Player Watch #10 Taj Hotton - Hip Stress - Available Round 14/Managed Minutes VFL

[Julio Dulio]

Reid’s en route to be AA I dint think it too early to say anyone who missed him and we had more than anyone , stuffed up

Good for him. I’ll reserve judgment for a few more years, perhaps when they all get to 200-250 games would be appropriate. If our four play keys roles in finals, maybe grand finals, no one will be concerned with 2026

 

[Julio Dulio]

Who cares? Seriously.

It boggles the mind how these people keep harping on about platers that don’t play for us. Not sure if it’s funny or sad

 

[Hydatina Physis]

I wanted Reid but I reckon it's a bit silly to be going this early on who shouldve picked who, when. There's so many variables. Would he be playing as well at Richmond? Would we even be able to get him on the park? I say no to both. We're playing like shit and our medical team is a shambles.

Then you have to remember literally every draft has multiple players that multiple other clubs should have picked. By multiple I mean loads. We won't know the full picture until this entire draft class is pretty much retired.

To spend this much time going round and round in circles, saying the same shit every day is a waste of energy.

 

[Calcium Man]

Reid’s en route to be AA I dint think it too early to say anyone who missed him and we had more than anyone , stuffed up

He won’t make AA, despite what Twomey thinks. He might make the squad but still think that’s borderline.

Theres what 9 spots he could fill? 3 mids, 3 forwards and 3 bench spots?

Daicos
Heeney
Butters
Bont
Petracca
Kozzie
Bailey
Watson
Smith
Dawson

All gonna be ahead of him.

Then there is

Bolton
Warner
Serong
callaghan
Richards
Anderson
Holmes
JHF
Neale
Newcombe
McInerney

Who he would have to be beyond doubt better then.

 

[Bojangles17]

He won’t make AA, despite what Twomey thinks. He might make the squad but still think that’s borderline.

Theres what 9 spots he could fill? 3 mids, 3 forwards and 3 bench spots?

Daicos
Heeney
Butters
Bont
Petracca
Kozzie
Bailey
Watson
Smith
Dawson

All gonna be ahead of him.

Then there is

Bolton
Warner
Serong
callaghan
Richards
Anderson
Holmes
JHF
Neale
Newcombe
McInerney

Who he would have to be beyond doubt better then.

Bolton will be a lock for AA , would have thought Reid’s output had Dawson covered this year too

 

[Andyy]

Reid’s en route to be AA I dint think it too early to say anyone who missed him and we had more than anyone , stuffed up

Keeping the Reid pick means not trading Bolton... So no Hotton, Faull, Trainor.


Take Armstrong still. Maybe Shanahan instead of Sims.

The forward line (if healthy) would have been something like:

Campbell, Lynch, Bolton
Reid, Shanahan, Armstrong

Retain Young in 2025. Backline would be something like:

Miller, Young, Gray/Gibcus
Vlastuin, Grlj, Broad

Balta ruck relief/swing option.


Always interesting to wonder how it would have panned out

 

[prodigy]

Where did the Taj Hotton thread go?
I come in here hoping to see some excitement about him potentially coming in after the bye.

But nope, just more Hindsight Harry's. Tiresome. Move on.

 

[GhostofJimJess]

Where did the Taj Hotton thread go?
I come in here hoping to see some excitement about him potentially coming in after the bye.

But nope, just more Hindsight Harry's. Tiresome. Move on.

Yep, biggest bunch of hindsight sooks in the league. Coulda, shoulda, woulda.

There's a growing part of me that wishes these hindsight flogs hadn't just enjoyed the gift of winning three glorious flags in the past decade. Turn on their club at the soonest opportunity.

 

[KrispyKreme]

Hotton will be a fine player in time …. hopefully a great one. But he has that special
quality a lot of our players get … the less they play the more of a superstar they seemingly become. Following in the Gibcus, Judson Clarke and Rioli Jr shadow. Reputation that grow the longer the absence becomes.

Yes and no. I think we all know that the potential for Juddy and Gibcus is far greater than Maurice.

 

[Bojangles17]

Keeping the Reid pick means not trading Bolton... So no Hotton, Faull, Trainor.


Take Armstrong still. Maybe Shanahan instead of Sims.

The forward line (if healthy) would have been something like:

Campbell, Lynch, Bolton
Reid, Shanahan, Armstrong

Retain Young in 2025. Backline would be something like:

Miller, Young, Gray/Gibcus
Vlastuin, Grlj, Broad

Balta ruck relief/swing option.


Always interesting to wonder how it would have panned out

What if I said we should have selected Reid ahead of smillie ,,,,,, doh

 

[Calcium Man]

Bolton will be a lock for AA , would have thought Reid’s output had Dawson covered this year too

Dawson is going at 25 touches, 5 tackles and a goal a game and he kicks big goals and takes massive marks. The only concern is 8 games out of 12.

 

[Andyy]

What if I said we should have selected Reid ahead of smillie ,,,,,, doh

Didn't go back that far.

But yes I agree.

At least we can always laugh about Dusty vs Scully/Trengove though

 

[_RT_]

Wondering how long it will be after Hotton returns before people start back tracking on their assertions that we got it wrong?

 

[KrispyKreme]

What if I said we should have selected Reid ahead of smillie ,,,,,, doh

Let’s just wait till Josh plays before we say this. Also we could of taken Murphy but let’s be serious there is no guarantee we wouldn’t have broken him as well.

 

[Achilles Heel]

Thing is though, there are 1000 opinions on big footy, a few will be right. The recruiting team get one chance.
It’s also far too early to say they got it wrong

1000 opinions and 2000 arseholes but hey it is what it is

 

[Achilles Heel]

Thing is though, there are 1000 opinions on big footy, a few will be right. The recruiting team get one chance.
It’s also far too early to say they got it wrong

And the recruiting has a lot of eyes and a lot of data , which the 1000 opinions dont

 

[Grrr]

Wondering how long it will be after Hotton returns before people start back tracking on their assertions that we got it wrong?

about a week, if he doesn't kick half a dozen in a half of VFL.

 

[Meteoric Rise]

Let’s just wait till Josh plays before we say this. Also we could of taken Murphy but let’s be serious there is no guarantee we wouldn’t have broken him as well.

In 2018 Jack Higgins and Jayden Stephenson(Rising Star) looked the most exciting of the 2017 draft class, with tricked up skills and fast reactions. Davies-Uniacke played 7 ordinary games, limited by injury.

Z Bailey played 12 unremarkable games. Nick Coffield looked just as good as Tom McCartin.

Year two and James Worpel was all the rage, I think he won Hawks B & F and was the top rated player from the draft pool. Stephenson still looked a great pick at 5, ad Oscar Allen looked the best of the taller players ahead of Naughton, Sam taylor and Balta. Hunter Clark was going better than Dylan Moore, Will Powell, Rayner, Bailey.

Year 3 cerra and Brayshaw suddenly rise to the top of the pool. Oscar Allen is still the best of the big men. Worpel still looks the best value pick in the pool and Ed Richards is well below him. Nick Coffield is also performing better than Richards. Tristan Xerri debuts with a few struggling performances. Stehenson is showing his first signs of cracks in his armoury. Joel Amartey can barely get a game.

Year 4 and Worpel is still near the top of the class. Sam Taylor and Balta emerge as the best of the big men. Ben Miller plays his first and only game after 4 years in the system, looks a bust. McCartin is starting to emerge as a serious player. Ed Richards plays 5 games and looks nowhere. Xerri plays 8 really low level games as second ruck to Goldstein mainly.

Anyway, it goes on chopping and changing.

Right now, we might re-rate them something like this:

1 Richards
2 Xerri
3 Naughton
4 Brayshaw
5 Taylor
6 Uniacke
7 Bailey
8 McCartin
9 B Daniels
10 Miers
11 Rayner
12 Balta
13 Higgins
14 Dyl Moore
15 Meek
16 Cerra
17 D Fogarty
18 B Miller
19 Powell
20 Farrell

Also doing well Switkowski.

Don't get too focussed on the order I have rated them, just did it very roughly.

Players who have failed to live up to their early billing and or promise:

Paddy Dow, Jayden Stephenson, Hunter Clark, Nick Coffield, Starcevich is likely cooked, Oscar Allen, Ballard, Worpel.

Players who came from nowhere in their first 2 years to overtake the above:

Xerri, Bailey, McCartin, Miller, Powell.


Players who were top 5 year 1 who are still top 5 now: Probably Naughton and that is it.

Players who were top 5 in year 2 who are still top 5 now: Probably nobody, Uniacke the closest.


That was a very even draft pool. But for the 2024 draft guys, they are in year 2. The top 5 performers from the 2017 draft pool in year 2 were probably: Worpel, Stephenson, Higgins, Uniacke, Miers. Daniels also looked really good. But Oscar Allen looked the best of the big men.

It was so far removed from the currently most valuable and best performed players. So it is pointless making assessments about who drafted best based on the first 2 seasons. Same people complaining now would have been whingeing about missing out on Stephenson, Oscar Allen, James Worpel, and fuming they took the likes of Richards, McCartin, Z Bailey instead.

 

[tigs2010]

Wondering how long it will be after Hotton returns before people start back tracking on their assertions that we got it wrong?

Serpell will break him within 3 weeks anyway

 

[Lord of the Wings]

Serpell will break him within 3 weeks anyway

and Dumb Dunne and Livingstupid will call it bad luck again.

 

[clark1980]

if hotton comes back this week in the vfl/afl that will be potentially 11 games he could play this year. get lalor back in a few later and we could see hotton/lalor/cumming playing together for the 1st time. that will be exciting.

couldn't give a rats about players we didn't pick

go tigers

 

[ShereKhan]

In hindsight we weren’t certain how much the KPP players were going to slide in the super draft.

Should’ve gone Reid instead of Faull and we’d all have been happy.

Trade in for a KF or FA like Amartey and it could’ve made up for it

Way too early to be declaring Reid a win over Faull. KPP’s always take longer to develop and establish themselves … Reid has waltzed into the top-team with elite midfield talent galore around him. He’s literally the 5th player who’d get any attention after Serong, Brayshaw, Bolton and Young.

Faull has waltzed into the oppo’s best defender most weeks, in a team getting minimal inside50’s, getting flogged most weeks and getting midfield service that’s normally horrible.

Put Faull into Freo’s team (he’d be developing in the WAFL) and Reid into Richmond and it’s a different story, as Reid would be getting tagged.

I’ll judge Reid v the 4 picks we took ahead of him end of 2028 at the earliest. There’s every chance we are very happy with our selections.

 

[Coach_Required]

Seeing how this thread has turned into the Harry hindsight thread, I'm still outraged we picked Fiora over Pavlich. Freo been laughing at us for decades i reckon ......

 

[Calcium Man]

Seeing how this thread has turned into the Harry hindsight thread, I'm still outraged we picked Fiora over Pavlich. Freo been laughing at us for decades i reckon ......

Tambling over Buddy.

Or the worst one Conca over Prestia or Lynch

 

[poppa pump]

In 2018 Jack Higgins and Jayden Stephenson(Rising Star) looked the most exciting of the 2017 draft class, with tricked up skills and fast reactions. Davies-Uniacke played 7 ordinary games, limited by injury.

Z Bailey played 12 unremarkable games. Nick Coffield looked just as good as Tom McCartin.

Year two and James Worpel was all the rage, I think he won Hawks B & F and was the top rated player from the draft pool. Stephenson still looked a great pick at 5, ad Oscar Allen looked the best of the taller players ahead of Naughton, Sam taylor and Balta. Hunter Clark was going better than Dylan Moore, Will Powell, Rayner, Bailey.

Year 3 cerra and Brayshaw suddenly rise to the top of the pool. Oscar Allen is still the best of the big men. Worpel still looks the best value pick in the pool and Ed Richards is well below him. Nick Coffield is also performing better than Richards. Tristan Xerri debuts with a few struggling performances. Stehenson is showing his first signs of cracks in his armoury. Joel Amartey can barely get a game.

Year 4 and Worpel is still near the top of the class. Sam Taylor and Balta emerge as the best of the big men. Ben Miller plays his first and only game after 4 years in the system, looks a bust. McCartin is starting to emerge as a serious player. Ed Richards plays 5 games and looks nowhere. Xerri plays 8 really low level games as second ruck to Goldstein mainly.

Anyway, it goes on chopping and changing.

Right now, we might re-rate them something like this:

1 Richards
2 Xerri
3 Naughton
4 Brayshaw
5 Taylor
6 Uniacke
7 Bailey
8 McCartin
9 B Daniels
10 Miers
11 Rayner
12 Balta
13 Higgins
14 Dyl Moore
15 Meek
16 Cerra
17 D Fogarty
18 B Miller
19 Powell
20 Farrell

Also doing well Switkowski.

Don't get too focussed on the order I have rated them, just did it very roughly.

Players who have failed to live up to their early billing and or promise:

Paddy Dow, Jayden Stephenson, Hunter Clark, Nick Coffield, Starcevich is likely cooked, Oscar Allen, Ballard, Worpel.

Players who came from nowhere in their first 2 years to overtake the above:

Xerri, Bailey, McCartin, Miller, Powell.


Players who were top 5 year 1 who are still top 5 now: Probably Naughton and that is it.

Players who were top 5 in year 2 who are still top 5 now: Probably nobody, Uniacke the closest.


That was a very even draft pool. But for the 2024 draft guys, they are in year 2. The top 5 performers from the 2017 draft pool in year 2 were probably: Worpel, Stephenson, Higgins, Uniacke, Miers. Daniels also looked really good. But Oscar Allen looked the best of the big men.

It was so far removed from the currently most valuable and best performed players. So it is pointless making assessments about who drafted best based on the first 2 seasons. Same people complaining now would have been whingeing about missing out on Stephenson, Oscar Allen, James Worpel, and fuming they took the likes of Richards, McCartin, Z Bailey instead.

Brilliant and let me add the late saints -tigers recruiter whom picked naz as the best in his draft stated WE ARE AFTER BEST CAREER NOT BEST JUNIOR OR FIRST-SECOND YEAR PLAYERS.