Knightmare
Brownlow Medallist
- Sep 22, 2010
- 19,533
- 19,542
- AFL Club
- Collingwood
- Other Teams
- Chicago Bulls
- Banned
- #2,326
Yes. Thanks.
You just reminded me in regards to Knightmare rating of McDonald, how did North end up with an A+ if they passed on McDonald.
Again this is not a shot at Knightmare, just curious and I thin personally he got his assessment of our drafting decisions wrong.
North Melbourne I rated for a few reasons.
I flat out love Phillips. Absolutely in their position I'm taking McDonald. But Phillips is worth what was paid for him.
But what I think about in North Melbourne's position is the following, and I could bundle Adelaide into this same basket also, as I do see rebuilding as taking a few years from the current list position.
If you're a team stuck down the bottom for a few years and taking very early picks. There is access more years than not to the very best KPPs. And often when you've got those early picks, those KPPs represent best available value at your picks. So a North Melbourne or Adelaide in theory assuming more years down the bottom don't need to take a KPP with any urgency and can always wait another year, and probably should if there are two similarly rated players.
Seeing McDonald as a top 1-3 on list player, Phillips a top-5 on list player. McDonald is that tier above, but Phillips I still consider a future star. He could be a future captain. An Adelaide and a North Melbourne looking to build from basic, that's what both teams need. He looks the best midfielder in the draft and he's certainly the most immediate. So in their situation, and if Adelaide were to do the same, I wouldn't be as overly harsh as I would with a say Richmond where if they had a pick 1 or 2 and could have had McDonald, I'd be really calling them out on it, as chances are they won't have a chance any time soon at that early draft star KPP as might a team that is likely to have a few more years down the bottom of the ladder. With a Richmond, even though they're great at the moment, they have some seriously good youth and more youth coming through that most football fans won't yet realise are good in the way Balta came through this year and proved he's a star, or a Bolton or Baker. Could Riley Collier-Dawkins be next? Nyuon in a few years? Could Stack or Coleman-Jones come good? Ross? They've got a few.
Beyond the Phillips pick for North Melbourne though, I really like those others taken. Powell? He's another seriously good mid. Lazzaro? Another good mid. Spicer? Fastest in the draft and a real talent? Ford? Good value late and could develop across any line. I felt like across the draft and their number of draft picks, there wasn't one player I felt like they took higher than they should have, so I give them a lot of credit for that, as there aren't many drafts, particularly for a team taking so many selections where I can say - they didn't reach on any of those players picked. And they've actually with each of those picks taken well performed footballers. I really respect their draft and loved what Luff has done. I have to give that credit where it's due. I'm not taking all those same players, or any of those exact players with any of those picks, but I don't dislike any of them at any of those picks either.