Review 2017 AFL National Draft - Friday 24th November

[Passmore]

Leave me alone

Everyone's a critic.....

Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk

 

[giantroo]

October Rankings

1. Jaidyn Stephenson (189cm, 76kg from Eastern Ranges)
2. Luke Davies-Uniacke (187cm, 85kg from Dandenong Stingrays)
3. Darcy Fogarty (192cm, 88kg from Glenelg)
4. Cameron Rayner (187cm, 88kg from Western Jets)
5. Andrew Brayshaw (183cm, 80kg from Sandringham Dragons)
6. Jarrod Brander (195cm, 90kg from Bendigo Pioneers)
7. Hunter Clark (186cm, 79kg from Dandenong Stingrays)
8. Adam Cerra (186cm, 85kg from Eastern Ranges)
9. Nicholas Coffield (190cm, 83kg from Northern Knights)
10. Joel Garner (183cm, 81kg from Eastern Ranges)

11. Sam Hayes (203cm, 93kg from Eastern Ranges)
12. Paddy Dow (184cm, 78kg from Bendigo Pioneers)
13. Aaron Naughton (194cm, 84kg from Peel Thunder)
14. Aiden Bonar (190cm, 89kg from Dandenong Stingrays)
15. Zac Bailey (180cm, 68kg from Southern Districts)
16. Oscar Allen (191cm, 83kg from West Perth)
17. Jack Higgins (178cm, 76kg from Oakleigh Chargers)
18. Charlie Constable (190cm, 83kg from Sandringham Dragons)
19. Jordan Houlahan (185cm, 78kg from Sturt)
20. Nicholas Shipley (190cm, 90kg from St George/GWS Academy)

21. Patrick Naish (180cm, 69kg from Northern Knights)
22. Nathan Murphy (188cm, 83kg from Sandringham Dragons)
23. James Worpel (185cm, 84kg from Geelong Falcons)
24. Matthew Ling (182cm, 74kg from Geelong Falcons)
25. Lochie O'Brien (184cm, 75kg from Bendigo Pioneers)
26. Hugh Dixon (195cm, 92kg from Kingborough Tigers)
27. Ryley Stoddart (183cm, 73kg from Eastern Ranges)
28. Andrew McPherson (186cm, 75kg from Woodville West Torrens)
29. Charlie Ballard (195cm, 81kg from Sturt)
30. Charlie Spargo (175cm, 73kg from Murray Bushrangers)

31. Gryan Miers (177cm, 73kg from Geelong Falcons)
32. Harry Petty (194cm, 81kg from Norwood)
33. Connor Ballenden (199cm, 96kg from UQLD/Brisbane Academy)
34. Jack Petruccelle (184cm, 73kg from Northern Knights)
35. Noah Balta (194cm, 92kg from Calder Cannons)
36. Nathan Kreuger (196cm, 86kg from South Adelaide)
37. Jake Patmore (182cm, 79kg from Claremont)
38. Jordan Johnston (184cm, 76kg from GWV Rebels)
39. Oscar Clavarino (195cm, 86kg from Dandenong Stingrays)
40. Ed Richards (184cm, 77kg from Oakleigh Rangers)

41. Callum Coleman-Jones (199cm, 98kg from Sturt)
42. Jack Powell (181cm, 81kg from Ainslie/GWS Academy)
43. Dylan Moore (175cm, 66kg from Eastern Ranges)
44. Alex Martini (181cm, 78kg from Glenelg)
45. Sam Taylor (196cm, 85kg from Swan Districts)
46. Jackson Ross (192cm, 75kg from Eastern Ranges)
47. Brandon Starcevich (187cm, 88kg from East Perth)
48. Lachlan Fogarty (179cm, 75kg from Western Jets)
49. Jackson Edwards (185cm, 77kg from Glenelg)
50. Doultan Langlands (187cm, 80kg from Murray Bushrangers)

Who else do I like? Maybe not as highly rated, but players I'd be happy taking a chance on...

Victoria: Ben Paton, Jack Roughsedge, Trsitan Xerri
South Australia: Curtis McCarthy, Sam Davis, Isaac Hewson, Tom Schmusch, Jordan Sweet
Western Australia: Brayden Ainsworth, Callan England, Taryce Stewart, Jono Marsh, Ben Miller
Allies: Jack Hardman, James Bell, Oskar Baker, Kieran Parnell

 

[Thewlis Dish]

Dow would be an amazing result.

 

[XU1-ROO]

Hey GR. Any chance you could AFL Draft Central Matt Balmer’s Phantom draft up.
Cheers

 

[giantroo]

Bishop on Worpel:


"Bang on average for vertical jumps, speed was just above average at 3.08s, agility was well below average with 8.89s, Yo-Yo of 20.8 was below average and he was pretty much bang on with 6min 52s in the 2km time trial. Both kicking below average.

You do need to remember that he's had one of the biggest seasons in terms of game time, playing in a TAC Cup GF on the Sunday, All Stars on Saturday & then onto the Combine by the Tuesday.

Is in the 30-50 bracket."

 

[kaboom kid]

Dow would be an amazing result.

If we had number 1 I'd choose him

 

[giantroo]

https://www.afl_draft_central.com.au/player/lochie-obrien/ - just remove the underscores in the link for access to his stats.

Height 184cm
Weight 75kg
Current Team Bendigo, Vic Country
Birthday September 18, 1999
OVERVIEW

Lochie O’Brien was one of the highest regarded players coming into the 2017 season with O’Brien’s left foot one of the best in the draft crop. His ability to hit-up forwards or players leading towards him as he strolls down the wing is impressive, and he has predominantly played as a half-back flanker with some games on the wing and through the midfield. He still has a number of areas to work on as with left footers, his non-preferred right foot can be an area of concern and his kicking under pressure is still a work in progress. On the outside, his footskills and spread are really good and he has the football smarts to make the right decisions.

STRENGTHS

• Penetrating left foot
• Footy smarts
• Foot skills
• Spread

Lochie O’Brien is one of the more damaging players in the draft crop if he is allowed time and space. His ability to launch bombs from outside 50, or pierce through zones with dagger passes is unrivalled by many of his peers with 42 per cent of his kicks, long – one of the highest in the TAC Cup. He is a traditional left footer in the sense of having a weapon for a boot and he knows how to find space and gather the ball cleanly. When at half-back or on the wing, O’Brien rarely makes a error by foot and has a really sound outside game.

O’Brien spreads well and finds plenty of the football on the outside and while he is not an in-and-under player, he is that type that will haunt the stoppages and wait for the handball to fly out and he takes off, gets a few metres on his opponent and kicks cleanly. His best position at this stage for me is half-back where he can settle his team down and make smart decisions by foot. He is not afraid to switch the ball or cut into the corridor, and he has the foot skills to take that risky pass which if it did not pay off, could open up for the opposition. As a whole, O’Brien has an impressive outside game with high enough skills and top smarts for recruiters to overlook some of the improvements which are needed to make his game more consistent and rounded as a whole.

IMPROVEMENTS

• Non-dominant right foot
• Disposal under pressure

Like many left footed outside midfielders, there are no surprises to what improvements O’Brien could make to his game to go to the next level. He has a dominant left boot, but when corralled onto his right, he can often make errors by foot, or just opt for a short pass, thus limiting his effectiveness. His disposal under pressure needs work as it was seen a few times later in the season that O’Brien’s disposal when corralled or in close, would be questionable.

He got tagged out of games at school footy as he does not have that bigger body yet that can shake off opponents. He played a fair bit at half-back for the Bendigo Pioneers and looked suited to the role, as well as that playing along the wing for Vic Country. He is the player that teammates look to for the final pass inside 50, but opposition players learnt to restrict his influence by sitting on him and not giving him time and space. Earlier in the year he was very dominant outside, but really worked hard on his inside game which was promising.

DRAFT PROJECTION: 15-30

SUMMARY:

Lochie O’Brien is a talented outside midfielder with a tantalising left boot. He can break zones and hit-up targets that seem unrealistic to most players, but he has the decision making and smarts to use his foot skills to effect. He still has to improve how to break tags, as well as disposal under pressure, but it was clear his inside game improved considerably throughout the season. As a whole, O’Brien will land at an AFL club and is an ideal fit for a team that is looking for a penetrating half-back who could progress onto the wing in future years.

 

[giantroo]

https://www.afl_draft_central.com.au/player/jack-higgins/

Jack Higgins
Height 177.8cm
Weight 76.95kg
Current Team Oakleigh, Vic Metro
Birthday March 19, 1999

OVERVIEW

Much was made over Jack Higgins’ decision to quit school and focus fully on football in his draft year early in the season. However – it did not affect Higgins and he went about his job for the Oakleigh Chargers, supported by family friend Anthony Phillips (Father of Collingwood’s Tom and St Kilda’s Ed). Higgins was the 2017 TAC Cup Morrish Medalist after a superb season in the midfield and up forward for the Oakleigh Chargers. In Round 17, Higgins booted a bag of seven goals against Bendigo Pioneers and was destined for double figures before a shoulder injury saw him head for the bench just before three-quarter time. Higgins begun the season in the midfield, but after the NAB AFL Under 18 Championships – he transformed his game to become a full-time small forward. His full on football approach may mean that he possesses a smaller upside than others in the draft pool, but he could be one of the few ready to go by round 1 in 2018. His speed is an area that could be improved but expect him to fall in the latter half of the first round.

STRENGTHS

• Goal sense
• Footy IQ
• Quick hands
• Contested marking

Inside 50, Jack Higgins is one of the craftiest players and if you only give him a inch – he will make the most of the opportunity. He can convert set shots for goal and has worked hard on perfecting a “Stevie J” style ’round the corner kick on his right foot. Higgins booted 31 goals in the TAC Cup and six in the NAB AFL Under 18 Championships, showing at the next level – he can play the role of a small forward.

Not only is Higgins smart around goal, but through traffic and in the midfield, his footy IQ is through the roof. Higgins is a smart footballer and gets to the right spots to win the ball and is able to flick the ball out to a teammate from even the tightest of situations by hand and foot. He is able to find teammates using his good vision and in the contested situations – he uses his quick hands to effectiveness and there aren’t too many other players in a similar vein that can hit the target by hand like him. His quick and clean hands make him a valuable player in the midfield and up forward, helping get the ball moving forward and to a teammate.

Higgins is the best contested marking small forward in the 2017 draft pool and he is able to clunk the contested grabs when isolated inside 50. Higgins averaged just over five marks per game throughout the TAC Cup and showed he was able to be a target up forward, despite his size.

IMPROVEMENTS

• Speed
• Hurt factor with disposal

Unlike some of the other small forwards on offer in the AFL, Higgins doesn’t possesses elite speed. With the Richmond’s forward structure in the 2017 Grand Final including Jason Castagna, Daniel Butler & Daniel Rioli – all players who possess elite speed, it could count against Higgins. At the 2017 National AFL Draft Combine, Higgins’ time in the 20 metre sprint was 3.10s – right on the average speed for the entire group of testers. It might be an area that clubs look to improve for the small forward at the next level.

Another potential improvement for Higgins is his hurt factor with ball in hand when playing in the midfield. Whilst he possesses some of the quickest and clean hands in the 2017 draft crop, Higgins’ kicks can often lack hurt factor – going sideways or being short passes to his teammates. In the TAC Cup this year, Higgins opted to pass it short effectively on average three more times per game than kicking it long to a teammate. Higgins’ kicking efficiency of 60 per cent in the TAC Cup and 69 per cent in the National Under 18 Championships was helped at times, by Higgins picking an easy option short or sideways rather than kicking long to a teammate or a contest.

DRAFT PROJECTION: 10-20

SUMMARY

Jack Higgins is a strong prospect who knows where the goals are and has the capabilities to move into the midfield. His marking up forward makes him a tough match up, where he possesses a very high ‘Footy IQ’ to win the ball and get to the right positions. He is a player who could easily slot into an AFL team in the early part of 2018.

 

[giantroo]

Tom McCartin


Height 192cm
Weight 86kg
Current Team Geelong, Vic Country
Birthday December 30, 1999

https://www.afl draft central.com.au/player/tom-mccartin/


OVERVIEW

Tom McCartin is an athletic forward who has an unusually high tank which allows him to cover plenty of ground and work over his opponents. Much like his brother Paddy, Tom is strong in the air, but is more agile. At ground level he is quite clean for a tall and he moves well with ball in hand. The reason he is not being talked about in the same heights that his brother – a number one pick – went is because his consistency is not quite there, and his goal kicking, emphasised by his 9.18 from 11 games, is very hit and miss with a lot more miss. There is certainly talent there to work with athletically, it is just fine tuning parts of his game to become a more dominant key forward.

STRENGTHS

• Contested marking
• Endurance
• Clean at ground level
• Agility

McCartin ranked fourth in average contested marks for the TAC Cup season of those players invited to the National Combine. At 1.6 per game, McCartin knows how to clunk a grab and does not mind the body contact in a marking contest. What makes him interesting is if he does bring it to ground, he is surprisingly nimble for a player of his build. From most of the games I saw of him, he was pretty clean below his knees and could shoot out a handball to a nearby teammate. If he picked it up himself, he had the agility to sidestep an opponent and deliver forward. This agility was emphasised at the National Combine where he recorded 8.36 seconds, a result that put him in the top 20.

If there was one aspect of McCartin’s game to highlight, it is certainly his endurance. We’ve seen in the past the likes of Nick Riewoldt and Travis Cloke who can just wear their opponents down through their constant hard running and multiple leads. McCartin seems capable of doing just that, with a yo-yo test score of 21.5 – ranked elite for the draft crop – and a 2km time of six minutes, 35 seconds, which while not quite elite, speaks more about speed with most players ahead of him smaller types with good burst speed and endurance.

IMPROVEMENTS

• Goal kicking
• Consistency

McCartin has two areas in which he can improve to go to the next level. The first is pretty major – his goal kicking. As a key forward you are there to kick goals and while we have seen the evolution of forwards change to play defensive roles and take out rebounding defenders, it is an area that McCartin will need to continue to work on. A plus for McCartin is he average a score assist per game, so even though he booted just four goals in his last 11 games of the season, he was contributing to the scoreboard. Nonetheless, no doubt Tom will have goal kicking at the top of his improvements going forward.

The second area in which he can improve is his consistency. This is no surprise for a young key forward as we have seen plenty of taller players develop later and McCartin seems to be no different. He works himself into games through his endurance, but there are times where he will look like a star for a quarter and then fade away. Case in point, the preliminary final against Dandenong Stingrays. In the first quarter, McCartin was dominant up forward taking multiple marks and having shots on goal and inside 50s like he was ready for a big one. But after quarter time he was hardly cited, popping up occasionally, but just not in the same vein as the first quarter. So consistency is an area McCartin can continue to develop, but he is hardly alone in that fact.

DRAFT PROJECTION: Late-rookie

SUMMARY

Tom McCartin is an interesting key forward. Clubs will no doubt view him as a long-term prospect because while he has the athleticism and endurance to be a threat up forward, it is his consistency and finishing which lets him down. For mine, McCartin seems like the perfect prospect for a club to draft and just spend a season or two working on his technique and confidence in the state leagues before unleashing him in the AFL. McCartin was always in that late-to-rookie stage of the draft, but key forwards can often land earlier than expected if someone pulls the trigger. He has improvements to make, but there’s something there to work with for coaches.

 

[giantroo]

Hey GR. Any chance you could AFL Draft Central Matt Balmer’s Phantom draft up.
Cheers

Do you mean his rankings? He hasn't completed a phantom draft yet.

His October rankings:
https://www.afl draft central.com.au/2017/10/09/matt-balmers-2017-afl-draft-october-power-rankings/

 

[shinboner magic]

We might be able to get Dow with our second at this rate lol

 

[Page8383]

O’Brien sounds like a similar player to Clarke
Could be handy pair of wings


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[XU1-ROO]

Do you mean his rankings? He hasn't completed a phantom draft yet.

His October rankings:
https://www.afl draft central.com.au/2017/10/09/matt-balmers-2017-afl-draft-october-power-rankings/

Yep that one

 

[Snake_Baker]

O’Brien sounds like a similar player to Clarke
Could be handy pair of wings

He looks limited to half back at AFL level mate.

I'd be surprised if we took him.

My reasoning is, why would we overlook Darcy Lang and take this bloke?

 

[remfan101]

He looks limited to half back at AFL level mate.

I'd be surprised if we took him.

My reasoning is, why would we overlook Darcy Lang and take this bloke?

Because he's a genuine wingman with elite speed, endurance, skill, decision making and overhead marking; who has shown great courage going back with the flight for big marks, who struggled after being tagged all year in the worst side in the TAC cup but played his best footy towards the end of the year? Would be a perfect fit, and an absolute steal at our 2nd.

 

[Thewlis Dish]

Petrucelle's development areas are listed as his kicking and ability to get/stay involved in games. I can't see how we'll be able to resist him if he's there at 23.

 

[Better Loosen Up]

Petrucelle's development areas are listed as his kicking and ability to get/stay involved in games. I can't see how we'll be able to resist him if he's there at 23.

Sounds like another Harper. No thanks

 

[Snake_Baker]

Petrucelle's development areas are listed as his kicking and ability to get/stay involved in games. I can't see how we'll be able to resist him if he's there at 23.

Nice dash, but doesn't seem to get it that much.

I'd rather take a kid like Worpel that can get the ball, but needs to work on their pace, rather than a bloke that has pace, but doesn't get much of the ball.

 

[giantroo]

Dow would be an amazing result.

Don't forget that he has only developed this year since moving to Geelong Grammar. While he played in the u17's all stars game last year, he didn't show the signs he has this year.

Here is Carlton's BF voting:

 

[remfan101]

Don't forget that he has only developed this year since moving to Geelong Grammar. While he played in the u17's all stars game last year, he didn't show the signs he has this year.

Here is Carlton's BF voting:

View attachment 429484

What about Gold Coast? That's the real question imo.

 

[tales129]

He looks limited to half back at AFL level mate.

I'd be surprised if we took him.

My reasoning is, why would we overlook Darcy Lang and take this bloke?

I agree first thing I thought when I re-read his bio is brad McKenzie mkII

I was all for him based on his kicking skills, but under pressure if he struggles that’s a nope from me.

L Fogarty it is @23

 

[Page8383]

Petrucelle's development areas are listed as his kicking and ability to get/stay involved in games. I can't see how we'll be able to resist him if he's there at 23.

Sounds like a poor mans Ahern

 

[King Corey]

Sounds like a poor mans Ahern

Looks like a rookie pick to me. Surprised he's rated so highly.

Small, fast and erratic skills. Think Flash Campbell.

 

[Mixed Results]

If you're going to draft a player because of their pace, you may as well pluck an unknown kid out of Hermit Park than waste a draft pick on a player that has proven he can't impact games at TAC Cup level.

 

[Son_of_Shagga]

What about Gold Coast? That's the real question imo.

If freo were to get GC pick 2 in exchange for their pick 5 + Weller & that's a BIG 'IF', who are they targeting?

Are they looking for mids or KPP? Would this scenario give us a better chance of landing one of these top boys (Rayner, dow, LDU) or less likely?