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

Spoiler

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

Spoiler

Cal Twomey’s Phantom Draft

Spoiler

 

[ghostbat12]

How many HBF with possible midfield do you want to draft?

as many as it takes to prove that a HBFer can become a midfielder.

 

[Wedgetailed Westerner]

Think this year’s draft class is being underrated due to the academy kids in the top 10. Think Sharp would comfortably be top 10 most years, not sure about Cumming though.

Had he not done his shoulder, Cummings and Sharp both comfortably in top 10 moat years

 

[eaglespremiers]

Either way, I would take Smillie if he was in this draft and Sharp was not.

Is Smillie any better than Greeves?
Their Talent League outputs are comparable but Greeves was much better at Champs level IMO.
I can see arguments either way, but I don't think it's clear cut.

 

[txbyhull]

Is Smillie any better than Greeves?
Their Talent League outputs are comparable but Greeves was much better at Champs level IMO.
I can see arguments either way, but I don't think it's clear cut.

I’ve shown my bias plenty already, so I won’t comment. My response rhymes with schmucking schmoads schbetter

 

[Eastern Rangers]

I'd expect CDT to be a more valuable player than Williams by half-way thru his first season.

We can't afford CDT in the ruck at all in 2026.

I think a Archer Reid will play 2nd ruck all going well.

 

[dinnaz]

Had he not done his shoulder, Cummings and Sharp both comfortably in top 10 moat years

Sharp yes,
Cummings no way

Is Smillie any better than Greeves?
Their Talent League outputs are comparable but Greeves was much better at Champs level IMO.
I can see arguments either way, but I don't think it's clear cut.

Smillie is a huuuge mofo & I think he was actually better at 17 than 18 cos injuries.

 

[Eastern Rangers]

Even then I feel as if Williams and Banfield are barely scratching the pass mark for worthwhile. Next year looks much much better

Describe Banfield as a player.

 

[Wedgetailed Westerner]

Is stumpf a better option given he's had a year of development at VFL.? And would he likely get picked up in the draft or rookie. I feel he is the type of player clubs will look at given the shallow nature of key position stocks in this draft

He must have a quirky personality or shir attitude, or there are.other issues we donr know about for why je hasnt been drafted yet.
Nailed the conmbine qns had a good year last year and this year by all accounts

 

[Wedgetailed Westerner]

Well he’s definitely not quick. That won’t be something he’s drafted for by any means.

Definitely true, but as often spoke about, you’re supposed to be drafting for potential at the top end. I’m sure this is something we both don’t ascribe to, but if you’ve got 2 even prospects and 1 is a higher ceiling they’ll obviously be preferred.

I’d say so, considering as mentioned above and a lot previously the modern game requires more versatility from mids to actually succeed.

Sharp ran.2.95 at start of year in 20m

 

[txbyhull]

Describe Banfield as a player.

For mine, based on his finals game(s), I really liked a lot of his use by hand, his marking as well. There was quite a few times that I loved him going inboard by foot and he hit targets pretty well in space, but it seemed like every time he had to put it on his foot around the contest it was a bit of hack ball. I think he has succeeded on a wing to use his size, tank and 'versatility' (scoreboard impact / defensive transition work), but by no means is he the level of a Barker or a LeRay. When he's gone on ball late in the season I think he's below the likes of Oudshoorn-Bennier but not any lower than a Coulson for example.

If he had gotten on-ball the entire year, and replicated a lot of his finals form consistently then I think he'd be in the conversation for early second round, and its not his fault that that wasn't the case, but it is a factor.

I don't think he is a bad player and I sure as hell don't hope he turns out to be one. I think he's got talent and a lot of room for growth, especially in a professional environment. Think he's got more potential than a Clay Hall for example

 

[txbyhull]

Sharp ran.2.95 at start of year in 20m

jeez he doesn't exactly play like it

 

[Mulldogg]

Kickett talking about Tylah Williams

The 'Koby' he asked about is Koby LeCras.

Actually Gossage said that it was a player aligned to West Coast (i.e. an NGA) and then Willem mentioned “Koby” which would likely be a reference to Koby Evans as they would have spent time together in the AFL Academy and he would know that he is aligned to the Eagles.

Despite mentioning earlier in the interview that he is mates with Koby LeCras, he isn’t tied to West Coast given there isn’t currently an uncle/nephew rule. Plus I doubt he’s going to drop his underaged mate in it about drinking on live radio given LeCras is only 17.

So I think Farmer Lister might have been correct.

 

[Wce17]

Are Sharp or any of the other players who didn't test at the combine able to test outside of it and give clubs that info?

 

[WCE777]

He must have a quirky personality or shir attitude, or there are.other issues we donr know about for why je hasnt been drafted yet.
Nailed the conmbine qns had a good year last year and this year by all accounts

A couple of posters had some good insights on Stumpf.
From memory he was a late developer, late birthday but this year seems to have had a strong year.
Others would know better but he would be an excellent KPD rookie if we dont take a tall in the draft.

 

[Obeanie1]

Williams looks good in play. Fast feet and agile. Lot of good side steps, however not a lot of goal kicking in the highlights. It worries me a little that we don't seem to have any goal kicking small forwards, of which Dovaston is one.

Others that have watched him play more than me, does he have the ability to create goals from nothing? Or is more of a goal assist, link up forward type of player?

Champion and Newton are small forwards that need development games.

Likely add Williams.

 

[Eastern Rangers]

Bit dramatic mate!
I do like the likes of Fred, Farrow, maybe swaddling and definitely like Toby Whan.
All I'm saying is to not be pressured into taking our NGA players just because it's somehow the right thing to do..

Strongly disagree. After Farrow Banfield is perhaps the most bankable player of the lot. He lead the Claremont midfield to the Colts championship against all those guys. He also had both strong champs and strong league introduction.

Rodriguez. Great endurance and kicking. Slow and has poor hands in close, isn't physical or play with much intensity.
C - Will need to build on his inside game to make it at AFL level. Hard ask.

Whan. As above but not as skilled by foot and more outside, poor hands and also slow. Natural accumulator and can be dynamic when given time.
C - Like Rodriguez will need to build an inside game to make it at AFL level.

Farrow. Big physical but likes width, good on the spread from stoppage, not that good closer to the ball drop (gets lost). Better hands than Whan and Rodriguez. More athletic.
A - Bankable half back with midfield potential.

Swaddling. Elite Endurance, good hands, sub par kick. Lacks physicality and intensity at stoppage. Easily turned and bodied by opponents.
D - hard to see him being physically strong enough to play inside midfield at AFL level. No potential as a flanker.

Banfield. Great endurance and good agility. Better mark than any above, stronger inside game than Farrow, Whan and Rodriguez. Defensive mindset and plays a physical brand. Less consistent transition game than others but not physically limited.
B - AFL wingman with midfield potential.

Koby Evans. Agile inside midfielder with natural ball tracking hunting, good on the transition and phasing to the outside. He's also a decent overhead prospect. Weakness is he's still slight and he's prone like Whan to kicking too long.
B - Inside Midfielder who can play as general midfielder or forward flanker.

Blake Kelly. Small but strong inside midfielder with great transition to outside. Doesn't lack endurance but he's not a strong around the ground player. Doesn't stand out but his fundamentals are strong.
C - my prediction is he won't be drafted but will go as a mature age recruit in 2026/27.

 

[AsterixTheGaul]

We dont necessarily have our half back line completed is my take, and Farrow gets us closer to it at worst, at best hes a midfielder.
Yes we have probably over-committed to getting half back types, but none of them really have top tier foot skills(other than McCarthy who I want in the middle).
If the club is happy to be more about metres gained than chasing kick accuracy(may well be the case, sounds like it would fit Minis plan) from d50 then what we have is great

I like McCarthy more as a mid than as a HBF, I thought he looked way more damaging, and we need a player like McCarthy with genuine speed and foot skills in the middle anyway, it seems a perfect fit.

Does the club actually see Allan as a hbf? Starcevich any chance of midfield time? McCarthy mid or def? Would Duursma actually start off half back? Does Duggan stay in d50?

Some things we just dont know at this stage

tldr: we have enough half backs but we dont have Farrow's foot skills

Let me just say, if you prioritise winning contested football, you are less likely to start the ball out of defense

 

[Eastern Rangers]

Williams looks good in play. Fast feet and agile. Lot of good side steps, however not a lot of goal kicking in the highlights. It worries me a little that we don't seem to have any goal kicking small forwards, of which Dovaston is one.

Others that have watched him play more than me, does he have the ability to create goals from nothing? Or is more of a goal assist, link up forward type of player?

Dovaston is a step up. You want both, Dovaston more regularly at the ball drop where his agility and physicality is better used. Give Williams a looser role where his speed, agility and craft can come into its own.

 

[Eastern Rangers]

are we sure we don't want Fred anymore? was touted as top 5 and we were salivating. what happened?

Id take Fred, I don't know where. If you have other guys to lead the midfield you can free him up to use his kicking skills to full effect. Id also hope AFL conditioning can help his pace and work on his hands in close and under pressure.

 

[uptheWC]

Is Smillie any better than Greeves?
Their Talent League outputs are comparable but Greeves was much better at Champs level IMO.
I can see arguments either way, but I don't think it's clear cut.

I don’t know a whole lot about either but Smillie probably has better versatility and a higher ceiling overall.

 

[Eastern Rangers]

For mine, based on his finals game(s), I really liked a lot of his use by hand, his marking as well. There was quite a few times that I loved him going inboard by foot and he hit targets pretty well in space, but it seemed like every time he had to put it on his foot around the contest it was a bit of hack ball. I think he has succeeded on a wing to use his size, tank and 'versatility' (scoreboard impact / defensive transition work), but by no means is he the level of a Barker or a LeRay. When he's gone on ball late in the season I think he's below the likes of Oudshoorn-Bennier but not any lower than a Coulson for example.

Barker is an athletic beast and a step above and won't be available at 34. LeRay is a bit more one dimensional, at the moment very much a backward of centre type who needs the game in front him.

I don't see Oudshoorn-Bennieras a direct comparison given the size difference and his projection as a small mid/ to mid forward at AFL level. Prefer Blake to Dalton and I also see smaller ground ball players as a priority or taller hybrid players like Duursma and Banfield.

If he had gotten on-ball the entire year, and replicated a lot of his finals form consistently then I think he'd be in the conversation for early second round, and its not his fault that that wasn't the case, but it is a factor.

I don't think he is a bad player and I sure as hell don't hope he turns out to be one. I think he's got talent and a lot of room for growth, especially in a professional environment. Think he's got more potential than a Clay Hall for example

I don't think the length of time on ball is an issue. It wasn't for Farrow who got cheaper stats off the half back line and was less effective on ball. Banfield played a variety of roles and succeeded at all of them, within a stable AFL environment he can do the same. If anything he's been throttled.

 

[AsterixTheGaul]

Barker is an athletic beast and a step above and won't be available at 34. LeRay is a bit more one dimensional, at the moment very much a backward of centre type who needs the game in front him.

I don't see Oudshoorn-Bennieras a direct comparison given the size difference and his projection as a small mid/ to mid forward at AFL level. Prefer Blake to Dalton and I also see smaller ground ball players as a priority or taller hybrid players like Duursma and Banfield.



I don't think the length of time on ball is an issue. It wasn't for Farrow who got cheaper stats off the half back line and was less effective on ball. Banfield played a variety of roles and succeeded at all of them, within a stable AFL environment he can do the same. If anything he's been throttled.

I would say nailing 13 but not prioritising Banfield and Williams would be a big mistake

 

[rfarlz]

I'd be pushing for pick 6 from Essendon and giving them 9 instead.

WCE
OUT: 2, 13
IN: 5, 6

ESS
OUT: 5, 6, 30
IN: 2, 9

CAR
OUT: 9
IN: 13, 30

Carlton comes out ahead on points but where this may or may not work for them is the pick they get back from the Dean bid. Not a deal break by any means as there will be some decent options available to them.

	Pick returned	Pick returned
Bid at	Holding 9 & 11	Holding 11 & 13
5	16	23
6	14	20
7	12	17
8	11	15

I had proposed one similar to this earlier in the week, I had us giving 41 to Carlton and Carlton giving their 43 to Essendon as well, which I think makes the deal a lot more likely without hurting us too much. The best part of this is if Essendon and us commit to not bidding on Dean it builds a lot of intangible value for Carlton, which makes them more likely to deal with us than Adelaide, who are reportedly also interested in pick 9.

 

[SAweagle]

jeez he doesn't exactly play like it

He's a first hands on drop of the ball or read the tap distributor of the footy.

His role is to win the footy stand up in the tackle and dish the footy off to a Reid Hewett or Durrsma in space

Defensivly he will wrap up the bloke who wins it first or at least make it a 50/50 contest. A need thats been painfully obvious for 5 years now, Yeo used to do it when he was fit. Kelly should have adjusted his game to do it.

He's got a footballers mind in an era of athletes and so his supposed lack of speed is negated by quick precise decision making & execution. His first instinct in all the footage of him is to set up a team mate in a better position.

 

[Keys]

This is a very simplistic exercise but it helps illustrate a few things. I’ve done a mock draft based on Cal Twomey’s most recent top 30 using the current draft order and ignoring any potential pick swaps or specific club needs/wants

1. West Coast- Willem Duursma
2. Gold Coast- Zeke Uwland (Bid matched using 15,18,24 - get 43 back)
3. West Coast- Cooper Duff-Tytler
4. Gold Coast- Dylan Patterson (Bid matched using 26,27,34,43,51 - deficit of 267 carried into 2026)
5. Brisbane- Dan Annable (Bid matched using 18,23,40 - get 48 back)
6. Richmond- Sullivan Robey
7. Richmond- Xavier Taylor
8. Carlton- Harry Dean (Bid matched using 12,14 - get 18 back)
9. Essendon- Dyson Sharp
10. Essendon- Sam Cumming
11. Melbourne- Aidan Schubert
12. Melbourne- Sam Grlj
13. Hawthorn- Jacob Farrow
14. GWS- Josh Lindsay
15. West Coast- Jevan Phillipou
16. Western Bulldogs- Oliver Greeves
17. Adelaide- Mitch Marsh
18. Carlton- Lachy Dovaston
19. Geelong- Oskar Taylor
20. Fremantle- Noah Hibbins-Hargreaves
21. Essendon- Harley Barker
22. Hawthorn- Archie Ludowycke
23. Essendon- Adam Sweid (Bid matched using 25 - get 54)
24. North Melbourne- Latrelle Pickett
25. Sydney- Max King
    Multiple players found. Use birthday to differentiate. eg [PLAYERCARD="23/11/1962"]Joe Smith[/PLAYERCARD]
    (Bid matched using 27 - get 54)
26. Carlton- Jack Ison (Bid matched using 38,47 - deficit of 82 carried into 2026)
27. Sydney- Harry Kyle (Bid matched using 29 - get 53)
28. Gold Coast- Beau Addinsall (Deficit of 421 carried into 2026)
29. North Melbourne- Cameron Nairn
30. Essendon- Blake Thredgold

West Coast would be holding picks 32,38,47,52 with the following players still available among others:
• Talor Byrne
• Blake Oudshoorn-Bennier
• Louis Emmett
• Matthew LeRay
• Jack Dalton
• Fred Rodriguez
• Leon Kickett
• Cody Curtin

The club has some serious strategising around how best to use the R2 picks they hold (currently 34 and 41) and where the NGA players and Banfield fit in to the overall scheme. Note also that our R3 picks (currently 53 and 58) will vanish should we go to the draft with just the 5 open list spots

Based on the above we could walk away with a draft haul of :
• Duursma
• Duff-Tytler (or Sharp/Cumming for those who’d prefer a mid plus we could get something extra like an early F2 by trading down from pick 2)
• Dovaston
• Rodriguez (or one of those other names) with our first R2 pick
• Williams using our second R2 pick to match a bid or we might prefer someone else (possibly a tall) still likely to be on the board with that pick
• Banfield provided we open up a 6th list spot or alternatively white knuckle the rest of the draft in the hope there’s no bid so we can add him as a rookie
• Evans as a Cat B rookie assuming he doesn’t get a bid or Walley if he does

Would leave one spot open for a train on plus a second if we delist Livingstone which seems likely

Other options:
• We use 34 and possibly 41 to move 13 up the order to give us more options with our third pick - Sharp or Schubert might slide to what is Carlton’s pick 9. That would cost us the ability to use a pick in the early 30s however but keeps a spot open for our NGAs/Banfield if needed
• Gold Coast could be short on points so might look at trading a F2 for our pick 34 as an example - again this would help keep a spot open for our NGAs/Banfield

We are in a really good position with our draft hand.

I’ve been a big proponent of trading up from 13 to 9 but now I’m less certain - especially if we trade down from pick 2. There are going to be some nice options with our R2 picks which would be lost if we traded up and staying with pick 13 still gives us a choice from at least one of Farrow, Lindsay, Dovaston, Phillipou or Grlj

If we rate Banfield, and I think we should, then moving Cripps to the rookie list to guarantee we can match a bid if it comes should be a no brainer. It’s either that or don’t use that fourth pick/not match Williams