Player Watch 2025 AFL Draft Thread (Welcome to our new Central Districts overlords!)

[Suntory Boss Coffee]

If we go from 10 to 12 there is still the possibility we can get Grlj

North keen on Pickett and GWS on O Taylor

 

[2008wasoverDEW!]

Was Farrow our initial pick 10 target? Now likely to be taken by Melbourne, or Essendon.
GWS and North would both be tempted by Sam Grlj, if he were available, which seems to suggest that he might not be our target if we are prepared to shift back two spots. Twomey mentioned we have shown late interest in Dovaston, Pickett, and Lindsay. Oskar Taylor could also come into calculations. One of those would definitely be available at 12, if we shifted back.

The pick 17 is more intriguing. Is it Greeves? Barker? Schubert? Marsh?
Nobody previously linked us to Sam Butler, Connor Macdonald, or Josh Weddle. We do tend to hold our cards close to our chest.

 

[earthworms]

If we go from 10 to 12 there is still the possibility we can get Grlj

North keen on Pickett and GWS on O Taylor

North desperately needs a small forward or key position player I doubt they go grlj

 

[SSSSSS]

North desperately needs a small forward or key position player I doubt they go grlj

North trading out a top 4 pick in this draft for a pick in the 20s last season, only to trade out another top 4 pick next year to land a mature age small forward is peak Norf.

 

[MercurialHawk26]

Never in the history of human speculation…..has so much been written …..by so many …. that came to nought (mostly).

Thanks to all, it’s been a good read and we will find out soon enough how much of the mostly it is.

Let me introduce you to our trade rumours thread....

 

[danielG]

North desperately needs a small forward or key position player I doubt they go grlj

Seems like our main target is Lindsay… Not my preferred but our recruitment team know a lot more than us.. Time will tell…

 

[sohsam]

Was Farrow our initial pick 10 target? Now likely to be taken by Melbourne, or Essendon.
GWS and North would both be tempted by Sam Grlj, if he were available, which seems to suggest that he might not be our target if we are prepared to shift back two spots. Twomey mentioned we have shown late interest in Dovaston, Pickett, and Lindsay. Oskar Taylor could also come into calculations. One of those would definitely be available at 12, if we shifted back.

The pick 17 is more intriguing. Is it Greeves? Barker? Schubert? Marsh?
Nobody previously linked us to Sam Butler, Connor Macdonald, or Josh Weddle. We do tend to hold our cards close to our chest.

I doubt is greeves or barker, perhaps is schubert / marsh, but to give us taking Grlj, does not make sense. Greeves is meant to slide, none of these things you know 100%, if only you knew at what pick a particular player would be taken, you could plan ahead. It is a huge risk though, we were all warming up in taking Grlj and now is someone else or two others, if it is not Grlj, not sure whether other two we would be as excited about.

 

[Alite]

For those suggesting we’ll take Lindsey at either 10 or 12 think again, he wasn’t invited to tonight’s draft and we have Crawford presenting the jumper which means it’s someone that’s there.

The first night invitees (that I could find):

• Willem Duursma
• Cooper Duff-Tytler
• Zeke Uwland
• Dylan Patterson
• Sullivan Robey
• Harry Dean
• Dan Annable
• Xavier Taylor
• Sam Grlj
• Jacob Farrow
• Dyson Sharp
• Sam Cumming
• Lachy Dovaston
• Cam Nairn

- Any others?

 

[sohsam]

Seems like our main target is Lindsay… Not my preferred but our recruitment team know a lot more than us.. Time will tell…

wasn't he even invited to the first round selection, which runs till about pick 30, including the academy kids, having said that we would not have got him with our second pick. No, not my preferred pick either, huge difference with Grlij. There you go.

 

[The Golden Glenferrie]

Seems like our main target is Lindsay… Not my preferred but our recruitment team know a lot more than us.. Time will tell…

wasn't he even invited to the first round selection, which runs till about pick 30, including the academy kids, having said that we would not have got him with our second pick. No, not my preferred pick either, huge difference with Grlij. There you go.

Surely not Lindsay. But we reach hard, so it makes sense

 

[sohsam]

The first night invitees (that I could find):

• Willem Duursma
• Cooper Duff-Tytler
• Zeke Uwland
• Dylan Patterson
• Sullivan Robey
• Harry Dean
• Dan Annable
• Xavier Taylor
• Sam Grlj
• Jacob Farrow
• Dyson Sharp
• Sam Cumming
• Lachy Dovaston
• Cam Nairn

- Any others?

There is nobody on the list that we think is more deserving than Grlj so we are all at a loss and Greeves should be available for our second, so again very strange. Can you think of anyone else more deserving? if we had even better ball winning players, Grlj would be even more higher up for our needs. His versatility and the fact that his speed/endurance is low risk, makes him a lock. Farrow is much higher risk of a bust. There is no one else really. Again we are all at a loss.

 

[TylerDurden]

There's a chance we get Griller and Lindsay.

If so, get out the champagne.

 

[danielG]

Surely not Lindsay. But we reach hard, so it makes sense

I think he’s the Cats and the Digs target so the teams looking for a win now move probably like that his kicking.can make an immediate impact.. I’d prefer we go with the higher upside pick in Grjl but I’m pretty resigned to being disappointed right now.

 

[flinchfree]

There is nobody on the list that we think is more deserving than Grlj so we are all at a loss and Greeves should be available for our second, so again very strange. Can you think of anyone else more deserving? if we had even better ball winning players, Grlj would be even more higher up for our needs. His versatility and the fact that his speed/endurance is low risk, makes him a lock. Farrow is much higher risk of a bust. There is no one else really. Again we are all at a loss.

Nope.

 

[I got the outside word]

There's a chance we get Griller and Lindsay.

If so, get out the champagne.

View attachment 2480600

If I don’t get to use the phrase ‘Wizzle Sizzle’ during a game I am going to be so angry at this board.

 

[DrAbs]

Would be more than happy with Grlj & Greeves or Grlj & Marsh.

Not so sure about Schubert.

 

[sohsam]

There's a chance we get Griller and Lindsay.

If so, get out the champagne.

View attachment 2480600

Lindsay pinpoints Griller from 50 metres out, Griller burns everyone off for an open goal. Now, those two would be a good duo, hides their deficiencies, together become unstoppable.

 

[number23]

There's a chance we get Griller and Lindsay.

If so, get out the champagne.

View attachment 2480600

He'd be the only man smart enought to work who the Hawks will be picking and what the strategy is.

 

[Alite]

I'm very curious who we are keen on at 17 that we doubt gets through to pick 22.

It's somewhat similar to the Weddle upgrade (pick 18) back in 2022. We had pick 27, and were desperate for Josh, but we knew he wouldn't get through our next selection.

It's good to see that we are being bold.

Obtaining Brisbane's Pick 17 has us getting in before Geelong. MM may think the Cats want the player he also wants.

 

[DrAbs]

There's a chance we get Griller and Lindsay.

If so, get out the champagne.

View attachment 2480600

Doubt it. Dogs keen on Lindsay.

 

[eldorado]

I've moved on from Grjl

You're a shameless hussy!

 

[DrAbs]

Obtaining Brisbane's Pick 17 has us getting in before Geelong. MM may think the Cats want the player he also wants.

Surely not Blake Thredgold???

 

[Dewnior]

I get the feeling that we want Taylor or Lindsay with our first pick. If you shift back, you don't get Grlj but he may not be our preference. I will be sad because I've become rather attached to that pick.

We want Taylor/Lindsay with our second pick. We won't trade out pick 10 if it means missing out on Grlj. We are looking to trade 22 down to the teens.

 

[Dewnior]

Seems like our main target is Lindsay… Not my preferred but our recruitment team know a lot more than us.. Time will tell…

Not our main target.

 

[Alite]

How'd they pick the 14 kids?
Is it just the ones that live in Victoria? (or wherever the thing is being held?)

The invitees to the first night of the AFL National Draft are primarily selected based on club nominations. Each AFL club submits a list of their top targets, focusing on players they expect to be drafted in the first round. The AFL then curates the group of invitees from these nominations, ensuring the players most likely to be picked early are present at the live draft event. This group typically includes those projected to fill the top 10 to 20 selections, with some additional invites as clubs finalize their draft strategies close to the event.
Key factors influencing the selection of invitees for the first night include:
• Likelihood of being picked in the first round, which is heavily influenced by club nominations.
• Prospects tied to academy or father-son rules where bidding may affect draft order.
• The AFL anticipates a relatively small group, around a dozen to 18 players, attending in person to represent the top order picks on draft night, reflecting the exclusivity of this invitation.
• Some late invitations can be made if a player’s draft stock rises significantly close to the draft.

A player invited to the first night may not be selected on the first night depending on the way the draft goes. The AFL tries to avoid this disappointment and so keeps the list small.