Xav Ellis> everyone who got taken in the 2005 draft!

[matey]

All these people who say that Murphy, Peddles, Thomas are better than Ellis and how Ellis, Rioli, Birchall, Young etc have done well because they have slotted into a quality team and that good players around them has made it easier for them.

The main reason why the Hawks have skyrocketed to the top is because of the influx of players such as Birchall, Young, Ellis, Buddy, Roughy, Rioli, Lewis, all youngsters who have earnt there spot in a Premiership team. Tell me how half a team of 18 to 22 year olds can be carried through to a premiership cup by a handful of other good players. Impossible.

Other sides youngsters have not had the same impact because maybe they are not as good! Wins and results are the ulimate indicator everything else written is rubbish.

 

[recon]

All these people who say that Murphy, Peddles, Thomas are better than Ellis and how Ellis, Rioli, Birchall, Young etc have done well because they have slotted into a quality team and that good players around them has made it easier for them.

The main reason why the Hawks have skyrocketed to the top is because of the influx of players such as Birchall, Young, Ellis, Buddy, Roughy, Rioli, Lewis, all youngsters who have earnt there spot in a Premiership team. Tell me how half a team of 18 to 22 year olds can be carried through to a premiership cup by a handful of other good players. Impossible.

Other sides youngsters have not had the same impact because maybe they are not as good! Wins and results are the ulimate indicator everything else written is rubbish.

I agree with everything you said except I do think Murphy, Thomas And Pendlebury are and will be better footballers than Ellis just my opinion another reason the Hawks made it to the top is they have a bloody good coach.

 

[Mario the Lothario]

2005 was a very ordinary draft.

Andrew Swallow is easily the steal of that draft.

 

[Hodgies Heroes]

Theres to much bias in these player comparisons for one Birchall and Ellis get a lot more easy ball than the rest playing across the back line though I think Birchall is a top player, theres not much between Murphy and Pendlebury and Thomas is playing the hardest position out of all of them so cut him some slack, Ellis will be a good footballer but his shaky kicking will have to improve if he is ever going to be a star.

Xavier Ellis had a disposal efficiency of 83% across the season - one of the highest in the competiton. Need to watch more games - he has other areas to improve but he is an elite kick.

 

[larson]

I don't care how good he is, I never want a player that looks like him playing for Essendon

 

[matey]

I agree with everything you said except I do think Murphy, Thomas And Pendlebury are and will be better footballers than Ellis just my opinion another reason the Hawks made it to the top is they have a bloody good coach.

You have a much more chance of winning a premiership with quality players/poor coach versus having a poor list/great coach. Never forget Dermie after 91 when Joyce was coach saying that the players were in auto pilot and were basically coaching themselves.

Having said this love Clarcko as a coach but he does have quality players under his wings. Hawks have several quality youngsters that are already having a big impact in the football world. In my opinion as a collective group of youngsters Hawks have the best by a fair margin and I think this years result confirms that. Ellis has the goods to be the best from 2005 he just started later then the others.

 

[matey]

2005 was a very ordinary draft.

Andrew Swallow is easily the steal of that draft.

I like Swallow think he Captained WA U18's not 100% sure but was hoping we were going to snap him up very hard runner with a strong resolve. Very good late pick. Finds plenty of the footy just needs to get better with his decision making/disposal.

 

[Gone Critical]

Edited for accuracy. Birchall is streets ahead the best player from the 05 draft to this point and in relation to disposal I believe he lead the league is disposal efficiency for the year ( or atleast was towards the end there when i saw the stat)

These threads all end up as point scoring feasts for respective supporters. Ranking guys after 3 seasons is fairly meaningless esp when they play different roles

Truth is the top picks of the 2005 draft have exceeded expectations and all the respective clubs should be very happy with how things have turned out.

Two points
1 Murphy -Has been a gun from day 1. Would have won the RS award in 1st year if not for injury. V heavily tagged yr 2 and a standout midfielder in 08 when got more freedom

2 Pendlebury -Glandular fever wiped out his pre season in 06 but made an immediate impact once fit enough to be selected, remarkable. 2nd B&F in 07 in a team that finished 4th. Bit off this year compared to 07 but still good enough to win State and International rules selection and finish 3rd in B&F

Those are 2 v v impressive career starts

 

[hawks_time]

I don't care how good he is, I never want a player that looks like him playing for Essendon

Yeah but Reimers is fine

 

[Mervyn Beasley]

I don't care how good he is, I never want a player that looks like him playing for Essendon

I guess this means you are happy with Laycock and McPhee

But back to the point.
All young players mentioned have had solid starts to their career.
Thomas lacks the consistency of the others.

Birchall however, has probably played the best and the most consistently of anyone in that draft. This does not mean he is the best player though.

 

[Dave The Man]

Edited for accuracy. Birchall is streets ahead the best player from the 05 draft to this point and in relation to disposal I believe he lead the league is disposal efficiency for the year ( or atleast was towards the end there when i saw the stat)

Okay What makes him the Best Player because I would really like to know

 

[Dave The Man]

All these people who say that Murphy, Peddles, Thomas are better than Ellis and how Ellis, Rioli, Birchall, Young etc have done well because they have slotted into a quality team and that good players around them has made it easier for them.

The main reason why the Hawks have skyrocketed to the top is because of the influx of players such as Birchall, Young, Ellis, Buddy, Roughy, Rioli, Lewis, all youngsters who have earnt there spot in a Premiership team. Tell me how half a team of 18 to 22 year olds can be carried through to a premiership cup by a handful of other good players. Impossible.

Other sides youngsters have not had the same impact because maybe they are not as good! Wins and results are the ulimate indicator everything else written is rubbish.

The Main Reason why the Hawks 1 the Flag was BUDDY

 

[liz]

The main reason why the Hawks have skyrocketed to the top is because of the influx of players such as Birchall, Young, Ellis, Buddy, Roughy, Rioli, Lewis, all youngsters who have earnt there spot in a Premiership team. Tell me how half a team of 18 to 22 year olds can be carried through to a premiership cup by a handful of other good players. Impossible.

Think back to West Coast Eagles 2005-6. Weagles fans were creaming themselves after 2006 because their team was so young, reigning premiers and therefore destined to create a dynasty over the next few years.

Roll forward little more than a year and see the impact of taking Judd and Cousins out of that team.

Don't underestimate the ability that a handful of out and out stars can have in lifting everyone else around them. And the impact of taking a couple of that handful away. Doesn't mean the support cast aren't still good players capable of playing high quality, consistent football. But it is a damned sight easier to do so playing alongside a few of the very best than it is in a more mediocre team.

 

[King_Tredrea]

i think pretty well anyone would take pendles and thomas before ellis

 

[hawks_time]

I don't see how Thomas is really over Ellis at all. Played 63 games compared to Ellis' 36 and they're averages according to footywire are even if not in Ellis' favour.

 

[Hodgepodge]

Ellis is much better than Murphy now.

 

[Mario the Lothario]

i think pretty well anyone would take pendles and thomas before ellis

Pendlebury, yes. Thomas, probably not. He goes missing too much.

Ellis is much better than Murphy now.

That is beyond ridiculous.

 

[Hodgepodge]

That is beyond ridiculous.

He's a better kick, tougher, more versatile. Much more upside and is already a better player.

 

[Junior boi]

LOL. The OP says he is a superstar though, I exaggerated when I said one good half of footy.

He isnt even close to superstar.

One good half of footy

His last few weeks of the H/A and of course the last few finals showed us what the Hawks paid for when they drafted him 3rd back in 2005.

Complete condradiction.

Ellis>Thomas.

 

[smiddaz123]

I don't see how Thomas is really over Ellis at all. Played 63 games compared to Ellis' 36 and they're averages according to footywire are even if not in Ellis' favour.

Heaps easier to get pretty stats when you're playing on the back flank. Much harder when you're a forward.

 

[ROYAL EAGLE]

I couldn't compare Murphy's disposal to Pendlebury and Thomas since I can't recall them having an influential touch against Carlton this year.

Or for Victoria.

Or in the finals.

Or for Australia like Murphy who didn't struggle with the round ball.

Murphy kicks better under pressure after winning the ball and running flat out than Pendlebury ever will.

Maybe Sidebottom will finally give you a good inside midfielder who is as good as Murphy.

I'll take Yarran and Murphy who aren't as slow.

General I like Murphy, but your going overboard, also his clearance work isn't that great.

Judd is your main inside man, and is the best at it at your club as shown by his BF win.

 

[The Royal Sampler]

With regard to the comments about Birchall's kicking accuracy, it has to be remembered that he plays a predominately HBF role, in which you'd expect his disposal efficiency to be higher. Pendlebury and Murphy have less time to make decisions and execute.

On the whole I think people are putting too much stock in the early form of draftees; aside from the fact that all four of Murphy/Thomas/Ellis/Pendlebury can play and should be solid contributors for their clubs, it's far too early to make judgements on who is or will be the best.

Flying Spur beat Octagonal in the Golden Slipper, but Octagonal made up for it as a 3-yr-old and older. Marc Murphy polled best in the Rising Star because he was the most AFL-ready of these players, that doesn't mean he has as much scope for improvement. As Ellis and Thomas are the least physically mature, one would think they have a degree of improvement available to them. Also, Pendlebury has spent the least time playing football, having only one season at TAC Cup level after crossing from basketball. Ellis, Pendlebury and Nathan Jones were all drafted bottom-aged and so are marginally younger than Murphy, which also needs to be taken into consideration.

Lots of water to flow under the bridge yet.

 

[Coin_Toss]

Thomas is a gun - no doubt about that.
He gets tagged almost every week now so the opposition obviously rate him. He's got a big future in front of him - will win a Brownlow, IMO.

 

[__aria__]

thomas does not get tagged at all let alone every week you are talking completely out of your ass

 

[Gone Critical]

I don't see how Thomas is really over Ellis at all. Played 63 games compared to Ellis' 36 and they're averages according to footywire are even if not in Ellis' favour.

You dont see how because all your looking at is statistics

Whether you want to argue for one or the other an opinion with reasoning kinda works better than stats