2025 Draft Thread

[_Cerberus_]

Not all that surpsied we are targeting a rebounding defender, or a midfielder with good ball use. The good teams that beat us, did so by carving us up by fast short kicking chains that usually started in the backline. Dale is elite as we know. Richards and Freijah have been moved into the middle. Baker and Bramble are inconsistent as. Imagine we had another Dale type? We need one.

 

[bobs head soup]

Not all that surpsied we are targeting a rebounding defender, or a midfielder with good ball use. The good teams that beat us, did so by carving us up by fast short kicking chains that usually started in the backline. Dale is elite as we know. Richards and Freijah have been moved into the middle. Baker and Bramble are inconsistent as. Imagine we had another Dale type? We need one.

The best illustration of this point would be that JJ was deemed as our most viable rebounding option for 16 games this year, and was still delisted at year's end.

 

[JohnnySteel]

Wonder if the club still see’s Jaques as a rebounding defender.
We arguably didn’t see his greatest weapon much this year, his intercept marking, as he played mostly wing.

He did seem to shift back to play some defence in the finals.

Edit - Luke Kennedy could also be a weapon off half back with his kick. If we wanted to look within.

 

[LordC]

Keep in mind that if Darcy isn't bidded on by a pick around late 40, all we have to do is have a live pick anywhere (even the last one in the draft) and we can use that to match any bid from that point on. Obviously we are hoping that nobody bids on him, so we can use him as a rookie which gives us very marginal benefits in terms of list flexibility/contract commitments etc for the 2026/7 offseason.

What this means for draft night itself is that clearly if we hadn't made another trade, we'd live trade out our pick in the 50s for a future 3rd (even if 2027 or whatever) plus that team's last pick in the draft. There'll be a couple of clubs who still have a player high on their draft board not yet drafted.

Just as an aside I think it's a very reasonable chance through one or a combination of trades we're only going to take one player other than Darcy in the draft. SSP flexibility, and draft pick flexibility for Butters next year.

There's two competing benefits for late draft pick vs SSP player. Draft pick - you get to take a player you rate ahead of another team. SSP benefit - you're more likely to project a player's performance when they train a pre-season with you, plus you get to pick a player in response to how your list depth emerges over the course of pre-season (injury, players trialling new positions, players training/not training well changing our strength of list depth in different positions).

I tend to lean more toward the SSP option but there's always a balance. Some years we've gone McNeil, Cleary, Charlie Parker, etc. that may not have been drafted by any club and we could have invited them to our SSP pre-season. We must have been spooked a bit into thinking another club might have taken them?

Agree I think we keep trading our last pick back to ensure Darcy remains a live option. Ideally we manage to eke out some value in trade once the pick comes into the 40's and position ourselves to pick last. If someone bids on Darcy we can cover if there is no bid and there is still a prospect we like (there is always a few players that slide and make it surprisingly through to the rookie draft) we can take them and then rookie list Darcy.

 

[DiamondDogs8]

Agree I think we keep trading our last pick back to ensure Darcy remains a live option. Ideally we manage to eke out some value in trade once the pick comes into the 40's and position ourselves to pick last. If someone bids on Darcy we can cover if there is no bid and there is still a prospect we like (there is always a few players that slide and make it surprisingly through to the rookie draft) we can take them and then rookie list Darcy.

Rookie or not we only have the list spots to take 2 picks + Darcy

 

[LordC]

Rookie or not we only have the list spots to take 2 picks + Darcy

Nope allowed up to 38 main listed player and 44 with rookies in total. Currently we 35 main (3 spots left) and 4 rookies (2 spots left)

 

[Mofra]

Nope allowed up to 38 main listed player and 44 with rookies in total. Currently we 35 main (3 spots left) and 4 rookies (2 spots left)

Does that include mandatory rookie promotions?
JOD/Baker area at their 3 year limit aren't they?

 

[Hoges64]

Does that include mandatory rookie promotions?
JOD/Baker area at their 3 year limit aren't they?

The 2 + Darcy is correct, JOD and Baker had to be upgraded.

 

[Sentinel]

Nope allowed up to 38 main listed player and 44 with rookies in total. Currently we 35 main (3 spots left) and 4 rookies (2 spots left)

The maximum size of 44 is inclusive of 2 Category B rookies, of which we have none. It's maximum 42 for main list + Cat A rookies combined, from between 36-38 main list and 4-6 Cat A rookies.

As it stands we can add 1-3 main list players, 0-2 Category A rookies (for a combined maximum of 3 main list + Category A rookies total), and 2 Category B rookies.

 

[Sentinel]

Does that include mandatory rookie promotions?
JOD/Baker area at their 3 year limit aren't they?

JOD and Baker have been upgraded, bringing our main list to 35. Plus 4 Cat A rookies (Bramble, McNeil, Sellwood, Walker) and zero Cat B rookies. We have room for 5 more players but only 3 of whom aren't category B rookies.

Given we upgraded 2 players, we need to use just 1 National draft pick to reach the minimum requirement of 3.

 

[Ash1337]

Pommy has dogs taking Oskar tayler and trading the next 2 picks with dogs future 2nd for saints future first round pick and a late pick.

 

[Doggy]

Pommy has dogs taking Oskar tayler and trading the next 2 picks with dogs future 2nd for saints future first round pick and a late pick.

Which would likely miss out on Krasnadamskis. Will wait to see what Cal Twomey says

 

[LordC]

JOD and Baker have been upgraded, bringing our main list to 35. Plus 4 Cat A rookies (Bramble, McNeil, Sellwood, Walker) and zero Cat B rookies. We have room for 5 more players but only 3 of whom aren't category B rookies.

Given we upgraded 2 players, we need to use just 1 National draft pick to reach the minimum requirement of 3.

This year Collingwood had 36 main 7 rookie A 1 rookie B. I know North and Essendon and maybe GC were given extras but not Collingwood from memory. Not sure it is that clear cut.

 

[Ash1337]

Which would likely miss out on Krasnadamskis. Will wait to see what Cal Twomey says

Got dogs taking Tom Blamires instead.

 

[Doggies7]

We had ITKs a few weeks ago were mentioning we were looking to bid on academy-tied rebounding defenders, that articlejust linked us to Lindsay after potential bids on academy-linked rebounding defenders.

Hafl expecting us to bid on both Kyle & Murray at our first pick now. I'm one of the few here who would be very happy to end up taking Lindsay.

I'm with you. I think our running / distributing stocks off half back are pretty thin after Dale (who turns 30 next year), and Lindsay screams class and a good solid AFL footballer. Probably doesn't have the star, All Australian potential as some others, but I think he's a safe pick for a good footballer at a position we need. Finish it off with Kras and Darcy and that would be 3 nice picks for mine.

 

[Doggies7]

Cal Twomey's final phantom draft is out and has us taking Josh Lindsay.

 

[Doggies7]

And Ruck Louis Emmett with pick 30, interesting...

Cal Twomey's 2025 Phantom Draft: Top 30, late picks, whispers

Who will your club take in this year's Telstra AFL Draft? Our expert makes the call

www.afl.com.au

 

[bulldogs201616]

Cal Twomey's final phantom draft is out and has us taking Josh Lindsay.

I get people have there knocks on him but I'd be disappointed if we didn't get him.

 

[iambrilliant]

And Ruck Louis Emmett with pick 30, interesting...

Cal Twomey's 2025 Phantom Draft: Top 30, late picks, whispers

Who will your club take in this year's Telstra AFL Draft? Our expert makes the call

www.afl.com.au

Some clubs view him as a key back in waiting . I like the sound of that . I’d be happy with him and Lindsay

 

[Salad dog]

All hail our saviour Josh Lindsay

 

[Doggies7]

Sounds like our last target in that range might be Lindsay and if he gets picked, we trade back and grab a future back, or upgrade our 2nd rounder.

Interesting that NHH seems to have dropped out of the top 30, we haven't been linked too much to him though from what I've seen.

 

[Mofra]

Very happy with Lindsay, he just has class.
Not so sure about the second pick. I'm guessing whoever it is will be an endurance beast based on comments from the club & Twomey's note of Emmett's running power.

 

[Ash1337]

Twomey's record is accurate for the top 10 and has a good idea where the early bids will be I will expect the first 13 picks will play out that way before a surprise selection happens or could change at 1 of Dee's picks. I wouldn't be surprised that Tigers trade into the first round.

 

[Doggies7]

Sounds like our last target in that range might be Lindsay and if he gets picked, we trade back and grab a future back, or upgrade our 2nd rounder.

Interesting that NHH seems to have dropped out of the top 30, we haven't been linked too much to him though from what I've seen.

Phillipou and Greeves too dropping out too. Going to be some decent picks in the 30s...

 

[Bulldogs85]

Club has been linked with Josh Lindsay all the way through almost every Phantom draft has us talking him