Draft 2021 AFLW Draft discussion

[The_Wookie]

Hi guys,

the live Draft thread is now open here.

Draft - The 2021 AFLW National Draft, 6.45pm AEST on womens.afl & the AFLW app

Click for a Full list of drafted players >> ============================ The 2021 AFLW Draft will take place on Tuesday, July 27 in a virtual format, commencing at 6.45pm AEST on womens.afl and the AFLW Official App. Like last year, it will be a studio show, hosted by Nat Edwards, Sarah...

www.bigfooty.com

 

[Pie 4 Life]

Ok, this might be a little rushed so don't judge too harshly, this is pretty rough. I managed to select a few Tassie girls. Great to see them come into the VFLW since the TSLW dispanded. They are without a doubt, making the VFLW a much more elite state league. That being said, here you are mate.

• 1.Georgie Prespakis
• 2.Charlie Rowbottom
• 3.Stella Reid
• 4.Nyakoat Dojoik
• 5.Georgia Nanscawen
• 6.Sarah Skinner (TSLW B&F 2020/4x TSLW Team of the Year (A perfect record))
• 7.Grace McRae
• 8.Chloe Leonard
• 9.Maeve Chaplin
• 10.Perri King
• 11.Megan Kiely
• 12.Imogen Milford
• 13.Imogen Barnett
• 14.Tess Craven
• 15.Matilda Zander (SANFLW Team of the Year 2020)
• 16.Amy Prokopiec
• 17.Ella Friend
• 18.Tahlia Gillard
• 19.Amy Bassett
• 20.Tara Slender

Thanks mate, like your really unique take on the draft crop.

 

[PMBangers]

 

[TheTassieHawk]

VFLW

afl.draftcentral.com.au

Scroll down past the ladder. Ignore Brooke Slaney who's down as having 5 kicks, 4 handballs for 912 possessions against Carlton.

Cheers, I will bookmark that and take a look post season.

 

[Vacuous Space]

Yeah I've included a fair few in my rankings that go down to 70.

I can only see maybe 30-35 NAB Leaguers being picked up most likely, clubs are mixed on VFLW and tbh in most cases they will probably look to their own VFLW club.

Between my 20-40 I have seven players I've seen enough of to consider. Western Bulldogs' Brooke Hards (ex-Pios), North's Sarah Skinner and of course Essendon's Georgia Nanscawen (who for a club crying out for a lock and load inside mid, easiest pick). North's list manager Rhys Harwood has gone on record to say he expects both Kiely and Skinner to be considered.


“I think a number of the Tassie players on our VFLW list and also the girls coming up are right in the draft mix, for not only us but I assume other clubs as well. “I think that’s the type of players we look to bring into our VFLW programs, to bring up. “Players that we can expose to our system, expose to other clubs, and that we think have long-term scope to play AFLW.
“Meagan Kiely’s a great example of a player that I think has been able to put so many runs on the board this year that she would be a consideration for a number of clubs I would suspect. “Sarah Skinner the same, it’s obviously hard for a lot of clubs to see a lot of TSLW, we obviously do, but a lot of clubs probably don’t get the opportunity, so the capacity to bring her up and expose her to other clubs is great as well. “I think all of the players that we bring up or that are playing, are really pushing, and all are really keen to play AFLW. “That’s one thing we want to do is bring up players who want to take their game to the next level.”

In terms of Hards, she's my pick for most underrated externally, but highly rated internally. Played every game for the Dogs (only her and Simone Ruedin) have. Got athleticism, ball-winning, defensive pressure, and has improved her versatility and composure more this year which was a key reason she had to stand up. Ignoring stats, she has high impact with ball-in-hand when she has the confidence to go, which she has been working on.

Nanscawen has the AFLW experience so you know what you are going to get. Big question mark is age, but if you're a contender that won't matter, or even if you're rebuilding and you want another body around the stoppages, I think she is the safest choice to make.

--

Collingwood have a duo in Matilda Zander and Olivia Meagher. I've been big on Zander since she played in the SANFLW and tried to come across to the Pies last season to play a year under ex-Redlegs coach Steve Symonds. I was expecting him to potentially take her anyway last year, but took another Redlegs player in Bella Smith. I believe Zander has what it takes at the top level to be a forward that packs punch, whilst Meagher is another player who has developed more of an outside game in her lead-up to playing for the Pies, and the fact she has gone with them instead of her zoned team Hawthorn (being Eastern Ranges) is always interesting.

Alana Barba (Essendon) continues to improve and I think could be worth a look given she can play inside or outside, but tackling is her go, inside ball and her ability to execute continues to improve, and the interesting one (though the last of this group) is Sophie Locke (Port Melbourne). Ex-Murray and Vic Country lockdown defender, she's turned herself into an exciting forward. Injury mid-season has hurt her and now the COVID lockdown hasn't helped, but her form prior to injury was great and she was leading the goalkicking at one stage.

Interesting that they didn't invite a lot of VFLW players to the combine. Don't know if it means much. Milford is the oldest as the ripe old age of 21. Teams may have seen all they need to see from the likes of Nanscawen and Kiely to make up their minds, one way or another.

I'll make a note of the names you've mentioned for some YouTube watching. Hards and Meagher wouldn't have much online that I haven't seen, but I don't think I've seen Barba since the champs a couple of years ago. I've seen Port a couple of times this year, but still couldn't tell you much about Locke, since I was really watching the last Port game I saw to see how Anthony looked at VFLW level.

In terms of numbers, right now it's 38 Victorian picks, but Carlton and Melbourne are definitely going to have fourth round picks deleted for lack of list spots. I don't think Collingwood or St Kilda will use their fourth round pick and Geelong may just use their firsts - they might use the fourth on another mature-ager though. Dogs and Roos might not use their thirds. I think Richmond would need a fifth added. I believe they're coming down from a list of 31, but inactive lists make it harder to number crunch. Further players can and will be delisted, but it could be just over 30 Vic selections this year. I don't like the chances of the NAB Leaguers who didn't get a combine invite, unfortunately.

 

[PMBangers]

Interesting that they didn't invite a lot of VFLW players to the combine. Don't know if it means much. Milford is the oldest as the ripe old age of 21. Teams may have seen all they need to see from the likes of Nanscawen and Kiely to make up their minds, one way or another.

A lot of clubs will be more interested in their own VFLW players than others, so probably similar to Nanscawen and Kiely in that they've seen and know enough about who they're interested in, given there's a few that you'd say are more likely than unlikely to get picked up that haven't gotten the invites.

 

[Pie 4 Life]

Interesting that they didn't invite a lot of VFLW players to the combine. Don't know if it means much. Milford is the oldest as the ripe old age of 21. Teams may have seen all they need to see from the likes of Nanscawen and Kiely to make up their minds, one way or another.

I'll make a note of the names you've mentioned for some YouTube watching. Hards and Meagher wouldn't have much online that I haven't seen, but I don't think I've seen Barba since the champs a couple of years ago. I've seen Port a couple of times this year, but still couldn't tell you much about Locke, since I was really watching the last Port game I saw to see how Anthony looked at VFLW level.

In terms of numbers, right now it's 38 Victorian picks, but Carlton and Melbourne are definitely going to have fourth round picks deleted for lack of list spots. I don't think Collingwood or St Kilda will use their fourth round pick and Geelong may just use their firsts - they might use the fourth on another mature-ager though. Dogs and Roos might not use their thirds. I think Richmond would need a fifth added. I believe they're coming down from a list of 31, but inactive lists make it harder to number crunch. Further players can and will be delisted, but it could be just over 30 Vic selections this year. I don't like the chances of the NAB Leaguers who didn't get a combine invite, unfortunately.

As PMBangers just said, a lot of the clubs will focus on their own (Bulldogs - Hards, Magpies - Meagher - I'm confident both get drafted) though Meagher also got a combine invite which was nice. The interesting thing with Locke is the fact she was a dour defender at the champs (and I felt sorry for her, rough gig to try and get drafted) and now she's turned into an exciting forward, glad she got an invite.

Kiely at worst makes her way to North IMO. Skinner could too, but other clubs will potentially look to pounce.

I agree the NAB Leaguers not getting an invite probably means they aren't going, one or two at best might because there's still a couple I like there, but for example Jorja Livingstone could end up at the Tigers for cheap f/d if chosen so keep an eye out if they nominate her. As PMBangers has said, Crowley is another one who might be considered, they were the only other two in my Top 30 that didn't get combine invites (outside VFLW players).

 

[Pie 4 Life]

Vacuous Space I've been trying to cut some highlights of players and here's some of Brooke Hards for you, the first is tackling Georgia Patrikios trying to sell candy then taking the advantage running on and hitting a target at speed.

This was from earlier in the season against Williamstown taking on the player and burning them off:

And this was in the same game highlighting the ability to hit a target whilst still under pressure and weighting it well:

Unfortunately due to the lack of VFLW coverage as a whole, if you're not dominating the league, not many are realising the potential upside of these talents. Turns 19 in July, has terrific burst speed, footy IQ, and has played in each line. Has predominantly been thrown everywhere, but as a top-ager at NAB League level averaged around the 20 touches, 8-10 tackles per game the last couple of years as an inside mid.

 

[Kchamp]

As PMBangers just said, a lot of the clubs will focus on their own (Bulldogs - Hards, Magpies - Meagher - I'm confident both get drafted) though Meagher also got a combine invite which was nice. The interesting thing with Locke is the fact she was a dour defender at the champs (and I felt sorry for her, rough gig to try and get drafted) and now she's turned into an exciting forward, glad she got an invite.

Kiely at worst makes her way to North IMO. Skinner could too, but other clubs will potentially look to pounce.

I agree the NAB Leaguers not getting an invite probably means they aren't going, one or two at best might because there's still a couple I like there, but for example Jorja Livingstone could end up at the Tigers for cheap f/d if chosen so keep an eye out if they nominate her. As PMBangers has said, Crowley is another one who might be considered, they were the only other two in my Top 30 that didn't get combine invites (outside VFLW players).

Yeah, Meagher is an interesting one. I thought she looked like one of the better midfielders at Collingwood but she hasn't played lately. I wonder if Collingwood is trying to sneak her under the radar. She was one of the two academy players that got overlooked last year (The other being Maeve Chaplin). But some extra insurance for Collingwood's midfield, you couldn't go wrong with her. Former Eastern Ranger has great chemistry on the field with Tarni Brown. The two bounced off each other quite well in the few games they played in 2020.

 

[Vacuous Space]

Unfortunately due to the lack of VFLW coverage as a whole, if you're not dominating the league, not many are realising the potential upside of these talents. Turns 19 in July, has terrific burst speed, footy IQ, and has played in each line. Has predominantly been thrown everywhere, but as a top-ager at NAB League level averaged around the 20 touches, 8-10 tackles per game the last couple of years as an inside mid.

I'm a fan of the way she plays (and guests on a pod) and thought she was one of the unluckiest to miss out last year. Really happy to hear things are going well. As a rando on the internet, I tend to fall back on stats when I haven't seen enough, so I hadn't been particularly big on her chances. I think she's been playing a bit more of a forward pressure type role than she did with the Pios, from the little I've seen. Those are the types that are easiest to overlook when you're looking at stats more than games (probably along with shut-down types). I appreciate the gifs. I'd seen the Patrikios game, but probably hadn't given that play enough thought until now. Not sure I love the decision to kick across the defence on the last one, but if you can hit the target, why not?

 

[Munga]

Any highlights of Charlie Rowbottom anywhere?

 

[Munga]

Someone here mentioned that Prespakis might be flight risk, heading off to the Bombers when they enter. Is this a genuine concern? That would sh*t me off big time if that happened. And what odds her best mate Patrikios joins her? The AFLW can't let core of a team be gutted by the new clubs.
Someone else mentioned that each club should be allowed to protect a certain amount of players from being poached, that would be ideal. Hopefully they re-sign in the first place and don't walk out the door after two years.

 

[Kchamp]

Someone here mentioned that Prespakis might be flight risk, heading off to the Bombers when they enter. Is this a genuine concern? That would sh*t me off big time if that happened. And what odds her best mate Patrikios joins her? The AFLW can't let core of a team be gutted by the new clubs.
Someone else mentioned that each club should be allowed to protect a certain amount of players from being poached, that would be ideal. Hopefully they re-sign in the first place and don't walk out the door after two years.

View attachment 1152895

Trust me, I feel your pain. Unfortunately, the AFL does not give a s**t about the short term. Collingwood lost their entire forward line due to expansion clubs. I hope it doesn't happen to St Kilda. But with only two more clubs to be introduced to Melbourne, the AFL are happy to play the bad guy in order to bring in extra clubs. I hope Patrikios stays, I first noticed her doing the promotions for Essendon when she was 15. I didn't think she would be that good as a young teenager. I was incredibly mistaken. Her u18 Championships were above outstanding. Everybody talked about Gabby Newton and Lucy McEvoy, but I knew Patrikios would surpass them. And she did, B&F 2019 in the u18 Championships.

 

[Teen Wolf]

It's a guarantee that some players will be lost to expansion clubs where there's a pre-existing connection. But the actual conversion rate of that happening has been quite low so far, particularly with regards to the main go-to targets.

For example:
West Coast were able to bring back Kellie Gibson, but not Chelsea Randall.
Likewise Geelong with an injured and ageing Melissa Hickey, but not a rising star in Lily Mithen.
Or North with Emma Kearney (third in line at the Bulldogs' trough), but not premiership captain Ellie Blackburn.
And so on.

Clubs have been pretty successful at retaining the players they identify as their most valuable. That's why Collingwood didn't lose their All-Australian forwards Christina Bernardi and Chloe Molloy to expansion teams. But the Pies didn't prioritise keeping Jasmine Garner, hence they lost her and she turned out to be a better player than some expected (kinda like how they passed on Erin Phillips as a father-daughter selection).

So it's probably more reasonable to expect Essendon will have better luck landing Ponter than Prespakis or Patrikios.

 

[Pie 4 Life]

I'm a fan of the way she plays (and guests on a pod) and thought she was one of the unluckiest to miss out last year. Really happy to hear things are going well. As a rando on the internet, I tend to fall back on stats when I haven't seen enough, so I hadn't been particularly big on her chances. I think she's been playing a bit more of a forward pressure type role than she did with the Pios, from the little I've seen. Those are the types that are easiest to overlook when you're looking at stats more than games (probably along with shut-down types). I appreciate the gifs. I'd seen the Patrikios game, but probably hadn't given that play enough thought until now. Not sure I love the decision to kick across the defence on the last one, but if you can hit the target, why not?

She did at the start of the year (pressure forward), then moved to half-back (where I think her best role to utilise her strengths are) and has still spent time in the mid. Certainly stats wise it doesn’t stand out, but in terms of upside the reason I have her so high is, the things she need to work on are improvable. She’s got the athleticism, footy smarts and ability to hit targets, it’s more getting her confidence up and composure which she’s been improving this year. The reason I highlighted that kick in the last play is because it is risky and very few could pull it off, most will go safe down the line but she does have the capacity to hit it, highlighting her ability to hit targets under pressure.

 

[HereIam86]

The phantom draft on here have Mikayla Pauga from the Lions academy going to the Suns. Has she come out and said she wants to join the Suns instead of the Lions? Or are people just picking her for the Suns because shes on the Gold Coast now studying at Bond Uni and they think she will pick the Suns so she doesn’t have to travel as much for training and home games?

 

[PMBangers]

The phantom draft on here have Mikayla Pauga from the Lions academy going to the Suns. Has she come out and said she wants to join the Suns instead of the Lions? Or are people just picking her for the Suns because shes on the Gold Coast now studying at Bond Uni and they think she will pick the Suns so she doesn’t have to travel as much for training and home games?

Yeah thats what a few have run with

 

[PMBangers]

Draft Central AFLW Draft Power Rankings - Victorian Pool: June 2021

The first ever 2021 AFLW Draft Power Ranings are in, with the Top 30 AFLW Draft prospect named with a mix of top-age and mature-age players.

afl.draftcentral.com.au

 

[TBOW]

Draft Central AFLW Draft Power Rankings - Victorian Pool: June 2021

The first ever 2021 AFLW Draft Power Ranings are in, with the Top 30 AFLW Draft prospect named with a mix of top-age and mature-age players.

afl.draftcentral.com.au

Hmmm... so Giorgia Campbell is a dogs supporter...
Any inkling which club she will end up at PMB?

 

[PMBangers]

Hmmm... so Giorgia Campbell is a dogs supporter...
Any inkling which club she will end up at PMB?

No clue sorry, I'd say a young player would be seeing more early opportunity at the dogs but the prospect of long term partnering up with Bannan and Caris would be just as tempting.

 

[Kchamp]

I don't know who's seen this game today.



But sometimes there is a piece of play that steals the show. Imogen Barnett at 1:20:09 was that play. It's not the only thing she did, easily one of her best games for the season. If there are any video editors that have any time, please cut out that footage and paste it on the forum.

 

[Vacuous Space]

I don't know who's seen this game today.



But sometimes there is a piece of play that steals the show. Imogen Barnett at 1:20:09 was that play. It's not the only thing she did, easily one of her best games for the season. If there are any video editors that have any time, please cut out that footage and paste it on the forum.

If you click on the share button under the YouTube video, you can create a link that jumps to a particular point in the video.



Barnett is now one goal clear of Milford. I don't know much about her though. Not sure how old she is or how she'd cope with AFLW level defenders rather than the players she was on today (who clearly struggled with her). The Pies have picks 19-21 in the Vic order, but I'm not sure if they'd look at bringing in a mature-aged goalkicker after trading for Frederick. Any ideas?

I thought James and Reid looked comfortable at the level in their first games, although it's probably a lot easier playing for the unbeaten side than against them. The NAB Leaguers playing for the Dogs struggled to have much of an impact.

 

[Kchamp]

If you click on the share button under the YouTube video, you can create a link that jumps to a particular point in the video.



Barnett is now one goal clear of Milford. I don't know much about her though. Not sure how old she is or how she'd cope with AFLW level defenders rather than the players she was on today (who clearly struggled with her). The Pies have picks 19-21 in the Vic order, but I'm not sure if they'd look at bringing in a mature-aged goalkicker after trading for Frederick. Any ideas?

I thought James and Reid looked comfortable at the level in their first games, although it's probably a lot easier playing for the unbeaten side than against them. The NAB Leaguers playing for the Dogs struggled to have much of an impact.

Well, that's the thing about this years VFLW players, we don't know their age or height. Which is a bit of a pain. What I know about Barnett, is that she is a VAFA product. Collingwood was really excited about her the previous year but COVID hit and the season was cancelled. One thing is for sure, she has good height, strong hands, a good kicking action, and seems deceptively quick (She has gotten a few goals out the back by burning off her opponent).

Where she fits in the draft is another story. Personally, I think Collingwood might want some insurance up forward. The inclusion of Sabrina Frederick is fantastic but what if she or Sophie Alexander get injured? Some extra height waiting in the seconds would definitely come in handy.

I actually liked James' game more than Reids. I thought they would place Reid on the wing, or up forward. I'm not too sure how many games left they will play for the Pies.

Lastly, with Collingwood's draft selections, I think they have a solid list to challenge for the flag. The injures of Lauren Butler, Jordan Allen, and Jordan Membrey hurt them this season. I think they will be looking for extra security in this years draft, and a backup ruck.

 

[Kchamp]

Questions?

What are the rules for priority picks aside from the fact that they must be mature players within the region?
Is it mandatory for Geelong and Gold Coast to sign two mature aged players, or is it their choice?
Can they sign one mature ager and then go into the draft looking for younger talent?

The reason I'm bringing this up is that I'm looking at Gold Coast's draft picks. With their priority picks included, it seems they will only have two draft picks for the draft and two priority picks. There are only 30 players allowed on a squad. Gold Coast had 32 listed players to cover injuries for 2021, 8 have been delisted or traded. Vivian Saad and Claudia Witford have signed with the Suns, which leaves only four spots left on their squad.

If this is so, the priority picks don't seem to help Gold Coast. The Suns have three top picks in the draft. With their own draft zone, the position of the picks doesn't really matter, but if two mature aged players are signed, two young guns will miss out and only two u18 players will be drafted. I'm interested in what the options are for this club?

 

[Vacuous Space]

Questions?

What are the rules for priority picks aside from the fact that they must be mature players within the region?
Is it mandatory for Geelong and Gold Coast to sign two mature aged players, or is it their choice?
Can they sign one mature ager and then go into the draft looking for younger talent?

The reason I'm bringing this up is that I'm looking at Gold Coast's draft picks. With their priority picks included, it seems they will only have two draft picks for the draft and two priority picks. There are only 30 players allowed on a squad. Gold Coast had 32 listed players to cover injuries for 2021, 8 have been delisted or traded. Vivian Saad and Claudia Witford have signed with the Suns, which leaves only four spots left on their squad.

If this is so, the priority picks don't seem to help Gold Coast. The Suns have three top picks in the draft. With their own draft zone, the position of the picks doesn't really matter, but if two mature aged players are signed, two young guns will miss out and only two u18 players will be drafted. I'm interested in what the options are for this club?

I would doubt the league will force either team to sign mature-agers. My guess it Geelong will. They've got 6 list spots, so two mature-agers and four first rounders. The concessions seem more aimed at helping Geelong, but they gave the same to GC in the hope that GC might be able to leverage the early draft picks in a trade or lure somebody up there. It didn't work out that way, but that's not really a surprise. Short of giving GC cap concessions, I can't think of what the league might be able to do to help.

As you say, the special assistance doesn't really do a lot for GC. They can draft in-zone players regardless of where their draft position is relative to Brisbane. They'd have to get two players who have nominated the whole of Queensland before their priority picks would matter. If they wind up picking Levi first overall, it's really just because they want to give her that honour. (It also might get Levi something from NAB - it has in previous years). I believe they could still make a player inactive if they're carrying a long-term injury and the want to sign a couple of mature-agers before the draft, but they probably don't need to either. I wouldn't be at all surprised if they just sit tight until the draft and take the four players there.

 

[Kchamp]

I would doubt the league will force either team to sign mature-agers. My guess it Geelong will. They've got 6 list spots, so two mature-agers and four first rounders. The concessions seem more aimed at helping Geelong, but they gave the same to GC in the hope that GC might be able to leverage the early draft picks in a trade or lure somebody up there. It didn't work out that way, but that's not really a surprise. Short of giving GC cap concessions, I can't think of what the league might be able to do to help.

As you say, the special assistance doesn't really do a lot for GC. They can draft in-zone players regardless of where their draft position is relative to Brisbane. They'd have to get two players who have nominated the whole of Queensland before their priority picks would matter. If they wind up picking Levi first overall, it's really just because they want to give her that honour. (It also might get Levi something from NAB - it has in previous years). I believe they could still make a player inactive if they're carrying a long-term injury and the want to sign a couple of mature-agers before the draft, but they probably don't need to either. I wouldn't be at all surprised if they just sit tight until the draft and take the four players there.

One thing I have found is a deadline. Both Geelong and Gold Coast have a closing period of July 21st to sign two mature aged recruits. The closing time is the same for the Rookie Signing Period. So still a few pieces to be moved before the AFLW draft can be finalised.

The only mature ager I can see being signed by Gold Coast is Lucinda Pullar from Bond Uni. If Christine Okesene wanted to travel south, I imagine the Suns would be grateful to have her. Because the Lions will definitely be looking at her aside from academy prospects like Bella Smith and Maggie Harmer. We still believe that Mikayla Pauga will sign with the Suns despite coming from Maroochydore.

Lastly, there is the NT talent to consider. Grace Mulvahil is the standout amongst the group and Ashanti Bush is their academy prospect. This is where GC looks to miss out. If they are firm on having an alliance with NT, they need to start drafting some Territorian talent.