2015 Draft Discussion

[Crusha]

.......William looked good, .......

Reuben William #14 QLD vs NT Div2 Champs Rnd 1 - 20/6/15



To be added to Draft Video Thread Here

 

[captainrich]

in the highlights saw allison hit a couple of monster kicks, the one for goal was incredible, if he fills out can be a player

lets not get carried away with buzza NT were definetly undersized

 

[jasonrampage2010]

Reuben William #14 QLD vs NT Div2 Champs Rnd 1 - 20/6/15



To be added to Draft Video Thread Here

Geez he plays a lot like Hanley this kid.
Wouldn't hurt having another Hanley running around would it?

 

[Full Wingspan]

Geez he plays a lot like Hanley this kid.
Wouldn't hurt having another Hanley running around would it?

Cian

 

[WA Lion]

in the highlights saw allison hit a couple of monster kicks, the one for goal was incredible, if he fills out can be a player

lets not get carried away with buzza NT were definetly undersized

absolutely, the guy on him seemed to be giving away 3-5 cms and at least 5kgs

 

[Morgs_]

Quigley what do you think of Lovell from Tassie? I really liked the look of him in the game against NSW/ACT. Thought he just went hard at the ball every chance he got and he looks a good size as well.

 

[bearslover1996]

if we have a late pick I think we should look at Aidyn Johnson from Bendigo. will be in a really similar situation to Jaden McGrath, an AIS boy but injuries have plagued him in his draft year. would be perfect for the small lockdown defender role, elite speed and hard as nails. About 183/184cm.

 

[lionshine]

Reuben William #14 QLD vs NT Div2 Champs Rnd 1 - 20/6/15



To be added to Draft Video Thread Here

Wow I love his pace and attack on the contest. His skills seem ok as well. Is he a Lions academy player and he is an underaged or is he eligible to be drafted this year? Quigley perhaps you are best placed to answer these questions.

P.S. Your draft videos are fantastic Crusha. Keep up the great work mate

 

[lionshine]

For those in the know who of our academy prospects are the club likely to pick up this year? Keays is obviously a certainty. What about the likes of Hipwood, Wagner, Chol ect.?

And am I right in saying that the club could potentially have 3 good midfield prospects on their hands next season in Allison, Rolls and William?

 

[Crusha]

.....[William]......is he eligible to be drafted this year?

Eligible this year (D.O.B. 7/10/97) .......

.....[William].....Is he a Lions academy player

Yes.

 

[Skippos]

Might be relevant to the nifty videos thread you've got going in here.

Playlist - 25 videos.

Will be doing a similar thing for each televised/recorded game.

 

[Leemas]

For those in the know who of our academy prospects are the club likely to pick up this year? Keays is obviously a certainty. What about the likes of Hipwood, Wagner, Chol ect.?

And am I right in saying that the club could potentially have 3 good midfield prospects on their hands next season in Allison, Rolls and William?

Rolls hype is a bit premature. Allison is probably the only under ager too really get excited about.

 

[Crusha]

Rolls hype is a bit premature. Allison is probably the only under ager too really get excited about.

I would add Watson as one to keep an eye on ..... long way to go though .....

 

[Quigley]

Quigley what do you think of Lovell from Tassie? I really liked the look of him in the game against NSW/ACT. Thought he just went hard at the ball every chance he got and he looks a good size as well.

The height is the issue with Lovell. Everything else about him seems good but at 174 he has a couple of strikes against him. He does remind me a bit of Caleb Daniel from last year although he is a bit taller and has more bulk. Lovell gets around the ground great. In a weak draft (after the first round - which I actually like quite a lot this year) I definitely see him getting picked up be someone.

 

[Sherrinator]

Williams could be a goer. Loving the dash and he has a good, quick disposal. Good balldrop and plays on instinct.

 

[Quigley]

On the draft prospects from the Academy, my thoughts atm:

Keays - took a few more chances with his kicking on the weekend. Liked that a lot. Just keeps getting it. I can't see someone at the end of the first round not bidding on him.

Hipwood - his move back has upped his value a lot. There are a fair few decent KPDers this year and he is in amongst them. At 200cm he will intrigue a lot of teams. His size, athleticism and game reading skills look top shelf and his kicking looks good albeit a little inconsistent atm. Hard to see someone also around the top 25 not putting in a bid on him if he continues as he has over the last month or so.

Wagner - outside runner with very good endurance and nice skills. I been told by someone from another club that the Lions love him and are expecting them to take him. Hasn't set the world on fire but is doing pretty nicely all the same. Anywhere after the late second round is a lottery this year and I expect him to be in the mix there somewhere.

Buzza - is growing on me. He is a big bustling forward who leads out strongly and is a capable mark. Hands are not top shelf but solid enough. Agility is good and he works hard both ways. Still plenty of edges to polish but he has improved a lot this year which is what teams will look at. Lower down in the draft teams will be looking at how well he has done as a ruck in the NEAFL and could be sold on him as a 2nd forward / 2nd ruck. He is a very smart ruck where he can use his strength (ie not so much at the centre bounce). Someone is going to bid on him I think.

Weller - the weekend was my first look at him and I was impressed. Very new to the game and his skills need some work but they are reasonable given his experience levels. Probably plays in the defensive forward role he played on the weekend and his chase and tackling are big selling features. Picked up a heap of tackles. Is a superior athlete which is what gets him drafted. Worth stashing him on the rookie list and see what happens.

William - I think everyone is getting a little overexcited with him. He also looks like a rookie list option to me. How well he tests could be important. He looks quick but I am not seeing him as an absolute top end burner but then again he might be but he lacks the endurance to really use it consistently atm. Skills need work but are improving. I do really like the lines he runs through traffic though. He picks seems both with and without the ball and gets where he needs to go quickly. Decent defender who seems to have the agility to go with most small forward options. Could be a Jarmen Impey type for us.

Chol - the big Sudanese boys are always tough to evaluate at this stage because they are all sticks who lack strength. Then they grow up to be monsters like Daw and Aliir. It is worth noting that Chol is taller than either of those two. I am not impressed with his ruck work but he does flash some real talent at times around the ground. I want to see him play more as a KP. He would be some chance to be picked up as a rookie but I think there could be more value in him returning as an overager like Aliir did.

 

[jackess]

The surprises from the NT game for me were Wagner's acceleration. Dunno what other people I think but from the small amount I've seen or heard from he sounds like he could be handy down back with his kicking. I though Buzza's acceleration on the lead and ground skills were impressive showing as a forward he wouldn't have to rely on his size.

 

[bearslover1996]

Quigley do you mean Weller, not Watson? Weller is the 19 year old small forward who has come back to footy, Watson is an underager who played at Full back

 

[Panthera]

On the draft prospects from the Academy, my thoughts atm:

Keays - took a few more chances with his kicking on the weekend. Liked that a lot. Just keeps getting it. I can't see someone at the end of the first round not bidding on him.

Hipwood - his move back has upped his value a lot. There are a fair few decent KPDers this year and he is in amongst them. At 200cm he will intrigue a lot of teams. His size, athleticism and game reading skills look top shelf and his kicking looks good albeit a little inconsistent atm. Hard to see someone also around the top 25 not putting in a bid on him if he continues as he has over the last month or so.

Wagner - outside runner with very good endurance and nice skills. I been told by someone from another club that the Lions love him and are expecting them to take him. Hasn't set the world on fire but is doing pretty nicely all the same. Anywhere after the late second round is a lottery this year and I expect him to be in the mix there somewhere.

Buzza - is growing on me. He is a big bustling forward who leads out strongly and is a capable mark. Hands are not top shelf but solid enough. Agility is good and he works hard both ways. Still plenty of edges to polish but he has improved a lot this year which is what teams will look at. Lower down in the draft teams will be looking at how well he has done as a ruck in the NEAFL and could be sold on him as a 2nd forward / 2nd ruck. He is a very smart ruck where he can use his strength (ie not so much at the centre bounce). Someone is going to bid on him I think.

Watson - the weekend was my first look at him and I was impressed. Very new to the game and his skills need some work but they are reasonable given his experience levels. Probably plays in the defensive forward role he played on the weekend and his chase and tackling are big selling features. Picked up a heap of tackles. Is a superior athlete which is what gets him drafted. Worth stashing him on the rookie list and see what happens.

William - I think everyone is getting a little overexcited with him. He also looks like a rookie list option to me. How well he tests could be important. He looks quick but I am not seeing him as an absolute top end burner but then again he might be but he lacks the endurance to really use it consistently atm. Skills need work but are improving. I do really like the lines he runs through traffic though. He picks seems both with and without the ball and gets where he needs to go quickly. Decent defender who seems to have the agility to go with most small forward options. Could be a Jarmen Impey type for us.

Chol - the big Sudanese boys are always tough to evaluate at this stage because they are all sticks who lack strength. Then they grow up to be monsters like Daw and Aliir. It is worth noting that Chol is taller than either of those two. I am not impressed with his ruck work but he does flash some real talent at times around the ground. I want to see him play more as a KP. He would be some chance to be picked up as a rookie but I think there could be more value in him returning as an overager like Aliir did.

The first three you mention above are expected to be bid on according to the TAC Future Stars panel (Kevin Sheehan, Terry Wallace etc.)

With regards to Hipwood, how does he compare to young Harris Andrews? Similar players?

 

[Quigley]

Quigley do you mean Weller, not Watson? Weller is the 19 year old small forward who has come back to footy, Watson is an underager who played at Full back

Yep got the wrong guy. Will fix.

 

[jjami15]

Not that it will be noted by the 'southerners' but we can't take all of the academy players that we might like and then hopefully they get picked up by other teams further adding to the pool. You never know we might actually be able to have an actual AFL Qld state of origin team one day.

 

[Quigley]

The first three you mention above are expected to be bid on according to the TAC Future Stars panel (Kevin Sheehan, Terry Wallace etc.)

With regards to Hipwood, how does he compare to young Harris Andrews? Similar players?

Similar but different. Hipwood a bit more athletic and likes to take the game on more with the ball in hand. Andrews the better judge of the ball in the air and a bit more disciplined defensively. I could see Andrews as a match up key defender and Hipwood as a third tall (I am talking role here) type who has more flexibility to leave his man and impact the contest. So Andrews as a McDonald (melb) type and Hipwood a Gibson type. Best case scenario for each. I do love the height that both have and the scope they give to mix and match.

 

[iBeng]

Theres something about Buzza that makes me think we'd regret passing on him.

 

[Panthera]

in the highlights saw allison hit a couple of monster kicks, the one for goal was incredible, if he fills out can be a player

lets not get carried away with buzza NT were definetly undersized

Allison definitely knows how to strike the ball...60m no issue for him. Not bad for an under-ager.

With Buzza, and all KPF in the Champs, they won't always be playing on defenders that will get drafted, so from what I saw; there's plenty to work with

 

[jackess]

I really like Weller as well. Hopefully we rookie him.