Preview 2025 AFL Draft General Discussion

[PMBangers]

Thanks for the rankings, it’s great to get a bit more analysis on the northern academy players in particular which is often hard on the early part of the season.

Would be interested to know what has changed the view on Sharp over summer/early season from a top 3 pick to outside the top 10. it’s not like his game has changed much or that everyone else has significantly improved. Tough start in the league as a high half forward but his first half in particular in the academy game was excellent and he is still the best contested ball winner in the cohort.

I think I've gone a bit into this before, and Kinnear Beatson once said a similar thing on a RMC video, but essentially bottom agers will get the treatment of not being picked apart when you're watching games, because we're so focused on which top agers are good enough, how good they are and what their weaknesses are, it's easy to just notice the good things a bottom ager does and get excited.

Then they become the focus in their draft year and you go deeper, more critical and they have greater exposure, and pick up on other things; are they working defensively, are they selfish, do they have a poor body language, are they actually using the ball well, etc.

So, and I won't name the player, you get someone like player A coming into this year that won heaps of footy in 2024, played champs in a premium role, had some disposal inconsistency but nothing out the usual for his role. Easy to look at that in the peripheral of last year's class being the focus and get excited, but then on rewatching over the summer and his first couple of games this year he's not a good user, lazy defensively, poor at winning contested footy and sulks a lot on field, going from someone I considered an early top 5 contender to undraftable if the draft was tomorrow. That's not the players fault of course, it was all there to see last year and now he could turn into a "Whatever happened to Player A, was top 10 coming into the year!" (This absolutely isn't Sharp fwiw)

Recruiters are naturally better at filtering out that aspect of watching footy, but I'd say most, if not all, in the amateur draft watching space fall into the same trap

 

[Thunderstruck]

Good to see Phillipou finally get some higher ranking recognition!

Sharp firmly my 1 still

 

[Mutineer]

Good to see Phillipou finally get some higher ranking recognition!

Sharp firmly my 1 still

You're seeing more in Phillipou jr than I am I must say

 

[Thunderstruck]

You're seeing more in Phillipou jr than I am I must say

I've had him as a late first round talent for a couple of years now, no changes there in a a draft that drops away from the early picks. Problem is his consistency and that may be marked down. The standard deviation between his best and worst is much greater than his brother. But there is zero doubt on his ability. I project him to a Chandler level of footballer which isn't the worst.

 

[The Talent Scout]

Josh Lindsay ball use is elite. I'm assuming he will start at half back in the AFL simular to Hayden Young before moving in the midfield later on?

Josh to me is a half back flanker everyday of the week, after a few pre seasons, then at times could go onto the wing but such is the importance of the 1/4 back role that he could really shine there, more so with his kicking being very good.

 

[Lingsface]

Daniel Annable looks like a real goer, effort levels are great tough and gives to the best option. Doesn't seem to have the polish of a Lindsay but wins his own ball and seems to have a good footy brain.

Any one seen a lot of him over the years?

His stats are impressive averaging 27 possessions 7 tackles and close on a goal a game as a bottom ager last year (from only 3 games )

 

[bulldogs201616]

Whats everyones top 5 right now? Mine is.

1 Cooper Duff Tytler
2 Dan Annables
3 William Duursma
4 Zeke Uwland
5 Josh Lindsay

 

[Blackas87]

Essendon have Melbournes second rounder as well as their own so would easily be able to match both if they land in the mid 20 to 40 range respectively.

Melbournes second rounder on its own probably gets both boys across the line.

Dees have their own 2nd round pick, don’t think clubs can trade both future 1st and 2nd round picks. Think you have someone else’s 2nd though (St Kilda?)

 

[Elite Pete]

Dees have their own 2nd round pick, don’t think clubs can trade both future 1st and 2nd round picks. Think you have someone else’s 2nd though (St Kilda?)

Correct

 

[RedmanWasHere]

Be interesting to see which Sam is picked first.

Swadling?
Cumming?
Allen?
Grlj?

 

[weltschmerz]

Be interesting to see which Sam is picked first.

Swadling?
Cumming?
Allen?
Grlj?

Like the 2021 battle of the Joshes

 

[RedmanWasHere]

Like the 2021 battle of the Joshes

YES!

Or 2022's Harry's.

 

[madjoe]

Going on record now Houdsome is a jett. get on the train early

 

[PMBangers]

Going on record now Houdsome is a jett. get on the train early

Will be good to track over the next 18 months

 

[LemmingMaster]

If Fred is outside the top 10 and Whan outside the top 20, might have some depth to this draft.

 

[Statler Waldorf]

Sam Swadling 40 touches- 3 games in a row. Must be a record?
His ability to put the ball in the right spots for his team mates is elite. So well weighted.
And then to work to the next contest was another level.

 

[ROYAL EAGLE]

Sam Swadling 40 touches- 3 games in a row. Must be a record?
His ability to put the ball in the right spots for his team mates is elite. So well weighted.
And then to work to the next contest was another level.

His hands in tight are so good elite handball

 

[Yoda_]

Sam Swadling 40 touches- 3 games in a row. Must be a record?
His ability to put the ball in the right spots for his team mates is elite. So well weighted.
And then to work to the next contest was another level.

More experienced guys on here than I could remember but pretty sure Lachie Neale was doing something like this.

 

[Futbolista]

I'm a big fan of Swadling of course. He's a tremendous player and without doubt should have been selected in the AFL Academy.

But one thing - and it's been pointed out to me before. Sometimes he needs to do the obvious which is whack the ball on to his boot and gain 40-50 metres rather than handpassing to a player who is under as much pressure.

Unselfish is great and I admire that but it can backfire and burn a team mate at times.

 

[noobermensch]

I'm a big fan of Swadling of course. He's a tremendous player and without doubt should have been selected in the AFL Academy.

But one thing - and it's been pointed out to me before. Sometimes he needs to do the obvious which is whack the ball on to his boot and gain 40-50 metres rather than handpassing to a player who is under as much pressure.

Unselfish is great and I admire that but it can backfire and burn a team mate at times.

Its interesting, because last year one of the negative notes I had on him was that he would too often just bang it on the boot blindly to take territory and I was hoping he would start to look for more creative options. Maybe this was feedback he got from the coaches and he's overcompensating right now?

 

[Lach72]

Its interesting, because last year one of the negative notes I had on him was that he would too often just bang it on the boot blindly to take territory and I was hoping he would start to look for more creative options. Maybe this was feedback he got from the coaches and he's overcompensating right now?

I looked at one of the highlight vids you made for Swadling.

For the first three and a half minutes he didn’t hit a target by foot and missed a heap of handballs.

Is that usual?

 

[noobermensch]

I looked at one of the highlight vids you made for Swadling.

For the first three and a half minutes he didn’t hit a target by foot and missed a heap of handballs.

Is that usual?

It hasn't been so much an issue this year, he's been pretty decent with his disposal. He's not Josh Lindsay or anything but he's been solid in that area.

 

[briztoon]

I looked at one of the highlight vids you made for Swadling.

For the first three and a half minutes he didn’t hit a target by foot and missed a heap of handballs.

Is that usual?

They're not highlight videos. They are every involvement which the player has in the game. They are meant to show all the good and bad of a kid.

 

[Lach72]

They're not highlight videos. They are every involvement which the player has in the game. They are meant to show all the good and bad of a kid.

You don’t say.

What I was asking was if the poor disposal on display was usual?

The kid literally did not hit a target by foot for the first half of the video

 

[briztoon]

You don’t say.

What I was asking was if the poor disposal on display was usual?

The kid literally did not hit a target by foot for the first half of the video

No idea. If they're not a Lions academy kid in the next 3 drafts, I've little interest in watching vids of every kid in this years draft class.