Draft Expert PMBangers' 2021 Draft Board - Come for the R1 phantom (post #1591), stay for the Simpsons references

[kickthething]

I don't think either are particularly damging enough, or have much of a difference from most defenders to be considered overly highly in the draft. De Bolfo in particularly really needs a 'wow' factor as a 19 year old, further than collecting higher numbers or just being capable

Agree, De Bolfo as well needs to improve disposal. He gets to enough contests but turns it over too often imo. Fitzgerald perhaps has more upside. Wilmot is the standout with his ability to take on the line and create forward momentum, in what is a well structured back six

 

[Turbocat]

Sonsie, Long, Sinn, Chesser, Brown, Butler, Serong and Andrew are missing through injury. Game 1 should be pretty competitive with an even split across both sides, but game 2 will likely be a Metro slaughter, they're just stacked comparative to Country

The game live ? On the HSun or AFL website?

I notice that someone like Brown ( the non fatherson) is not even in the squad , so injured or fringe draftable now.


If the Vic side is getting thumped then it will be interesting to see players like Knevitt to see how they handle it. I like what I have seen.

 

[Turbocat]

Playing half back on return from an injury with limited minutes, nothing out if the ordinary

I had not seen Sinn before. Is he normally a balanced kick running out of the backline. Does he play as a mid?

 

[PMBangers]

The game live ? On the HSun or AFL website?

I notice that someone like Brown ( the non fatherson) is not even in the squad , so injured or fringe draftable now.


If the Vic side is getting thumped then it will be interesting to see players like Knevitt to see how they handle it. I like what I have seen.

Yeah Brown is injured, should be on the site

I had not seen Sinn before. Is he normally a balanced kick running out of the backline. Does he play as a mid?

He has been playing mid prior to his injury, but it resulted in his disposal being a bit more rushed, still getting penetration and distance but lacking the placement, looks better off half back

 

[Mutineer]

Yeah Brown is injured, should be on the site


He has been playing mid prior to his injury, but it resulted in his disposal being a bit more rushed, still getting penetration and distance but lacking the placement, looks better off half back

Luckily I've got a Hun subscription because I'm buggered if I can find the stream on the AFL's website?

 

[PMBangers]

Luckily I've got a Hun subscription because I'm buggered if I can find the stream on the AFL's website?

No clue, just a massive guess tbh

 

[PMBangers]

Darcy was clearly good today, still had some things to iron out which is expected of an 18-year-old kid. I still think he's a KPD at the next level just because he can struggle to get separation from some of the pacier defenders and relies a lot on his reach being better than his opponents, so I wonder whether he beats guys like Andrews, Moore, Zach Reid in future, as a KPF. Funnily enough I felt Oscar Morrison who's just the 193 cm did the best on him of the Country KPD's, really limited his space to leap and cut off his leads well

 

[PMBangers]

Overall scouting notes on the recent Country v Metro U17's clash:

Scouting Notes | 2021 U17 National Championships: Vic Country vs. Vic Metro

VIC Metro won out in Saturday’s Under 17 Victorian derby, powering away with the last seven goals of the game to defeat Vic Country by 34 points at GMHBA Stadium. The hard-fought contest and exciting bursts of scoring allowed a number of budding 2022 draft prospects to shine, with 10 of the top...

afl.draftcentral.com.au

#11 Jhye Clark (Geelong Falcons)
23/07/2004 | 180cm | Inside Midfielder

Looking far more imposing than his 180cm frame would suggest, Clark was arguably the most impressive of the contested ball winning brigade for the game. At times looking like recent Geelong Falcons graduate Tanner Bruhn with his inside work and follow up clean ball use, it was truly amazing what Clark managed to do with the ball under so much pressure. Like a lot of inside midfielders, his quick handballing and cleanliness at ground level was top notch, picking it up with one hand under pressure at times, not being knocked off balance or brought down by heavy contact from opponents. His kicking was also impressively clean, whilst sometimes not pretty, it was always weighted well to the advantage of his teammates. One of his more impressive kicks came when he received a handball under pressure at the top of the centre square, stood up and broke free from a tackle, then composed himself and laced it out to a teammate laterally off one step, in front of him so he could keep his opponent away from it. He won a lot of clearances around the ground, with the one impressing the most being deep inside defensive 50, where he took the ball in the air off the rucks’ hands, at full stretch, and handballed off to a runner straight away.


#5 Oliver Hollands (Murray Bushrangers)
16/01/2004 | 182cm | Balanced Midfielder

Like his older brother, Gold Coasts’ Elijah, Oliver was a key part of the Country team, playing across all lines throughout the four quarters to prove himself a versatile and consistently impactful prospect. What was evident almost immediately with Hollands was his cleanliness with the ball and below his knees, able to take clean pick-ups off of packs, even when under pressure, and follow up with a clean handball to a teammate or kick forward. He looked at his best when he was attending centre bounces in the second half, where he just consistently got to the fall of the ball off the rucks’ hands, even when he had specific attention from Metro, battling for front position and putting himself in an area where he could run straight onto the ball and not worry about pressure coming from the other way. Had a few eye catching moments with his zip and agility away from stoppages, particularly with a moment in the second quarter where he got past two opponents with two side-steps, despite being right up on the boundary. It wasn’t all offensive from Hollands either having started the game on the wing, where he didn’t win a heap of it early, but still impacted with tackling and high defensive work rate, diving to smother a few kicks off the boot at times.

Both Clark and Hollands were my two bests for Country, and obviously the other guys I wrote about all did a few good things. I could've written about Brayden George, Henry Hustwaite, George Stevens and Mitch Szybkowski quite easily as well, all impressed me through various stages and with some eye catching traits.

 

[PMBangers]

Scouting Notes | 2021 Victorian Under 19 trials

IT was Vic Country’s day on Sunday, taking out both Under 19 trial games against their Metro counterparts at Avalon Airport Oval in Werribee. But the results mattered little, with fans, recruiters and pundits alike keen to see which players would put their hands up for further representative...

afl.draftcentral.com.au

SO a lot of impressive performances, too many to go through, but also a lot of players I thought were stiff to miss the final squads =(. My favourite from each team in each game;

Game 1:
#2 Ben Hobbs (GWV Rebels)
183cm/80kg | 16/09/2003 | Inside Midfielder/Forward

Arguably the best player afield in game one, Hobbs proved his top 10 credentials with another superb outing. His return from injury has been seamless, cracking in and running hard to find plenty of the ball over the last fortnight. Hobbs started in midfield and got to work straight away, though some of his ball use was rushed under the early pressure. He still got good penetration on his kicks and brought good intensity to the contest with his tackling. Having moved forward after half time, Hobbs still managed to find the ball through sheer work rate and finished the game with two goals, one of which was a clean snap in term three.


#3 Jake Soligo (Eastern Ranges)
179cm/80kg | 25/01/2003 | Midfielder

Has somewhat been overshadowed at times by Eastern teammate Tyler Sonsie, but with Sonsie missing in this clash, Soligo took the opportunity to put his name up as arguably the best Metro player on ground for the game. He was at his usual best with his inside ball winning, throwing himself into everything in an attempt to win the hard balls and handball out to runners. He took some good marks throughout the game, with an early one being full stretch overhead under direct pressure off an opposition inside 50. He was always happy to do the hard work, with his pressure and tackling top notch once again, putting on so much pressure it forced an out on the full kick from an opponent at one stage in the game. Early on in the game when goals weren’t flowing, Soligo was the one to break through for Metro with two early goals; the first of which was a kick on the run from 50 out, and the second of which less than two minutes later, converting a set shot from about 45 meters out.


Game 2:


#7 Judson Clarke (Dandenong Stingrays)
179cm/69kg | 17/10/2003 | Small Forward/Midfielder

While his five-goal performance was somewhat overshadowed by the exploits of Metro’s Sam Darcy, Clarke emerged as a genuine top 25 prospect with his team-best performance on Sunday. The zippy midfielder-forward started brightly, slamming home the game’s first goal from a set shot and sharking a sharp nice later in the opening term. He added majors in each of the next three quarters, including one on the three quarter time siren and a lovely conversion from range which capped off his outing nicely. Clarke’s pace, clean hands and spearing left-foot kicking were real highlights on the day, especially on the attack.


(couldn't split these two)
#21 Josh Goater (Calder Cannons)
190cm/79kg | 2/06/2003 | Inside Midfielder

One of the best performing Metro players across the day, at least in the midfield, Goater pushed his draft credentials higher with some stellar midfield play, especially around stoppages. He did pretty much everything well, demonstrating cleanliness below his knees, even when under pressure, with multiple one hand pick ups on the run and pinpoint handballs to runners in the same motion. He kicked well, balancing how he kicked for the situation, hitting short 45s and switching the ball when it was the best option, but also demonstrating some real dangerous kicking in transition – with one in particular being a 50 meter pass from the wing to the forward pocket. His stoppage work was at its usual high level, able to read the ball off the rucks’ hands better than most opponents and weave through heavy traffic in a way he has little right to, then using those quick hands or kicking to get Metro forward.

#27 Sam Darcy (Oakleigh Chargers)
204cm/73kg | 19/07/2003 | Tall Utility/Ruck

Arguably the highest profile prospect playing across either game, the Western Bulldogs father-son prospect well and truly put himself into pick one conversations, slotting six goals and missing some fairly gettable late shots to prove that he gets enough of the ball when he’s being targeted by his teammates. Darcy’s marking was strong throughout the game, with his reach and overall height meaning he was able to take marks relatively easily, even without getting much separation from his opponents. He made up for the difficulty in getting separation on certain opponents with solid leading patterns, switching direction and turning opponents around with his constant movement which was particularly helpful in transition, as Metro’s damaging ball users moved it quickly. There was a switch of opposition in the last quarter, and with a slower opponent Darcy was able to get separation with more ease, meaning he was able to just lead straight at the ball carrier rather than get carried away with complicating his leads. As mentioned, his marking was superb, but one particular one late in the game, where he got tripped up but still managed to take the mark when falling down perfectly demonstrated just how strong his marking was. A good set shot and able to snap the ball straight through the big sticks when on an angle, it was a great showing from Darcy, and one that’ll get Dogs fans extremely excited.

 

[Boristown]

Goater will go top 10, calling it now.

 

[briztoon]

Goater will go top 10, calling it now.

Sshhhh.

 

[jjami15]

After the trials occurring and the boys finally getting a good run at playing footy (in Vic) could one say that more are starting to put their hand up and the depth starting to kick in? Obviously over the years a lot of the draftees come from Vic and last year would have impacted on their development but I just feel more are coming to the fore and names I’ve never heard of are being more prevalent.

 

[PMBangers]

After the trials occurring and the boys finally getting a good run at playing footy (in Vic) could one say that more are starting to put their hand up and the depth starting to kick in? Obviously over the years a lot of the draftees come from Vic and last year would have impacted on their development but I just feel more are coming to the fore and names I’ve never heard of are being more prevalent.

I think it's more players that people have been unsure of but have liked are now being brought out in a way. Some of the names that 'announced' themselves have been spoken about quite a bit if you go looking. A big one I look at is Judson Clarke who eDPS and myself have mentioned before in our write ups and both liked, but his 5 goals on Sunday meant he's being spoken about by everyone else as well, so people see that and ask 'Where's this kid been, why is he only now being spoken about?'

It'll be after the champs we get a real sense of depth though, comparing the second rung of each state is a good indicator of where that depth is coming from as well

 

[kickthething]

After the trials occurring and the boys finally getting a good run at playing footy (in Vic) could one say that more are starting to put their hand up and the depth starting to kick in? Obviously over the years a lot of the draftees come from Vic and last year would have impacted on their development but I just feel more are coming to the fore and names I’ve never heard of are being more prevalent.

I feel there is merit in this thinking. Keep in mind, the Vic Metro boys largely still have not had a great run at it. Hugely shortened pre-season, 3 games then a month long break to finish the girls season and then 1 game before a 4-week covid lockdown. Now with 2 consecutive games under their belt. In the games I have watched I think we are still seeing issues with boys in Vic adapting to the season. The Metro sides potentially reflect this with the new names included and some names that are very low profile. I love the way Judson Clarke has taken his opportunity and to a lesser extent Paul Curtis from the Jets. These are good stories.

I still feel we will see a good amount of fluctuation in terms of players emerging/declining over the next 6 rounds of NAB League now the additional games have been confirmed to make up the missed games during the recent lockdown, assuming it all can go uninterrupted, I am of the opinion this may be a draft where a higher number of selections come outside of the championship selections (from Vic Metro boys more so than Vic Country) as consistent footy provides a stronger platform for all of the boys around the mark.

Effectively, I think the prospects of some bolters emerging from the NAB League in this year's draft class are higher than usual.

 

[LB2Snake]

Goater will go top 10, calling it now.

A lot to like about him in the write ups.

 

[briztoon]

A lot to like about him in the write ups.

Didn’t make Twomey’s first top 20.

 

[kickthething]

Didn’t make Twomey’s first top 20.

Give it time

 

[THE_GUN]

Didn’t make Twomey’s first top 20.

Neither did Van Rooyen & Bazzo
JVR specially surprising

 

[BigDance]

Neither did Van Rooyen & Bazzo
JVR specially surprising

The WA and probably SA kids were always going to slowly fall down the order the more footy the Vic boys play this year..WA played a lot of footy last year compared to Vic boys so once that starts evening out there will be more changes.

 

[andleanback]

Didn’t make Twomey’s first top 20.

Cox wasn’t in twomeys 20 in September last year.

 

[lionshine]

Cox wasn’t in twomeys 20 in September last year.

A little different though as he wasn't playing footy... but yes noted.

 

[PMBangers]

Not much too interesting about this really, as happens most of the time I'm seeing a lot more Vic than anywhere else so I'll be somewhat overrating a few of them in comparison. God I hope we get a champs this year, mainly for the WA kids to get some actual exposure to the east coast (if anyone here has any involvement with WAFC, please push to get a WAFL live pass like the SANFL one, I'd literally cry from joy)

 

[GWS Goose]

A few of these guys are plummeting down the lists (Sonsie, Rachele and Draper)

Most interested in the Sonsie drop given that early people were saying he was a pretty close to the top 2

 

[PMBangers]

A few of these guys are plummeting down the lists (Sonsie, Rachele and Draper)

Most interested in the Sonsie drop given that early people were saying he was a pretty close to the top 2

A month is a long time in football indeed!

Sonsie for me hasn't shown that spark as much as he had been previously since Vic footy returned, and can struggle to impact when his team's behind on momentum, but he still has those flashy moments from time to time which gives you that 'potential' outlook for him

Draper and Rachele I've been pretty open about not liking their defensive workrate, and given I imagine both will be predominantly forwards at the next level it's a pretty hard to cover deficiency, especially if they're not in dominant teams

 

[Sphynx]

There's going to be some nice value in those 18-25 picks.