Academy Rorts - The 2025 Draft Thread

[fanackapan]

Then of course those clubs can act as feeder clubs to us when we recruit them back in 2 years.

How many academy kids have ever come back to Brisbane after being drafted elsewhere. I can think of a bunch who have been drafted elsewhere, but none who have come back (happy to be corrected)

 

[Elixuh]

How many academy kids have ever come back to Brisbane after being drafted elsewhere. I can think of a bunch who have been drafted elsewhere, but none who have come back (happy to be corrected)

That bit was just a little joke.

 

[irel]

How many academy kids have ever come back to Brisbane after being drafted elsewhere. I can think of a bunch who have been drafted elsewhere, but none who have come back (happy to be corrected)

Many have been drafted, some by clubs whose sole purpose was to force us to match (we didn't) but those players have not established themselves and soon after were delisted and never seen in the AFL again.

 

[KissKiss]

How many academy kids have ever come back to Brisbane after being drafted elsewhere. I can think of a bunch who have been drafted elsewhere, but none who have come back (happy to be corrected)

Closest would be Chol I think? Went south, back up to GC then south again.

Shows we have probably been adding to the draft pool but clearly getting the pick of the lot

 

[Miller1971]

The problems of having a successful academy. It appears we have four very draftable kids, all different types, which is good for us but we cannot draft them all.

We will also be looking at the general pool for talent outside the academy.

So the draftable kids:
Annable a certainty.
Prindable, McFadyen, Waller possibility.
As it stands we have definitive spots for
OA, Drapes and Annable.
I suspect we pulled out of chasing Budarick because it will be tight to bring in our academy kids.

Looks like we may need to let some go.

My suggestion:

Annable - Top 5 certainty

Prindable - Certainty, 18-40 range

Bridge - Certainty, 25-50 range

McFayden - High probabilty, range could be massive as an overager though. Could even slip to rookie draft, could be a bolter.

Waller - strong probability, somewhere 40+ though

Geesu - no chance

Lillico - no chance

Greenaway - limited chance

Gilder - no chance

Thats just commentary on kids that were most highly rated at the start of 2025.

 

[Mr Ripper]

McFayden - High probabilty, range could be massive as an overager though. Could even slip to rookie draft, could be a bolter.

McFaDYen is staying with our VFL program if nothing comes of the draft. Fwiw.

 

[Tom14]

How many academy kids have ever come back to Brisbane after being drafted elsewhere. I can think of a bunch who have been drafted elsewhere, but none who have come back (happy to be corrected)

How many have been good enough to come back here.

Remember when people tried to make “Noah Cumberland” a thing?

 

[the rookie]

Is there anyone else in this year's academy that we could possibly get? Even as a rookie?

Waller. Some draft watchers rate him. Not sure that what Briztoon thinks of him, who seems to have the best insight of Lions posters.

 

[Nathan Barley]

How many have been good enough to come back here.

Remember when people tried to make “Noah Cumberland” a thing?

We eventually got Buzza (at the right level)

Cumberland was both an example of our poor drafting and Richmond's far superior development program

 

[Tom14]

We eventually got Buzza (at the right level)

Cumberland was both an example of our poor drafting and Richmond's far superior development program

Remember when someone who was definitely not related to Buzza would pop in and crow about how big a mistake we made not drafting him?

Very funny that someone that is as good as people said Cumberland was has been out of the league for a year and wasn't kept by one of the weakest lists we've seen in some time.

 

[MSB ROYS]

We eventually got Buzza (at the right level)

Cumberland was both an example of our poor drafting and Richmond's far superior development program

Cumberland can't kick that accurately, major flaw for a forward's game.

 

[Nathan Barley]

Remember when someone who was definitely not related to Buzza would pop in and crow about how big a mistake we made not drafting him?

Very funny that someone that is as good as people said Cumberland was has been out of the league for a year and wasn't kept by one of the weakest lists we've seen in some time.

There's always a couple of posters who are a bit too close to the academy boys to see the bigger picture

 

[Tom14]

Cumberland can't kick that accurately, major flaw for a forward's game.

Also does nothing defensively. Dimma hated him by the end of his tenure.

 

[Nunez]

My suggestion:

Annable - Top 5 certainty

Prindable - Certainty, 18-40 range

Bridge - Certainty, 25-50 range

McFayden - High probabilty, range could be massive as an overager though. Could even slip to rookie draft, could be a bolter.

Waller - strong probability, somewhere 40+ though

Geesu - no chance

Lillico - no chance

Greenaway - limited chance

Gilder - no chance

Thats just commentary on kids that were most highly rated at the start of 2025.

How did Lillico not come on? Looked good a few years ago.

 

[mattsmob]

I still like the little I’ve seen of Bridge, got some really good attributes and his brother looks like a gun in a couple years time. Am I right in remembering he got injured early this season and hasn’t played since? Would be hard to showcase improvement from the sidelines

 

[briztoon]

Waller. Some draft watchers rate him. Not sure that what Briztoon thinks of him, who seems to have the best insight of Lions posters.

Miller1971 and Thommo 42 are the real knowledgeable posters about our academy kids.

 

[M Malice]

Miller1971 and Thommo 42 are the real knowledgeable posters about our academy kids.

Are you the quintessential 3rd wheel briz?

 

[Mr Ripper]

Remember when someone who was definitely not related to Buzza would pop in and crow about how big a mistake we made not drafting him?

Tigernova. Weird unit.

 

[Miller1971]

How did Lillico not come on? Looked good a few years ago.

Broke his ankle in Feb. Didn't come back until May, but lost his zip and probably found the frothies.

I still like the little I’ve seen of Bridge, got some really good attributes and his brother looks like a gun in a couple years time. Am I right in remembering he got injured early this season and hasn’t played since? Would be hard to showcase improvement from the sidelines

He broke his ankle in the first allies game.

Shallow draft, arguably his stocks have risen while injured

 

[WhiteLionFeva]

In terms of pure talent, how would Annable rate against, say, Levi Ashcroft?

 

[mattsmob]

In terms of pure talent, how would Annable rate against, say, Levi Ashcroft?

Personal take but not as good a junior career, probably a little better in traffic and more physical, think he’s a better runner. I still think Levi has heaps more to show off offensively.

Overall reasonably similar, Annable a better two way player, Levi a higher ceiling in attack imo

 

[BangyBangy]

Anyone know how Troydon Ross is progressing?

 

[Tom14]

Personal take but not as good a junior career, probably a little better in traffic and more physical, think he’s a better runner. I still think Levi has heaps more to show off offensively.

Overall reasonably similar, Annable a better two way player, Levi a higher ceiling in attack imo

As draft prospects based on me watching very small segments Id say ranking them would go: Will > Levi > Annable > Marshall.

I watched basically no junior footy of Jaspa so have no clue how I would rate them.

 

[mattsmob]

As draft prospects based on me watching very small segments Id say ranking them would go: Will > Levi > Annable > Marshall.

I watched basically no junior footy of Jaspa so have no clue how I would rate them.

Yeah I’d agree with that, I do think Levi had a bit more x-factor than Will coming through but Will has done some pretty crazy things since being in the AFL so far.

Jaspa was doing pretty similar things as a junior, just less consistently I guess. Was always a good, smooth runner and nice kick. Didn’t really rack it up but was very classy, some of his aerial work has been a fun development though.

 

[briztoon]

As draft prospects based on me watching very small segments Id say ranking them would go: Will > Levi > Annable > Marshall.

I watched basically no junior footy of Jaspa so have no clue how I would rate them.

Pretty much how one of the Rookie Me draft watchers ranked them.

Jaspa rated between Levi and Annable.

But Jaspa really was a late developer. A lot of his development has come after he was drafted.

Levi is less than 4 months older than Annable.


I don’t strictly believe that draft age kids are necessarily better than an overager who missed in his draft year.

Kids develop at different rates, and often development can be widely influenced by the system they are in.

A kid like MacFadyen certainly has draftable traits, and will improve in our system, but he might never crack the first team, as he’s an undersized 3rd tall, who hasn’t shown the ability to impact the midfield. But that might come in time, and he may get his chance with another team, after we’ve developed him.