BigFooty Official 2024 BIGFOOTY OFFICIAL PHANTOM DRAFT

[PMBangers]

Round 1
Pick 1 - Richmond - Sam Lalor (GWV Rebels/ VIC C)
Pick 2 - North Melbourne - Finn O'Sullivan (Oakeigh Chargers/ VIC C)
Pick 3 - Brisbane - Levi Ashcroft (Sandringham Dragons/ VIC M) [Matched Bid, used Picks 27, 34,42 and 43, receive Pick 3 and 230 points for Marshall bid)
Pick 4 - Carlton - Sid Draper (South Adelaide/ SA)
Pick 5 - Adelaide - Jagga Smith (Oakleigh Chargers/ VIC M)
Pick 6 - Melbourne - Harvey Langford (Dandenong Stingrays/ VIC C)
Pick 7 - Richmond - Alix Tauru (Gippsland Power/ VIC C)
Pick 8 - St Kilda - Josh Smillie (Eastern Ranges / VIC M)
Pick 9 - St Kilda - Harry Armstrong ( Sandringham Dragons/ VIC M)
Pick 10 - Melbourne - Murphy Reid (Sandringham Dragons/ VIC M)
Pick 11 - Richmond - Bo Allan (Peel Thunder/ WA)
Pick 12 - Essendon - Isaac Kako (Calder Cannons/ VIC M) [Matched Bid, used Picks 28 and 31, receive Pick 12]
Pick 13 - Richmond - Tobie Travaglia (Bendigo Pioneers/ VIC C)
Pick 14 - Gold Coast Suns - Leonardo Lombard (Gold Coast Academy, VFL/ QLD) [Matched Bid, used Picks 37 and 39, receive Pick 14]
Pick 15 - West Coast - Xavier Lindsay (Gippsland Power/ VIC C)
Pick 16 - Port Adelaide - Taj Hotton (Sandringham Dragons/ VIC M)
Pick 17 - Fremantle - Joe Berry (Murray Bushrangers/ VIC C)
Pick 18 - GWS - Harrison Oliver (Sandringham Dragons/ VIC M)
Pick 19 - GWS - Jack Whitlock (Murray Bushrangers/ VIC C)
Pick 20 - Western Bulldogs - Ollie Hannaford (GWV Rebels/ VIC C)
Pick 21 - Richmond - Cooper Hynes (Dandenong Stingrays/ VIC C)
Pick 22 - Sydney - Jobe Shanahan (Bendigo Pioneers/ NSW)
Pick 23 - Richmond - Alex Dodson (Sturt/ SA)
Pick 24 - GWS - Tom Gross (Oakleigh Chargers/ VIC M)
Pick 25 - Brisbane - Sam Marshall (Sandringham Dragons/ QLD) [Matched Bid, Used Picks 44 and 55]
Pick 26 - Sydney - Luke Trainor (Sandringham Dragons/ VIC M)
Pick 27 - Richmond - Jonty Faull (GWV Rebels/ VIC C)

Round 2
Pick 28 - Richmond - Thomas Sims (Northern Knights/ VIC M)
Pick 29 - Western Bulldogs - Hamish Davis (Claremont/ WA)
Pick 30 - West Coast - Christian Moraes (Eastern Ranges/ VIC M)
Pick 31 - Port Adelaide - Jesse Dattoli (Northern Knights/ VIC M)
Pick 32 - Fremantle - Angus Clarke (Glenelg/ SA)
Pick 33 - St Kilda - Matt Whitlock (Murray Bushrangers/ VIC C)
Pick 34 - Hawthorn - Hugh Boxshall (Claremont/ WA)
Pick 35 - Carlton - Ben Camporeale (Glenelg/SA) [Matched Bid, used Pick 38)
Pick 36 - Western Bulldogs - Jasper Alger (Oakleigh Chargers/ VIC C)
Pick 37 - Hawthorn - Cody Anderson (Eastern Ranges) [Matched bid, used picks 65 & 71)
Pick 38 - Port Adelaide -Will Hayes

Multiple players found. Use birthday to differentiate. eg [PLAYERCARD="23/11/1962"]Joe Smith[/PLAYERCARD]

(Claremont/ WA)
Pick 39 - GWS - Jack Ough (GWV Rebels / VIC C)
Pick 40 - Essendon - James Barrat (Bendigo Pioneers/ VIC C)

Round 3
Pick 41 - Sydney - Luke Urquhart (East Fremantle/ WA)
Pick 42 - Geelong - Lachie Jacques (Geelong Falcons/ VIC C)
Pick 43 - Essendon - Lennox Hofman (Sandringham Dragons/ VIC M) [St Kilda elected not to match]
Pick 44 - St Kilda - Kayle Gerreyn (West Perth/ WA)
Pick 45 - Western Bulldogs - Harry O'Farrell (Calder Cannons/ VIC M)
Pick 46 - Port Adelaide - Noah Mraz (Dandenong Stingrays/ VIC C)
Pick 47 - Gold Coast - Archer Day-Wicks (Bendigo Pioneers/ VIC C)
Pick 48 - Collingwood - Charlie Nicholls (Central Districts/ SA)
Pick 49 - Essendon - Sam Davidson (Richmond VFL)
Pick 50 - Essendon - Charlie West (WWT Eagles/ SA)
Pick 51 - GWS - Logan Smith (GWS Academy/ ACT) [Matched Bid, Used pick 52 to match)
Pick 52 - Collingwood - Josh Dolan (Sandringham Dragons/Vic M)
Pick 53 - Geelong - Clancy Dennis (Claremont/WA)
Pick 54 - Adelaide - Tyler Welsh (WWT Eagles/ SA) [Matched Bid, using pick 59]
Pick 55 Collingwood - Floyd Burmeister (GWV Rebels/VIC C)
Pick 56 - Sydney - Zak Johnson (Northern Knights/ VIC M)

Round 4
Pick 57 - Gold Coast - Rhys Unwin (GWV Rebels/ VIC C)
Pick 58 - West Coast - Malakai Champion (Subiaco/ WA) [Matched Bid, used pick 67]
Pick 59 - North Melbourne - Gabriel Stumpf (Northern Knights/ VIC M)
Pick 60 - Carlton - Jaxon Artemis (South Fremantle/ WA)
Pick 61 - Essendon - Jacob Newton (Norwood/ SA)
Pick 62 - Brisbane - Harry Charlson (GWV Rebels/ VIC C)
Pick 63 - Fremantle - Bailey McKenzie (Sandringham Dragons/ VIC M)
Pick 64 - Carlton - Tom Bell

Tom Bell

Age

34

Ht

188cm

Wt

102kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

17.0

4star

K

10.4

4star

HB

6.6

4star

M

3.4

3star

T

3.5

5star

G

0.8

4star

No current season stats available

D

14.0

4star

K

9.0

4star

HB

5.0

4star

M

2.4

3star

T

4.2

5star

G

0.6

3star

(South Fremantle/ WA)
Pick 65 - Carlton - Lucas Camporaele (Glenelg/ SA)
Pick 66 - Gold Coast - Phoenix Hargrave (South Adelaide/ SA)
Pick 67 - Carlton - Adrian Cole (Sandringham Dragons/ VIC M) [Saints no more picks]
Pick 68 - GWS - Cody Angove (Claremont/ WA)
Pick 69 - Geelong - Sam Toner (Dandenong Stingrays/ VIC C)
Pick 70 - Gold Coast - Nathaniel Sulzberger (Sandringham Dragons/ TAS)
Pick 71 - Gold Coast - Lucas Ravenhill (Claremont/ WA)
Pick 72 - Hawthorn - Rome Burgoyne (WWT Eagles/ SA)

 

[PMBangers]

Welcome to the 2024 edition of the annual bigfooty phantom draft, where some of the best draft minds on the site come together for a collaborative effort with their own spin on it. As always we want to say a big thanks to our drafters for putting their time into this, and being a part of what is undoubtedly the biggest and most anticipated event on the DTFA board, possibly even the entire site!

List Managers;
Adelaide; Thunderstruck
Brisbane; ModernArtillery
Carlton; LemmingMaster
Collingwood; Pie 4 Life
Essendon; eDPS
Fremantle; Chris25
Geelong; Monocle
Gold Coast; Monocle
GWS; PMBangers
Hawthorn; Chris25
Melbourne; Pie 4 Life
North Melbourne; roos_fanatic08
Port Adelaide; eDPS
St Kilda; ModernArtillery
Sydney; LemmingMaster
Tigers; Smythe
West Coast; Monocle
Western Bulldogs; goodcop badcop

Rules;
Draft Order as of Friday 1/11/2024

Father-son, NGA and Northern Academy players can be matched at any point in the draft, with bids inside the first 18 picks receiving a 20% discount to match, picks between 19-40 receiving a flat 197 point discount, and bids after pick 40 able to be matched with a clubs next selection. Picks within the pinned post will be adjusted accordingly in due time. We ask bidders to tag the person involved in matching the bid to ensure a quick response, if a poster does not respond within 24 hours the assumption will be that the bid is not matched!

A MINIMUM of 2 picks applies, and whilst we do try to keep the phantom somewhat realistic, we're not going to enforce clubs only selecting the amount of players that they have list spots for

For all supporters, but realistically mostly Richmond supporters, please RESPECT SELECTORS. We understand the world of hypothetical drafting is super serious business, and directly impacts what happens on draft night, but we must remember that draft rankings, particularly this year, are a matter of opinion, and if you disagree with a selection you must express this in a respectful manner or risk being booted from the thread.

Further to this, avoid cluttering the thread, particularly Richmond supporters, if you feel you have an opinion on every second selection, perhaps you could make your own thread with a phantom draft of your own, with people giving you the attention it deserves =)

 

[Smythe]

PICK 1 - RICHMOND - Sam Lalor - 187cm - Mid/Fwd

Sam is a bustling bid bodied mid who can play forward. He is just as adept above his head as he is below his knees. Winning his own possessions with a mongrel attack on the ball is his fortè. He tackles hard, can feed it out to options not many others can visualise and also provides a burst away from the pack providing an outside option for his team mates. It is easy to see how he draws comparisons to a young Dustin Martin with his power and explosiveness.
When forward he can get separation, attack packs, take strong marks, and has a very sound set shot goal kicking routine accompanied by a strong leg making shots from just outside 50 no problem. He is a definite POD having these attributes as a mid who can go forward and should slot into a team round 1 if he has a great preseason and can get over his hamstring injury.

roos_fanatic08

 

[roos_fanatic08]

PICK 2 - Finn O’Sullivan - 182cm - Oakleigh Chargers

Write up to come.

LemmingMaster

 

[LemmingMaster]

Sorry, I will bid on Levi Ashcroft.
ModernArtillery

 

[ModernArtillery]

Sorry, I will bid on Levi Ashcroft.
ModernArtillery

Brisbane will match

Pick 3 - Brisbane
Levi Ashcroft
Sandringham Dragons / VIC Metro

Ranked number 2 on my board, Levi has that premier ball winning type talent and doesn't mind popping up forward to hit the scoreboard. He just knows how to find the footy and doesn't really possess any glaring weaknesses in his game. I'll be intrigued to see how he develops over the coming years with the plethora of midfielders that Brisbane have at their disposal.

LemmingMaster

 

[LemmingMaster]

Pick 4 - Carlton - Sid Draper 182cm 05/07/2006

With a different set of list needs, this selection can go in a number of directions, there are a number of other players I would happily take here.
Carlton have come out and stated that speed is something we plan to add in this draft. Lombard and Draper feel like the perfect fit for the blues, if trading with the Suns was not so valuable, I would have really considered bidding on Lombard here. He just has a certain level of strength that Draper currently does not have.

Drapers strengths - Agile, Quick, Leader, Professional with a strong work rate. He has also performed at all levels, at senior level he did not look out of place. He is a meters gained player, run 10m, kick 40m style player. He will complement the inside ball winners of the blues and break lines.
Weakness - His kicking is not in the higher end of this draft class. Has had a few injury issues over the years and with Carlton's injury prevention team, that is a concern. (Hopefully that has changed)


While there was an element of me that wanted two bites of the cherry, Carlton moving up to this selection, I feel this was to get a guy with pure pace. FOS and Draper seem like the most logical selections based on all conversations. Draper can go from 0 to top speed quicker than most people on an AFL list, let alone this draft class. Unlike Dow that had speed he just did not use it, Draper's speed is very noticable. He has been stepping up in big moments even in his younger years, when a big play is required, he makes something happen. Due to his top end speed, there are times when he will need to learn to compose himself before the point of contact, this will help to reduce his kicking errors. Having the ability to take a hit will also help, so that will come with development of his body.

Thunderstruck

 

[Chris25]

Hawthorn? I better try to get in the mindset of a Hawks fan.

We’re on the verge of a dynasty and definitely won’t go backwards next year. Battle is worth every cent. And the term Hokball isn’t embarrassing at all.

Okay, ready. Not that I need any picks, our list is perfect!

 

[richoatthedisco]

Hawthorn? I better try to get in the mindset of a Hawks fan.

We’re on the verge of a dynasty and definitely won’t go backwards next year. Battle is worth every cent. And the term Hokball isn’t embarrassing at all.

Okay, ready. Not that I need any picks, our list is perfect!

 

[Thunderstruck]

Adelaide - Pick 5 Jagga Smith Oakleigh Chargers 182cm

For me this was a simple decision and a win-win with Draper or Smith being the targets. The need for zip and dash around the contests was the number 1 identifier going into this draft for the crows with many same-same one paced onballers. With Draper gone, Smith was the logical choice here.

Smith is a very studious onballer who demands high standards from himself and his teamates week in week out. He very rarely puts in a poor game, racking up big numbers and setting up numerous forward forays with his agility in congestion, clean hands and vision to be that half a step ahead of his tacklers. Whilst not a powerfully built mid, he is still dangerous with his ability to outwork and outrun his opponents over 4 quarters. Perhaps his main weakness might be his impact per possession and metres gained/penetration however he has had some games where he simply dominates both by hand or foot and is a difficult player to contain. The main comparison to a current player is Zak Butters

9

Zak Butters

Age

25

Ht

181cm

Wt

77kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

14.3

4star

K

7.7

3star

HB

6.7

4star

M

3.0

3star

T

2.6

4star

CL

0.8

3star

D

14.7

4star

K

8.9

4star

HB

5.9

3star

M

3.9

4star

T

2.9

4star

CL

1.1

3star

D

17.0

5star

K

9.0

4star

HB

8.0

5star

M

3.6

4star

T

1.6

4star

CL

0.6

3star

but without the crazy hard edge or sheer speed of Butters. I can see him playing 300 games fairly easily and becoming one of the premier on-ballers in the comp

Pie 4 Life

 

[Pie 4 Life]

Pick 6 - Melbourne - Harvey Langford (Dandenong Stingrays/Vic Country)

SNAPSHOT: “One of the year’s steepest risers and most reliable performers, boasting a well-rounded game and the ability to impact results through midfield or up forward.” – Michael Alvaro

Harvey Langford’s top-age season has been one to marvel at. The Dandenong Stingrays star went from a first round chance to bonafide top 10 prospect with an accumulation of best on ground performances, which culminated in him taking out the Larke Medal. What’s more, he led the Stingrays to a Coates Talent League preliminary final.

This year marked Langford’s third season in Dandenong’s Under 18 program. He debuted as a 16-year-old in 2022, playing one game, before putting together 14 as a bottom-ager. Even then, he posted strong numbers as a mainstay for the Stingrays, who were bundled out in Wildcard Round that year.

The 190cm midfielder-forward then took his game to new heights. He was selected for the AFL Academy and co-captained Dandenong alongside good mate, Cooper Hynes. His consistency was outstanding all year, only dropping below 20 touches in one of 15 Coates Talent League appearances, and being held goalless just thrice.

What truly elevated Langford’s standing, though, was his performance at the Under 18 National Championships. Utilised almost exclusively through midfield, he averaged 25.5 disposals, and 6.3 marks, clearances, and inside 50s while being named Vic Country’s best two players across all four games.

Langford, a boyhood Richmond supporter, was also among the few prospects who earned a VFL berth with the Tigers this year. He managed 12 disposals and three marks in his sole appearance, playing a half on-ball before showing his wares up forward. Few other top prospects have been so prolific and reliable in 2024.



Smythe

 

[Smythe]

PICK 7 - RICHMOND - Alex Tauru - 194cm - Def/Fwd
Alix is a super athletic defender, and whilst still a little raw, he has a lot of AFL traits already and they will only flourish and get better with time and a few preseasons.
He can attack the ball in flight and is excellent overhead, taking many intercept marks with his innate ability to read the play ahead of him. Alongside that, he can also lock down and defend one on one quite well, then be used as that rebounding defender, a lot of the time, using the ball quite well in finding team mates up the ground.
He generally has an aggressive attack on the ball, and is seen as a general across the backline.
He also has dual positional traits, moving down forward to show recruiters the other side of his game and it translated seamlessly as he was able to lead up to the ball well, take grabs, and kick goals.
He will learn to pick the right option more often with coaching and more footy under his belt and also use hands to a running defender instead of going back on the mark to kick it, but they are both easily coached.
His athleticism and attack on the ball, coach-ability and dual position play got him over the line here. I see traits from players like, Sicily, Ridley and the athletic traits of Howe.
Armstrong was going to be the option here if Tauru was gone. The other big mids were Smillie and Allan coming into consideration and I knew I would be able to get one of them in my next bunch of picks, which left the choice of Tauru or Armstrong.
Harry Armstrong definitely came under very, very strong consideration here, but my draft plan needed a good defender with a POD to the others, and Alix is miles ahead of any other defender in those terms, so I was not going to pass him up, and with other forwards in the plan, I knew I could snare them later to headline a dual attack down forward, and as such, it worked out perfectly.


ModernArtillery

 

[ModernArtillery]

Pick 8 - St Kilda
Josh Smillie
Eastern Ranges / VIC Metro

This was the definitely the easier of the two picks. I was always going a midfielder here and Smillie was the highest rated player on my board, from those available. I rate his stoppage craft really highly and think he's a pretty solid user, which is rareish for the tall, big-bodied midfielders. Maybe a lower floor than the other top-end mids but I think his ceiling is a genuine number 1 midfielder.

Pick 9 - St Kilda
Harry Armstrong
Sandringham Dragons / VIC Metro

This was a much harder selection. I was very tempted to go back-to-back midfielders and take Murphy Reid but I ultimately couldn't pass on adding the highest rated key forward in the draft. The Saints are light on for genuine key position size forwards and Armstrong could develop into a nice foil for Max King

Multiple players found. Use birthday to differentiate. eg [PLAYERCARD="23/11/1962"]Joe Smith[/PLAYERCARD]

. He just consistently hits the scoreboard and doesn't need many chances to run up his tally. Happy to pair him with Smillie with back to back picks.


Pie 4 Life

 

[Pie 4 Life]

Pick 10 - Melbourne - Murphy Reid (Sandringham Dragons/Vic Metro)

Will write up later.

Smythe

 

[Smythe]

PICK 11 - RICHMOND - Bo Allan 191cm - Def/Mid
Langford was gone, Smillie was gone, Bo Allan was next in line as a big bodied mid.
We all knew what he can do across the backline, so what can he do through the midfield.
Allan this year showed his class and explosive traits away from the pack in the midfield this year and whilst his numbers (although very good for a new midfielder) might not get you super excited, it’s the class of what he did that has recruiters grinning.
Some times he showed that he was already a level above this class of under 18’s. His explosiveness in bursts away from the pack coupled with his reading of the play and ability to muscle the ball away in a clearance was exciting, as was his sidestepping agility in traffic to get the ball forward for his team.
He was awarded senior footy over in the west and did not disappoint, also using that time to lean in and learn from AFL players as he was playing for Peel, Fremantle's affiliate.
He has leadership in spades, and ready made frame that can only get stronger, athleticism and agility, and a high in game IQ, generally using the ball by hand or foot very well, and although sometimes he chooses the wrong option to go to, that’s ok, it is easily trained out of his game. He can shrug off tackles, drive away from a pack and use his long kick to send the ball forward as well as using some of his smarts and leadership in that midfield pack helping his team mates.

 

[Smythe]

Pick 12 - Bid on Isaac Kako eDPS

 

[eDPS]

Pick 12 - Bid on Isaac Kako eDPS

Essendon match

 

[eDPS]

Pick 12 - Essendon - Isaac Kako (Bid Match)
176cm/Small Forward

Write up to come.

 

[Smythe]

Pick 13 - RICHMOND - Tobie Travaglia - 188cm - Utility

I was not letting him go any lower. I knew he would be next picked, but I also knew I was going to pick him here.
Xavier Lindsay did slightly come into consideration, but with Rioli leaving, and Tobie Travaglia being available here, it was a no brainer.
Tobie has all the traits of being able to replace that loss in time as a rebounding defender, intercepting and using his run, carry and long boot to be an 80-100m player across the half back line, down the wing and even going through the middle at stages.
He played in the all Australian under 18 sides against coburg and Footscray and absolutely held his head high in those games against the bigger bodies.
Toby received a VFL call up as the year went on and once again held his own playing across the backline for Carlton in the VFL.
He is good above head and attacks the ball in flight. It is easy to see the comparisons to Will Day and Hayden Young

26

Hayden Young

Age

24

Ht

189cm

Wt

88kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

10.0

3star

K

6.6

3star

HB

3.4

3star

M

3.2

3star

T

1.4

3star

CL

0.2

2star

D

10.0

3star

K

6.6

3star

HB

3.4

2star

M

3.2

3star

T

1.4

2star

CL

0.2

2star

D

10.0

3star

K

6.6

3star

HB

3.4

3star

M

3.2

4star

T

1.4

4star

CL

0.2

2star

, with his rangy running across the field, and play across the half back, in time, he could absolutely provide relief on the inside at the centre of the ground, especially with his endurance and agility.
Tobie could definitely put on some size, and also learn to use the ball a bit better but both I see as easy things to do once in an AFL system, and once he does, he could become an extremely dangerous player at the next level.

Monocle

 

[Monocle]

West Coast bid on Leo Lombard.

 

[Monocle]

Pick 14 - Gold Coast - Leo Lombard - 179 cm - Midfielder - Suns Academy.



Fast, ferocious, clean, poised, ball winner and very very consistent.
GCS - spoilt to pick him up to add to the plethora of free hits, through their academy program.

Really impressive young player, I haven't seen him play a bad game.

 

[PMBangers]

Gold Coast match this bid and will take Lombard.

Started doing the maths before I even refreshed the page

 

[Monocle]

Pick 15. West Coast - Xavier Lindsay - 183cm - Midfielder - Gippsland Power.




Lindsay is a classy midfielder that has very neat footskills, a commodity that West Coast are short on.
A reliable and accurate left footer that has some positional versatility, he may start off a HBF who eventually makes his way onto a wing and into midfield rotations at stoppages.
Has clean skills has poise and finds his targets, bonus is that he is generally moves the ball on quickly.

For a team that often misses its targets by foot, Lindsay will be a very handy pick up, to help rectify that situation.

I wont hide the fact that I really wanted Travaglia, but Oliver is a pretty hand consolation prize.

 

[PMBangers]

West Coast select Xavier Lindsay.

Write up latter.

Port up eDPS

You do this every year

 

[eDPS]

West Coast select Xavier Lindsay.

Write up latter.

Port up eDPS

You make me sad

Pick 16 - Port Adelaide - Taj Hotton
182cm/Midfielder-Small Forward

Really wanted Lindsay here but happy to take Hotton as my next best available player who has some real unique traits and star factor . Hotton likely goes top 10 if he doesn’t do his ACL, he likely sits out 2025 but that’s not a bad thing as Ports starting midfield is still pretty strong.

Once Hotton is ready I feel he will make an instant impact at AFL level and although he is likely to wait for midfield opportunity he should still be damaging forward or on wing early days.

Chris25