Draft Watcher Knightmare's 2014 Phantom Draft

[RedmanWasHere]

Knightmare.

Of this years draft prospects, who will be this year's top awesome name?
E.g. 2013 gave us Kade Kolodjashnij and Orazio Fantasia.

Maybe Mac Bower or Oleg Markov.

Also, love the fact there's a prospect called Peter Wright.
A name plucked straight from the '50's.

Love there's a Donkersley, Pele Manivong and a night Watchman.

 

[Demonheart]

Some are overrated Clem Smith at this point. He's not even a top 10 lock let alone worth anything around pick 2.
It may be more a scenario where Melbourne as we saw this year trade down from the high draft position and pick up some other assets whether that be a player or a spread of picks.
Still so early that needs should be of little concern.
It's just a case of the four best in the u18s in the country at this point are KPPs and if you have a pick in that range regardless of need you'll be picking a tall just as in hindsight you'd take Franklin over Tambling or Pavlich over Aaron Fiora for those who can remember back a little further..

It's an interesting prospect, even though I know we've improved a lot this year I still expect us to finish bottom 4. One of those picks are worth a lot to a team without a good young key forward on their list so there may be an opportunity to really improve our list.

My preference however would be to finish outside of the bottom 4 and to take the best available talent with our pick.

 

[Knightmare]

Knightmare.

Of this years draft prospects, who will be this year's top awesome name?
E.g. 2013 gave us Kade Kolodjashnij and Orazio Fantasia.

Maybe Mac Bower or Oleg Markov.

Also, love the fact there's a prospect called Peter Wright.
A name plucked straight from the '50's.

Love there's a Donkersley, Pele Manivong and a night Watchman.

Watch out for Duom Duwan. Great name! And the commentators if he can get himself drafted will love announcing his game. He has some game too. Looks like the next Majak Daw as a raw, freak athlete who isn't nearly there yet but has some real intriguing scope to develop.

It's an interesting prospect, even though I know we've improved a lot this year I still expect us to finish bottom 4. One of those picks are worth a lot to a team without a good young key forward on their list so there may be an opportunity to really improve our list.

My preference however would be to finish outside of the bottom 4 and to take the best available talent with our pick.

If Melbourne finish somewhere near the bottom, don't want to pick a KPP and don't trade that pick then Angus Brayshaw and Brayden Maynard are the two really solid choices. Perhaps a Petracca if he moves into the midfield with his big body could be another. Trading should work well though with St Kilda willing to move on established senior players, the Western Bulldogs needing another key forward and Gold Coast and GWS likely keen to get Durdin as a key defender if they can get another high end draft selection among others so Melbourne regardless of the eventual ladder position have some options depending on how you want to approach it.

The best result for Melbourne would be a rise outside of that bottom four. You may even still have your choice of non key position players at pick 5/6/7 depending on how clubs value particular talents and whether the big four KPPs have strong seasons and continue to expand their games and get the love from recruiters.

 

[Russell2Gibbs]

Or if the Tasmanians are still claiming Lachie Weller as a home grown product he'd be the clear pick.

He is a Tassie boy.

 

[ROYAL EAGLE]

Here's some video on Sam Bevan and Clem Smith

Sam Bevan has grown some more and is a dead eye dick shot for goal.
Clem Smith looks like he needs to work on his endurance, but apparently his foot skills
where good at training, which was a issue last year.

 

[aussierulesrules]

Not ideal to have issues with both foot skills and particularly endurance in this day and age. Will be interesting to see where Smith lands in the end.

 

[TJ1996]

I can't believe there'll be players I've played with and against getting drafted this year. Feels weird.

I don't think Clem's endurance is awful, he seems to run out most games that he plays at Perth (ones I've seen), more his temper that might get him into trouble.

 

[Billy Puller]

Thoughts on QLD's James Rayner? Played real well in the academy game today.

 

[TJ1996]

Thoughts on QLD's James Rayner? Played real well in the academy game today.

Thank God he's playing well over in QLD. Played against him in a juniors GF in 2012 and he's just brilliant. Has the best left foot I've ever seen and is as hard as nails. Only thing holding him back will be his height.

 

[imabowss]

Thoughts on QLD's James Rayner? Played real well in the academy game today.

What were his stats like do you know? Little pocket rocket

 

[Billy Puller]

What were his stats like do you know? Little pocket rocket

No I don't I did play with him before he went to WA and I never heard how his footy was over there. He must of just come back to QLD and I havent seen him on anyones radar. I think he's got great potential this year. Actually this years QLD group is pretty strong.

 

[Billy Puller]

Thank God he's playing well over in QLD. Played against him in a juniors GF in 2012 and he's just brilliant. Has the best left foot I've ever seen and is as hard as nails. Only thing holding him back will be his height.

I liken his kick to Daniel Rich could kick it 50m easy in 2012. Amount of times i thought he was kicking to me only for it to sail over my head for a goal was insane. He's also got a ridiculous footy brain and is switched on a training.

 

[imabowss]

No I don't I did play with him before he went to WA and I never heard how his footy was over there. He must of just come back to QLD and I havent seen him on anyones radar. I think he's got great potential this year. Actually this years QLD group is pretty strong.

Yeh I've played some footy with him in Perth and he had a good colts year last year before moving back to queesnland, his height will be his only flaw has everything else in terms of his game and preparations

 

[Knightmare]

Thoughts on QLD's James Rayner? Played real well in the academy game today.

As others are saying small but has some real penetration on that kick and has for some years now.

Whether he gets drafted is the unknown.

I'd like to see him play more up the field this season as he's someone you really want to see find more of the footy with that kick of his but to this stage has only from what I've noticed played as a forward and one who for a small probably doesn't find enough of the footy or provide enough scoreboard pressure to be someone you'd go out and draft at this point.

 

[tesseract]

Thoughts on James Raynor?

Formerly part of The Sons of Korhal terrorist organization. Now leads Raynor's Raiders on a mission to overthrow emperor Arcturus Mengsk.

 

[TheLastEmperor]

Knightmare on talent, how do the top key forwards this year compare to Hogan, Boyd, Daniher and Patton?

 

[Knightmare]

Knightmare on talent, how do the top key forwards this year compare to Hogan, Boyd, Daniher and Patton?

Goddard is definitely behind and just isn't in that same category. Durdin can play back or forward but isn't as dominant as Daniher/Boyd/Hogan/Patton.

Wright and McCartin if things go right can be in that same conversation as the recent elite key forward prospects. Wright needs some luck with his back and McCartin needs to stay healthy and continue to manage his diabetes but both do have that star talent and already have the big time proven production already on the board and will no doubt both look to expand on that this season.
You'd take Daniher/Boyd/Hogan/Patton before you would any of the new boys given their slightly more known quantities and there is still so much football to be played with this season not yet underway but Wright, McCartin and even Durdin aren't far off and are as advanced as the others were at this point.

 

[Eastern Rangers]

Thoughts on QLD's James Rayner? Played real well in the academy game today.

Pretty funny. But there is a James Rayner from East Fremantle draft eligible this year.

 

[Billy Puller]

Pretty funny. But there is a James Rayner from East Fremantle draft eligible this year.

Pretty sure its the same guy he has lived in QLD and WA. Just came back to QLD from WA this year

 

[BlueMaster1]

KM do carlton have a few f/s coming up and if so who are they and what are they like?

 

[sr36]

I thought melb would be chasing a key back this draft given the additions of Michie, Vince, Tyson.

Vince is getting on and the other two are unproven. There midfield was awful last year. I'd still be going hard after mids if I was the Dees

 

[Eastern Rangers]

Pretty sure its the same guy he has lived in QLD and WA. Just came back to QLD from WA this year

Interesting. Know why he moved back? Football related? Probably wasn't in contention for WA champs squad. Certainly no lock.

 

[Shaneprice97]

Jake Lever, if he can take and shut down small forwards would be an absolute perfect pick up for us(Collingwood). Makes it even better that he is a natural key defender even though undersized as one, as he would be perfect for medium forwards and could develop his 1v1 game against key forwards as good as a Josh Gibson.
Can run and carry, intercept marking and dispose, rebounds, great 1 on 1 and great contested mark. How much does he weigh?
If Collingwood grab him and Darcy Moore and perhaps a Duom Dawan(for a project) the draft could be interesting.

 

[Knightmare]

KM do carlton have a few f/s coming up and if so who are they and what are they like?

Future F/S selections I don't keep track of. If a guy is a prominent selection who I've noticed then I'll know of them but I'm not aware of any super database of future father son selections to know exactly who each club has potentially coming along in future seasons.

Jake Lever, if he can take and shut down small forwards would be an absolute perfect pick up for us(Collingwood). Makes it even better that he is a natural key defender even though undersized as one, as he would be perfect for medium forwards and could develop his 1v1 game against key forwards as good as a Josh Gibson.
Can run and carry, intercept marking and dispose, rebounds, great 1 on 1 and great contested mark. How much does he weigh?
If Collingwood grab him and Darcy Moore and perhaps a Duom Dawan(for a project) the draft could be interesting.

Collingwood optimally would select a young key forward. Worth noting Collingwood have zero young key forwards with all of Cloke/White/Reid 25 years and older at seasons end. So that's what they'll be hoping for.

If that doesn't happen which where Collingwood are selecting from is highly probable the club may even look to deal those early selections and some other pieces to acquire that elite key forward prospect.

On Lever he's someone who could receive consideration if still available when Collingwood's selection comes up. At this stage he's likely to get picked inside the top 10 even though he's probably not playing this season but you never say never this early in the piece.

Collingwood at present do have big holes down back. With Scharenberg as a taller defender he may be that answer as one of the absolute top end quality pickups from last years draft. In saying that I agree that you can never have too much quality size down back as Geelong have proven all these years since their initial premiership run with all their defenders of above average height or in the case of Josh Hunt weight but then also each had above average footskills and all round talent which perhaps even more importantly than their midfield superiority made them such a special team for such a long time and it's something I'd love to see Collingwood to some extent replicate with that same height/size but then also quality ball users and quality talents behind the ball.

Lever through the u18 champs last year measured in at 190cm and weighed 82kg. It's plausible that he gains a few extra kg of muscle so his physical development is on track. He's not as athletic as Josh Gibson or as good in the air but he could be the next generation Nick Maxwell with better talent as someone you probably similarly don't play quite so deep in defence which is more what you'd probably take him as which you'd just have to weigh up whether it's too much of the same with both he and Scharenberg or whether they'd compliment eachother on the respective back flanks.

Don't count on either Darcy Moore or Duom Dawan.

Duom Dawan is a project player of the rawest order and a very speculative selection at this stage. He while athletic and fun to watch isn't at all advanced in his footballing development and has a long, long way to go before a club would take a chance on him and is more someone you measure this year based on how he develops. For Collingwood he's not someone I'd recommend with Collingwood placing great expectation on immediate performance with the list turnover constantly high which isn't a circumstance which would suit Duom as a guy who needs to be nurtured and given years to develop his craft.

Then Darcy Moore as highly as people speak about him. He hasn't done anything even remotely acceptable at TAC Cup level yet. He's had his injury issues but until he shows he can dominant you'd probably pass on him.
I'd recommend following his stats this year if you're not a frequent TAC Cup viewer: http://www.foxsportspulse.com/team_...=1-3020-111727-253881-18717752&ocompID=253881
If he starts to have some 10 mark and 5 goal games. That's what the really good key forwards can do at this level. That's when he's coming into the picture. If he continues to only kick a goal every second game and only take a couple of marks a game then he's someone Collingwood almost certainly as with James Stewart will pass on so it's really on young Darcy to show he can dominant because Collingwood draft on performance rather than just perceived upside which is all Moore is at this point until he shows us otherwise.

 

[sunsofanarchy]

Hey mate cheers for the write up! behind durdin who's the best key back that can play on the gorillas.?