List Mgmt. Draft thread - 2025 (remaining picks: 29, 34)

[Keys]

Live draft hand
R1: 1 (Duursma), 4 (CDT), 19 (Lindsay)
R2: 29, 34
RD: 1

Draft picks pre-draft
R1: 1, 2, 13
R2: 34, 41
RD: 1

List spots available
Main list: 2 (includes Duursma, CDT, Lindsay)
Cat A Rookie list: 1 (expecting Robertson, Macrae and Schoenberg to join as SSP signings)
Cat B Rookie list: 1

Draft order

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Draft prospect video highlights (thanks to noobermensch)

Rookie Me Central 2025 Draft Guide

2025 AFL Draft Guide

online.fliphtml5.com

Matthew Clarke on Gettable 17/11

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Cal Twomey’s Phantom Draft

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[ChasingFlags25]

The kid reportedly has a high work ethic and can't wait to get into a professional system and club.

Read his father is a big unit so 191 may end up 195cm, and solid.

Good over head and shot on goal / kicking. Only negative is exposure.

1. Duursma Def / Mid
2. Robey Fwd / Mid (perfect three way rotation with Harley and Hewett)
Trade 13 plus Saints F2nd for 9 on draft night.
9. Sharp / Cumming / Dovaston
34. Rodreguez / Swadling
41. Curtin (need a tall to balance this draft)

Hold 1 spot and pick for bids

Or move x 2 players to the rookie list.

Dream result, A1 option, even if we only take 4 picks

 

[stallon]

Would rather Sharp and Swadling tbh

Midfielders please

We can only take so many at a time, we have a bunch on the list as it is that are still unknowns.
No way am I taking both Sharp and Swadling, that seems negligent tbh.

Pure inside mid accumulators are over-rated, and the game is moving past them

 

[uptheWC]

We can only take so many at a time, we have a bunch on the list as it is that are still unknowns.
No way am I taking both Sharp and Swadling, that seems negligent tbh.

Pure inside mid accumulators are over-rated, and the game is moving past them

Not negligent at all lol.

They’re not overrated at all, the problem is that when they don’t actually get that much of the ball at AFL level they have trouble contributing. If they can find lots of the ball, they’re among the team’s best players.

Besides, Swadling I see as being more of a balanced mid, good in link up play and on the outside too.

 

[eaglevision]

We can only take so many at a time, we have a bunch on the list as it is that are still unknowns.
No way am I taking both Sharp and Swadling, that seems negligent tbh.

Pure inside mid accumulators are over-rated, and the game is moving past them

Would be interested to hear why you’re not big on Sharp. When you mention the game moving past, is it the knock on his athleticism?

 

[kranky al]

Looks to me like our best bet is to get into pick swap discussions with Essendon to see who they're interested in, and then not take any of those players.

Outstanding!!

 

[cookiesncream]

We can only take so many at a time, we have a bunch on the list as it is that are still unknowns.
No way am I taking both Sharp and Swadling, that seems negligent tbh.

Pure inside mid accumulators are over-rated, and the game is moving past them

Brisbane has done ok the last couple of years having a few inside mid accumulators. We need to build midfield depth.

 

[javaguice]

You must be very salty on Claremont players if you even dreamt of posting this.

Charlie’s last 2 months put him way out ahead. To top it off, he’s the Mel Whinnen Medalist.

Love Mel Whinnen, champion bloke!

 

[stallon]

Would be interested to hear why you’re not big on Sharp. When you mention the game moving past, is it the knock on his athleticism?

Tbh I just dont really care for the more boring inside mid that just goes from contest to contest all game, gets the ball but doesnt do anything too crazy with it, doesnt get many metres gained, doesnt have any x-factor, etc.
I get we need defensive/grunt work done at stoppage but I dont see why we need to reach with a top 2 or top 5 pick or whatever on it.

A midfield of some of (for example) Reid, Hewett, Duursma, McCarthy, Allan, Gross, maybe a Robey/Cumming or something plus the likes of Hall/Graham/Dev doing a defensive/tag role sounds like a pretty good mix of players to me. What exactly is that group missing?
Dont see why we need Sharp in there.
All of those players can or we anticipate will be able to win plenty of contested ball once they mature.

Players who are somewhat similar to Sharp like Steele or Oliver for example arent really top of many clubs priorities right now(yes those guys have their own issues too, but Steele had next to 0 interest for a good reason, surely not just for his knee).
Brisbane have Dunkley, who is probably Sharps absolute top ceiling if absolutely everything went Sharp's way(unlikely), but most top teams dont have an A-grade defensive/pure inside mid like that, I just dont see why its 100% necessary.

Imo all high pick mids we take going forward need to have a solid outside/transition game, as a non-negotiable. Fill in any gaps with cheap role players.

Im ok with Robey or CDT at pick 2, ill be a bit disappointed if we go Sharp that early. If we do the 2+13 for 5+6 thing then ill be ok with Sharp at 5 or 6, im not going to complain about taking best available even if I dont rate the player archetype.

 

[stallon]

Brisbane has done ok the last couple of years having a few inside mid accumulators. We need to build midfield depth.

Neale and the Ashcrofts arent like Sharp.
Dunkley is the only one id compare to Sharp, but Dunkley is the absolute best case scenario for Sharp imo

 

[stallon]

Not negligent at all lol.

They’re not overrated at all, the problem is that when they don’t actually get that much of the ball at AFL level they have trouble contributing. If they can find lots of the ball, they’re among the team’s best players.

We have some mids on the list, when doing a best 23 for next year we have some long term guys in there - Reid, Hewett, McCarthy, then the likes of Duursma(likely), Allan, Gross, Hall etc who are coming through, plus role players like Graham and DevRob. Remember Kelly and Yeo will still be around somewhere next year.
Do we need to add all 3 of Sharp, Swadling and Banfield to that mix this year?
Id strongly argue NO, too many to give opportunity to at once. Banfield + 1 other mid seems fair, then next year add another mid to our NGA intake.

Besides, Swadling I see as being more of a balanced mid, good in link up play and on the outside too.

This is why I said id prefer CDT + Swadling to Sharp, balanced mid > inside mid imo,

 

[uptheWC]

Neale and the Ashcrofts arent like Sharp.
Dunkley is the only one id compare to Sharp, but Dunkley is the absolute best case scenario for Sharp imo

Why is Dunkley the absolute best case scenario for Sharp? Sharp is way ahead of where Dunkley was in his draft year, especially his ball winning ability.

 

[stallon]

Why is Dunkley the absolute best case scenario for Sharp? Sharp is way ahead of where Dunkley was in his draft year, especially his ball winning ability.

Dunkley imo is one of the best few players in the comp, imo hes Brisbanes best player right now, and was 2nd behind Bont at the Dogs before he was traded despite being played out of his best role.

Dunkley is a VERY good ceiling, but I think its incerdibly optimistic to say Sharp will reach those heights

 

[eaglevision]

Tbh I just dont really care for the more boring inside mid that just goes from contest to contest all game, gets the ball but doesnt do anything too crazy with it, doesnt get many metres gained, doesnt have any x-factor, etc.
I get we need defensive/grunt work done at stoppage but I dont see why we need to reach with a top 2 or top 5 pick or whatever on it.

A midfield of some of (for example) Reid, Hewett, Duursma, McCarthy, Allan, Gross, maybe a Robey/Cumming or something plus the likes of Hall/Graham/Dev doing a defensive/tag role sounds like a pretty good mix of players to me. What exactly is that group missing?
Dont see why we need Sharp in there.
All of those players can or we anticipate will be able to win plenty of contested ball once they mature.

Players who are somewhat similar to Sharp like Steele or Oliver for example arent really top of many clubs priorities right now(yes those guys have their own issues too, but Steele had next to 0 interest for a good reason, surely not just for his knee).
Brisbane have Dunkley, who is probably Sharps absolute top ceiling if absolutely everything went Sharp's way(unlikely), but most top teams dont have an A-grade defensive/pure inside mid like that, I just dont see why its 100% necessary.

Imo all high pick mids we take going forward need to have a solid outside/transition game, as a non-negotiable. Fill in any gaps with cheap role players.

Im ok with Robey or CDT at pick 2, I’ll be a bit disappointed if we go Sharp that early. If we do the 2+13 for 5+6 thing then ill be ok with Sharp at 5 or 6, im not going to complain about taking best available even if I dont rate the player archetype.

Sharp is the guy who will win the hard ball and get to to Harley, Hewett and Duursma. He’ll also allow the former two to set up aggressively because you’ll know he’ll do the defensive work as well as winning the ball.

We can’t base a game plan on front half pressure and stoppage without having players that can win the ball and apply pressure at stoppage.

Sharp isn’t flashy but neither is Josh Dunkley yet he allows his team mates to play their offensive game which is also an overlooked attribute of Sharp.

If other clubs don’t rate Sharp until pick 5 then obviously we should try and trade down to 5 if he is our target, but in no way would I consider him a reach at 2 if that’s where we had to take him. Duursma is high ceiling but with Sharp we know exactly what we are getting.

 

[eaglevision]

Why is Dunkley the absolute best case scenario for Sharp? Sharp is way ahead of where Dunkley was in his draft year, especially his ball winning ability.

I think that’s a fair comment by stallon. If Sharp becomes 80% of Dunkley then he’s every bit worth a top 2 pick, most under rated player in the entire competition and easily the best two way midfielder.

What Sharp would offer that Dunkley doesn’t is leadership, he would be a fantastic team mate to have around guys like Harley and Hewett.

 

[uptheWC]

Dunkley imo is one of the best few players in the comp, imo hes Brisbanes best player right now, and was 2nd behind Bont at the Dogs before he was traded despite being played out of his best role.

Dunkley is a VERY good ceiling, but I think its incerdibly optimistic to say Sharp will reach those heights

Well if that’s how highly you rate Dunkley then Sharp shouldn’t be a reach at pick 2 no?

Keep in mind he has had the best career to date of this years prospects and considering some have his ceiling as lower than other top prospects should be more likely to reach said ceiling than others.

 

[uptheWC]

I think that’s a fair comment by stallon. If Sharp becomes 80% of Dunkley then he’s every bit worth a top 2 pick, most under rated player in the entire competition and easily the best two way midfielder.

What Sharp would offer that Dunkley doesn’t is leadership, he would be a fantastic team mate to have around guys like Harley and Hewett.

Fully agree. So he should absolutely be considered at pick 2 then should he not? Thats the argument here.

 

[RustyShacklefordFalcon]

I reckon Farrow sounds pretty exciting, tbh. Seems to have a decent floor and a very high ceiling. Worth a read through his profile if you haven't already.

Jacob Farrow Draft Profile

Smooth moving West Perth prospect Jacob Farrow looms as the first West Australian taken at this year's draft.

central.rookieme.com

 

[eaglevision]

Fully agree. So he should absolutely be considered at pick 2 then should he not? Thats the argument here.

I’d have no qualms taking Sharp at pick 2 whatsoever but I seem to be bigger on him than most and have been for some time.

There is absolutely an argument to take him at pick 2, it’s just clear that Stallon simply prefers other players with that pick and has his reasons.

 

[stallon]

Sharp is the guy who will win the hard ball and get to to Harley, Hewett and Duursma. He’ll also allow the former two to set up aggressively because you’ll know he’ll do the defensive work as well as winning the ball.

Do we need someone in there specifically to fish the ball out to these guys every time?
Harley is more than capable of getting it himself(imo hes VERY good at it), Hewett seems capable, Duursma we hope will be capable, Gross/whoever else will be capable.
As a sum of all midfielders we would have it covered, do we really need a specialist? makes us predictable and can slow the midfield down

We can’t base a game plan on front half pressure and stoppage without having players that can win the ball and apply pressure at stoppage.

Im not saying to neglect this role, but why cant someone like Graham/Allan(?)/whoever do it? Do we need this player to be at every centre clearance or can they be someone who starts off hff and rolls up to defend a specific oppo mid?

Could we try to ensure Allan is this player for us long term? Bo has less midfield craft than Sharp but does he need it doing a defensive role? More useful than Sharp in transition or on attack too

Sharp isn’t flashy but neither is Josh Dunkley yet he allows his team mates to play their offensive game which is also an overlooked attribute of Sharp.

See comment above

If other clubs don’t rate Sharp until pick 5 then obviously we should try and trade down to 5 if he is our target, but in no way would I consider him a reach at 2 if that’s where we had to take him. Duursma is high ceiling but with Sharp we know exactly what we are getting.

Ive used Sydney and Geelong midfields as examples a few times now.
Sydney have Rowbottom doing defensive work (a B grade role player) and then a bunch of more attacking mids Heeney/Warner/Gulden/etc. Imo Sydneys midfield mix is something we should model off, but we have bigger bodied mids than they do.
Geelong have role player defensive mids, at times running multiple tags in the midfield with the sole intention of getting the ball to Smith or Holmes so they can run with it.

Geelongs midfield worked very well this year and Sydney had some injury issues this year, but their midfield in 2024 carried them to a grand final.

No A-grade players like Sharp in those teams, so why do we NEED a player like him?(like the majority of this board seems to think)
Or are we ok picking Sharp at pick 2 expecting him to be a B-grade defensive mid/extractor like Rowbottom/Atkins?

 

[stallon]

Well if that’s how highly you rate Dunkley then Sharp shouldn’t be a reach at pick 2 no?

Thats absolute best case, I didnt say I think its likely.
I dont think he gets to that level.

Keep in mind he has had the best career to date of this years prospects and considering some have his ceiling as lower than other top prospects should be more likely to reach said ceiling than others.

 

[squashface]

I reckon Farrow sounds pretty exciting, tbh. Seems to have a decent floor and a very high ceiling. Worth a read through his profile if you haven't already.

Jacob Farrow Draft Profile

Smooth moving West Perth prospect Jacob Farrow looms as the first West Australian taken at this year's draft.

central.rookieme.com

If we hold 13 I like him there

 

[Eastern Rangers]

All due respect to Ablett he’s been involved in the business for a long period of time but that’s an exaggeration. His kicking isn’t his strong point but I’d aslo point out that if you get it 40 times in a game you are going to make some mistakes.
Have a look below and make your own opinion.

Swadling plays with a wooden back, I really can't rate him. Lacks dynamism and agility needed for an inside midfielder.

 

[eaglevision]

Do we need someone in there specifically to fish the ball out to these guys every time?
Harley is more than capable of getting it himself(imo hes VERY good at it), Hewett seems capable, Duursma we hope will be capable,

Yes. These other names would ideally play as first receivers at pace. Gross and Hall are probably the two that you’d hope can win the hard ball.

Im not saying to neglect this role, but why cant someone like Graham/Allan(?)

Yes Graham is exactly the role Sharp would take, they would rotate between mid and HFF. Set and forget. Graham and Allan are not even close in comparison to Sharp in this role, especially Allan.

No A-grade players like Sharp in those teams, so why do we NEED a player like him?(like the majority of this board seems to think)

We have shit rucks and have been shit at contested ball for years. Sharp is the best contested ball winner to come through in years. We’ve lost a tonne of leadership in two years, Sharp is a kid who has it in spades, we need to get better fast and Sharp plays round 1 and he’s a nice 200 game sure thing to pick alongside the upside of Duursma. There is absolutely nothing B grade about him. He is an A grade footballer, not an A grade athlete.

 

[cookiesncream]

I think that’s a fair comment by stallon. If Sharp becomes 80% of Dunkley then he’s every bit worth a top 2 pick, most under rated player in the entire competition and easily the best two way midfielder.

What Sharp would offer that Dunkley doesn’t is leadership, he would be a fantastic team mate to have around guys like Harley and Hewett.

Thats absolute best case, I didnt say I think its likely.
I dont think he gets to that level.

The fact Sharp has been the most successful player in his draft surely would lend him to have the highest floor, if that eventuates to him becoming a Libba type where he thrives doing the in and under contested and defensive mid work then surely pick 2 is worth it? CDT may have a perceived higher ceiling but what is his floor?

 

[Eastern Rangers]

Swadling is an interesting one. I was big on him at the start of the year. Felt he was mostly played out of position at the state champs. His numbers are off the charts at colts level and played a few decent league games. 189cm and knows how to find the ball and we need a few players that can do that. Can see the knocks on him in terms of speed and kicking. He’s certainly worth a punt if it’s a lower pick though.
Is he a bit like a Chad Warner that’s a WA boy that’s going under the radar, maybe not as developed as some in other competitions, people have written him off because they haven’t paid enough attention to what he can do rather what he can’t ?

Blake Kelly would be this years Chad Warner. Understated inside midfielder who gets out the front of stoppages from the inside, solid turn of speed and good agility. Best transition midfielder from WA after Koby Evans.

Charlie Banfield went past all other WA midfielders after his combine results. 6:05 2km and 8.03 agility run on top of strong back end performances.