Phantom Draft 40 Prospects to Watch in 2018

[Procrastinator35]

He's been looking very promising. Nice size and very mobile. Chop off the old block.

Any chance you could furnish us with what you consider to be the Top 20 at this stage grundog49?.....Preferably in order from 1-20?

Here's my crack at the Top 10 currently:

Lukosius
Rankine
King
King
Taylor
Walsh
Hill
Bytel
Thomas
Blakey

 

[Newatthis]

Certainly agree about Curtis Taylor

 

[grundog49]

Any chance you could furnish us with what you consider to be the Top 20 at this stage grundog49?.....Preferably in order from 1-20?

Here's my crack at the Top 10 currently:

Lukosius
Rankine
King
King
Taylor
Walsh
Hill
Bytel
Thomas
Blakey

My top 20 is:
Jack Lukosius
Izak Rankine
Max King
Ian Hill
Connor Rozee
Sam Walsh
Tarryn Thomas
Nick Blakey
Curtis Taylor
Jack Bytel
Ben King
Jye Caldwell
Bailey Smith
Bailey Scott
Jackson Hately
Ned McHenry
Jason Carter
Rhylee West
Chayce Jones
Tom Joyce

 

[grundog49]

So whos looking the favourite for the U18s this year?

Its a three horse race at this stage IMO. Jack Lukosius is the favorite at this stage as he has performed at every level this year against both men and u18s. He's very mobile and plays that true CHF role extremely well. Izak Rankine is next as he has the most runs on the board at his age. Classy, dynamic and a match winner. Has superstar written all over him. Max King is that big key forward who can take a strong mark and kick bags of goals when needed. Max is in the mold of a Joe Daniher type forward. In saying this it is still early in 2018 and many players could come into consideration for the number one pick.

 

[hyper realist]

Matthew Walker
GWS Academy/Murray Bushrangers/NSW-ACT
Medium Forward/Inside Midfielder
Height: 186 cm Weight: 84 kg D.O.B: 14/02/2000



A member of the GIANTS Academy, Matthew Walker’s eligibility under the Academy system will be heavily debated. Matthew Walker from country NSW is a dynamic medium forward who hits the scoreboard and can take a strong mark. This year Matt has played a mixture of TAC cup and NEAFL football. At NEAFL level, Matt made his name as a third tall/medium forward as he kicked 14 goals in five games. At TAC cup level he was also impressive averaging 11 disposals, four marks (one contested) and kicking 10 goals from his seven games. Matt’s best attribute is his ability to hit the scoreboard. Walker has always been a strong goal kicker and has shown that he can kick bags consistently. This goal kicking prowess was on display in the NEAFL where he kicked consecutive bags of four then a bag of five in a three-week period. This ability to hit the scoreboard and to do it consistently make Walker quite a damaging prospect down forward and someone coaches can rely on to make an impact in the forward line. Another thing that makes Walker so appealing is his marking. Walker when up forward has some of the strongest hands. When the ball is in flight Walker just seems to read it better then most and then uses his sticky hands to pluck strong marks down forward. This in turn gives midfielders confidence when kicking into the forward line as they know Walker will make every ball which comes down his way his own. Matt’s weaknesses at this point have to do with whether Walker can play that marking role at AFL level and if Walker can move up the ground. These issues could deter clubs from Walker as he plays too deep for a player of only 186 cm. If Walker can work up the ground into a half forward role or even in the guts, Walker’s stocks could fly as his bag of tricks could allow him to turn himself into a dynamic midfielder. Walker is one of the best football talents in the country and with a big preseason under his belt, Walker could be a player watch this year.


Matthew Green
NT Thunder/Northern Territory
Balanced Midfielder/Medium Defender
Height: 190 cm Weight: 67 kg D.O.B: 5/05/2000

Another Territorian in the AFL Academy squad, Matt Green is one of the smooth movers of the draft. In the u16’s in 2016 he was an unsung hero as he was named in the best twice and played some key roles down back for the state side. In 2017 however, the 190 cm player made the transition to the midfield and put on a show at the Academy series where he was named the states MVP. This lead to him being selected in the Allies squad, something that is usually reserved for the level one AFL Academy members, as well as playing two of a possible four games for the Allies. Green’s standout trait is his combination of elite decision making and great footskills. Green just looks so calm with the ball in hand and just knows where he needs to kick the ball to send his team forward. This ability to set up the game with his foot skills is a result of his previous role as a medium defender and has translated well into his midfield game as he has shown an ability to cut open the games by foot. Another trait he has is his ability to run and carry the football. Matt Green has an extremely quick first few steps and allows him to get to open space and take the game on in the midfield or off half back. This makes him unique as most players at his age in the midfield don’t yet have the ability to burst away like he can. One thing that worries me is his kicking under pressure. Under immense pressure it seems as if Matt just throws the ball onto the boot without much care to where it might go. If he can improve this I believe that he could become a full time inside midfielder. Matt Green is a unique talent with a great mix of class and skill in the midfield as well as off half back.


Joel Crocker
Sandringham Dragons/Victoria Metro
Medium Utility
Height: 188 cm Weight: 69 kg D.O.B: 14/04/2000



The son of North Melbourne player Darren Crocker, Joel has been mostly hidden away at school football in 2017. Joel has been in the spotlight for a while now after he starred at the u15 schoolboy championships where he kicked 15 goals for Victoria and made the All Australian side. Since then he has represented Victoria at u16 level in defense, played school football for Brighton Grammar and played some strong games for Sandringham in the last two years. At TAC level, Crocker has been quite promising averaging 16 disposals and four tackles playing as a utility and for school he was just as impressive as he was named in the best five times. But it was his u17 futures game which caught the eye. In that game he took nine marks to go along with his 15 disposals playing both as a high half forward or as a rebounding defender. This game plus the glimpses shown at school level and at TAC cup level in my eyes have him set up for a big 2018 where he could make a name for himself playing as a tall utility. Joel Crocker’s biggest strength in my eyes is his marking. At 188 cm Joel is a fairly tall player by position and combined with his natural leap allow him to play taller then he might seem. This marking strength could allow him to play as a medium sized forward for a team or allow him to play as an intercept marker down back like he has at school level. Another strength Crocker has is ability to get his hands free in a tackle. Crocker at times can get caught in tackles but it doesn’t faze him as he has great awareness of where his teammates are around him allowing his teammates to take the ball forward as Crocker sucks his opposition in. Crocker currently is still quite raw as a prospect and as such sometimes gets himself into trouble as well as sometimes making bad decisions under pressure. This has a bit to do with football IQ but once he gets into an elite program you can expect those flashes of talent to become appear more consistently as he plays more rep football in 2018. Joel has flashes or brilliance which make him an enticing player and with a few years of development, could be a key player for the young Kangaroos side.


Irving Mosquito
Gippsland Power/Victoria Country
Small Forward
Height: 174 cm Weight: 66 kg D.O.B: 24/04/2000

One of the best names in football, Irving Mosquito also has a highlight reel like no other. Irving Mosquito, who is eligible to join Hawthorn under its Next Generation, is an exciting small forward who has impressed recruiters at u16 level in 2016 and u18 level for the Gippsland Power. In 2017 for the Gippsland Power, Irving kicked 14 goals from 12 games and made a name for himself as the “kid with the dancing feet” up forward. But its more then just his offensive traits that promising, its his presence in the forward line. Mosquito is a strong pressure forward as he makes them second guess themselves coming out of defense and sometimes causes them to turnover the ball at half forward. This pressure and offensive excitement got him selected in the u17 All Stars game where he played a solid game for the small forward. Irving as a player just knows where the goals are. No matter where he is inside 50, he knows how to find the goals as he has a reputation of kicking some amazing goals. This ability to find the goals allows Mosquito to do some damage with the ball without needing to get a heap of possession up forward. Another thing that separates Irving from a lot of other smalls is his defensive pressure. Irving just has a way of making players coming out of defense rush their kicks as they know he is chasing him down. This pressure allows Mosquito to impact the contest at times without the ball and also one of the most valuable players to have in forward line as he can create goals through his pressure. The issues with Mosquito currently surround his consistency which is key to becoming a good small forward at the next level. If Mosquito can develop his consistency and get up the ground more I would expect him to be one of the most dangerous players inside 50 as he has that many tricks. Irving Mosquito is one of the most naturally talented smalls in the draft and with a bit more development, could be apart of the next generation of talented smalls forwards.


Xavier O’Halloran
Western Jets/Victoria Metro
Inside Midfielder
Height: 185 cm Weight: 81 kg D.O.B 11/07/2000

A player who has flown under the radar for most of the year is this kid. Xavier O’Halloran of the Western Jets is an inside midfielder who thrives on winning the hardball as well as winning clearances for his team. After representing Vic Metro at u16s level to a good level, O’Halloran came into the season with some expectations of him but has well and truly exceeded those expectations in 2018. In 2017 for the Western Jets he averaged 19 disposals, four tackles, four clearances and had a contested possession percentage at an elite 54%. These kinds of numbers are very strong for a bottom ager but what’s even more impressive is that these numbers came from a player who played the maximum 18 games for the Jets. What excites me the most about O’Halloran is his ability to find the ball in the contest. O’Halloran just seems to have the ball on a string inside the guts as he reads the ruck tap better then most his age. This reading of the ball on the inside allows him to burst out of stoppages with the ease of some modern-day midfielder can at AFL level. Another thing that impresses me is his ability to win his own football. In the midfield he is the type who isnt afraid to dig in and rip the ball out for his team. This want for the contested football makes his teammates look better as they know they are going to get a good supply on the outside. An issue that O’Halloran has at the moment is his ability to hit targets at times. O’Halloran although not a bad kick isn’t outstanding over those medium to long distances. This could be because he rushes his kicking or that he is under pressure most of the time when taking those kicks but if he can nail that part of his game I can see O’Halloran being a key player for Vic Metro next year. O’Halloran is one of the better contested midfielders for next years draft and with another year of growth and development could be a bolter for the 2018 draft.


Unlucky to miss: Jack Ross (Oakleigh Chargers), Thomas Matthews (Bris Academy), Will Golds (Oakleigh Chargers), Sam Elliott (Oakleigh Chargers), Jai Taylor (Dandenong Stingrays), Jacob Atley (Bendigo Pioneers), Riley Bowman (Dandenog Stingrays), Durak Tucker (Peel Thunder), Luke Moore (South Fremantle), Xavier Peacock (Subiaco), Caleb Graham (GC Academy), Cooper Portelli (GC Academy), Beau Schwarze (NT Thunder), Bailey Schmidt (Dandenong Stingrays), Mark Mariott (Murray Bushrangers), Oscar Brownless (Geelong Falcons),Scott Carlin (GWV Rebels), Josh Chatfield (GWV Rebels), Buku Khamis (Western Jets), Ben Cardamone (Eastern Ranges), Jaden Rice (Western Jets), Zak Butters (Western Jets), Connor Thar (Western Jets), Boyd Woodcock (North Adelaide), Kai Pudney (Woodville-West Torrens), Sydeny Stack (Perth), Riley Morgan (Claremont), Jarrod Cameron (Swan Districts), Tom Medhat (West Perth), Jarrod Fazioli (Peel Thunder), Joseph Hinder (Swan Districts), Luke English (Perth), Ben Kelly (Murray Bushrangers/GWS Academy), James Peatling (GWS Academy), Tim Auckland (Launceston), Mitchell Anderton (Lauderdale)

great work ! really appreciate it

 

[RedmanWasHere]

If Jack Lukosius is No. 1, will he be the 1st South Aussie No. 1 since Bryce Gibbs in 2006?

 

[grundog49]

If Jack Lukosius is No. 1, will he be the 1st South Aussie No. 1 since Bryce Gibbs in 2006?

Yep. Also the first top 5 draft pick from SA since 2012

 

[RedmanWasHere]

Yep. Also the first top 5 draft pick from SA since 2012

Hopefully a better career than Toumpas.

 

[Procrastinator35]

Yep. Also the first top 5 draft pick from SA since 2012

Burton would have been top 5 were it not for his badly broken leg.

 

[HedgeFund]

Its a three horse race at this stage IMO. Jack Lukosius is the favorite at this stage as he has performed at every level this year against both men and u18s. He's very mobile and plays that true CHF role extremely well. Izak Rankine is next as he has the most runs on the board at his age. Classy, dynamic and a match winner. Has superstar written all over him. Max King is that big key forward who can take a strong mark and kick bags of goals when needed. Max is in the mold of a Joe Daniher type forward. In saying this it is still early in 2018 and many players could come into consideration for the number one pick.

I thought he meant the state team which was favourite to win the NAB U18 Champs.

 

[briztoon]

I thought he meant the state team which was favourite to win the NAB U18 Champs.

I thought he meant TAC Cup.

 

[Procrastinator35]

I thought he meant TAC Cup.

Yep, same.

By the way grundog49, allow me to commend you on a superlative job, so early on in the season.....Talk about being way ahead of the 8 ball.

I'll be looking forward to some smokey's knocking on that top 20 door as the season progresses, as is usually the case.....I can still vividly recall young Toby Greene coming from nowhere the year prior, before eventually becoming pick 11 in his draft year of 2011.

 

[grundog49]

I thought he meant the state team which was favourite to win the NAB U18 Champs.

My call for the u18 Championships is Vic Metro as they currently have the best mix of players in every position.

I thought he meant TAC Cup.

TAC cup is always hard to choose but I would have to say Oakleigh as they look to have a lot of midfield depth as well as some handy talls coming through

 

[HedgeFund]

TAC cup is always hard to choose but I would have to say Oakleigh as they look to have a lot of midfield depth as well as some handy talls coming through

The fixture this season has been loaded somewhat. Dragons will play Oakleigh 3 times in 16 rounds, twice at WERRIBEE and once at Oakleigh, but don’t play the GWV Rebels at all!.

That’s surely making it even harder to work out who will take the flag out.

Throw in the fact that programs that have heaps of private school kids would probably benefit from finishing between 5th to 8th and getting that (extra) wildcard game against at team finishing 9th to 12th which, barring a big upset, allows another week of matches for players to get used to playing together again...it’s all about getting recruiters to see as many players as possible.

I love the competition, but reckon AFL Victoria screw around with it a bit too much.

 

[grundog49]

The fixture this season has been loaded somewhat. Dragons will play Oakleigh 3 times in 16 rounds, twice at WERRIBEE and once at Oakleigh, but don’t play the GWV Rebels at all!.

That’s surely making it even harder to work out who will take the flag out.

Throw in the fact that programs that have heaps of private school kids would probably benefit from finishing between 5th to 8th and getting that (extra) wildcard game against at team finishing 9th to 12th which, barring a big upset, allows another week of matches for players to get used to playing together again...it’s all about getting recruiters to see as many players as possible.

I love the competition, but reckon AFL Victoria screw around with it a bit too much.

I think the TAC cup system in general needs a revamp. I think that the addition of more teams in talent dense areas needs to be looked at (e.g GWV splitting in Ballarat and Warnabool) as well as potentially adding a finals eligibility threshold (e.g. 5 games). If that happened we would get a much evener competition and top talent won't be bottlenecked for positions like they usually are. It would also reward teams who have been good all season and not ones who have players hidden away at school level.

 

[GoGrows]

I think the TAC cup system in general needs a revamp. I think that the addition of more teams in talent dense areas needs to be looked at (e.g GWV splitting in Ballarat and Warnabool) as well as potentially adding a finals eligibility threshold (e.g. 5 games). If that happened we would get a much evener competition and top talent won't be bottlenecked for positions like they usually are. It would also reward teams who have been good all season and not ones who have players hidden away at school level.

How do you manage to follow so much 17y.o talent?

 

[grundog49]

How do you manage to follow so much 17y.o talent?

Excel spreadsheet of players graded in terms of talent and a lot of research

 

[theGav56]

Great to see Carter in there and he is an exciting talent. But he has been injured for quite a while now and his recovery unknown, so I am looking forward to seeing how he progresses this coming season. I hear he is currently training with the club and looking great, though not doing any sims.

Do you have any thoughts on what might happen with clubs bidding on players aligned via F/S, Next Generation and Academies? There seems to be quite a number of them in this draft. Do you think it may happen that clubs keep a low profile regarding bidding for such aligned players as a result? Do you see clubs placing bids in an effort to manipulate the other clubs selections to their advantage (I am not suggesting that they would bid on a player they do not genuinely value and want).

 

[the big lebowski]

Great to see Carter in there and he is an exciting talent. But he has been injured for quite a while now and his recovery unknown, so I am looking forward to seeing how he progresses this coming season. I hear he is currently training with the club and looking great, though not doing any sims.

Do you have any thoughts on what might happen with clubs bidding on players aligned via F/S, Next Generation and Academies? There seems to be quite a number of them in this draft. Do you think it may happen that clubs keep a low profile regarding bidding for such aligned players as a result? Do you see clubs placing bids in an effort to manipulate the other clubs selections to their advantage (I am not suggesting that they would bid on a player they do not genuinely value and want).

The way academy's manage players this year interests me as well. North specifically with Thomas. Groundog49 says Thomas is a top 10 talent so I am facsinated with how we develope him in his draft year.

 

[grundog49]

Great to see Carter in there and he is an exciting talent. But he has been injured for quite a while now and his recovery unknown, so I am looking forward to seeing how he progresses this coming season. I hear he is currently training with the club and looking great, though not doing any sims.

Do you have any thoughts on what might happen with clubs bidding on players aligned via F/S, Next Generation and Academies? There seems to be quite a number of them in this draft. Do you think it may happen that clubs keep a low profile regarding bidding for such aligned players as a result? Do you see clubs placing bids in an effort to manipulate the other clubs selections to their advantage (I am not suggesting that they would bid on a player they do not genuinely value and want).

It's the same system as the Northern Academies I believe and the politics about the players will be similar as such

 

[HedgeFund]

I think the TAC cup system in general needs a revamp. I think that the addition of more teams in talent dense areas needs to be looked at (e.g GWV splitting in Ballarat and Warnabool) as well as potentially adding a finals eligibility threshold (e.g. 5 games). If that happened we would get a much evener competition and top talent won't be bottlenecked for positions like they usually are. It would also reward teams who have been good all season and not ones who have players hidden away at school level.

I agree it needs a revamp, but this isn’t the way to do it.

1. GWV are weak at the moment and their talent is actually spread very thin. Splitting them further would create two lame ducks

2. Oakleigh, Sandy, Eastern etc. don’t “hide” their players. They actually have to put weaker/half lists on the park for the majority of the season as the school competitions take priority for 8-9 matches every year. It’s actually harder bringing hem all back to play together as a group in August after they’ve played most of winter against each other than you may think.

The talent remains in their zone, but I feel they should split these three zones into 4, maybe even 5, as it’s clear that the vast majority of peak Victorian talent resides in the south and/or east of Melbourne.

 

[Snake_Baker]

.........it’s clear that the vast majority of peak Victorian talent resides in the south and/or east of Melbourne.

Geelong?

 

[grundog49]

I agree it needs a revamp, but this isn’t the way to do it.

1. GWV are weak at the moment and their talent is actually spread very thin. Splitting them further would create two lame ducks

2. Oakleigh, Sandy, Eastern etc. don’t “hide” their players. They actually have to put weaker/half lists on the park for the majority of the season as the school competitions take priority for 8-9 matches every year. It’s actually harder bringing hem all back to play together as a group in August after they’ve played most of winter against each other than you may think.

The talent remains in their zone, but I feel they should split these three zones into 4, maybe even 5, as it’s clear that the vast majority of peak Victorian talent resides in the south and/or east of Melbourne.

GWV rebels was a general example. Historically Ballarat and Warnabool have both produced extremely strong players from their respective regions. I know that school football takes precedence and clubs don't hide players but I believe that it shouldn't be prioritised as much as it is currently. I'm personally not a fan of the shift towards school footy in terms of where the talent is as I think it makes the TAC cup seem less credible as the premier u18 state league because players dont necessarily have to play TAC cup to make the AFL. That's my personal opinion though.

 

[HedgeFund]

Geelong?

With only 4, 5, and 5 players drafted/rookied over seasons 2015-2017, it seems they’re not producing as much elite talent into the AFL system recently

 

[Hazelsnuts]

G’day Grundog, thanks for the early evaluation.... so much insight into the players you have listed.
From a Freo perspective I noticed an honourable mention to f Tom Medhat, another Freo academy yougun.
Do you see a potential issue with Freo needed needing points to secure the two academy boys Carter and Medhat?
We will have a pick anywhere from 3- 10 one would think but not another until the 4th round.
Freo would have known the academy boys available at last year’s draft when we traded away second and third rounders..... is there method in all this ?
Or are Freo just sure they can secure the boys with the late picks ?
In saying this I’m not sure we would pick or want three players that may be obvious picks for us in Hill first round and Carter, Medhat academy picks?
I would take all three in a heartbeat...... but a quality tall would be hard to pass up.