BigFooty Official 2024 BIGFOOTY OFFICIAL PHANTOM DRAFT

[Smythe]

PICK 27 - RICHMOND - Jonty Faull - 196cm - Fwd
Well, my plan came to fruition.
The first of my new twin towers down forward is Jonty Faull.
No key forward works as hard as Jonty, up and back the ground, in the air or on the ground.
Has good hands but they could get better, works hard on a lead, leads into good ares and as a forward he has the good leading patterns down pat.
Is very good for a guy his size below his knees and will chase a tackle. He has a big hoof on him and a good set shot routine mostly ending in a goal as his tally of 27 goals and 16 behinds can attest to.
He works best as that high forward, Jeremy Cameron

5

Jeremy Cameron

Age

32

Ht

196cm

Wt

94kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

12.5

3star

K

9.0

3star

HB

3.4

3star

M

5.4

5star

T

1.6

4star

G

2.6

5star

D

10.0

3star

K

7.1

3star

HB

2.9

2star

M

4.6

4star

T

2.0

3star

G

1.9

5star

D

8.2

2star

K

5.0

2star

HB

3.2

3star

M

4.6

5star

T

2.4

4star

G

2.0

5star

style, working back to goal but can also play as that one out down in the forward line.
He has a bit of mongrel in him and will crash a pack, but also has a deft touch, with a little tap on to a team mate or spotting up better options.
Faull worked on his tank and after the late start to the year due to injury he showed up with bags of goals, 5 in his first game back as a matter of fact.
He has shown himself to be a big game player towards the end of the season too, kicking big bags of goals in the finals before receiving absolutely nothing in the grand final. The ball almost never went into the forward line and I have no doubt, if he was on the opposing teams side and in their forward line he would have kicked 6 or 7 goals.
There is plenty of upside with Jonty and hopefully he can forge out a long career down forward alongside my next pick.

 

[Smythe]

PICK 28 - RICHMOND - Thomas Sims - 199cm - Fwd

Thomas is taller than Jonty and at 199 cm he poses as a KPF that can pinch hit in the ruck at times. He showed that he can do that this year as he played that role for the Knights and did quite well.
He has great hands and takes the ball at full stretch generally taking away the opponents option to spoil as they can’t get the high.
He needs to work on his goal kicking routine as he did miss some easy shots this year, but also has a big boot and kick some long bombs.
He has many athletic traits that will hold him in good stead for the future as he progresses into a full time athlete and he showed how good those traits are with a very good turn out at the combine.
He projects as more of a lead out of the goal square forward and plays similar to Tom Lynch (without the silly free kicks) but molds his game on Jeremy Cameron

5

Jeremy Cameron

Age

32

Ht

196cm

Wt

94kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

12.5

3star

K

9.0

3star

HB

3.4

3star

M

5.4

5star

T

1.6

4star

G

2.6

5star

D

10.0

3star

K

7.1

3star

HB

2.9

2star

M

4.6

4star

T

2.0

3star

G

1.9

5star

D

8.2

2star

K

5.0

2star

HB

3.2

3star

M

4.6

5star

T

2.4

4star

G

2.0

5star

and yes, at times this year, showed he has the tank to run up and down the ground when he helped out in the ruck.
So I have ended up back ending the draft haul with a forward line twin towers combination of two guys that should grow together and work well together for years to come.

In the end, I don’t believe Richmond will use all these picks, there will be movement, maybe not before the draft but definitely during it, I dare say they will offload one or more of 18, 20, 23, and 24.
Possibly turning two of those picks into one, and perhaps sending one into the future, and if they want to keep Sam Davidson (from the vfl team) at tiger land they may choose to turn 24 into a couple of picks, one a little later in the second round with a future to come with it.
I did this with a view towards what could be available at the top end of the draft next year as well, and if Richmond has a couple of first round picks there are some solid prospects at selections for the Tigers to grab, especially smaller mids with good ball use and mongrel in them. When it comes to building a spine i think the better prospects come from this draft, but as we saw many build their good years this year and push themselves up into high draft contention that may happen next year also, but at the moment, the top end looks very good then there is a drop off early.
I personally would have loved to trade a couple up to try to nab Armstrong as well which would be changing the last few picks but had to make a plan because of no trading, and i really do like Xavier Lindsay as a mid option that I did not grab due to the different plan I had in nabbing the running defender first when the rule of no trading was in place.
I have heard Richmond are talking to Port in relation to the current pick 13, and also, Geelong, Essendon and Hawthorn are keen to jump back into this first round up to a point, so that may be an option.

Very interesting year, very good draft pool, and an intriguing night ahead.



goodcop badcop

 

[goodcop badcop]

PICK 28 - RICHMOND - Thomas Sims - 199cm - Fwd
Write up later
goodcop badcop

Pick 29 - Western Bulldogs - Hamish Davis
FWD/Utility
190cm

Had a good season in general, but like Hannaford he came home with a wet sail to finish the season. After averaging a tick over 14 disposals and kicking 7 goals in the nationals including a 15 disposal, 11 score involvement game. Davis came back to colts level and collected 40 possessions and elevated himself to WAFL seniors for the last 7 games. After playing well in the first few games, he really started to kick off in the last round of the season, collecting 16 disposals and kicking 3 goals. Then in the elimination final, he went one better kicking 4 goals and collecting 21 possessions. After his team got knocked out of the seniors a week later, he went back to colts level and won the best on ground medal after gathering 30 disposals, eight clearances and 12 score involvements.

What you get – One of the best endurance runners in the draft running a 6.18 over 2km placing him 5th in the draft. He’s someone that uses this in game by working hard high up the ground to be a link up player and then pushes hard back often getting involved in possession chains. He’s also quite a good ball user and sets up play forward of centre if he’s not kicking goals himself often trying to get the ball forward rather than looking backwards or sideways. He’s also good overhead and clean at ground level and with that could potentially play in all 3 areas of the ground. Overall, he’s a very smart footballer and a very low risk moneyball type that is a very good chance of at least having a solid career. Though I may be selling him short, as towards the end of the season in particular, he really started to use his body and frame a bit more in the contest and with a bit more training this should only improve maybe potentially developing him into a full time midfielder long term which really could elevate his standing further.

Weaknesses – Whilst he is quite a neat and a often a good kick, he has a ball drop that makes me a bit nervous and part of me wonders how well that will stand up under intense pressure at the next level. It hasn’t been an issue at the level he’s been playing at least. He could also be a bit more involved defensively, at the moment he is very much an attacking player.

Needs – Davis is someone I would ear mark for a role on the wing and could be playing as early as next year. At the moment Williams is currently the main winger, the other spot is open season with only Freijah a future standout, but could be required down back.

Monocle

 

[Monocle]

Pick 30 - West Coast - Christian Moraes - 183 cm - Midfielder - Eastern Rangers.






Moreas is a hard running balanced midfielder that can play inside, but his best work is on the outside, as his ball movement and distribution is very sound.
He is clean by hand and very capable and damaging around the goals, he is a classical goal kicking midfielder.
Knows how to find the footy and also is smart with where he looks to move the ball on to.

Also a very capable HFF and his forward craft smarts, is a factor in his good ball distribution, as he knows just where are all the hot spots to pass too, that forwards prefer.

Had a great game CTL in round 17, where he racked up 27 disposals and kicked 5 goals.

His running capabilities, he goal sense and his clean hands in the end are hard to ignore so at this juncture in the draft he represented good value.

Was tempted to go a few ways here with this pick, as I am mindful that WC have a few positional depth concerns and KPD is definitely one of the.
With taking into consideration who West Coast will have access to next year through the FS and NGA taking a tall this year probably made better long term sense, however I have gone with the here and now need and taken a midfielder.
Given that Whitlock was still on the board I wouldn't have minded taking him, also if I could trust the medical reports out of the AFL concerning Noah Marz navicular fracture, I would not have hesitated taking him with this pick, trouble is without that information its too great a risk

Was tossing up between Hamish Davis and Moraes with this pick but Davie going a pick before, made the decision easier.

 

[eDPS]

Pick 31 - Port Adelaide - Jesse Dattoli
179cm - Midfielder/Small Forward

Absolutely stoked to get Dattoli here who was strongly considered for my first pick aswell. Dattoli has had a strong year playing well at every level and has showcased his best traits in every game he has played.

Dattoli is a confident player and very driven, he is surprisingly strong overhead who I’ve seen outmark key position players with superior hands and judgment which allows him some real versatility at the next level.

Dattoli has great skills on both feet and his ability to get his hands free and release by hand left or right is elite which has allowed him to play some stellar games as a midfielder and I feel Metro missed a trick not playing him inside more but it did allow him to showcase his versatility either way.

Chris25

 

[Chris25]

Pick 32 Fremantle - Angus Clarke

Shouldn’t really be a surprise. He’s the highest on my board, I think he’s borderline top 20. One of the best kicks in the draft with a lot of room left to grow. Strong mark and one I actually rate defensively too.

Few talls around the mark here too, otherwise Lachie Jaques was the other one I considered.

ModernArtillery

 

[ModernArtillery]

Pick 33 - St Kilda
Matt Whitlock
Murray Bushrangers / Vic Country

I loved Whitlock in this range. Good value on talent and I think fits a need. My guess is Matt would be a first rounder in a lot of other drafts. Whilst I'm drafting him as a KPD here, much like Ben King

34

Ben King

Age

25

Ht

202cm

Wt

98kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

7.2

2star

K

5.0

2star

HB

2.2

2star

M

3.5

4star

T

0.5

3star

G

1.3

5star

D

7.5

2star

K

5.6

2star

HB

1.9

1star

M

3.6

4star

T

0.3

1star

G

1.5

5star

D

6.8

2star

K

4.4

2star

HB

2.4

3star

M

3.2

4star

T

0.2

3star

G

1.0

4star

, the club that drafts him might feel they get more value developing him into a KPF. He's an impressive athlete and if he can add enough size to compete more in the contest, I think there's genuine scope for him to develop into one of the better KPPs in the comp.

Chris25

 

[Chris25]

Pick 34 Hawthorn - Hugh Boxshall

187cm mid out of WA, wins his own ball inside plus a decent athlete on the outside. One weakness I see in this draft is in proper midfielders, a lot of the depth is in flankers and talls. But with Boxshall, I see a guy with genuine potential to develop in the middle.

I did consider Gerreyn, because Chol has had his one good season now. So he’s due for a few poor ones. But I’ll go tall later instead.

goodcop badcop

 

[LemmingMaster]

Western Bulldogs bid on Ben Camporeale

LemmingMaster

Matched, you'd hope on draft night you could move infront of this bid. I was borderline going to let him go to the Doggies.

 

[goodcop badcop]

Matched, you'd hope on draft night you could move infront of this bid. I was borderline going to let him go to the Doggies.

I was thinking that, he was the best available on my board so had to do it.

Pick 36 - Western Bulldogs - Jasper Alger

Went with the best available small option again. Strongly considered some tall back options here, but another speedy small option was still another need. Similar to Weightmen, but they may have to take turns playing further up the ground at times.

Full write up to come

eDPS with Port

 

[Chris25]

Port Adelaide bid on Cody Anderson

Chris25 with Hawks will you match?

Pick 37 Hawthorn - Cody Anderson (matched NGA bid)

It’s earlier than I’d have taken him in the open draft, but there’s really nothing to lose using a couple of late picks to match here.

The concern is on his ball use and decision making, two pretty big negatives for a small. He absolutely makes up for it with his attack on the ball and he does most other things well. But his weaknesses aren’t areas that tend to suddenly improve, especially with a step up in competition.

But he’ll give it 100% and he’s every chance to find a role in the midfield through sheer effort. And in the short term, he’ll probably debut in 2025 in the forward half as a defensive small.

 

[eDPS]

Pick 38 - Port Adelaide - Will Hayes

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

180cm - Wingman

I’ve looked at Hayes to help complete the wings for Port Adelaide for the future to partner with Burgoyne. Hayes has that great speed/endurance mix for the role and his kicking inside 50 is usually sublime.

Hayes knows how to find the goals but also can run and dash from half back so he is a versatile type with some real upside aswell.

PMBangers

 

[PMBangers]

Pick 39 - GWS
Jack Ough (GWV Rebels/ VIC C)
194 cm
Midfielder/ Defender

This is a pretty weird part of the draft from a GWS point of view, if I was any other club it would've been O'Farrell without a second thought as a clear BPA, but ultimately given the GWS list build strategy is predominantly done via the draft I went with someone who fit our midfield need better.

Don't get me wrong I like Ough, with a really impressive work rate and endurance base and a continually developing contested game I think he could end up a real player. My hope would be that he essentially takes over from Cumming on the wing given his traits suit the role well, and I don't think having a midfield combo of Green, Callaghan and Ough is overly smart given how tall that'd be, but could also see him settling into a role in the backline.

Also I know 'Jack Ough' replacing 'I.Cumming' is hilarious

Also considered; Harry O'Farrell, Lennox Hofman, Cody Angove

eDPS

 

[eDPS]

Pick 40 - Essendon - James Barrat
194cm - Utility

Essendon don’t have many taller utilities especially under the age of 22 going into next year and Barrat is a genuine utility showing some good form in every area of the ground but mostly as a defender.

Barrat is one of the most competitive players in this years draft pool and he has a good mix of speed/strength that many talls at Essendon lack.

His leap is only solid and his short kicking can be hit and miss but he has good kick penetration when he kicks long, there is plenty of scope for Barrat who even got to play a game for Essendon VFL this year.

LemmingMaster with Swans

 

[LemmingMaster]

Pick 41 Luke Urquhart 184cm Midfielder

I am a East Fremantle homer, so this may be a case of rating a player a little higher than he should be rated. Would be one of the stronger players in the draft class. (This is who I would have taken instead of Ben Camp for Carlton). Has top end speed mixed in with a solid body and amazing clearance player. He has 50m+ kicking ability and did not look outclassed against top ten picks in the carnival.
While his long kicking looks good, his ability to hit targets is a slight concern, along with his durability. He reminds me a little of Warner, the Swans have had very good contacts in WA and this kid will hopefully be on their radar. I remember Warner was an explosive player that lacked polish by boot as well.
When you're picking a player in the 40's, you're hoping for a few AFL attributes and hopefully the weaknesses will be solved.
He will need to work on kicking and endurance to a certain extent.
Monocle

 

[Monocle]

Pick 42 - Geelong - Lachie Jaques - 184 cm - Defender - Geelong Falcons.







Geelong go local here with a kid who has a lot of AFL traits and I am thrilled that he is available with this pick.

Mr Consistent and reads the game well, plays a lot taller than his 184 cm, his intercept over head marking is a real feature of his skill set, can run and carry when needed and generally makes good decisions.
The kid has some dash and a high footy IQ.

He really emerged as a good player as the season unfolded, featured in the Falcons best in most games, made the AA under 18 team and the CTL team of the year.

Joint Co-Captain at Falcons

Cats fans should be happy with this pick.


Essendon are on the clock eDPS

 

[eDPS]

Pick 43 - Essendon - Lennox Hofmann
190cm - Medium Defender

Essendon has a history of bidding on later NGA/FS picks, not a good history but one none the less. Hofmann imo is exactly the type of player that Essendon is missing on its list now that Kelly has retired but even if he hadn’t I feel Hofmann was still an area of need.

Hofmann is an athletic player able to play on tall, medium and smalls and he has done some solid jobs on some
very good players most recently shutting down Cooper Hynes completely.

Hofmann is strong overhead and a measured ball user who should be a great understudy for Ridley who is really the only other player on the Essendon list who can play tall and small.

ModernArtillery

 

[ModernArtillery]

eDPS he’s all yours.

Pick 44 - St Kilda
Kayle Gerreyn
West Perth / Western Australia

The plan was originally to go small here but I really like Gerreyn and couldn't pass. Whilst his size and strength suggest he's not far off competing at AFL level, I think his endurance will be a barrier through the first few years of his career. If he can improve in that regard, I find it hard to believe he can't have a career at the next level.

Others considered: Josh Dolan

goodcop badcop

 

[goodcop badcop]

Pick 45 - Western Bulldogs - Harry O'Farrell

Surprised he and Mraz are still here.

eDPS

 

[eDPS]

Surprised he and Mraz are still here.

eDPS

Well about that….


Pick 46 - Port Adelaide - Noah Mraz
198cm - Key Defender/Utility

I’ve had a strategy so far for Port Adelaide to target more midfield depth and really wanted to go another midfielder aswell but there wasn’t any I was willing to take here when a potential genuine AA calibre tall was still on the board with Noah Mraz.

Mraz has had a very interrupted season which has held him from being a potential late first/early second round selection. Mraz is a competitive and mobile tall who crashes packs and plays with intent not unlike Darcy Moore. His endurance and strong leap would also lend him well to play a potential key forward/pinch hit ruck role aswell.

Monocle

 

[Monocle]

Pick 47. Gold Coast - Archer Day-Wicks - 186 cm - Midfielder/Forward - Bendigo.




Reviewing A D-W is not an easy task, as there are times when he is a bit of an enigma.
When he is on song, he looks quite a player, what I would like to see from him, is him staying more in the contest for longer, because there is no questioning his raw talent and ability, I just want to see it more consistently.

He has very good skills and has a very a effective left foot on him and his ability to play taller than his 186cm makes his a difficult match up. Kid has some tricks and can be very elusive and hard to contain when the ball hits the ground, he is an opportunist.

If he can find some consistency to his game he will be a steal at the point in the draft, if he cant he probably doesn't make it.

He has all the tricks, he just needs to learn to put them together on a regular basis.





Pie 4 Life

 

[Pie 4 Life]

Pick 48 - Collingwood - Charlie Nicholls (Central District/South Australia)

Like him as a developing tall option, showed signs in all the key roles so happy to spec.

eDPS

 

[eDPS]

Pick 49 - Essendon - Sam Davidson
191cm/Medium Forward

Essendon were close to taking him in the MSD but won’t pass on him this time. Winner of the best young player in the VFL which has been almost a free pass into AFL with the amount of players who have won it to go on and get drafted.

Davidson is exactly the type of player Essendon need as a hard running and athletic medium forward with the potential for versatility aswell. Davidson is strong overhead and nimble at ground level with his speed and running capacity a great mix for the role he plays.

Pick 50 - Essendon - Charlie West
194cm/Key Forward

West is a real goer and despite delisting a similar sort of player in Pat Voss last year I feel West has a bit more potential. West is competitive in the air and surprisingly clean and nimble at ground level with a pretty decent football brain to boot.

Essendon need a more competitive player inside 50 which Jones and Wright really aren’t and West fits the bill here.

 

[PMBangers]

Speaking of PMBangers I'll place a bid on Logan Smith. Let me know

I knew it'd be you, matched

Logan Smith | RUCK
202 cm

Essentially a less built Nick Madden at this stage, but with Preuss gone and Keefe getting on we're due a ruck to come onto the list. I do like Smith's follow up work immediately from stoppage as a bit of POD to your standard U18s ruck, so that's nice

I did also consider passing given I had the next pick and Burmeister would've been a guarantee for me, but I've essentially taken Whitlock earlier for the same role I'd put Burmeister in

 

[Pie 4 Life]

Pick 53 - Collingwood - Josh Dolan (Sandringham Dragons/Vic Metro)

Classy forward, write up to come later.

Monocle with Geelong I believe