2008 Official BigFooty Phantom Draft - Summary

[-VC-]

Re: 2008 Official BigFooty Phantom Draft

Might as well keep going with the local boys - and by local, I don't mean my locality, I mean Port Adelaide's locality.

Pick 54 - Jay Shannon - Midfielder - 182cm, 80kg

I was looking for an inside mid with this pick and after I'd had a close look at the talent left I was hoping more and more that Shannon would get out to this pick. He's a pretty classic inside mid, with a stocky build. He loves it tough and is a clearance type.

His kicking is quite good. One quick observation I made of him one day is that he seems to have a funny ball drop. I was never quite able to figure out if he just had a couple of random drops that were a bit shaky, or if it's actually a common trait of his kicking technique. He has good penetration though, which can be handy for a clearance player to drive his team forward.

He can also get under your guard a bit, simply because a lot of his best work is done in tight confines. With that said, it's not as though he doesn't enjoy carrying the ball a bit. I was quite impressed with his confidence in carrying the ball out at Casey Fields in the Championships against Vic Country. I wouldn't call it a strength, but it was good for someone who will play a lot of his footy extracting the ball from packs.

I'm taking a bit of an educated guess by saying he doesn't look like the quickest bloke in the world. I just saw a couple of times where he was running hard, but wasn't really a jet. That's not to say he's slow, or anything. He just looked to be of neither here nor there with his leg speed.

He has a great work rate and I'd be curious to see his beep test. His tank at least appears pretty good, but I suspect it might even be a little better. Either way, he's a real soldier so he'll run until his feet drop off.

 

[foj1]

Re: 2008 Official BigFooty Phantom Draft

Pick 55 Essendon Luke Rounds 181cm 70kg Geelong Falcons/ Midfielder

Luke Rounds is a bottom aged midfielder who had some very good games in the TAC Cup in 2008. Rounds is able to win his own ball but is more damaging playing slightly outside and using his speed.... and he has speed.
His testing results from state screening were:
Speed 1.02 5m 2.84 20m
Agility 8.29
Endurance- Beep Test 14.5
Rounds' disposal is good although he tends to put on the blinkers when he gets it and I would like to see him lift his head a little more when he gets the ball.
Prismall, Hanneberry and Rounds would be nice additions to Essendons midfield with Trengove being a quality tall to go along with them. I think Essendon will use pick 71 and keep one selection for the Pre-season draft- another kid?
If I was going to go tall with this pick I would have gone for either Steven Gaertner or Zac Clarke however Luke Rounds has too much talent and upside to slip past this pick for mine.

 

[Ysaye]

Re: 2008 Official BigFooty Phantom Draft

Bart McCulloch - 198cm Ruck / Utility. Watched a little of his play and liked what I saw. Has good speed and agility for a big guy, and takes them on. As Quigley said in the trial draft, could be a CHB / KP Back type if not a ruckman with the pace he has off the mark. Skills seem to be mainly there as well.

 

[Quigley]

Re: 2008 Official BigFooty Phantom Draft

Okay I am up again and this time I think I have to depart from the plan. The intention was to go with small forward here and I was thinking Richardson might have been the way to go. The other person I was considering taking was Alistair Smith who would add some speed to the Lions midfield. In the end though I had to go with one of my favourites who has fallen here and I think I have to take. Hall represents great value in the fourth round and gives some speed and more gut running ability to the Lions. The Lions have delisted a few wing / flanker types and Hall could play that role and go in and win some of his own ball when needed. I had thought I had missed a little getting full value for my picks to date but this more than addresses the balance.

Brisbane - Chris Hall

Christopher Hall (DOB – 25/6/90, Ht – 179, Wt – 65)

Hall is a player who probably needs to be stashed away for a year or so to put some weight on. He is very slight at the moment but if you are patient he could well be worth the wait. He has genuine pace and is a very evasive runner who works hard to get to space. What impressed me most with Hall is that unlike a lot of players with that kind of pace he has obviously worked on his endurance and he works extremely hard to get to contests and to space to give his players an outlet. Once he has done that hard work he can then use his pace and evasiveness to devastating effect. It was great to see that he performed at Camp where he won the beep test (14.6) and was 5th in the 3km (10.42). He can play inside and out and despite being a lightweight even at u18 level, he wins his fair share of clearances and he delivers the ball well. The weighting of his kicks is a feature of his game. Overall I think his disposal is better than most in the draft and certainly better than those likely to be taken around him. Up forward he is a capable goal sneak and will pick up his fair share of crumbing goals. This kid has the tools and I think will be a very nice player at AFL level. He is a personal favourite of mine and I would love him to go to a team that would develop him to his potential. If Brisbane picked him up in the third round I would be stoked. For me he is a second or third pick with the potential to make the recruitment staff look very smart for taking him.

 

[TFLUA-Tiger]

Re: 2008 Official BigFooty Phantom Draft

Richmond Pick #58 - Jake Welsh

Strongly built key forward with a very strong mark. Agility is a bit of a worry, but Welsh is very attractive as a project Key Forward.

Longer write-up to come later.

 

[swannies]

Re: 2008 Official BigFooty Phantom Draft

Considered Mitch Banner here as well, because I loved the way he went about his business in the champs and particularly in the WA v Vic Metro game, but thought Norths didn't need any more small defenders, whereas I know this guy can play through the midfield.

Pick 59 - Todd Banfield, 180? cm, Swan Districts

Was a real find for the Swans league team after being elevated from colts (u18) in the latter part of the year. Attacks the ball hard, has genuine pace and is clean below the knees at pace. Delivery of the ball to the forwards, at pace, is also very good. I think the bloodnut will add some real zip to the midfield and balance it out very well.

 

[Thunderstruck]

Re: 2008 Official BigFooty Phantom Draft

Took a fair few hours to decide this and there is one player I wanted to take badly but I felt I took his type already in Jetta so here is one that is a bit different and a favourite player of mine.

PICK 60 ADELAIDE ALEX STOPP

This bloke aint half bad at all, certainly for pick 60 I feel. 189cm and still growing, he has good skills off both sides of the body especially the right, can hold down CHB very very well or become a versatile 3rd tall defender, sort of like Bassett who we lost to retirement. A local boy so no going home factor, he attacks the contest well and is not afraid to run off his man and become an attacking weapon running out of defence through the midfield - which is just how the crows like to set up their attacks coming out of defence. Has pace, and his motor is not bad for his size, he really does have an appetite for his football and whilst he is not a brilliant all round player he really does not have any glaring weaknesses to note. I really think he could be a good player if given some time.

 

[grub29]

Re: 2008 Official BigFooty Phantom Draft

Sydney traded for Collingwood's fifth rounder, so they should have two in a row here, but I'm of the understanding they'll only be using one of those picks based on the amount of delistings they've made. Can anyone confirm?

Confirmed VC only 3 picks available to Sydney.

Sydney Pick 61 Steven Gaertner (Dandenong Stingrays)

Taken a punt here on the athletic tall who does have a bit of Adam Goodes in him at the same stage, similar positives and very similar negatives. I see him down the track playing in defence.
Thought seriously about taking Klemke here but went the taller player and hoping that Klemke will get throught to the rookie draft where I would take him as a NSW priority.
I'm done and dusted fellas so well done to all on a very interesting Phantom.
And to all the trolls who appeared here last night give Porps a rest.

 

[Bourky23]

Re: 2008 Official BigFooty Phantom Draft

St.Kilda - Pick 62 - Kade Klemke (Murray Bushrangers)

Couldn't pass him up.. a much better player than Pick 62 but i think people's desire to fill different needs has left Kade to slip all the way to the 4th round.. Great half back/back pocket type player who uses the ball well and runs and recieves brilliantly.. delighted to pick him up this late and is a combination between Stevie Baker and Sam Fisher IMO but just lacks the defensive strengths of Baker IMO, but is a much better user of the football.. getting both Jones and Klemke means that Goddard can now 100% move into midfield full time in coming years.. absolutely stoked to get Kade here.. really, really happy with my selections so far

 

[-VC-]

Re: 2008 Official BigFooty Phantom Draft

Hodgey is out in the wilderness for about a month, so no internet, but still has phone reception. I'll keep him up to date with how our Phantom is going. Anyway, here is his next pick:

Pick 63 - Rhys Stanley - 199cm, 84kg - West Adelaide

McLean_4_Captain is up now.

 

[McLean_4_Captain]

Re: 2008 Official BigFooty Phantom Draft

Gotta be quick, write up later i promise VC And you got my ruckman one pick before i wanted him...

Pick 64 - Melbourne - Zachary Clarke

Melbourne get a ruckman which would be one of the needs that would be identified before the start of the draft. Maybe should've taken a ruckman earlier, but none of the ruckman i was interested in really slid. I was hopeful of getting Stanley here, but i'm not unhappy with Clarke. We could've used someone who would be ready sooner as our ruck stocks are pretty poor, but i would not think any of Melbourne's picks would be about addressing major concerns next season.

Great height at 203cm and also has an impressive leap for a bloke of his size giving him a huge reach. Still has a lot to learn about how to ruck as he probably doesn't win enough hitouts for a kid of his size, but he's gives everything and should improve dramatically under AFL tutelage.

Pretty good around the ground and has above par disposals for a ruckman. Has played forward a bit at TAC level and shown that he knows where the goals are with a decent set shot. Could provide a handful as a resting forward. He got a lot better towards the end of the TAC year, with some impressive form and this elevated him up my rankings from a chance or rookie pick to a 3rd/4th round pick. Still needs to put on a lot of weight, but has 7-8kgs this year, so it shouldn't take more then a season or 2 before he can hold his own.

 

[HBF]

Re: 2008 Official BigFooty Phantom Draft

Changed my mind a few times here, but given that I have taken 2 KPP's, I have gone to other end of the spectrum, and started looking for a small forward that would assist Eddie Betts. A few names were thrown around here, including Motlop, Richardson and Cockie, but decided to go for someone that I thought could be the pick of the bunch, and someone that could potentially play round one. Therefore:

Selection 65 Charlie Sharples

Small pacy small forward that knows where the goals are, and can play up the ground as well. Played well in the SANFL last year, and had a reasonable game vs the VICS during the year. Could really seeing having an impact next year, and working in tandem with Eddie Betts could provide a danderous "double-act" in Carltons forward line in 2009.

 

[-VC-]

Re: 2008 Official BigFooty Phantom Draft

Pick 66 - Bryn Weadon

I've gotta go out in a sec, so I've only got a short write up for now.

Weadon is an overaged player from the North Ballarat Rebels. He reads the play really well and has a beautiful penetrating kick. He'd be best suited to that quarterback at AFL level.

I gotta fly for now, but I'll be back onto my Weadon write up tomorrow. I swear.

 

[foj1]

Re: 2008 Official BigFooty Phantom Draft

Pick 67 Essendon Steven Motlop 181cm 68kg Northern Territory OB/Utility

Motlop is a very exciting footballer who represents excellent value at this stage of the draft. Motlop is very bottom aged (March 91) and obviously has a heap of development still in him.
Motlop has a lot of flair, likes to take players on, can take an exciting mark and likes kicking a goal.
He will need to build his body to cope with the rigours of AFL footy but he has a heap of natural talent and I would back the club in to help this youngster settle and get the best out of himself. I think if it all clicked Motlop could be an A grade footballer and that is an attractive proposition this late in the draft.
Players I considered here were Patrick Hayes, Brad Mangan and Will Young however I think Motlop could be better than all of them.
I hope we do a rookie draft after this process as it would give us all the chance to perhaps balance our recruiting. I am mindful that I have drafted relatively small however there are a few talls which I would certainly look to rookie who I dont think are to the quality of the players I have taken at 55 and 67 especially. Interestingly I have chosen 3 bottom aged players and a top ager born in November- the baby bombers indeed.

 

[Ysaye]

Re: 2008 Official BigFooty Phantom Draft

Alistair Smith

medium sized midfielder with very good pace and endurance as well as reasonable skill- just a neat alround midfielder who seems a likely type for the next stage up.

I was tossing up taking him earlier at the Daly pick but thought he would probably fall through to this point.

 

[Quigley]

Re: 2008 Official BigFooty Phantom Draft

Nice pick again Ysaye. As I mentioned in my last pick the plan before Hall fell was to go with either Smith or Richardson. Given that both looked like being available at my pick I had decided to go with Smith. I actually prefer Alistair to Ashley for the Lions. Both are exceptionally quick with Alistair having the better endurance and being a ball winning mid rather than a running backman. If he didn't have injury issues for much of the year I think we would have been hearing a lot more of him. For the Lions I could have seen him leading the new running brigade with Dalzeill and Hall and giving us the pace we are a bit short on at the moment.

Anyway you taking him leaves me with Richardson who I am still happy to get. The Lions are the most inaccurate goal kickers in the competition and are really short of a goal scoring small forward. Richardson has been a slow developer but he just keeps stepping up and scoring goals. At this stage I think he is a good bet.

Pick 69 Brisbane - Ian Richardson

Ian Richardson (DOB – 14/10/87, Ht – 179, Wt – 74)

This 21 year old really burst onto the WAFL scene this year as a permanent small forward for Claremont. He won Claremont’s best and fairest averaging 14 possessions and kicking 62 goals in his 20 games. He also represented WA in the State match against Queensland where he kicked 4 goals and was named best on ground. He is a leading forward mainly who does crumb well when called for but is not super quick. He is an excellent read of the play, takes a nice mark for his size and is smart in the way he works to advantage. He is a very accurate shot for goal and has consistently kicked goals at whatever level of competition he has played. He got increasing attention from the opposition as the year progressed and handled it very well. He is not tall and I would also like to see him put on a few kilos to mix it up at AFL level. He has some potential to play in the midfield but I think a team that picks him will do so on the basis that he is a full time small forward. He was invited to camp this year which is an indication that there are more than a few clubs interested in him. At camp he showed a good tank for a small forward coming in 7th in the beep test (14.2). He has been reported at anywhere from 175 to 179 in height and it would help his prospects if he was measured in the upper end of that range.

 

[TFLUA-Tiger]

Re: 2008 Official BigFooty Phantom Draft

Richmond Pick #70 - Liam Jones - 194 cm, 84 kg

Underaged AIS Scholarship holder who fits a need. Missed most of this year due to injury, and didn't represent his home state (Tasmania) in the U/18 carnival.

Is of good height, got good agility and pace, has a very nice set of hands, and likes to take a 'specky'.

Watched Jones take Clarence Under 17's apart three years ago with 8 goals, and he just screamed future prospect. Very quick, lost his man easily, and was marking everything, both on the lead and in the air. Scholarship holder with Melbourne Grammar if I remember correctly, Jones has too much upside to pass up on at this late pick.

 

[swannies]

Re: 2008 Official BigFooty Phantom Draft

This one was a real lottery. I was undecided on whether to go KP or mid again. Some of the names I considered were Liam Anthony, Gugliotta, Gilchrist (could have been swayed on him but in all honesty I don't know much about him other than some impressive youtube clips) or even Ballantyne.

In the end I've selected:

Pick 71 - Adam Cockie, 180 cm, midfield.

Hard at it midfielder who played in a WAFL league premiership this year, at 19 and was arguably BOG. It is no coincidence that Phil Read is in his team because he's plays a similar style but with neat skills and without the niggle Read was famous for. His Subiaco football manager said that pound for pound he was the toughest player in the WAFL, and he wouldn't be far wrong. If the ball is there to be won he would win it more times than not, but also has good vision and a good feel for the game.

He's exactly the sort of player I really like, will put their head over the ball to win it and not flinch. Will be able to make an immediate impact in Norths side, with the retirements of a couple of their mids.

 

[Thunderstruck]

Re: 2008 Official BigFooty Phantom Draft

Sorry no real time for much of a write up flat off my feet here but:

PICK72 ADELAIDE BEN BUCOVAZ

Getting later in the draft now but thought I'd squeeze a taller bloke in here, I actually don't mind him, have seen him play a little not a lot but his leap and hands impressed me when up forward and his strength and composure was sound in defence when at CHB. A versatile sort...bit of an in between type but could be transferred into a multi-use sort of player. He def has some talent and has reasonable skills but his pace is moderate - but ok. Good build 188cm 88kg I think which is pretty good. Could really develop into a handy quarterback 3rd tall or a good option up forward.

 

[-VC-]

Re: 2008 Official BigFooty Phantom Draft

Via PM from Snoop Dog.

# 73 Collingwood - Tom German (179cm / 80kg / Calder Cannons)

Well I was swaying between Jones and German and would have taken Jones bc he is bottom age and bc I think German would have been there at rookie time. German is a terrific young footballer with a good footy brain. One of those players that is not overly quick but he reads the play exceptionally well. Spent much of this year battling injuries but you only have to look back to 07 to see what a quality footballer he is. Tough and aggressive centreman who will win his own footy and typically use the pill very well when he gets it. Blease, Heyne, Pearce and German are a nice bunch of young mids and along with Cornelius represent a draft am pretty happy with ....... except for missing on Jones.

Also thought of taking Mitch Banner here and look he is probably a better chance than Tom but I am a massive fan of German so I am taking him before Foj1 does. Mangan was another along with Motlop but he isnt really what we need. For other talls I liked Stopp and again was surprised he got picked up after there being v little chatter about him. Gillies , Simpkin and Williams were the other talls I thought of.

For Pies fans we are probably one tall short on the list but with Keefe and Reed coming into the side and the opp to take a few talls in the rookie draft I decided on going with a high quality ball winner.

Bourky23 is up.

 

[Bourky23]

Re: 2008 Official BigFooty Phantom Draft

St.Kilda selects Ben Cousins

really want us to secure him so picking him up in the National Draft is probably our best option..

LJ, Sheehan, Jones, Klemke and Benny Cuz

i'm stoked!

 

[-VC-]

Re: 2008 Official BigFooty Phantom Draft

Via text from LukeHodge15:

Pick 75 - Mitch Banner - Utility - 178cm, 77kg - Western Jets, Vic

Ysaye is up and we're nearing the end. Good work everyone.

 

[Ysaye]

Re: 2008 Official BigFooty Phantom Draft

I think I will go with the name that was jigged in my brain by the paper (West Australian) today....

Jamie Bennell
Attributes courtesy of Streaker apparently taken at State Screening178.5cm 68.2kg
20m 2.99
Standing Vertical Jump 59cm
Running Vertical Jump 79cm
Agility 8.34
Beep Test 13.2

Only saw him once but don't remember that much to be quite honest . Apparently a very pacy and agile player that might move into the midfield one day.

 

[-VC-]

Re: 2008 Official BigFooty Phantom Draft

Pick 77 - Tom Gillies - KP Defender

You won't find a Youtube clip of Tom Gillies. I'm just guessing to be honest, because I haven't searched for one, but my point is that he's a no nonsense, dour defender. Not exactly highlight reel material, but an important player none the less.

Gillies is your typical, old school key back. He has good awareness of his opponent (good touch and feel) and does all the disciplined things you'd want to see from a defender.

He is a neat kick of the ball, not damaging, just neat. He's not going to be the sort of player to turn it over often at all, but it's unlikely he'll be spotting up a guy 60m in the clear out the back of a pack.

He's got good commitment to the contest and body lines the ball, so he's not afraid to put his head over it. When it's his turn to go for the ball he'll have no hesitation in running a straight line towards it, no matter who's in the way. He's got a strong body and good tackling technique.

I like his balance, which is very important for a key defender and I didn't see him get beaten too often. He was named Dandenong's BOG in the Grand Final and was one of very few Stingrays who could hold his head high after that game.

For a bloke of his size, he's bloody quick - once again something that's very important for key defenders, especially these days. He ran a 2.94 at Victorian State Screening and he also took out the Stingrays Best & Fairest award this year.

I know Port have a few unfashionable, reliable defenders in their back line, but at this stage of the draft you're looking for a diamond in the rough and I reckon Gillies has the potential to be this player. He's strong, quick, reliable and disciplined. I see him playing the sort of role that Ben Rutten and Dale Morris get praise for from people who can appreciate the work of a classic defender.

 

[McLean_4_Captain]

Re: 2008 Official BigFooty Phantom Draft

I know some Melbourne supporters would probably like to see us take an another key forward here, but Melbourne can't expect to fill all of our forward needs in just one draft & we've already picked up 2 great options. I would've taken Jones if available, but he went and i think there are better other options.

Pick 76 - Melbourne - Liam Shiels

Also thought about Gotch & Stanton here. I lent away from Stanton as i've already taken Swift & Broadbent who are both taller midfield utilities.

Shiels is a bottom ager who had a great u16 carnival last year and followed that up with a solid u18 carnival this year, but he maybe should've done a bit more. A bigger possessions winner who does really well at the clearances, and he can find the goals when he goes forward. Kicking can be a bit off at times, but he is usually a pretty good kick.

He's a part of the AIS squad and he's one who i see having a big upside, a player who you try to sneak in late at the end of one draft, who if not picked up could be a top 30 pick next year.