- Sep 22, 2008
- 25,524
- 34,641
- AFL Club
- Western Bulldogs
- Banned
- #1,251
Man I want this bloke at 21
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I like Elijah Hewitt a lot at 11.Okay finally come to my conclusion. Our first pick, if it remains around the 11 mark, my first preference is Elijah Hewett. Closely followed by Oli Hotton, and Hollands. We need burst speed and class and from what I have seen and read, these three fit the bill perfectly, whilst also being somewhat unique to each other.
Where's this from? It seems too accurate and insightful for any of the mainstream football media sites.WESTERN BULLDOGS
Draft picks: 11, 21, 39, 69
List needs: Key defender, wingman, small forward
Who could be available at first pick: Jedd Busslinger, Mattaes Phillipou, Oliver Hollands, Olli Hotton
Who’s in the mix after that: Henry Hustwaite, Lewis Hayes, Jaspa Fletcher, Josh Weddle
The Bulldogs have a solid draft hand and should be able to fill some list holes with their first and second picks. South Australian midfielder-forward Mattaes Phillipou would be a good option with their first pick if he falls outside the top-10. West Australian key defender Jedd Busslinger would be another good option, with the club’s key defensive stocks looking a touch thin. After Lachie Hunter’s departure during the trade period, hard-running wingman Oliver Hollands would also be handy. With pick 21, Victorian key defenders Lewis Hayes and Josh Weddle could be available if the Bulldogs don’t secure Busslinger with pick 11. Henry Hustwaite is a tall midfielder who can play midfield or defence, while Jaspa Fletcher is another handy wingman but is a NGA prospect for Brisbane.
Latest word: Mattaes Phillipou is the son of Sam Phillipou, who played only three games in his one season with Footscray in 1995 but also enjoyed a successful career in the SANFL.
I like Elijah Hewitt a lot at 11.
Such quick feet in & around stoppages. Once he puts on more size & strength I can see him becoming an explosive stoppage player.
What's the knock on him ?
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Come across the first phantom Draft
Six weeks out from the 2022 AFL Draft, this is The Inner Sanctum’s First Round AFL Phantom Draft.
![]()
The Giants have a choice of anointing Cadman the number-one pick, or bidding on Will Ashcroft as the consensus best player in the pool. Either way, they look set to bolster their key position stocks with the mobile goal-kicker who’s had a meteoric rise in the second half of the season. Jesse Hogan has been crying out for a partner up forward, and Cadman could feature early in 2023 for GWS.
Around the mark: Will Ashcroft
![]()
Brisbane has known Ashcroft is coming for years now. He’s been a standout across his junior career and took any lingering stress away from the Lions camp with an early father-son nomination this year. Prolific and classy with leadership aspirations, Ashcroft plays in the mould of Sam Walsh and Andy Brayshaw before him. The Lions have got their eyes firmly set on younger brother Levi in 2024, as well.
![]()
11 months since calling out Jason Horne-Francis’ name at Pick 1, North Melbourne is approaching one of the biggest drafts in its history. It will likely narrow down its options to two of Harry Sheezel, George Wardlaw and Elijah Tsatas. Sheezel is the forward-half specialist in this group, able to create a plethora of chances and make the most of his opportunities with mercurial talent in front of goal. He has elements of Josh Rachele and Zac Bailey with his timing and execution in the forward 50, threatening to kick goal of the year on any given day.
Around the mark: George Wardlaw, Elijah Tsatas
![]()
North’s decision at this point is difficult to split, but the best available on most boards will be Wardlaw. He’s a prototypical inside midfielder with his competitiveness, but has a penetrating kick and aerial ability around the ground to go with it. Wardlaw’s hard-nosed talent blends well with a young midfield brigade of Simpkin, Davies-Uniacke and Phillips for the next decade.
Around the mark: Harry Sheezel, Elijah Tsatas
![]()
The Dons are in an enviable position, able to pluck whoever remains of the top five. Tsatas adds elements to their lineup that they sorely lack – he’s an outside accumulator that swoops on loose balls with cleanliness, he links play together with his running capacity and acceleration, and he takes the game on with unflappable confidence. Tsatas offers meaningful drive to a midfield unit that struggled to move the ball with pace in 2022.
Around the mark: George Wardlaw
![]()
The Suns have Pick 5 after Izak Rankine’s departure to Adelaide, and may have an opportunity to replace his attacking threat with a different element. The Gippsland captain is dynamic in the forward 50 with a huge appetite for the contest in the middle as well. Humphrey is a fantastic clubman, but the Suns will be doing their due diligence on his interest in heading north.
Around the mark: Jhye Clark
![]()
The Hawks have gutted their midfield and are ready to fill it to the brim with young talent. That process began last year with Josh Ward and Connor MacDonald, and Jhye Clark presents as the ideal prospect at this point of the draft. He’s gritty and tough, has excellent leadership attributes and is team-oriented. The Hawks pinching him a pick before the rival Cats might be the cherry on top.
Around the mark: Bailey Humphrey, Cam Mackenzie
![]()
The Cats will be holding out hope Selwood-clone Clark falls to them here. If not, the next best on a lot of boards will be Mackenzie, a hard-running two-way midfielder with crafty skills and contested proficiency. He offers a lot of the same qualities Geelong saw in Mitch Knevitt last year. As a hypothetical, the Cats could offer up this pick and their future first for the Hawks’ Pick 6 and future second if they don’t think Clark will make it through.
Around the mark: Jhye Clark
![]()
The Eagles traded back from Pick 2 for 8 and 12, seemingly with local prospects in their sights. Ginbey is the ultimate competitor in an Elliot Yeo mould, adding elite pressure in the contest. The Dunsborough product has spent time as a rebounding defender where his pace and tenacity are on display, but his most eye-catching work has come as a brute force in the midfield.
Around the mark: Jedd Busslinger, Cam Mackenzie
![]()
The Saints are desperately in need of some excitement on-field after consecutive flat seasons. Phillipou offers just that as a ready-made goal-kicker that has spent time in the midfield, using his size to advantage around the ground. He has huge scope for rapid improvement and adds a completely different element to the forward half for St Kilda.
Around the mark: Cam Mackenzie
![]()
If Busslinger slides out of the top 10, the Blues should be quick to snap the interceptor up. The Royal closes distance on his direct opponent, flies for his marks and moves the ball with pace out of the backline. The Blues have looked to the State Leagues to lend Weitering added assistance, but it may be time to fully invest in their key defensive stocks through the draft.
Around the mark: Mattaes Phillipou
More AFL News:
AFL Draft 2022: Top 30 Power Rankings – October
AFL: Your club’s way-too-early best 23 for 2023
AFL Trade Period 2022: Who’s come and gone from your club?
![]()
The Dogs have a plethora of see-ball, get-ball midfielders that are brilliant at what they do. But they’ve struggled finding the right wing combinations to maintain their structure, and Lachie Hunter heading to Melbourne doesn’t help that issue. Hollands is a selfless midfielder that just took out the 2km time trial in an elite 5:54 minutes. He holds his width on the ground and uses the ball on both sides of his body well – despite his lighter frame he could play AFL early in the right role.
Around the mark: Jedd Busslinger, Elijah Hewett
![]()
The Eagles haven’t solely looked within WA in past drafts, but there’s good reason to here. If Hewett is available at 13, he and Ginbey would immediately energise their engine room. he uses his speed-endurance blend as a weapon, powering out of stoppages and generating meaningful drive. He mixed it with the big bodies in the WAFL and added some goal nous to his game over the year.
Around the mark: Matthew Jefferson, Reuben Ginbey
![]()
Vic Metro’s best tall forward was Jefferson this year. He’s springy and quick off the mark akin to Ollie Henry, but has genuine key position height. The Dees have lost Sam Weideman and struggled without Tom McDonald in 2022 – Jefferson could be the future focal point for their forward line.
Around the mark: Harry Barnett
![]()
Weddle has a lot of fans in the first round – he’s slightly undersized as a key defender but uses all of his attributes to thrive. He has a fantastic leap, uses his body to advantage, and takes the game on with his intercepting and decision-making. He has similar elements to what made Dane Rampe such a fantastic undersized defender.
Around the mark: Lachlan Cowan, Henry Hustwaite
![]()
The younger brother of Collingwood’s VFL captain, Hustwaite is a fluid mover that can play in the middle or down back with his height. His left foot is a weapon and he moves through traffic smoothly to distribute to outside runners. A Country teammate of Cadman, the Giants could use Hustwaite’s ball use and intercepting out of their backline, with further scope to move into the midfield.
Around the mark: Josh Weddle, Lewis Hayes
![]()
Hayes is a no-nonsense key defender that gives his absolute all and rarely gets beaten. The Pies have done tremendously with the combination of Moore and Howe, but they’ve dearly missed Jordan Roughead’s presence. Billy Frampton could be a stop-gap for now, but Hayes presents as a long-term solution.
Around the mark: Harry Barnett, Isaac Keeler
![]()
Cowan is a high-octane defender that takes the game on and lifts his team with courageous play. For the Swans, he would add metres gained out of the backline and a genuine shutdown defensive option to free the likes of Blakey, Lloyd and Florent.
Around the mark: Olli Hotton, Henry Hustwaite
![]()
Konstanty has delivered a fantastic small forward year, racking up tackles and goals for Gippsland. He latches onto opposition players and pressures everything out of the backline for his side. The Giants will welcome Toby Bedford and have Brent Daniels coming back in this year, but they’ve sorely lacked pressure in their forward 50. Drafting a trio of Vic Country teammates in Cadman, Hustwaite and Konstanty might help the club hold onto the talented youngsters.
Around the mark: Isaac Keeler, Lachlan Cowan
Pretty good phantom I reckon. I was thinking Weddle to Sydney seems an obvious match.Come across the first phantom Draft
Six weeks out from the 2022 AFL Draft, this is The Inner Sanctum’s First Round AFL Phantom Draft.
![]()
The Giants have a choice of anointing Cadman the number-one pick, or bidding on Will Ashcroft as the consensus best player in the pool. Either way, they look set to bolster their key position stocks with the mobile goal-kicker who’s had a meteoric rise in the second half of the season. Jesse Hogan has been crying out for a partner up forward, and Cadman could feature early in 2023 for GWS.
Around the mark: Will Ashcroft
![]()
Brisbane has known Ashcroft is coming for years now. He’s been a standout across his junior career and took any lingering stress away from the Lions camp with an early father-son nomination this year. Prolific and classy with leadership aspirations, Ashcroft plays in the mould of Sam Walsh and Andy Brayshaw before him. The Lions have got their eyes firmly set on younger brother Levi in 2024, as well.
![]()
11 months since calling out Jason Horne-Francis’ name at Pick 1, North Melbourne is approaching one of the biggest drafts in its history. It will likely narrow down its options to two of Harry Sheezel, George Wardlaw and Elijah Tsatas. Sheezel is the forward-half specialist in this group, able to create a plethora of chances and make the most of his opportunities with mercurial talent in front of goal. He has elements of Josh Rachele and Zac Bailey with his timing and execution in the forward 50, threatening to kick goal of the year on any given day.
Around the mark: George Wardlaw, Elijah Tsatas
![]()
North’s decision at this point is difficult to split, but the best available on most boards will be Wardlaw. He’s a prototypical inside midfielder with his competitiveness, but has a penetrating kick and aerial ability around the ground to go with it. Wardlaw’s hard-nosed talent blends well with a young midfield brigade of Simpkin, Davies-Uniacke and Phillips for the next decade.
Around the mark: Harry Sheezel, Elijah Tsatas
![]()
The Dons are in an enviable position, able to pluck whoever remains of the top five. Tsatas adds elements to their lineup that they sorely lack – he’s an outside accumulator that swoops on loose balls with cleanliness, he links play together with his running capacity and acceleration, and he takes the game on with unflappable confidence. Tsatas offers meaningful drive to a midfield unit that struggled to move the ball with pace in 2022.
Around the mark: George Wardlaw
![]()
The Suns have Pick 5 after Izak Rankine’s departure to Adelaide, and may have an opportunity to replace his attacking threat with a different element. The Gippsland captain is dynamic in the forward 50 with a huge appetite for the contest in the middle as well. Humphrey is a fantastic clubman, but the Suns will be doing their due diligence on his interest in heading north.
Around the mark: Jhye Clark
![]()
The Hawks have gutted their midfield and are ready to fill it to the brim with young talent. That process began last year with Josh Ward and Connor MacDonald, and Jhye Clark presents as the ideal prospect at this point of the draft. He’s gritty and tough, has excellent leadership attributes and is team-oriented. The Hawks pinching him a pick before the rival Cats might be the cherry on top.
Around the mark: Bailey Humphrey, Cam Mackenzie
![]()
The Cats will be holding out hope Selwood-clone Clark falls to them here. If not, the next best on a lot of boards will be Mackenzie, a hard-running two-way midfielder with crafty skills and contested proficiency. He offers a lot of the same qualities Geelong saw in Mitch Knevitt last year. As a hypothetical, the Cats could offer up this pick and their future first for the Hawks’ Pick 6 and future second if they don’t think Clark will make it through.
Around the mark: Jhye Clark
![]()
The Eagles traded back from Pick 2 for 8 and 12, seemingly with local prospects in their sights. Ginbey is the ultimate competitor in an Elliot Yeo mould, adding elite pressure in the contest. The Dunsborough product has spent time as a rebounding defender where his pace and tenacity are on display, but his most eye-catching work has come as a brute force in the midfield.
Around the mark: Jedd Busslinger, Cam Mackenzie
![]()
The Saints are desperately in need of some excitement on-field after consecutive flat seasons. Phillipou offers just that as a ready-made goal-kicker that has spent time in the midfield, using his size to advantage around the ground. He has huge scope for rapid improvement and adds a completely different element to the forward half for St Kilda.
Around the mark: Cam Mackenzie
![]()
If Busslinger slides out of the top 10, the Blues should be quick to snap the interceptor up. The Royal closes distance on his direct opponent, flies for his marks and moves the ball with pace out of the backline. The Blues have looked to the State Leagues to lend Weitering added assistance, but it may be time to fully invest in their key defensive stocks through the draft.
Around the mark: Mattaes Phillipou
More AFL News:
AFL Draft 2022: Top 30 Power Rankings – October
AFL: Your club’s way-too-early best 23 for 2023
AFL Trade Period 2022: Who’s come and gone from your club?
![]()
The Dogs have a plethora of see-ball, get-ball midfielders that are brilliant at what they do. But they’ve struggled finding the right wing combinations to maintain their structure, and Lachie Hunter heading to Melbourne doesn’t help that issue. Hollands is a selfless midfielder that just took out the 2km time trial in an elite 5:54 minutes. He holds his width on the ground and uses the ball on both sides of his body well – despite his lighter frame he could play AFL early in the right role.
Around the mark: Jedd Busslinger, Elijah Hewett
![]()
The Eagles haven’t solely looked within WA in past drafts, but there’s good reason to here. If Hewett is available at 13, he and Ginbey would immediately energise their engine room. he uses his speed-endurance blend as a weapon, powering out of stoppages and generating meaningful drive. He mixed it with the big bodies in the WAFL and added some goal nous to his game over the year.
Around the mark: Matthew Jefferson, Reuben Ginbey
![]()
Vic Metro’s best tall forward was Jefferson this year. He’s springy and quick off the mark akin to Ollie Henry, but has genuine key position height. The Dees have lost Sam Weideman and struggled without Tom McDonald in 2022 – Jefferson could be the future focal point for their forward line.
Around the mark: Harry Barnett
![]()
Weddle has a lot of fans in the first round – he’s slightly undersized as a key defender but uses all of his attributes to thrive. He has a fantastic leap, uses his body to advantage, and takes the game on with his intercepting and decision-making. He has similar elements to what made Dane Rampe such a fantastic undersized defender.
Around the mark: Lachlan Cowan, Henry Hustwaite
![]()
The younger brother of Collingwood’s VFL captain, Hustwaite is a fluid mover that can play in the middle or down back with his height. His left foot is a weapon and he moves through traffic smoothly to distribute to outside runners. A Country teammate of Cadman, the Giants could use Hustwaite’s ball use and intercepting out of their backline, with further scope to move into the midfield.
Around the mark: Josh Weddle, Lewis Hayes
![]()
Hayes is a no-nonsense key defender that gives his absolute all and rarely gets beaten. The Pies have done tremendously with the combination of Moore and Howe, but they’ve dearly missed Jordan Roughead’s presence. Billy Frampton could be a stop-gap for now, but Hayes presents as a long-term solution.
Around the mark: Harry Barnett, Isaac Keeler
![]()
Cowan is a high-octane defender that takes the game on and lifts his team with courageous play. For the Swans, he would add metres gained out of the backline and a genuine shutdown defensive option to free the likes of Blakey, Lloyd and Florent.
Around the mark: Olli Hotton, Henry Hustwaite
![]()
Konstanty has delivered a fantastic small forward year, racking up tackles and goals for Gippsland. He latches onto opposition players and pressures everything out of the backline for his side. The Giants will welcome Toby Bedford and have Brent Daniels coming back in this year, but they’ve sorely lacked pressure in their forward 50. Drafting a trio of Vic Country teammates in Cadman, Hustwaite and Konstanty might help the club hold onto the talented youngsters.
Around the mark: Isaac Keeler, Lachlan Cowan
If we got to our pick and Busslinger and Phillipou were both gone I'd consider offering Sydney or GWS the pick for two later firsts.Holland at 11 makes sense. But then we have a group of players we want at 21, all going in the Picks 15-19 range xD
Strarting to feel like we may just miss out on a defender unless we reach at 11.
Yeah that would be about the worst case scenario for us I think.That's a lot of guys we like gone in the first round. Charlie Clarke and Ethan Phillips with our other picks.
Holland at 11 makes sense. But then we have a group of players we want at 21, all going in the Picks 15-19 range xD
Starting to feel like we may just miss out on a defender unless we reach at 11. Given defenders are a premium these days given the lack of quality about.
Would not surprise me to see Buss go before pick 11. And Hayes and Weddle gone before pick 21.
Man I want this bloke at 21
If it weren't for his combine testing, I would've thought he was slow if anything. Not once in these highlights do you see him actually use that pace. Could just be me, but the only thing that impressed me there was his handballing. Weird kicking style and he's seemingly reluctant to run and carry. I'm not seeing the hype in this guy.
Watch Darcy Jones highlights. Kid has serious pace, great kick and broke the agility record at the combine. Despite his lack of height, I'd love to pick him up
Agree he doesn’t use his pace enough and that’s one of the knocks on him from the big draft watchers like PMBangers - but I think that’s why you can get him relatively cheaply at pick 21, if he already used it he’d probably be gone by that stage.If it weren't for his combine testing, I would've thought he was slow if anything. Not once in these highlights do you see him actually use that pace. Could just be me, but the only thing that impressed me there was his handballing. Weird kicking style and he's seemingly reluctant to run and carry. I'm not seeing the hype in this guy.
Watch Darcy Jones highlights. Kid has serious pace, great kick and broke the agility record at the combine. Despite his lack of height, I'd love to pick him up
My other lingering concern with Allan is that it means we've got two highly speculative tall wings on our list (him and Bedendo) whose gap between floor and ceiling appears enormous.IF we take a KPD first, then I would be interested in Allan at pick 21. As long as Fletcher is off the board and none of the other top line prospects have dropped, then it would make sense to take Allan. He Has serious athletic traits that could be unlocked and then you have an excellent winger.
Other options to look at around pick 21 are small forward.
I am not sure I want a KPD at 11 but I wouldn’t be critical IF we did. It’s not like a great one will still be on the board at pick 21.
Pick 39 our third pick, you are really looking at a ruck or Mankura. There will be options but none are going to be ready for AFL impact for 2-3 years. Rather pick a specialist position player who usually take time at this pick. They are only 20% chance of being any good, so you have to target a position with the greatest upside, which I think is Ruck/KPD/small forward/small defender. These roles all require physical development, smalls need game time in their positions to learn it, as they are mostly played in the midfield IF they have skills.
Agree he doesn’t use his pace enough and that’s one of the knocks on him from the big draft watchers like PMBangers - but I think that’s why you can get him relatively cheaply at pick 21, if he already used it he’d probably be gone by that stage.
So I think as a club knowing he has it, and 3x 20m sprints in the low 2.80s is extreme burst speed - you’d back yourself in to unlock that potential on the field and then you’d have a pretty ridiculous prospect on the wing. I like his kicking tbh, complete confidence in both sides of the body is a great thing in an 18yo - plus the Bont like stand up in the tackle and get the hands out - is a bonus.
I wouldn’t jump at 11 but if he was there at 21 I’d be thinking prettttty strongly about it
I meant in that if he reaches his potential then it would be cheap, it’s up to the club on whether they think they could unlock that potential I guess.21 doesn’t seem at all cheap for a player whose only notable trait is burst speed.
I meant in that if he reaches his potential then it would be cheap, it’s up to the club on whether they think they could unlock that potential I guess.
But yeah I think 21 is about right for his upside but can see the concerns, depends on who’s still on the board. If we don’t get Buss at 11 I’d still prefer a KPD
For an early second rounder I just really reckon we need exposed form more than potential.
Of course, I have always spoken against reaching for Weddle for Pick 11. I was just stating the needs based players will probably end up going by Pick 21 based on posted/recent Phantom drafts posted above my original comment. So we may not be able to cover all of our needs during this draft alone. I'm with you, always say best available for the first dozen picks, whether it fills a need or not.I really don't think we should draft on need at pick 11.
Draft the best player. If that happens to be a player that fills a hole on the list, great !
went to school with him dropped out in year 10 and will definitely fly the flag for us, was good mates with him through year ten as well. has bulldog spirit.Definitely has that Papley sort of energy to him also. Can see the appeal from us.
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