List Mgmt. If GWS Snaffle up Laverde with pick 4 then who do we take?

[Knightmare]

If you had a choice between Wright, Laverde and Lever at 5 would you go for?

Wright would be my choice at this stage.

 

[Knightmare]

I've got a draft board of
1. Petracca
2. Brayshaw
3. Heeney - Syd academy
4. Moore
5. McCartin (probably the most realistic hope of that top group and if Melb and GWS fall in love with Wright/Lever)
-- next group --
6. Wright
7. Laverde
8. Lever
and so on..

McCartin is a short looking key forward and more a deep forward but exceptionally dominant and has close to goal anyway more tricks than Wright with his ability below the knees and overhead both stronger as well as more dominant ability to hit the scoreboard.

Even failing McCartin, Wright would be a strong get. Wright learning off Cloke, as a 203cm, 102kg guy who is a terrific athlete at his size with his acceleration and endurance. That would be interesting viewing. Wright has clean hands overhead, he can at times drop it v contact which is the major knock, but get Cloke and Rocca as a development coach to teach him how to take his hands overhead from clean to clunking it and he has the ability to be the best in the draft.

 

[Rorzza]

I've got a draft board of
1. Petracca
2. Brayshaw
3. Heeney - Syd academy
4. Moore
5. McCartin (probably the most realistic hope of that top group and if Melb and GWS fall in love with Wright/Lever)
-- next group --
6. Wright
7. Laverde
8. Lever
and so on..

McCartin is a short looking key forward and more a deep forward but exceptionally dominant and has close to goal anyway more tricks than Wright with his ability below the knees and overhead both stronger as well as more dominant ability to hit the scoreboard.

Even failing McCartin, Wright would be a strong get. Wright learning off Cloke, as a 203cm, 102kg guy who is a terrific athlete at his size with his acceleration and endurance. That would be interesting viewing. Wright has clean hands overhead, he can at times drop it v contact which is the major knock, but get Cloke and Rocca as a development coach to teach him how to take his hands overhead from clean to clunking it and he has the ability to be the best in the draft.

Hello KM

From your profile of Wright his kicking is very good as well. Does he have the 'Yips' like Cloke in-front of goal or is he sound?

 

[Knightmare]

Hello KM

From your profile of Wright his kicking is very good as well. Does he have the 'Yips' like Cloke in-front of goal or is he sound?

Wright has no problems converting in front of goal. Long kick but straight. Finds his targets around the ground and converts from his set shots. He's one of the better kicks you'll find at that height.

 

[Rorzza]

Wright has no problems converting in front of goal. Long kick but straight. Finds his targets around the ground and converts from his set shots. He's one of the better kicks you'll find at that height.

Thanks KM

Done deal lock him in ED.

 

[Pleasedontfail11]

No. Hes a 203cm ruckman.

Is Tippett a 203cm ruckman? Or a forward who can ruck?

 

[THATSGOLD]

Is Tippett a 203cm ruckman? Or a forward who can ruck?

Wright is a ruckman that plays forward. **** Tippett.

 

[THATSGOLD]

Jayden Foster kicked 17 more goals than Wright. Just saying.

 

[Prestige Presti]

http://www.collingwoodfc.com.au/video/2013-11-18/derek-hines-2013-national-draft-preview

'It's imperative that in our planning we pick the best player available, whether that player be a small, medium or a tall is completely irrelevant to us'
-Derek Hine

The Video is a great insight into Hines mindset going into drafts and list balance, seems like he thinks this years draft runs deeper than lasts and 2015 will be our biggest year in regards to our planning, whether the last 12 months have changed anything should be interesting.

But as quoted if Wright's the best there it appears we'll take him, if he isn't we'll take the next best, it's a simple but effective strategy.

You don't try play games with Dekka.

 

[THATSGOLD]

Wright has no problems converting in front of goal. Long kick but straight. Finds his targets around the ground and converts from his set shots. He's one of the better kicks you'll find at that height.

For his height exactly. Jayden Foster a better forward? Kicked two bags of 6.

 

[Anzacday]

If Wright can play the Hale role I'd be happy.
Hale rucks ok or at least competively and when he goes forward he's an excellent shot for goal.
Our problem wasn't getting it into the F50 it was keeping it there or scoring whilst there.
Can never have too many mobile talls in my opinion

 

[ClaytonM]

For his height exactly. Jayden Foster a better forward? Kicked two bags of 6.

Is this the Jayden Foster that is so good the Bulldogs didn't even bother picking him up as a father-son?

 

[Knightmare]

Jayden Foster is an overager so you'd hope he is more advanced than Wright.

Wright played u18 champs, missed the TAC Cup grand final with injury (so he played less games) and also shared the ruck duties during the year in that relief ruck role behind Kovacevic so that he got exposure in both positions.

I'd still draft Wright in the absence of McCartin.

But my criticisms of Wright are that with contact his marking is poor, he isn't dominant 1v1 as you'd expect at that size and that he struggles in big games. As a target in the front half he was used a lot on a dominant team so I would like to have seen his mark and goal numbers to have been even better again and he lost too many 1v1 contests - losing more than he won I'd imagine so they're more the concerns.

As a ruckman he is a good but not dominant tap ruckman. He finds some but not dominant numbers around the ground.

I'd be surprised to see us pick Wright in the sense that he has struggled through the finals the past two seasons and he has lost too many of his 1v1 contests and probably hasn't elevated his game as much as you'd hope this season.

But then again you name a player and I could tell you why not to draft them.

--
But the overall package of Wright is impressive. Tall, big, incredible athlete both aerobically and anaerobically (explosive pace but also endurance terrific), terrific long kick of the footy and accurate with his kicking, clean hands overhead uncontested with his marking on the lead and does create separation. In my eyes he looks a strong compliment for Moore with Moore for me best suited as a deep forward and Wright more a centre half forward who up the ground can spread his wings more rather than get tangled up in 1v1 contests where he doesn't dominate. For me anyway it works.

 

[loki04]

Petracca

Would be a nice but so unlikely to happen that it isnt even a remote chance by the looks of things.

 

[ThePhantom777]

We will take Petracca in 2016 ala Tom Boyd

 

[Copeland]

Wright has no problems converting in front of goal. Long kick but straight. Finds his targets around the ground and converts from his set shots. He's one of the better kicks you'll find at that height.

Perhaps Cloke could learn off then

 

[SugarCoat]

Kyle Langford looks a better prospect than LaVerde.

 

[Knightmare]

Kyle Langford looks a better prospect than LaVerde.

Laverde has a very more tricks but I agree that Langford is in that same conversation and also looks terrific.

 

[sr36]

From those videos, I like Weller - just so smooth.

 

[Kirby]

I think Langford looks very scrappy wityh his disposal in those highlights.

 

[PepperFace]

I think we need to get some rumours spread that Petracca has some kind of degenerative injury that will kill off his career in the next few years and then swoop in there when everyone passes on him!! Its fool proof. Lets start getting the message out he has dodgy hips or something and then hes ours for the taking.

Fool proof I tells ya!!

 

[Vankri]

Laverde has a very more tricks but I agree that Langford is in that same conversation and also looks terrific.

Hi KM,

In your Phantom Draft so far you give a great description of Laverde's skills and style, but liken him to Crameri as an athletic forward. Do you still see Crameri as the best player comparison? Maybe I haven't watched enough of Crameri but his evasive skills didn't stand out to me, and to me that's a critical component of being a midfielder (awareness, vision, quick reaction), which is something that you credit Laverde for as being evasive and able to create time and space.

Also from what we hear and read so far, Weller isn't being talked as a top 7-8 prospect much. Is there some weakness in his game you haven't detailed in your bios (I'm not worried about his light built, see James Aish). He looks very skilled and very smart from his highlights and a proven midfielder on output so he's my preference at 5 along with Laverde.

 

[sr36]

There's an assumption it's the midfield we really need, but when you look at our current crop of youngsters, we have a fair few prospective mids/flankers, and a couple of ruckman - but Frost and Moore are our only two young prospective KPPs. I don't see us looking past anyone based on being a KPP.

 

[mike123]

Keeffe, Marsh and Gault say hi.

The was also have guys like Cloke, Reid, White, Brown and Goldsack on our team and Grundy and Witts can pinch hit forward.

 

[Knightmare]

Hi KM,

In your Phantom Draft so far you give a great description of Laverde's skills and style, but liken him to Crameri as an athletic forward. Do you still see Crameri as the best player comparison? Maybe I haven't watched enough of Crameri but his evasive skills didn't stand out to me, and to me that's a critical component of being a midfielder (awareness, vision, quick reaction), which is something that you credit Laverde for as being evasive and able to create time and space.

Also from what we hear and read so far, Weller isn't being talked as a top 7-8 prospect much. Is there some weakness in his game you haven't detailed in your bios (I'm not worried about his light built, see James Aish). He looks very skilled and very smart from his highlights and a proven midfielder on output so he's my preference at 5 along with Laverde.

Laverde certainly in the short term I see more as a flanker - that's really where he has played his football to this point.

Pendlebury is the comparison everyone will make but I'm trying to go away from comparing players to guys who are among the top few in the game.

Crameri isn't evasive like Laverde but Laverde has that Crameri in the front half feeling of being too quick, too strong 1v1 and too dominant which is who he is, though with the additional evasiveness.

Laverde has the scope to make the switch into the midfield but that will likely take time - as we'd say of Langdon who at the moment is more a natural back flanker for now.

--
Weller doesn't have too many major problems as a pretty well rounded footballer. He is sufficient but not dominant inside mostly due to a light body - though he can at times hit packs at speed which is promising. Overhead he can drop some marks he shouldn't. Best position unclear? He can in many ways be compared to Aish, but not quite on that same level.