It seems counter-productive when Hibbins-Hargreaves was available goven the public comments about wanting to build our forward half. Having said that, Thredgold does look pretty promising. Just not sure how we improve our scoring in the short term though.
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List Mgmt. 2025 Young Talent Time
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It seems counter-productive when Hibbins-Hargreaves was available goven the public comments about wanting to build our forward half. Having said that, Thredgold does look pretty promising. Just not sure how we improve our scoring in the short term though.
Murphy Reid is exception not the norm. Most rookies will take 3-4 years to be ready full time for AFL. Therefore, it’s unrealistic to think a player will fix our scoring issue.
Just get the best player available with our first pick and maybe go for need in the rookie draft, and preseason supplement rookie.
Chris25
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Today's Fox Footy Phantom Draft has us taking Blake Thredgold at pick 26 (after all the NGA bidding)
Underwhelming for me, but I guess best available given our draft position.
Can't see him impacting our best 22 for 3 years, but I guess that times well with the end of Pearce. Conversely, a talented small forward or wing could possibly push for selection by next year, form permittng.
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 predictedwww.foxsports.com.au
Dalton, Oudshoorn-Bennier…nice to see Ben Waterworth follows me on here.
Would love BOB but I can’t see any way he lasts that long
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I'll counter this by saying we've drafted four KPPs in the last three seasons already and those players haven't been given 3-4 years to develop yet.
Draft a KPD and you've got 2-3 KPDs playing WAFL reserves when they're WAFL seniors level players. Then we'll end delisting/trading for peanuts anyway. We've already over drafted KPDs in the past - the evidence is sitting in Gold Coast's backline and we delisted him.
We can't afford to add unneeded depth when you've got had teams like Brisbane, Gold Coast getting such a leg up. I'm sure Walls will claim whoever we draft is best available but I do think he'll take needs in account if it's close talent wise - and IMO they'll be better players on the board then Thredgold anyway. Tbh I think virtually anything but KPP or ruck will add plenty to our list going forward so they'll be enough to pick from.
Of those in our range, I'd rather draft literally anyone but Thredgold.
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Chris25
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I think he’s in that sort of 30-50 range. I wouldn’t let him stay on the board for us, but it’s possible as clubs start looking more for needs come that second round.
I agree in principle with the best player available approach, and there's no way a gun young small forward will fix our scoring, but your take on rookies taking 3-4 years misses things like size, speed and goal kicking nous being the key factors with small forwards, and also the role opportunities available based on what a side needs.
Small forwards are unique in that they often play early, as opposed to key position players who need time to fill out and co-ordinate their sizeable levers, or midfielders who need to build a tank re: running capacity, and also significant strength for the bash and crash of stoppage physicality.
Kako played 23 games (15g,9b) in his first season last year, Nick Watson played 18 games in his first season in 2024 (25g, 27b) Josh Rachele played 13 games (17g,11bh) in his first year in 2022. If you go back through the books, Kosi played 14 games in his first year, Giniven 5, Cameron 7, Cyril Rioli 25 (runner up rising star), Papley 20, Betts 19 and Milne 17.
All these players went on to feature heavily from their debut year onwards.
I would suggest you have your Murphy Reid blinkers on. He is definitely an exception to the norm, but in regards to small forwards, due to the fact body size and tank are not a necessity, quality small forwards can play early in their career, and have a sizable impact, particularly if there is onfield opportunity and decent midfield supply.
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Tidy with the ball, can accumulate, decent pace. I like him a lot.
Wish we had a pick in the thirties
Chris25
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Lacking strength, outside leaning, not defensively minded, mid or flanker…
I like him too though.
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Two of your examples are top 6 picks and Kako went 13. Probably would have gone higher in the open draft or this year under the new rules. All were also the first specialist non key forward taken by some margin in their drafts.
I don't think first year impact is a factor in your choice in the mid twenties. As I have said before no matter the position if a player is clearly best available at a pick (which becomes progressively less likely as the draft goes on) you take them. Otherwise you are knowingly picking someone significant more likely to fail.
Taylor
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First year players can step straight into your decent AFL side and contribute, but they are almost always a small player like a forward pocket, half back or last mid in the rotation and if they are tall they are the sort of talent that shouldn't be making it to a mid twenties pick - or your team is totally rubbish and anyone who has walked past talent can get a game - that's not us.
So if the best talent there is tall and played next year then Thredgold is a rising star winner - but I doubt it.
So if the best talent there is tall and played next year then Thredgold is a rising star winner - but I doubt it.
Just looking at his tape, he looks like a shocking kick with a horrendous ball drop. Distribution is far from his forte.
Now we all know how I feel about Ryan’s output…
That aside, we already have a ton of players who could step up into that role.
You have to give the blokes we've drafted already a proper go first IMO.
Think end of next season is a good time to access Draper, Murphy and Davies and whether we should cut and move on to add more. Draper clearly ahead ATM but already has a contract for 2027. Nicholls you probably need to give a bit longer.
If it's not working with all these guys (Nicholls aside) end of 2026, which I doubt, we look at KPDs then.
Think end of next season is a good time to access Draper, Murphy and Davies and whether we should cut and move on to add more. Draper clearly ahead ATM but already has a contract for 2027. Nicholls you probably need to give a bit longer.
If it's not working with all these guys (Nicholls aside) end of 2026, which I doubt, we look at KPDs then.
I don't want to draft a KPD, but this is going to be pick 25ish in what is being called a very weak draft class. The term "first round" isn't really all that useful.
No matter how weak a draft is, there is never any need to draft a KPD in the top 35 picks and you don't need to look any further than our team.
When's the last time we played a KPD who was taken in the first 30 picks? Logue? And what a success story that turned out to be. Couldn't even get a game down back by the end of it.
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Chris25
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Using that logic, we shouldn’t take a small early either because Liam Henry sucks.
Thredgold wouldn’t be my first choice, but I’ve said before I could see him being best available depending on how the draft falls. Although I think people are overlooking the suggestion that we could bid and get either one of Addinsall or Carmichael. That was the more interesting thing from the article.
I think drafting a KPD with a decent draft selection with our list where it is at currently could be the difference between winning a flag and just falling short tbh. Not saying if we **** this pick up we're not winning a flag but get a solid B Grader for 2-3 years time and it might make a difference in day 2027 or 2028.
People will say Murphy Reid was a best available pick and not all players are best 23 year one. That's all true. But it was never hard at all to see him in our best 23 a few years after he was drafted.
Same goes with pretty much every first rounder we've ever drafted even if we had greater needs than the type of player we drafted. Unless we're willing to write off our younger KPPs right now I don't see how a KPD fits into the team in three years.
I think at worst the KPDs we have on our list are eventually good depth at AFL level. If we need something better it is what it is and we trade for it when it's clear it's needed.
There was an article yesterday saying Addinsall is preparing to go elsewhere. Seems it not a sure thing he goes to Gold Coast but I do think it's perhaps just a tactic by Gold Coast to have the later three guys slip so Gold Coast don't need to trade future picks to get more points.
Using my logic would get you as far back as Murphy Reid as a small forward…
Taylor
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AA Key Backs Retrospective:
2025: Sam Taylor (Pick #28), Harris Andrews (Pick #61)
2024: Jacob Weitering (Pick #1), Jeremy McGovern (Rookie)
2023: Darcy Moore (Pick #9), Callum Wilkie (Rookie)
2022: Sam Taylor (Pick #28), Steven May (Pre-draft selection)
2021: Jake Lever (Pick #14), Aliir Aliir (Pick #44), Steven May
2020: Darcy Moore, Harris Andrews, Luke Ryan (Pick #66)
Maybe don't try and pick the quarterback with the later picks and save them for the role players.
2025: Sam Taylor (Pick #28), Harris Andrews (Pick #61)
2024: Jacob Weitering (Pick #1), Jeremy McGovern (Rookie)
2023: Darcy Moore (Pick #9), Callum Wilkie (Rookie)
2022: Sam Taylor (Pick #28), Steven May (Pre-draft selection)
2021: Jake Lever (Pick #14), Aliir Aliir (Pick #44), Steven May
2020: Darcy Moore, Harris Andrews, Luke Ryan (Pick #66)
Maybe don't try and pick the quarterback with the later picks and save them for the role players.
lukedean16
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That’s just wrong and naive
