First Round
eth-dog
Tier 1 WW Player
As always I'll be the first mug of the board to submit a phantom. Most of my stuff is based on where I see each list is at and the works of the likes of PMBangers and Chris25. I'm planning on doing a four round phantom, likely to fill every pick. It will be a "true" phantom draft where I match bids and teams lose the draft picks behind them. I will no longer be attempting to predict live trades as that is always a disaster. This will turn into the first round at some point tonight, and I will do four rounds cos Port don't get in until then.
First Round
Pick 1. West Coast: Harley Reid (Bendigo Pioneers, 187 cm/85 kg, Midfielder/Forward). Reid is comfortably the best player of this draft and quite frankly the way he's been hyped he needs to win 4 Brownlow's, 3 Norm Smith's and a couple of Coleman Medals to live up to the hype.
Others considered: None.
Pick 2. Gold Coast: Jed Walter (Palm Beach Currumbin, 194/97, Key Forward). 2013.6 points needed to match. Gold Coast use picks 24 (785), 26 (729) and 27 (703) to match and get a 203.4 point surplus to use. This is a no brainer to bid and a no brainer to match, Walter is a potential star forward to pair with Ben King if they manage to retain him next year.
Others considered: None
Pick 3. North Melbourne: Colby McKercher (Tasmania, 180/76, Outside Midfielder). McKercher has drawn many comparisons to Sydney's Errol Gulden this year with his diminutive side and laser kicking on the outside, which is something that North lack a lot of in their midfield.
Others considered: Zane Duursma, Daniel Curtin, Nick Watson.
Pick 4. North Melbourne: Zane Duursma (Gippsland Power, 189/79, F/M). Duursma is a match winner with explosiveness and skills, and has played mostly forward to date. He has a great amount of X-Factor and will definitely add something to North's forward line in 2024.
Others considered: Daniel Curtin, Nick Watson.
Pick 5. Hawthorn: Daniel Curtin (Claremont, 197/95, Key Defender/Forward). Curtin can play at either end of the field but has mostly played in defence for WA. The Hawks would be stoked that he's available here, they can lock away him and Will McCabe in the same draft.
Others considered: Nick Watson
Pick 6. Western Bulldogs: Nick Watson (Eastern Ranges, 170/69, Small Forward). Watson is by far the classiest small forward of this draft class and his pressure is also excellent. He's exactly the player the Dogs need to add to their forward half, expect him to start round 1 next year if they end up taking him.
Others considered: Ryley Sanders
Pick 7. Gold Coast: Ethan Read (PBC, 202/92, Key Defender/Ruck). 1315.2 points to match, Gold Coast match with picks 30 (629), 34 (542) and 36 (502) and their surplus moves to 561.2 points. Read can play both defence and ruck, and will get a chance to develop in the VFL for a while as either Ned Moyle's partner or in defence. Should be a very good player.
Others considered: None
Pick 8. Melbourne: Connor O'Sullivan (Murray Bushrangers, 198/92, Key Utility). O'Sullivan is a very good key defender who has also shown a little bit forward. He's tall, athletic and the smart pick for Melbourne to develop their key position players for the next couple of years.
Others considered: Ryley Sanders, Nate Caddy
Pick 9. Greater Western Sydney: Nate Caddy (Northern Knights, 193/88, KF). Where are the major holes on the Giants list? I don't really see many so I went with the player I think is best available at this pick in Caddy. He's a strong mark, and a nice set shot from what I've seen too.
Others considered: Ryley Sanders
Pick 10. Western Bulldogs: Jordan Croft (Calder Cannons, 200/81, KF). 1116 points to match. Western Bulldogs match with picks 44 (362), 46 (331), 48 (302) and 49 (287) and go into a 166 point surplus. The Dogs get their father son and also get their man, that's the reason they traded up. Croft is an athletic key forward who is on the fringe of the top 10 and Geelong lack key forwards for the future, hence the bid.
Others considered: None
Pick 11. Geelong: Ryley Sanders (Sandringham Dragons, 185/86, Inside Midfielder). Probably the best "pure" inside midfielder of the draft, can't see Geelong passing up the Tasmanian here as he's a very Geelong pick in that he does everything to a very good standard without being elite at anything.
Others considered: Darcy Wilson, James Leake
Pick 12. Essendon: Darcy Wilson (MB, 186/74, M/F). An aerobic beast that can impact forward, Wilson slots in at Essendon and can develop with Tsatas on the inside at VFL level easily, really the best available here. I can see Essendon using this pick to trade further back in the draft and also add to their hand for next year.
Others considered: James Leake, Caleb Windsor
Pick 13. Gold Coast: Jake Rogers (PBC, 170/68, M/F). 969.6 points needed to match. Gold Coast match with picks 59 (158), 64 (101), 67 (69) and the rest of their surplus, take an 80.4 deficit into 2024. At this point Gold Coast definitely would have traded in more points but that's the way it is right now. Rogers is a smart and hard working forward/mid, they'll match very quickly and be happy with this.
Others considered: None
Pick 14. Adelaide: Caleb Windsor (ER, 184/76, IM). When you look at Adelaide's list there's really only one major weakness, their midfield. Windsor helps fill their needs for a young inside mid and will help them advance into finals next year for me.
Others considered: James Leake, Ollie Murphy, Harry DeMattia
Pick 15. Melbourne: Ollie Murphy (SD, 200/85, KD). Settling two young key defenders together would be far too tempting for the Demons on night 1 of the draft, they can develop in the VFL for a couple of years and learn off the likes of May and Lever and become a star combination.
Others considered: James Leake, Harry DeMattia, Riley Hardeman
Pick 16. Sydney: James Leake (Tas, 187/77, Utility). The most Sydney pick ever, Leake can play all over the ground but I think he'll settle off half back as a medium defender who can run and carry.
Others considered: Riley Hardeman
Pick 17. St. Kilda: Harry DeMattia (Dandenong Stingrays, 185/78, Uti). Another medium who can play anywhere, I see DeMattia settling in the middle which looks like St Kilda's major weakness heading forward for me.
Others considered: Riley Hardeman, Koltyn Tholstrup
Pick 18. Hawthorn: Will McCabe (Central Districts, 197/86, KD). 788 points to match. Hawthorn match with picks 42 (395), 45 (347) and 46 (331) and go into a 285 point surplus. McCabe is a good defender and will pair nicely with Curtin in defence for a couple of years to develop.
Others considered: None
Pick 19. Adelaide: Koltyn Tholstrup (Subiaco, 186/86, M/F). ATholstrup is one of those X-Factor players that you take at the end of the first round because he could legitimately be anything. He suits a need for Adelaide as well, adding more dynamism to their midfield.
Others considered: Riley Hardeman
Pick 20. North Melbourne: Riley Hardeman (Swan Districts, 185/75, Half Back). A quick half back with a laser boot is something North really need in defence, so taking Hardeman will really accelerate their development.
Others considered: Archie Roberts, Luamon Lual
Pick 21. Greater Western Sydney: Luamon Lual (GWV Rebels, 182/72, HB). Going best available here for the Giants again, he's a good half back and will provide great run and dash for the Giants for a while for me.
Others considered: Archie Roberts, Lance Collard, Tew Jiath
Pick 22. North Melbourne: Archie Roberts (SaD, 184/79, HB). Getting two speedsters off half back is something the Roos need, an astute pick for the Roos here.
Others considered: Lance Collard, Tew Jiath
Pick 23. North Melbourne: Lance Collard (Sub, 180/65 SF). Collard adds some more crumbing skills to North and will be a strong first round candidate here.
Others considered: Tew Jiath, Angus Hastie
Pick 24. Collingwood: Angus Hastie (Geelong Falcons, 190/74, Medium Defender). Just another best available pick for the Pies, no key forward worth it in this range at the moment.
Others considered: Tew Jiath
Pick 25. Adelaide: Taylor Goad (South Adelaide, 206/97, ruck). One of three rucks expected to be taken from 25-35, Goad is strong and competitive and in the perfect age range for Adelaide as he'll likely be ready when RO'B slows down.
Others considered: Tew Jiath, Mitchell Edwards, Will Green
Pick 26. St. Kilda: Tew Jiath (Gippsland Power, 188/72, MD). Jiath is a good all round defender and brother of Hawthorn's Changkuoth, and is simply too good to pass up at this point for St Kilda.
Others considered: Will Green, Joel Freijah
Pick 27. Carlton: Joel Freijah (GWVR, 190/88, OM). Carlton need to add more class on the outside and Freijah is the way to get that here, hard working and a good kick.
Others considered: Harvey Johnston
First Round
Pick 1. West Coast: Harley Reid (Bendigo Pioneers, 187 cm/85 kg, Midfielder/Forward). Reid is comfortably the best player of this draft and quite frankly the way he's been hyped he needs to win 4 Brownlow's, 3 Norm Smith's and a couple of Coleman Medals to live up to the hype.
Others considered: None.
Pick 2. Gold Coast: Jed Walter (Palm Beach Currumbin, 194/97, Key Forward). 2013.6 points needed to match. Gold Coast use picks 24 (785), 26 (729) and 27 (703) to match and get a 203.4 point surplus to use. This is a no brainer to bid and a no brainer to match, Walter is a potential star forward to pair with Ben King if they manage to retain him next year.
Others considered: None
Pick 3. North Melbourne: Colby McKercher (Tasmania, 180/76, Outside Midfielder). McKercher has drawn many comparisons to Sydney's Errol Gulden this year with his diminutive side and laser kicking on the outside, which is something that North lack a lot of in their midfield.
Others considered: Zane Duursma, Daniel Curtin, Nick Watson.
Pick 4. North Melbourne: Zane Duursma (Gippsland Power, 189/79, F/M). Duursma is a match winner with explosiveness and skills, and has played mostly forward to date. He has a great amount of X-Factor and will definitely add something to North's forward line in 2024.
Others considered: Daniel Curtin, Nick Watson.
Pick 5. Hawthorn: Daniel Curtin (Claremont, 197/95, Key Defender/Forward). Curtin can play at either end of the field but has mostly played in defence for WA. The Hawks would be stoked that he's available here, they can lock away him and Will McCabe in the same draft.
Others considered: Nick Watson
Pick 6. Western Bulldogs: Nick Watson (Eastern Ranges, 170/69, Small Forward). Watson is by far the classiest small forward of this draft class and his pressure is also excellent. He's exactly the player the Dogs need to add to their forward half, expect him to start round 1 next year if they end up taking him.
Others considered: Ryley Sanders
Pick 7. Gold Coast: Ethan Read (PBC, 202/92, Key Defender/Ruck). 1315.2 points to match, Gold Coast match with picks 30 (629), 34 (542) and 36 (502) and their surplus moves to 561.2 points. Read can play both defence and ruck, and will get a chance to develop in the VFL for a while as either Ned Moyle's partner or in defence. Should be a very good player.
Others considered: None
Pick 8. Melbourne: Connor O'Sullivan (Murray Bushrangers, 198/92, Key Utility). O'Sullivan is a very good key defender who has also shown a little bit forward. He's tall, athletic and the smart pick for Melbourne to develop their key position players for the next couple of years.
Others considered: Ryley Sanders, Nate Caddy
Pick 9. Greater Western Sydney: Nate Caddy (Northern Knights, 193/88, KF). Where are the major holes on the Giants list? I don't really see many so I went with the player I think is best available at this pick in Caddy. He's a strong mark, and a nice set shot from what I've seen too.
Others considered: Ryley Sanders
Pick 10. Western Bulldogs: Jordan Croft (Calder Cannons, 200/81, KF). 1116 points to match. Western Bulldogs match with picks 44 (362), 46 (331), 48 (302) and 49 (287) and go into a 166 point surplus. The Dogs get their father son and also get their man, that's the reason they traded up. Croft is an athletic key forward who is on the fringe of the top 10 and Geelong lack key forwards for the future, hence the bid.
Others considered: None
Pick 11. Geelong: Ryley Sanders (Sandringham Dragons, 185/86, Inside Midfielder). Probably the best "pure" inside midfielder of the draft, can't see Geelong passing up the Tasmanian here as he's a very Geelong pick in that he does everything to a very good standard without being elite at anything.
Others considered: Darcy Wilson, James Leake
Pick 12. Essendon: Darcy Wilson (MB, 186/74, M/F). An aerobic beast that can impact forward, Wilson slots in at Essendon and can develop with Tsatas on the inside at VFL level easily, really the best available here. I can see Essendon using this pick to trade further back in the draft and also add to their hand for next year.
Others considered: James Leake, Caleb Windsor
Pick 13. Gold Coast: Jake Rogers (PBC, 170/68, M/F). 969.6 points needed to match. Gold Coast match with picks 59 (158), 64 (101), 67 (69) and the rest of their surplus, take an 80.4 deficit into 2024. At this point Gold Coast definitely would have traded in more points but that's the way it is right now. Rogers is a smart and hard working forward/mid, they'll match very quickly and be happy with this.
Others considered: None
Pick 14. Adelaide: Caleb Windsor (ER, 184/76, IM). When you look at Adelaide's list there's really only one major weakness, their midfield. Windsor helps fill their needs for a young inside mid and will help them advance into finals next year for me.
Others considered: James Leake, Ollie Murphy, Harry DeMattia
Pick 15. Melbourne: Ollie Murphy (SD, 200/85, KD). Settling two young key defenders together would be far too tempting for the Demons on night 1 of the draft, they can develop in the VFL for a couple of years and learn off the likes of May and Lever and become a star combination.
Others considered: James Leake, Harry DeMattia, Riley Hardeman
Pick 16. Sydney: James Leake (Tas, 187/77, Utility). The most Sydney pick ever, Leake can play all over the ground but I think he'll settle off half back as a medium defender who can run and carry.
Others considered: Riley Hardeman
Pick 17. St. Kilda: Harry DeMattia (Dandenong Stingrays, 185/78, Uti). Another medium who can play anywhere, I see DeMattia settling in the middle which looks like St Kilda's major weakness heading forward for me.
Others considered: Riley Hardeman, Koltyn Tholstrup
Pick 18. Hawthorn: Will McCabe (Central Districts, 197/86, KD). 788 points to match. Hawthorn match with picks 42 (395), 45 (347) and 46 (331) and go into a 285 point surplus. McCabe is a good defender and will pair nicely with Curtin in defence for a couple of years to develop.
Others considered: None
Pick 19. Adelaide: Koltyn Tholstrup (Subiaco, 186/86, M/F). ATholstrup is one of those X-Factor players that you take at the end of the first round because he could legitimately be anything. He suits a need for Adelaide as well, adding more dynamism to their midfield.
Others considered: Riley Hardeman
Pick 20. North Melbourne: Riley Hardeman (Swan Districts, 185/75, Half Back). A quick half back with a laser boot is something North really need in defence, so taking Hardeman will really accelerate their development.
Others considered: Archie Roberts, Luamon Lual
Pick 21. Greater Western Sydney: Luamon Lual (GWV Rebels, 182/72, HB). Going best available here for the Giants again, he's a good half back and will provide great run and dash for the Giants for a while for me.
Others considered: Archie Roberts, Lance Collard, Tew Jiath
Pick 22. North Melbourne: Archie Roberts (SaD, 184/79, HB). Getting two speedsters off half back is something the Roos need, an astute pick for the Roos here.
Others considered: Lance Collard, Tew Jiath
Pick 23. North Melbourne: Lance Collard (Sub, 180/65 SF). Collard adds some more crumbing skills to North and will be a strong first round candidate here.
Others considered: Tew Jiath, Angus Hastie
Pick 24. Collingwood: Angus Hastie (Geelong Falcons, 190/74, Medium Defender). Just another best available pick for the Pies, no key forward worth it in this range at the moment.
Others considered: Tew Jiath
Pick 25. Adelaide: Taylor Goad (South Adelaide, 206/97, ruck). One of three rucks expected to be taken from 25-35, Goad is strong and competitive and in the perfect age range for Adelaide as he'll likely be ready when RO'B slows down.
Others considered: Tew Jiath, Mitchell Edwards, Will Green
Pick 26. St. Kilda: Tew Jiath (Gippsland Power, 188/72, MD). Jiath is a good all round defender and brother of Hawthorn's Changkuoth, and is simply too good to pass up at this point for St Kilda.
Others considered: Will Green, Joel Freijah
Pick 27. Carlton: Joel Freijah (GWVR, 190/88, OM). Carlton need to add more class on the outside and Freijah is the way to get that here, hard working and a good kick.
Others considered: Harvey Johnston
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