Live Chat 2017 AFL Draft - #2, #5, #42, #60, #66, #70, #77, #80, #90

Which players do we take with #2 & #5?

  • Luke Davies-Uniacke

    Votes: 128 77.6%
  • Cameron Rayner

    Votes: 25 15.2%
  • Darcy Fogarty

    Votes: 42 25.5%
  • Adam Cerra

    Votes: 12 7.3%
  • Jaidyn Stephenson

    Votes: 8 4.8%
  • Paddy Dow

    Votes: 28 17.0%
  • Andrew Brayshaw

    Votes: 56 33.9%
  • Jack Higgins

    Votes: 3 1.8%
  • Sam Hayes

    Votes: 1 0.6%
  • Jarrod Brander

    Votes: 1 0.6%
  • Aaron Naughton

    Votes: 8 4.8%
  • Oscar Allen

    Votes: 4 2.4%
  • Nick Coffield

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Charlie Constable

    Votes: 1 0.6%
  • Hunter Clark

    Votes: 2 1.2%
  • Noah Balta

    Votes: 2 1.2%
  • Aiden Bonar

    Votes: 2 1.2%

  • Total voters
    165
  • Poll closed .

Michaels

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Hi all,

pardon the intrusion, hopefully this is the right place to put this!

Just giving a heads up that on Monday 6th of November at 7:30pm I will be chatting with 2 of the Co-founders of AFL Draft Central, Pie 4 life and Bishop (who post a bit on the drafts board here) to speak to them about the upcoming draft.

they will be giving their top 20 player rankings, a in depth review of 8 players (4 each) that have impressed them the most this year as well as a 1st round mock draft.

You will be able to listen to it live via our Spreaker link (which i will post in here on Monday) and you can even use the chat client to ask any specific questions about players you might be after etc.
 

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Norm Smith Medallist
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He is also now listed as 98kg's. Will be a very different type of player to the one we saw before his injury. Still think there is a decent chance he will be played as a forward after season 2018.
I hope you're wrong on where APearce is played next year.I remember that game he towelled up Tex two years ago playing as our CHB.IMO AP will be our CHB for the next decade if he can stay on the park.

When we were strong through 2013-15 our back six was elite,I feel we are compiling a back six that will go close to matching that 2013-15 group over the next two to three years.
 

Tayl0r

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Playing Alex Pearce forward next season would help him control his work rate and ease back into the speed of the game, as opposed to having to chase his man whenever he leads.

So I won't worry too much about it if he trains as a forward this preseason.
 

yyou

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Playing Alex Pearce forward next season would help him control his work rate and ease back into the speed of the game, as opposed to having to chase his man whenever he leads.

So I won't worry too much about it if he trains as a forward this preseason.
there are more twists & turns as a forward, & also opponents jumping from behind into you more than as a back
 

Walkingwounded

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Alex Pearce’s original draft profile.. note he has grown a bit and put on 12kg, as he is now 200cm and 98kg! Not a bad guide to what Freo expect to draft for key FWD/DEF. also note endurance. This is a recurring theme in Freo’s drafting! Even Logue last year fit that criteria.

Name: Alex Pearce

Height: 198 cm

Weight: 86 kg

DOB: 9/06/95

Position: Key forward/defender

Club: Devonport Magpies

From our recruiters: Alex is a versatile key position player who this year has demonstrated the ability to play anywhere down the spine. Alex has previously been an elite cricketer and had only played local footy for Ulverstone prior to 2013. He underwent a massive growth spurt in 2012, where he grew 10cms and went from playing as a midfielder to a key position player. Alex’s biggest strength is his athletic ability. No key position player has ever tested better for endurance at the draft combine where he ran a 15.5 beep and a 10.06 3km time trial. He also ran on average 13.8km a game, which highlights his ability to use his endurance in games. Alex also possesses very good speed and agility and is outstanding below his knees for his size.

From AFL.com: Mobile tall forward with good agility who marks strongly on the lead and is an effective kick on his preferred right foot. Shows good leg speed with his ability to create space between himself and his opponent while also reading the ball well in flight.
 
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wayToGo_

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You don't think breakaway pace refers to burst from stoppages or explosiveness? Sorry, I'll be more clear in future :drunk:
You don't think Neale or Blakely have that? I think they do. I think we don't use our outside mids enough. Hawthorn during their three-peat were so good at releasing to the outside before moving forward. I don't get why we always try to force it forward through the congestion. If Fyfe bursts through, or Mundy/SHill/Walters have it in space fine but otherwise I think we need to go lateral and open up the field. Neale and Blakely are good at that imo.
 

Scham

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You don't think Neale or Blakely have that? I think they do. I think we don't use our outside mids enough. Hawthorn during their three-peat were so good at releasing to the outside before moving forward. I don't get why we always try to force it forward through the congestion. If Fyfe bursts through, or Mundy/SHill/Walters have it in space fine but otherwise I think we need to go lateral and open up the field. Neale and Blakely are good at that imo.
No I don't. Blakely is very evasive and should be used in there more but neither he or Neale have explosiveness from a relatively stationary position imo. I agree that we need to move the ball better to the outside but I feel that again is being hampered by our lack of pacey inside mids. They win the ball enough but too many times are under too much pressure to get a clean disposal away.

Hey, just on another matter, do you know if being invited to attend the draft is a good indication of where that player might end up going? Obviously they invite the players that they think will go first round but how accurate are they, do you know?
 

Eski3

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No I don't. Blakely is very evasive and should be used in there more but neither he or Neale have explosiveness from a relatively stationary position imo. I agree that we need to move the ball better to the outside but I feel that again is being hampered by our lack of pacey inside mids. They win the ball enough but too many times are under too much pressure to get a clean disposal away.

Hey, just on another matter, do you know if being invited to attend the draft is a good indication of where that player might end up going? Obviously they invite the players that they think will go first round but how accurate are they, do you know?
Teams with top 10 picks nominate a list of players who they are considering with their picks, and the AFL invites everyone nominated by a team in the top 10
 

Tayl0r

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Hey, just on another matter, do you know if being invited to attend the draft is a good indication of where that player might end up going? Obviously they invite the players that they think will go first round but how accurate are they, do you know?
Harley Balic was invited to the draft because he was nominated as a potential top ten pick by a club with a selection there, ended up going much later.
 

wayToGo_

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No I don't. Blakely is very evasive and should be used in there more but neither he or Neale have explosiveness from a relatively stationary position imo. I agree that we need to move the ball better to the outside but I feel that again is being hampered by our lack of pacey inside mids. They win the ball enough but too many times are under too much pressure to get a clean disposal away.

Hey, just on another matter, do you know if being invited to attend the draft is a good indication of where that player might end up going? Obviously they invite the players that they think will go first round but how accurate are they, do you know?
Fair enough. Explosive probably isn't the right word but I'd honestly be surprised if their acceleration from a standing start wasn't in the best of our bunch. Not talking over massive distances, just that first couple of steps. I find a lot of the contested ball winners are normally pretty good at it but most of them tend to be pretty slow over longer distances. Even Priddis was regarded as one of the fastest off one of or two steps but didn't have a high top end speed to build into over 20m+. It may not even be about leg speed but more about reaction time. If you have quicker and cleaner hands you appear faster than you are in congestion.

If someone is invited to the draft they are invariably first round picks (I think it is possible top 10 from memory) but no guarantee. Memory vague but wasn't either Tucker or Balic invited? Anyway someone like them said they were feeling pretty deflated after not being taken in first round given they got a draft invite. Would be pretty awful standing around after all the other invitees were having their names read out. Doubt they were last picked in the playground too often ;)
 

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Scham

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Fair enough. Explosive probably isn't the right word but I'd honestly be surprised if their acceleration from a standing start wasn't in the best of our bunch. Not talking over massive distances, just that first couple of steps. I find a lot of the contested ball winners are normally pretty good at it but most of them tend to be pretty slow over longer distances. Even Priddis was regarded as one of the fastest off one of or two steps but didn't have a high top end speed to build into over 20m+. It may not even be about leg speed but more about reaction time. If you have quicker and cleaner hands you appear faster than you are in congestion.

If someone is invited to the draft they are invariably first round picks (I think it is possible top 10 from memory) but no guarantee. Memory vague but wasn't either Tucker or Balic invited? Anyway someone like them said they were feeling pretty deflated after not being taken in first round given they got a draft invite. Would be pretty awful standing around after all the other invitees were having their names read out. Doubt they were last picked in the playground too often ;)
No doubt they're in the best of our bunch but I think there in lies the problem, we're off the pace in this area which brings me back to the reason I got started on this, we'll look to get Dow or LDU because they do fill that need.

RE the draft invite, I heard Allen has been invited so thought that might give a gauge on where he might go but obviously not.
 
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No doubt they're in the best of our bunch but I think there in lies the problem, we're off the pace in this area which brings me back to the reason I got started on this, we'll look to get Dow or LDU because they do fill that need.

RE the draft invite, I heard Allen has been invited so thought that might give a gauge on where he might go but obviously not.
Cal Twomey in his latest form guide wrap said LDU often quick kicks the ball. Tells me he lacks a bit of awareness inside and may not use his speed as a weapon aka Shephen Hill.
 

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Cal Twomey in his latest form guide wrap said LDU often quick kicks the ball. Tells me he lacks a bit of awareness inside and may not use his speed as a weapon aka Shephen Hill.
Stephen Hill doesn't use his speed as a clearance weapon as much as I'd like him too either. Where do you start him at the stoppage though? Anywhere except the defensive side means his run forward either wins massively or he is totally out of position when the ball goes the other way and doesn't get involved in play. Starting him at the defensive side of the stoppage puts the entire opposition stoppage group between him and his run forward, he doesn't have the top speed the likes of Wilson does to be able to burst from half back and run to whichever side we will clear the ball.

Personally I'd like to start Stephen Hill 4m to 5m away from the stoppage, effectively half inside and half outside, so he can cover that distance to tackle or smother if we lose the stoppage but if we win the ball then he has the space to correct his attacking run to suit where we shovel the ball out to. He would gain that separation from his man enough to get the ball on his left foot. The negatives are that we would need a good enough stoppage quartet to win when we are a man down, at least until opposition coaches start manning up the loose Stephen Hill.

The hawks brought their outside players into the game by clearing the ball backwards from the center or intercepting the ball across half back if they lost the clearance. We have half of that, we can win the ball back at half back. The issue for us is that we don't have the half forward marking power to maintain possession from a kick forward after the handball backwards, the Hawks would kick way more sideways to the hard running Bradley Hill or Shiels or Issac Smith and we looked better when we could get that possession between our forward line. Maybe we will do more of it this year now that we aren't playing such a skinny ground.
 
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Stephen Hill doesn't use his speed as a clearance weapon as much as I'd like him too either. Where do you start him at the stoppage though? Anywhere except the defensive side means his run forward either wins massively or he is totally out of position when the ball goes the other way and doesn't get involved in play. Starting him at the defensive side of the stoppage puts the entire opposition stoppage group between him and his run forward, he doesn't have the top speed the likes of Wilson does to be able to burst from half back and run to whichever side we will clear the ball.

Personally I'd like to start Stephen Hill 4m to 5m away from the stoppage, effectively half inside and half outside, so he can cover that distance to tackle or smother if we lose the stoppage but if we win the ball then he has the space to correct his attacking run to suit where we shovel the ball out to. He would gain that separation from his man enough to get the ball on his left foot. The negatives are that we would need a good enough stoppage quartet to win when we are a man down, at least until opposition coaches start manning up the loose Stephen Hill.

The hawks brought their outside players into the game by clearing the ball backwards from the center or intercepting the ball across half back if they lost the clearance. We have half of that, we can win the ball back at half back. The issue for us is that we don't have the half forward marking power to maintain possession from a kick forward after the handball backwards, the Hawks would kick way more sideways to the hard running Bradley Hill or Shiels or Issac Smith and we looked better when we could get that possession between our forward line. Maybe we will do more of it this year now that we aren't playing such a skinny ground.
I’m lost with what to do with Hill. Seems to play 4-6 good games in a row every year and plays very average for the rest. I think you’re on the money on where to play him and hopefully this season he meets his potential.

Just don’t play him at halfback and I’m happy. In theory it should work with his pace and skills but it doesn’t. He treats the ball as a hot potato and I don’t think he has it in him to take the game on.
 

meima

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Playing Alex Pearce forward next season would help him control his work rate and ease back into the speed of the game, as opposed to having to chase his man whenever he leads.

So I won't worry too much about it if he trains as a forward this preseason.
I can't see why not after watching his draft year highlights, worse come to worse can interchange spot with Cox during pre season match.

 

Cobbler

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Apparently WC are very keen at 13 but if its only the top 10 clubs that do the invites obviously one of them are somewhat keen.
Did Eagles end up top 10 club through default?
We have 2 picks, so does Saints and Gold Coast have dropped out.
Did someone else give up their top 10 club status??
 

wayToGo_

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Did Eagles end up top 10 club through default?
We have 2 picks, so does Saints and Gold Coast have dropped out.
Did someone else give up their top 10 club status??
So does Carlton (picks #3 and #10).
So yes - Brisbane, Freo, Carlton, North, Pies, Saints, Dogs, GWS, Adelaide, West Coast
 

Unique Name

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No I don't. Blakely is very evasive and should be used in there more but neither he or Neale have explosiveness from a relatively stationary position imo. I agree that we need to move the ball better to the outside but I feel that again is being hampered by our lack of pacey inside mids. They win the ball enough but too many times are under too much pressure to get a clean disposal away.
I'm thinking Zorko with what you are saying. Dangerfield as well. Breakneck acceleration out the pack, still physically strong but not the absolute brutes like Fyfe/JPKennedy.
 
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