Stapleton named best for Ranges yesterday, classy left footer, similar to Pretty in style, maybe a tad more outside than Pretty but both accumulators and use ball to advantage. Clarke has the tools, probably needs to improve disposal in tight and decision making under pressure but another 12 months at this level should do that.
Draft Watcher Davo-27's 2019 Draft Watch
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atm i have Ugle-Hagan at around 15-30 draft range, but obviously if he starts kicking bags and playing good footy he can rise in the rankings, as its very early and my rankings are fluid until near the end of their draft years, i saw he got an article written about him which is a nice confidence boost for the young man.
also i heard Cal Twomey talk about the AFL clearing up the NGA information in July so we might know more about all the NGA's for the next few years in July some time.
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Sam Berry (Gipps) looks a likely type for the 2020 pool, also Fraser Phillips having a good game with 5.3 goals for Gipps and Brock Smith having a strong game also against Oakleigh, while Sparkes also pushes for a chance to get drafted, Jenkins (Oak) is another to watch for 2020
Jye Chalcraft (Murr) also playing well, he is another that probably should have made the VC team and is a possible draft chance
Liam Herbert and Mitch Martin having good games for GWV, pushing their claims to be drafted.
Ben Worme (Bend) having a good game and pressing for a shot at representing VC in at least 1 of the remaining 2 games, Josh Treacy (Bend) kicking 4 goals and looking good for 2020
Darcy Chirgwin (Sand) putting in a good effort against Eastern in the rain, Stapleton (East) also performing well in the wet, with the 2 big men at Eastern guaranteeing the win Billy McCormack and Ben Hickleton having strong games
Jye Chalcraft (Murr) also playing well, he is another that probably should have made the VC team and is a possible draft chance
Liam Herbert and Mitch Martin having good games for GWV, pushing their claims to be drafted.
Ben Worme (Bend) having a good game and pressing for a shot at representing VC in at least 1 of the remaining 2 games, Josh Treacy (Bend) kicking 4 goals and looking good for 2020
Darcy Chirgwin (Sand) putting in a good effort against Eastern in the rain, Stapleton (East) also performing well in the wet, with the 2 big men at Eastern guaranteeing the win Billy McCormack and Ben Hickleton having strong games
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Snuffaluphagus
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Oh really? That sucks. We have some talent coming in the next two years
Hi Davo, fair to say that the Ranges have surprised this year. Where did you have them at the start of the year and how do you assess them as a team? They have a very good engine room; Smith, Pretty, Stapleton and others that rotate through there (McCormack, Zalac, Sal F.). Solid backline (least points scored against) and effective fwd line and some class around the edges; Mellis, Clarke, Downie, Jaworski, Parker. Hickleton consistently hits the scoreboard, brings good aggression and pressure for a 6'4" key fwd, but low possessions. What are your thoughts on him?
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if you read the earlier posts in this thread you'll see i thought Eastern would be a top 4 team with Gippsland, Oakleigh and Sandringham, i liked what Bendigo and Dandenong had to offer earlier in the season with all their talent on board and it seems Bendigo couldnt hold up their good game plan without some of their school footy kids.
i actually had Ben Hickleton as 1 to look out for last year, he has been alright, theres 3 windows into proving yourself draftable, the first 3 games when all the kids are playing TAC, then the Trials/National Champs, then the Finals, he has missed the first 2 opportunities, so the finals is his last chance to push his draft credentials, but im unsure if he will get drafted at this stage, maybe a team wants to invest in a project tall? that would be his best bet otherwise unlikely if he doesnt smash the finals.
April 2nd
Eastern have a good squad, probably stronger than i first thought, theres a mix of good 16 and 17/8 year olds as well as Cody Hirst who got picked up by the Swans in the mid-season draft
i dont think the ruck is a strong area, McCormack does well in the ruck, but he is more useful as a forward, Pretty, Stapleton, Salele, Kalac, Downie are a strong midfield, the defence of Ross, Hourihan, Clarke are very strong with some good squad players like Gilbee who is unlikely to be drafted but he is a great squad player, then forward you have some quality that doesnt get as much praise in players like Gawel, Duffy(who is short but is a good pressure player), Mellis who plays HFF and mid, Hickleton who has given you a handy big man target all year(with McCormack and frees him to ruck part time), Jaworski who has come from nowhere, Rossiter who has been ok, White who has played some handy games as well.
they will be up there come finals time.
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Why not remove/reduce the discount and require clubs to use a same round draft pick from either that draft or the next (not quite sure how this would work to avoid wrangling of picks via trading, but perhaps it could require an original pre-trading draft pick).
Because of the work effort and training they delivered to set up the training facilities to generate this talent from an under representative area.
No discount = no investment by the clubs in doing the academies.
Let’s make it perfectly clear. No academies = reduced intake and potentially no pathway for under representative areas.
Whereas GWS have a high yielding region both currently and historically. That’s the difference!
Let’s provide an example... club x, does numerous clinics in deepest darkest remotest Australia, and they notice some kids with significant talent for their age.
Now suppose they have a chat to well meaning interest groups who think that given the kids have talent and a desire to one day be an AFL football play that the arrange scholarships for them to continue at high profile private schools to firstly give them good schooling but also focus and harness their football ability.
Then on top of that the AFL clubs through Academies give them full access to an AFL club for specialist skills training, fitness training and dietary training. Access to training and interaction with AFL stars, and sponsorship to engage in elite training in AFL programs with full sponsorship and equipment.
What if the same kid was told yeh got some talent but sort yourself out.
Because that’s the difference. It’s not the AFL that goes out in the bush finding talent it’s the clubs.
The clubs need a reward! Not just a pat in the back!
Luder
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Then why does the same still apply for "developing" kids who would have made their way into the AFL regardless? People like Tarryn Thomas and Nick Blakey last year, for example. Both went in the top 10, and both would have easily made their way onto lists anyway, but Sydney and North both received significant discount and first dibs on these two
One is nominally developing talent in NSW and one in Tasmania... think about how many people get drafted from those two regions each year as against let’s say Vic Metro.
Bigger the draw area for players will eventually relate to bigger audiences, and expansion of the code.
Luder
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I completely understand the idea of providing opportunity to those who otherwise wouldn't make it - but especially in the case of Blakey, his status as a father/son should have ruled him out of academy eligibility. I feel the system is broken in that it doesn't serve the purpose it is supposed to, but instead provides random extra benefit to clubs.
If anything, I think they should remove the discount from those bid on in the 1st and 2nd round. These are the kids who would have made it regardless of whether a club intervened.
Agree on father son v academy rorting via Sydney in this instance.
Totally disagree in your concept of removing discount for 1st 2nd rounders.
A : it doesn’t encourage the existence of NGA’s
B: encourages clubs to hide players and not let them develop to the best of their potential in U18’s
This has been discussed so many times.
The northern clubs invest significant funds in to their academies every year, primarily because the pathways are not as developed up here, and the talent is spread thin, far and wide. AFL is not the dominant football code, the junior clubs that do exist don't have the same level of top talent or depth that is seen in Vic, SA or WA.
That's why we have Club Academies that begin at 12 years of age, so the best talent can be pulled in to an academy and receive specialised development, and each year clubs hold talent ID camps so any kids who are late developers get pulled in to the academies at some point.
We have seen in this years NAB League, our Northern Academies still aren't up to the level of the Vic NAB League teams.
Much of the junior talent play many sports, and there is a big push for many of the talented kids to change sports or codes when they enter secondary school, whether that be from Private Schools playing a different code and require students to prioritise school sports over club sports, or talented junior receiving scholarships or even contracts from Union or League.
The sporting landscape, junior pathways for other sports, and what contact and contracts professional football clubs can have and offer juniors is different up here compared to Victoria. Bit hard for AFL to compete when Rugby League is offering 14 year olds $5k - $10k per annum to join their junior clubs, or Private Schools are offering full scholarships.
Plus, Rugby League don't have a draft, so it's a bidding war between NRL clubs for the top young talent each year. Kalyn Ponga was in the Brisbane Lions academy, but we couldn't keep him, when in 2016 the North Queensland Cowboys NRL club offered him a significant contract as a 17 year old, and then North Queensland lost him a year later when the Newcastle Knights offered the then 18 year old a 5 year $3.6million contract. Which is currently being renegotiated to $6million.
It's hard to keep kids in AFL when they have to go through a draft, on a rookie contract, compared to NRL where kids can choose which club they go to and can earn so much more.
That's what AFL is up against up here.
The northern clubs invest significant funds in to their academies every year, primarily because the pathways are not as developed up here, and the talent is spread thin, far and wide. AFL is not the dominant football code, the junior clubs that do exist don't have the same level of top talent or depth that is seen in Vic, SA or WA.
That's why we have Club Academies that begin at 12 years of age, so the best talent can be pulled in to an academy and receive specialised development, and each year clubs hold talent ID camps so any kids who are late developers get pulled in to the academies at some point.
We have seen in this years NAB League, our Northern Academies still aren't up to the level of the Vic NAB League teams.
Much of the junior talent play many sports, and there is a big push for many of the talented kids to change sports or codes when they enter secondary school, whether that be from Private Schools playing a different code and require students to prioritise school sports over club sports, or talented junior receiving scholarships or even contracts from Union or League.
The sporting landscape, junior pathways for other sports, and what contact and contracts professional football clubs can have and offer juniors is different up here compared to Victoria. Bit hard for AFL to compete when Rugby League is offering 14 year olds $5k - $10k per annum to join their junior clubs, or Private Schools are offering full scholarships.
Plus, Rugby League don't have a draft, so it's a bidding war between NRL clubs for the top young talent each year. Kalyn Ponga was in the Brisbane Lions academy, but we couldn't keep him, when in 2016 the North Queensland Cowboys NRL club offered him a significant contract as a 17 year old, and then North Queensland lost him a year later when the Newcastle Knights offered the then 18 year old a 5 year $3.6million contract. Which is currently being renegotiated to $6million.
It's hard to keep kids in AFL when they have to go through a draft, on a rookie contract, compared to NRL where kids can choose which club they go to and can earn so much more.
That's what AFL is up against up here.
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Then we have the farce that is the NGA academies. The vast majority of these kids already have played AFL through the junior pathways in Victoria, and made it in to a NAB League team at U16 level before being "identified" by an AFL team, and received token "training" by an AFL club.
Jake Niall wrote an article last year about the farce of the NGA academies, where many Vic AFL clubs invest more money and time researching NAB leagues kids family backgrounds than they invest in "developing" these kids and contact time.
Jake Niall wrote an article last year about the farce of the NGA academies, where many Vic AFL clubs invest more money and time researching NAB leagues kids family backgrounds than they invest in "developing" these kids and contact time.
2 of the best posts re the difference between the Northern Academies and the NGAs I have read briztoon , awesome stuff.
NGAs are a rort bought in to appease the heartland clubs because of the perceived unfair academies, the vast majority of these players would be playing Australian Rules without the NGAs. IIRC there are more indigenous players as a percentage playing in the AFL than there are in the general population, the Northern Academies are a very different beast.
Note- I just had a look at the figures and 3.3% of the Australian population is indigenous and 10% of AFL players are indigenous.
NGAs are a rort bought in to appease the heartland clubs because of the perceived unfair academies, the vast majority of these players would be playing Australian Rules without the NGAs. IIRC there are more indigenous players as a percentage playing in the AFL than there are in the general population, the Northern Academies are a very different beast.
Note- I just had a look at the figures and 3.3% of the Australian population is indigenous and 10% of AFL players are indigenous.
Dubious world of AFL's Next Generation Academies
www.theage.com.au
Dubious world of AFL's Next Generation Academies
No fewer than 15 players can be claimed by 10 clubs under the contentious Next Generation Academy rules.
I think that article has some great points. It’s worth pointing out that Sth Aus clubs (and prob wa clubs) have different access than Victorian clubs do.
Ports 2 nga kids from 2018 draft were genuine and wouldn’t be on a list if it wasn’t for ports training though. Pudney and Frederick are of Japanese and Sudanese heritage.
From ports POV we have a huge issue with the son of a 4 time premiership captain of the club being zoned to Adelaide because he was born in Egypt when his dad worked there for 1 year.
Ports 2 nga kids from 2018 draft were genuine and wouldn’t be on a list if it wasn’t for ports training though. Pudney and Frederick are of Japanese and Sudanese heritage.
From ports POV we have a huge issue with the son of a 4 time premiership captain of the club being zoned to Adelaide because he was born in Egypt when his dad worked there for 1 year.
Is he not F/S eligible?
No. His dad only played something lIke 240 games for us (off the top of my head).
Only managed roughly 190 before port joined the afl. Has to be 200 before port joined the afl.
Yeah it’s a joke.
I don't pretend to know the details, because I don't, but our zone isn't just blokes who were always going to play AFL. There are some of those, but a lot of our prospects are from out in the middle of nowhere. Carter last year was the first person drafted from his town.
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