Review 2019 AFL National Draft

Jul 26, 2007
93,508
161,869
The Tree
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Other Teams
Arsenal, Coney Island Warriors
Pickett is becoming the buzz player of this draft. Two months back I thought he might be around 50, starting to thing we'll be lucky if he's there at 27.
 
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Apr 24, 2013
81,024
153,170
Arden Street Hill
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Other Teams
Essendon Lawn Bowls Club
Interesting. Good pickup GR.


Dandy's talent manager on Ned:

Ned Cahill

“Ned’s another one who wasn’t in our program as a 16-year-old but ended up playing in the finals as a 17-year-old and played in the premiership in 2018.


“He wanted to be more than just a small forward. He did play high up the ground, his running capacity is enormous. He will get up and get balls at half-back then work his way back down the ground and be kicking a goal from a yard out.


“He does work over his small defenders really well. He’s got an outstanding front and centre crumb and causes a lot of turnovers in the front half.


“I rate Ned really highly. Probably hasn’t received the same plaudits as a Cody Weightman has but there’s not much between the two.”



 
Ive just done your pair of second round picks and somehow ive managed Dylan Williams again who is a steal and I’ve addressed the key defender issue with Sam De Koning who I believe has better potential than McAsey.

Will look for a true small forward and rebound defender with pace with the later picks.
Well done. Could handle that in the real thing
 
Sep 21, 2008
27,887
64,419
Vic
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Sam Philp’s omission from the 2019 Vic Metro squad only drove him to new heights at NAB League level for the Northern Knights this year.

The 18-year-old midfielder has emerged as a ‘bolter’ for the 2019 NAB AFL Draft on November 27-28 since missing the final cut for Metro, a team that was stacked with on-ball talent for June and July’s NAB AFL Under-18 Championships.

185cm Philp boasts strong ball-winning ability inside the contest and an explosive burst of speed to leave congestion but likely didn’t have the same weight of form behind him as others when it came to finalising Metro’s squad.

However, the St Mary’s (Yarra Junior FL) product used his disappointment to fuel a run of performances that resulted in an invite to the recent NAB AFL Draft Combine.

He also took home Northern’s best-and-fairest award and won NAB League Boys Team of the Year selection after averaging 19 disposals and four tackles per game as well as kicking nine goals across 16 matches for the Knights this season.



* Visit the ‘Highlights’ section of the NAB League app to watch Sam Philp’s 2019 season highlights.



“It was a minor setback to miss the Metro squad, but I just tried to keep playing well at the Knights and I was lucky enough to get the call-up here,” Philp said at the AFL Draft Combine, where he recorded the quickest time of all participants in the 20m sprint.

“I’d played against some of the guys getting Vic Metro call-ups and felt like I was competitive with them. I felt I was pretty likely to make the squad, so I was a little bit disappointed to miss out, but it’s understandable with Metro having a solid midfield crop.

“I was pretty down for a couple of days, but I quickly turned that around. I used it as a bit of fire in the belly to go out and prove to myself that I was worthy of a spot.

“I’m pretty self-driven and I think I proved that I was capable.”

As the Under-18 Championships played out, Philp turned his attention to “really nailing down” his strengths both on and off the field.

He added a more damaging side to his game outside the contest and led the way in the middle for promising Northern bottom-agers like Tom McMahon and Josh Watson.

“I think that stretch was probably some of my best form for the season,” Philp said. “With a few of the Metro boys out, I took on some responsibility as one of the senior guys in the group and probably one of the senior midfielders in the competition. I felt like it was a really good chance for me to showcase a bit.

“I worked on my cleanliness around contests and my burst of speed, and I felt like my outside game needed a bit of improving. I was probably a heavily contested player last year, so I focused on balancing that out and being more damaging on the outside.

“When the ball was in dispute out in the open, I felt like my footy IQ was a lot better than last year. I was able to get into better spots and use my foot skills a bit more.

“Even when the Metro boys came back into the team, I felt like I was able to carry my form and stay pretty consistent throughout the year, which was one of my main aims coming into the season.”





NAB LEAGUE ‘FAST FIVE’ QUESTIONS

Most influential person on your football at Northern:

“It would have to be James Ray, the midfield coach. He took over that role halfway through last year and I’ve worked really closely with him from that time.”



Most valuable lesson learned in the NAB League:

“Just to not take anything for granted. (Head coach) Justin Wenke’s famous quote at the club is: ‘You’re only a passer-by, so leave a bit of a legacy.’ That stuck with me as a top-age player. I really wanted to leave a legacy for the bottom-agers and drive the standards at the club.”



Teammate you’ve most enjoyed sharing the NAB League journey with:

“Ryan Sturgess. I go to the same school as Ryan and we’ve gone through the journey together. It’s been nice to share that with him.”



Most difficult NAB League opponent:

“Probably Tom Green (GWS Giants Academy). I wasn’t really aware of Tom at the time, but I soon realised how good he was. He’s a big boy. I was on him for a few stoppages and quickly had to adapt my game.”



Most memorable NAB League moment:

“One that sticks out is the Wildcard Round win against the Bendigo Pioneers this year. We went in pretty nervous because they’d beaten us just a few weeks before, but to come out as pretty comfortable winners (by 42 points) was a really good feeling and there was a great vibe amongst the group after the game.”
 
Sep 21, 2008
27,887
64,419
Vic
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Habits developed while representing Australia in basketball allowed Jay Rantall to transition seamlessly into the NAB League with the GWV Rebels this season.

The 18-year-old reached a peak in his junior basketball career by playing for his country at last year’s FIBA Under-17 World Cup in Argentina as well as the Under-16 Asian Championships in China earlier in 2018.

Rantall maintained a presence at local football club South Warrnambool (Hampden FNL) through his junior career but only fully committed to the oval ball late last year, upon realising he’d “fallen in love with footy”. Less than 12 months later, he’s a genuine prospect for selection in the 2019 NAB AFL Draft on November 27-28.

With no previous experience in the football talent pathway, Rantall emerged as a hard-nosed 184cm midfielder this season. He averaged 25 disposals and seven tackles per game as well as kicking 11 goals across 12 matches for the Rebels, later claiming GWV’s best-and-fairest award and NAB League Boys Team of the Year honours.



* Visit the ‘Highlights’ section of the NAB League app to watch Jay Rantall’s 2019 season highlights.



Rantall’s elite sporting background clearly helped him adapt quickly to Victoria’s top under-age level and he soon appeared in all four games for Vic Country on the national stage in June and July’s NAB AFL Under-18 Championships.

“I’m pretty hard-working, so I knew if I did the work over the summer and then kept working throughout the year then anything could be possible,” Rantall said at the recent NAB AFL Draft Combine, where he topped the standings in the endurance-based Yo-Yo Test and 2km time trial.

“I had the ultimate goal of getting drafted, but I like to chop things down into smaller blocks.

“I had the goal at the start of the year to just play my first game at the Rebels. I achieved that and then I wanted to make the Vic Country squad. I made the squad and then I wanted to play all four games at the Championships.

“In basketball, you often have to play game after game pretty quickly, so you need to focus on one thing and then change focus to your next goal. That’s probably transferred to footy for me.”

Rantall’s professionalism is also clear to see in his running capacity, a trait he nominates as his current biggest strength.

While his game sense and skills took a while to become natural, that fitness allowed Rantall to feel he belonged in the upper echelons of junior football far sooner than many other converts to the sport.

“I think my background in high-end basketball helped me coming into an elite environment like the Rebels,” Rantall said.

“I thought I knew what it took to get your body right and I tried to lead that within the group. I knew not to cheat in your recovery and about what to put in your body.

“The Under-18 Championships then gave me a lot of internal belief to come back to the NAB League and help lead the side and become one of our most influential players.

“Once I stepped out on the MCG and played my first game for Vic Country (against Vic Metro in June), I felt like I belonged at the level and that all the hard work had taken care of itself.”





NAB LEAGUE ‘FAST FIVE’ QUESTIONS

Most influential person on your football at GWV:

“(Head coach) Marc Greig and (Talent Manager) Phil Partington have been great to me, but I worked pretty closely with Ash Baker, the midfield coach. He really guided me along the journey and helped me grow as a player on the field.”



Most valuable lesson learned in the NAB League:

“Just how switched on you have to be. You can’t have lapses within the game, because if you’re out of it for 10 minutes as a team, the goals can just pile on and you get to a point where you don’t really want to be.”



Teammate you’ve most enjoyed sharing the NAB League journey with:

“There are plenty of them. Being a Rebels player, you go up to Ballarat on the bus every Thursday with some mates from Warrnambool. We were already close mates, but you get even closer with a bus trip once a week.”



Most difficult NAB League opponent:

“Sam Flanders and all of the Gippsland Power boys. They were just a really good side – a competitive bunch who were strong and didn’t mind a bit of chat on the field. Sam is a good mate of mine and he’s a very competitive person.”



Most memorable NAB League moment:

“The win against the Bendigo Pioneers (by four points in Round 16) sticks in my head. It was a pretty good team win. We were down early but we chipped away and came back. They had a shot after the siren to win it but kicked a point.”
 
Mar 17, 2012
14,547
45,179
Caught in the web.
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Habits developed while representing Australia in basketball allowed Jay Rantall to transition seamlessly into the NAB League with the GWV Rebels this season.

The 18-year-old reached a peak in his junior basketball career by playing for his country at last year’s FIBA Under-17 World Cup in Argentina as well as the Under-16 Asian Championships in China earlier in 2018.

Rantall maintained a presence at local football club South Warrnambool (Hampden FNL) through his junior career but only fully committed to the oval ball late last year, upon realising he’d “fallen in love with footy”. Less than 12 months later, he’s a genuine prospect for selection in the 2019 NAB AFL Draft on November 27-28.

With no previous experience in the football talent pathway, Rantall emerged as a hard-nosed 184cm midfielder this season. He averaged 25 disposals and seven tackles per game as well as kicking 11 goals across 12 matches for the Rebels, later claiming GWV’s best-and-fairest award and NAB League Boys Team of the Year honours.



* Visit the ‘Highlights’ section of the NAB League app to watch Jay Rantall’s 2019 season highlights.



Rantall’s elite sporting background clearly helped him adapt quickly to Victoria’s top under-age level and he soon appeared in all four games for Vic Country on the national stage in June and July’s NAB AFL Under-18 Championships.

“I’m pretty hard-working, so I knew if I did the work over the summer and then kept working throughout the year then anything could be possible,” Rantall said at the recent NAB AFL Draft Combine, where he topped the standings in the endurance-based Yo-Yo Test and 2km time trial.

“I had the ultimate goal of getting drafted, but I like to chop things down into smaller blocks.

“I had the goal at the start of the year to just play my first game at the Rebels. I achieved that and then I wanted to make the Vic Country squad. I made the squad and then I wanted to play all four games at the Championships.

“In basketball, you often have to play game after game pretty quickly, so you need to focus on one thing and then change focus to your next goal. That’s probably transferred to footy for me.”

Rantall’s professionalism is also clear to see in his running capacity, a trait he nominates as his current biggest strength.

While his game sense and skills took a while to become natural, that fitness allowed Rantall to feel he belonged in the upper echelons of junior football far sooner than many other converts to the sport.

“I think my background in high-end basketball helped me coming into an elite environment like the Rebels,” Rantall said.

“I thought I knew what it took to get your body right and I tried to lead that within the group. I knew not to cheat in your recovery and about what to put in your body.

“The Under-18 Championships then gave me a lot of internal belief to come back to the NAB League and help lead the side and become one of our most influential players.

“Once I stepped out on the MCG and played my first game for Vic Country (against Vic Metro in June), I felt like I belonged at the level and that all the hard work had taken care of itself.”





NAB LEAGUE ‘FAST FIVE’ QUESTIONS

Most influential person on your football at GWV:

“(Head coach) Marc Greig and (Talent Manager) Phil Partington have been great to me, but I worked pretty closely with Ash Baker, the midfield coach. He really guided me along the journey and helped me grow as a player on the field.”



Most valuable lesson learned in the NAB League:

“Just how switched on you have to be. You can’t have lapses within the game, because if you’re out of it for 10 minutes as a team, the goals can just pile on and you get to a point where you don’t really want to be.”



Teammate you’ve most enjoyed sharing the NAB League journey with:

“There are plenty of them. Being a Rebels player, you go up to Ballarat on the bus every Thursday with some mates from Warrnambool. We were already close mates, but you get even closer with a bus trip once a week.”



Most difficult NAB League opponent:

“Sam Flanders and all of the Gippsland Power boys. They were just a really good side – a competitive bunch who were strong and didn’t mind a bit of chat on the field. Sam is a good mate of mine and he’s a very competitive person.”



Most memorable NAB League moment:

“The win against the Bendigo Pioneers (by four points in Round 16) sticks in my head. It was a pretty good team win. We were down early but we chipped away and came back. They had a shot after the siren to win it but kicked a point.”

Haha, he is your love child.😁
 

hilly

Brownlow Medallist
Nov 27, 2000
15,642
31,356
Frank Grey Smith Bar
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Other Teams
Triple M commentary team
Ive just done your pair of second round picks and somehow ive managed Dylan Williams again who is a steal and I’ve addressed the key defender issue with Sam De Koning who I believe has better potential than McAsey.

Will look for a true small forward and rebound defender with pace with the later picks.

Josh Walker at 47 just for the lols on here.
 
Another mock giving us Pickett. Man I'm going to be inconsolable if we don't get him.
It'll be great to have another Pickett playing for our great club. Byron is still one of us, despite everything.
 
Jun 9, 2001
37,642
145,026
Fogarty Street
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Other Teams
St Johnstone
It'll be great to have another Pickett playing for our great club. Byron is still one of us, despite everything.

Laidley said he wanted to get Pickett back when he left Port but was "blocked".

Would've love him to see out his career with us rather than have the dirty stain of having played with another Victorian team, particularly those tools.
 
Sam Flanders is apparently BFNAAK. Whole family are mad North fans.

Some FB comments:

"he’s a north supporter for the record.

Had a huge Elimination final 27 touches - 4 Goals, 16 Contested possessions, 9 Clearances. This game moved him up the draft rankings"

Next post:

" 4 goals in 12 minutes that day, then the next two centre clearances, first one resulted in a goal. 149 ranking points, next best that day Rowell on 88. I’m biased though as I’m his uncle. His family are mad north fans."
Confirmed in the article above


Sam Flanders – North Melbourne: “It’s all from Dad’s side. Dad’s dad down and it’s just been passed on and had no real choice.
 
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