Resource 2025 AFL Draft prospects and discussion.

[Danger Zone]

By my reckoning, these are the players not selected who were invited to the National Combine. Plus a few notable state invitees.

(AA) denotes they were in the U-18s Champs All Australian team. (SA) denotes South Australian.

NATIONAL COMBINE INVITES

Tairon Ah-Mu
Oskar Ainsworth
Sam Ainsworth (AA) (SA)
Thomas Burton
Noah Chamberlain
Oliver Greeves (AA)
Liam Hetherton
Noah Hibbins-Hargreaves
Louis Kellaway (SA)
Leon Kickett
Jesse Mellor (AA)
Taj Murray
Riley Onley
Blake Oudshoorn-Bennier (SA)
Fred Rodriguez (AA)
Isaac Waller
Wesley Walley

STATE COMBINE NOTABLES

Xavier Bamert
Harrison Bridge
Toby Whan
Rory Wright

 

[MarcusP2]

And f*#k me, we got Archie... Wtf is Hamish thinking? IMO, not best available and not a list need, someone explain this to me

Did any of those guys (besides Byrne who was gone) get drafted at all? Appears nobody rated them like Bicks.

I don't think we have a rookie spot for them either.

 

[Thrillthorpe7]

Marsh is as much a forward as Dawson was in his draft profile, can see him playing a lot of half forward/wing early days and maybe start exploring midfield minutes once he’s built a bit of size

 

[Golumless]

And f*#k me, we got Archie... Wtf is Hamish thinking? IMO, not best available and not a list need, someone explain this to me

I think this is a home run swing. On top of everything else in his profile, the kid just turned 18 yesterday.

Hell, a growth spurt and we might accidentally have drafted a developing ruck, which probably has Reid asking for the entire scouting department shut down and everyone fired.

 

[UcantCme]

Port supporters delusional

Honestly believe they have passed on all draft picks tonight to have money for AH Chee tomorrow

Can’t wait for tomorrow

 

[Danger Zone]

Probably the biggest surprises to not be taken:

Oliver Greeves
Liam Hetherton
Noah Hibbins-Hargreaves
Leon Kickett
Taj Murray
Riley Onley
Blake Oudshoorn-Bennier
Fred Rodriguez

 

[Firewalker]

So with leaving that extra spot open if they do trial options in pre-season you’d hope an actual dynamic, quick, specialist small forward will be part of those trialled.

Seriously it has been 12 years since they drafted Charlie Cameron

23

Charlie Cameron

Age

31

Ht

180cm

Wt

76kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

12.1

3star

K

8.4

3star

HB

3.7

3star

M

3.0

3star

T

3.2

5star

G

1.5

5star

D

9.6

2star

K

7.9

3star

HB

1.7

1star

M

3.6

4star

T

1.7

3star

G

1.9

5star

D

9.6

3star

K

5.4

2star

HB

4.2

4star

M

1.4

2star

T

3.4

5star

G

1.2

4star

and 8 seasons since his departure and they have never looked to draft anyone to replace what he provided in the forward line.

Or maybe they just look to quadruple down and grab another tall forward.

 

[Eagleboy2011]

AFL Rookie Draft begins tomorrow at 2:40 pm Vic time.​

 

[radiojake]

what happened with Greeves?

Hawthorn even tried to get him into their academy but then they dont even draft him?

 

[BRL121]

Port supporters delusional

Honestly believe they have passed on all draft picks tonight to have money for AH Chee tomorrow

Can’t wait for tomorrow

Archie today, AhChee tomorrow.

 

[Drakescoffeecake]

Probably the biggest surprises to not be taken:

Oliver Greeves
Liam Hetherton
Noah Hibbins-Hargreaves
Leon Kickett
Taj Murray
Riley Onley
Blake Oudshoorn-Bennier
Fred Rodriguez

Blake oud what now?

 

[Cromulant]

I dont mind the pick and I understand the pick

But the narrative was midfield midfield midfield and did we once again blow a pre-season trade or draft getting a midfielder

We've got 2 first round midfielders

We're good.

 

[BRL121]

So with leaving that extra spot open if they do trial options in pre-season you’d hope an actual dynamic, quick, specialist small forward will be part of those trialled.

Seriously it has been 12 years since they drafted Charlie Cameron and 8 seasons since his departure and they have never looked to draft anyone to replace what he provided in the forward line.

Or maybe they just look to quadruple down and grab another tall forward.

What about Rankine?? OK, not drafted, but equivalent.

 

[Cromulant]

So with leaving that extra spot open if they do trial options in pre-season you’d hope an actual dynamic, quick, specialist small forward will be part of those trialled.

Seriously it has been 12 years since they drafted Charlie Cameron and 8 seasons since his departure and they have never looked to draft anyone to replace what he provided in the forward line.

Or maybe they just look to quadruple down and grab another tall forward.

Rankine and Rachele go alright.

Id be looking at Fred Rodriguez or Onley as midfielders.

 

[Eagleboy2011]

Archie today, AhChee tomorrow.

Did you sneeze? Bless you.

 

[Danger Zone]

Hoping for one of Onley, Rodriguez or Kickett as a rookie tomorrow. Most likely we hold the spot for a SPP instead though.

Surely a club takes a punt on Hetherton too.

 

[Danger Zone]

Blake oud what now?

There is a reason we have been calling him BOB instead

 

[BRL121]

Hoping for one of Onley, Rodriguez or Kickett as a rookie tomorrow. Most likely we hold the spot for a SPP instead though.

Surely a club takes a punt on Hetherton too.

Kickett would be a balancing pick.

 

[Gtowncrow]

Pretty much as expected, Thredgold to Roos.

Prime trade target in three years

 

[Thylacinus]

And f*#k me, we got Archie... Wtf is Hamish thinking? IMO, not best available and not a list need, someone explain this to me

I think a plausible explanation is that Archie Ludowyke has great potential and our forward picks will enable Thilthorpe to play much more as a ruck where his agility, mobility and skill will make him like an extra top shelf midfielder. While a somewhat different player, Thilthorpe in the middle could be somewhat like Max Gawn in his prime, someone who covers the ground (even much more so) and is a play making and goal kicking match winner.

 

[Danger in Texas]

I think a plausible explanation is that Archie Ludowyke has great potential and our forward picks will enable Thilthorpe to play much more as a ruck where his agility, mobility and skill will make him like an extra top shelf midfielder. While a somewhat different player, Thilthorpe in the middle could be somewhat like Max Gawn in his prime, someone who covers the ground (even much more so) and is a play making and goal kicking match winner.

Or…. Marsh is seen as a half-forward/wing, and Ludo is seen as a development KPF

 

[GreyCrow]

We've got 2 first round midfielders

We're good.

So why don't we play them

Why did we try and trade for a midfielder?

I like how you support the club but consider yourself a hostage and still love the club

There's a phrase for that

 

[por_please_ya]

Loved the interview with Ludowyke, bless his cotton socks he was absolutely stoked.

 

[Gtowncrow]

What’s the point with Welsh now we have Marsh
But yeah definitely harsh

They'd do it in Sparta!

Remember September. It hurt.

 

[Firewalker]

What about Rankine?? OK, not drafted, but equivalent.

Totally different players, Charlie was a pressure player first and foremost at the Crows, he would run down or pressure opponents into rushing their decision making first then build his attacking play off the back of that by using his athleticism to find space on the way back and his skills to finish off the work - the Crows have never replaced that aspect of their forward line.

Since Cameron and to a lesser extent Betts left both Pyke and then Nicks have used the small forward role in 2 ways - using limited undersized junior midfielders (like Murphy) to sacrifice most aspects of their game to just single-mindedly focus on trying to corral opponents or used the over-supplied drafted midfielders who had good goal instincts but can be a little lazy defensively (think Schoenberg, Pedlar, Taylor and Rachele early on).

Rankine was slightly different as he did have the ground game to replace some of what Cameron did in terms of crumming work but is so attack first oriented (especially compared to what Cameron was with the Crows) that even before Nicks realised he had to put Rankine in the midfield out of desperation/necessity he he was always likely to ‘roam’ higher up the ground to find more of the footy and given his midfield background as a junior he feels more comfortable being freer rather than confined to the 50 and asked to continually apply pressure.

Sometimes you just need smalls that have played most of their late junior years as forwards to play that small forward role.

Whilst the club never finding someone to fully replace what Dangerfield provided has hurt in the years since his departure, the club also never finding a player to replace the aspects Cameron brought to the forward half I’d argue has almost proved just as costly given how the game has changed over the last 7-8 years.