Live Event 2025 AFL Draft – Pre-season and Rookie drafts, 3pm Friday

[Lore]

DON'T FORGET TO TIP!

Win Prizes - 2025 Official BigFooty Draft Tipping Competition - ENTRIES CLOSE ~7.30pm

The BigFooty Official Draft Tipping Competition is back again for 2025! Tip the first round of the draft and WIN. PRIZES 1st place = 2 year BigFooty Platinum membership + shiny badge thanks to Chief 2nd place = 1 year BigFooty Platinum membership Entries close when the clock starts on Pick...

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[Pure_Ownage]

So which board are we going to for the melts?

The Eagles?

Keep cripps lose banfield and Evans. Lol

 

[Art Vandelay_]

There are a few unhappy people there...

What am I missing? Two top 5 prospects and highly touted Lindsay.
Surely any melting over night two is a bit laughable from any club given how we heard all year how weak a draft this is.

 

[Barrybran]

What am I missing? Two top 5 prospects and highly touted Lindsay.
Surely any melting over night two is a bit laughable from any club given how we heard all year how weak a draft this is.

There have been more than a few complaints about the academies and lack of midfielders and now that we have access to both, we mismanaged it. I'm ambivalent to it myself as those players all went in the 40's but I understand people being upset about overlooking Charlie Banfield in particular, being the son of a dual premiership player. It did sound like we were upfront about potentially not matching bids though.

 

[KrispyKreme]

Probably the biggest surprises to not be taken:

Oliver Greeves
Liam Hetherton
Noah Hibbins-Hargreaves
Leon Kickett
Taj Murray
Riley Onley
Blake Oudshoorn-Bennier
Fred Rodriguez

I can understand later kids and wanting to meet list needs
Greeves is a shock to me.
NHH is a shock also.

I know people are saying off field issues but you have to be specific. Richmond has taken plenty of kids with off field.
Dusty?
Stack
Pickett

 

[Descent]

Pretty sure the clubs can look at Greeves’ GPS numbers and know that he can’t make it at AFL level. I think it’s only surprising because we’re not privy to the data that informs these decisions.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

There have been more than a few complaints about the academies and lack of midfielders and now that we have access to both, we mismanaged it. I'm ambivalent to it myself as those players all went in the 40's but I understand people being upset about overlooking Charlie Banfield in particular, being the son of a dual premiership player. It did sound like we were upfront about potentially not matching bids though.

The best thing I've done in recent years to get perspective on the draft is a couple simple things.

1. Read draft threads from 3+ years prior. See how accurate draft night praise and/or melting has become with the benefit of time.
2. Form opinions on players the following season watching them when they start playing reserves. Not from U18 highlights packages, that are just that. Highlights.
3. Disregard opinions of footballers from 99% of Bigfooty posters. There's a reason we're on the couch while list managers are at Marvel.
4. Listen to nothing Ablett or Sheahan or Joey or Cal etc say about players. It would be mean to talk down draftees on their big night so they instead pump up everyone. Making their views rather pointless.

 

[Roogene]

Speed is in high demand along with foot skills. Even the talls need to have that burst of speed now.

Without it you are pissing into the wind.

 

[Hollow Knight]

What was Port Adelaide’s expenses to send 8 people to Melbourne to sit in a room for 2 nights and do absolutely nothing?

 

[Roogene]

What was Port Adelaide’s expenses to send 8 people to Melbourne to sit in a room for 2 nights and do absolutely nothing?

Would be forced to attend by the AFL.

 

[MarcMaverick]

What was Port Adelaide’s expenses to send 8 people to Melbourne to sit in a room for 2 nights and do absolutely nothing?

Sample Melbournes latest coffee brews.

 

[PortAdelFC1997]

What was Port Adelaide’s expenses to send 8 people to Melbourne to sit in a room for 2 nights and do absolutely nothing?

They get free food and accommodation.

 

[PortAdelFC1997]

Probably the biggest surprises to not be taken:

Oliver Greeves
Liam Hetherton
Noah Hibbins-Hargreaves
Leon Kickett
Taj Murray
Riley Onley
Blake Oudshoorn-Bennier
Fred Rodriguez

Surely all these guys get taken in tomorrow's rookie draft or during the SSP.

 

[Rod Stroker]

Only 60 players drafted? Feels like there are less picks every year.

 

[Jen2310]

Only 60 players drafted? Feels like there are less picks every year.

It was more than speculated there may be.
Plus I think clubs were tight on list spots this year; add in to the fact this draft class wasn't as strong as previous years.

 

[Gavin Excell]

The one I know has been a prodigy for some time and all of a sudden, no one wants him. Not sure what happened but WOW.

Brutal stuff, its a highly valuable life lesson but one you would rather not experience.

Yeah would be devastating
Probably having family around waiting for the call that never happens

There are still other pathways in but it gets narrower

 

[MisterMarcus]

The one I know has been a prodigy for some time and all of a sudden, no one wants him. Not sure what happened but WOW.

Brutal stuff, its a highly valuable life lesson but one you would rather not experience.

Honest question - are there indeed some character or commitment or "Do they truly have everything it takes to be a professional national sportsman" type scenarios with this kid you know?

 

[MisterMarcus]

What was Port Adelaide’s expenses to send 8 people to Melbourne to sit in a room for 2 nights and do absolutely nothing?

What have I missed here? I thought every team was basically forced to take minimum two picks in the draft?

EDIT: Ah, forgot about rookie upgrades. Port upgraded 3 so I guess it makes sense now, they already fulfilled their 'quota'....

 

[KanesBurner]

What have I missed here? I thought every team was basically forced to take minimum two picks in the draft?

I thought that too but maybe it’s just used picks and we are upgrading 3 rookies to the main list which costs a pick. Port have wanted nothing to do with this draft for a long time but still surprising not even 1 pick in it haha

 

[KanesBurner]

They get free food and accommodation.

AFL gave the list management team Dougie then a free holiday.

 

[liz]

What have I missed here? I thought every team was basically forced to take minimum two picks in the draft?

EDIT: Ah, forgot about rookie upgrades. Port upgraded 3 so I guess it makes sense now, they already fulfilled their 'quota'....

Until recently clubs were allowed to count one rookie upgrade towards their quota of three. I think that was relaxed somewhat during the Covid-affected seasons but I thought that was temporary and it was back to at least two "new" draftees, though that can include redrafting a delisted player (ala Stringer and Byrnes).

So I'm unclear about how Port were able to sit the draft out. When did that rule (permanently) change?

 

[Golumless]

Only 60 players drafted? Feels like there are less picks every year.

It's not the worst in recent years, 2020 and 2022 both had 59 players.

That said, definitely is, we haven't had a draft go 75+ picks deep since 2018. I do wonder if there has been an attitude change with covid/SPP where teams are more concerned about wasting time/resources on a speculative flutter for the hell of it. Even the rookie draft is trending towards more and more list management picks.

 

[MarcMaverick]

It's not the worst in recent years, 2020 and 2022 both had 59 players.

That said, definitely is, we haven't had a draft go 75+ picks deep since 2018. I do wonder if there has been an attitude change with covid/SPP where teams are more concerned about wasting time/resources on a speculative flutter for the hell of it. Even the rookie draft is trending towards more and more list management picks.

Its not the end of days anymore if you don't get selected in the National Draft.

Also you don't need to draft 17y-o's. Some of the draftees are mature agers.

 

[Roogene]

Honest question - are there indeed some character or commitment or "Do they truly have everything it takes to be a professional national sportsman" type scenarios with this kid you know?

As far as I know definately but behind closed doors etc do they have issues I don't know about that showed up in testing/interviewing, dunno. I suspect that something popped up as 18 clubs to the same conclusion. Its pretty brutal, these are still kids maturity wise and having to deal with rejection is never easy.

One of my mates kids was a top 20 a few years ago and never got drafted also but that was the Covid years so it was hard to measure talent back then given limited exposure.

I think drafting cycles re player type they want. This draft seemed to be a lot about speed, atheleticsm and upside.

 

[Lore]

Only 60 players drafted? Feels like there are less picks every year.

There are more players getting onto lists in other ways instead, like SSP and MSD

 

[Mofra]

I still think Tom Burton should get a chance. Can run, plays midfield or reference. Fingers crossed for the rookie list