Review 2020 Draft General Discussion

[eDPS]

Errol Gulden, Corey Durdin, even Taj Schofield to some degree, all going to cop it worse

It’s not as bad for Laurie and Schofield as they are 175+ Laurie and Schofield funny enough are right next to eachother in my rankings both are similar yet have a few distinct standout features to their game.

 

[briztoon]

Performed very well last year in a variety of roles so keen to see how he is used at the end of the year if we get a champs series going. A really good showing could see him rise similarly to how Oliver Florent did

No issues on his height, compared to Florentine?

Errol Gulden, Corey Durdin, even Taj Schofield to some degree, all going to cop it worse

I tend to view sub 183 players as having to be able to play as a genuine small forward or small defender, before they can play as a wing or midfield position, unless they are genuinely elite like Rowell.

It’s a bias I have.

I don’t have an issue with how high I draft such a player, especially if they’re talented, but I’m nothing drafting such a kid with an expectation that they’ll move in to the midfield at some point in their career.

 

[fightingfury_88]

Could Bailey Laurie be the Jack Higgins of this class?

Not the necessarily the same type of player, possibly performs well, but is underrated due to his size.

Errol Gulden, Corey Durdin, even Taj Schofield to some degree, all going to cop it worse

Performed very well last year in a variety of roles so keen to see how he is used at the end of the year if we get a champs series going. A really good showing could see him rise similarly to how Oliver Florent did

Would anybody else be keen to see Laurie tried in a half back role to see how he goes or is it just me? With his pace to break the lines, agility and decent kicking skills I reckon he could play an Adam Saad type role fairly well. Having said that, his finals series as a forward for Oakleigh last year was pretty darn impressive.

 

[eDPS]

Would anybody else be keen to see Laurie tried in a half back role to see how he goes or is it just me? With his pace to break the lines, agility and decent kicking skills I reckon he could play an Adam Saad type role fairly well. Having said that, his finals series as a forward for Oakleigh last year was pretty darn impressive.

He has played down back before, watch his highlight vids on the Nab League app in his first few games, did pretty well imo

 

[fightingfury_88]

He has played down back before, watch his highlight vids on the Nab League app in his first few games, did pretty well imo

Excellent thanks eDPS. I haven't watched many early NAB league games for 2019 yet but will have to get around to the Oakleigh games at least.

 

[briztoon]

eDPS, TheSmythe, Davo-27, andleanback, and PMBangers, and any of the other draft watchers I may have missed;

Who are the potential match winners in this years draft crop?

Or players who can rip a game apart in one quarter?

The potential Matt Rowell’s, Dustin Martin’s, Lance Franklin’s of this years draft crop.

Kids who have done it already at U16’s or school footy.

Or kids who show the skill sets required, but haven’t put it all together yet, but might at AFL level, if they reach their potential.

 

[philthy05]

Ford and Campbell showed that ability in the futures game from memory. (Though has been a long time since I watched that game but my memory is they both tore the game open off a few touches very quickly)

 

[PMBangers]

eDPS, TheSmythe, Davo-27, andleanback, and PMBangers, and any of the other draft watchers I may have missed;

Who are the potential match winners in this years draft crop?

Or players who can rip a game apart in one quarter?

The potential Matt Rowell’s, Dustin Martin’s, Lance Franklin’s of this years draft crop.

Kids who have done it already at U16’s or school footy.

Or kids who show the skill sets required, but haven’t put it all together yet, but might at AFL level, if they reach their potential.

A lot of them are already top rated prospects as it stands so it's hard to bring up any new names unfortunately.
For a Dustin Martin type of impact I'd throw out Hollands, Ford and Perkins as those types that can play mid/fwd split really well, impactful in both positions. I was looking forward to seeing Cardillo and Stone this year to see what type of consistency they could build, as they might've pushed into that group.

 

[eDPS]

eDPS, TheSmythe, Davo-27, andleanback, and PMBangers, and any of the other draft watchers I may have missed;

Who are the potential match winners in this years draft crop?

Or players who can rip a game apart in one quarter?

The potential Matt Rowell’s, Dustin Martin’s, Lance Franklin’s of this years draft crop.

Kids who have done it already at U16’s or school footy.

Or kids who show the skill sets required, but haven’t put it all together yet, but might at AFL level, if they reach their potential.

Kaine Baldwin seemingly won Glenelg the under 16s premiership of his own boot as a bottom ager. His last quarter was huge and funny enough shared that forwardline with Will Gould.

Players like Hollands and Campbell can also have massive quarters.

If you want a game saving tackle then O’Driscoll is your man, game saving mark deep in defence would be DGB

 

[andleanback]

eDPS, TheSmythe, Davo-27, andleanback, and PMBangers, and any of the other draft watchers I may have missed;

Who are the potential match winners in this years draft crop?

Or players who can rip a game apart in one quarter?

The potential Matt Rowell’s, Dustin Martin’s, Lance Franklin’s of this years draft crop.

Kids who have done it already at U16’s or school footy.

Or kids who show the skill sets required, but haven’t put it all together yet, but might at AFL level, if they reach their potential.

For me
Campbell
Ford
Henry
Hollands
Perkins - but want to see more of it

As key forwards Ugle-hagan and Baldwin have shown they can change a game with a big quarter

While Bruhn only needs a couple of clean touches through the midfield and he can change the course of a game, stands up in big moments and kicks goals.

 

[briztoon]

A lot of them are already top rated prospects as it stands so it's hard to bring up any new names unfortunately.
For a Dustin Martin type of impact I'd throw out Hollands, Ford and Perkins as those types that can play mid/fwd split really well, impactful in both positions. I was looking forward to seeing Cardillo and Stone this year to see what type of consistency they could build, as they might've pushed into that group.

Wasn’t necessarily looking for new names.

Was looking for a point of difference that might move some players up draft rankings.

Waiting for Will Phillips to be mentioned, and if he’s not, could he conceivably slide out of the top 5?

I know consistent performances are important, but some time that gets ignored a little at draft time when clubs start drafting players with a perceived higher ceiling or skill set that might be developed further at AFL level.

 

[andleanback]

Wasn’t necessarily looking for new names.

Was looking for a point of difference that might move some players up draft rankings.

Waiting for Will Phillips to be mentioned, and if he’s not, could he conceivably slide out of the top 5?

I know consistent performances are important, but some time that gets ignored a little at draft time when clubs start drafting players with a perceived higher ceiling or skill set that might be developed further at AFL level.

Nah i dont think so because he plays at such a high level in every quarter, in every game. A player like lachie neale doesnt have any outstanding x-factor qualities he just always gets the job done.

 

[eDPS]

Wasn’t necessarily looking for new names.

Was looking for a point of difference that might move some players up draft rankings.

Waiting for Will Phillips to be mentioned, and if he’s not, could he conceivably slide out of the top 5?

I know consistent performances are important, but some time that gets ignored a little at draft time when clubs start drafting players with a perceived higher ceiling or skill set that might be developed further at AFL level.

Phillips is perhaps the biggest ‘sure bet’. Will go through his whole Career with supporters barely having any issues with him week in and week out

 

[briztoon]

Nah i dont think so because he plays at such a high level in every quarter, in every game. A player like lachie neale doesnt have any outstanding x-factor qualities he just always gets the job done.

Phillips is perhaps the biggest ‘sure bet’. Will go through his whole Career with supporters barely having any issues with him week in and week out

Not having seen Phillips, or even a chance to watch his highlights (seriously the NAB League app sucks right now), I’ve still got questions why he’s rated ahead of others.

None of this years Victorian crop had the sorts of bottom age year that Sam Walsh or Matt Rowell had.

Is he close to Matt Rowell’s level as an inside/balanced mid?

 

[briztoon]

For me
Campbell
Ford
Henry
Hollands
Perkins - but want to see more of it

As key forwards Ugle-hagan and Baldwin have shown they can change a game with a big quarter

While Bruhn only needs a couple of clean touches through the midfield and he can change the course of a game, stands up in big moments and kicks goals.

These are the other two I have questions about.

I don’t know where or why I developed this belief, but for some reason I feel like Ford has got this far on natural talent and athleticism, without really putting in a lot of work, while Perkins has put more time and work in to his game and body.

 

[andleanback]

Not having seen Phillips, or even a chance to watch his highlights (seriously the NAB League app sucks right now), I’ve still got questions why he’s rated ahead of others.

None of this years Victorian crop had the sorts of bottom age year that Sam Walsh or Matt Rowell had.

Is he close to Matt Rowell’s level as an inside/balanced mid?

You can watch all the nab league games on youtube. I think i mentioned this previously, he shouldve played way more games for metro but couldnt fit him into a stacked midfield as a pure mid. In hindsight they shouldve played him and let Anderson spend more time forward, as the team didnt really have a potent forward line.

 

[andleanback]

These are the other two I have questions about.

I don’t know where or why I developed this belief, but for some reason I feel like Ford has got this far on natural talent and athleticism, without really putting in a lot of work, while Perkins has put more time and work in to his game and body.

Yeah i agree with you there, but on the flip side that could mean Ford's ceiling is way higher. Going back through footage from last year he didnt look at all match fit in the earlier part of the season. Though ive heard during this period off he's the fittest he's ever been and put on a lot of muscle in the gym, which is an advantage for someone who coming into the season was slighty underdone after battling injuries over summer.

 

[fightingfury_88]

Not having seen Phillips, or even a chance to watch his highlights (seriously the NAB League app sucks right now), I’ve still got questions why he’s rated ahead of others.

None of this years Victorian crop had the sorts of bottom age year that Sam Walsh or Matt Rowell had.

Is he close to Matt Rowell’s level as an inside/balanced mid?

Phillips is not a real highlights type player but he's work as a pure midfielder is first class. If nothing else, have a look at Phillip's finals series games on Youtube. A little quieter in the Grand Final but the first final against Gippsland and the Preliminary Final against Sandringham he was huge. Arguably Oakleigh's second best finals player (behind Rowell) - that's as a bottom ager in a team stacked with talent. Incredibly consistent performer who had to play more outside than what was probably ideal due to the presence of Rowell and Anderson. It would be great to see him as the number 1 midfielder for Oakleigh and Vic Metro this year; hopefully we still get the chance.

 

[PMBangers]

Wasn’t necessarily looking for new names.

Was looking for a point of difference that might move some players up draft rankings.

Waiting for Will Phillips to be mentioned, and if he’s not, could he conceivably slide out of the top 5?

I know consistent performances are important, but some time that gets ignored a little at draft time when clubs start drafting players with a perceived higher ceiling or skill set that might be developed further at AFL level.

Phillips is your workhorse type player without any stand out 'x-factor' qualities, but his type allows those types to prosper. His work is similar to a Neale or a Taylor Adams I'd say (cleaner kick though) in the sense his best and worst is pretty close because of the game style he plays.
I don't see him sliding out of the top 5 based on this, he would've had to have had a genuinely shocking year this year for that to happen.

 

[briztoon]

Yeah i agree with you there, but on the flip side that could mean Ford's ceiling is way higher. Going back through footage from last year he didnt look at all match fit in the earlier part of the season. Though ive heard during this period off he's the fittest he's ever been and put on a lot of muscle in the gym, which is an advantage for someone who coming into the season was slighty underdone after battling injuries over summer.

Thanks for this. Yeah, I definitely thought he looked unfit and was carrying a bit of puppy fat.

 

[Smythe]

eDPS, TheSmythe, Davo-27, andleanback, and PMBangers, and any of the other draft watchers I may have missed;

Who are the potential match winners in this years draft crop?

Or players who can rip a game apart in one quarter?

The potential Matt Rowell’s, Dustin Martin’s, Lance Franklin’s of this years draft crop.

Kids who have done it already at U16’s or school footy.

Or kids who show the skill sets required, but haven’t put it all together yet, but might at AFL level, if they reach their potential.

I agree with a lot that has been said. I read your question and gave myself 1 second to answer it and straight away came up with Ford, Baldwin, Hollands, Campbell, Jeffrey (when playing forward), Ugle-Hagen and Gulden.
Of those i have mentioned, these kids could tear a quarter apart and put goals on the board for a team in quick succession. Campbell can do it forward and mid, when it comes to Will Phillips, he does it all game, not too dissimilar from Rowell.
Others that could do it for you without kicking goals, but by intercepting, Grainger-Barras, Jeffrey (when down back) or winning clearances and getting the ball into F50 are, O'Driscoll, Perkins, Berry and Davis.
All of this, so far, is at u/18 level.
Other names, that, if they live up to and reach their potential ceiling, Cox, Ginnivan, Stone.
When i thought about it more, and project all those names forward to the AFL level, and think of each players potential and potential match winning attributes, skill sets and ceiling level, i am left with only a few names that i am certain can do it at the next level. Ugle-Hagen, Baldwin, Campbell, Hollands and Phillips.
All others are a wait and see situation.

 

[Cadillac]

briztoon I’ve enjoyed reading up your posts lately on the players you like and getting your insights. Wouldn’t mind getting your opinion on your top 20
Players from this draft

 

[Punts]

What’s thoughts on the young kid Campbell?

Some say tip 10 some say just outside

 

[Smythe]

What’s thoughts on the young kid Campbell?

Some say tip 10 some say just outside

In an open draft.....top 5. The Sydney link may see him slide outside that top 5, but still might not. Definite top 10 talent from what we have seen from this years crop over the last few seasons in my books. Each club would have (even with the lay-offs) 4 or 5 people giving their opinion on kids that have been scouted by up to another 10 people hired or working for the club over the last 3- 4 years and their are 18 teams, so you are looking at a kid with about 270 differing views. Each club has a big board, of which no 2 would be similar. Having said that, for top end talent most clubs have similar thought patterns in terms of next best talent, and Campbell generally would not be outside anyone's top 15 and most clubs, i say, at this point in time would comfortably have him in their top 10.

 

[briztoon]

briztoon I’ve enjoyed reading up your posts lately on the players you like and getting your insights. Wouldn’t mind getting your opinion on your top 20
Players from this draft

Mate, I follow the draft watchers here, and form my opinions on their opinions. My opinion isn’t worth squat.

I also look at the draft from a strong Lions draft needs perspective.

I also privately question the rankings of some players, and try and edge discussions around them, to get a better understanding of why they are ranked by certain watchers where they are.

I’ll give you two examples.

Just on the limited highlights I’ve watched, plus reports I read on games last year, I would have Finlay Macrae comfortably in my top 10. He played in a very strong Oakleigh team last year, and like a lot of their bottom age kids, played out of position.

He’s not a contested inside mid, nor is he tall, or athletic in terms of high jumping or rabbit fast, which I feel is a large reason why he’s rated behind a player like McInness.

But from the little I’ve watched, he’s the type of balanced mid Brisbane need. He can win his own ball, move through traffic similar to Pendlebury or McCluggage, is a good instinctive kick off both feet, and is very good a delivering the ball inside 50.

He would compliment and work off of the Lions young ball winners, and provide a foil for McCluggage.


Similarly I had questions about Eddie Ford. From the highlights I watched, he appeared a lazy player at times, looked to be carrying some puppy fat, was obviously gifted athletically, and I wondered if he had got as far as he had mostly because he was more gifted athletically than most kids his age, and hadn’t had to work as hard.

If you read enough draft watchers here, you’ll have read a couple who rave about some of his performances, especially his U18 trial match last year.

So I figured he’s the type of kid that can go one of two ways.

Put in some genuine work on his body and skills, rocket up draft boards, and potentially be the top kid from this draft in 7 years time.

Or continue to coast by on his natural ability, just do the required work at AFL level, and have a good, but not great career, at possibly two or three clubs.


Mostly I just like talking draft, and list management. And I like listening to a few different podcasts, so it’s rare I actually have a genuine insight myself, but rather repeat other people’s views or opinions.