Player Watch 2021 AFL National Draft - NOT FOR TRADE DISCUSSION

[Strapping Young Lad]

Let’s stick with a basic rule for this thread, that it’s for draft watch and discussion only.

It’s not for trade hypotheticals, who you think needs to be delisted or traded, how many games you think we will win, some other team will win, how many picks you want in the 1st round or discussion of current HFC players.

It’s about youngsters who are eligible for the draft in 2021.


Key dates to look out for:

• NAB AFL Draft Combine: TBC
• NAB AFL Draft: Wednesday November 24 - Thursday November 25
• NAB AFL Pre-season and Rookie Drafts: Friday November 26

 

[The Chad and I]

It's tempting to think we need "the next" whoever is doing well now.
But there's hardly ever such a follow-up act.
There is no "next" Lockett, Dunstall, Judd, Hodge, Hird, Voss, Buddy etc
Finding the next Martin/Petracca isn't something that happens just because you're looking for it.

We must always look for high-level talent as a first principle, and that could end up as a Sicily, Buddy, Lewis, CJ, Nash...all different types.

Mac Andrew is certainly talented enough to justify a top 5 pick - but he is a highly unusual combination of height/weight and athleticism.
He moves like he should be 4 inches shorter but doesn't have the mass to compete body on body with talls.
Similar "awkwardness" accompanied Buddy in his early years until he became a generational talent in a way we had not really seen before.

Finding a role/position for Andrew will be the challenge.
It is very obvious he will have a long career...but he is a risk as a top 10 pick.
Some clubs can afford to take that risk, I don't think we can with our first pick.

 

[chopflop]

The Big Mac



NWM

 

[CHUBBSS]

The Big Mac



NWM

Wanganeen is all I want plssssss

 

[TylerDurden]

 

[BIGHAWK23]

Just watched some highlights of Campbell Chesser, trained with Hawks Pre Season, reckon he could slide to our second pick
Really like his pace and size


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[The Chad and I]

The Big Mac



NWM

Screw it!
Let's take them both!

 

[Bardo State]

Just watched some highlights of Campbell Chesser, trained with Hawks Pre Season, reckon he could slide to our second pick
Really like his pace and size


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

If he lasts til our second I think he'd be great. Genuine burst with size. Injuries and lack of footy could scare others off.

 

[Bardo State]

The Big Mac



NWM

My two favourite players to watch from this crop. Both play highlight reel footy.

 

[RoughysMullet]

The Big Mac



NWM

The Big Mac as our athletic ruck/forward in the Nic Nat/Ryder mould to go with Reeves and Wanganeen Milera to be our Silk Burgoyne replacement please Santa

 

[TylerDurden]

If he lasts til our second I think he'd be great. Genuine burst with size. Injuries and lack of footy could scare others off.

Good chance to be there for our 2nd round pick I reckon. Same with Draper.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

 

[ralphwiggum]

I'd be very happy with Ward.

Not as happy as Ward himself

 

[Turly]

Looks solid but not someone I'd take with out first. Doubt he lasts to one of our seconds.

Based on 0 knowledge and limited highlight footage.

 

[Blackhawk42]

Looks like a good player, but I don't think he's for us.

Without bringing up the 'best available' argument again I just think it would be a wasted top 5 pick to add an intercept marking defender to a group containing Sicily, DGB, Jiath, Frost, Scrimshaw and even Impey.

Adelaide could use his talents, but think they too will be targeting a mid like we likely will be.

 

[sohsam]

Good chance to be there for our 2nd round pick I reckon. Same with Draper.

How valuable our 2 picks in the 20s? opens up so much options. All of Chesser, sinn, draper been talked up as early picks for so long. I wonder which potential top 10 players could fall in our laps with our 2 picks in 20s, surely has to be Vic players who have had little exposure, have not been able to show case their talent.

 

[Billyc]

Big Mac looks awesome

 

[Burtman]

Perfect Danger, Martin, Petracca come to mind, Raynar was ready to build this year before his acl. It takes these powerful guys min 3yrs to build up alongside the pure runners.

All three of those guys have elite endurance. All ran 14+ beep tests in their underage year. Cam rayner was close to the worst ever recorded endurance athlete at the draft camp, he’ll play small parts in the middle, but will have to spend fair chunks of the game up forward. I don’t think horne will be that bad, but my money is on him not having a big tank

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

If he lasts til our second I think he'd be great. Genuine burst with size. Injuries and lack of footy could scare others off.

They say he has supreme character.

 

[Bardo State]

Big Mac looks awesome

Burning Goater, Daicos and Ward

 

[TDS7]

View attachment 1247676

Burning Goater, Daicos and Ward

Daicos playing for the free-kick rather than the footy there, I can already see him becoming another Selwood. I really am going to hate him.

 

[Judd2Sewell]

Big Mac will be absolutely dominated in the AFL at his current size. He may out jump players and be agile enough to move around quickly, but he will be targeted.

 

[chopflop]

Big Mac will be absolutely dominated in the AFL at his current size. He may out jump players and be agile enough to move around quickly, but he will be targeted.

3-4 years. Could be anything though

 

[chopflop]

Daicos playing for the free-kick rather than the footy there, I can already see him becoming another Selwood. I really am going to hate him.

You can see from that one little gif the problem with Daicos. He is meant to be sweeping at the back of the stoppage. Should have gotten between the ball and oppo goal but instead sooks it up because he got manhandled a little bit and gives Andrew an exit right out the front of the most dangerous part of the stoppage. Bad set-ups obviously with Daicos even starting there but still, he needed to do more there i.e., bodyline the ball.

I saw him squib and avoid contact a number of times in this game when it was his turn to take a hit. Can't really see him as a centre square mid at the next level, more an outside wing or unaccountable half-forward who pushes up to the front side of stoppages. He will get exposed big time defensively by bigger and more explosive mids.

I've said it before, but I would genuinely pick Ward over him if I had the choice.

 

[Bardo State]

Big Mac will be absolutely dominated in the AFL at his current size. He may out jump players and be agile enough to move around quickly, but he will be targeted.

He would need some good team mates to back him up and protect him even at state level to start off with.

If I'm some 100kg ruck that prefers a wrestle, I'm not gonna tolerate being jumped over all game without laying in where I can.

 

[TDS7]

You can see from that one little gif the problem with Daicos. He is meant to be sweeping at the back of the stoppage. Should have gotten between the ball and oppo goal but instead sooks it up because he got manhandled a little bit and gives Andrew an exit right out the front of the most dangerous part of the stoppage. Bad set-ups obviously with Daicos even starting there but still, he needed to do more there i.e., bodyline the ball.

I saw him squib and avoid contact a number of times in this game when it was his turn to take a hit. Can't really see him as a centre square mid at the next level, more an outside wing or unaccountable half-forward who pushes up to the front side of stoppages. He will get exposed big time defensively by bigger and more explosive mids.

I've said it before, but I would genuinely pick Ward over him if I had the choice.

I feel like I'm going crazy when I hype Ward up but he seems like a standout prospect, top tier at least. His biggest weakness seems to be his frame which I'd argue can be overstated for midfielders. Obviously big, bullish mids like the Bont, Tracc, and Oliver can and do dominate games, but you can't underrate the value of a 181cm/80kg mid that can rack up possies and runs up and down the ground. He does have some questions about his versatility, but I don't think he would struggle if we threw him on a wing or off half-forward. Thank you for affirming my preheld conceptions.