Player Watch 2025 AFL Draft Thread (Welcome to our new Central Districts overlords!)

[VandoHawk]

This is an awful post. Flat out bullying. And all who liked it.
Davo-27 does a great deal of work to come to his opinions. We don't have to agree with them but to belittle him in this was is awful. Shame on you hfc70.

Dave-27 the majority of us at Bigfooty like knowing your opinions, even if we do not agree.

I respect the insights and unique perspectives Davo brings, but their attitude toward Farrow and the drafting of Mark Mackenzie has been rather...passionate.

"Essendon are laughing at us if it happens, im convinced this is a conspiracy (at drafting Farrow)"
"Farrow is so bad I hope Essendon draft him"
"Don't want Farrow, hoping a team I don't like picks him up"
"but knowing sleepy mark and early picks, he's into him, any pick south of 30 sleepy mark might as well stay asleep"
"looks like more a maybe pick up than first rounder i wonder which nuffie got the media stuck on him?"

I have to make it clear that I'm not attacking here - people are allowed to voice their opinions. But when you put perspectives like that out there consistently, you will get tongue in cheek responses.

 

[Alite]

I respect the insights and unique perspectives Davo brings, but their attitude toward Farrow and toward the drafting of Mark Mackenzie has been rather...passionate.

"Essendon are laughing at us if it happens, im convinced this is a conspiracy (at drafting Farrow)"
"Farrow is so bad I hope Essendon draft him"
"Don't want Farrow, hoping a team I don't like picks him up"
"but knowing sleepy mark and early picks, he's into him, any pick south of 30 sleepy mark might as well stay asleep"
"looks like more a maybe pick up than first rounder i wonder which nuffie got the media stuck on him?"

I have to make it clear that I'm not attacking here - people are allowed to voice their opinions. But when you put perspectives like that out there consistently, you will get tongue in cheek responses.

Fair reply... not actually intended at you.

 

[The Chad and I]

I respect the insights and unique perspectives Davo brings, but their attitude toward Farrow and the drafting of Mark Mackenzie has been rather...passionate.

"Essendon are laughing at us if it happens, im convinced this is a conspiracy (at drafting Farrow)"
"Farrow is so bad I hope Essendon draft him"
"Don't want Farrow, hoping a team I don't like picks him up"
"but knowing sleepy mark and early picks, he's into him, any pick south of 30 sleepy mark might as well stay asleep"
"looks like more a maybe pick up than first rounder i wonder which nuffie got the media stuck on him?"

I have to make it clear that I'm not attacking here - people are allowed to voice their opinions. But when you put perspectives like that out there consistently, you will get tongue in cheek responses.

FWIW - I agree that upon viewing 2-3 clips Farrow just does not match the hype.

Pros: Versatile, courageous, can play on the ball and his stoppage work looks decent, especially given he's a pinch-hitter in the midfield.. He is quite aggressive in a ground-ball contest. Can take a strong mark.

Cons: most of his possessions are floating free behind the ball, under little pressure, and while he does well in that role, it doesn't fill me with confidence about his abilities tbh. At 189cms he is also too short to play an effective intercept role at AFL level, and not athletic enough to provide rebound IMO - he looks quite slow, but not sure how he measures up. His main role is contest free.

He could become an inside mid if he has the tank, but you wouldn't draft him on that alone, unless much later than the first round. In limited stoppage highlights he looks really good though. Agility measured 8th best in the draft combine, so that helps in congestion.

I really hope he gets taken before our pick, as it will mean a better player slips closer to us.

 

[The Chad and I]

Hes running a 3.20 min 1km.
Thats moving.

Greeves will become a better player than his haters suggest.
He should lose some weight in an AFL program and become a handy mid/fwd.
I'm not overly keen on picking him up with our first two picks tbh but there's def a player there.

He reminds me a lot of Cameron Ling with his awkward gait.

 

[daniel23]

FWIW - I agree that upon viewing 2-3 clips Farrow just does not match the hype.

Pros: Versatile, courageous, can play on the ball and his stoppage work looks decent, especially given he's a pinch-hitter in the midfield.. He is quite aggressive in a ground-ball contest. Can take a strong mark.

Cons: most of his possessions are floating free behind the ball, under little pressure, and while he does well in that role, it doesn't fill me with confidence about his abilities tbh. At 189cms he is also too short to play an effective intercept role at AFL level, and not athletic enough to provide rebound IMO - he looks quite slow, but not sure how he measures up. His main role is contest free.

He could become an inside mid if he has the tank, but you wouldn't draft him on that alone, unless much later than the first round. In limited stoppage highlights he looks really good though. Agility measured 8th best in the draft combine, so that helps in congestion.

I really hope he gets taken before our pick, as it will mean a better player slips closer to us.

Looks slower than greeves

 

[tl92]

With the assumption that the top 10 or so are, in no order

Duursma
Sharp
CDT
Uwland*
Patterson*
Dean*
Annable*
X Taylor
Robey
Cumming
Melb potentially go 2 bolters in Pickett and Nairn
Carlton trade to ??? and they pick ???

Pick 10 pushes out to 14, In order of My preference in this case is Grlj a run and carry mid with decent contest ability, then Josh Lindsay a quality kicker with composure, maybe a Mitch Marsh who is a dangerous forw, we could go Greeves but he isn't as dynamic(slow like Smillie), but has great hands in tight and seems to always perform at a very high level (eastern premiership, 2nd best at champs in u16s and u18s) like Sharp has for the last 3 years, in champs footy which is the closest comparison to AFL footy these juniors get, Aidan Schubert could be a great pick up to develop but not a huge need atm, if he becomes the next great forw he might jump ahead of Lewis and Chol in future?

Pick 22 which will be 25 or so on the night we could go a different type, Marsh could still be available?, NHH is an option, highly skilled forw who used to be a good mid, I really like the contest and fight in Mikunda as a hhf who is a goal assist machine i50 delivery and creative player, Harley Barker could still be on the board he is a quality running wing who loves a goal, Sam Allen an injured mid who was highly rated could be an option, Riley Onley is a big 195cm mid with speed on the run

Next pick we could look at a Fred Rodriguez, Blake Kelly, one of the many good young rucks like Taj Murray, Sam Ainsworth, Louis Emmett, Krasmadamskis, Cody Curtin as a kpf could be available like Schubert it isn't a need but could be worth investing in for the future?

I think this is the best strategy for the HFC to take into the 2 draft night's imo, trading into next year with Tassie pillaging the talent isn't the best idea imo, unless you have some guarantees from the Butters camp, best to use the picks in this draft, every year the current draft is under rated and the future drafts are over rated, so don't fall for the nonsense imo, there is quality in every section of the draft as athletes are over rated especially this year and footballers under rated, let the others pick up the Chessers and the Philp types

Does Schuberts 3.22s 20m sprint worth you? That’s slow going

 

[Platten44]

FWIW - I agree that upon viewing 2-3 clips Farrow just does not match the hype.

Pros: Versatile, courageous, can play on the ball and his stoppage work looks decent, especially given he's a pinch-hitter in the midfield.. He is quite aggressive in a ground-ball contest. Can take a strong mark.

Cons: most of his possessions are floating free behind the ball, under little pressure, and while he does well in that role, it doesn't fill me with confidence about his abilities tbh. At 189cms he is also too short to play an effective intercept role at AFL level, and not athletic enough to provide rebound IMO - he looks quite slow, but not sure how he measures up. His main role is contest free.

He could become an inside mid if he has the tank, but you wouldn't draft him on that alone, unless much later than the first round. In limited stoppage highlights he looks really good though. Agility measured 8th best in the draft combine, so that helps in congestion.

I really hope he gets taken before our pick, as it will mean a better player slips closer to us.

He is taller than our skipper who goes ok with intercepts

 

[The Golden Glenferrie]

Greeves will become a better player than his haters suggest.
He should lose some weight in an AFL program and become a handy mid/fwd.
I'm not overly keen on picking him up with our first two picks tbh but there's def a player there.

He reminds me a lot of Cameron Ling with his awkward gait.

What actually is Greeves? Not a mid. Not a forward. Slow.

Not sure what player is there, that I could see from the vision available

 

[ahhhhhh]

What actually is Greeves? Not a mid. Not a forward. Slow.

Not sure what player is there, that I could see from the vision available

He's very clearly a mid.

 

[hr_23]

Fox Sports Phantom Draft has us taking
Sam Grlj & Noah Hibbins Hargraves

 

[The Chad and I]

He is taller than our skipper who goes ok with intercepts

I don't see comparable abilities in Farrow.

 

[The Chad and I]

Fox Sports Phantom Draft has us taking
Sam Grlj & Noah Hibbins Hargraves

Inshallah brother.
That would be a plentiful bounty.

 

[hfc70]

Fair reply... not actually intended at you.

Suck it up Princess.

You sound like Derryn Hinch.....Shame,shame,shame.

Please use the ignore button.

 

[DrAbs]

Why are we "linked heavily"? I would trade out for F1 if this is true

 

[Soaring Hawk]

Fox Sports Phantom Draft has us taking
Sam Grlj & Noah Hibbins Hargraves

Never thought Grlj would be available at our pick. His speed / endurance combo would add something special.

If we also got Barker at 22, our outside run would be sorted for a while.

 

[hr_23]

Updated Phantom Draft: Big top-15 calls, bid NOT matched as first 30 AFL picks predicted

Updated Phantom Draft: Big top-15 calls, bid NOT matched as first 30 AFL picks predicted

www.foxsports.com.au

 

[MrBeefSeven]

I haven't followed this thread and know hardly anything about this draft. I think people ought not to get too carried away watching highlights clips.
For one thing, the level of competition varies.
But more importantly, there is always stuff you don't see. When we drafted Will Day we already had about 15 half backs and his highlights were uninspiring at best, lots of chipping around the back.
Was very much not impressed at the time. But looking back it was the obvious choice.

 

[The Golden Glenferrie]

I haven't followed this thread and know hardly anything about this draft. I think people ought not to get too carried away watching highlights clips.
For one thing, the level of competition varies.
But more importantly, there is always stuff you don't see. When we drafted Will Day we already had about 15 half backs and his highlights were uninspiring at best, lots of chipping around the back.
Was very much not impressed at the time. But looking back it was the obvious choice.

If we find a Will Day, I will be very happy. Bloke is super elite and it showed from the start.

 

[TazHawk15]

The best part for me is watching some posters who say things like “If we draft him we are wasting a pick” “If we draft him our recruiting team are useless” “He can’t kick or run and is fat” “If we draft him the whole competition will be laughing at us” then we draft the kid and the same posters spend the next few days saying “I hope I am wrong but I just don’t see it” followed by highlighting his good attributes and slowly coming around.
Then if they turn into guns we get the “I am happy to be proven wrong” and “What a guru sleepy mark is” if they don’t, we get the “I told you so”

It’s like clockwork and it’s the exact reason I don’t get enamoured with any one kid until he becomes a Hawk, then I do my research.

 

[To the Hawk]

Fox Sports Phantom Draft has us taking
Sam Grlj & Noah Hibbins Hargraves

I really want NHH at our second pick. Natural footballer with speed. I just think Sam and the team would develop him brilliantly. Adds a different look to our front half given very good overhead for his size. Would be a tough matchup.

He's the boom or bust pick I think we can take a chance on with our second pick.

I really want Sharp or Cumming to fall to us, but can't see it. I think they're 2 of the more bankable players in the draft, albeit I'm not sold either (or many) of this crop will be A graders.

Grlj is an enticing prospect. I'm just not sure how to place him. A genuine athlete, but not sure he has the composure or ball use to be a mid at AFL level. Especially at 182cm. Feels very much like an long term Impey replacement. Tough, hard running defender. Or maybe a wing.

Suspect he'd need a season or 2 development at Box Hill. Probably too hard to pass up if available with our first pick given that means Sharp and Cumming would be gone.

Kinda feels the type of player profile you pickup early night 2 most drafts, however. Maybe Pies or Saints come knocking.

 

[bigmaxi]

I love reading thru all the posts, snippets of ideas that help me re look at our list and our current needs. I think this draft will throw up some big surprises in the top 30 or so, being so even possibly points more to needs than best available. Hope a few guns fall thru to us and MM throws a curve ball and surprises and delights us all! Only 2 sleeps to go.

 

[FB19]

The best part for me is watching some posters who say things like “If we draft him we are wasting a pick” “If we draft him our recruiting team are useless” “He can’t kick or run and is fat” “If we draft him the whole competition will be laughing at us” then we draft the kid and the same posters spend the next few days saying “I hope I am wrong but I just don’t see it” followed by highlighting his good attributes and slowly coming around.
Then if they turn into guns we get the “I am happy to be proven wrong” and “What a guru sleepy mark is” if they don’t, we get the “I told you so”

It’s like clockwork and it’s the exact reason I don’t get enamoured with any one kid until he becomes a Hawk, then I do my research.

But the opposite is also true. It is also funny when people come in openly admit they know little to nothing about the draft and then proceed to lecture us on how to behave. It’s a thread for us as normal hawks posters to express what we think about who we might select and everyone here has different levels of knowledge about it. Ultimately none of it matters as it doesn’t impact what happens. But if we aren’t allowed to suspend disbelief and act as “list manager for a day” then what is the point of this thread?

 

[TazHawk15]

But the opposite is also true. It is also funny when people come in openly admit they know little to nothing about the draft and then proceed to lecture us on how to behave. It’s a thread for us as normal hawks posters to express what we think about who we might select and everyone here has different levels of knowledge about it. Ultimately none of it matters as it doesn’t impact what happens. But if we aren’t allowed to suspend disbelief and act as “list manager for a day” then what is the point of this thread?

Sure I have no problem with people who have seen these kids play and have educated opinions, I just giggle at the backflips.
Everyone can have an opinion about a kid just don’t go down the “We are a laughing stock if we pick this kid” route.

If you took my previous post as a “Don’t come here and lecture us on how to behave when you know nothing” thing, then that’s on you.
I am not lecturing anyone, I just gave my opinion about the clockwork nature of the draft thread.

 

[TylerDurden]

Grlj. Make it happen.

 

[The Golden Glenferrie]

Grlj. Make it happen.

No way he falls to us. Reminds me of Andy Brayshaw.