Live Event 2021 AFL National Draft discussion thread

[Strapping Young Lad]

 

[Bugs1977]

Mate, if you’ve been around here long enough you’ll know that I’m all in on draftees before they get a home, but as soon as they miss their chance to wear our jumper they’re dead to me.

This is true but if that kid ends up channeling Cyril then someone’s cat has to be sacrificed

 

[I got the outside word]

You and SYL spooning on the lounge in tears
View attachment 1290051

Shotgun little spoon.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

This is true but if that kid ends up channeling Cyril then someone’s cat has to be sacrificed

On top of what I said on the last page, I would also say it’s easy to see that there’s obviously a reason every club overlooked him in the National and Rookie drafts.

I will be interested to see who trains with us though.

 

[Yardie]

How many pieces of KFC fit into one of those buckets?

Monkey will know......

 

[Hodginator]

Don’t like to get too carried away with fantasy scores, but still thought it was worth sharing.

 

[tl92]

On top of what I said on the last page, I would also say it’s easy to see that there’s obviously a reason every club overlooked him in the National and Rookie drafts.

I will be interested to see who trains with us though.

So was Bramble.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

So was Bramble.

Yeah, about 4-5 years ago and he then went and made himself into a player that got the opportunity.

 

[KermitJagger]

Don’t like to get too carried away with fantasy scores, but still thought it was worth sharing.

I have to admit there's probably a reason I'm not a talent scout, because I can't quite compute Ned being a rookie - when I see a kid averaging 22 touches, 6 tackles and 2.5 goals a game at 194cm with a great tank I tend to think they could be one of the better prospects in the draft.

Collier-Dawkins at a similar size went first round averaging 18 disposals, 3 tackles and barely a goal. I guess Collier-Dawkins was the "potential" pick, where they might not see Ned having that much development left. Still doesn't feel right to penalise people despite having good output.

 

[tommyk72]

@davo27 do you have your initial list from this years draft? It would be fascinating to see how things changed over the year, even in a COVID effected year.

 

[Brishawk]

I have to admit there's probably a reason I'm not a talent scout, because I can't quite compute Ned being a rookie - when I see a kid averaging 22 touches, 6 tackles and 2.5 goals a game at 194cm with a great tank I tend to think they could be one of the better prospects in the draft.

Collier-Dawkins at a similar size went first round averaging 18 disposals, 3 tackles and barely a goal. I guess Collier-Dawkins was the "potential" pick, where they might not see Ned having that much development left. Still doesn't feel right to penalise people despite having good output.

He didn’t play many games, which makes it hard to judge what his true level is. Plus being so developed ther could have been concerns about how much more development was left. Every club let him through the national draft so the concerns or doubts must be there.

 

[KermitJagger]

He didn’t play many games, which makes it hard to judge what his true level is. Plus being so developed ther could have been concerns about how much more development was left. Every club let him through the national draft so the concerns or doubts must be there.

I agree, obviously there were things that the lay person didn't or even couldn't see because it wasn't available but on face value his output was excellent and his physical qualities are good too. I hope he shines because there's nothing I like more than a steal from the rookie draft.

 

[Judd2Sewell]

I have to admit there's probably a reason I'm not a talent scout, because I can't quite compute Ned being a rookie - when I see a kid averaging 22 touches, 6 tackles and 2.5 goals a game at 194cm with a great tank I tend to think they could be one of the better prospects in the draft.

Collier-Dawkins at a similar size went first round averaging 18 disposals, 3 tackles and barely a goal. I guess Collier-Dawkins was the "potential" pick, where they might not see Ned having that much development left. Still doesn't feel right to penalise people despite having good output.

RCD has a burst of pace that Long doesn't appear to have, that may be the only discernible difference between the two.

 

[Bugs1977]

I have to admit there's probably a reason I'm not a talent scout, because I can't quite compute Ned being a rookie - when I see a kid averaging 22 touches, 6 tackles and 2.5 goals a game at 194cm with a great tank I tend to think they could be one of the better prospects in the draft.

Collier-Dawkins at a similar size went first round averaging 18 disposals, 3 tackles and barely a goal. I guess Collier-Dawkins was the "potential" pick, where they might not see Ned having that much development left. Still doesn't feel right to penalise people despite having good output.

I think the knock on him is that he needs to work on his agility a fair bit. He also isn't the fastest either but when your as big a unit as him you don't expect him to be lightening quick.

 

[Davo-27]

@davo27 do you have your initial list from this years draft? It would be fascinating to see how things changed over the year, even in a COVID effected year.

The First Round Contenders: Early Top 30

Jason Horne - Sth Adel - 182cm 75kg - likely 1st pick, played well in the SANFL as a 17 year old
Josh Rachele - Murray - 180cm 78kg - top 3 - behind Horne he is my favourite player in this draft pool
Nick Daicos - Oakleigh - 183cm 72kg - (Coll F/S)have yet to see, so unsure, but many draft experts have him highly rated (likely top 3?)
Tyler Sonsie - Eastern - 181cm 76kg - probably top 5, was good as a HFF in 2019, but i expect improvement from more midfield time
Josh Sinn - Sandringham - 186cm 72kg - top 10, only seen highlights, looks like a good prospect
Jacob Van Rooyen - Claremont - 194cm 88kg - top 5, had a great Colts GF, leads all day so likely good endurance, as agile and quick as a midfielder, lots to like
Sam Banks - Tassie - 187cm 73kg - first round, seems like Tassie kids get judged harder by recruiters, but this one has some good traits
Joshua Browne - East Frem - 184cm 72kg - first round, saw a WAFL Colts game and he and Hagan who is in next years pool were better than Carroll and Walker
Braden Andrews - Oakleigh - 189cm 83kg - first round, have yet to see him, on here on reputation
Lachlan Brooks - Sandringham - 180cm 76kg - first round, have yet to see him, on here on reputation
Campbell Chesser - Sandringham - 186cm 83kg - first round, have yet to see him, on here on reputation
Blake Howes - Sandringham - 190cm 79kg - first round, have yet to see him, on here on reputation
Ben Hobbs - GWV - 183cm 80kg - first round, played forward and mid for the Rebels, looked like he had clean skills
Charlie Molan - GWV - 186cm 83kg - first round, had a couple of good games for the Rebels last year, 1 game in particular was very strong as an interceptor
Matthew Johnson - Subiaco - 190cm 78kg - first round, was a big reason Subi won the Premiership in the WAFL Colts, impacted the game strongly, good interceptor in mid and down back, and always uses it intelligently
Cooper Beecken - Glenlg - 190cm 73kg - first round, very clever, intercept player, similarities with Will Day and other good AFL medium defenders
Josh Fahey - GWS/GCS A? - 186cm 76kg - first round, i hear he is still in GWS A?
Rhett Bazzo - Swan Dist - 194cm 74kg - first round, have yet to see him, on here on reputation
Lewis Rayson - Glenlg - 181cm 64kg - first round, have yet to see him, on here on reputation
James Willis - Nth Adel - 180cm 73kg - first round, was a stand out in the u17 SA game before the All-Stars game, speed, x-factor, flair, skill
Luca Whitelum - Central Dist - 188cm 79kg - first round, quality medium forward, kicks goals and can lead up the ground, good endurance and skills
Arlo Draper - Sth Adel - 184cm 70kg - first round, didnt have a great All Stars game, but has a strong reputation
Matthew Roberts - Sth Adel - 183cm 76kg - first round, have yet to see him, on here on reputation
Neil Erasmus - Subiaco - 185cm 77kg - first round, played mostly in the PSA, but his WAFL Colts GF was super impressive and nearly won the B.O.G. kicking 4 goals and setting up 3-4 other clear shots at goal, very sharp mover and clean disposal
Jake Soligo - Eastern - 179cm 79kg - first round, have yet to see him, on here on reputation
Alex Lukic - Oakleigh - 196cm 85kg - first round, looked good in 2019, will have to see his improvement next year, when he gets to play main KPF, was one of the better KPF's at the u16 champs
Lachlan Rankin - Oakleigh - 182cm 68kg - first round, have yet to see him, on here on reputation
Josh Ward - Northern - 181cm 74kg - first round/second round, speed and some ok skills
Ned Long - Northern - 192cm 88kg - first round, strong bodied tall mid, good skills, good footy IQ
Josh Goater - Calder - 190cm 79kg - first round, have yet to see him, on here on reputation

The Other Draft Contenders:

S.A.
Shay Linke - Central Dist - 188cm 75kg - another good medium defender from SA, i liked his performance in the u17s futures game
Harry McInnes - Glenlg - 190cm 85kg - effective KPF, but at this stage is a bit short and missed the SA squad, so speculator at this point
Matthew Dnistriansky - Norwood - have yet to see him, on here on reputation
Morgan Ferres - Sturt - have yet to see, on here on reputation
Cooper Murley - Norwood - 177cm 66kg - seems very small, didnt have the best game in the SANFL all stars game
Brayden Calvett - WWT - 177cm 69kg - running outside mid with decent contested side, skillful, had a good first half in the sanfl u17 futures game
Jase Burgoyne - WWT - 184cm 62kg - (Port F/S)very slim, has done well at school footy and sanfl u18's so far, also was decent in the SA all stars game, the small concern and why i dont have him in the top 30 has been that as he has played in higher quality games, the less impactful he has been, so im hoping he performs more solidly next year in big games.
Adam Heath - Nth Adel - 192cm 85kg - played a bit of ruck/KPD/KPF and did well in all positions, didnt get in the recent SA squad though, maybe a bit short at 192cm to be KPP in the SA squad?
Bailey Gal - Norwood - 178cm 74kg - i liked how he played hb, good skills and smarts, not in SA squad
Naisiah Wanganeen - Glenlg - 187cm 62kg - (Adel NGA?)similar to Burgoyne in that he is super slim, but a competitor with good skills, the small difference with Burgoyne was he did step up in the big game and the more likely to go top 30 atthis point imo.
Isiah Dudley - Central Dist - 164cm 65kg - too small at 164cm, at this stage.

*i just wanted to note that even though McInnes and Gal are not in the early squad for SA, they are really good talents to keep an eye out for, Heath i like but i can see reasons as to why he might miss out on the SA squad.

(Jackson Callow - Norwood) -- The 2 players i thought were unlucky not to be recruited in 2020 National Draft (Baldwin went to Ess in SPP)
(Brodie Lake - Central Dist)

W.A.
Richard Bartlett (Frem NGA?)- East Frem - 186cm 71kg
Kade Dittmar - East Perth - 183cm 82kg
Judd McVee - East Frem - 179cm 65kg
Max Chipper - Swan Dist - 176cm 74kg
Luke Polson - Peel - 194cm 83kg
Corey Warner - East Frem - 181cm 71kg
Jesse Motlop (Frem NGA?)- South Frem - 176cm 68kg
Jermaine Pickett (Frem NGA?)- South Frem - 189cm 67kg
Mitchell Brown - East Perth - 193cm 93kg
Luke Taylor - Swan Dist - 196cm 91kg
Antonio Dadaliaris - Swan Dist - 183cm 73kg
Jack Williams - East Frem

Vic Metro
Dante Visentini - Sandringham - 199cm 87kg
Yousef Dib (Coll NGA) - Oakleigh - 174cm 76kg
Henry Brown - Oakleigh - 178cm 76kg
Dylan Thomas - Oakleigh - 187cm 77kg (19)
Jed Rule - Oakleigh - 191cm 79kg
Scott Beilby (StK NGA) - Oakleigh - 186cm 74kg
Luca MacNab - Sandringham - 183cm 75kg
Finn Callaghan - Sandringham - 189cm 82kg
Luke Cleary - Sandringham - 189cm 80kg (19)
Max Heath - Sandringham - 204cm 94kg (19)
Jacob Edwards - Sandringham - 202cm 83kg (19)
Tyreece Leiu - Eastern - 194cm 91kg
Zachary Cileceken (Haw NGA)- Eastern - 194cm 88kg
Tom Taylor - Eastern - 177cm 77kg (19)
Greg Lord - Eastern - 180cm 82kg
Corey Preston - Eastern - 181cm 77kg (19)
Liam Conway - Western - 188cm 87kg
Cody Raak (WB NGA) - 192cm 80kg (19)
Sam Clohesy - Calder - 189cm 72kg (19)
Jack Newitt - Calder - 189cm 76kg
Joel Trudgeon - Northern - 185cm 90kg (19)
Darcy Wilmot - Northern - 182cm 70kg
Jackson Archer (NM F/S)- Northern - 183cm 70kg
Ewan MacPherson (WB F/S)- Northern - 179cm 82kg (19)

(Vic Metro list will get longer as i get to see these players play in 2021)
Vic Country
Cooper Hamilton - Bendigo - 182cm 86kg
Hugh Hamilton - Bendigo - 182cm 85kg
Nathan Kay - Bendigo - 182cm 85kg
Louis Thompson (Haw F/S) - Bendigo - 178cm 66kg
Connor MacDonald - Dandenong - 184cm 77kg
Judson Clarke - Dandenong - 179cm 69kg
Toby Conway - Geel - 204cm 90kg
Josh Gibcus - GWV - 195cm 84kg
Blake Scott (WB NGA)- GWV - 180cm 70kg
Nathan Noblett - Gipps - 183cm 82kg (19)
Chance Doultree - Gipps - 183cm 74kg (19)
Luis D'Angelo - Gipps - 184cm 85kg (19)
Max Walton - Gipps - 180cm 73kg
Tom Brown - Murray - 186cm 71kg
Achaung Agog (Rich NGA)- Murray - 192cm 78kg
Ryan Eyers - Murray/NSW - 190cm 70kg

(Vic Country list to get longer as i get to see these players play in 2021)
Allies
Austin Harris (GCS A)
Noah McFadyen (Bris A) 186cm 89kg
Sam Stenning (GWS A) 190cm 72kg
Jye Lockett (GWV - was in GCS A) 186cm
Ned Stevens (NT/GCS A)

this list was a bit longer and there were more unknowns because of no 2020 season for the Vic Kids, but i think i did alright a year out.

 

[RIOLINWITPUNCHS]

this list was a bit longer and there were more unknowns because of no 2020 season for the Vic Kids, but i think i did alright a year out.

Amazing what a year does for player's, both good and bad.

Some names in your top 30 that did not even get drafted to my knowledge and then so many drafted in the 1st round not mentioned in the list last year.

Imagine being a recruiter.

 

[tommyk72]

this list was a bit longer and there were more unknowns because of no 2020 season for the Vic Kids, but i think i did alright a year out.

That’s a hell of a list. You did very well. Thanks for all of your insights across the years. Very valuable!

 

[Davo-27]

Amazing what a year does for player's, both good and bad.

Some names in your top 30 that did not even get drafted to my knowledge and then so many drafted in the 1st round not even mentioned in the list last year.

Imagine being a recruiter.

you have to remember that 2020 was cancelled and shortened around the country, i usually have more info on players in their underage year, but 2020 was unlike any year, at least in 2021 we got to see around 3 months or so of footy, more state v state games and they actually had 3-5 trial/state game weekends. plus they had a u17 champs to help out as well, makes things easier when you can see the players play the year before their draft year.

 

[RIOLINWITPUNCHS]

you have to remember that 2020 was cancelled and shortened around the country, i usually have more info on players in their underage year, but 2020 was unlike any year, at least in 2021 we got to see around 3 months or so of footy, more state v state games and they actually had 3-5 trial/state game weekends. plus they had a u17 champs to help out as well, makes things easier when you can see the players play the year before their draft year.

Dont get me wrong, I wasn't having a dig, it was more a generalisation about the fortunes of players 12 months on.

Even in a "normal" year there always seems to be a lot of movement from touted top 10 to the actual top 10 etc.

 

[Davo-27]

Dont get me wrong, I wasn't having a dig, it was more a generalisation about the fortunes of players 12 months on.

Even in a "normal" year there always seems to be a lot of movement from touted top 10 to the actual top 10 etc.

i would disagree, usually the top 10 are set in stone(within the draft watcher community anyway), its the 11-30 that changes a lot imo, also some gems slip to the second half of the draft for unknown reasons, every club has a Sicily, Hardwick, Moore story where they got quality that drifted in the draft for whatever reason.

 

[Hawk the Talk]

I agree, obviously there were things that the lay person didn't or even couldn't see because it wasn't available but on face value his output was excellent and his physical qualities are good too. I hope he shines because there's nothing I like more than a steal from the rookie draft.

A Long wait for this moment
https://www.hawthornfc.com.au/video...-moment?videoId=1035169&modal=true&type=video

He comes across like a ripping young fella, no doubt he’ll do everything he can to improve on those deficiencies. Looking forward to seeing if he can make it at the level

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

So the Dockers are telling porky pies to WA journo’s?
That Serong pick must have burnt them.

“Fremantle was at the centre of conversations on day two, with the Dockers holding onto the valuable pick 21 to open proceedings. Hawthorn discussed packaging pick 23 and a future second-round pick to grab Fremantle's pick – the Hawks' future first-round pick was never offered as part of a deal, at all – but the Dockers stayed where they were and added Johnson to their WA pairing at the top of the order.”

 

[Sonny Hayes]

So the Dockers are telling porky pies to WA journo’s?
That Serong pick must have burnt them.

“Fremantle was at the centre of conversations on day two, with the Dockers holding onto the valuable pick 21 to open proceedings. Hawthorn discussed packaging pick 23 and a future second-round pick to grab Fremantle's pick – the Hawks' future first-round pick was never offered as part of a deal, at all – but the Dockers stayed where they were and added Johnson to their WA pairing at the top of the order.”

Don’t think so, this is from the Freo website by David Walls on the trade options

‘Take Johnson, or accept an offer of a future second round pick while sliding down the order slightly from 21.’

“We probably ended up with three serious offers from different clubs, essentially offering a future second and a slide from our second round pick for 21,” Walls said.

“We decided that we rated Johnson really highly and we just thought - let’s pick him, we rate him highly, we're rapt that he's still there.

seems like Journo just had a bad source or was talking crap.

 

[TheFourPillars]

Similar to the Port Adelaide porky pies when dealing with Burton. This was just to appease Johnson that they saw him as valued better than a first round pick. A PR exercise

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

It’s a good read though. Shows just how many clubs were trying to move up, but that most clubs wanted to keep their spots.

I think this draft might be looked back on as a really good one in a few years, and it’s clear that the clubs already thought as much.