List Mgmt. Draft Watch 2015

[FAITH]

you could say the same about Fyfe, Bontempelli and Patrick Cripps who are the same height as Francis, Bontempelli is taller, he is the height clubs want.

1 of the reasons why fyfe slipped so low

 

[The Sloane Ranger]

this may be the reason why Francis is considered a flight risk, terrible situation and amazing strength

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-ne...n-francis-plays-football-20151104-gkqexq.html

I had tears reading it

This is a shockingly sad story

 

[Brentmeister]

So I guess clubs see how important Francis' family is to him and they know there's a good chance he'll want to return to SA if he's drafted elsewhere.

 

[Pdub]

1 of the reasons why fyfe slipped so low

The main reason fyfe went so low is because he was playing in the seconds for his high school. I have a feeling Freo knew what they were getting though and maybe he wasn't playing seconds based on form. A bit like how the rumours about darling getting into fights at night clubs are thought to have been spread by west coast. The WA clubs are good at keeping their talent underrated.

 

[WaynesWorld19]

Still think Crows fans are setting themselves up for a huge disappointment with Francis

 

[earlsta]

this may be the reason why Francis is considered a flight risk, terrible situation and amazing strength

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-ne...n-francis-plays-football-20151104-gkqexq.html

I had tears reading it

Shocking story, didn't realize somebody could be diagnosed with Cancer then pass away within a week at such a young age, terrible disease.
Great inspiring young lad.

Been in a similar situation but we were lucky, my niece complained about chest pains & was diagnosed with Pulmonary Hypertension at 4yo, we had no idea what this disease was, other than it was extremely rare and life threatening. She only had a few months to live, had to wear a backpack with medication (catherter to the heart) daily just to survive.

She got a heart & Lung transplant last year at the Alfred hospital and became the youngest in Australia to ever to receive a heart and double lung transplant which saved her life.

This is her story:
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/he...64a136cdf?sv=bb62a8631f00a2180245119b1c77427a


No idea how Aaron Francis has been playing football and succeeding so well after this sort of thing happened, must be one hell of a tough bastard.

 

[FAITH]

The main reason fyfe went so low is because he was playing in the seconds for his high school. I have a feeling Freo knew what they were getting though and maybe he wasn't playing seconds based on form. A bit like how the rumours about darling getting into fights at night clubs are thought to have been spread by west coast. The WA clubs are good at keeping their talent underrated.

i remember a recruiter from one of the vic teams say they watched him play but felt he was too short to play frwd in the afl and not good enough to play in the midf, so they didnt know how to rate him. it was only a few weeks before the end of the season when apparently he started dominating both as a midf and up frwd but most clubs had written him off by then and didnt see enough of him at his best.

 

[WaynesWorld19]

The main reason fyfe went so low is because he was playing in the seconds for his high school. I have a feeling Freo knew what they were getting though and maybe he wasn't playing seconds based on form. A bit like how the rumours about darling getting into fights at night clubs are thought to have been spread by west coast. The WA clubs are good at keeping their talent underrated.

Fyfe was so skinny ......no-one anticipated the muscle he would put on

IIRC he also wasn't playing midfield at the champs

 

[knobby]

Still think Crows fans are setting themselves up for a huge disappointment with Francis

based on his story I wouldnt begrudge him chasing his and his brother's dream anywhere he may be

 

[crowsarethebest]

From what I remember of Fyfe the reason he slipped was he didn't get enough of the ball, and was as thin as a twig. He was 190cm but around 70kg. He was playing exclusively as a forward pretty much. Credit to him, he's worked his ass off in the gym to put on some serious power and bulk and did the hard yards to get an AFL midfield tank. Big reason why character is rated so highly amongst recruiters... you can have all the talent in the world but if you don't do the hard work or don't have that drive to bring out that extra 5% in you then you'll never make the grade.

 

[FAITH]

this may be the reason why Francis is considered a flight risk, terrible situation and amazing strength

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-ne...n-francis-plays-football-20151104-gkqexq.html

I had tears reading it

very sad.
seems very close to his family.

 

[Matman23]

It would make it fun and interesting, but it is highly unlikely they'd be as good as Menzel & Seedsman.

Yeah I kind of put that wrong. I would take the Seedsman and Menzel trades everyday of the week.

But the discussion over our two picks is getting a little repetitive and boring. So in regards to draft talk it would be good to have a bit more to discuss.

 

[Thetrader15]

you could say the same about Fyfe, Bontempelli and Patrick Cripps who are the same height as Francis, Bontempelli is taller, he is the height clubs want.

Only that these guys were all mids from the get go, whereas Francis would need to made into a mid - which I'm sure he can do

 

[WaynesWorld19]

From what I remember of Fyfe the reason he slipped was he didn't get enough of the ball, and was as thin as a twig. He was 190cm but around 70kg. He was playing exclusively as a forward pretty much. Credit to him, he's worked his ass off in the gym to put on some serious power and bulk and did the hard yards to get an AFL midfield tank. Big reason why character is rated so highly amongst recruiters... you can have all the talent in the world but if you don't do the hard work or don't have that drive to bring out that extra 5% in you then you'll never make the grade.

 

[Sanders]

Jeff mate get of the Collins train .......WILL NOT HAPPEN !!!!!!!!!!

We recruited our CHB last draft ......how many goes do you want? ......club HAS NEVER in two drafts, drafted for the same KP role ...and certainly not in defense

Your insanity has a longer half life than enriched uranium.

Lever is not going to play CHB; and an injury like Burtons is never without risk no matter who the surgeon is

 

[Sanders]

I don't get the Goddard comparisons being a bad thing. Goddard has been a very good player capable of playing a number of positions.

Goddard has been a fantastic player, one of the best #1 picks ever.

the idea that a team would not want a Goddard is asinine madness

 

[Rory Walkerfield]

Goddard has been a fantastic player, one of the best #1 picks ever.

the idea that a team would not want a Goddard is asinine madness

a team of goddards will give you a premiership every year

 

[Mego Red]

Your insanity has a longer half life than enriched uranium.

Lever is not going to play CHB; and an injury like Burtons is never without risk no matter who the surgeon is

Lever is never going to play CHB??

Drafted as a KPD and considered pre-injury to be the best KPD of his draft year?

195cm and the frame to carry 100kgs?

Why the absolute hell is he NOT going to be a key defender?

There is absolutely no sense to your opinion on this at all. He may not be a purely nullifying key back but he absolutely will have the frame and athleticism to play tall.

 

[Rory Walkerfield]

Lever is never going to play CHB??

Drafted as a KPD and considered pre-injury to be the best KPD of his draft year?

195cm and the frame to carry 100kgs?

Why the absolute hell is he NOT going to be a key defender?

There is absolutely no sense to your opinion on this at all. He may not be a purely nullifying key back but he absolutely will have the frame and athleticism to play tall.

Yep, gotta disagree with Sanders on this one. Lever is same height as hartigan, will put on similar weight too. Difference between the two is that one will be a star

 

[huludicidal]

Ahh, it's so amusing every year to hear the fan cries of 'there's no chance he'll be there at our pick' and 'there's no way in hell we'd take him', only for so many of these statements to be torn to shreds on draft night.

I'd love it if Francis slid to our first pick. I'd hate it if he was there and we didn't select him (unless we were absolutely positive that we can get him with our second pick). The fact is that one or both of these things might happen! Or maybe neither of them will. Nobody knows yet.

I can understand clubs like Essendon and Carlton being hesitant to take him - they both desperately need true mids and KPPs and there are quality options available so a utility type like Francis becomes less attractive if you are fixated on filling certain holes.

The thing is, the notion of drafting in the top 10-15 based on team needs rather than taking the best available talent has been proven time and time again to be completely stupid (hi Kane Lucas), and this is one of the main reasons why all of the clubs with selections between 3 and 8 are pretty much basket cases right now. I'll have a big laugh if they still haven't realised this by draft night.

So realistically, it looks to me like our two selections will be two of Francis, Milera, McKay, Oliver, Mathieson, Tucker and Burton. Perhaps a couple of late risers like Ryan Clarke or Mitch Hibberd will also come into calculations. Who knows.

I'll have a crack at the top 13 excluding academy picks (it's actually a top 12 because the GWS pick 10 effectively gets used on Hopper), because that's all we should really care about. I've marked where I think the academy guys will go too. It will no doubt be completely wrong but here we go:

1. J Weitering (Carl) - no brainer - not even Carlton can **** this kid up. He's ridiculous.

2. J Schache (Bris) - no brainer - his goal kicking action is something to behold - puts most seasoned AFL forwards to shame already.

*C Mills (Syd)

3. D Parish (Melb) - the Dees will absolutely take Parish or Weideman here - if it's Weideman then the rest of my predictions will go to shit.

*J Hopper (GWS)

4. S Weideman (Ess) - I strongly believe the Bombers will take Weideman (assuming the Dees pass on him) so they can send Hooker back to defence and give Daniher a long-term partner in crime.

5. C Oliver (Ess) - for mine the bombers also need a beast midfielder, and Oliver has got a lot of tongues wagging late in the season.

*B Keays (Bris)

6. R Mathieson (GC) - I really don't think the Suns are taking a tall despite the loss of Dixon (P Wright is waiting in the wings to take that spot), and Mathieson looks as solid as a rock on the inside which is something they could really use.

7. H McKay (Melb) - Now here's something different - I think most people will have McKay going to Adelaide or Carlton. I just reckon Melbourne could use a running mate for Hogan and I think they'll miss out on Weideman and perhaps snap up Harry here - probably wrong but there you go.

* M Kennedy (GWS)

8. C Curnow (Carl) - joining his bro at the Blues - a little bit of a slider. He may even slide to Carlton's next pick if they prefer one of the South Aussies (Francis or Milera).

9. A Francis (Adel) - I'd remove my pants at this point - is the best available player by a street and this would be the equivalent of having pick 4 because I reckon we'd probably take him there.

10. W Milera (Carl) - they've added a key defender and a bloke who can either play forward or as a big bodied mid - now they'll grab some outside run.

11. C Ah Chee (Rich) - the Tiges are crying out for a silky small forward and this selection is an extremely Richmond thing to do.

* E Hipwood (Bris)

12. D Tucker (Adel) - it's a tough choice here, but my gut feeling at this stage is that we'll go with Tucker over Burton (no doubt there's several others in the mix too such as Hibberd). Can break the lines and make David Mackay 100% redundant, if he isn't already. Oh yes, and I think we'll bid on Hipwood here if he hasn't received a bid already.


So there's my primitive and ill-informed attempt at predicting the picks that matter to us. These predictions can be binned and altered to whatever Emma Quayle says on Nov 23 because that is the only phantom draft worth getting excited about really.

 

[ADL9798]

The issue with Francis is what Is he?
He isnt a kpd, kpf or midf.
He is a Goddard, most clubs don't want this type of player.
Imo he would be a brilliant key forward who could go back and in the midfield part time.

Having said all this I'm a huge milera fan and think he is exactly what we need. But from the experts Oliver and Mackay are also in the mix at 9.

I'm more convinced than ever we will get top quality whoever we choose.

Our forward line is pretty set at the moment, on the footage & reports I've seen if we drafted him I'd be more inclined to put him in defence rotating through midfield.

FB: Brown Talia Cheney
HB: Francis Lever Laird

Smith/Seedsman/Henderson rotating through halfback.

That's our next Premiership winning back 6 right there.

 

[Flip Side]

Dont let reality impact anything. I guess when we pick up Hogan and Omera next year we will be a top 4 lock.

Good point Eeyore! Love your posts, keeps us all real, never change.

Now let's argue about nothing, that will be clever.

 

[FAITH]

Our forward line is pretty set at the moment, on the footage & reports I've seen if we drafted him I'd be more inclined to put him in defence rotating through midfield.

FB: Brown Talia Cheney
HB: Francis Lever Laird

Smith/Seedsman/Henderson rotating through halfback.

That's our next Premiership winning back 6 right there.

Walker/Jenkins/Francis up forward is quite nice, if we somehow get Milera with Betts and Cameron, thats up there with the best.
I think we have other options in defence.

 

[Flip Side]

Where do you see him going then? Essendon?

I believe Melbourne will take Weid at three.

 

[Sanders]

Yep, gotta disagree with Sanders on this one. Lever is same height as hartigan, will put on similar weight too. Difference between the two is that one will be a star

Guess you never saw Ben Hart as an 18yr old.