Preview Draft Pick #18

[LemmingMaster]

We know that WH typically doesn't pick for need, so selection 18 will interesting to see which way he and club jumps.

The board will go into meltdown if we select another mid.

I think if you want to see Meltdown, Mid in the first round and Anthony selected somewhere in the draft.

 

[Silvagnis]

We know that WH typically doesn't pick for need, so selection 18 will interesting to see which way he and club jumps.

The board will go into meltdown if we select another mid.

WH picked Hampson and Austin for need.

If Caddy falls to 18 and we pass on him, then everyone is entitled to join MCB on the muppet bandwagon and call for Hughes' head.

 

[BlueGibbs2011]

WH picked Hampson and Austin for need.

If Caddy falls to 18 and we pass on him, then everyone is entitled to join MCB on the muppet bandwagon and call for Hughes' head.

Most on here say WHs only picks best available, but to suit your argument you pick WHs strugglers (read Austin/Hampson/Hartlett) and say WHs picked needs in that instance - you can't have it both ways. If you personally think he is a best available man, then he obv thought those 3 were steals of the draft like all recruiters state of their picks straight after a draft.

The best available thing is all argumentative anyway, just delusional fans on here who think they know (could be i'm delusional ). He will go best available tall first (with needs in mind), and if by complete rotten luck the 3 or 4 options around that quality rating aren't there, yes he will look for next best available needs, e.g. a HBFer etc.

The best available ideal is now tied up with list needs. Couple of years ago with picks number 1...yes BEST player for sure and WHs stated it. A no brainer then as we had so many holes to fill. People remember his mantra that he had with pick 1 3 three years running (and the weakest list in the league) and think that is his mantra period. Wrong!

This is not the case now with our list, and with the first pick we have being 18. It will be the best tall followed by the best HBFer or lead up fwd. It 100% wont be a ruckman, mid, or crumbing fwd type player guaranteed!

 

[Mister Carlton]

It 100% wont be a ruckman, mid, or crumbing fwd type player guaranteed!

Midfielder for the lols.

 

[Canyouhearthedrums]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. There is no way Hughes will take a tall unless he lrates him on some level. I'm willing to bet that there are 3-4 on his radar and none get to us, he'll draft best available.

I can see us ending up with a midfielder who can play across HB or HF, then going tall with later picks, particularly if this Anthony thing works out.

 

[BlueGibbs2011]

Midfielder for the lols.

Agree, would be funny.

With Buckley coming, and other picks to use on mids, e.g. 2/3rd pick, would be silly...but yes, funny too.

Think he hinted at his true style last year when we lost Fev he said on camera it was too late in the piece to change direction and find a tall early in the main draft.

This whole year he would have been following KPP talls more closely than any other requirement. Other evidence is a coach in Ratten saying we are in huge need of a KPP tall defender. The fact we failed via trade only heightens the need via draft. And if you think about it in real terms, Ratten is WHs client...WHs needs to give Ratten a chance to win a premiership...and that means filling Rattens needs. Basic really.

 

[BlueGibbs2011]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. There is no way Hughes will take a tall unless he lrates him on some level. I'm willing to bet that there are 3-4 on his radar and none get to us, he'll draft best available.

I can see us ending up with a midfielder who can play across HB or HF, then going tall with later picks, particularly if this Anthony thing works out.

I don't think getting Anthony would change the drafting policy. We need depth in our talls...quality depth which means spending first round picks in defence...not just mids every draft.

Anthony would be a huge bonus though to our list .

 

[Blue and Silver]

I suspect Hughes will have looked closely at Hartigan and Shinners from the VFL this year. Both young KPD who didn't get picked up in previous drafts

 

[BlueTouchPaper]

Don't call Austin a struggler!

Anyways, he wasn't necessarily a 'needs' based selection, more of a 'Gibbs' based selection.

Still a strong prospect IM(VeryBiased)O

 

[BlueGibbs2011]

Don't call Austin a struggler!

Anyways, he wasn't necessarily a 'needs' based selection, more of a 'Gibbs' based selection.

Still a strong prospect IM(VeryBiased)O

Apologies BTP .

Every Blues supporter alive knows the importance of an AFL class Austin to our list/structure. I so hope 2011 is his breakthrough year .

 

[son of dominator]

WH will go for best available (that's what I'm hearing), then what if the best available at pick 18 was a ruckman, would he still pick the ruckman eventhough we have 3 and just traded out our forth (coupled with the new interchange rules). Some may say yes can always do with quality ruckman. What if, for arguements sake, the following year the best available at our 1st round pick was also a ruckman would WH still stick with the best available policy and grab a 5th ruckman. I think not

What I have just stated is highly unlikely and was only said to make the point that there is no need to be completely inflexible with your decision making, I'm sure there will be some sort of flexibility when it comes to whom he picks, at least I hope so.

 

[BlueTouchPaper]

Apologies BTP .

Haha, don't apologise.

Sitting, waiting, wishing...

 

[Blue and Silver]

Best Available isn't as restricting as it sounds. What it actually means is Hughes selects the best available out of the players he has been watching, that being the top talent from the U/18's and whichever type of player he has been given to focus on. Last year after the Fev trade he said it was too late to change which players were on his list, implying that since he didn't go specifically seeking out tall forwards presuming this was an area Carlton had covered, that he didn't look at many.

 

[Silvagnis]

[YOUTUBE]Tbsx_vZTcNI[/YOUTUBE]

Gust Avrakotos: "There's a little boy and on his 14th birthday he gets a horse... and everybody in the village says, "how wonderful. The boy got a horse" And the Zen master says, "we'll see." Two years later, the boy falls off the horse, breaks his leg, and everyone in the village says, "How terrible." And the Zen master says, "We'll see." Then the AFL draft comes along and Carlton drafts Matthew Watson to play as a KPD. Jimthegreat, BlueGibbs2011 and everybody in the group think says, "How wonderful."
Charlie Wilson: Now the Zen master says, "We'll see."
Gust Avrakotos: "So you get it?"

Narrowing it down, it does look like a Watson/McCarthy/Cook proposition at 18 right now.
Just can't see Darling getting to where he may be in the mix, for us.
It does look like a tall may be the order for the day

Smokie: Maybe Lamb?

Luke Mitchell.

Mitchell measured up at 198 cms at draft camp.

LM has genuine size and power when he weighs 95 to 98 kgs.

Reportedly quick enough to play FF.

Talented enough to come back from a shoulder reconstruction to kick five goals and win back to back flags with Calder. No one tipped us to go for Hampson and Grigg in 2006, so we shouldn't expect Carlton to follow the BF group think.

 

[smashbox gill]

I have a feeling Luke Mitchell will turn out an absolute gun. Has all the attributes with size, height and speed. and a great pair of hands. If he wasnt injured for most of the year i would see him definately in the top 2 or 3 KPF in the draft.

I know its a big call, but he reminds me very much of Jonathan Brown

 

[mickelboy182]

I'm fairly confident that Mitchell will be thereabouts at 33...

 

[jackoisno1]

lucas Cook for 18?

 

[mickelboy182]

One of Cook/Darling/McCarthy/Watson for me (can't see the first 3 sliding to us but there's a chance)

 

[Sin City]

lucas Cook for 18?

He's the sort of guy Clayton would like but unless Gold Coast take him I reckon he'll slide a bit.

 

[djw1952]

we know that wh typically doesn't pick for need, so selection 18 will interesting to see which way he and club jumps.

The board will go into meltdown if we select another mid.

ratten has stated the need for a kpd, and it`s his arse that is on the line so i imagine that he may have had a word with w.hughes on that subject....you cannot go with best available when the team has specific needs !!!

 

[Tazwegian]

B&S's Wishful Thinking

33. Green
Dominant midfielder in Division 2, can play as a part time forward. Is Tasmanian.

Yeah, I agree... that is wishful thinking. Would be an awesome coup for you guys if you could get him at 33 though.

 

[Jeremias]

ratten has stated the need for a kpd, and it`s his arse that is on the line so i imagine that he may have had a word with w.hughes on that subject....you cannot go with best available when the team has specific needs !!!

You can if there's a significant difference in where Hughes and the recruiting staff rank the best available player, and the best available key position player.

If Hughes doesn't believe the KP defender to be the best available at a specific pick, then he won't pick him.

He wouldn't be doing his job if he went and recruited a worse footballer.

 

[Silvagnis]

I'm fairly confident that Mitchell will be thereabouts at 33...

I'm fairly confident that Mitchell and Prestia will probably be gone by our second pick which will be anywhere from 34 to 36. If you want someone badly enough, then you might have to pick them first up just so you get your man.

Power KPF don't grow on trees like mids, so they usually go earlier than a pick in the late thirties.

Dawes did his knee in 2006, yet was still drafted at 28.

 

[Silvagnis]

foj 1 Mock Draft

Pick 18 Carlton Matthew Watson Vic Metro
Strong developed key position defender who has a devastating left foot. Watson had an outstanding National Championships where he gained All Australian honours and he followed that up with a superb TAC finals series. Watson is the nephew of Steve and Anthony Alessio and has good football genes. My one query with Watson is his agility to go with slick AFL forwards and his dangerous tendency to play a little loose as a defender and play off his opponent. However a strong long kicking defender is exactly what the blues need.

Pick 33 Carlton Cameron O’Shea Vic Metro
At about 192cm OShea is another player who is taller than you think. O’Shea’s strengths are his athleticism and his fierce attack at all contests he is involved in. If he finds a couple more centimetres he could be a very competitive and mobile key position player however I see him being that spoiling third tall player in the ilk of Nick Maxwell. Kicking has improved this year but is an area that can improve further.

Pick 41 Carlton Isaac Smith North Ballarat (VFL)
Speed merchant who shot into prominence in the last quarter of the season. 22 year old mature aged recruit who has the x factor that clubs look for. I think he is a nice fit for the blues and will add some zip to the Blues. I considered Fasolo and Rankine here but I think the Blues will be after someone who is ready to go straight away and compliment their existing midfield.

Pick 67 Carlton Caleb Shadbolt West Perth
Mature age recruit who had a good year in the WAFL. Shadbolt is one of those 6foot one blokes who can play just about anywhere on the field- a true utility. What I like about him is he is a very good kick of the footy and he has zip across the ground. Ready to play AFL next year at some stage for mine.


Pick 70 Carlton- Simon White- Rookie Upgrade

I'll take Watson if we can draft Smith at pick 41.

Good luck matching us for pace with Smith on a wing.

foj1 has Mitchell at 20.

Pick 20 Fremantle Luke Mitchell Calder
Mitchell had his year destroyed by dislocating his shoulder in the preseason however showed enough at the end of the year to keep himself in the mind of all. Luke will need to develop into a strong bulky forward who can kick goals and break backs crashing packs. He has the build that looks like he will develop into a very large unit and has grown to 198cm which is prime AFL KP size. The Dockers will hope that Mitchell can turn into a physical forward who can have a real presence in the forward line. I think the Dockers will look at Conca with this pick who looks a nice replacement for Haselby or Lucas Cook as another forward option.

We shouldn't sneeze at Caddy or Guthrie who could slot into a role we need filled, but I want a power KPF more than a power KPD. Let them worry about matching up on our guns and stopping them from winning games. Henderson and Mitchell would give us two power KPF to kick to for ten years. Mitchell could be an improvement on Jesse White who plays deep forward and gives them a big body to kick to. Waite and Walker would be threats as lead up forwards who can push up the ground and double back.

Can always look for the best defender available at 33.

 

[zeeCFC]

Levi Shadboult?