Review 2009 Draft

[Godzke]

I know there's a few threads circulating around on draft discussion but I want to focus on picks #24 and #26, since many of us (many of you - ie. more educated in the draft than I am/was) had Melksham and Long down as excellent picks for their respective draft picks.

Carlisle and Colyer were not two names I heard get thrown around much in the lead up to the draft, and what's more, judging by a few of the youtubes and reviews written by journos and other websites, neither are consistent performers.

Granted consistent performers and ready-made footballers usually float to the top of a draft pool but I'd like to hear opinions specifically on these two.

cheers

ps: do not talk about Ball. sick to death of that shit.

 

[Synth]

Colyer made All-Australian. Hopefully he can reproduce those honors in a few years time.

 

[SirJimi05]

Thank god they went for footballers over athletes is all i can say.

I don't care if Colyer is under 180cm if he can play football.

He is taller and heavier than Davey so i don't see a problem. He also looks like he is fearless which is great for a little guy.

Carlisle was touted as a first rounder so i'm not sure why the OP is saying he wasn't talked about. We did well to get him at 24.

Long is have no idea about.

I didn't look at any footage of Melksham until after we drafted him but i'm sold on him. Smooth user, decent off both sides of his body, oozes confidence, can get the hard balll if needed.

Would i be correct in saying Melksham & Colyer would be likely to get a game or two next year but Carlisle and Long will be 2 years away atleast?

 

[Zahasouvlakis]

Didn't really need a new thread.

I think it did, I was sick of opening multiple threads at once. Too lazy.

 

[eth-dog]

Carlisle will probably play next year IMO

 

[The Donners]

Thank god they went for footballers over athletes is all i can say.

I don't care if Colyer is under 180cm if he can play football.

He is taller and heavier than Davey so i don't see a problem. He also looks like he is fearless which is great for a little guy.

Carlisle was touted as a first rounder so i'm not sure why the OP is saying he wasn't talked about. We did well to get him at 24.

Long is have no idea about.

I didn't look at any footage of Melksham until after we drafted him but i'm sold on him. Smooth user, decent off both sides of his body, oozes confidence, can get the hard balll if needed.

Would i be correct in saying Melksham & Colyer would be likely to get a game or two next year but Carlisle and Long will be 2 years away atleast?

I think Carlisle and Hooker are playing for the same position (IF Gumbleton and Neagle are fit). You'd give it to Hooker if what is being said about his new body shape is true.

I find Carlisle to be unbelievably athletic for 196cm, could be anything from a CHF, CHB, Ruck or Ruck-Rover!

 

[eth-dog]

I think Carlisle is a better forward than defender, IMO he should play majority of the time up there

 

[marcuz]

Love the look of colyer, despite his size he wins his own footy. Both he and melksham can win their own ball and burst from congestion. You can't have enough of those blokes.

 

[saladin]

in terms of player types, i reckon we got it right. a good prospect KP is a great find considering GC and WS will snaffle most of them until 2013!

and a rapid, clever mid/forward won't go astray either. you can argue all day about whether that should have been colyer, bartlett, christensen etc. only time will tell.

 

[keepzitreal]

Season/Trade Week/Draft review.. thoughts moving forward

Alright, this is an essay and a half, so if you cbf leave now.. was a bit bored and excited.. so yeah.. these are just my thoughts, don't expect yall to agree however hopefully some points create constructive discussion..


Alright, so trade week and the draft are over… we pretty much have our list set..

Trade Week

Lose: Jay Nash, Andrew Lovett

Gain: Mark Williams, Two 2nd round picks

Reaction:

Absolutely stoked. First let's remember that we didn't expect anymore than a 2nd rounder for Lovett, with all his issues and lack of contract, there were fears he would walk.

Sure there was hope that he could somehow be used to land Burgoyne, but the reality is he wanted to go to Hawthorn and there are question marks on how effective he could be. He probably wasn't worth what we would have lost and projected contract..

Jay Nash, I didn't think we'd get a trade for... to move him off without delisting is great for him and us.. hopefully Choco can get something out of him..

Mark Williams, I know some people don't like him etc, but his 26, has X-factor, I love Aboriginal players (with the exception of the Clarkes).... I remember Sheedy writing an article a couple of years ago of how he could have been the first Indigenous player to win the Colemean... a football season throws up a lot of variables, 22 games, injury issues, game time, delivery, how the team is going... the true question relies on his knees but I hear he was showing good form toward the end of last year and I'm sure our medicos would have been all over it... rapt to get him.. if he helps us win games it will look like an awesome coup... he has a hunger for the ball and the contest, coming out of a winning environment, can only be beneficial unless he pulls a gumby (touch wood)

Losing pick 16 did kind of suck, but to get Williams,. Carlisle and Long out of it is a big win for us considering Lovett came from a rookie list and is 27.


Draft Review:

Pick 9 – Jake Melksham

We’ve been craving a first round midfielder for a long time.. this guy looks worth the wait. Exactly what we needed..

Pick 24 – Jake Carlisle

Spewing Stevens got picked up at 23, but Jake could be a steal, do we have the best collection of young talls in the country. Can see this guy eventually playing as a third tall forward.. his agility is quite impressive for a big guy… was impressed with his second efforts..

Pick 26 – Travis Colyer

I like what I’ve read, genuine midfielder, wins contested ball and is explosive, taking on the play.. sounds good..

Pick 33 – Anthony Long

They reckon his like Dempsey… sold!!! Seems to be a switched on kid with good size and athleticism...



List overview

Defensive Talls

Full Back: Michael Hurley

I know everyone got excited about the 4 goals in the Hawthorn game.. but his a contested marking freak, reads the game well and doesn't get pushed out of contests, if Gumby, Neagle and Ryder are up forward then I'd prefer Hurley to hold down the last line.. Brian Lake style. We can swing him forward if necessary or if someone is out.. but I'd prefer him at full back.. we know he is capable...

Centre Half Back: Tayte Pears

Sure he's shown he can beat the full forwards, however most teams have a rather aerobic CHF with great workrate, the Riewoldts, the Pavlich's. Id put Pears to the more aerobic of the oppositon forwards whether at CHB or at FB if someone like Buddy is playing deep... IMO Pears could have been a top 5 pick, is everything you could ask for in a key defender and a human being... if Hooker or Daniher come on, I could see him becoming a tagger or tall midfielder like an Enright, Rooke or Embley, turns 21, is it and a bit

3rd Tall Defender: Dustin Fletcher

How much do you love Fletch and how much does it pi$s you off that nobody recognises just how good he is... Fletch once again runs around the backline not having to worry about the top 2 talls... IMO Fletch will have the best support he has had since 01 and could be amazing next season.. with Lloyd and Lucas both gone.. be interesting to see whether there is any change in Gadget... Legend!!

Other options

Cale Hooker - Like what I've seen, dont see him in the best 22 and wouldn't be surprised to see him used as a 3rd tall forward. Has smarts, athleticism and is proactive, needs a bit more size and experience but his already a better option than Kepler ever was

Darcy Daniher – Was unlucky not to get more opportunity last year. Liked what I’ve seen from young Darcy.. I’ve coached against him at a junior level and didn’t think he had what it takes to be an effective player so early. He showed grunt and hunger for the contest, which I rate pretty high. Probably will be used as a spare parts man both forward and back, however if Hurley does go forward Id like to see how he goes at full back. He’d be physically strong after another preseason


Rebounding Defender (HBF): Courtenay Dempsey

Have been in love with him since day 1, last season he showed me everything I wanted to see and more… most impressive was his willingness to push back hard and make defensive contests.. if his body can hold up.. should be his best year yet… considered giving him Lovetts role and making Jetta the main rebounder.. however Dempsey has more athleticism and is a better matchup for most..

Backup Option:

Leroy Jetta – hopefully with improved workrate, he can contribute next season. I’d prefer him away from the forward line, down back he apparently went alright for Bendigo, I’d love to see him getting to loose balls down back, breaking ankles and providing run. Don’t think he will be ready for a midfield spot just yet but apparently his training well so perhaps Knighter is grooming him for Lovetts role..…


Lockdown Small Defender: Henry Slattery

I honestly preferred to play someone else, however Slatts held his own last year and I don’t see anyone being able to do the job.. has tightened his deficiencies somewhat and his ball use has improved dramatically.

Backup Option:

There are players like Houli and McVeigh that can go back but I don’t see anyone on the list that’s gonna fill this void and give me confidence. I actually think if fit, I wouldn’t mind seeing Reimers given a go.. his got the grunt and all the attributes

Half Back Flank: Jarryd Atkinson – Have liked what I’ve seen, however don’t think he has the awareness to play deep in defence. Like him running off half bank.. should improve with more opportunity, we need him to come on to fill Lovett’s void and provide lots of run.. rate his potential.. the St Kilda game was what I’d like to see from him on a consistent basis..

Backup Option:

Tyson Slattery – Hangin to see him get a go… I think he has something special and wouldn’t be surprised to see him break into the 22.. Knighters done well to draft a lot of tall mobile blokes.. we’re gonna be so versatile..


Midfield

Ruckman: David Hille

May have to ease him into it, rotating with Ryder and possibly Laycock. How well can you comeback from his injury? What must our expectations be? He will definitely be a leader who will need to stand up. Him and Paddy rotating and pushing forward.. should get a positive result..

Backup Options:

Jason Laycock

- Make or break year. Either do something now or it’s goodbye.

Tom Bellchambers

- Hopefully puts on a bit more size and goes back and works on deficiencie… I see no reason why he can’t be a really good ruckman… just not yet..

Inside Midfielder: Jobe Watson

Who else? One of the best in the game, needs hard bodies in there to clear the way. Probable captain, I see him taking another step forward and take more ownership over the team.

Backup Option:

Heath Hocking

Should be used as an extracting midfielder, too slow to be a tagger or a defender.. like his work in tight.. and will be serviceable, but I wouldn’t think in our best 22. A good option as a defensive half forward tagging the rebounders.

Tagger: David Myers

Probably the most controversial call of the bunch, but he needs to be around the ball. Give him the task on the oppositions best mids and I think he could do what Welsh does but be more effective going forward. Obviously has the versatility to be moved around, if fit I still think he will make it..

Backup Options:

Andrew Welsh

- Has done the job admirably, however I can’t see him doing it consistently for 22 games furthermore and we have too many good players to choose from. Will play most games… however if others are fit and in good form I don’t see how he could be picked ahead of them..

Nathan Lovett- Murray

I’m a big fan. Yes, horrible below his knees, but his attack at the contest, creative run and general toughness make me a fan. Wouldn’t mind seeing him played up forward, take the pressure away from him, he’d be a tough match. Also think he could be played as a tagger, I don’t see why not. Great shape, strong body, with limited midfield stocks I see him being run through the middle a bit next season

Ruck Rover: Brent Prismall

An impressive comeback, with glimpse of class. Could evolve into our Rolls Royce… fingers crossed for a solid preseason. He played better than I expected last season.. I expect him to become a really good player..


Backup Option:

Bachar Houli

You’d think if fit he would get a fair bit of time this year, we need his engine in the middle, I think playing him down back was to give him a more defensive mindset, hopefully he gets unleashed in the middle next year. Still could be anything..


Wing: Brent Stanton

Needs to be kept on the outside rather than in the middle… is not hard enough at the ball for clearances.. just let him run all day.. its one thing having a great workrate, but he doesn’t use it to push back enough.. I’m expecting to see him take the next step with the added responsibility.. I’d rather him be matched up on another outside player rather than a true on baller… btw.. yes I know he can get clearances and tackles a lot.. just think he would be more effective on the outside with a lesser opponent to worry about..


Wing: David Zaharakis

Kid has shown nothing but class.. another preseason under his belt, I’d play him. Can find the ball, clean hands, great skills… rotate him through the middle and up forward and lets see what he can do..


Other Midfield Options:

Ricky Dyson – No doubt Dyson will play more than Zaka.. I’m a Dyson fan… hopefully he can build on last year.. still think he can be better than what he is. If he improves any further it will be a huge bonus..



Tall Forwards

Full Forward: Jay Neagle

Can he commit himself and shed the pounds.. need him to stay fit… get on the Jobe program and be the full forward we need him to be. No question of whether he is capable.. but if he can’t get to contests he becomes a liability. This latest setback is not positive… however it creates opportunity for someone else and hopefully when he comes back he is rearing to go..

Centre Half Forward: Scott Gumbleton

Nothing I can say here.. we know what we’re hoping for. If not, Hurley or Paddy to play that role..

Lead up Forward: Paddy Ryder

Paddy will cause nightmares up forward, especially on the 3rd tall defender.. rotate him with Hille, taking most of the workload early on until Hille is ready to handle it. Paddy is going to be special, some things you just know.. this is his year..


Other Options:

Michael Still – hopefully the word is right..

Crumbing Forward: Leroy Jetta

- Big queries obviously, but if he can get himself right, his a better option around goals than Davey. Big ‘if’, but I have faith… he didn’t have a bad season in the Ressies.. just needs a role to take ownership of a role and work hard to carry his weight… I still think his gonna be special..

Forward Pocket: Mark Williams

Whether played as a lead up or deep, we’ll see if his got any of the old magic.. I think he does and we’re gonna be embracing him sooner rather than later

Defensive Forward: Angus Monfries

He plays this role well, hopefully next year when doing so he doesn’t get so preoccupied with diving.. hopefully he can bring some consistency to his game.. his ready to take it to the next step..

Off the bench

Mark McVeigh

If fit Spike has a lot to offer. Shorts spurts in the middle, send him back when we need to sure things up, and push him deep forward.. no set role, just spurts in different areas… though preferably up forward I think he can do some damage… I think he should be named captain.. for a year or two, we always pick a gentleman as captain.. for once I'd like to see someone with a bit of heart and toughness.. I think he will thrive if offered the responsibility..

Alwyn Davey

Hopefully he can polish his skills.. his workrate is always an asset.. excited to see what he can do… his deficiencies would have been highlighted.. hopefully he has addressed them..

Jason Winderlich

Class and experience, used in spurts through the middle and across half forward. Can he improve even more? Let’s hope he can stay fit all year…

Sam Lonergan

Sammy is class.. hard in and under, good mark, good skills… has to be in our best 22 IMO.. surprised he was dropped late last year… with the word that he has been working on his engine.. he could be our own Luke Ball from 5 years ago… with the exception of being able to mark overhead and kick goals..



Overview:

We’ve got pretty good depth in most positions, however if certain players go down it shifts the balance of what we’re capable of. However this year, when injuries occur, with the exception of Gumby, Jay and Myers I’ll be cringing less knowing that there will be several replacements who possess potential and who I want to see play.

Goodbye – Lloyd, Lucas, Lovett, McPhee

All have been solid contributors.. however I feel they were all positive departures. Lloyd and Lucas were past it and unable to contribute consistently.. it got to the point where we were looking for them too much and the opposition were running off them at will creating numbers down the other end. It’s sad to see them go.. but they were no longer capable and we have the stocks to replace them..

Lovett, was one of my favourites, but how many opportunities can you give the guy. His lazyness was a cancer and we got a great return for him..

McPhee.. did like him.. however his poor decision making and brainfades were too costly.. spewing we didn’t get another 2nd round pick for him.. but hey.. at least his gone..

I must say, with the exception of Anzac Day 07, I have loved everything Knigher has done.. people are so fickle, they musn’t remember being continually beaten embarrassingly from 04 to 07.

People suggest that we only won 10 and a half games this year, which is about what Sheedy had in his last year.. but let’s look at what his done..


- The Anzac Day win, beating the Saints, two wins against Carlton and Hawthorn, taking it up to most of the teams we’ve played.. theres an obvious improvement in the way we play now, our gameplay, workrate, the commitment of the players.. people that knock him and what his done truly don’t understand the game and what his trying to do..

- Has been on the money with pretty much everything he has said, he has instilled discipline and team values that is required in modern footy

- Doesn’t play favourites.. good form is rewarded

- Has drafted and traded exceptionally well.. since he came on board we’ve had Myers, Pears, Hooker, Still, Atkinson, Hurley, Zaharakis, Prismall, Daniher, T Slattery, M Williams, Melksham, Carlisle, Colyer and Long all come into the team. I think they all have potential to be anything..

- His got the best footy out of Dyson, Watson, Monfries, Winderlich, Welsh, Lonergan, Dempsey, H Slattery and Ryder… they’ve all come on..

- He got us into the finals when it was unlikely and we were injury ravelled..


As for next season.. look we finished 8th and should look to improve on it.. but we are losing a fair bit of experience and our players are still young.. if we have a good run with injuries (for once… please).. then we could achieve anything; With that said.. all the other teams have pretty good lists and anything can happen on the day… I’m far more optimistic than I have been in a long time..

I have never purchased a membership before, however now working locally, I plan to get one and get to as many training sessions as possible. We’re on to something good people.. be excited.. I am..

 

[ant555]

Essendon draft review

Pick 10 Jake Melsham Calder Cannons 184cm 73kg

Picked who they thought was the best midfield available after having their sights set on Lucas or Moore believing Melksham would be heading to Port Adelaide so they finished in front there by getting the midfielder they rated the best out of the 3 or 4 players identified for pick 10.
Melksham tested well at draft camp with good 20 meter sprint times, a good agility test and a very strong beep test showing he does possess the athletic ability to develop into a good midfielder.
Pace wise he is pretty handy and can burn opponents off and sustain a decent pace but he is not in the lightning quick class so he generally kicks after one bounce on the run.
Skills wise he uses both sides and on his day his kicking can be exceptional but his day has not been every week and he has had a few very poor days as well where he has struggled to hit targets. His kicking action is good enough so there are no problems there and when he is at his best he can pin point long targets.

He simply has to fine tune his game so he consistently chooses better options week in and week out rather than making quick or poor choices by foot and dropping off consistency wise some week.

Melsham played for Vic Metro in the Champ series this year playing midfield and small forward and he had a steady series without doing anything really outstanding. He worked hard and won a bit of the ball in some games but they where also punctuated with some very poor decisions by foot that resulted in a few turnovers at times even when he was not under any great pressure. He was in the better players against Queensland and after a shaky start was good in the second half against WA in the final game. His kicking efficiency of 50% showed he struggled a bit at times. Overall he averaged 18 disposals a game.

He lifted his output a bit in the latter half of the year and finished of with a great game in the TAC Cup grand final where he realised his full potential on the day winning a good number of clearances and using the ball really well including several exceptional 50 meter passes to leading forwards.
It was a big step up from his previous two finals games where he had limited impact with minimal disposals after kicking off the finals series with a pretty good game in week 1.

Now I will mention his clearance work as it has been mentioned in just about every review that he will provide much needed back up for Watson but I have to say he is a different sort of player to Jobe.
Jake tends to win more of his clearances reading the ball off the hands and quickly breaking free rather than reading the ball in close and burrowing in and feeding out. He does attack the contest hard but the greater percentage of his centre bounce clearances are from clear tap work that he has been able to read well directly off the hands and not off the 50/50 hit outs that find the ground.
Given his good read off the hands he should work in well with Ryder who does possess the exceptional ability to hit to advantage.
Melkshams read off the hands does extend to reading other ruckman well and his positioning and ability to move in swiftly is one of his stand outs.
He has pretty clean hands at ground level and is pretty smart by hand in close and does make good decisions at the stoppages around the ground.

He has the ability to play an outside running role and his work rate and endurance allow him to push forward or wide and find space to be the next link in the chain.
Tackling wise he is ok without being outstanding but he does work hard defensively and he is prepared to put on a block or shepherd for his team mates.
He is also a reasonably good mark and can kick goals when he plays forward where his good read off the pack also comes in handy.
There is not a lot of him physically so I would not expect he will play a lot of footy next year but he is a chance to get some senior experience on ability alone. I just don’t expect him to be physically ready to play more than 8 or 9 games at the most.

Jake was in the middle group of midfielders and was picked in the range most expected him to be picked. He has the potential to be an elite midfielder if he can bring his A game most weeks but so far he has struggled to do that with some weeks seeing him struggle to make an impact with limited possessions for a midfielder or other weeks with ordinary kicking. He has not been a massive possession accumulator at TAC Cup level and struggled a little in the division 1 champ games and a couple of the finals this year.
The GF showed what he has to offer at his best. Now he has to prove hen can deliver more consistently a couple of levels up from what he has played.
TAC Cup stats
10 games
Averages
Kicks 11.8 at 62% efficiency
Handball 6.2 at 70% efficiency
Disposals 18 at 65% efficiency
Tackles 12.3
Marks 3.6



Pick 24 Jake Carlisle 196cm 83kg Calder Cannons

With the draft restrictions in the next two years and question marks on Neagle and Gumbleton the club have done a really smart thing in drafting Carlisle. He is a player who I rated the third best tall in the draft and he can play at both ends.
It might sound a bit strange but he could possibly play a little next year despite him needing to build up in the upper body and being a bit on the lean side.
Like his fellow Cannon the smaller Jake, big Jake is also known for his work rate and reasonably good skills. He is a mobile player who has better than average pace but nothing out of the ordinary. He reads the play well at both ends and is very strong over head and possesses a pretty good leap.
Consistency wise he needs to do better. Often he does not find a lot of the ball and he seems to be a kid that needs to have a couple of possessions early to get the confidence going. When he gets going he really starts finding the ball and taking marks.
As a defender he is very solid. His good leap allows him to spoil well and when he is going well he can read the play well enough to start heading off his opponent. On the days where his confidence is a bit down he tends to stick to his defensive roles rather than taking the game on.

Kicking wise Jake is not too bad. Like a lot of the kids this year he can be a bit indifferent and have days where he can turn it over or kick poorly but most of the time he was in the 70% efficiency range and rarely did he drop below 55% efficiency. He can kick long distances but he can struggle for accuracy kicking at goal from more than 40 meters.
As mentioned earlier Carlisle is pretty mobile/athletic and his agility is good. For a big bloke he is pretty good at ground level and his pace off the mark is ok.

Now all of this sounds like he should have been a top 10 pick but the simple fact of consistent performances hurt him. He was ok for Vic metro at the champ series doing a few good things and playing at both ends of the ground but that was it. Played ok defensively but never really played up to his best level despite being a solid player and coming into the games at some stage with some very good play.
It was the same at TAC Cup level. He is a player that should have dominated games most weeks but seemed to lack the confidence to back himself and his ability and take the game on.
He will need to build up his upper body strength but if he can get his head around the fact that he could really make it as a 100 game plus player at AFL level and have an impact we should see something good.
Very smart decision not to forget picking a good KP prospect.
TAC Stats
14 games
Averages
Kicks 8.6 at 71% efficiency
Handball 6.7 at 85% efficiency
Disposals 15.3 at 77% efficiency
2.3 tackles
6.7 marks.



Pick 26 Travis Colyer 175cm 73kg Claremont

Very good pick here I believe with the club going for a quick small forward / midfielder who has some excitement about him. He is very much on the small side but that does not stop him from going hard and winning contested footy or finding the ball at stoppages.
Loves to take off with the ball and have a bounce and he does not mind beating an opponent with his side step. He has a very good leap and good goal sense when forward.
Can play through the midfield and wins a lot of clearances on his natural instincts and reflexes. For a small skinny kid he has a very good engine and he tested well in all the running aspects at draft camp with a top 10 beep test and also top 10 finishes in agility, 20 meter sprint and repeat sprints.

Apart from his size one downside is his disposal. His kicking can range from very good to rather poor with a few shanks and he can miss targets badly. He is also prone to giving dodgy handballs to team mates under pressure but it is generally when he is unde fierce pressure.
He was an AA player this year and had a strong champ series for WA despite his poor 55% kicking efficiency. He averaged 20 disposals a game playing forward and in the midfield.
Played 3 senior games for Claremont this year but had minimal impact averaging just under 13 possessions but his form in the colts was very strong.

I thought that this kid was a top 30 prospect and it proved to be that way. He was an outstanding school athlete and is someone who is smart enough to play as a small defender if need be as well.
Obviously the kicking will have to improve and I generally don’t like players who have kicking issues but there is just something about the way this bloke plays that keeps drawing you into him.
The pace, the side step combined with the work rate and a good defensive attitude helps you over look the kicking issues. Likely to play as a small forward if he is to play a bit at senior level next season.



Pick 33 Anthony Long 186cm 68kg Calder Cannons

Last year it was the Northern Knights and this year it seems the Cannons where the flavour of the year with Long being the third Calder boy to arrive in the draft.
Now Long is the one player that I can not go into lengthy detail about because he did not play a lot of TAC Cup footy and unlike the club I do not have a good line on his school footy or his junior background as far as footy goes. Obviously we have a good understanding of his back ground due to his family ties with the club.

From what I have seen of him his skills are pretty good and most games he was very good at hitting targets by foot. His kicking style is very smooth and he can pin point passes into areas most can not.
He is agile and pretty quick off the mark with good overall pace and a smooth mover who can get out of traffic well. His vision and awareness where not too bad from what I saw either.

He struggled with injury a lot this year and it showed with his fitness and the fact that they could not use him in the middle despite his pretty good hands at ground level and stoppage ability.
Played as a back pocket a bit when he first came back and finished up playing a bit of half back but was never able to run out a full game because of the amount of footy he missed early.

His draft camp results where ok and he does have a very good leap and can take a good mark if he gets a run up and is able to maximize his jump.
Obviously he is very much on the skinny side and a bit of a long range project but he does have the skills and raw ability to make it if he can get his fitness levels up, build up some body size and over come the injury issues.
Doubt we would see much of him next year as far as senior football goes as he is a very light framed kid at the moment.
TAC stats
11 games
Averages
Kicks 4.3 at 63% efficiency
Handballs 6.4 at 85% efficiency
Disposals 10.7 at 75% efficiency
Tackles 1.2
Marks 1.


The overall verdict.

I think they have done well. Drafted one of the two best midfielders left at 10 and then where lucky enough to get Carlisle at 24 who I believe was the third best tall in the draft. I think Colyer was a very solid pick and although I would have personally gone with Christenson at 33 you can not deny that Long has a little something about him that could make him a good player in the future who uses the ball very well.
I would have to give them an A as a grade as they did not pick any players that I did not rate at all.

That leaves us with the PSD where I have no idea which way we will go but I suspect that the PSD and then the rookie draft will contain at least 1 more ruck option and a couple more KP prospects in those 6 picks.
Of course they will rookie John Williams if no one else picks him up.

 

[Burzum]

Great read, cheers ant!

 

[richoatthedisco]

Great work ant. Care to come to our board and give your views on Richmond's picks?

 

[Super Gusto]

Thank god they went for footballers over athletes is all i can say.

Good call. It's the athletes that are always the biggest risk. Colyer is a great choice and you can just tell he lives for football. A Jason or Mark Johnson type who will give his all for the club.

 

[Gerrard_to_Torres]

Ant, first of all fantastic post. Just wondering if I could pick your brain..

In your opinion how would you compare Melksham to Lucas, Carlisle to Black & Colyer to Bartlett? Also would you chose as we did, if given the choice between two in those cases?

 

[Ben the Gooner]

I'd be very interested to hear the answer to gerrard_to_uefacup's question as well ant.

I've let the news of our picks sink in over the last couple of days, and didn't really think about it closely until today, so either this post will be not a knee-jerk comment, or else affected by a week of excessive alcohol consumption.

If we nab an Ah Chee type in the PSD, I'd have to say it is the perfect draft. Positionally, we've covered a lot of bases with a skillful inside mid (instant man crush already) a versatile kpp, a genuine ball winner and a running defender. Adding a small forward to that list would well and truly cover everything.

Adelaide seem to be the best recruiting club, as they base their selections on who will be leaving 3-4 years down the track. Guys like Dangerfield and Otten are heirs to Edwards and McLeod, and guys like Davis, Talia and Sammy Shaw are cover for Stevens, Bock etc.

From our point of view, we need to be looking to replace Welsh, McVeigh and Hille.

With Ryder having cemented himself as a top notch ruckman, Hille will be a forward who covers for Ryder for 5-10 minutes a quarter, IMO. Therefore Carlisle is that replacement. He will be a KPF most likely, but has the height to be a second ruckman as well. I also see Melksham and Colyer as being the inside midfielders who should be big enough to have a genuine impact just as Spike and Woosha are winding down. Long seems to be someone who can allow Dempsey to become a genuinely damaging winger down the track, and also allow for the fact that Fletch will be replaced with an inferior model, so we'll need to cover for his rebounding and 3rd man up abilities
through a number of players.

Also, over the next couple of days, Im going to put together a depth chart sort of thing for each position. After this draft, I get the
feeling that it will be a lot more evenly spread, and there won't be a lack of
names in any position.

 

[bombersrbest05]

Still vs Carlisle

As we know Still was taken last year as a 17 yo and faired well in the TAC cup and Carlisle is one of the better forwards in this draft as we have heard.

What I want to know is would Still of been drafted higher this year if he was overlooked last year and who do you think should get first opportunity to play for the Bombers.
I know some won't know much about either but those who do just what to get an opinion

 

[rines]

Who will play more footy, Colyer or Ball?

I was surprised that we didn't take Ball. I can understand those who say he is slow and older and injury prone however those same things could be said about Watson/Williams/Gumby so I don't think they necessarily mean that he is still not a quality player.

I thought Ball with pick 26 would be a no brainer and give our midfield a cool, experienced head to help with the development of the younger guys. And then it 2-3 years time, I think Ball would have been able to move to half forward/forward pocket with good effect.

All those points aside I predict that Luke Ball will play more football for Collingwood than Colyer does for the bombers and I was wondering what anyone else thinks? Why is youth given so much more "believe and chance" than experience in modern recruiting?

 

[Donakebab]

Re: Who will play more footy, Colyer or Ball?

How is Watson injury prone? How is Gumby old? Williams is the only close comparision except that he's a forward coming off a knee, not a midfielder with OP. Also have you ever seem Ball kick? He'd never make it as a forward. Struggles to kick over 40m and misses targets regularly. I'd rather Jobe taking a kick then him.

 

[BringBackCransberg]

Re: Who will play more footy, Colyer or Ball?

Ball might play more for Collingwood than Colyer does for Essendon (even though I personally doubt it, even at this very, very early stage of Colyer's career).
But you don't draft players to play x-amount of games.
It's all list management, and the combination of everything Donakebab said (i.e. he's not just injury prone, he is injured) with:
-GC and GWS are coming (get good youth now - we're not flag contenders next year, realistically)
-Ball would probably slow down the development of Hocking/Lonergan/Melksham (sure he'd be a "cool head" out there, but these guys have really shown their potential already, and just need the consistency that comes with AFL experience - not VFL experience, which is where they'd be playing half their games with Ball taking another spot in the 22)
-Ball didn't want to be at the club. If anyone on the current list didn't want to be at the club I'd be happy for them to piss off to anywhere else.
-Ball is not by any means a superstar
-This was not our last chance to trade in a ready made player. The scene at the moment suggests that we'll actually have many more chances. And we're not going for a flag next year so we may as well wait to see what we really need, if anything. Give Hocking/Lonergan/all the kids a chance. If you can't get excited by our young list how could you possibly get excited about Luke Ball stomping about?

edit: I missed your last question (not that I really know any answers, but) - I don't think it's that simple. I think there's a stat about the avg. age of premiership lists, and it generally indicates a solid bedrock of 70-200 game players (or something like that). Add a couple of star youngsters, a Dustin Fletcher or two, and then you might still have gaps. If in filling those gaps you were to give precedence to youth rather than experience you'd probably be silly - but in general drafting (especially at the stage EFC are at) you've got to go for that bedrock of 70-200 game players. (Otherwise we'd still have Peverill, McPhee, Lloyd, etc,etc on our list.) i.e. you've got to match your trading/drafting with your premiership window - youth will be a smarter choice at one stage, experience at another. And these days almost everyone's "rebuilding".

This post was too long for someone who doesn't know what they're talking about and just guesses. Sorry.

 

[kelvin_sheedy]

Re: Who will play more footy, Colyer or Ball?

I was not surprised at all with us not taking Ball. In fact it was mentioned on draft day that our interest wasn't genuine and we were only looking at bluffing other sides into picking him up in the hope he pushes a player to us.

If you look at our list then we already have too many Luke Balls. McVeigh and Welsh are better than him now. Watson is our no. 1 midfielder. Hocking is coming along nicely and we have Myers waiting in the background to try and play an inside game.

Prismall was recruited to play inside/out and then there's Lonergan. Lonergan can pinch hit forward while Ball has never shown he can do that.

The correct option was taken in drafting a kid that can hopefully give us 10 years of service rather than adding a plodder with poor kicking who may or may not be in our best 22.

 

[smcateer]

Re: Who will play more footy, Colyer or Ball?

Ball is a known quantity, maybe a 7/10 player. With a couple of years to play.

Colyer could be anything from a 0/10 to a 10/10 and could be playing for the club for the next 10 years.

Colyer is a roll of the dice and could be real win, or a loss. Ball is a guaranteed loss - even if a moderate loss.

 

[Kong]

Re: Who will play more footy, Colyer or Ball?

I was not surprised at all with us not taking Ball. In fact it was mentioned on draft day that our interest wasn't genuine and we were only looking at bluffing other sides into picking him up in the hope he pushes a player to us.

If you look at our list then we already have too many Luke Balls. McVeigh and Welsh are better than him now. Watson is our no. 1 midfielder. Hocking is coming along nicely and we have Myers waiting in the background to try and play an inside game.

Prismall was recruited to play inside/out and then there's Lonergan. Lonergan can pinch hit forward while Ball has never shown he can do that.

The correct option was taken in drafting a kid that can hopefully give us 10 years of service rather than adding a plodder with poor kicking who may or may not be in our best 22.

Pretty much this.

 

[Ben the Gooner]

Re: Who will play more footy, Colyer or Ball?

It's not a fair question because Ball would have been recruiter as a 5 year player who could make an instant impact and Colyer was drafted longer term. If Colyer plays more games than Ball would have, that doesn't necessarily make him the correct pick.

 

[Mad Bomber Sean]

Re: Who will play more footy, Colyer or Ball?

Waste of a thread. Why harp on about this crap. Move on & forget about it already.

Colyer is our man, not break down Ball.