The Cotch
Club Legend
- Aug 25, 2008
- 2,054
- 3
- AFL Club
- Richmond
Hey guys. Over the past few weeks on our website, we assembled our readers and completed our own phantom draft.
I had the pleasure to pick for GWS, and there a few 'out-there' picks it must be said, but fairly happy overall!
Here it is.....
#1 – GWS: DOM TYSON
Height: 186cm, Weight: 82kg, DOB: 08/06/1993
Recruited from: Oakleigh Chargers
Some might think this pick is a bit of a surprise, but as of right now I think Dom Tyson is the best player in this year’s draft. Dom possesses all the attributes that will make him a 15 year player in the AFL. I liken him to a young Simon Black or Scott Pendlebury. He plays as an inside midfielder, but don’t be fooled as he has an outstanding left foot kick. He doesn’t do anything amazing athletically, but he’s a pure footballer who uses his smarts and skills to work his through awkward situations.
#2 GWS: STEPHEN CONIGLIO
Height: 183cm, Weight: 79kg, DOB: 15/12/1993
Recruited from: Swan Districts Football Club
Coniglio has been dominating WAFL for a couple of years now, and his National Champs confirmed his status as a top two pick. He has pace, a high quality skill level and is a clearance machine. He also loves to kick a goal. He is the definition of a complete midfielder, who along with Scully, Tyson, Ward and Shiel, will prove to be a dominant force as a midfield for Greater Western Sydney.
#3 GWS: JONATHON PATTON
Height: 197cm, Weight: 95kg, DOB: 20/05/1993
Recruited from: Eastern Ranges
GWS now have a centre half forward for the next ten years. Patton plays in the mould of his namesake in Jonathon Brown. He’s a monster of a lad who is an incredible mark and great kick for goal. He has courage, crashes packs and leads well. He will play next year and impress.
#4 GWS: CHAD WINGARD
Height: 181cm, Weight: 73kg, DOB: 29/07/1993
Recruited from: Sturt
The best player out of South Australia and this pick is a ‘no-brainer’. Another left footed midfielder who has elite skills. He can play both inside and outside, is quick and does have a great leap on him. The GWS midfield is starting to look really scary now.
#5 GWS: BILLY LONGER
Height: 202cm, Weight: 95kg, DOB: 12/05/1993
Recruited from: Northern Knights
Very tough pick this one, but we could not take the risk of potentially letting the best ruckman in the draft go to another club. There was another player in mind, who I actually rate higher than Longer, but we hope he’ll be there at pick 7. Having said that, we would’ve taken Longer at pick 7, so hopefully it works out. Longer is clearly the standout ruck in the draft. Stands tall, great leader and likes to push forward and have an impact. Dominates hitouts, but around the ground he needs a little more work. Kicking can be suspect and endurance will have to be worked on. He’ll have time to be developed as we have Giles and Brogan, and hope to snaffle a mature age ruckman later in the draft.
#6 PORT ADELAIDE: WILL HOSKIN-ELLIOT
Height: 182cm, Weight: 73kg, DOB: 02/09/1993
Recruited from: Western Jets
Plenty of impressive highlights filled with run, carry, grabs and goals. Long kicking and exciting. Something to try and help bring fans through the gate as Port builds an excitment machine in the midfield with Gray and Boak in the middle with Hartlett and Hoskin on the wings. Could become a superstar in the Goddard mould however could also become the next Cale Morton. Exeptional draft camp testing however gets him the nod. Welcome to Port Will Two-Dads.
#7 GWS: ELLIOT KAVANAGH
Height: 187cm, Weight: 78kg, DOB: 19/05/1993
Recruited from: Western Jets
Greater Western Sydney are rapt to see Elliot at pick #7. It was between Kavanagh and Longer at pick 5, but we thought it would be more likely that Port Adelaide would snatch the ruckman from us. Elliot has the potential to be the best player in the draft. He missed the National Champs through injury and has missed quite a bit of footy, but we’re more than happy to take the punt here as he has plenty of time to overcome those hiccups. Kavanagh is just such a smooth mover, has elite skills, makes good decisions and can find the pill. He also is a very nice size as well. The Giants could not be happier right now.
#8 BRISBANE: MATTHEW BUNTINE
Height: 188cm, Weight: 83kg, DOB: 19/10/1993
Recruited from: Dandenong Stingrays
Buntine is a great size for playing senior this year. Will add another gem to the future lions midfield gold. See if he can stay injury free. Vossy will probably start him at half-back to grow into the pace of the game. Especially when he will want to give Polec and Bartlett and Banfield midfield time. Great inside/outside player to add to the engine room.
#9 GWS: TAYLOR ADAMS
Height: 181cm, Weight: 80kg, DOB: 20/09/1993
Recruited from: Geelong Falcons
Greater Western Sydney continue to add to their midfield depth, this time welcoming Taylor Adams. Adams is a pure inside midfielder who possesses great speed, awesome awareness in traffic and a good set of hands. Taylor is a great kid who we see as being a leader of our club one day.
#10 GWS: SAM DOCHERTY
Height: 183cm, Weight: 83kg, DOB: 7/10/93 Recruited from: Gippsland Power
Some may think this is a bit of a stretch, but we feel currently we lack some quality running defenders. Sam possesses one of, if not the best kicks in this draft, and foot skills are something value quite highly. Sam will play immediately out of a back pocket or half back flank and give us outstanding run from defence as well as shutting down an opponent.
#11 GWS: LIAM SUMNER
Height: 182cm, Weight: 70kg, DOB: 16/08/1993
Recruited from: Sandringham Dragons
It was a nervous decision to let Liam slip this late, but we got our man. One of our favourites in this draft and have kept a close eye on him all season. We see Liam playing immediately, probably starting as a half-forward in a role in which he is very good at. Liam will eventually become an outside midfielder, but for now we’ll let him develop. Sumner is someone who we see developing in the Dale Thomas mould, with a very skill level, exciting game style and great tackling game.
#12 BRISBANE: ADAM TOMLINSON
Height: 194cm, Weight: 90kg, DOB: 10/08/1993
Recruited from: Oakleigh Chargers
With the Key defending stakes at an all time low, Brisbane cannot afford to loose Daniel Merrett for an extended stint. Adam would fill the gaping hole in CHB for Brisbane, but also ensure a quality succession for ol’ ROG. Great strength and size. A really tough choice between him and Talia – but his skills give him the edge.
#13 GWS: ALEX FORSTER
Height: 189cm, Weight: 81kg, DOB: 14/07/1993
Recruited from: Norwood
Alex Forster was the only player in consideration for this pick. He is a medium back that can run through the midfield. He performs great stopping roles, but will also prove to be a devastating rebounding player for us in the future. He is a beautiful disposer either side of the boot, which continues on with our focus on foot skills with our draftees. We think Forster and Docherty will be a force to be reckoned with off our half back line for a long time.
#14 GWS: JULIAN DOBOSZ
Height: 193cm, Weight: 85kg, DOB: 17/11/1992
Recruited from: North Hobart
We’ve been fairly safe so far, so it’s time for a bit of a gamble. Dobosz has been a goal kicking machine down in Tasmania and in the U/18 National Champs. He is a genuine full forward with great speed and a great reader of the play. Julian will take a bit of development, but we see a genuine future for he and Patton in our forward line down the track.
# 15 RICHMOND – MITCH GRIGG
Height: 183cm Weight: 85kgs DOB: 2/1/1993 Recruited from: Norwood
Yes, I know the knocks on Mitch. Not quick (3.19 in the 20m), didn’t dazzle for Norwood firsts and will be 19 in 8 weeks time. Some vague and unverified attitude rumours, which is hardly uncommon for an 18 year old gun footy player.
In his favour was a fantastic Champs (SA’s MVP), regularly blitzed for the Norwood Magoos, an innate ability to find it through excellent positioning and bodywork, an elite kick > 50m (sometimes needs to drop his eyes a bit), slippery in close, likes to tackle, a fine size (Hardwick wants some mass in his draftees, and Mitch gives him that) and a beep test above 15 – indicative of a big tank. Needs to work harder off the ball, but that’s probably the discipline of AFL and given his beep, he surely can.
Touted by many mid-year as a likely Top 5, he has been criticised at length since with some thinking his ceiling is low and sledging a modest impact with the Redlegs senior side. I think his ability to get where the ball is, and deliver wonderfully more than overcomes his pace issues. Geelong isn’t a very fast side across the ground, but they look it because of their exquisite ability to win and distribute the ball excellently. Give it to Mitch and he’ll evade a tackler then put it on the breast of a the best positioned forward 55m away.
At 15 he is already a slider and I thought the Crows would have taken him if they hadn’t traded #10 to GWS.
He POSSIBLY could have been there at 26, yes. I doubt it though with Essendon and Freo sure to be hot for this sort of player. Best to get him here, be sure of filling a need and getting a real game-breaker. Others I like are either gone, sub-ideal disposal (Greene) or principally flankers (we have a surplus of them). Happy to pick him at 15, in a shallow draft, and look forward to him teaming with Cotch, Dusty, Foley, Deledio et al for years to come.
If he plays early, an excellent SC option.
#16 FREMANTLE – TOBY GREENE
Height: 180cm Weight: 78kg DOB: 15/09/1993. Recruited from: Oakleigh Chargers
Tough, inside midfielder with a huge tank. Racks up possessions but is not just an accumulator, often winning clearances and displaying the footy smarts to make good decisions by hand and then keep moving without the ball to put himself in better position for the next play, and has shown the ability to run forward and put points on the board.
As mentioned by Mr Guts, Greene does possess “sub ideal disposal” by foot but is an excellent user by hand, and when he does have to kick it he just sticks to the basics and doesn’t try to do too much, so he rarely makes terrible decisions. I think this will make him a good pick for Freo, as he has plenty of good outside ball users to handball to and gives them a bit of depth is Mundy or Barlow are lost for long stretches of time (like last year)
I liken him a lot to players like Priddis, Swallow and Joel Selwood and I think his hard attack at the ball and tough-as-nails approach to the game (does enjoy the odd onfield scrap) is something Freo really needs, as I do think they lack a bit of toughness overall (sorry Freo fans)
He’s also a good perseverance story, basically worked his ass off to get where he is so considering how much Freo fans love Barlow and his backstory i’m sure the Freo faithful will welcome this guy with open arms
#17 WESTERN BULLDOGS: BRAD McKENZIE
Height: 188cm, Weight: 75kg, DOB: 29/05/1993
Recruited from: Sturt, SA
With Cooney, Boyd and Cross the current inside mid engine room of the Dogs and with Libba /Wallis the future, I believe the need for the Doggies was a quality outside player.
With McKenzie being available at pick 17, he was just too good to pass up. Brad is a quality ball user with a lethal long accurate left foot, I can see him playing wing / flank for many seasons to come delivering 60+ meter passes to the likes of Jones, Grant or Panos inside the forward 50.
Brad has really good hands at stoppages thus has the ability to rotate through the midfield if required. He can also push forward and loves to kick the long goal. But the real attraction to Brad is his ability to break lines and this will perfectly compliment Griffen in the break, spread, carry and penetrate needs of the modern game. Something I felt was missing last year…
#18 NORTH MELBOURNE – BRANDON ELLIS
Height-182cm, Weight-83kg, DOB 3/8/93
Recruited from- Calder Cannons
North are crying out for an elite half back player and it was a toss up between Ellis & McKenzie. The choice was made for me with Western Bulldog’s taking McKenzie at pick 17, so Let’s take a look at what Ellis offers North Melbourne.
Ellis is a tough and skillful medium-sized defender, who had a a standout NAB AFL Under-18 Championships with Vic Metro where he averaged 18.2 disposals at 75.8% effectiveness. This saw him named in the All-Australian Under-18 team.
His NAB AFL Draft Combine results were very good. His standing vertical jump of 70cm put him in the top 11 per cent of those tested, and his running vertical jump (83cm) rocketed him into the top 4 per cent. He ran 3.05 seconds over 20m, 8.14 seconds for the agility test, and scored 15.4 in the shuttle run, placing him in the top 4 per cent.
He’s efficient with his ball use, and courageous when a ball needs to be won. He’s also a playmaker, equally as capable shutting down a dangerous opponent as setting up attack. But best of all he’s strong enough to jump straight into AFL footy.
#19 ESSENDON – SEB ROSS
A bit of a romance selection being the cousin of Jobe, but with that aside Ross is exactly the type of player Essendon need. Hard working inside/outside midfielder who wins the ball averaging 25 possessions a game for the Rebels in the TAC cup.
Likely to start out off half back as a link up man or as a hard working half forward before transitioning to the midfield. A great size at 187cm, and a lovely kick of the ball. Will need to work on his Endurance, and will really benefit from being in and AFL environment. Happy with this selection.
#20 FREMANTLE: JACKSON PAINE
Height: 194cm, Weight: 87kg, DOB: 21/06/1993, Recruited from: Sandringham Dragons
I thought he would go a lot earlier than this so I feel compelled to take him. Key forward with good straight line speed for getting out on the lead, decent leaping ability and has also has gotten into the habit of marking the ball at it’s highest point, highly desirable. He also positions himself well in marking contests and is strong overhead
Possesses a superior work rate and has pushed into the midfield for stretches and is a surprisingly good user by foot (sounds a bit like Mr Pavlich no?). He also played well in the U18′s playing second fiddle to Jon Patton so playing a similar role with Pav in the forward line could be a good way to start his development.
#21 SYDNEY: TOM MITCHELL (Father-Son)
Tom is a courageous and smart footy player who has a great left foot kick. He reads the play well and can tackle hard. He will be a great replacement for an ageing Jude Bolton. The Swans will be stoked with him and he will likely even be a future captain.
#22 CARLTON: FRASER McINNES
CHB/CHF WA
This was a tough call, I really wanted an inside midfielder, but two players dropped down to this pick. He is a tall key position player very athletic and showed in the WAFL he has a good football brain. Like Henderson, can play back and forward. I rate him higher than virtually all the talls taken before him and Happy to jump at this player.
#23 WEST COAST: HAYDEN CROZIER
Height: 184cm, Weight: 68kg, DOB: 24/12/1993
Picking Crozier is no doubt a risk, though one with potentially huge rewards. Hayden has an abundance of skill and athleticism and the ability to do the absurd in a manner that not many players can. He is an electric half-forward type who will hopefully develop the engine to run the wings and give West Coast the X-factor they currently lack (Natainui aside) in the future.
The big knock on Crozier is his tendency to float in and out of games and perhaps not offer a consistent work-rate; despite this, I think at this pick the potential reward outweighs the risk. Quite simply this is a gamble, Crozier could be anything, and that includes an epic flop, but the Eagles have a well balanced list at the moment with plenty of young players and can afford to take the punt.
#24 GOLD COAST: DEVON SMITH
Height: 175cm, Weight: 73kg, DOB: 20/05/1993 (Geelong Falcons)
Gold Coast were in the need of a more defensive forward and in my opinion Devon Smith is the the best available option. He is a strong tackler, with good defensive pressure. Smith is a Fantastic Midfielder/Forward.
He is not big in stature, at 175cm. However he is very quick and agile with great endurance and has a Strong overhead mark for size.
Can rack up the possessions while kicking plenty of goals. As seen In round two, of the U18 Championships where he kicked six goals amongst his 27 disposals.
He is a ready made Small forward that will fit right into Gold Coasts best 22. Smith is an exciting midfielder/forward which can Burst from the packs which often beats his opponent. In a few years he could be as good as Gary Ablett Jnr.
#25 ST.KILDA: DANIEL MARKWORTH
Height: 189cm, Weight: 78kg, DOB: 03/04/1992
Recruited from: Calder Cannons
My intentions were always to take a tall forward with this pick, but the few I had my eye on for this pick have already been snaffled up. Instead I will get more talls later with some of my three 2nd round picks.
Markworth is another ‘project’ player in this draft, but has shown us the right attributes to make us think he will make it. His pace is sensational, especially off the mark – a trait we are craving at St.Kilda. He also has a decent kick on him with good accuracy and penetration. He has only been in the system for four years, so there is plenty of potential there, and he has continued to get better and better with each season.
Drafting Markworth could really kill two birds with one stone for the Saints – he has the ability to either play on a HFF, or as an inside midfielder – two positions which the Saints are lacking in. Hence, he could be groomed for either pretty easily.
Whilst he has a long way to go before playing seniors, I am going to back in our new youth development program, as well as the fact he has a good head on his shoulders (studying biomedicine after a very high VCE score) and seems determined to succeed. Has all the right attributes to make it as a footballer, and if he continues the same progression over the coming years, could well be one of the best selections in this draft.
#26 RICHMOND: TODD ELTON
Height: 197cm, Weight: 90kg, DOB: 29/04/1993
Recruited from: Dandenong Stingrays
Brad Miller is getting games at Richmond. The emergence of Vickery is great, but few would regard him as principally a long term forward as we have hopes he will end up as almost our first ruck. Ben Griffiths hasn’t done much even when his shoulders allow him to get on the park, although as ever with us Tigers, hope springs eternal. We have to plan for the possibility that inside a year or 2 Jack could again be our only pure tall fwd.
JR8 is obviously fantastic when fit, but he does, has and will struggle to kick us a winning score every week when he attracts the attention of multiple defenders as he did in 2011. I also think Hardwick would like to play him further out from the square.
Which brings us to Todd Elton. An excellent size, though talk of him being a ruckman as well as a key forward is a little fanciful. Fine hands, very good below the waist and enjoys the contest, he should enable Richmond to enter 2012 trade week, draft and free agency focused solely on a premium mid or back ala Goddard.
Hasn’t dominated consistently at his current level, but he has the tools, including a fine kick, and is apparently a quality individual – something I know helped Conca get to Tigerland last year. I pick him in the rational hope, rather than absolute expectation, that he will evolve into a fine, if not sensational, key forward at AFL level, and not just be the next Adam Pattison (whom I loved, but ultimately just wasn’t good enough).
#27 ADELAIDE: SHANE KERSTEN
Height: 191cm, Weight: 91kg, DOB: 15/03/1993
Recruited from: South Fremantle
Shane Kersten is good ol’ fashioned full forward. He is a superb mark with a brilliant set of hands. Has a natural ability to find the goals from anywhere and is well balanced, confident and accurate with the set shot, even from outside 50. Finished the season with 24 goals in his last 5 games. There’s quite a bit of Fevola about the way he plays if you’re looking for an AFL comparison.
However, his height is the obvious concern. While he can dominate at junior level, there’s a risk he’ll struggle at AFL, but (and i say this tongue firmly in cheek), remember Tony Modra?!
Interestingly, Gold Coast threw everything at us for pick 24 as they tried to move up the draft, giving us pick 27, 31 (traded for Josh Jenkins) and 68.
This has cost us Todd Elton today. So hopefully Kersten makes the grade…
#28 – WEST COAST– ZYRUS (WAYLEN) MANSON
Height: 195cm, Weight: 84kg, DOB: 24/04/1993
If picking Crozier was a bit of a punt then picking Manson is like putting a month’s pay on a number at the roulette table; more likely than not you’re going to get nothing, but if you win you’re the richest man in the house.
Manson is quite possibly the most talented player in this draft, he can do absolutely anything and is certainly capable of turning a game off his own boot. He really burst onto the scene when Claremont finally coaxed him down from the Kimberly to play and had 30 touches, 12 goals, and 9 behinds in his only two colts games this year. On the other hand there is a huge go-home factor, (which is why it is almost certain an eastern states club will not take him) even from Perth, as evidenced by the struggle Claremont had to get him down to play. Furthermore, as he has foregone the traditional pathways he has very little experience in a highly disciplined team environment, and his ability to adapt to team structures is largely unknown. The obvious AFL comparison is Liam Jurrah, and Manson has the potential to be even better than that, it all depends on how well he adapts to life at an AFL club.
As far as the West Coast perspective goes, I was much more reluctant to take Manson after taking another risk with Crozier at pick 23. However, as I mentioned earlier, I think the eagles can afford the risk with where their list is at and that logic still holds with Manson (though somewhat more tenuously). Given Josh Kennedy’s relative youth the eagles can afford to have a go with Manson and still have time to draft another young KPF in a couple of years time if he doesn’t work out.
#29 FREMANTLE: SAM FROST
Height: 194cm, Weight: 87kg, DOB: 28/08/1993, Recruited from: Sandringham Dragons
Key position player, able to play forward and back, although I think he’s more suited to playing in defence for at least the beginning of his career. An AIS graduate, formerly played volleyball and basketball and is incredibly quick for a guy his size. Got injured in the TAC cup grand final and couldn’t participate in the Combine so there aren’t any numbers on his speed and jumping ability but any highlights video of this kid will show you that he’s got some dash, and the boy gots hops.
As I said, very athletic and uses that athleticism to beat his man, often backing himself to either outjump his opponent in the air or just run around him at ground level. He is very inconsistent however, and has an ordinary kick on him. I think the consistency can be ironed out once he gets to the afl, and hopefully he can get some consitency in his kicking as well but i’m a little less optimistic about that. Ultimately tho I reckon he’d excel on the larger Subiaco/Pattersons oval and his speed and run and carry out of defence could be a very handy weapon for Freo
#30 BRISBANE: CLAY SMITH
With the tall stocks looking average by now the shock slider so far has to be smith. Played with crouch all year and dominated together. Left footer who is dripping with leadership. Can play inside or out, but looks best when in the middle of a pack. Picked in the all Australian squad, and was touted as a mid 1st round pick. So the lions are delighted to pick him up to join the young brigade.
#31 ESSENDON: SHANE NELSON
We were absolutely stoked to see Shane Nelson still available at our 2nd selection. Along with Devon Smith, he was strongly considered at pick 19, where we very nearly pulled the trigger before deciding on a bigger bodied player in Sebastian Ross.
Nelson is a super competitive; ball winning midfielder that had a terrific under 18’s carnival averaging 22 disposals representing WA.
An ultra-reliable player that mixes a strong inside game, with hard running link up work to regularly rack up huge possession counts.
Nelson has a real ability to win the clearance. He attack’s contest hard, slips out of tackles and uses quick hands to feed the ball out to a team mate. He has a high hurt factor, always looking to move the ball forward into a dangerous area.
Nelson compliments his clearance work with a huge work ethic and real speed (2.83secs/ 20m) to break the lines. He pushes hard across the ground providing a link up option, and gets forward to kick goals. Is a strong mark for someone his size, and a solid kick on both sides of the body. A really solid player with no stand out weakness in his game.
Will likely start out playing predominantly as an outside midfielder before moving into the middle with added body size. Capped off a strong year with an impressive showing at the Draft combine where he equalled the record score in the kicking test (29/30), finished 3rdin the 20m sprint and 10th in the agility run (8.13secs). We think Nelson is a great addition to our developing midfield group.
#32 GEELONG: MYLES BOLGER
Height: 201cm, Weight: 90kg, DOB: 25/03/1993
Recruited from: South Fremantle Football Club
Wells & co would be absolutely stoked with this result. Not only have the Cats selected best available, but in the process they’ve managed to fill a large hole in the list due to the recent retirement of Brad Ottens. At this point in time, Geelong only have three ruckman on it’s list (West, Simpson & Vardy) and only one listed player taller than 198cm (Dawson Simpson). Add to this the apparent serious hip injury to Nathan Vardy and all of a sudden the ruck stocks aren’t anywhere is as plentiful as 1-2 months ago. So there was never a doubt as to whether a ruckman would be selected, it was more the question “who and where?”. There is actually room for a second ruck on the list, but that will depend whether the right ruck, at the right price, is available later in the draft.
Myles Bolger is a very well rounded ruckman. He has great skills, is a strong mark around the ground and has all the attributes to be able to have an impact resting forward. But his real strength is his tapwork, which I’m happy to describe as elite. He has an amazing knack of hitting the ball into areas that create space for his midfielders. It takes a very smart footballer to be able to read a ruck contest and its surrounds and then finish it off with precision tap work. He pulls it off regularly.
The only issue is that he has missed a bit of footy due to a foot injury. Never a good sign seeing a teenage ruckman with ongoing feet problems, but I’m willing to risk it due to the potential high reward on offer. I rank him in the top 15 of this draft and I’m fairly confident he won’t get to Geelong in the real draft unfortunately.
#33 HAWTHORN: ANDREW BOSELEY
Height: 194cm, Weight: 80kg, DOB: 4.9.92
Recruited from: Geelong Falcons
With the suprising departure of Renouf, a ruckman is a priority for the Hawks but we believe the young talent is thin in the ruck category and we have a couple of options up our sleeve later in the draft for a mature age ruckman.
However, we are realistic and the opportunity to select Andrew Boseley was too good to ignore. Boseley is a key defender and has been likened to Dustin Fletcher with his closing speed and ability to make up ground to get in the prime position to spoil his opponent. He is also in the Ben Reid mould in that he loves taking marks from opposition kicks and thrives in the 1:1 contest. He also has incredible closing speed for a player of his height.
Boseley showed terrific form as a 19yo for the Geelong Falcons in 2011, which saw him earn selection in defence in the TAC Cup Team of the Year. He ranked equal first in rebound 50′s for the Falcons and ranked 4th overall for marks from opposition kicks.
The Hawks were cruelled by injury to their key defenders in Stratton and Gilham in 2011, and by adding Boseley to their list, gives the defence added depth and allows Roughead to stay forward and combine with Franklin to form a formidable forward line with Rioli. Gibson had a standout 2011, but we cannot bank on another season like this one so Boseley will add poise and class to a Hawks defence ready to compete in 2012
#34 GEELONG: SAM KERRIDGE
Height: 188cm, Weight: 84kg, DOB: 26/04/1993
Recruited from: Bendigo Pioneers/Bendigo Bombers
Geelong go the Stephen Wells prototype 6 foot plus athletic midfielder. With the retirement of Ling and Joel Corey not getting any younger, the Mildura teenager will be a welcome addition. He will eventually develop into a big bodied clearance specialist. I could have quite easily gone a KPD here, but with what is left, I’m confident there will be something of similar talent later that I rate. There was one KPD in particular that I almost went with, but hopefully he slips.
Sam Kerridge is one of my favourites. He is a tall, athletic midfielder who has a great mix of endurance and pace. He is also very good overhead and has the flexibility to push forward, take big marks and kick multiple goals. He averaged just under 24 touches a game for the Bendigo Pioneers (who he captained) and was extremely unlucky not to play a game for Vic Country throughout the Championships despite being in the squad. But it was his late season form that really made me take notice. He ended up playing a couple of games late for the Bendigo Bombers and performed so well that he earned a spot in the Elimination Final against the Bullants. On the big stage, he showed composure and proved that he could really stand up against the bigger bodies in a quality standard. It was an eye catching performance.
When I saw his Bendigo final, I was sure it would push him up towards a 1st round selection, but there still hasn’t been much talk. He has now gone on to have a great combine, especially showing off his great motor where he posted 10.02(min.sec) in the 3km trial and a 15.5 beep test. Yet he still seems to be underrated. There is a slight concern about his kicking but from I’ve seen, his technique is fine and I haven’t seen any evidence that he is a consistent Kane Tenace type shanker. Maybe his output is down played due to playing for the lowly Pioneers? Either way, I’m happy to back my judgement here as I believe he will be a ripper.
#35 ST.KILDA: NICK HAYNES
Height: 192cm, Weight: 78kg, DOB: 15.5.92
Recruited from: Dandenong Stingrays
Haynes is a tall, athletic forward, capable of pushing up through the middle. As I have mentioned before, the Saints will certainly be targeting some key forwards in this draft, and whilst Haynes doesn’t project as a tall key forward, his athleticism (he ran a 14.13 in the beep test at this year’s draft combine), height and fantastic marking strength overhead will all be great assets up forward. Think of him as a forward version of Sam Gilbert. Honestly, I simply couldn’t let him slip any further down the order – considered him very closely for my first pick, so stoked to see him land here.
Haynes is a little older than most of the other draftees and took some time off from football after a pretty significant elbow injury. He won the Dandenong Stingray’s B&F this year in a season that saw him poll in 10 of 13 games. He is still developing and certainly wouldn’t be as AFL ready as some other draftees, but he certainly possesses many of the right attributes to make him a very good project player. If our future forward line of Rhys Stanley, Arryn Siposs and Aamed Saad all develop as hoped, the addition of Haynes would certainly make it very exciting, possibly being able to take up CHF in a number of years if he can hit the gym enough and fill out his wirery frame.
#36 MELBOURNE: JOSH WALDHUNTER
Height: 184cms Weight: 83kgs DOB: 15.03.93
Recruited from: Central Districts
Position: Midfielder
Reason: Best Available
With the loss of Scully we really need to bolster our midfield stocks. Josh is the hard at, hard bodied midfielder we need. Hasn’t been the greatest accumulator at junior level but we see him as developing into a power midfielder because of his crazy attack on the ball and acceleration away from the stoppages. Similar to Patrick Dangerfield, Josh should compliment our midfield nicely, especially Jack Trengove with the two Croweaters set to become two of the most mispronounced and mis-spelt names in the competition. Waldhuter should be ready to go next year and a round 1 spot in the side is his to lose after Colin Sylvia’s internal suspension.
#37 ST.KILDA: MICHAEL TALIA
Height: 192cm, Weight: 87kg, DOB: 11.2.93
Recruited from: Calder Cannons
Talia, the brother of Adelaide’s Daniel, is probably the best pure full-back prospect from this year’s draft. His strength is his ability to read the play, always knowing when to spoil and when to attempt to outmark his opponent – something he is certainly not afraid to do. He is also quite good at rebounding the ball from defence, often taking the right options, however can sometimes be let down by his average foot skills – probably one of the bigger flaws in his game. Fortunately though, as a future full-back, foot-skills is not something I put at the top of my priority list.
He still needs to get better at winning his one-on-one battles (he loves to drift away from his opponent, ala Matthew Scarlett), but it has been something he has clearly worked on throughout the year. He will be very good for the Saints – we currently have no other full-back apart for Dawson, and if the talk is true that he wants to move to Fremantle, we may need Talia to step up sooner than he may be ready – this is the extent which we need a developing key defender on our list. Stoked I was still able to get him with this pick.
#38 HAWTHORN: TOM SHERIDAN
Summary to come…
#39 WESTERN BULLDOGS: JORDAN LOCKYER
Height: 191cm, Weight: 85kg, DOB: 15/06/1993
Recruited from: West Perth FC
With an aging backline (Lake, Hargrave and Morris) and with injuries, to the aforementioned three, ravaging the club last season, it was no secret that a KPD was going to be looked at in this draft. And we are absolutely wrapped to be picking up Jordan with pick #39.
Although Lockyer is a little undersized as a KPD, his determination, attack at the football and physical presence more than makes up for any height conceded. Ideally I’d like to see Lockyer develop into a 3rd tall defender for the Doggies, but Jordan also has the versatility to swing forward. This will afford the Bulldogs, in future seasons, the luxury of exploiting match ups or an ability to curtail top heavy sides.
Jordan has decent skill levels for a player of his size and I wouldn’t be shocked to see him playing a handful of games in 2012
#40 NORTH MELBOURNE: BRODY MIHOCEK
191cms, 86kgs.
Mihocek can play at both ends of the ground and is a strong marking player who made the All Australian squad at U18 championships. He’s pacy and a powerful kick of the footy. Can play tall or small.
In defense he loves the one on one contest and often out marks his opponent or wins the footy when it hits ground level. He’s also capable of going forward as a second or third tall, where he usually has an impact due to his appetite for the contest and quality disposal.
He’s not tall enough to mix it with the big boys of the AFL as yet so he will start his AFL career as a third tall/utility player before moving into a more key position role down the track.
#41 ADELAIDE: TOM DOWNIE
205cm, 95kg. North Ballarat Rebels.
Crows have delisted or traded their entire ruck contingent over the past 2 years – Griffin, Moran, Maric, Craig. Jacobs fortunately has been a terrific recruit, Jenkins has joined also but he’s not ready. Downie won’t be ready for a while either – this ex u17 Australian basketball representative has only played the 2 TAC games for the Rebels, but he’s absolutely gifted with natural ability, is a giant of a boy and has all the attributes needed to develop into a first class ruckman one day. I’ll select him here, and predict in the real draft he’ll be picked in this round also with several teams here needing rucks.
#42 ST KILDA: JACKSON MERRETT
Height: 187cm, Weight: 70kg, DOB: 27.2.93
Recruited from: Geelong Falcons
Merrett answers another big need for the Saints – outside speed – as well as fitting under the ‘best available’ umbrella for this selection. If we are going to draft any midfielders early in this draft, the main two qualities we will chase is speed and ball use – two of Merrett’s bigger assets (we already have Steven, Armo and Ledger as decent inside mids under 23). He is still very slight at 70kgs, and has improved his inside game through 2011, however is still very much an outside player, capable of making pretty decent decisions whilst going inside-50.
He is one of the key carers for his Mum, who is suffering from MS, which hasn’t allowed him nearly as much time around the footy club as some of his teammates. He is a good kid, and with a proper AFL development system around him we should be able to see a decent amount of improvement from Jackson over his first couple of seasons.
#43 SYDNEY: TOM CURRAN
195cm, 86kg. Oakleigh Chargers
Really rate this kid and he is a super size for a key position player. Certainly has the physical want to hit a contest, strong hands, lovely kick. Also Did Pretty Well at the Combine for a Big Fella So the Swans would Be Excited With the Prospect of Picking him Up at A Cheap Price
#44 CARLTON: ALEX WOODWARD
After taking a tall in the first round, really needed to gain an inside midfielder. Not the tallest player, so that is a little disappointing. Good hands in close and wins the clearance. Was good delivering the ball into the 50m, forces players to lead to where he wants. Captain, so shows leadership qualities and is a typical in and under player.
His kicking is not wonderful when kicking with some heat and his height is not the best. He is also does not have the best ability to create spread from a contest, but that is something you can teach I think, especially from all reports this kid likes to learn.
#45 PORT ADELAIDE: CAMERON ELLIS-YOLMEN
191cm, 88kg.
Following on the hyphen theme that started with Hoskin-Elliot, Ellis-Yolmen is a 191cm 88kg big bodied clearance machine. With Ports midfield lacking in size Ellis-Yolmen will hopefully fill that role and potentially turn into a Josh Kennedy style ram-rod clearance winner to release some resposibility from the likes of Boak and allow them to run free. The fact that he is a SA local lifted him above a few other candidates that we considered for this pick.
#46 ADELAIDE: HENRY SCHADE
Pick 46 – Crows – Henry Schade
196 cm, 80 kg. North Hobart.
After the loss of Phil Davis to GWS, and Bock to GC last year, it will come as no surprise to see the Crows draft a key defender this year, despite Luke Thompson and Talia still developing.
Schade is a lanky defender who has a great left foot, reads the play really well and has good closing speed. Needs to hit the protein powder over summer. Feels strange to be replacing someone on our list who looks like he can play in Will Young, with a speculative pick like this, but Young’s been ruined by injury – plus he may end up on the rookie list. So welcome aboard Hank.
#47 BRISBANE: CALLUM SINCLAIR
A tall forward/mobile ruck potentially fills two future needs at the lions. Brown only has a few years left and if retzlaf or Cornelius don’t take huge leaps in those years, we.are.in.trouble. Gives leuy a long term backup and a centre half forward when we get Tippett next year with free agency.
#48 GEELONG: MURRAY NEWMAN (MIDFIELDER/FORWARD)
Height: 179cm, Weight: 67kg, DOB: 18/11/1993
Recruited from: Swan Districts
I was going to use this selection on a KPD, but Murray Newman being around so late in the draft is very difficult to say no too. The decision was made easier with three of my favourite tall defenders (Mihocek, Curran and Schade) all being taken within the last ten picks. I’m still quite confident there will be KPD’s available that I rate high enough to use either of the last two live selections on.
Geelong have an abundance of midfield/small forwards including Chapman, Stokes, Varcoe, Byrnes, Christensen, Motlop and Schroder, so it obviously isn’t a depleted area of the list. But Murray Newman is a jet who in my opinion will become a line breaking midfielder after starting his career as a small forward and you can’t have too many of that particular type. His disposal is immaculate and he seems to make good decisions a lot of the time. He is the type of guy who only needs to touch the footy 15-20 times to have a major impact on the game. But in saying that, he is capable of racking up big numbers and averaged 20 possessions a game in the Champsionships.
The knock is probably his size, which is unfair considering that at 179cm there are numerous elite contributors running around in the AFL with the same height or lower. He will take a few seasons to develop his light frame but he did play senior footy most of the year for Swan Districts after playing only the one Colts game early and completely tearing it up with 6 goals plus a stack of possessions. So there is a chance he could play AFL senior football earlier than expected.
I expect one of the WA clubs to snatch him up somewhere in the twenties. I would be very excited if he was still around at this point on November 24th.
#49 WESTERN BULLDOGS: BRAD HILL
Height: 180cm, Weight: 60kg, DOB: 09/07/1993
Recruited from: West Perth
Really a project player that will take a while to develop. To be honest, he is probably someone you would pick up as a rookie, but given Brad’s combine results, it is unlikely the Dogs would get a sniff.
Brother to Stephen, and similar to when his brother was drafted, he is all skin and bones with super speed and amazing endurance. Brad has good skills, not in the same league as his brother, but can hold his own. His inside game is improving and as he bulks up he will get more confidence. This pick was swayed basically on his combine results alone, here is a quick summary:
- Fastest 3km time trial: 9:52
- Record breaking beep test: 16.1
- Quickest over 5m
- 5th in 20m sprint
- 10th in 30m repeat sprint test
- 88th percentile for agility test
- 78th percentile for running vertical jump right foot
Although he won’t play senior for 3 years, given the results above, no matter how the game evolves in that time, he has the attributes to adapt. And because of this I’m willing to take a risk in a shallow draft year.
#50 COLLINGWOOD – MICHAEL BUSSEY (KPD/KPF)
Height: 196cm Weight: 81kg DOB: 05/07/1993
Recruited from: Eastern Ranges
Tall and athletic key position player who can play up forward, down back and even play minutes in the ruck if required, although I believe it is in defence where Bussey will be best suited at an AFL level. Likened to Ben Reid when he was first drafted.
Bussey has good pace and agility for a player of his size and covers the ground quite well, allowing him to push into the midfield/ruck at times. He is also quite strong below the knees for a player of his size. Has good ability in reading the play, making him suited to playing as a key position defender. Bussey has a strong mark overhead and on the lead, and perhaps could be used as a utility or the ‘Leigh Brown role’ (sorry Kristian) once developed.
While undersize and weight at the moment to be playing as a key position player immediately at AFL level, a few preseasons and some extra kg’s will boost his size and strength.
The major knocks against Bussey are his attitude and intensity. He can be inconsistent and has been knocked for his ‘lazy’ work ethic, but nonetheless Bussey is a talented player and at his best he is a very impressive. If Nathan Buckley and co. can push Bussey to work hard, then Collingwood can get the very best out of Michael Bussey who has the ability to become a high quality key defender at AFL level.
#51 PORT ADELAIDE: DYLAN ORVAL
192cm 81kg
A bit of a left field selection here taking Dylan Orval the tall forward from Oakleigh Chargers. Having missed the past year with an ACL, Orval has slid off most peoples radars and would be considered a massive risk. He has talent with a lovely long kick, a great leap and contested grab he would be considered a long term replacement for Shultz and could compliment Butcher nicely. His father Mark played 7 games for collingwood before his career was shot down by injury which is a worry however at this late a pick its worth the risk.
#52 MELBOURNE: MARLEY WILLIAMS (MID/FWD)
H: 181cms W: 85kgs DOB: 22/07/1993 Recruited from: Claremont
Was hoping Murray Newman might slip to this selection and was also considering Josh Tynan and Haiden Schloithe. However, am rapt to select Marley Williams who is a thumping kick of the footy and has a bit of the proverbial about him. As previously stated the loss of Scully has diminished our already struggling midfield and with a couple of preseasons under his belt “Bob” could become a more permanent fixture there if he works on his endurance. We see him mainly as a small forward in 2012, with his strong build, decent pace and passion for defensive pressure which will fill a gaping hole left on the list by Wonaeamirri and Maric’s (presence and subsequent) axings. Will be a bit of soul brother for Luke Tapscott and Dees fans should look forward to seeing both filling posts at either end of the ground and making cameo appearances in the centre in 2012.
#53 HAWTHORN: LUKE BRUEST (Rookie Upgrade)
#54 MELBOURNE: JORDAN KELLY (DEFENDER)
H: 191cms W: 81kgs DOB: 27/06/93 Recruited from: Dandenong Stingrays
We were hoping for another tall with this pick but with Bussey and Curran gone and the opportunity to pick up another project key forward as a rookie, we felt Jordan Kelly would be the best fit with an eye to the future. Rivers will probably be gone in the next 2-3 years, ditto Joel Macdonald, Warnock has already departed and James Strauss will take a while to recover from a horrific leg break. Jordan can fill a role as another versatile defender on our list, with good pace and skill he can play shutdown and rebounding roles from the backline. We will be hoping to develop him in a similar mould to Colin Garland.
#55 RICHMOND: BRETT O’HANLON
Height: 189cm; Weight: 82kg Recruited from: Stingrays DOB: 17/7/93
A highly desirable lead-up forward with vice-like hands who hits the pass with aplomb and is not only a fine left-footed goal kicker (when his radar is on – can be 0.5 or 5.0) but an excellent deliverer of the ball inside 50. Even another few cm wouldn’t, hopefully change this focus of O’Hanlon’s game.
Not at all skinny, but a couple of preseasons in the gym (not just for size, but for hardness) and some super-urgency to what looks a talented and gifted player should assist. Needs to kick through it a bit more and not caress, but a lovely action and can see him kicking bags when on. Potentially a very good AFL player, if it clicks.
Wouldn’t surprise to see him go earlier, and Richmond should be thrilled to secure him with probably its last pick of the ND. I am.
#56 GWS – KYAL HORSLEY
Height: 182cm Weight: 88kg DOB: 2/9/1987
Recruited from: Subiaco
It’s time for a mature body to come in and play round one. Kyal fits that bill to a tee, with his big size and consistent WAFL form that has seen him come 2nd in the Sandover medal in 2011. He averaged 24 disposals and 4 tackles in an outstanding season for Subiaco. He is clearly a class above, and he has a beautiful, raking left foot boot. He can play a variety of positions, but from what I’ve seen of him, a wing would suit him in an AFL team. His experience will help the GWS young midfield, and he’s still a young 24. He has lots of AFL games in him.
#57 WESTERN BULLDOGS: JOSH TYNAN
Height: 185cm, Weight: 76kg, DOB: 06/11/1993
Recruited from: Gippsland Power
Josh is a hard working defender who will always give 100%. He doesn’t shirk from a contest and is very good at winning the one on one battles. It is this competitive streak that will appeal to the new coach.
Josh reads the play very well, is a solid ball user and is very good overhead for his height. With the loss of Ward and Harbrow in recent years, and Gilbee and Murphy aging, I think there is a great opportunity to groom Josh into a solid reliable defender.
#58 FREMANTLE: HAIDEN SCHLOITHE
Height: 179cm, Weight: 72kg, DOB: 16/06/1993
Recruited from: South Fremantle Football Club
Classy small forward type who has a good nose for the uprights. Always seems to be dangerous when he has the ball in his, but also shows good forward pressure and good tackling ability when he doesn’t have it. was given the coaches choice for WAFL Colts players of the year and tallied an equal amount of votes to Brad Hill in the WAFL best and fairest (Colts).
Played mostly in the WAFL Colts and Reserves but did grab some senior games late in the year and wasn’t overwhelmed which tells me that he should be able to cope with the transition to AFL, and after a few years in an AFL level system I’m pretty confident he could, at least, be getting regular games
Was considering another mid for Freo here but I feel like they’ve got quite a few midfielders now (if you count Fyfe) and I’ve talked to quite a few Freo fans who aren’t satisfied with Mayne up forward but concede his forward pressure is necessary, so I figured Schloithe could be part of a long term plan to eventually succeed Mayne at that position.
#59 ESSENDON: STEWART CRAMERI (Rookie Upgrade)
#60 ST.KILDA: DANIEL CURRIE
Height: 200cm, Weight: 97kg, DOB: 15/02/1989
Recruited from: Sydney Swans
Currie will be the first ruckman I take in this draft. Unfortunately, I wasn’t willing to use #25 on a ruckman and I subsequently missed out on my next choice ruck over the next few picks. Therefore I am willing to pay slight overs for Currie. At the end of the day, the Saints need a potential 2nd ruckman NOW. Not in 3/4 years when our newly drafted tall finally develops. Therefore we were keen to go down the mature-aged path and draft Currie.
Currie has been on Sydney’s list for 5 years – a current AFL record for a player never to play a senior game. He missed out on chances early on due to injuries and the fact he was still developing. Then the past couple of years he has struggled to break into the seniors thanks to the form of Mumford, Pyke and to a lesser extent, Seaby. Now after five years of development, he finds himself in the draft. Despite being delisted by the Swans, there is no doubting Currie has some value for the Saints – he is still young but has a good size to play in the ruck or even up forward, providing good insurance for McEvoy, or even ruck as the 2nd big man if Watters so chooses. He is actually a very good tap ruckman and pretty decent around the ground too. He also has the ability to drop forward and kick some goals – a fantastic trait to have for a 2nd ruckman. Still has plenty of development potential, but also the ability to step in now if needed – a perfect choice for the Saints with where their list is at. I will then likely draft a younger project ruckman with an early rookie pick.
#61 SWANS: FLETCHER ROBERTS
Tall player who can play forward or ruck and possesses great skills.
Roberts would suit the Swans well because of his big frame.
Also, had 21 touches and kicked 4 final quarter goals in the TAC CUP Grand Final.
This will probably be a steal for the Swans after GWS showed interest.
Will go Well with the Reid, White, Walsh combo up forward.
#62 CARLTON: DYLAN BUCKLEY (F/S)
#63 WEST COAST: ASHTON HAMS (ROOKIE UPGRADE)
#64 ADELAIDE: GIBSON TURNER
Height: 180cm. Weight: 70kg
DOB: 22/7/93
Recruited from: Glenelg (and represented NT at u18 champs)
Gibson Turner’s a lightfooted forward pocket, who has that “elusiveness” which might see him succeed in the big time. Has good foot skills, is quick, and at times reminds me of Andrew Krakouer. The Crows lack this sort of x factor player up forward so I see him as a good fit, although in a rebuilding side the forward pocket often becomes a maligned position so will need to develop his wider game/defensive skills in the coming years.
In reality, Crows will pass on this pick for the PSD instead. unless there’s a slider they can’t resist. Turner is more likely to be rookie drafted, but I liked him at this stage from the choices left. Dan Currie was considered too but Saints nabbed him first and no other mature rucks interest me. Sam Jacobs will need to rely on Jenkins, a re-rookied Craig, young Tom Downie and the “makeshifts” for support in 2012. Turner can help spark the forwards over coming years.
#65 COLLINGWOOD: TOM SUNDBERG (MID/UTILITY)
Height: 183cm Weight: 84kg DOB: 22/12/1988
Recruited from: Collingwood VFL
Had an outstanding year in the Collingwood VFL side, which was capped off with the Joseph Wren Trophy for the Collingwood VFL best and fairest, despite only managing 13 games due to injury.
Sundberg is versatile player who is played predominantly as a midfielder, but can be swung up forward or down back if need be. Highly effective user of the ball, particualry on his left. Great ability to hit up targets.
Averages for the 2011 VFL season:
- 23.6 disposals
- 11.5 contested possessions
- 6.2 tackles
- 4.4 clearances
A mature age player who already has the size and experience to play at a senior level, and proved this season that he has the skills and class to play at an AFL level.
#66 GEELONG: NATHAN BLEE (DEFENDER)
Height: 192cm, Weight: 91kg, DOB: 07/09/1990
Recruited from: East Perth
The Cats select their third Western Australian for the draft (no, I’m not from WA and have no bias toward it) and get the KPD they require. I think it will be important to recruit a mature aged player as the only ready made back up to Scarlett, Taylor and Lonergan is Tom Gillies. Any injuries and the stocks are far too thin. Ryan Bathie and Josh Walker are promising KPD’s developing on the rookie list, but having to rely on them as alternatives to potential injuries isn’t an ideal situation. Having drafted All Australians Matthew Egan and Harry Taylor, Geelong has a proven and successful recent history of selecting mature aged KPD from the State Leagues, I can’t see Blee being an exception.
Blee has really shot up to prominence this year, so much so that this will be the first time he has ever nominated for the draft. Had he nominated previous years, I’m sure GWS would have pre-selected and traded him over to one of the WA clubs. I’ve only seen him a couple of times on TV via the Foxtel Cup, but he looked more than capable one on one and had good closing speed. There are doubts as to whether he is big enough to play KPD at AFL level, but there were similar doubts about Harry Taylor and Ben Stratton and we have all seen what they have been able to achieve. He has obviously impressed many by being invited to the Draft Combine and named in the WAFL Team of the Year. I consider him a certainty to get drafted, despite quite possibly being this late.
I almost went with Jarrod Dalton from Port Melbourne as the Cats were very interested last year. The issue with Dalton is that he turns 26 in January and Blee has an extra 4 and ¾ years on him. Those extra five seasons got him across the line.
#67 COLLINGWOOD: JOEL HOUGHTON
Height: 194cm Weight: 83kg DOB: 26/11/1991
Recruited from: Fremantle
Drafted pick #36 in the 2009 National Draft to Fremantle as a key position forward. Selected to play for the WA U/18 side in the 2009 national championship where he managed 10 goals from all 5 games. Has outstanding endurance for a player of his size, running 15.1 in the beep test at the WA state screening.
Houghton who turns 20 just after the national draft, didnt manage a game for Freo after two injury riddled years at the club. Has only managed 19 games over the past two years in the WAFL.
As mentioned Houghton has great endurance for a key position player, and has shown in the WAFL that he is a very skillful player who still needs time to develop. Still very undersized for a KPF (only 83kg and built like a rake), partly due to the fact he suffered a broken forearm this January, limiting his ability to ‘hit the gym’ and add some size.
Houghton is a very promising young KPF, who still needs another two or so years to develop and add size to become a strong KPF. He has the ability to play the roaming CHF role with his large tank, allowing him to push up the ground.
I’d be very happy to see Houghton land at Collingwood, and it is beyond me as to why he was delisted by Fremantle when they are in need of key forwards.
#68 ST KILDA: SAM GORDON
Height: 197cm, Weight: 87kg, DOB: 31/03/1993
Recruited from: Geelong Falcons
Gordon is a true full-forward, and just the type of player the Saints should have their sights set firmly on. We have recently delisted a number of key talls, however, with many of them only around 190-192 cm, it will be great to finally add a 195cm plus guy we can sit in the goalsquare all game. We have already recruited Haynes (192cm), who we plan to use up forward, so it will be great to add two forwards with plenty of potential to our list.
Gordon had somewhat of an inconsistent season, however has been playing for Geelong Grammar all year, meaning he simply hasn’t been training nearly as much of some of the other guys in the system. He has a good sized frame and looks capable of filling out quite well for a full-forward (Jon Brown size would be the aim, and the likely outcome). He didn’t get invited to the draft combine, which was a bit surprising, so we don’t really know how he rates as far as speed and agility, etc, however he has good pace of the mark and is pretty good physically in contests. He is also a very good competitor, which is a good sign for a late-ish pick. Pretty decent field kick too, which can easily travel 60 metres. One of his flaws is his set-shot kicking, having a pretty average year in front of the sticks. He also has very little exposed form, and what he did show was inconsistent, which in part could be attributed to the lack of time he spent in a professional AFL environment. That said, there is plenty of upside in this kid, so we are going to back in our newly opened youth academy to turn this boy into a star… or at least give it our best shot!
#69 BRISBANE: MITCH GOLBY (Rookie Upgrade)
#70 W.BULLDOGS: MATTHEW PANOS (Rookie Upgrade)
#71 FREMANTLE: ELLIOT YEO
Height: 188, Weight: 82kg, DOB: 01/10/1993
Recruited from: East Fremantle
Tall outside midfielder who tested incredibly well at the combine, finishing no.1 in vertical leap and agility. Has a good all around skill set and can make some pretty incredible kicks if he has enough time. This was more a value pick than a needs pick, I reckon this kid is a bit better than pick 71
#72 FREMANTLE: BRENDON AHCHEE
Height: 190, Weight: 83kg, DOB: 21/12/1993
Recruited from: South Fremantle
Forward who played a bit of ruck in the WAFL Colts because of his big leap, moves really well and has a great kick and is strong overhead. Won the South Freo (Colts) best and fairest on a team that, at times, included players like Shane Kersten and Myles Bolger so pretty stoked to grab him at 72 (was even considering him at 58). Will probably play at CHF but I would like to see him run the wings a bit for Freo. Really though he can play anwhere so I wouldn’t be that surprised if he ended up at CHB. Is one of the youngest players in the draft so there’s a lot of upside here
#73 W BULLDOGS: LUKE DAHLHAUS (Rookie Upgrade)
#74 NORTH MELBOURNE: LUKE DELANEY (Rookie upgrade)
#75 ST.KILDA: BEN BROWN
Height: 199cm, Weight: 89kg, DOB: 16/03/1993
Recruited from: Glenorchy
Ben Brown rounds out St.Kilda’s draft and we are very happy to snare the big guy this late. Brown is a ruckman, just as capable of playing forward. His big strength is his work below his knees, which is fantastic for a guy of his size. He is also a decent mark, has reasonable foot skills and a very good game sense and leadership ability. Still a bean-pole of a lad, so will need a few years in the gym before he is ready to go. He suffered for OP early in the year, which is a worry, and also a knee injury the year before which prevented him from being drafted in 2010. At his size, and limited form to go on, he is again very much a project player. The hope is that at least one of Gordon or Brown will develop into a decent player for the Saints.
#76 COLLINGWOOD: JARROD WITTS (NSW Scholarship)
#77 GEELONG: JACKSON COLEMAN (FWD/RUC)
Height: 196cm, Weight: 88kg, DOB: 18/12/1991
Recruited from: Sandringham Dragons
With the sub rule seemingly staying around for a while, the tall forward who can relieve in the ruck has now become a very important type. Especially with the loss of Ottens and some potential long term injury concerns with Nathan Vardy’s hip, it surely can’t hurt to have a development forward/ruck on the list.
While Jackson Coleman is a little older than your typical TAC Cup graduate, he has a heap of upside due to only recently deciding to give football a real crack. He is a gun cricketer who has actually represented Australia at U19 level. To have given up such a promising cricket career, he must think or has been told that he has plenty to offer an AFL club. He kicked 37 goals for the Dragons, which is a great result, although he did dine out on a lot of the lower teams (including 13 goals in two games against Bendigo). He is quite athletic and is very strong overhead. His rucking probably still needs quite a bit of work, but there appears to be scope for improvment.
There still appears to be plenty of talent left this late in the draft. I was actually split between players including Jack Crisp, Jack Frost, Jai Sheahan, Jack Newnes and Danny Butcher, who I would all happily draft. Perhaps this draft is a little deeper than everyone is making out?
#78 GWS: CALLUM WILSON
We tried to sure up our key position forward stocks here and decided to give de-listed West Coast player, Callum Wilson a second crack at the big smoke. He’s a full forward that is a bit too good for WAFL, but can’t get a game ahead of Darling, Kennedy and Lynch. We think Callum could play immediately to ease the pressure off Jon Patton.
#79 GOLD COAST: ALEX SEXTON (QLD Zone Selection)
#80 PORT ADELAIDE: LEON DAVIS (In Pre-season Draft)
#81 ADELAIDE: AIDAN RILEY (Rookie Upgrade)
#82 FREMANTLE: NICK LOWER (Rookie Upgrade)
#83 NORTH MELBOURNE: CAMERON PEDERSON (Rookie Upgrade)
#84 SYDNEY: XAVIER RICHARDS
Tall Forward Who is the Brother of Ted Richards If he Is Still around by 84 The Swans will Grab Him, Also a Hard Worker, Has a Decent Tank and In future Years will Develop into a Monster after he Puts a Few more KGS On.
#85 GEELONG: JED BEWS (Father/Son)
#86 GOLD COAST: JACKSON ALLEN (QLD Zone Selection)
#87 ADELAIDE: MATT WRIGHT (Rookie Upgrade)
#88 SYDNEY: NATHAN GORDON (Rookie Upgrade)
I had the pleasure to pick for GWS, and there a few 'out-there' picks it must be said, but fairly happy overall!
Here it is.....
#1 – GWS: DOM TYSON
Height: 186cm, Weight: 82kg, DOB: 08/06/1993
Recruited from: Oakleigh Chargers
Some might think this pick is a bit of a surprise, but as of right now I think Dom Tyson is the best player in this year’s draft. Dom possesses all the attributes that will make him a 15 year player in the AFL. I liken him to a young Simon Black or Scott Pendlebury. He plays as an inside midfielder, but don’t be fooled as he has an outstanding left foot kick. He doesn’t do anything amazing athletically, but he’s a pure footballer who uses his smarts and skills to work his through awkward situations.
#2 GWS: STEPHEN CONIGLIO
Height: 183cm, Weight: 79kg, DOB: 15/12/1993
Recruited from: Swan Districts Football Club
Coniglio has been dominating WAFL for a couple of years now, and his National Champs confirmed his status as a top two pick. He has pace, a high quality skill level and is a clearance machine. He also loves to kick a goal. He is the definition of a complete midfielder, who along with Scully, Tyson, Ward and Shiel, will prove to be a dominant force as a midfield for Greater Western Sydney.
#3 GWS: JONATHON PATTON
Height: 197cm, Weight: 95kg, DOB: 20/05/1993
Recruited from: Eastern Ranges
GWS now have a centre half forward for the next ten years. Patton plays in the mould of his namesake in Jonathon Brown. He’s a monster of a lad who is an incredible mark and great kick for goal. He has courage, crashes packs and leads well. He will play next year and impress.
#4 GWS: CHAD WINGARD
Height: 181cm, Weight: 73kg, DOB: 29/07/1993
Recruited from: Sturt
The best player out of South Australia and this pick is a ‘no-brainer’. Another left footed midfielder who has elite skills. He can play both inside and outside, is quick and does have a great leap on him. The GWS midfield is starting to look really scary now.
#5 GWS: BILLY LONGER
Height: 202cm, Weight: 95kg, DOB: 12/05/1993
Recruited from: Northern Knights
Very tough pick this one, but we could not take the risk of potentially letting the best ruckman in the draft go to another club. There was another player in mind, who I actually rate higher than Longer, but we hope he’ll be there at pick 7. Having said that, we would’ve taken Longer at pick 7, so hopefully it works out. Longer is clearly the standout ruck in the draft. Stands tall, great leader and likes to push forward and have an impact. Dominates hitouts, but around the ground he needs a little more work. Kicking can be suspect and endurance will have to be worked on. He’ll have time to be developed as we have Giles and Brogan, and hope to snaffle a mature age ruckman later in the draft.
#6 PORT ADELAIDE: WILL HOSKIN-ELLIOT
Height: 182cm, Weight: 73kg, DOB: 02/09/1993
Recruited from: Western Jets
Plenty of impressive highlights filled with run, carry, grabs and goals. Long kicking and exciting. Something to try and help bring fans through the gate as Port builds an excitment machine in the midfield with Gray and Boak in the middle with Hartlett and Hoskin on the wings. Could become a superstar in the Goddard mould however could also become the next Cale Morton. Exeptional draft camp testing however gets him the nod. Welcome to Port Will Two-Dads.
#7 GWS: ELLIOT KAVANAGH
Height: 187cm, Weight: 78kg, DOB: 19/05/1993
Recruited from: Western Jets
Greater Western Sydney are rapt to see Elliot at pick #7. It was between Kavanagh and Longer at pick 5, but we thought it would be more likely that Port Adelaide would snatch the ruckman from us. Elliot has the potential to be the best player in the draft. He missed the National Champs through injury and has missed quite a bit of footy, but we’re more than happy to take the punt here as he has plenty of time to overcome those hiccups. Kavanagh is just such a smooth mover, has elite skills, makes good decisions and can find the pill. He also is a very nice size as well. The Giants could not be happier right now.
#8 BRISBANE: MATTHEW BUNTINE
Height: 188cm, Weight: 83kg, DOB: 19/10/1993
Recruited from: Dandenong Stingrays
Buntine is a great size for playing senior this year. Will add another gem to the future lions midfield gold. See if he can stay injury free. Vossy will probably start him at half-back to grow into the pace of the game. Especially when he will want to give Polec and Bartlett and Banfield midfield time. Great inside/outside player to add to the engine room.
#9 GWS: TAYLOR ADAMS
Height: 181cm, Weight: 80kg, DOB: 20/09/1993
Recruited from: Geelong Falcons
Greater Western Sydney continue to add to their midfield depth, this time welcoming Taylor Adams. Adams is a pure inside midfielder who possesses great speed, awesome awareness in traffic and a good set of hands. Taylor is a great kid who we see as being a leader of our club one day.
#10 GWS: SAM DOCHERTY
Height: 183cm, Weight: 83kg, DOB: 7/10/93 Recruited from: Gippsland Power
Some may think this is a bit of a stretch, but we feel currently we lack some quality running defenders. Sam possesses one of, if not the best kicks in this draft, and foot skills are something value quite highly. Sam will play immediately out of a back pocket or half back flank and give us outstanding run from defence as well as shutting down an opponent.
#11 GWS: LIAM SUMNER
Height: 182cm, Weight: 70kg, DOB: 16/08/1993
Recruited from: Sandringham Dragons
It was a nervous decision to let Liam slip this late, but we got our man. One of our favourites in this draft and have kept a close eye on him all season. We see Liam playing immediately, probably starting as a half-forward in a role in which he is very good at. Liam will eventually become an outside midfielder, but for now we’ll let him develop. Sumner is someone who we see developing in the Dale Thomas mould, with a very skill level, exciting game style and great tackling game.
#12 BRISBANE: ADAM TOMLINSON
Height: 194cm, Weight: 90kg, DOB: 10/08/1993
Recruited from: Oakleigh Chargers
With the Key defending stakes at an all time low, Brisbane cannot afford to loose Daniel Merrett for an extended stint. Adam would fill the gaping hole in CHB for Brisbane, but also ensure a quality succession for ol’ ROG. Great strength and size. A really tough choice between him and Talia – but his skills give him the edge.
#13 GWS: ALEX FORSTER
Height: 189cm, Weight: 81kg, DOB: 14/07/1993
Recruited from: Norwood
Alex Forster was the only player in consideration for this pick. He is a medium back that can run through the midfield. He performs great stopping roles, but will also prove to be a devastating rebounding player for us in the future. He is a beautiful disposer either side of the boot, which continues on with our focus on foot skills with our draftees. We think Forster and Docherty will be a force to be reckoned with off our half back line for a long time.
#14 GWS: JULIAN DOBOSZ
Height: 193cm, Weight: 85kg, DOB: 17/11/1992
Recruited from: North Hobart
We’ve been fairly safe so far, so it’s time for a bit of a gamble. Dobosz has been a goal kicking machine down in Tasmania and in the U/18 National Champs. He is a genuine full forward with great speed and a great reader of the play. Julian will take a bit of development, but we see a genuine future for he and Patton in our forward line down the track.
# 15 RICHMOND – MITCH GRIGG
Height: 183cm Weight: 85kgs DOB: 2/1/1993 Recruited from: Norwood
Yes, I know the knocks on Mitch. Not quick (3.19 in the 20m), didn’t dazzle for Norwood firsts and will be 19 in 8 weeks time. Some vague and unverified attitude rumours, which is hardly uncommon for an 18 year old gun footy player.
In his favour was a fantastic Champs (SA’s MVP), regularly blitzed for the Norwood Magoos, an innate ability to find it through excellent positioning and bodywork, an elite kick > 50m (sometimes needs to drop his eyes a bit), slippery in close, likes to tackle, a fine size (Hardwick wants some mass in his draftees, and Mitch gives him that) and a beep test above 15 – indicative of a big tank. Needs to work harder off the ball, but that’s probably the discipline of AFL and given his beep, he surely can.
Touted by many mid-year as a likely Top 5, he has been criticised at length since with some thinking his ceiling is low and sledging a modest impact with the Redlegs senior side. I think his ability to get where the ball is, and deliver wonderfully more than overcomes his pace issues. Geelong isn’t a very fast side across the ground, but they look it because of their exquisite ability to win and distribute the ball excellently. Give it to Mitch and he’ll evade a tackler then put it on the breast of a the best positioned forward 55m away.
At 15 he is already a slider and I thought the Crows would have taken him if they hadn’t traded #10 to GWS.
He POSSIBLY could have been there at 26, yes. I doubt it though with Essendon and Freo sure to be hot for this sort of player. Best to get him here, be sure of filling a need and getting a real game-breaker. Others I like are either gone, sub-ideal disposal (Greene) or principally flankers (we have a surplus of them). Happy to pick him at 15, in a shallow draft, and look forward to him teaming with Cotch, Dusty, Foley, Deledio et al for years to come.
If he plays early, an excellent SC option.
#16 FREMANTLE – TOBY GREENE
Height: 180cm Weight: 78kg DOB: 15/09/1993. Recruited from: Oakleigh Chargers
Tough, inside midfielder with a huge tank. Racks up possessions but is not just an accumulator, often winning clearances and displaying the footy smarts to make good decisions by hand and then keep moving without the ball to put himself in better position for the next play, and has shown the ability to run forward and put points on the board.
As mentioned by Mr Guts, Greene does possess “sub ideal disposal” by foot but is an excellent user by hand, and when he does have to kick it he just sticks to the basics and doesn’t try to do too much, so he rarely makes terrible decisions. I think this will make him a good pick for Freo, as he has plenty of good outside ball users to handball to and gives them a bit of depth is Mundy or Barlow are lost for long stretches of time (like last year)
I liken him a lot to players like Priddis, Swallow and Joel Selwood and I think his hard attack at the ball and tough-as-nails approach to the game (does enjoy the odd onfield scrap) is something Freo really needs, as I do think they lack a bit of toughness overall (sorry Freo fans)
He’s also a good perseverance story, basically worked his ass off to get where he is so considering how much Freo fans love Barlow and his backstory i’m sure the Freo faithful will welcome this guy with open arms
#17 WESTERN BULLDOGS: BRAD McKENZIE
Height: 188cm, Weight: 75kg, DOB: 29/05/1993
Recruited from: Sturt, SA
With Cooney, Boyd and Cross the current inside mid engine room of the Dogs and with Libba /Wallis the future, I believe the need for the Doggies was a quality outside player.
With McKenzie being available at pick 17, he was just too good to pass up. Brad is a quality ball user with a lethal long accurate left foot, I can see him playing wing / flank for many seasons to come delivering 60+ meter passes to the likes of Jones, Grant or Panos inside the forward 50.
Brad has really good hands at stoppages thus has the ability to rotate through the midfield if required. He can also push forward and loves to kick the long goal. But the real attraction to Brad is his ability to break lines and this will perfectly compliment Griffen in the break, spread, carry and penetrate needs of the modern game. Something I felt was missing last year…
#18 NORTH MELBOURNE – BRANDON ELLIS
Height-182cm, Weight-83kg, DOB 3/8/93
Recruited from- Calder Cannons
North are crying out for an elite half back player and it was a toss up between Ellis & McKenzie. The choice was made for me with Western Bulldog’s taking McKenzie at pick 17, so Let’s take a look at what Ellis offers North Melbourne.
Ellis is a tough and skillful medium-sized defender, who had a a standout NAB AFL Under-18 Championships with Vic Metro where he averaged 18.2 disposals at 75.8% effectiveness. This saw him named in the All-Australian Under-18 team.
His NAB AFL Draft Combine results were very good. His standing vertical jump of 70cm put him in the top 11 per cent of those tested, and his running vertical jump (83cm) rocketed him into the top 4 per cent. He ran 3.05 seconds over 20m, 8.14 seconds for the agility test, and scored 15.4 in the shuttle run, placing him in the top 4 per cent.
He’s efficient with his ball use, and courageous when a ball needs to be won. He’s also a playmaker, equally as capable shutting down a dangerous opponent as setting up attack. But best of all he’s strong enough to jump straight into AFL footy.
#19 ESSENDON – SEB ROSS
A bit of a romance selection being the cousin of Jobe, but with that aside Ross is exactly the type of player Essendon need. Hard working inside/outside midfielder who wins the ball averaging 25 possessions a game for the Rebels in the TAC cup.
Likely to start out off half back as a link up man or as a hard working half forward before transitioning to the midfield. A great size at 187cm, and a lovely kick of the ball. Will need to work on his Endurance, and will really benefit from being in and AFL environment. Happy with this selection.
#20 FREMANTLE: JACKSON PAINE
Height: 194cm, Weight: 87kg, DOB: 21/06/1993, Recruited from: Sandringham Dragons
I thought he would go a lot earlier than this so I feel compelled to take him. Key forward with good straight line speed for getting out on the lead, decent leaping ability and has also has gotten into the habit of marking the ball at it’s highest point, highly desirable. He also positions himself well in marking contests and is strong overhead
Possesses a superior work rate and has pushed into the midfield for stretches and is a surprisingly good user by foot (sounds a bit like Mr Pavlich no?). He also played well in the U18′s playing second fiddle to Jon Patton so playing a similar role with Pav in the forward line could be a good way to start his development.
#21 SYDNEY: TOM MITCHELL (Father-Son)
Tom is a courageous and smart footy player who has a great left foot kick. He reads the play well and can tackle hard. He will be a great replacement for an ageing Jude Bolton. The Swans will be stoked with him and he will likely even be a future captain.
#22 CARLTON: FRASER McINNES
CHB/CHF WA
This was a tough call, I really wanted an inside midfielder, but two players dropped down to this pick. He is a tall key position player very athletic and showed in the WAFL he has a good football brain. Like Henderson, can play back and forward. I rate him higher than virtually all the talls taken before him and Happy to jump at this player.
#23 WEST COAST: HAYDEN CROZIER
Height: 184cm, Weight: 68kg, DOB: 24/12/1993
Picking Crozier is no doubt a risk, though one with potentially huge rewards. Hayden has an abundance of skill and athleticism and the ability to do the absurd in a manner that not many players can. He is an electric half-forward type who will hopefully develop the engine to run the wings and give West Coast the X-factor they currently lack (Natainui aside) in the future.
The big knock on Crozier is his tendency to float in and out of games and perhaps not offer a consistent work-rate; despite this, I think at this pick the potential reward outweighs the risk. Quite simply this is a gamble, Crozier could be anything, and that includes an epic flop, but the Eagles have a well balanced list at the moment with plenty of young players and can afford to take the punt.
#24 GOLD COAST: DEVON SMITH
Height: 175cm, Weight: 73kg, DOB: 20/05/1993 (Geelong Falcons)
Gold Coast were in the need of a more defensive forward and in my opinion Devon Smith is the the best available option. He is a strong tackler, with good defensive pressure. Smith is a Fantastic Midfielder/Forward.
He is not big in stature, at 175cm. However he is very quick and agile with great endurance and has a Strong overhead mark for size.
Can rack up the possessions while kicking plenty of goals. As seen In round two, of the U18 Championships where he kicked six goals amongst his 27 disposals.
He is a ready made Small forward that will fit right into Gold Coasts best 22. Smith is an exciting midfielder/forward which can Burst from the packs which often beats his opponent. In a few years he could be as good as Gary Ablett Jnr.
#25 ST.KILDA: DANIEL MARKWORTH
Height: 189cm, Weight: 78kg, DOB: 03/04/1992
Recruited from: Calder Cannons
My intentions were always to take a tall forward with this pick, but the few I had my eye on for this pick have already been snaffled up. Instead I will get more talls later with some of my three 2nd round picks.
Markworth is another ‘project’ player in this draft, but has shown us the right attributes to make us think he will make it. His pace is sensational, especially off the mark – a trait we are craving at St.Kilda. He also has a decent kick on him with good accuracy and penetration. He has only been in the system for four years, so there is plenty of potential there, and he has continued to get better and better with each season.
Drafting Markworth could really kill two birds with one stone for the Saints – he has the ability to either play on a HFF, or as an inside midfielder – two positions which the Saints are lacking in. Hence, he could be groomed for either pretty easily.
Whilst he has a long way to go before playing seniors, I am going to back in our new youth development program, as well as the fact he has a good head on his shoulders (studying biomedicine after a very high VCE score) and seems determined to succeed. Has all the right attributes to make it as a footballer, and if he continues the same progression over the coming years, could well be one of the best selections in this draft.
#26 RICHMOND: TODD ELTON
Height: 197cm, Weight: 90kg, DOB: 29/04/1993
Recruited from: Dandenong Stingrays
Brad Miller is getting games at Richmond. The emergence of Vickery is great, but few would regard him as principally a long term forward as we have hopes he will end up as almost our first ruck. Ben Griffiths hasn’t done much even when his shoulders allow him to get on the park, although as ever with us Tigers, hope springs eternal. We have to plan for the possibility that inside a year or 2 Jack could again be our only pure tall fwd.
JR8 is obviously fantastic when fit, but he does, has and will struggle to kick us a winning score every week when he attracts the attention of multiple defenders as he did in 2011. I also think Hardwick would like to play him further out from the square.
Which brings us to Todd Elton. An excellent size, though talk of him being a ruckman as well as a key forward is a little fanciful. Fine hands, very good below the waist and enjoys the contest, he should enable Richmond to enter 2012 trade week, draft and free agency focused solely on a premium mid or back ala Goddard.
Hasn’t dominated consistently at his current level, but he has the tools, including a fine kick, and is apparently a quality individual – something I know helped Conca get to Tigerland last year. I pick him in the rational hope, rather than absolute expectation, that he will evolve into a fine, if not sensational, key forward at AFL level, and not just be the next Adam Pattison (whom I loved, but ultimately just wasn’t good enough).
#27 ADELAIDE: SHANE KERSTEN
Height: 191cm, Weight: 91kg, DOB: 15/03/1993
Recruited from: South Fremantle
Shane Kersten is good ol’ fashioned full forward. He is a superb mark with a brilliant set of hands. Has a natural ability to find the goals from anywhere and is well balanced, confident and accurate with the set shot, even from outside 50. Finished the season with 24 goals in his last 5 games. There’s quite a bit of Fevola about the way he plays if you’re looking for an AFL comparison.
However, his height is the obvious concern. While he can dominate at junior level, there’s a risk he’ll struggle at AFL, but (and i say this tongue firmly in cheek), remember Tony Modra?!
Interestingly, Gold Coast threw everything at us for pick 24 as they tried to move up the draft, giving us pick 27, 31 (traded for Josh Jenkins) and 68.
This has cost us Todd Elton today. So hopefully Kersten makes the grade…
#28 – WEST COAST– ZYRUS (WAYLEN) MANSON
Height: 195cm, Weight: 84kg, DOB: 24/04/1993
If picking Crozier was a bit of a punt then picking Manson is like putting a month’s pay on a number at the roulette table; more likely than not you’re going to get nothing, but if you win you’re the richest man in the house.
Manson is quite possibly the most talented player in this draft, he can do absolutely anything and is certainly capable of turning a game off his own boot. He really burst onto the scene when Claremont finally coaxed him down from the Kimberly to play and had 30 touches, 12 goals, and 9 behinds in his only two colts games this year. On the other hand there is a huge go-home factor, (which is why it is almost certain an eastern states club will not take him) even from Perth, as evidenced by the struggle Claremont had to get him down to play. Furthermore, as he has foregone the traditional pathways he has very little experience in a highly disciplined team environment, and his ability to adapt to team structures is largely unknown. The obvious AFL comparison is Liam Jurrah, and Manson has the potential to be even better than that, it all depends on how well he adapts to life at an AFL club.
As far as the West Coast perspective goes, I was much more reluctant to take Manson after taking another risk with Crozier at pick 23. However, as I mentioned earlier, I think the eagles can afford the risk with where their list is at and that logic still holds with Manson (though somewhat more tenuously). Given Josh Kennedy’s relative youth the eagles can afford to have a go with Manson and still have time to draft another young KPF in a couple of years time if he doesn’t work out.
#29 FREMANTLE: SAM FROST
Height: 194cm, Weight: 87kg, DOB: 28/08/1993, Recruited from: Sandringham Dragons
Key position player, able to play forward and back, although I think he’s more suited to playing in defence for at least the beginning of his career. An AIS graduate, formerly played volleyball and basketball and is incredibly quick for a guy his size. Got injured in the TAC cup grand final and couldn’t participate in the Combine so there aren’t any numbers on his speed and jumping ability but any highlights video of this kid will show you that he’s got some dash, and the boy gots hops.
As I said, very athletic and uses that athleticism to beat his man, often backing himself to either outjump his opponent in the air or just run around him at ground level. He is very inconsistent however, and has an ordinary kick on him. I think the consistency can be ironed out once he gets to the afl, and hopefully he can get some consitency in his kicking as well but i’m a little less optimistic about that. Ultimately tho I reckon he’d excel on the larger Subiaco/Pattersons oval and his speed and run and carry out of defence could be a very handy weapon for Freo
#30 BRISBANE: CLAY SMITH
With the tall stocks looking average by now the shock slider so far has to be smith. Played with crouch all year and dominated together. Left footer who is dripping with leadership. Can play inside or out, but looks best when in the middle of a pack. Picked in the all Australian squad, and was touted as a mid 1st round pick. So the lions are delighted to pick him up to join the young brigade.
#31 ESSENDON: SHANE NELSON
We were absolutely stoked to see Shane Nelson still available at our 2nd selection. Along with Devon Smith, he was strongly considered at pick 19, where we very nearly pulled the trigger before deciding on a bigger bodied player in Sebastian Ross.
Nelson is a super competitive; ball winning midfielder that had a terrific under 18’s carnival averaging 22 disposals representing WA.
An ultra-reliable player that mixes a strong inside game, with hard running link up work to regularly rack up huge possession counts.
Nelson has a real ability to win the clearance. He attack’s contest hard, slips out of tackles and uses quick hands to feed the ball out to a team mate. He has a high hurt factor, always looking to move the ball forward into a dangerous area.
Nelson compliments his clearance work with a huge work ethic and real speed (2.83secs/ 20m) to break the lines. He pushes hard across the ground providing a link up option, and gets forward to kick goals. Is a strong mark for someone his size, and a solid kick on both sides of the body. A really solid player with no stand out weakness in his game.
Will likely start out playing predominantly as an outside midfielder before moving into the middle with added body size. Capped off a strong year with an impressive showing at the Draft combine where he equalled the record score in the kicking test (29/30), finished 3rdin the 20m sprint and 10th in the agility run (8.13secs). We think Nelson is a great addition to our developing midfield group.
#32 GEELONG: MYLES BOLGER
Height: 201cm, Weight: 90kg, DOB: 25/03/1993
Recruited from: South Fremantle Football Club
Wells & co would be absolutely stoked with this result. Not only have the Cats selected best available, but in the process they’ve managed to fill a large hole in the list due to the recent retirement of Brad Ottens. At this point in time, Geelong only have three ruckman on it’s list (West, Simpson & Vardy) and only one listed player taller than 198cm (Dawson Simpson). Add to this the apparent serious hip injury to Nathan Vardy and all of a sudden the ruck stocks aren’t anywhere is as plentiful as 1-2 months ago. So there was never a doubt as to whether a ruckman would be selected, it was more the question “who and where?”. There is actually room for a second ruck on the list, but that will depend whether the right ruck, at the right price, is available later in the draft.
Myles Bolger is a very well rounded ruckman. He has great skills, is a strong mark around the ground and has all the attributes to be able to have an impact resting forward. But his real strength is his tapwork, which I’m happy to describe as elite. He has an amazing knack of hitting the ball into areas that create space for his midfielders. It takes a very smart footballer to be able to read a ruck contest and its surrounds and then finish it off with precision tap work. He pulls it off regularly.
The only issue is that he has missed a bit of footy due to a foot injury. Never a good sign seeing a teenage ruckman with ongoing feet problems, but I’m willing to risk it due to the potential high reward on offer. I rank him in the top 15 of this draft and I’m fairly confident he won’t get to Geelong in the real draft unfortunately.
#33 HAWTHORN: ANDREW BOSELEY
Height: 194cm, Weight: 80kg, DOB: 4.9.92
Recruited from: Geelong Falcons
With the suprising departure of Renouf, a ruckman is a priority for the Hawks but we believe the young talent is thin in the ruck category and we have a couple of options up our sleeve later in the draft for a mature age ruckman.
However, we are realistic and the opportunity to select Andrew Boseley was too good to ignore. Boseley is a key defender and has been likened to Dustin Fletcher with his closing speed and ability to make up ground to get in the prime position to spoil his opponent. He is also in the Ben Reid mould in that he loves taking marks from opposition kicks and thrives in the 1:1 contest. He also has incredible closing speed for a player of his height.
Boseley showed terrific form as a 19yo for the Geelong Falcons in 2011, which saw him earn selection in defence in the TAC Cup Team of the Year. He ranked equal first in rebound 50′s for the Falcons and ranked 4th overall for marks from opposition kicks.
The Hawks were cruelled by injury to their key defenders in Stratton and Gilham in 2011, and by adding Boseley to their list, gives the defence added depth and allows Roughead to stay forward and combine with Franklin to form a formidable forward line with Rioli. Gibson had a standout 2011, but we cannot bank on another season like this one so Boseley will add poise and class to a Hawks defence ready to compete in 2012
#34 GEELONG: SAM KERRIDGE
Height: 188cm, Weight: 84kg, DOB: 26/04/1993
Recruited from: Bendigo Pioneers/Bendigo Bombers
Geelong go the Stephen Wells prototype 6 foot plus athletic midfielder. With the retirement of Ling and Joel Corey not getting any younger, the Mildura teenager will be a welcome addition. He will eventually develop into a big bodied clearance specialist. I could have quite easily gone a KPD here, but with what is left, I’m confident there will be something of similar talent later that I rate. There was one KPD in particular that I almost went with, but hopefully he slips.
Sam Kerridge is one of my favourites. He is a tall, athletic midfielder who has a great mix of endurance and pace. He is also very good overhead and has the flexibility to push forward, take big marks and kick multiple goals. He averaged just under 24 touches a game for the Bendigo Pioneers (who he captained) and was extremely unlucky not to play a game for Vic Country throughout the Championships despite being in the squad. But it was his late season form that really made me take notice. He ended up playing a couple of games late for the Bendigo Bombers and performed so well that he earned a spot in the Elimination Final against the Bullants. On the big stage, he showed composure and proved that he could really stand up against the bigger bodies in a quality standard. It was an eye catching performance.
When I saw his Bendigo final, I was sure it would push him up towards a 1st round selection, but there still hasn’t been much talk. He has now gone on to have a great combine, especially showing off his great motor where he posted 10.02(min.sec) in the 3km trial and a 15.5 beep test. Yet he still seems to be underrated. There is a slight concern about his kicking but from I’ve seen, his technique is fine and I haven’t seen any evidence that he is a consistent Kane Tenace type shanker. Maybe his output is down played due to playing for the lowly Pioneers? Either way, I’m happy to back my judgement here as I believe he will be a ripper.
#35 ST.KILDA: NICK HAYNES
Height: 192cm, Weight: 78kg, DOB: 15.5.92
Recruited from: Dandenong Stingrays
Haynes is a tall, athletic forward, capable of pushing up through the middle. As I have mentioned before, the Saints will certainly be targeting some key forwards in this draft, and whilst Haynes doesn’t project as a tall key forward, his athleticism (he ran a 14.13 in the beep test at this year’s draft combine), height and fantastic marking strength overhead will all be great assets up forward. Think of him as a forward version of Sam Gilbert. Honestly, I simply couldn’t let him slip any further down the order – considered him very closely for my first pick, so stoked to see him land here.
Haynes is a little older than most of the other draftees and took some time off from football after a pretty significant elbow injury. He won the Dandenong Stingray’s B&F this year in a season that saw him poll in 10 of 13 games. He is still developing and certainly wouldn’t be as AFL ready as some other draftees, but he certainly possesses many of the right attributes to make him a very good project player. If our future forward line of Rhys Stanley, Arryn Siposs and Aamed Saad all develop as hoped, the addition of Haynes would certainly make it very exciting, possibly being able to take up CHF in a number of years if he can hit the gym enough and fill out his wirery frame.
#36 MELBOURNE: JOSH WALDHUNTER
Height: 184cms Weight: 83kgs DOB: 15.03.93
Recruited from: Central Districts
Position: Midfielder
Reason: Best Available
With the loss of Scully we really need to bolster our midfield stocks. Josh is the hard at, hard bodied midfielder we need. Hasn’t been the greatest accumulator at junior level but we see him as developing into a power midfielder because of his crazy attack on the ball and acceleration away from the stoppages. Similar to Patrick Dangerfield, Josh should compliment our midfield nicely, especially Jack Trengove with the two Croweaters set to become two of the most mispronounced and mis-spelt names in the competition. Waldhuter should be ready to go next year and a round 1 spot in the side is his to lose after Colin Sylvia’s internal suspension.
#37 ST.KILDA: MICHAEL TALIA
Height: 192cm, Weight: 87kg, DOB: 11.2.93
Recruited from: Calder Cannons
Talia, the brother of Adelaide’s Daniel, is probably the best pure full-back prospect from this year’s draft. His strength is his ability to read the play, always knowing when to spoil and when to attempt to outmark his opponent – something he is certainly not afraid to do. He is also quite good at rebounding the ball from defence, often taking the right options, however can sometimes be let down by his average foot skills – probably one of the bigger flaws in his game. Fortunately though, as a future full-back, foot-skills is not something I put at the top of my priority list.
He still needs to get better at winning his one-on-one battles (he loves to drift away from his opponent, ala Matthew Scarlett), but it has been something he has clearly worked on throughout the year. He will be very good for the Saints – we currently have no other full-back apart for Dawson, and if the talk is true that he wants to move to Fremantle, we may need Talia to step up sooner than he may be ready – this is the extent which we need a developing key defender on our list. Stoked I was still able to get him with this pick.
#38 HAWTHORN: TOM SHERIDAN
Summary to come…
#39 WESTERN BULLDOGS: JORDAN LOCKYER
Height: 191cm, Weight: 85kg, DOB: 15/06/1993
Recruited from: West Perth FC
With an aging backline (Lake, Hargrave and Morris) and with injuries, to the aforementioned three, ravaging the club last season, it was no secret that a KPD was going to be looked at in this draft. And we are absolutely wrapped to be picking up Jordan with pick #39.
Although Lockyer is a little undersized as a KPD, his determination, attack at the football and physical presence more than makes up for any height conceded. Ideally I’d like to see Lockyer develop into a 3rd tall defender for the Doggies, but Jordan also has the versatility to swing forward. This will afford the Bulldogs, in future seasons, the luxury of exploiting match ups or an ability to curtail top heavy sides.
Jordan has decent skill levels for a player of his size and I wouldn’t be shocked to see him playing a handful of games in 2012
#40 NORTH MELBOURNE: BRODY MIHOCEK
191cms, 86kgs.
Mihocek can play at both ends of the ground and is a strong marking player who made the All Australian squad at U18 championships. He’s pacy and a powerful kick of the footy. Can play tall or small.
In defense he loves the one on one contest and often out marks his opponent or wins the footy when it hits ground level. He’s also capable of going forward as a second or third tall, where he usually has an impact due to his appetite for the contest and quality disposal.
He’s not tall enough to mix it with the big boys of the AFL as yet so he will start his AFL career as a third tall/utility player before moving into a more key position role down the track.
#41 ADELAIDE: TOM DOWNIE
205cm, 95kg. North Ballarat Rebels.
Crows have delisted or traded their entire ruck contingent over the past 2 years – Griffin, Moran, Maric, Craig. Jacobs fortunately has been a terrific recruit, Jenkins has joined also but he’s not ready. Downie won’t be ready for a while either – this ex u17 Australian basketball representative has only played the 2 TAC games for the Rebels, but he’s absolutely gifted with natural ability, is a giant of a boy and has all the attributes needed to develop into a first class ruckman one day. I’ll select him here, and predict in the real draft he’ll be picked in this round also with several teams here needing rucks.
#42 ST KILDA: JACKSON MERRETT
Height: 187cm, Weight: 70kg, DOB: 27.2.93
Recruited from: Geelong Falcons
Merrett answers another big need for the Saints – outside speed – as well as fitting under the ‘best available’ umbrella for this selection. If we are going to draft any midfielders early in this draft, the main two qualities we will chase is speed and ball use – two of Merrett’s bigger assets (we already have Steven, Armo and Ledger as decent inside mids under 23). He is still very slight at 70kgs, and has improved his inside game through 2011, however is still very much an outside player, capable of making pretty decent decisions whilst going inside-50.
He is one of the key carers for his Mum, who is suffering from MS, which hasn’t allowed him nearly as much time around the footy club as some of his teammates. He is a good kid, and with a proper AFL development system around him we should be able to see a decent amount of improvement from Jackson over his first couple of seasons.
#43 SYDNEY: TOM CURRAN
195cm, 86kg. Oakleigh Chargers
Really rate this kid and he is a super size for a key position player. Certainly has the physical want to hit a contest, strong hands, lovely kick. Also Did Pretty Well at the Combine for a Big Fella So the Swans would Be Excited With the Prospect of Picking him Up at A Cheap Price
#44 CARLTON: ALEX WOODWARD
After taking a tall in the first round, really needed to gain an inside midfielder. Not the tallest player, so that is a little disappointing. Good hands in close and wins the clearance. Was good delivering the ball into the 50m, forces players to lead to where he wants. Captain, so shows leadership qualities and is a typical in and under player.
His kicking is not wonderful when kicking with some heat and his height is not the best. He is also does not have the best ability to create spread from a contest, but that is something you can teach I think, especially from all reports this kid likes to learn.
#45 PORT ADELAIDE: CAMERON ELLIS-YOLMEN
191cm, 88kg.
Following on the hyphen theme that started with Hoskin-Elliot, Ellis-Yolmen is a 191cm 88kg big bodied clearance machine. With Ports midfield lacking in size Ellis-Yolmen will hopefully fill that role and potentially turn into a Josh Kennedy style ram-rod clearance winner to release some resposibility from the likes of Boak and allow them to run free. The fact that he is a SA local lifted him above a few other candidates that we considered for this pick.
#46 ADELAIDE: HENRY SCHADE
Pick 46 – Crows – Henry Schade
196 cm, 80 kg. North Hobart.
After the loss of Phil Davis to GWS, and Bock to GC last year, it will come as no surprise to see the Crows draft a key defender this year, despite Luke Thompson and Talia still developing.
Schade is a lanky defender who has a great left foot, reads the play really well and has good closing speed. Needs to hit the protein powder over summer. Feels strange to be replacing someone on our list who looks like he can play in Will Young, with a speculative pick like this, but Young’s been ruined by injury – plus he may end up on the rookie list. So welcome aboard Hank.
#47 BRISBANE: CALLUM SINCLAIR
A tall forward/mobile ruck potentially fills two future needs at the lions. Brown only has a few years left and if retzlaf or Cornelius don’t take huge leaps in those years, we.are.in.trouble. Gives leuy a long term backup and a centre half forward when we get Tippett next year with free agency.
#48 GEELONG: MURRAY NEWMAN (MIDFIELDER/FORWARD)
Height: 179cm, Weight: 67kg, DOB: 18/11/1993
Recruited from: Swan Districts
I was going to use this selection on a KPD, but Murray Newman being around so late in the draft is very difficult to say no too. The decision was made easier with three of my favourite tall defenders (Mihocek, Curran and Schade) all being taken within the last ten picks. I’m still quite confident there will be KPD’s available that I rate high enough to use either of the last two live selections on.
Geelong have an abundance of midfield/small forwards including Chapman, Stokes, Varcoe, Byrnes, Christensen, Motlop and Schroder, so it obviously isn’t a depleted area of the list. But Murray Newman is a jet who in my opinion will become a line breaking midfielder after starting his career as a small forward and you can’t have too many of that particular type. His disposal is immaculate and he seems to make good decisions a lot of the time. He is the type of guy who only needs to touch the footy 15-20 times to have a major impact on the game. But in saying that, he is capable of racking up big numbers and averaged 20 possessions a game in the Champsionships.
The knock is probably his size, which is unfair considering that at 179cm there are numerous elite contributors running around in the AFL with the same height or lower. He will take a few seasons to develop his light frame but he did play senior footy most of the year for Swan Districts after playing only the one Colts game early and completely tearing it up with 6 goals plus a stack of possessions. So there is a chance he could play AFL senior football earlier than expected.
I expect one of the WA clubs to snatch him up somewhere in the twenties. I would be very excited if he was still around at this point on November 24th.
#49 WESTERN BULLDOGS: BRAD HILL
Height: 180cm, Weight: 60kg, DOB: 09/07/1993
Recruited from: West Perth
Really a project player that will take a while to develop. To be honest, he is probably someone you would pick up as a rookie, but given Brad’s combine results, it is unlikely the Dogs would get a sniff.
Brother to Stephen, and similar to when his brother was drafted, he is all skin and bones with super speed and amazing endurance. Brad has good skills, not in the same league as his brother, but can hold his own. His inside game is improving and as he bulks up he will get more confidence. This pick was swayed basically on his combine results alone, here is a quick summary:
- Fastest 3km time trial: 9:52
- Record breaking beep test: 16.1
- Quickest over 5m
- 5th in 20m sprint
- 10th in 30m repeat sprint test
- 88th percentile for agility test
- 78th percentile for running vertical jump right foot
Although he won’t play senior for 3 years, given the results above, no matter how the game evolves in that time, he has the attributes to adapt. And because of this I’m willing to take a risk in a shallow draft year.
#50 COLLINGWOOD – MICHAEL BUSSEY (KPD/KPF)
Height: 196cm Weight: 81kg DOB: 05/07/1993
Recruited from: Eastern Ranges
Tall and athletic key position player who can play up forward, down back and even play minutes in the ruck if required, although I believe it is in defence where Bussey will be best suited at an AFL level. Likened to Ben Reid when he was first drafted.
Bussey has good pace and agility for a player of his size and covers the ground quite well, allowing him to push into the midfield/ruck at times. He is also quite strong below the knees for a player of his size. Has good ability in reading the play, making him suited to playing as a key position defender. Bussey has a strong mark overhead and on the lead, and perhaps could be used as a utility or the ‘Leigh Brown role’ (sorry Kristian) once developed.
While undersize and weight at the moment to be playing as a key position player immediately at AFL level, a few preseasons and some extra kg’s will boost his size and strength.
The major knocks against Bussey are his attitude and intensity. He can be inconsistent and has been knocked for his ‘lazy’ work ethic, but nonetheless Bussey is a talented player and at his best he is a very impressive. If Nathan Buckley and co. can push Bussey to work hard, then Collingwood can get the very best out of Michael Bussey who has the ability to become a high quality key defender at AFL level.
#51 PORT ADELAIDE: DYLAN ORVAL
192cm 81kg
A bit of a left field selection here taking Dylan Orval the tall forward from Oakleigh Chargers. Having missed the past year with an ACL, Orval has slid off most peoples radars and would be considered a massive risk. He has talent with a lovely long kick, a great leap and contested grab he would be considered a long term replacement for Shultz and could compliment Butcher nicely. His father Mark played 7 games for collingwood before his career was shot down by injury which is a worry however at this late a pick its worth the risk.
#52 MELBOURNE: MARLEY WILLIAMS (MID/FWD)
H: 181cms W: 85kgs DOB: 22/07/1993 Recruited from: Claremont
Was hoping Murray Newman might slip to this selection and was also considering Josh Tynan and Haiden Schloithe. However, am rapt to select Marley Williams who is a thumping kick of the footy and has a bit of the proverbial about him. As previously stated the loss of Scully has diminished our already struggling midfield and with a couple of preseasons under his belt “Bob” could become a more permanent fixture there if he works on his endurance. We see him mainly as a small forward in 2012, with his strong build, decent pace and passion for defensive pressure which will fill a gaping hole left on the list by Wonaeamirri and Maric’s (presence and subsequent) axings. Will be a bit of soul brother for Luke Tapscott and Dees fans should look forward to seeing both filling posts at either end of the ground and making cameo appearances in the centre in 2012.
#53 HAWTHORN: LUKE BRUEST (Rookie Upgrade)
#54 MELBOURNE: JORDAN KELLY (DEFENDER)
H: 191cms W: 81kgs DOB: 27/06/93 Recruited from: Dandenong Stingrays
We were hoping for another tall with this pick but with Bussey and Curran gone and the opportunity to pick up another project key forward as a rookie, we felt Jordan Kelly would be the best fit with an eye to the future. Rivers will probably be gone in the next 2-3 years, ditto Joel Macdonald, Warnock has already departed and James Strauss will take a while to recover from a horrific leg break. Jordan can fill a role as another versatile defender on our list, with good pace and skill he can play shutdown and rebounding roles from the backline. We will be hoping to develop him in a similar mould to Colin Garland.
#55 RICHMOND: BRETT O’HANLON
Height: 189cm; Weight: 82kg Recruited from: Stingrays DOB: 17/7/93
A highly desirable lead-up forward with vice-like hands who hits the pass with aplomb and is not only a fine left-footed goal kicker (when his radar is on – can be 0.5 or 5.0) but an excellent deliverer of the ball inside 50. Even another few cm wouldn’t, hopefully change this focus of O’Hanlon’s game.
Not at all skinny, but a couple of preseasons in the gym (not just for size, but for hardness) and some super-urgency to what looks a talented and gifted player should assist. Needs to kick through it a bit more and not caress, but a lovely action and can see him kicking bags when on. Potentially a very good AFL player, if it clicks.
Wouldn’t surprise to see him go earlier, and Richmond should be thrilled to secure him with probably its last pick of the ND. I am.
#56 GWS – KYAL HORSLEY
Height: 182cm Weight: 88kg DOB: 2/9/1987
Recruited from: Subiaco
It’s time for a mature body to come in and play round one. Kyal fits that bill to a tee, with his big size and consistent WAFL form that has seen him come 2nd in the Sandover medal in 2011. He averaged 24 disposals and 4 tackles in an outstanding season for Subiaco. He is clearly a class above, and he has a beautiful, raking left foot boot. He can play a variety of positions, but from what I’ve seen of him, a wing would suit him in an AFL team. His experience will help the GWS young midfield, and he’s still a young 24. He has lots of AFL games in him.
#57 WESTERN BULLDOGS: JOSH TYNAN
Height: 185cm, Weight: 76kg, DOB: 06/11/1993
Recruited from: Gippsland Power
Josh is a hard working defender who will always give 100%. He doesn’t shirk from a contest and is very good at winning the one on one battles. It is this competitive streak that will appeal to the new coach.
Josh reads the play very well, is a solid ball user and is very good overhead for his height. With the loss of Ward and Harbrow in recent years, and Gilbee and Murphy aging, I think there is a great opportunity to groom Josh into a solid reliable defender.
#58 FREMANTLE: HAIDEN SCHLOITHE
Height: 179cm, Weight: 72kg, DOB: 16/06/1993
Recruited from: South Fremantle Football Club
Classy small forward type who has a good nose for the uprights. Always seems to be dangerous when he has the ball in his, but also shows good forward pressure and good tackling ability when he doesn’t have it. was given the coaches choice for WAFL Colts players of the year and tallied an equal amount of votes to Brad Hill in the WAFL best and fairest (Colts).
Played mostly in the WAFL Colts and Reserves but did grab some senior games late in the year and wasn’t overwhelmed which tells me that he should be able to cope with the transition to AFL, and after a few years in an AFL level system I’m pretty confident he could, at least, be getting regular games
Was considering another mid for Freo here but I feel like they’ve got quite a few midfielders now (if you count Fyfe) and I’ve talked to quite a few Freo fans who aren’t satisfied with Mayne up forward but concede his forward pressure is necessary, so I figured Schloithe could be part of a long term plan to eventually succeed Mayne at that position.
#59 ESSENDON: STEWART CRAMERI (Rookie Upgrade)
#60 ST.KILDA: DANIEL CURRIE
Height: 200cm, Weight: 97kg, DOB: 15/02/1989
Recruited from: Sydney Swans
Currie will be the first ruckman I take in this draft. Unfortunately, I wasn’t willing to use #25 on a ruckman and I subsequently missed out on my next choice ruck over the next few picks. Therefore I am willing to pay slight overs for Currie. At the end of the day, the Saints need a potential 2nd ruckman NOW. Not in 3/4 years when our newly drafted tall finally develops. Therefore we were keen to go down the mature-aged path and draft Currie.
Currie has been on Sydney’s list for 5 years – a current AFL record for a player never to play a senior game. He missed out on chances early on due to injuries and the fact he was still developing. Then the past couple of years he has struggled to break into the seniors thanks to the form of Mumford, Pyke and to a lesser extent, Seaby. Now after five years of development, he finds himself in the draft. Despite being delisted by the Swans, there is no doubting Currie has some value for the Saints – he is still young but has a good size to play in the ruck or even up forward, providing good insurance for McEvoy, or even ruck as the 2nd big man if Watters so chooses. He is actually a very good tap ruckman and pretty decent around the ground too. He also has the ability to drop forward and kick some goals – a fantastic trait to have for a 2nd ruckman. Still has plenty of development potential, but also the ability to step in now if needed – a perfect choice for the Saints with where their list is at. I will then likely draft a younger project ruckman with an early rookie pick.
#61 SWANS: FLETCHER ROBERTS
Tall player who can play forward or ruck and possesses great skills.
Roberts would suit the Swans well because of his big frame.
Also, had 21 touches and kicked 4 final quarter goals in the TAC CUP Grand Final.
This will probably be a steal for the Swans after GWS showed interest.
Will go Well with the Reid, White, Walsh combo up forward.
#62 CARLTON: DYLAN BUCKLEY (F/S)
#63 WEST COAST: ASHTON HAMS (ROOKIE UPGRADE)
#64 ADELAIDE: GIBSON TURNER
Height: 180cm. Weight: 70kg
DOB: 22/7/93
Recruited from: Glenelg (and represented NT at u18 champs)
Gibson Turner’s a lightfooted forward pocket, who has that “elusiveness” which might see him succeed in the big time. Has good foot skills, is quick, and at times reminds me of Andrew Krakouer. The Crows lack this sort of x factor player up forward so I see him as a good fit, although in a rebuilding side the forward pocket often becomes a maligned position so will need to develop his wider game/defensive skills in the coming years.
In reality, Crows will pass on this pick for the PSD instead. unless there’s a slider they can’t resist. Turner is more likely to be rookie drafted, but I liked him at this stage from the choices left. Dan Currie was considered too but Saints nabbed him first and no other mature rucks interest me. Sam Jacobs will need to rely on Jenkins, a re-rookied Craig, young Tom Downie and the “makeshifts” for support in 2012. Turner can help spark the forwards over coming years.
#65 COLLINGWOOD: TOM SUNDBERG (MID/UTILITY)
Height: 183cm Weight: 84kg DOB: 22/12/1988
Recruited from: Collingwood VFL
Had an outstanding year in the Collingwood VFL side, which was capped off with the Joseph Wren Trophy for the Collingwood VFL best and fairest, despite only managing 13 games due to injury.
Sundberg is versatile player who is played predominantly as a midfielder, but can be swung up forward or down back if need be. Highly effective user of the ball, particualry on his left. Great ability to hit up targets.
Averages for the 2011 VFL season:
- 23.6 disposals
- 11.5 contested possessions
- 6.2 tackles
- 4.4 clearances
A mature age player who already has the size and experience to play at a senior level, and proved this season that he has the skills and class to play at an AFL level.
#66 GEELONG: NATHAN BLEE (DEFENDER)
Height: 192cm, Weight: 91kg, DOB: 07/09/1990
Recruited from: East Perth
The Cats select their third Western Australian for the draft (no, I’m not from WA and have no bias toward it) and get the KPD they require. I think it will be important to recruit a mature aged player as the only ready made back up to Scarlett, Taylor and Lonergan is Tom Gillies. Any injuries and the stocks are far too thin. Ryan Bathie and Josh Walker are promising KPD’s developing on the rookie list, but having to rely on them as alternatives to potential injuries isn’t an ideal situation. Having drafted All Australians Matthew Egan and Harry Taylor, Geelong has a proven and successful recent history of selecting mature aged KPD from the State Leagues, I can’t see Blee being an exception.
Blee has really shot up to prominence this year, so much so that this will be the first time he has ever nominated for the draft. Had he nominated previous years, I’m sure GWS would have pre-selected and traded him over to one of the WA clubs. I’ve only seen him a couple of times on TV via the Foxtel Cup, but he looked more than capable one on one and had good closing speed. There are doubts as to whether he is big enough to play KPD at AFL level, but there were similar doubts about Harry Taylor and Ben Stratton and we have all seen what they have been able to achieve. He has obviously impressed many by being invited to the Draft Combine and named in the WAFL Team of the Year. I consider him a certainty to get drafted, despite quite possibly being this late.
I almost went with Jarrod Dalton from Port Melbourne as the Cats were very interested last year. The issue with Dalton is that he turns 26 in January and Blee has an extra 4 and ¾ years on him. Those extra five seasons got him across the line.
#67 COLLINGWOOD: JOEL HOUGHTON
Height: 194cm Weight: 83kg DOB: 26/11/1991
Recruited from: Fremantle
Drafted pick #36 in the 2009 National Draft to Fremantle as a key position forward. Selected to play for the WA U/18 side in the 2009 national championship where he managed 10 goals from all 5 games. Has outstanding endurance for a player of his size, running 15.1 in the beep test at the WA state screening.
Houghton who turns 20 just after the national draft, didnt manage a game for Freo after two injury riddled years at the club. Has only managed 19 games over the past two years in the WAFL.
As mentioned Houghton has great endurance for a key position player, and has shown in the WAFL that he is a very skillful player who still needs time to develop. Still very undersized for a KPF (only 83kg and built like a rake), partly due to the fact he suffered a broken forearm this January, limiting his ability to ‘hit the gym’ and add some size.
Houghton is a very promising young KPF, who still needs another two or so years to develop and add size to become a strong KPF. He has the ability to play the roaming CHF role with his large tank, allowing him to push up the ground.
I’d be very happy to see Houghton land at Collingwood, and it is beyond me as to why he was delisted by Fremantle when they are in need of key forwards.
#68 ST KILDA: SAM GORDON
Height: 197cm, Weight: 87kg, DOB: 31/03/1993
Recruited from: Geelong Falcons
Gordon is a true full-forward, and just the type of player the Saints should have their sights set firmly on. We have recently delisted a number of key talls, however, with many of them only around 190-192 cm, it will be great to finally add a 195cm plus guy we can sit in the goalsquare all game. We have already recruited Haynes (192cm), who we plan to use up forward, so it will be great to add two forwards with plenty of potential to our list.
Gordon had somewhat of an inconsistent season, however has been playing for Geelong Grammar all year, meaning he simply hasn’t been training nearly as much of some of the other guys in the system. He has a good sized frame and looks capable of filling out quite well for a full-forward (Jon Brown size would be the aim, and the likely outcome). He didn’t get invited to the draft combine, which was a bit surprising, so we don’t really know how he rates as far as speed and agility, etc, however he has good pace of the mark and is pretty good physically in contests. He is also a very good competitor, which is a good sign for a late-ish pick. Pretty decent field kick too, which can easily travel 60 metres. One of his flaws is his set-shot kicking, having a pretty average year in front of the sticks. He also has very little exposed form, and what he did show was inconsistent, which in part could be attributed to the lack of time he spent in a professional AFL environment. That said, there is plenty of upside in this kid, so we are going to back in our newly opened youth academy to turn this boy into a star… or at least give it our best shot!
#69 BRISBANE: MITCH GOLBY (Rookie Upgrade)
#70 W.BULLDOGS: MATTHEW PANOS (Rookie Upgrade)
#71 FREMANTLE: ELLIOT YEO
Height: 188, Weight: 82kg, DOB: 01/10/1993
Recruited from: East Fremantle
Tall outside midfielder who tested incredibly well at the combine, finishing no.1 in vertical leap and agility. Has a good all around skill set and can make some pretty incredible kicks if he has enough time. This was more a value pick than a needs pick, I reckon this kid is a bit better than pick 71
#72 FREMANTLE: BRENDON AHCHEE
Height: 190, Weight: 83kg, DOB: 21/12/1993
Recruited from: South Fremantle
Forward who played a bit of ruck in the WAFL Colts because of his big leap, moves really well and has a great kick and is strong overhead. Won the South Freo (Colts) best and fairest on a team that, at times, included players like Shane Kersten and Myles Bolger so pretty stoked to grab him at 72 (was even considering him at 58). Will probably play at CHF but I would like to see him run the wings a bit for Freo. Really though he can play anwhere so I wouldn’t be that surprised if he ended up at CHB. Is one of the youngest players in the draft so there’s a lot of upside here
#73 W BULLDOGS: LUKE DAHLHAUS (Rookie Upgrade)
#74 NORTH MELBOURNE: LUKE DELANEY (Rookie upgrade)
#75 ST.KILDA: BEN BROWN
Height: 199cm, Weight: 89kg, DOB: 16/03/1993
Recruited from: Glenorchy
Ben Brown rounds out St.Kilda’s draft and we are very happy to snare the big guy this late. Brown is a ruckman, just as capable of playing forward. His big strength is his work below his knees, which is fantastic for a guy of his size. He is also a decent mark, has reasonable foot skills and a very good game sense and leadership ability. Still a bean-pole of a lad, so will need a few years in the gym before he is ready to go. He suffered for OP early in the year, which is a worry, and also a knee injury the year before which prevented him from being drafted in 2010. At his size, and limited form to go on, he is again very much a project player. The hope is that at least one of Gordon or Brown will develop into a decent player for the Saints.
#76 COLLINGWOOD: JARROD WITTS (NSW Scholarship)
#77 GEELONG: JACKSON COLEMAN (FWD/RUC)
Height: 196cm, Weight: 88kg, DOB: 18/12/1991
Recruited from: Sandringham Dragons
With the sub rule seemingly staying around for a while, the tall forward who can relieve in the ruck has now become a very important type. Especially with the loss of Ottens and some potential long term injury concerns with Nathan Vardy’s hip, it surely can’t hurt to have a development forward/ruck on the list.
While Jackson Coleman is a little older than your typical TAC Cup graduate, he has a heap of upside due to only recently deciding to give football a real crack. He is a gun cricketer who has actually represented Australia at U19 level. To have given up such a promising cricket career, he must think or has been told that he has plenty to offer an AFL club. He kicked 37 goals for the Dragons, which is a great result, although he did dine out on a lot of the lower teams (including 13 goals in two games against Bendigo). He is quite athletic and is very strong overhead. His rucking probably still needs quite a bit of work, but there appears to be scope for improvment.
There still appears to be plenty of talent left this late in the draft. I was actually split between players including Jack Crisp, Jack Frost, Jai Sheahan, Jack Newnes and Danny Butcher, who I would all happily draft. Perhaps this draft is a little deeper than everyone is making out?
#78 GWS: CALLUM WILSON
We tried to sure up our key position forward stocks here and decided to give de-listed West Coast player, Callum Wilson a second crack at the big smoke. He’s a full forward that is a bit too good for WAFL, but can’t get a game ahead of Darling, Kennedy and Lynch. We think Callum could play immediately to ease the pressure off Jon Patton.
#79 GOLD COAST: ALEX SEXTON (QLD Zone Selection)
#80 PORT ADELAIDE: LEON DAVIS (In Pre-season Draft)
#81 ADELAIDE: AIDAN RILEY (Rookie Upgrade)
#82 FREMANTLE: NICK LOWER (Rookie Upgrade)
#83 NORTH MELBOURNE: CAMERON PEDERSON (Rookie Upgrade)
#84 SYDNEY: XAVIER RICHARDS
Tall Forward Who is the Brother of Ted Richards If he Is Still around by 84 The Swans will Grab Him, Also a Hard Worker, Has a Decent Tank and In future Years will Develop into a Monster after he Puts a Few more KGS On.
#85 GEELONG: JED BEWS (Father/Son)
#86 GOLD COAST: JACKSON ALLEN (QLD Zone Selection)
#87 ADELAIDE: MATT WRIGHT (Rookie Upgrade)
#88 SYDNEY: NATHAN GORDON (Rookie Upgrade)
