Analysis 2025 Draft watch

[Aphrodite]

 

[Bluebag13]

I think that's very wishful thinking. You can demolish an opponent's draft hand, by bidding at 1. That's big incentive for an opposition club. Much more incentive than getting your draftee an extra 10k.

If Cochrane and Cody are standouts one of them will get the bid. Also, depending on what they do with the bidding system, whoever has top pick could actually grab either player, if the club tied to them can't match.

we really need a couple of prospects to be in contention for 1.
Having said that, the problem is even if there are 3 or 4 potential number 1s walker or cochrane would probably still get bid on at 1/2 because the difference wouldn't be that much in talent and for the reasons you mentioned

The incentive is too great for opposition teams

 

[PenskeFile]

No one is going to bid on a player with pick 1.

Whoever they pick at #1 gets $10k bonus. They will want that to go to a player at their club, not somewhere else.

They'll also want the player they pick with #1 to feel like he was their guy. Not give him a hollow feeling like they would have preferred someone else.

I agree with the sentiment, but JUH was bid on at pick 1 in 2020.

 

[SurreyBlue]

I think the AFL are going to make it very tough to match a bid on either. Having the top 2 picks off the board is not a good look, considering the existing concerns over NGA/Fatherson. I think people are under estimating how hard it could be for us to match a bid.

Also, Cochrane being NGA just shows what a joke the system is.

No difference to previous or even this years draft. It’s just GC, Brisbane, Collingwood won’t have players in the top2.
Must not allow others the same privilege…….

 

[Bletch]

A lot can change in a year.

A year ago, the favourites for top-2 in this draft were Sharp and Greeves. Now possible both are in the 10-20 range.

3 or 4 months ago, Robey was on no-one's radar (well, hardly anyone). Now he's spoken about as a top-5 pick.

Cochrane and Cody have been talked about for more than a year already, and will go into next year as the "most likely" candidates. But that might change, especially as it's touted to be a draft full of talent.

 

[bluebaggerjuls]

No one is going to bid on a player with pick 1.

Whoever they pick at #1 gets $10k bonus. They will want that to go to a player at their club, not somewhere else.

They'll also want the player they pick with #1 to feel like he was their guy. Not give him a hollow feeling like they would have preferred someone else.

They’ll bid on the player at pick 1 if they know the nominated club doesn’t have the picks to match

 

[mrkyuss]

But Twomey has runs on the board with Phantom Drafts...his top 30 the week before the draft is accurate

You think he has an actual eye for talent or just gets fed the order ?

 

[CrippaTheGoat9]

Cal Twomey’s Official Phantom Draft comes out Monday night.

 

[Bletch]

You think he has an actual eye for talent or just gets fed the order ?

This isn't in doubt, he gets his info from the list managers.

 

[Ninja Worrier]

This isn't in doubt, he gets his info from the list managers.

He'd have developed an eye for talent too

 

[WalshistheGOAT]

Unpopular opinion but I don't think Cochrane will end up top 5 next year. Obviously a freakish talent but reckon he'll slide to 6-9 by the end of the year.

Port lucky to have him though, going to be a gun.

 

[C4[2]Yo`DooR]

Cal Twomey’s Official Phantom Draft comes out Monday night.

Can’t wait to see him have WCE bidding on Dean at pick 1 and wiping us out of the draft altogether.

 

[Rugged Blue Bagger]

Can’t wait to see him have WCE bidding on Dean at pick 1 and wiping us out of the draft altogether.

Similar with all content creators mock drafts all trading away our picks 9 & 11 for later points to get Dean and Ison only because they find Dean bid on within 2 picks

 

[Bluebag13]

Unpopular opinion but I don't think Cochrane will end up top 5 next year. Obviously a freakish talent but reckon he'll slide to 6-9 by the end of the year.

Port lucky to have him though, going to be a gun.

The whole tall and quick enough to play any position is always a question mark

 

[marcmurphy3]

Unpopular opinion but I don't think Cochrane will end up top 5 next year. Obviously a freakish talent but reckon he'll slide to 6-9 by the end of the year.

Port lucky to have him though, going to be a gun.

I think he has a bigger draft range then Cody.

Cody just needs to do what he did this year, plus lift his output at the champs and hes top 3. He'll get 30 every week. That trait wont desert him, nor will his athletic attributes. Ball use and/or injury are probably the only things that could see him drop back.

More could go wrong with Cochrane, although his upside is bigger.

 

[FitzroyBlueBagger]

If only Hibbins-Hargreaves was 10 cm taller. Geez he makes a good forward. Strong mark, great kick for goal under pressure. I admit I've seen a small sample size though. Pity he isn't taller. Half forward at the highest level.

He loves his overhead look away handball doesn't he? Not sure that cuts it at AFL level.

186cm he’s the perfect size medium forward, imo a top 10 selection…
Foward/Midfielder, class act, steal of the draft imo…

 

[WalshistheGOAT]

The whole tall and quick enough to play any position is always a question mark

Very much my question mark on him. He's talented enough that he could end up the best KPF, KPD, Wing, Half Back or Half Forward... But I'm still not sure where his best position is yet. He was awesome off half back in the 16s carnival but now looks to be playing KPF where he's not quite mature enough physically to dominate like he did playing loose down back.

He's going to be a star regardless but always prefer the stocks of a tried and true midfielder vs a utility.

 

[WalshistheGOAT]

I think he has a bigger draft range then Cody.

Cody just needs to do what he did this year, plus lift his output at the champs and hes top 3. He'll get 30 every week. That trait wont desert him, nor will his athletic attributes. Ball use and/or injury are probably the only things that could see him drop back.

More could go wrong with Cochrane, although his upside is bigger.

Spot on. Would still say Cochrane is the most talented of the 2026 group that I've seen thus far but will be an interesting watch next season.

 

[FitzroyBlueBagger]

Honest question:

Who wins a fight between Cal Twomey and Gerard Whateley?

Boxing fights stopped ending with a "last standing" and became structured sports with a set number of rounds after the late 18th century and the development of the Queensberry Rules. Modern professional championship fights were reduced from 15 to 12 rounds in the late 1980s due to safety concerns, particularly after the death of a boxer in 1982. The most recent change has been the 10-round limit set for championship bouts in Japan after August 2025.

 

[FitzroyBlueBagger]

AFL again succeeds its own incompetence, decides to once again twist another rule that allows Cochrane a tied player to Port, wtf…

 

[Michael Jezz]

You think he has an actual eye for talent or just gets fed the order ?

He nuts it out via contacts

 

[The Return of the Paf]

186cm he’s the perfect size medium size forward, imo a top 10 selection…
Foward/Midfielder, class act, steal of the draft imo…

The perfect 'medium-sized' forward in today's game would be 190-193cm and explosive. You are just thinking what they tend to be but that doesn't make them perfect.

 

[FitzroyBlueBagger]

The perfect 'medium-sized' forward in today's game would be 190-193cm and explosive. You are just thinking what they tend to be but that doesn't make them perfect.

You’re entitled to your opinion Paf, all good, 185/193cm all falls in my category of mediums where all types provides a variety of different skill sets…
Plenty of KPP’s who are 193cm plus, all depends on the individual player’s strengths…

 

[The Return of the Paf]

You’re entitled to your opinion Paf, all good, 185/193cm all falls in my category of mediums where all types provides a variety of different skill sets…
Plenty of KPP’s who are 193cm plus, all depends on the individual player’s strengths…

Yes, I guess a lot of the players I'm talking about end up as smaller key-position players or as 'roaming' taller midfielders. I was just quibbling because when evaluating players, I think we should be honest with what we might be getting.

 

[Ninja Worrier]

He nuts it out via contacts

He nuts out his order through contacts but would de difficult not to develop an eye for talent too....I mean Emma Quayle got a gig

 

[CrippaTheGoat9]

Don’t understand the hate towards Cal Twomey. One of if not the best and most reliable reporters in the league.