List Mgmt. Draftee, NGA and Father/Son Discussion - 2025

[Eastcoasteagle]

16yo Benji Van Rooyen dominant again.

17 touches, 37 hitouts.

I'm trying not to get excited about him, as every year the underager that looks amazing has a crap u18 year.

 

[Wooshaaaa]

CDT might be the perfect ruckman with new rule changes coming.

Wouldn't mind taking one of Sharp/Dursma and CDT

Can someone point the rookie the mountainous amount of debate on this matter so we don't have to rehash it.!

 

[WCE777]

Banfield boys had good stat games in the prelim. Will be interesting to see how they go against the SF mids in the GF

Can see both of them being very much a part of our future, they have done nothing but keep developing as the year has progressed.
Charlie just looks a very decent wing option who is a good size, aggressive and good skills, might have mid rotation potential.
Harper just looks a balanced mid in the making and maybe developing to be better than his older brother, with all the same skills.

 

[Wooshaaaa]

There’s a lot of love for Sam Cumming in here, particularly with the keen draft watchers.

NHH would be a fantastic pick for a team that can afford risk. Unfortunately we can’t but if he’s still there at the Hawks pick I’d be ok taking him although I’d prefer a Dalton type where you know what you’re getting. Phillipou would be another around that pick.

Some SA recruiters rate cumming highly.!

 

[PremiershipNo4]

Some SA recruiters rate cumming highly.!

Just about all of us rate Cumming highly!

 

[TwoStriders]

Charlie Banfield has posted excellent tackle numbers the last three games. Can Colts-watchers confirm he's doing that while playing on a wing?

We have seriously lacked outside runners who work hard defensively. Always get exposed in the spread.

 

[new breed]

B Kelly averaging 25-30 D per game in Colts this season , first Reserves game today leading possession winner on the ground close to HT.
Consistency plus .

 

[Elite Pete]

Charlie Banfield has posted excellent tackle numbers the last three games. Can Colts-watchers confirm he's doing that while playing on a wing?

We have seriously lacked outside runners who work hard defensively. Always get exposed in the spread.

The last 2 games I’ve watched parts of he’s been in the centre bounces.

 

[Monocle]

How are we going to have a winning midfield next year if we don't get a half decent ruck man ?

Oh we are not and thats a bitter pill that some on here, need to first understand and then swallow.

We need to kick that can down the road, lots here hated the thought that the Hawks first rounder might go to Collingwood for Cameron, personally I didn't mind it as he would have been a bridge ruck for two - three years, right at this minute the Hawks first rounder is looking less and less appealing.

And thats part of the conundrum, this is what we face with our rebuild this year;

Best Player in the Cohort: - Duursma is an outside weapon that starts on a HBF and as time goes by and he improves his craft, he become a damaging line breaking wingman.
If we take him, it doesn't help us much next year... BUT.... he will be a real asset WHEN we both improve our midfield and get a genuine ruck.

Then to the ruck situation.

In house we are seeing good signs that Archer will grow into a genuine # 1 ruck , but alas that doesn't help us next year and more likely he doesn't become that quality a ruck for three more seasons. ( It's why IMO we need a bridge ruck man).

Then back onto the draft: - CDT ( if you buy the spiel that he is the best ruck in this years cohort ...which I don't, but I will go along with that line of thought for the purpose of this post ) , then he too is 3-4 years away from being of quality to be a genuine ruck.
So drafting him would have absolutely, no immediate benefit to the team, he would be talent banking for future impact.

Those who say he ls is a KPF , ignore the fact that he isn't the best KPF in this draft, thats Schubert and its not even close.



So the ruck dilemma that we find our self stuck with, ain't getting fixed this trade and draft period .



However IF we focus on using at least one, preferable two, of our first round assets on midfielder reinforcements, then there are some kids, who I believe can play next years, not saying become best 15 or even play every week, but in the mix for games in 2026.

IMO Sharp, Cumming, Greeves could all play next year .... and a couple of those could play early.

There is a list of others that could be around for the Hawks first rounder who are speculative and or flankers that might .... .......... you know the rest all all too well, they keep throwing darts at flankers with potential to be mids and eventually one might hit the target.

Now lots here have their favourite mids and have already put a line through a couple of the above mentioned mids, so be it.



My take on it is - unless Clarke Kent has something up his sleeve for acquiring a bridge ruck, thats not yet been disclosed, then we are stuck with - tweedle dee and tweedle dumb being our rucks again next year.


The harsh reality is that, our list is so out of kilter and unbalanced that we need help on all lines, so we are not getting it all fixed this trade and draft period.

We still have three more draft and trade periods, IMO, to fix up the mess that the former regime left behind.

I am sure thats not the news most posters want to read , but thats where we are.

 

[WCE777]

Oh we are not and thats a bitter pill that some on here, need to first understand and then swallow.

We need to kick that can down the road, lots here hated the thought that the Hawks first rounder might go to Collingwood for Cameron, personally I didn't mind it as he would have been a bridge ruck for two - three years, right at this minute the Hawks first rounder is looking less and less appealing.

And thats part of the conundrum, this is what we face with our rebuild this year;

Best Player in the Cohort: - Duursma is an outside weapon that starts on a HBF and as time goes by and he improves his craft, he become a damaging line breaking wingman.
If we take him, it doesn't help us much next year... BUT.... he will be a real asset WHEN we both improve our midfield and get a genuine ruck.

Then to the ruck situation.

In house we are seeing good signs that Archer will grow into a genuine # 1 ruck , but alas that doesn't help us next year and more likely he doesn't become that quality a ruck for three more seasons. ( It's why IMO we need a bridge ruck man).

Then back onto the draft: - CDT ( if you buy the spiel that he is the best ruck in this years cohort ...which I don't, but I will go along with that line of thought for the purpose of this post ) , then he too is 3-4 years away from being of quality to be a genuine ruck.
So drafting him would have absolutely, no immediate benefit to the team, he would be talent banking for future impact.

Those who say he ls is a KPF , ignore the fact that he isn't the best KPF in this draft, thats Schubert and its not even close.



So the ruck dilemma that we find our self stuck with, ain't getting fixed this trade and draft period .



However IF we focus on using at least one, preferable two, of our first round assets on midfielder reinforcements, then there are some kids, who I believe can play next years, not saying become best 15 or even play every week, but in the mix for games in 2026.

IMO Sharp, Cumming, Greeves could all play next year .... and a couple of those cold play early.

There is a list of others that could be around for the Hawks first rounder who are speculative and or flankers that might .... .......... you know the rest all all too well, they keep throwing darts at flankers with potential to be mids and eventually one might hit the target.

Now lots here have their favourite mids and have already put a line through a couple of the above mentioned mids, so be it.



My take on it is - unless Clarke Kent has something up his sleeve for acquiring a bridge ruck, thats not yet been disclosed, them we are stuck with - tweedle dee and tweedle dumb being our rucks again next year.


The harsh reality is that, our list is so out of kilter and unbalanced that we need help on all lines, so we are not getting it all fixed this trade and draft period.

We still have three more draft and trade periods, IMO, to fix up the mess that the former regime left behind.

I am sure thats not the news most posters want to read , but thats where we are.

totally agree, 2025 is about setting up our midfield for the future and adding as much experience around the young players as we can get over the line with all our draft assets, picks & $$.

If we are left with some draft assets after that, push some into next year as we also need a big draft year in 2026 and any reasonable trade that makes our team better.

We have a stack of players that are NGA/FS options as well as players that need to be on our list going forward filling in HF/SF/WING Evans/C Banfield/Williams/Walley 2026 Kenh/McGlade/H Banfield/Farmer/Shanahan filling in HB/SF/MID/SF/KPD.

We lack immensely at least 1 genuine KPD and probably 2 by next year. We may trade in a short term fix but 2026 we have D Shanahan/FB/CHB, H Cummings/CHB.

We need a minimum of 3 best mids across 2025/26 through the draft.

We need another KPF to replace Waterman long term. 2026 K LeCras/CHF.

We need talent across the board through trade and draft but most of the talent outside the 1st round and 1st choice mids inside the top 10 will be filled by NGA/FS players and trades.
We will be filled to the brim with young talent by the end of 2026 IMO, and hence the big chase for older proven talent to fill our list.
Going to be a massive 2 years!!

 

[Godfather32]

The harsh reality is that, our list is so out of kilter and unbalanced that we need help on all lines, so we are not getting it all fixed this trade and draft period.

We have a very balanced list actually, we're shit on every line

 

[The Dodger]

and a come with me attitude

David King

 

[AsterixTheGaul]

We have a very balanced list actually, we're shit on every line

Well said. Along the lines that Freo supporters can walk straight as they have a chip on both shoulders

 

[noobermensch]

Ollie Greeves has hit a rare vein of form at the perfect time as he and his Ranges team continue to stomp their way through the Coates Talent League finals. Greeves was energetic and prolific from the opening bounce, although his work inside the stoppage wasn't quite as clean as he normally is and he was caught with the footy a couple of times. It was after half time when he took his game to another level, a move into the forward line prompting a 10 minute 4 goal blitz to turn what had been a relatively close game into a romp. His forward line heroics here were a continuation of a late season trend, demonstrating his positional versatility. Greeves work rate to present into space on the flanks and wings was a standout all game both as a forward and a mid, contributing to him taking 14 marks.

 

[InTheWings]

I’ll help you out here as you appear to be getting a little confused as to who is the best and who we can legitimately draft.

There are some draft watchers that believe Uwland and Annables are better than Duursma and CDT. Yet neither are truly available to us. If we could draft those 2 at 1 and 2, I would be very happy. I believe this is the Queen analogy.

The real question should be, by way of example, would drafting both Cumming and Farrow be a better option than just Duursma.

There are nervous fans that worry about what Duursma will really become. Is he elite in position versatility but not elite at any one position? There is also a question on retention and can he or say CDT stick around long enough in a bottom of the ladder club when both are likely to be fringe or WAFL in 2026

Your question is valid, but the logic doesn't work.

With pick 1 we can't take Dan Annable or Zeke Uwland anyway. We can make a bid and make Brisbane and Gold Coast match and pay more for them, but we have no access to them.

Therefore the figure above doesn't matter.

They would. Maybe a future pick thrown in.

Whats the difference in rankings between pick 4 and pick 8?

Every draft has tiers of quality. A standout #1. Then maybe 2 or 3 closely ranked guns. Then a tier of 5 or 8 players ranked the same or to close to call.

The 8th player picked likely a similar ranked player as 11. Players ranking dont automatically drop every pick.

Then you get the statement " you could throw a blanket over the next 20." Its all subjective.

Thanks for the replies. It helps the swaps make more sense to me.

I thought I saw some articles during the week saying Duursma was firming as the #1 pick, and I took them to mean he was firming as the best player in the draft, which was the crux of my thinking. I am now guessing that I misread that somehow, and from your responses, it seems that the academy guys are still considered better. I know some of you guys watch the prospective draftees closely and know a lot more about them than I do.

 

[Mop]

Thanks for the replies. It helps the swaps make more sense to me.

I thought I saw some articles during the week saying Duursma was firming as the #1 pick, and I took them to mean he was firming as the best player in the draft, which was the crux of my thinking. I am now guessing that I misread that somehow, and from your responses, it seems that the academy guys are still considered better. I know some of you guys watch the prospective draftees closely and know a lot more about them than I do.

Monocle, Eastcoasteagle, Astrixthegaul are our three top tier draft gurus with genuine pro insight. A few others have genuine opinions on the inside track.

The rest of us, opinions of varying level of skill. Eaglevision I think has a decent football background but is also a lot bolder with his calls than the rest, something of an outlier.

In an open draft is Duursma #1? Maybe but not definitely. In the closed draft with the other two top end picks being locked to the Northern academies? Almost certainly.

 

[Eastern Rangers]

I'm trying not to get excited about him, as every year the underager that looks amazing has a crap u18 year.

Absolutely. But id draft both Benji or Axel ahead of CDT without any second thought.

 

[TOA.]

I've only seen highlights so know SFA. I really want Sharp based on how he reads but it just seems he's not really in the mix based on comments from people who seem to have draft knowledge (ie, Twomey basically said last week there is a top 6 or whatever it is, CDT, Duursa and 4 NGA). So I'm trying to convince myself that CDT and Duursma would be a good outcome. Its just typical of our luck lately there are no rolled gold mids for us to take (why couldnt it have been the Rowell and Anderson style draft ). Even if CDT has massive potential, i'd still be 100% okay with us taking Sharp. We desperately need the midfleld help, and by the time CDT starts hitting his straps the Vic Metro in him will come out and he'll be getting massive offers to head home.

 

[Priddis Is Done]

Can someone point the rookie the mountainous amount of debate on this matter so we don't have to rehash it.!

Let me try

He's not a ruckman a$$hole. Never was, is or will be.

He's not even attempting to be a d grade ruckman.

He's tall and agile and a forward. Its like saying our Kennedy is a ruckman.

 

[Proeagle]

Does anyone know anything about delisted Richmond ruckman Mate Colina? 211 cms.. Obviously not the best sign Richmond delisted him but sounds like injuries played a part.

edit - I just saw some footage. Kicks like an American basketballer as of a few years ago. Not sure if hes got better. Rucking and marking look ok but probably a no go.

Had I been a selector a few years back, the eagles would now have Ned Reeves. Really wanted him in the draft and we couldve had him.

 

[FKASC]

Dream outcome imo

1. CDT
2. Trade to Ess for their F1 and F2
18. (Haw pick) Trade to Bris for Starcevich

 

[bzparkes]

Dream outcome imo

1. CDT
2. Trade to Ess for their F1 and F2
18. (Haw pick) Trade to Bris for Starcevich

Well, nightmares are dreams after all.

 

[Eastcoasteagle]

Monocle, Eastcoasteagle, Astrixthegaul are our three top tier draft gurus with genuine pro insight. A few others have genuine opinions on the inside track.

The rest of us, opinions of varying level of skill. Eaglevision I think has a decent football background but is also a lot bolder with his calls than the rest, something of an outlier.

In an open draft is Duursma #1? Maybe but not definitely. In the closed draft with the other two top end picks being locked to the Northern academies? Almost certainly.

It's a shame we didn't get to see more of Zeke Uwland this year, probably still number 1 based on his vfl form late in the year. I'd then probably have Duursma, based on form and also think he's got heaps of growth left in him. Then Annable.

Pick 1 I'd 100% take Duursma.

 

[eaglevision]

Well, nightmares are dreams after all.

Would not surprise me in the slightest if this is what Clarke has in his head sitting there s******ing to himself thinking what a genius he is.

 

[Dark Sharks]

CDT is 100% just going to be another Archer Reid. Likely with a better kick.

Tall athlete, no set position, still very raw but hasn't really made sweet FA impact on the competition given he's a project player.

Already got 1 of this type of player, add in Barnett and that's 2, I'll cringe if we bring in a third.

Would rather just get Cody Curt's for a bargain and throw him in the ruck. He's he same height as CDT, definitely heavier, but most importantly competes physically which is what you need in a ruckman.