Draft Expert Davo-27's 2021 u18 Draft Thread

[PMBangers]

if thats true, good for him.

the last thing i tend to look at is stats.

in order i look at how they play, then i get their height and weight maybe their date of birth, then see if they have been invited to a rep team ect, then stats if i can to see if i am over or under rating their production, obviously opposite to some, but its how i do things, so you will always know their stats before i do as its just a confirmation of production for me.

I only checked to see if he was winning more of it than Hugh

 

[Davo-27]

I only checked to see if he was winning more of it than Hugh

ok?

 

[Davo-27]

Top 20 update

1. Jason Horne - i still have him as pick 1, i just like his physicality and readiness that he has shown in the sanfl, he could have better production to make it a certainty, i have a funny feeling Daicos might be bid at pick 1 anyway as a way to make them pay and theres very little between them so i think its the most likely outcome (Daicos being bid at 1 even though he isnt the clear best, similar to how JUH wasnt clear best and went at 1 imo)

2. Nick Daicos - love his production, whether it be NAB League, school footy or the VFL game, he hunts the ball and is clean with disposal, he is also impressive at goal kicking, has few flaws and will likely be bid at 1 as i have previously pointed out as he is on equal standing with Horne imo and North would be happy with either.

this is where it gets complicated because there is a group of guys who could go from 3-10 and its hard to separate them at this stage, but i will put out who i think could go where

3. Matthew Roberts - unfortunately injured himself recently, i have liked his form in the sanfl quite a bit, strong bodied, moves like a Treloar, long left foot kick and is equally a natural forward as he is a midfielder, so has flexibility in position, can burst out of the centre or mark on the lead, theres a lot to like about his footy imo.

4. Josh Rachele - i loved his form in 2019 and so far has been good for Murray and was a stand out in an otherwise poor day for the AFL Academy with a 55m goal and some tough contested possessions that highlighted his competitiveness and ability to step up to the level, as a small forward he is more likely to go 5-10, but i like him as the 4th best at this stage pre-champs

5. Josh Sinn - i have been critical of his kicking accuracy at times, but his speed, run and carry and contested marks for a wing/hbf are really impressive, i remember liking Isaac Smith a lot prior to his draft year and there are similarities with Josh Sinn to his game, tall wings/hbf who have penetrating kicks, both good endurance, both good production in that they know how to get the ball a lot and both are goal kicking wings which gives them scoring power to their games when they go forward, also both can line break and kick over set defences, but both lack a bit of contested and defensive game as in tackling ect, very similar types imo

6. Josh Fahey - i have him here mostly off of his AFL Academy game where he was the best performing Academy player from my PoV, his courage, defensive work as well as his run and carry were highlights of a dour game for the Academy, he not only stepped up to the VFL competitive standard but looked like he was better than most of his opponents as a 17 year old, which is why i think he will go top 10 somewhere.

7. Campbell Chesser - a player i have only seen in a couple of games, but i have liked what i have seen of him, composed and clean, i would like to see more to solidify my read, but a classy player for Sandringham

8. Neil Erasmus - a player i really liked from his WAFL Colts performance last year IN 2020 and knew he was something special straight away, since then he has taken the WAFL Colts by storm and put in one of the better performances in the AFL Academy game where his strong marking and clean disposal was on show for all to see, i liken him to Mark Le Cras from WCE in years gone by, but now that he is adding a midfield side to his game he could be anything.

9. Finn Callaghan - from round 1 he has stood out as a quality player, i like his evasiveness on field, his quality disposal, his run and carry, similar in stature to Sinn both around 189cm and a similar weight, Callaghan is more the pure midfielder where he has tricks and skills that work better, but Sinn has that burst and athletic power that puts him ahead at this stage i think.

10. Matthew Johnson - i really like this tall midfielder from WA, he was also a player that stood out in the WAFL Colts GF last year, as well as winning some important poss in the AFL Academy game, his debut in the WAFL was decent as a half back, but its not his natural position and so he didnt get impressive numbers, but i liked how he handled himself nonetheless, has gone back to Colts and seems to be doing better playing in his natural position as inside mid who can roam.

11. Sam Darcy - he is the flavour of the month it seems, in the first NAB League game i saw him play he wasnt one of the best or got a lot of the ball, but i noted that he kicked a wonderful goal and that he moved well, the next game which i saw was when he absolutely dominated the air from half back, marking everything and dominating the air, since then he has dominated school footy kicking 5,4,5 goals in each game i believe, he has the stature of a King Brother, but im unsure on his speed, which could hold him back from being a top 5 pick imo.

12. Tyler Sonsie - this is controversial because everyone else has him as pick 3 it seems, to me he seems a mix between Jack Billings and Jade Gresham, small goal kicking mid/forw that is more outside than inside, i like his goal kicking, i like his outside HR play, his disposal was a bit disappointing at times for me in the few games i have seen as well as the disappointment of his performance in the AFL Academy game compared to his peers, his VFL game was average other than his 2 wonderful goals and a good tackle in the 4th quarter, he kicked the ball to grass too often for my liking and seemed to get spooked in the AFL Academy game ducking a marking effort when no one was near him late in the game, which makes me wonder if he has some fears in contested situations, but he has heaps of talent and no one can deny that.

13. Ned Long - strong bodied mid/forw, he has been impressive for Northern in every game i have seen, his disposal is good, he is strong in the contest, when he goes forward he kicks bags of goals, theres no flaws i can see so far in his game, he is the type Richmond loves to recruit, hard, honest and contested.

14. Sam Banks - i really like Banks' athletic qualities as well as his disposal, run and carry and when he goes forward his goal kicking, he has played mostly half back this year and hurt his arm, but he looks like the 3rd best outside player in a year where mids are the flavour of the 2021 draft.

15. Jack Williams - seems to be having a good year in the WAFL Colts this year, i liked his lead and goal in the AFL Academy game, good lead, mark, goal type forward, with the lack of KPPs of substance, he is likely to go first round

16. Jacob Van Rooyen - another KPF from WA, i really liked his game last year again in the WAFL Colts GF, where he led all day and took some wonderful marks, has struggled to impact the WAFL this year and has been diagnosed with glandular fever i believe? so hopefully we see more of him later in the year with better form

17. Toby Conway - i have really liked the games i have seen him play, for Geelong he is just a dominant ruckman and his around the ground work is really good, in the AFL Academy game i thought he was quite good as the around the ground ruck behind Ned Moyle who took the main ruck spot, i thought Conway was good even though that game was rough for the Academy.

18. Morgan Ferres - more of a 3rd tall forward, he has a good style to how he plays, good lead and mark and can kick a bag of goals which is important, one of a good crop of SA kids popping up recently

19. Cooper Hamilton - solidly built midfielder, i have liked his games for Bendigo and his AFL Academy game form, he always seems to win a bunch of poss and is a solid distributor of the footy

20. Connor MacDonald - another one i spotted in round 1 as a type i wanted to see more of, has been very impressive and is a good mark for his size.

 

[TylerDurden]

Sonsie at 12? What a steal.

 

[Davo-27]

Sonsie at 12? What a steal.

yea he could be Jade Gresham/Jack Billings type, pick 12 is fair imo. (warning, this opinion might offend some people)

 

[GUMBLETRON]

You'd be very happy with either of those two at 12 I reckon.

 

[briztoon]

ok?

There is a bit of disparity there, and really goes against your original post on the two.

Hugh averaging 19 touches a game.

Cooper averaging 13 touches a game.

 

[TylerDurden]

Erasmus just had 47 and 2 goals in a losing side!

 

[eDPS]

Erasmus just had 47 and 2 goals in a losing side!

PSA footy which isn’t the greatest standard but still good numbers.

 

[BigDance]

PSA footy which isn’t the greatest standard but still good numbers.

Erasmus just had 47 and 2 goals in a losing side!

Not much should be read from PSA stats. A player of quality like Erasmus should be getting that many disposals as some of the kids players like him are playing against are 2 years younger and many lack any type of quality of skills. The PsA games are difficult to watch at times. Erasmus is a star indeed but looking at number of disposals in a PsA game is not in any way indicative of what type of player he is.

 

[Davo-27]

There is a bit of disparity there, and really goes against your original post on the two.

Hugh averaging 19 touches a game.

Cooper averaging 13 touches a game.

Cooper is the better player, simple as that really.

i will say i am surprised he averages 13 as i have seen him in 2-3 games and he doesnt seem to lack poss, same with that game in round 2? i think where Finn Callaghan got 13 disposals and it didnt seem that way, same as Sonsie getting what was it 24 disposals?, i guess its the impact per poss?

 

[Ahcanov Ahman]

Not much should be read from PSA stats. A player of quality like Erasmus should be getting that many disposals as some of the kids players like him are playing against are 2 years younger and many lack any type of quality of skills. The PsA games are difficult to watch at times. Erasmus is a star indeed but looking at number of disposals in a PsA game is not in any way indicative of what type of player he is.

I think everyone knows that PSA is the level just below colts, It’s still a pretty decent level of football where there are some good young players.. unfortunately there’s a lot of parents who’s kids go alright but they aren’t good enough to hold their spot every week and are in and out of their colts team so they use these forums to bag out PSA so they can avoid telling their kids that they aren’t really that good ..


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Ahcanov Ahman]

Top 20 update

1. Jason Horne - i still have him as pick 1, i just like his physicality and readiness that he has shown in the sanfl, he could have better production to make it a certainty, i have a funny feeling Daicos might be bid at pick 1 anyway as a way to make them pay and theres very little between them so i think its the most likely outcome (Daicos being bid at 1 even though he isnt the clear best, similar to how JUH wasnt clear best and went at 1 imo)

2. Nick Daicos - love his production, whether it be NAB League, school footy or the VFL game, he hunts the ball and is clean with disposal, he is also impressive at goal kicking, has few flaws and will likely be bid at 1 as i have previously pointed out as he is on equal standing with Horne imo and North would be happy with either.

this is where it gets complicated because there is a group of guys who could go from 3-10 and its hard to separate them at this stage, but i will put out who i think could go where

3. Matthew Roberts - unfortunately injured himself recently, i have liked his form in the sanfl quite a bit, strong bodied, moves like a Treloar, long left foot kick and is equally a natural forward as he is a midfielder, so has flexibility in position, can burst out of the centre or mark on the lead, theres a lot to like about his footy imo.

4. Josh Rachele - i loved his form in 2019 and so far has been good for Murray and was a stand out in an otherwise poor day for the AFL Academy with a 55m goal and some tough contested possessions that highlighted his competitiveness and ability to step up to the level, as a small forward he is more likely to go 5-10, but i like him as the 4th best at this stage pre-champs

5. Josh Sinn - i have been critical of his kicking accuracy at times, but his speed, run and carry and contested marks for a wing/hbf are really impressive, i remember liking Isaac Smith a lot prior to his draft year and there are similarities with Josh Sinn to his game, tall wings/hbf who have penetrating kicks, both good endurance, both good production in that they know how to get the ball a lot and both are goal kicking wings which gives them scoring power to their games when they go forward, also both can line break and kick over set defences, but both lack a bit of contested and defensive game as in tackling ect, very similar types imo

6. Josh Fahey - i have him here mostly off of his AFL Academy game where he was the best performing Academy player from my PoV, his courage, defensive work as well as his run and carry were highlights of a dour game for the Academy, he not only stepped up to the VFL competitive standard but looked like he was better than most of his opponents as a 17 year old, which is why i think he will go top 10 somewhere.

7. Campbell Chesser - a player i have only seen in a couple of games, but i have liked what i have seen of him, composed and clean, i would like to see more to solidify my read, but a classy player for Sandringham

8. Neil Erasmus - a player i really liked from his WAFL Colts performance last year IN 2020 and knew he was something special straight away, since then he has taken the WAFL Colts by storm and put in one of the better performances in the AFL Academy game where his strong marking and clean disposal was on show for all to see, i liken him to Mark Le Cras from WCE in years gone by, but now that he is adding a midfield side to his game he could be anything.

9. Finn Callaghan - from round 1 he has stood out as a quality player, i like his evasiveness on field, his quality disposal, his run and carry, similar in stature to Sinn both around 189cm and a similar weight, Callaghan is more the pure midfielder where he has tricks and skills that work better, but Sinn has that burst and athletic power that puts him ahead at this stage i think.

10. Matthew Johnson - i really like this tall midfielder from WA, he was also a player that stood out in the WAFL Colts GF last year, as well as winning some important poss in the AFL Academy game, his debut in the WAFL was decent as a half back, but its not his natural position and so he didnt get impressive numbers, but i liked how he handled himself nonetheless, has gone back to Colts and seems to be doing better playing in his natural position as inside mid who can roam.

11. Sam Darcy - he is the flavour of the month it seems, in the first NAB League game i saw him play he wasnt one of the best or got a lot of the ball, but i noted that he kicked a wonderful goal and that he moved well, the next game which i saw was when he absolutely dominated the air from half back, marking everything and dominating the air, since then he has dominated school footy kicking 5,4,5 goals in each game i believe, he has the stature of a King Brother, but im unsure on his speed, which could hold him back from being a top 5 pick imo.

12. Tyler Sonsie - this is controversial because everyone else has him as pick 3 it seems, to me he seems a mix between Jack Billings and Jade Gresham, small goal kicking mid/forw that is more outside than inside, i like his goal kicking, i like his outside HR play, his disposal was a bit disappointing at times for me in the few games i have seen as well as the disappointment of his performance in the AFL Academy game compared to his peers, his VFL game was average other than his 2 wonderful goals and a good tackle in the 4th quarter, he kicked the ball to grass too often for my liking and seemed to get spooked in the AFL Academy game ducking a marking effort when no one was near him late in the game, which makes me wonder if he has some fears in contested situations, but he has heaps of talent and no one can deny that.

13. Ned Long - strong bodied mid/forw, he has been impressive for Northern in every game i have seen, his disposal is good, he is strong in the contest, when he goes forward he kicks bags of goals, theres no flaws i can see so far in his game, he is the type Richmond loves to recruit, hard, honest and contested.

14. Sam Banks - i really like Banks' athletic qualities as well as his disposal, run and carry and when he goes forward his goal kicking, he has played mostly half back this year and hurt his arm, but he looks like the 3rd best outside player in a year where mids are the flavour of the 2021 draft.

15. Jack Williams - seems to be having a good year in the WAFL Colts this year, i liked his lead and goal in the AFL Academy game, good lead, mark, goal type forward, with the lack of KPPs of substance, he is likely to go first round

16. Jacob Van Rooyen - another KPF from WA, i really liked his game last year again in the WAFL Colts GF, where he led all day and took some wonderful marks, has struggled to impact the WAFL this year and has been diagnosed with glandular fever i believe? so hopefully we see more of him later in the year with better form

17. Toby Conway - i have really liked the games i have seen him play, for Geelong he is just a dominant ruckman and his around the ground work is really good, in the AFL Academy game i thought he was quite good as the around the ground ruck behind Ned Moyle who took the main ruck spot, i thought Conway was good even though that game was rough for the Academy.

18. Morgan Ferres - more of a 3rd tall forward, he has a good style to how he plays, good lead and mark and can kick a bag of goals which is important, one of a good crop of SA kids popping up recently

19. Cooper Hamilton - solidly built midfielder, i have liked his games for Bendigo and his AFL Academy game form, he always seems to win a bunch of poss and is a solid distributor of the footy

20. Connor MacDonald - another one i spotted in round 1 as a type i wanted to see more of, has been very impressive and is a good mark for his size.

I think Connor McDonalds stocks are rising simply based on his name, a long way from where his brother was a couple of years ago and now has a long road back after busting his collar bone a couple of weeks ago.

If you want to follow bloodlines check out swan districts Luke Taylor, brother of GWS’s Sam Taylor.. raw talent with more upside than Mt Everest.

And if a team is looking for defender they should watch Guildford Grammar PSA games abs check out Angus Laurison. Takes the key forward every week snd after 8 games has only had 5 goals kicked on him. Last week against Christchurch he and Rhett Bazzo each had 12 touches rebounding out of defence, he just backs himself every time and with his monkey arms he just destroys them.


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[eDPS]

I think Connor McDonalds stocks are rising simply based on his name, a long way from where his brother was a couple of years ago and now has a long road back after busting his collar bone a couple of weeks ago.

If you want to follow bloodlines check out swan districts Luke Taylor, brother of GWS’s Sam Taylor.. raw talent with more upside than Mt Everest.

And if a team is looking for defender they should watch Guildford Grammar PSA games abs check out Angus Laurison. Takes the key forward every week snd after 8 games has only had 5 goals kicked on him. Last week against Christchurch he and Rhett Bazzo each had 12 touches rebounding out of defence, he just backs himself every time and with his monkey arms he just destroys them.


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

That isn’t the McDonald your thinking of, Connor MacDonald is a midfielder from Dandenong Stingrays and Haileybury College down here in Victoria.

 

[Davo-27]

I think Connor McDonalds stocks are rising simply based on his name, a long way from where his brother was a couple of years ago and now has a long road back after busting his collar bone a couple of weeks ago.

If you want to follow bloodlines check out swan districts Luke Taylor, brother of GWS’s Sam Taylor.. raw talent with more upside than Mt Everest.

And if a team is looking for defender they should watch Guildford Grammar PSA games abs check out Angus Laurison. Takes the key forward every week snd after 8 games has only had 5 goals kicked on him. Last week against Christchurch he and Rhett Bazzo each had 12 touches rebounding out of defence, he just backs himself every time and with his monkey arms he just destroys them.


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

I didn't realise Connor MacDonald from Dandenong Stingrays had a brother in the AFL.

My knowledge on WA footy is lacking as I have seen less of them then most other states, this Connor MacDonald is a tallish mid who when I first saw him thought he was a flanker, but he has something about his game I like the look of, I also noticed he can accumulate poss, which is a plus, some people who don't watch under 18s footy can get caught up on stats sometimes, but I try to look for talent then work backwards from what I suspect most others do? It works for me as I do this for my own benefit as a hobby and I like to see how well I do in 5 yrs or so.

Sometimes it doesn't work and I like the look of kids who don't get drafted or picked up 1-2 yrs down the road, but overall I think I have a good record, I like to give everyone I see a clean slate, so every kid is a stranger before I see them play and then I go from there, some people like to copy others opinions or try and create a narrative to follow on who the best kids are, I just go off what I see, I don't care if others disagree or agree with me tbh, because for me this is a personal project I enjoy doing most seasons, the only person I'm interested in impressing is my future self.

 

[Davo-27]

Jack Williams 7 games 21 goals and Jye Amiss 8 games 30 goals are doing well in the WAFL Colts, can't wait to see them in the champs next month.

 

[Bastyy]

I didn't realise Connor MacDonald from Dandenong Stingrays had a brother in the AFL.

He was talking about Connor McDonald, he's the brother of Logan McDonald. Different player

 

[RedmanWasHere]

So are we Connor McClear or Connor McFrazzled?

 

[THE_GUN]

Van Rooyen or Williams

which becomes the better CHF/FF

Which gets selected first

 

[Ysaye]

Van Rooyen or Williams

which becomes the better CHF/FF

Which gets selected first

IMO - Williams is most likely to go first as he has both the clearly demonstrated ability to play multiple positions (Forward, Ruck, Back) and I am guessing his athletic attributes will be shown to be slightly better than JVRs when it comes around to combine time (I note JVR went for a run in the colts midfield a couple of weeks back and gathered 20+ possessions). Also Williams would seem to have multiple avenues to goal; JVR appears to rely heavily on smart leading and marking, whereas Williams may end up with a frame large enough to wrestle defenders out of position in front of goal.

Having said that, JVR's predominant lead and mark trick is a very polished trick; he appears to have good speed off the mark and take clean marks (he has large hands) and combined with a good sense of where to go it works. Add to this an accurate kick either at goal or passing to others, his method is likely to be an effective one at the top level. He also plays with an assurance and even swagger which shows that generally he is in the right headspace when on the field. Part of me thinks that in the right team he will be the slightly more effective forward, whereas Williams spend a bit more time plugging gaps in his team.

 

[PMBangers]

IMO - Williams is most likely to go first as he has both the clearly demonstrated ability to play multiple positions (Forward, Ruck, Back) and I am guessing his athletic attributes will be shown to be slightly better than JVRs when it comes around to combine time (I note JVR went for a run in the colts midfield a couple of weeks back and gathered 20+ possessions). Also Williams would seem to have multiple avenues to goal; JVR appears to rely heavily on smart leading and marking, whereas Williams may end up with a frame large enough to wrestle defenders out of position in front of goal.

Having said that, JVR's predominant lead and mark trick is a very polished trick; he appears to have good speed off the mark and take clean marks (he has large hands) and combined with a good sense of where to go it works. Add to this an accurate kick either at goal or passing to others, his method is likely to be an effective one at the top level. He also plays with an assurance and even swagger which shows that generally he is in the right headspace when on the field. Part of me thinks that in the right team he will be the slightly more effective forward, whereas Williams spend a bit more time plugging gaps in his team.

Long term do you see Williams skillset suiting the forward line or backline more? I wish they'd given him a genuine go down in defence in the second half of the Academy game

 

[Ysaye]

Long term do you see Williams skillset suiting the forward line or backline more? I wish they'd given him a genuine go down in defence in the second half of the Academy game

Long term, Centre half back / Key Backman with rebounding capability plus swingman (Alla Leppisch or McPharlin or arguably now Lukosius) might be a really strong position for him that utilizes him best in a modern AFL team environment, but he has been good forward as well - I think it is just subject to the team he goes to and their needs, which is why he may be a more attractive than Van Rooyen.

 

[DeafHawk]

Who would that be?
Talent pace, small pressure forward like our legend Rioli & Poppy

 

[Davo-27]

Who would that be?
Talent pace, small pressure forward like our legend Rioli & Poppy

Its really rare finding pressure forwards, most want to be opportunist forwards, I have not seen a pressure forward since Kysiah Pickett in under 18 footy, maybe Maurice Rioli Jnr last year that's about it and he was a mid draft option, this year maybe Isaiah Dudley could be an option but he is Adelaide NGA and I'm not too sure on his level of talent yet, this year NGAs are in the open draft inside the top 20 picks so if he does show signs of being a pressure forward someone might pick him up? But at this stage I think he is more an opportunist small forward.

Maybe there's a pressure forward in the state leagues like how we found Poppy? But they are a very rare commodity.

 

[DeafHawk]

Its really rare finding pressure forwards, most want to be opportunist forwards, I have not seen a pressure forward since Kysiah Pickett in under 18 footy, maybe Maurice Rioli Jnr last year that's about it and he was a mid draft option, this year maybe Isaiah Dudley could be an option but he is Adelaide NGA and I'm not too sure on his level of talent yet, this year NGAs are in the open draft inside the top 20 picks so if he does show signs of being a pressure forward someone might pick him up? But at this stage I think he is more an opportunist small forward.

Maybe there's a pressure forward in the state leagues like how we found Poppy? But they are a very rare commodity.

Understandable but hopefully
J. Saunders Our Mighty Mouses able to fill that spot