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Cheers for the insight mate, always appreciated
Just watching Langford's highlights again if we got him I'd attach him to Bob Murphy as a mentor kid looks like a seriously good 190cm Swingman so why not let him learn from the best in the business at that?
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What about it?
Woops I ****ed that up, I meant to say look out 2012 draft. As in this one will be better
I hope you're right, really badlyWoops I ****** that up, I meant to say look out 2012 draft. As in this one will be better
Yeah I just want it sorted, it ******* sucks but I'm over it, has helped a lot the way Griff has done this as I no longer want him at the club.
Yeah no doubt this is huge for us, Darymple your balls are on the line!I hope you're right, really badly
if we don't get the draft right, will bite us on the backsides
lets all hope we get a sweet deal happening, GWS could definitely afford to as well
Not Duggan? A Dogs supporter?
If he wanted to play his guts out for us
I've seen Duggan run before and he looks pretty fast to me, he doesn't do it often enough during a game though
Langford isn't as composed as what Bontempelli is or even Duggan is
Well you'd hope we'd go for a midfielder
10. Jarrod Pickett (WA – Mid)Height:179cm, Weight: 76kg, DOB: 18/08/1996
Recruited from: South Fremantle
Draft range: 5-20
Best position/role: Midfield - outside
Strengths: Speed – No one in this draft has the speed of Pickett. He tests at 2.8 seconds over 20m but the critical thing with Pickett is he uses that speed in game and often with his ability to take on the game with ball in hand special as something he does frequently every game. Linebreaking ability and tendency to take on the game every time the opportunity is there – With Pickett while he has the elite speed the critical thing is he uses it in game better than just about anyone in the country. He has a rare ability to take on and inject energy into the game and break the lines and do it frequently and he just has that natural sense for when he can take advantage of his linebreaking gift and use it in game. He is incredibly hard to tackle with his balance and agility allowing him to dodge and weave past guys and continue running. I really enjoy his tendency after a mark or whenever the opportunity is there to work out quickly that he has the opportunity and then he will take off generating some instant offense and meaningful drive through his meaningful ability to break the lines at speed rather than just going back behind the mark and moving the ball forward slowly which does not generate as many meaningful scoring opportunities as what Pickett does. Pickett really understands he can impact games with his linebreaking ability and he sums up the right opportunities to use it and he will break the lines for 20m, 30m, 40m, 50m, 60m and will go as long as you give him the space in front of him to run into.
Ability to hit the scoreboard and use the footy – Pickett as an outside type can really hit the scoreboard in bunches on a wing and is more than capable given his junior goal scoring totals in WA of averaging more than a goal a game at AFL level. He is a very good finisher around goal, knowing where the goals are and is a significant threat running into an open goal and on the run into the forward 50. As a ball user Pickett is very clean by both hand and foot and hits his targets consistently and overall is an above average ball user. He is also an excellent kick on the move at speed and even probably a slightly better ball user on the move than he is after a mark seeming to find some better targets while he is on the move. Pickett can at times make the occasional decision making error, mostly this seems to be after a mark and he can also similarly after a mark also lack the vision to find some better placed targets tending to go long down the line on most occasions but with ball in hand in general play is an excellent decision maker looking cool and composed with ball in hand and even when under pressure or getting tackled finds a way to dispose of the ball cleanly. Ability to find and win the footy – Often with the most damaging outside types it is rare that they can find the footy in bunches and while Pickett is not an elite accumulator he is still a good accumulator for an outside type which is really critical and greatly adds to his value because he is someone where he will do great damage with his touches and through finding it a lot also will break the lines with frequency rather than only occasionally which is what makes him a real top quality prospect in my mind. He is also not allergic to winning the contested footy as many similar outside linebreakers are and while he will remain predominantly outside, winning the contested footy is something he can still at times do for an outside type. These two signs for me are the big factors when you add that to his offensive gifts and linebreaking ability which suggests to me he has a big future ahead of him at AFL level because you know he will find enough of it to be relevant and do damage and break games open often. Ability overhead and at ground level – Pickett has strong hands overhead and seems to consistently take his marks cleanly. He also has the cleanness at ground level to pick up the footy, often on the move and just continue to go at speed without any need to pause. He can occasionally fumble slightly but overall he is clean and reads the bounce well, getting onto it at speed and winning the footy, reacting and reading the bounce quickly and consistently.
Senior WAFL league experience – Towards the end of the season Pickett received valuable senior WAFL league experience playing in the five league level games. Additionally Pickett also performed and looked at ease in the AIS v Collingwood game earlier in the season so he should be able to make the adjustment and continue to have an impact against bigger bodies.
Weaknesses:Defensive running – At this stage Pickett is a one way offensive runner and while he will give maximum effort running and carrying the ball he seems to take it easier on the other side of the ball and to an extent seems to conserve his energy which is a habit he will have to break at the next level if he wants regular senior games.
What I expect will improve:Pickett’s defensive running will surely improve but otherwise I see Pickett largely improving on his strengths and transferring those strengths into an AFL setting and continuing in the most part to do what he does.Who he can become?I see Pickett developing into something similar to Lewis Jetta. Pickett does not have as much penetration on his kick but otherwise I feel Pickett’s numbers and ability to impact games with his line breaking ability to be relatively similar.When will he be ready to play?Pickett has the ability to receive some senior games from season one. He is likely not a round one starter and will likely need to prove himself first in the 2s for a team but with the linebreaking ability and energy he can inject into games he is someone I imagine a team would feel compelled to give senior games to at some point. By season two or three I imagine Pickett will then establish himself in the best team and be a different maker pretty well right away. How to best utilise him?Pickett is best utilised on a wing as an outside linebreaker.
Interpretation of his numbers
13. Jayden Laverde (VIC – Util)
Height: 189cm, Weight: 82kg, DOB: 12/04/1996
Recruited from: Western Jets
Draft range: 5-20
Best position/role: Rotational forward/midfielder. Strengths: Evasiveness – Laverde has rare ability to create time and space for himself with his well-timed evasive sidesteps, body movements, ball fakes among other moves with ball in hand that give him more time and space than anyone else out on the field. He avoids tacklers easily by anticipating what they’ll do before they do it making him look that class above with ball in hand.
Athleticism - Laverde in addition to his evasiveness has excellent explosiveness and athleticism. Laverde uses his pace effectively in game and can break the lines and taking on the game with ball in hand and plays on when the opportunity is there and has some real breakaway pace and instant acceleration making him hard to catch. Laverde is a good leaper and is a strong mark in the air. He also has the strength and power to win the 1v1 contests and to win his own ball around the ground. Ball use - Laverde is an excellent user of the footy with his vision allowing him to find the most damaging targets up the field and his ability to execute by both hand and foot also is excellent. When within range from goal Laverde is also an excellent finisher both from general play and set shots and has shown that he can provide heavy scoreboard impact. He can at times make some poor decisions with ball in hand and choose the wrong targets but that has improved as the year has progressed. Versatility – Can play forward or back well and has the scope to develop the ability to play more through the midfield.Front half talent – Laverde in the front half has the ability to do major damage and has that natural intuitive front half talent so few have. He is a capable finisher from his set shots and in general play will run around defenders and run into goal for an easy finish. He keeps his feet in the contest, has a real natural balance to him and can take advantage of guys 1v1 for marks and is also capable in the air and on the lead. He has excellent evasiveness and is hard to lay a finger on. He can win the ground balls and contested footy. He also has the vision to find targets in better position inside 50.Marking ability – Laverde is a strong mark overhead. He will take marks 1v1, in the air and on the lead. On the lead he can create separation effectively for the easy marks. In the air he is strong and has a good leap making him hard to stop. He also has excellent 1v1 strength in the contest and will take advantage of his opponent’s 1v1 taking strong marks against them. When played down back he also shows that he can read it well and be an intercept marking threat.
Weaknessesecision making ability - At times with ball in hand Laverde can try to do too much and can at times make the wrong decisions but when he can do what he does I would be giving him the benefit of the doubt on most occasions and let him just play his natural intuitive football, it is something I have seen him improve as the year has progressed so it is not something I am overly concerned by. Ability through the midfield? - The next stage in Laverde’s development is playing more through the midfield and it is something with time given his attributes that he has the scope to develop. With his evasive movement, skillset, size, strength, explosiveness and his contested ball winning ability he has the right mix of traits to play through the midfield but until he becomes a regular midfielder he is not and the question will remain. What I expect will improve:Given Laverde’s traits I see him making the jump into the midfield and gradually with time increasing his minutes. I also expect his strong general improvement to continue over coming seasons.
Who he can become?I see Laverde as something similar to Crameri as a powerful but athletic forward. Laverde is a more evasive less heavy version and may become more of a midfielder later on but I see Laverde as being overall a similar quality player to Crameri and likely to play a similar role as primarily a forward with eventually some midfield minutes down the track.
When will he be ready to play?Laverde should get some opportunities in season one but season two is when I see him most likely establishing himself as a regular for a team.
How to best utilise him?Laverde is best utilised in the front half given his talent and ability to do damage up forward but later on in his career I would like to see him increase his midfield minutes and split his time between the front half and midfield.
Interpretation of his numbers:Laverde this year has shown strong improvement as the season has progressed improving his disposal efficiency, increasing his overall numbers and taking more marks and contested marks. With his numbers trending upward it is a positive indicator that he will continue his strong development over coming seasons. He also had a very strong and productive U18 Championships where he also displayed an excellent disposal efficiency which was an encouraging sign of progress.
I'd throw in Duggan to, I think he is a little underrated to be honest
