mover and a strong mark with good enough skills. If he can find some consistency over the whole game he can become a dangerous proposition.

51) Melbourne – Mat DeBoer
Ball winning running machine that knows all about finding the footy. If Melbourne can sort out his kicking issues, decision making mainly, they will get a bargain at this pick.

52) West Coast – Jordan Jones
Versatile tall who has played mainly CHB or CHF at TAC Cup level. Defensive side of his game is pretty good. His pace is ok and he does not mind running from the back half. Played for VC in this years champs.

53) Fremantle – Steven Gaertner
Tall, mobile, good pace and reasonably versatile. Has been used as a running half back, ruckman or forward target this year for the Rays. He is still a bit raw and has some work do in a few areas but has come on leaps and bounds this year.

54) Port Adelaide – Jake Walsh
Although Port have a number of young developing talls I suspect they will want to add another on at some stage this year. Walsh is bottom aged and a big unit. Has been used mainly up forward but has done a bit of work in defence.

55) Essendon – Phil Davis
I have not seen much of him at all but I have heard that Essendon have shown interest. Tall defender from Nth Adelaide.

56) Fremantle – Sam Wright
Bit of an in between player but takes a good mark and when used forward knows where the goals are. Has seen action in defence and the midfield. Pace is ok and skills are pretty good.

57) Brisbane – Scott Blessing
Small defender / midfielder with good pace and nice skills. Good reader of the game and gave SA good run from defence during the Champs.

58) Richmond – Dayne Beams
Hard at it midfielder from Queensland who runs all day. Pretty good skills and a good reader of the play.

59) North Melbourne – Bart McCulloch
Tall mobile forward / ruckman from Tasmania.
Not sure he will be tall enough to play ruck but his mobility and pace for a tall are eye catching. Has a nice leap and could be groomed to play defence or forward.

60) Adelaide – Tom Simpkin
Tall half back / midfielder with good skills and work rate. Is prepared to run hard from half back and his stoppage work is ok. Defensive skills are good and his pace is ok.

61) Sydney – Tom Allwright
Midfielder from Tassie. Smart reader of the play and cool under pressure. Very nice right foot kick who hits targets more times than not.

62) Sydney – Chris Hall
Very quick but lightly framed small forward who could be a midfield prospect at some stage in the future. Is very smart around the forward line and knows where the goals are.

63) StKilda – Mitch Banner
Ball magnet who simply knows how to find the footy. Pace is reasonable. Needs work on where he kicks the footy but he finds it a hell of a lot.

64) Western Bulldogs – Jay Shannon
Hard tough midfielder with pretty good skills and can use the ball on both sides. Pace is above average and his clearance work is good. Seems to do everything pretty well without having any huge stand out aspects.

65) Geelong – Pass

66) Hawthorn – Taylor Gilchrist
Medium sized half forward / half back. Likes to run all day and his skills are pretty good.

 

[richoatthedisco]

Good one mate but if Schoenmakers is there at 26 I'd hope we take him, even if we do have McKernan. Beams would be an instant cult figure with those stickers. NB: We don't have pick 50.

 

[sinepari]

good effort ant!!

 

[Burzum]

Good work, ant.

 

[ArdentEagle]

No love for Cockie?

 

[Dave The Man]

For Pies:

Hartlett - Love that to Happen

Suban - Good Inside Mid that also a Need

J Roughead - If he falls that Far would be a Good Young Ruck Prospect

Blight - Don't know much about him.


Love that Draft

 

[Jeremias]

Very nice read, ant.

As I have previously said I think that a result of Hurley and Rockliff for Carlton would be sensational. Both could lay serious claims to being able to play senior football as early as next season.

 

[scotty4]

pretty good effort, dunno if wed pass up hartlett and ziebell for sidebottom tho

 

[Souup]

Great effort

From a North perspective, i'd love Ziebell/Shuey in particular with those picks. With the other 2.. they're tall forwards and one of our biggest problems is a key defender, i'd hope we solve that problem in this draft

 

[Porps_is_HOT_loz]

Fantastic read. I am sure Adelaide would go Hartlett if available; Craigy is keen on him.
Also Cornlelious a bit low !?

Very good job though

 

[naita]

good effort but i really think that it is terrible from a freo perspective.
id be very happy with one of ballantyne and jetta but i dont think we should lose two picks in the top 40 for them. im hoping that we go for naita/rich with pick 3, with 21 the best available midfielder (strauss, heyne, okeefe, suban), with 24 the best available kpf (schoen) and then hope that one of neville or ballantye are left for 37. id be surprised if one of them wasnt.

otherwise, i really enjoyed the draft. thanks mate.

 

[ant555]

Good one mate but if Schoenmakers is there at 26 I'd hope we take him, even if we do have McKernan. Beams would be an instant cult figure with those stickers. NB: We don't have pick 50.

Not sure why i typed Richmond there. I was thinking Hawks when i made the pick.

No love for Cockie?

Have not seen him play.Of course that does not mean he wont be selected inside the first four rounds.

Great effort

From a North perspective, i'd love Ziebell/Shuey in particular with those picks. With the other 2.. they're tall forwards and one of our biggest problems is a key defender, i'd hope we solve that problem in this draft

Understand what you are saying , i was looking at NBorth for tall defenders but the positions seemed to come out all wrong. Was sort of thinking along the lines that McCulloch could end up playing defence. He has similar attributes (pace, mobility and leap) to Ryder.
There are a couple of other project defenders that could have been picked at 59 or possibly Post or Milne could have snuck up to 27. It was hard trying to put defenders in spots where i thought they where worth and getting to the latter rounds i was looking at lists and thinking nearly everyone was looking for a tall defender here.

 

[ant555]

good effort but i really think that it is terrible from a freo perspective.
id be very happy with one of ballantyne and jetta but i dont think we should lose two picks in the top 40 for them. im hoping that we go for naita/rich with pick 3, with 21 the best available midfielder (strauss, heyne, okeefe, suban), with 24 the best available kpf (schoen) and then hope that one of neville or ballantye are left for 37. id be surprised if one of them wasnt.

otherwise, i really enjoyed the draft. thanks mate.

When i read back through it i did look at the fact that i had taken both Ballantyne and Jetta in the top 40. It is unlikely to happen.
Thought about changing Ballantyne who is probaly way too early but that meant redoing picks 21 to 50 and an extra 3 or 4 hours work.
I can only offer an appolgy to Freo fans for probaly giving them the worst of the 16 clubs

 

[The Royal Sampler]

Swap Suban with Hannebery for the Pies and I would be absolutely beside myself with joy over our first three selections. I shouldn't have read this phantom draft because now I'll be disappointed if it doesn't happen!

 

[naita]

no problem mate. as i said, i'd love one of those two, just not both of them. i keep thinking back to the glory years with medhurst and farmer in the same forward line - that one didnt turn out too well.

 

[swannies]

For Pies:

Hartlett - Love that to Happen

Suban - Good Inside Mid that also a Need

J Roughead - If he falls that Far would be a Good Young Ruck Prospect

Blight - Don't know much about him. TBU21 has a hihglights package on his youtube page. You'll like what you see, trust me!


Love that Draft

ant, great detail, effort and reasoning and a very, very good read.

 

[Shaymuhz]

good effort mate but i reckon i'd be spewin if freo went with those picks, esp ballantyne at 21. you obviously know your shit tho so i could be proven wrong

 

[HawkPatrol]

Big omission there is David Zaharakis. Other than that, great work

 

[ant555]

Big omission there is David Zaharakis. Other than that, great work

I will be proven wrong on him but i don't rate him as highly as most. If i had the 5th round completed he would have been gone first up to Melbourne.
I just worry about him aving no left side. When he gets caught and can't kick with his right he is in big trouble and at AFL level it will hurt him.
Like i said he will get picked and he will probably go before i have him placed.

 

[woe31]

Great read Ant.

Am impressed with your selections from Melbourne's point of view. Two KPF's and two lightning quick mids are exactly what I would think we would be after.

In your previous post you mentioned you would have had Zaharakis going at 51 to Melbourne had you done the 5th round. Are there any good rucking prospects still around at that stage? We could use a developing ruck and with more pressing needs being taken care of with our first 4 selections, 51 seems like a good point to get one.

 

[HBF]

Hurley & Rockcliffe would be an awesome result for Carlton. Well done Ant, and a great read.

 

[McLean_4_Captain]

Top stuff Ant.

Best outcome i've seen for Melbourne, i don't think we necessarily have to get a second tall at 17 or 19, there should be decent options available at our next pick (like Cahill), especially if we think there's better players available.

I would be stoked if we got Watts, Blease, Smith, Cahill, DeBoer and then you said Zaharakis first pick of the next round. That would be unbelievable.

 

[sinepari]

I will be proven wrong on him but i don't rate him as highly as most. If i had the 5th round completed he would have been gone first up to Melbourne.
I just worry about him aving no left side. When he gets caught and can't kick with his right he is in big trouble and at AFL level it will hurt him.
Like i said he will get picked and he will probably go before i have him placed.

Im with you Ant. Have him getting drafted but no where near my top 20.

 

[Bay Pie]

If Hamish Hartlett or Zeibell get to pick 11, I'll get a little firm in the trousers. The Essendon selection at 5 will shape who is available for the Pies. We need the Bombers not to take a midfielder as Brisbane are more then likley to take one.

Based on what I have read of these players, I would be pumped if we landed Hartlett, Suban, Roughhead & Blight (don't know much about him)