Draft Watch

[Tomnat Tigers]

After spending the weekend reading up and watching videos, I've slotted in Pitt as my second choice behind Gaff for pick 6. Everyone of the descriptions of read about him says the same thing, best disposal in the draft and the bonus is he can do it off both feet as well. Needs to put on a bit of weight but given our desire for a good outside option Pitt could be just what we're looking for.

Only problem with pitt is his 70 kg but he is a good height.

 

[_RT_]

Only problem with pitt is his 70 kg but he is a good height.

Means nothing, when I was coming through U18's I was about the same, by time I was in my 3rd year of senior footy I was about 192cm and 85kg. I'd suggest that once Pitt gets into an AFL club he'll build up more than enough to compete.

 

[Madtiger2006]

We should target Caddy. He's another Dustin Martin

 

[melih69]

Anyone seen the AFL website article on Ariel Steinberg who was in Canada for a little while,


Is there substance or just a nice exotic story blown up for the ratings?

I'm a very good friend of Ariel's, but yeah, he definatley was in Canada last year on a student exchange..

just a question to more you knowledgeable guys about the draft, what pick do you guys think Ariel will end up going for?

just hope he gets picked up by a Victorian team.

 

[Mr Magic]

Since you know him, how quick is he?

As where he will finish, you are asking the wrong person, I first saw him on the AFL website!

 

[santa claws]

No, they should absolutely not get supporter's advice in regards to drafting.... The average punter knows bugger all about it and they have paid recruiting staff. The reason we are in the position we are in may be because coaches have tried quick fixes in order to please supporters short term without doing what DH is appearing to do and actually build towards a premiership. Let's not let a bunch of supporters influence that..... All we should do is buy memberships, turn up to games and support the boys.....

pppffftt i have been involved with a group of supporters who are extremely knowledgeable mainly correct and with a far far better record than those at the club.not all arer rfc supporters either.
some have played at the highest level some have been involved in recruiting all to a man are not influenced by who they barrack for or what supporters think.
almost all are far smarter than me and i dont include myself in their group.

you are right about one thing most of us have no idea about the inner workings. that most of us would be 99.999999%. but there are many whos opinions i would give greater credence to than those of the club and that based purely on performance and what they have got right over the yrs. now this is measurable.

the club has my support but i have to say the past 30 yrs has me question everything they do. if i stop questioning what is happening it will be the day i give up on them. i will still question a week later the merits of players after winning a gf.

 

[THE_GUN]

great write up TFLUA-tiger really enjoyed the read.

i personally think we should go mids with the first 4 selections unless day is available at pick 6 which looks near imposible atm.

but there is no denying that we also need another ruckman on our list, i personaly dont rate graham very highly & am hoping that browne continues to develope as he is our only real hope in the ruck.

i see vickery more as a foward that will/can relieve in the ruck rather than be the number 1.
we either need to use 63 or a rookie pick,have you seen / heard of leif cope at all & if so would you think he would be available with our later/rookie picks

http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/101745/default.aspx

 

[Dustin Credible]

Smedts. Spelt S-MED-T-S. No L people. No C or H either.

He's a versatile utility type who's a nice height at 187 cm - probably best suited off a HBF at the moment - but could be quite a handy wingman/forward too. Great defensively, not at all shabby in the air - and athletically there's a ton of potential. Ticks lots of boxes. That ability in the air means he's a real option as a midfielder/forward with marking ability.

Clean below knees and classy disposal. Provides dash and hits his target. He's quick, and hard to tackle. There's lots of slippery midfielders/HBF'ers this year.

Thanks for your reviews very informative.

As resident draft guru TFLUA, could you give me a bit more on this kid.

All the reviews I have read (which is all I have to go on) are very positive. Like yours, no real negatives mentioned unlike some touted to go higher, but expectations are he'll go around pick 15.

Is this because, whilst he seems to have few percieved weaknesses, his best isn't that brilliant? Or because it's hard to clearly pinpoint a position for him?

From your write up it sounds like we should be seriously considering picking him at 6.

 

[UpTheGuts]

I think we are seeing hy pick 6 can be a pain - plenty of options, few certainties and the temptation to reach is real.

Surely Simmonds needs to be replaced with a tall bloke, even if he's young. Patto!!! Just jokes, as much as I loved the guy.

Harper's gait reminds me a little of Sherman. Not equating them, obviously.

 

[purrrrrrrrrrfect]

thanks for the write up TFLAU,

Question for the board - is this the deepest draft talent wise in recent memory ot just the usual case at this time of yr of making every1 out to be a star? The reason I ask is I cant remember the last time I chop and changed re our first pick.
From the exceptional disposal of pitt (havent seen him much, just going by the baord & wat we really need) to the grunt of caddy and the fact he can go fwd ala chapman (which would be handy and add that extra in our fwd structure) the dash & effective rebound of Smedts from our back half (what we really, really need) to the X factor of Harper. Heck I even like the way Gorringe moves for a big man.... AHHHH, if only we had a few more picks in the top 20....

So back to the orriginal question, is this yrs draft just seeping class or is it a case of 2-3 stand outs and then falling away to where everyone is on the same pegging?!?!?

 

[Roar Metre]

From what I can tell it's deep in terms of midfielders, not in terms of talent.

After the clear cut top 3 (what recruiters have been saying) it evens out considerably. It also appears that Gaff and Heppell will be picks 4 and 5.

This leaves us a pool of players that could fall anywhere from 6-25.

tigs2010 (with source un-named) has been led to believe that our pick 6 is a Victorian midfielder, though has for whatever reason ruled out Atley and potentially Caddy.

 

[folester41]

i get the feeling brisbane or west coast will pick up polec and we will get one of gaff or heppel

 

[Azzleberry]

great write up TFLUA-tiger really enjoyed the read.

i personally think we should go mids with the first 4 selections unless day is available at pick 6 which looks near imposible atm.

but there is no denying that we also need another ruckman on our list, i personaly dont rate graham very highly & am hoping that browne continues to develope as he is our only real hope in the ruck.

i see vickery more as a foward that will/can relieve in the ruck rather than be the number 1.
we either need to use 63 or a rookie pick,have you seen / heard of leif cope at all & if so would you think he would be available with our later/rookie picks

http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/101745/default.aspx

Like the size of him.. 203cm at 18, has the potential to grow to around 205-206 and be a monster of a kid. From the video, is smart in the way he taps down to the mids and looks ok around the ground. Would be worth a shot with our last pick on the list or as a rookie...
I think the last development ruckman we get behind the 3 we have has to be either:
A) Athletically gifted and good around the ground
B) A monster kid who will be our Sandilands.

 

[Richo URA Star]

We should target Caddy. He's another Dustin Martin

Anything that comes close to a Dustin Martin is a big YES

 

[Tomnat Tigers]

Anybody know and anything about this bloke:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkIkb1NYNnw

193cm.

 

[Rustof]

Anybody know and anything about this bloke:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkIkb1NYNnw

193cm.

That Aaron Sweet the guy has on his channel looks pretty good too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tawNIkHodNw

 

[Azzleberry]

i get the feeling brisbane or west coast will pick up polec and we will get one of gaff or heppel

I don't think we can lose with these 3. Similar how last year, we were guaranteed one of Scully, Trengove or Martin...
Dimma has asked for an outside midfielder as his preference for pick 6. Although we will get Houli in PSD and have Grigg (Although an inside mid), this will still be the number one priority.
The last few years, we have gone Victorian lads, as we tend to see enough of them over the year and are familiar with their assets and liabilities...

Polec - He is the most pure fit to our need. However, as we all know, we do not draft for needs with a 1st rounder but best available. If Gaff and Heppel are gone, Polec is best available mid IMO. The only knock that I have heard on this guy, is his attitude. I think our club has built foundations and have a leadership team now capable to handle these types of players with attitude problems.
Once he is at the Tig's he will no longer be the big fish in a little pond and hence will be mentored by the older guys and be reprimanded heavily if he steps out of line (Dan Connors style). Also, people say that he is arrogant and a s*** bloke.. So are many other players these days. Not all footballers are great blokes..And not all great blokes make your best 22 (Collins)...
If we draft him at 6, he can play on the wing/HFF or in the midfield. He will be another addition of quality and skill to our midfield and will be part of the rotations. He will offer us something different that we don't have, flair, line breaking abilities and he is an 80m player in that he runs 20 and kicks 60...

IMO Gaff is more of an accumulator who gathers 25 touches a game through link up play. He gets a lot of cheapies in the backline and running behind players. Obviously they get the ball into his hands due to his skills but I don't find him that damaging. I would prefer 20 touches from Polec rather than 30 of Gaff.

Heppel whilst many say is a mid, played his best footy off the back flank this year in a Goddard type role. If we get him, it means one of Connors/Deledio will need to be moved into the outside mid role / wingman position, which would work fine. Again, Heppel's disposal is first class and a lot more damaging than Gaff's IMO.

IMO, for our pick 6, I would rate them as follows:
-Heppel (Huge upside - damaging disposal) = Polec (Huge upside - flair, creativity and line breaker)
.....
.....
-Gaff (sure thing - but limited upside) Would look at Atley/Smith/Caddy as well

So I am officially on the Polec Bandwagon (Assuming Heppel is gone)..

As for 29, I would think a Conca/Prestia/Lamb type would do very nicely..

 

[THE_GUN]

Like the size of him.. 203cm at 18, has the potential to grow to around 205-206 and be a monster of a kid. From the video, is smart in the way he taps down to the mids and looks ok around the ground. Would be worth a shot with our last pick on the list or as a rookie...
I think the last development ruckman we get behind the 3 we have has to be either:
A) Athletically gifted and good around the ground
B) A monster kid who will be our Sandilands.

this kid just looks like an afl footballer, as you said will probably grow to 205-206 only just turned 18.

i hope our recruiters have had a good look at him & looks like the perfect developing ruck that should be ideal in 3-4 years time rookie selection would be ideal. already looks better than patto

 

[THE_GUN]

i just want another martin or deledio at pick 6
and i hope we can get a bastinac at 29
whilst im asking for xmas wishes a rockliff at 46 would be handy

 

[Azzleberry]

this kid just looks like an afl footballer, as you said will probably grow to 205-206 only just turned 18.

i hope our recruiters have had a good look at him & looks like the perfect developing ruck that should be ideal in 3-4 years time rookie selection would be ideal. already looks better than patto

The way the game is going, teams will play one Ruckman and a Tall who can carry 30% of the rucking in a game. However, I don't think this will prove to be a long-term option as teams with two genuine rucks will dominate (aka Cox/Nat, Clark/Leuey etc). I still think the game has room for 2 ruckmen. 1 will be played as a pure ruck whilst the second ruckman will play ruck and float in the forward line to give a third tall option. At 3Qtr time, you could see the 1st ruck subbed off IMO if a team has 2 quality rucks and this would give that team first use of the ball in Q4...
Vickery will be our 2nd ruck in my opinion. He will be a very good mobile ruckman who can also go forward and kick goals - have no doubt.
That leaves Gus and Browne to be the big bullocking ruck taking up 70% ruck duties.. I have very little faith in Browne and although young with lot's of improvement seems to be a bit slow for the modern game. Gus is a very good ruck at the moment but we need insurance for him, if he goes down, we are in a lot of trouble.
Our list has: Mobile/Forward ruck, Pure ruck and another ruck who can also go forward. We are missing the monster ruck.
Eg Sandilands/Griffin, Warnock/Kreuzer etc
Imagine a 206-207 ruckman tapping it down the throats of Cotchin, Martin, Deledio, Foley, Polec .....
Not a lot of talk about him so for a pick 63 (I think this will be our last in the draft) would be a great get! Make it happen Francis / Craig...

 

[THE_GUN]

The way the game is going, teams will play one Ruckman and a Tall who can carry 30% of the rucking in a game. However, I don't think this will prove to be a long-term option as teams with two genuine rucks will dominate (aka Cox/Nat, Clark/Leuey etc). I still think the game has room for 2 ruckmen. 1 will be played as a pure ruck whilst the second ruckman will play ruck and float in the forward line to give a third tall option. At 3Qtr time, you could see the 1st ruck subbed off IMO if a team has 2 quality rucks and this would give that team first use of the ball in Q4...
Vickery will be our 2nd ruck in my opinion. He will be a very good mobile ruckman who can also go forward and kick goals - have no doubt.
That leaves Gus and Browne to be the big bullocking ruck taking up 70% ruck duties.. I have very little faith in Browne and although young with lot's of improvement seems to be a bit slow for the modern game. Gus is a very good ruck at the moment but we need insurance for him, if he goes down, we are in a lot of trouble.
Our list has: Mobile/Forward ruck, Pure ruck and another ruck who can also go forward. We are missing the monster ruck.
Eg Sandilands/Griffin, Warnock/Kreuzer etc
Imagine a 206-207 ruckman tapping it down the throats of Cotchin, Martin, Deledio, Foley, Polec .....
Not a lot of talk about him so for a pick 63 (I think this will be our last in the draft) would be a great get! Make it happen Francis / Craig...

i do agree with most of your point,except the browne & graham part.
you see i actually believe that browne in 2 years will pass graham who i dont believe will improve anymore than what he has done so far.

i actually believe that we can play with 2 ruckman because of the versatility that vickery offers us . i see tv as a foward first & ruck 2nd
what we need is a mobile monster foward thats 203-208 cm 100kgs thats mobile and a goal kicker (where do we find 1 ha)

the bonus that richmond have is that we also have another 2 players that are being trained & from all accounts doing very well in the ruck that arn't natural rucks but can offer us the l.brown(coll) type option.
1 is a foward the other is a backman grffiths(199cm) post (196cm)
so in affect we go into games with 4 players that can ruck.

 

[Tigerland]

i do agree with most of your point,except the browne & graham part.
you see i actually believe that browne in 2 years will pass graham who i dont believe will improve anymore than what he has done so far.

i actually believe that we can play with 2 ruckman because of the versatility that vickery offers us . i see tv as a foward first & ruck 2nd
what we need is a mobile monster foward thats 203-208 cm 100kgs thats mobile and a goal kicker (where do we find 1 ha)

the bonus that richmond have is that we also have another 2 players that are being trained & from all accounts doing very well in the ruck that arn't natural rucks but can offer us the l.brown(coll) type option.
1 is a foward the other is a backman grffiths(199cm) post (196cm)
so in affect we go into games with 4 players that can ruck.

_________________________________________________

I think Grahams biggest problem is his engine, which will improve next year. Looked exhausted for most parts of the 2nd half of the year.

Browne will have the same problem - needs to build the engine.

I think Gus has the potential to be a decent ruck that goes forward or play in the hole in defence at times. Not sure I can say the same about Browne yet.

Agree that Post could play in the ruck at times but I doubt we'd risk Griffiths there. He's a key forward and we need him to stand up. Considering his history with injury you would doubt he would be thrown into the ruck where it will risk putting even more strain on his body.

 

[THE_GUN]

i remember reading somewhere that both griifth & post were working on their ruck work & how impressed the club was with how well they were both adapting to it specialy griffiths !

i truly believe that grifiths & vickery will rotate through the ruck/foward both being around 200cm thats an awesome thought & will give alot of teams trouble for many years to come.

post is another suprise if he comes off & can play chb/ruck option, andrew browne has just turned 20 ! he did some very good work last year in the vfl & at 203-204cm and already 105kgs with another 2 years will be our number 1 ruck. graham im not sold on, still think there are problems with him in regards to his abilities & this year will be make or break for him.

richmond could go for someone like giles from sa who is 22 & rendell rates him the best ruckman outside the afl which could be an option but i would still like the club to rookie someone like leif cope (205cm) & develope him for 2-3 years as back up.

http://www.sportingpulse.com/assoc_...ask=DETAIL&articleID=13017995&sectionID=59337

http://www.wceblog.com/2010/09/2010-afl-draft-combine-review.html

http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/101745/default.aspx

 

[UpTheGuts]

skipper as a rookie?

 

[Toadvine]

Ranga Ediriwickrama has been delisted by the cats. Pacey midfielder who has no trouble finding it and laying tackles. Wouldn't mind having a look at him with a rookie spot.

Take a look at his footage on AFL.com. I thought he was good the eyar he was drafted