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

[Bugs1977]

I think in a draft like this you just have to take talent, you can’t get picky.

I think the club still would have real concerns over our midfield but taking mids just for the sake of it won’t get us far

Yep. That's how you end up with list cloggers.

 

[lethalselbow]

Gold Coast finish top 8 and land 4 draft picks in top 18.

Move along

 

[Since 2001]

Do we trade up for greeves tomorrow, that's the big question for hawthorn.

But what a draft, the players we got, I would've been stocked to get them at our original picks of 10 and 21. But to trade back two times, get WCE and Stk future seconds, that give us great flexibility to re-enter this draft, going to the draft hard again in 2026 or trades for players.

Not getting Merrett hurt, but this has a great result for the club, fans, members and the two young men drafted.

 

[Since 2001]

Yep. That's how you end up with list cloggers.

Norf

 

[Mercy Seat]

I understand why everyone wanted mids.

We are lacking midfield depth, but the club obviously didn't see the quality at our picks that could make an immediate impact so we drafted best talent instead of wasting picks on mids that won't be able to impact right now.

I think everything we've done also suggests we're confident in players like Butler, Ward, Mackenzie being able to shoulder the midfield load alongside Newcombe, Day and Nash.

There’s no mids in the draft who are making any meaningful impact over the next few years so whilst midfield is a pressing need, we ain’t solving that issue with the draft. We need A grade mature talent and the strategy remains to get them via trade and FA next year.

 

[VandoHawk]

We now have the flexibility to dangle one of our three future seconds to get back into this draft, or we can just exit with Pick 52 and 59.

We've gone for some high upside picks that we likely deemed best available rather than positional needs.

I think it was a good first round. Some players I really wanted were gone but I wasn't expecting Nairn to last until 20.

 

[CobberRodgers]

I think in a draft like this you just have to take talent, you can’t get picky.

I think the club still would have real concerns over our midfield but taking mids just for the sake of it won’t get us far

This.

We all know where are issues are.

Just very hard to address them with one 18 year old taken outside the top dozen in an average draft.

 

[Franko Armani]

Wow, Schubert looks classy af ! Doesn’t get out marked, great shot at goal, excellent field kick and very agile for a 2m player.

You’d reckon the South Australian teams will be kicking themselves for not having many picks when there is so much good home grown talent in this draft. Ah well…

 

[Jake_09]

I jokingly said to my son last week that we should just take the best South Australian and use him as collateral next year

 

[The Golden Glenferrie]

I jokingly said to my son last week that we should just take the best South Australian and use him as collateral next year

I am attached to these kids

 

[hardway]

Gold Coast finish top 8 and land 4 draft picks in top 18.

Move along

To my eye their first pick is a gun and the best in the draft.

 

[kirbatron]

Schubert & Dear looks a clunkathon

 

[satan1]

Draft all the South Australians and hope Port wants them next year. Worst case Day has some friends with strange accents.

Excellent

 

[danielG]

But they'll still give us a D+

Schuberts kicking style is hard to watch.. Not sure that’s fixable..

 

[eaglevision]

We will let you pick which one again

Can you just pick for us?

 

[kazzooka]

Very happy we've added some quality talls in the draft. Our current talls are getting the job done but Gunston probably in his last year and M Lewis could play 5 more games or 150 games.

These boys will take 2-3 years to come along too, so very keen to track their development.

Yes, Similar to getting Mraz last year as future planning when Sicily, Barrass (and Frost) are gone. We knew blank was gone and Serong unproven.

This year Lewis is not reliable yet, Gunston is year to year now, Chol will be 29. Ramsden not proven, Scaif gone, Dear still young needing to build that fitness. McCabe we don't know where he'll end up.

 

[Dewnior]

Gold Coast finish top 8 and land 4 draft picks in top 18.

Move along

Hope they pass at 48 and 49

 

[Bugs1977]

Schuberts kicking style is hard to watch.. Not sure that’s fixable..

If Jesse Hogan can fix his then anyone can

 

[5minutes_of_Dew]

Can you just pick for us?

When in doubt, always bet against Carlton.

 

[Bugs1977]

Yes, Similar to getting Mraz last year as future planning when Sicily, Barrass (and Frost) are gone. We knew blank was gone and Serong unproven.

This year Lewis is not reliable yet, Gunston is year to year now, Chol will be 29. Ramsden not proven, Scaif gone, Dear still young needing to build that fitness. McCabe we don't know where he'll end up.

Pretty sure we're re-picking Blanck with our last pick

 

[kazzooka]

We don't have WCE pick, it's the saints.

I've also got no idea why people are still so keen on Greaves who's clearly slid due to his tweener size and lack of speed.

Tweener size? I think he's a beast size mid. Just whether he's fast enough and aware enough. He gets caught a bit. I think this late in the draft he's worth picking up, certainly didn't want to use 10 on him, but after 25 you need to try. 30 +4 in a prelim.

He'll either never be explosive enough, or he'll spend a few years forward and building his tank and power and then explode like Petracca did in the middle.

 

[Hawk88]

So where are these midfielders we needed?

 

[BIGHAWK23]

So where are these midfielders we needed?

None worth it

 

[Franko Armani]

Future proofed the club tonight for after the current teams run at a flag.

Schubert, Nairn, Mraz, McCabe will be waiting in the wings to replace ageing KPF’s .

Most definitely we will be trading for ready made mids in the 26 trade period, hence the KPF selections tonight.

 

[2008wasoverDEW!]

IMO that's a drafting master-class by us, being able to adapt on the run.
There was talk pre-draft that we were considering moving our pick 22 into the teens, whilst being open to sliding our pick 10 back a couple of spots.

The pick 22 upgrade to 17 with Brisbane was an exceptional deal, especially for a future 3rd. That manoeuvre was to get ahead of Geelong and Freo, with a clear target in mind... Aidan Schubert.

As for our pick 10, it was clear that our original targets had already been selected. (Grlj, Farrow, Sharp)
We then had opportunities to take either Dovaston or Lindsay outright, but we opted to secure 2x future 2nd round picks instead by pushing our pick further back. In the end we took an athletically gifted forward-mid, who would've been a good selection at pick 10 anyway, whilst banking two bonus future 2nd rounders.

A seriously good draft that has also strengthened our 2026 trade collateral.

Well done, Hawks!