You’re just as likely to find a quality KPD with a later pick. Can’t really say the same for most other positions.
And that's not even taking into account that we have more developing KPDs than just about any other team in the league.
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List Mgmt. 2025 Young Talent Time
- Thread starter Snuffaluphagus
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And that's not even taking into account that we have more developing KPDs than just about any other team in the league.
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Pretty much the best all round key defender in the comp over the last 7 or 8 years was pick 1.
Chris25
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Well technically your logic would have said not to draft Reid because of Henry.
Snuffaluphagus
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I would soften the approach to never top 10 personally. Agree that you seem to be able to get AFL quality defenders (and elite ones) anywhere in the draft. When you consider each team has only 2 KPDs and like 6 guys running through on ball, anecdotally feels a far higher number of quality defenders are outside the top 10 compared to mids.
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Mate don't go throwing logic in to the equation.
FYI - best available for me, as the small forwards available in this draft just don't scream plug and play, and that's basically what people are wanting from a new small forward.
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My real problem with taking Thredgold with pick 20* is that our next pick is 47, by which point the other small forwards or half-forwards of note are definitely gone. Class in our forward line is our glaring position of need, in my opinion (and David Walls's opinion), and unless we have an ironclad trade target this is exactly what we need to be shoring up.
I don't think we actually need a plug-and-play small for 2026 necessarily; optimistically, Switta has better availability next year. But smalls, statistically, can debut and impact very immediately compared to other positions, and we will be needing smalls in short order unless there's a real revelation in Dudley's conditioning for next year. (Dudley was an SPP brought in as depth and played 16 games without any major injuries to key players—that is fairly categorical proof of an area of need.)
Whereas we have KPD coverage, short and long-term. We have the luxury of 1) developing projects and 2) sniffing around for longer term trade or free agency prospects.
I don't think we actually need a plug-and-play small for 2026 necessarily; optimistically, Switta has better availability next year. But smalls, statistically, can debut and impact very immediately compared to other positions, and we will be needing smalls in short order unless there's a real revelation in Dudley's conditioning for next year. (Dudley was an SPP brought in as depth and played 16 games without any major injuries to key players—that is fairly categorical proof of an area of need.)
Whereas we have KPD coverage, short and long-term. We have the luxury of 1) developing projects and 2) sniffing around for longer term trade or free agency prospects.
Snuffaluphagus
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I'm not sure we need a plug and play small forward but I do think we need SOMETHING resembling some kind of depth because as I've said a few times, even moving Banners back forward it feels like we have Banners and Dudley as under 190cm depth up there. I really would have liked Dovaston...
Best available but with our list position, I feel like a KPD would be as a big a waste of resources as an 18 year old ruck. I struggle to believe the gap between Thredgold and whoever else is left is big enough to justify the idea of having 3-4 developing KPDs on the list.
If Thredgold is so much better than everyone else at the pick then surely another club without 4 KPDs sitting at their state club each week will pick him up before us...
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A lot of KPPs played midfield as kids because they were the best player on the team. (In my experience only the spuds played defence in school) Then when they get to year 11 they get moved forward or back and have to learn a new position. Which explains the whole KPPs need time to develop cliche, and more "gems" being found lower down.
By comparison the top mids have played there for years by the time theyre drafted
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Snuffaluphagus
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It would be interesting if they moved the draft age back a few years if it had an impact average draft positions of KPDs in particular.
You say KPPs as a whole, but I feel like this is more specific to KPDs. COVID affected drafts notwithstanding, it still feels like you need top picks for the best KPFs and rucks would be in their own category as they generally need like 5 preseasons to even compete at AFL.
Weitering goes alright also.
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I edited my comment a bit to mention this but as kids no one wanted to play down back. We wanted to either get the ball in midfield or kick the goals. Which might explain why the talent distribution for high KPFs vs. KPDs
If Walls doesn't see value in the players after our pick but does rate Thredgold, then I'm fine with it.
That is, it's better to draft a player likely to have a best 23 AFL career than to draft someone who isn't.
Yes and he was drafted before I was born. Surely you could find a more recent example for us.
There is one area of the ground which has no depth and one which has about 4 players ready to come in. I don’t really care if Threadgold is rated 5 picks higher than the next best small forward, I’m still talking the small.
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To me it seems pretty simple. If Thredgold, or anyone really, is say no. 12 on our list and we get to pick 25 and he is available and the next player available is 22 or something then it's a no brainer, you take him. If he is instead around the mark and a different position player in an area of need is also around the mark but just slightly lower, then you take them instead.
"ever" usually has a longer time frame than youngsters like yourself.
Plus, Joose has done it.
Of course the bigger counter to your post is that our 1st round pick is looking like pick 26.
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Code Sports has called us "Bidmantle". Reckons the mail is we will bid on Adam Sweid (Essendon), Jack Ison (Carlton), Harry Kyle (Sydney), Lachie Carmichael (Sydney), Beau Addinsall (Gold Coast) and Tylah Williams (West Coast). Also reckons there is a good chance we land one of them.
The question is can the player fit into our best 23 in three to four years.
If the answer is yes for Thredgold, the club has already given up on three of Draper, Davies, Murphy and Nicholls. That'd be quite concerning tbh.
Whenever we overlooked talls for smalls and this board ranted about it there was always a way of fitting that player into the best 23 in three years time without writing off around a third of our picks in the previous three drafts.
If the answer is yes for Thredgold, the club has already given up on three of Draper, Davies, Murphy and Nicholls. That'd be quite concerning tbh.
Whenever we overlooked talls for smalls and this board ranted about it there was always a way of fitting that player into the best 23 in three years time without writing off around a third of our picks in the previous three drafts.
You could never convince me that you should use your first rounder on a KPD. Doesn’t mean quality KPDs haven’t been drafted with high picks. But Taylor's post just proves that they're just as easy to find with low draft picks.
If Thredgold is only ranked 26 in a supposedly "weak draft" then what about that says he's better than Davies or Murphy who were second rounders and have had 2+ years in the system to develop ahead of him?
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I hope we get Williams out of that lot but which one would be least likely to get matched? Addinsall?
I will be over the moon if we do that.
I would really like a winger - we have a poverty of wingers.
We do, however, have a couple of defenders who could turn into v good wingers if Longmuir ever decided to think outside the box. Taking about Chapman, Simpson and McVee.
If Walls thinks Thredgold is the best available and he releases one of the above to play on the centre then why the hell not.
However my choice , realistically, would be NHH. Looks a natural footballer.
We do, however, have a couple of defenders who could turn into v good wingers if Longmuir ever decided to think outside the box. Taking about Chapman, Simpson and McVee.
If Walls thinks Thredgold is the best available and he releases one of the above to play on the centre then why the hell not.
However my choice , realistically, would be NHH. Looks a natural footballer.
