This years draftees all look like they could be great players for us for years to come but how many games will they play their first year? Let's check this thread at the end of the year and see who was closest to the pin.
For mine, I think
Sonsie will play 5 games later in the season after the club feels confident with his body. I really love the potential upside of this kid.
He is such a smooth mover, perceptive and instinctual around stoppages and seems to slow down time like all the best players do. Just needs to get his body right and I think he could be the best midfielder from this draft! Big call I know, but he was rated that way at the start of the year before injuries and in our system he will develop rapidly unlike at North, Adelaide or even the Bombers. He is not a inside bull but that is not how we win premierships, we need great ball users and natural footballers with speed. He ticks all the boxes.
Gibcus will play 12 games after they give him a game early and he excels at the level and the selectors decide they will leave him in the side.
Gibcus will really compliment our backline. I can see he and Balta forming a near impenetrable wall in our D50 for years to come. In actually see them much like Astbury and Grimes, with Gibcus being our play maker and causing issues for opposition forwards like Rance did, for the length of his career. The best part is that he is a natural defender who can lock down forwards and float off them to intercept. He is good by foot and a good decision maker. I think he could be a steal of the draft and be one of those player opposition supporters shake their heads and ask - 'How the hell did we miss that bloke!'
Brown will play 2 games after earning his spot by stringing in a few solid games together at VFL level.
I think Brown will work in tandem extremely well with Short. I believe he could be far better than Short defensively though and reads the play through the air better. He hasn't the raking kick Short has but he has greater pace and is a clever decision maker which deposes of the ball which doesn't buckle to pressure easily. I think we really have set up our backline for another generation with our first two picks to work in with Balta, Short and Vlaustin.
Banks and Clarke won't play a game in his first season due to competition for spots and development.
Banks has class written all over him. The fact that Clarke said that the club considered trading up for him and Sonsie (in the same breath) shows how much upside they feel Banks has. Clarke seems a definite upgrade on some of our other small forwards. He is extremely attacking and seems to me in the mould of a Green for mine. I think they both have a lot of upside and, unlike our other recent draftees, will be able to develop and show their ability at VFL level from day 1.
What's your game prediction?
For mine, I think
Sonsie will play 5 games later in the season after the club feels confident with his body. I really love the potential upside of this kid.
He is such a smooth mover, perceptive and instinctual around stoppages and seems to slow down time like all the best players do. Just needs to get his body right and I think he could be the best midfielder from this draft! Big call I know, but he was rated that way at the start of the year before injuries and in our system he will develop rapidly unlike at North, Adelaide or even the Bombers. He is not a inside bull but that is not how we win premierships, we need great ball users and natural footballers with speed. He ticks all the boxes.
Gibcus will play 12 games after they give him a game early and he excels at the level and the selectors decide they will leave him in the side.
Gibcus will really compliment our backline. I can see he and Balta forming a near impenetrable wall in our D50 for years to come. In actually see them much like Astbury and Grimes, with Gibcus being our play maker and causing issues for opposition forwards like Rance did, for the length of his career. The best part is that he is a natural defender who can lock down forwards and float off them to intercept. He is good by foot and a good decision maker. I think he could be a steal of the draft and be one of those player opposition supporters shake their heads and ask - 'How the hell did we miss that bloke!'
Brown will play 2 games after earning his spot by stringing in a few solid games together at VFL level.
I think Brown will work in tandem extremely well with Short. I believe he could be far better than Short defensively though and reads the play through the air better. He hasn't the raking kick Short has but he has greater pace and is a clever decision maker which deposes of the ball which doesn't buckle to pressure easily. I think we really have set up our backline for another generation with our first two picks to work in with Balta, Short and Vlaustin.
Banks and Clarke won't play a game in his first season due to competition for spots and development.
Banks has class written all over him. The fact that Clarke said that the club considered trading up for him and Sonsie (in the same breath) shows how much upside they feel Banks has. Clarke seems a definite upgrade on some of our other small forwards. He is extremely attacking and seems to me in the mould of a Green for mine. I think they both have a lot of upside and, unlike our other recent draftees, will be able to develop and show their ability at VFL level from day 1.
What's your game prediction?
Last edited: