Quigley's Mock (Very Long)

[Quigley]

Following TOA's example I thought it only fair to warn you. For Vinnie I have also included first names.

You might also notice in the fourth round quite a lot of Queenslanders. No I do not expect all these players to get taken but a fair few of them will and I thought I would give you a bit of a heads up and I put them where I thought they would do well.

As per usual there will be people who disagree with my selections but it is always a matter of opinion. Where I have made more controversial selections I have tried to give more detailed reasons. If you disagree with me or think I have got a bad read on your team needs feel free to disagree but please give your reasons.

Cheers.

Quigley

 

[Quigley]

1. Carlton – Matthew Kreuzer – DOB 13/5/89 Ht 199 Wt 91

Carlton protected the first pick in the Judd trade for one reason and that was to take Kreuzer pure and simple. There is no doubt in my mind that Carlton will take Kreuzer with their first pick.

Kreuzer is the most hyped recruit in this year’s class and credit where it is due most of it is well warranted. He dominated the TAC all year and has had some outstanding performances including a 28 possession, 35 hit-out game against Nth Ballarat. He is the type of high possession ruck that every team has been looking for over the last couple of years ever since Cox started to dominate at the position. He is very agile, has great hands and good pace. Most importantly he works hard and seems to be able to get open at will when matched up against his opposition ruck. He will usually rest in the forward line and is a dangerous target who is good on the lead and has nice hands. He is good overhead and below the knee. He is not a long kick and will not make the distance from 50. His kicking style is a little strange when searching for distance but his usual ¾ strength pass seems fine style wise and usually hits the target. His tackling is good for a ruck as well.

He had a strong championships and consolidated his draft position but the game against WA did highlight some issues with his game. The most important one being that he is not a great ruck practitioner at the moment even against U18s. He had the height advantage and is a full year older than Naitanui but Naitanui still won the ruck contests especially early when the game was on the line. Kreuzer did manage to get his hands to a fair few taps but they were not clean or to advantage and generally I thought his tap-out stats were generous to say the least. Overall he ended up finishing 3rd in hit outs for the championships. Naitanui also got the better of him around the ground in the first half of the match and looked much the better prospect being better in the ruck, below the knee, with second efforts, tackling and holding his own around the ground. Kreuzer though kept working the whole match and wore Naitanui down and finished better than him in the second.

Kreuzer has okay height for the ruck position but not great and generally will be giving away height to most AFL rucks. Opposing rucks are also going to be much stronger and more athletic than most he has come up against to date. Carlton is probably going to have no choice but to play him next year but I expect him to play more up forward than in the ruck and when he is in the ruck I expect him to struggle to get his hand to the ball. Most first year rucks do and Kreuzer will be no exception. People have compared him to Josh Fraser and I think that is a good comparison. He is going to be very good around the ground but may never be dominant in the ruck. At camp he did well in the 3km time trial finishing 9th overall.

2. Richmond – Cale Morton – DOB 18/1/90 Ht 192 Wt 75

Richmond have a tough decision to make about whether to take Morton or Cotchin. At the end I decided to go with Morton basically because of he adds some much needed height to Tigers running brigade. It also reunites two of the Morton brothers and might be the best way to get the best out of Mitch who has been a bit of a problem child to date.

Morton was the Larke medallist and rightly so from my perspective. Playing in the middle or at half back he gave the Western Australians great run and the effectiveness of his disposal set him apart from the other midfielders for WA. He averaged 25 possessions a match and made them all count. He has good hands, works well in tight and never seems to fumble but for me most impressive is his kicking. He has a beautiful, long kick off either foot and he has the great ability to hit his man in stride. His disposal was as good as any at the championships. He is good under pressure in the backline and seems to have the time to pick out the best option. His vision and player awareness is also very good. He will go forward when the chance arises and will kick goals anywhere from 55m in. Coming into the year there was questions about his marking ability but he seems to have laid those issues to rest leading Div 1 with 28 marks for the three matches.

There will be some conjecture about where he will play at AFL level. Not because he lacks anything physically or skill wise but simply because he could legitimately play anywhere much like Chad Cornes. At 192 cms he could end up a key position and the thought of him running off half back would have a lot of teams salivating. On the other side of the coin it had the best beep test at camp (15.4) and is an elite runner and as such he could get a run in the midfield with any team in the AFL. At the moment he is too thin to play key position and is likely to start on the wing or a flank where he can use his running ability. Cale is an intriguing combination of physical, athletic and skill talents that would have the teams drafting in the top four rubbing their hands together. At camp he also finished 3rd in the 3km time trial.

He played mostly school football this year and only managed one game of seniors for Claremont but he did manage to be named the best player for them in that game. The main concerns about Mitch I think centre around personality and development issues which seem to run in his family.


3. West Coast – Trent Cotchin - DOB 7/4/90 Ht 184 Wt 81
Cotchin comes into the draft with a huge reputation and if he is available and the West Coast are not gun shy about high profile Victorian prospects I think they will take him. He is probably the prospect that has the most chance of replacing what they lost in the Judd trade and so he is the logical choice. If Richmond take Cotchin though, Morton is no certainty to be taken by West Coast. He doesn’t have the grunt in the middle that they need with the loss of Judd and Cousins and with the family history they might decide to go with the likes of Masten or Palmer.

Only Kreuzer has gotten more hype than Cotchin and despite a relatively poor championships is still likely to go in the top three. Cotchin is a classy player who has good vision and uses the ball extremely well when he gets it. The weighting of his kicks is very good and he picks out his men in traffic very well. The options he takes are usually the right ones and he looks like a smart player. He has good pace and a long loping stride that eats up the ground. A couple of preseasons to really build on his endurance base is going to make him a difficult match up for anyone. Weaver has him starting his career up forward but for me I think he would be better suited on a wing or off HBF where he can use that run and vision ahead of him to set up his forwards. From what I have seen he seems like he is willing to do the hard things, put his head over the ball, lay tackles and shepherds and the other 1%ers which often get overlooked on Big Footy when assessing a player.

Despite all the positives the Championships did throw up some concerns for teams likely to draft him. He struggled to break his tag particularly against WA where he was dominated by McGinnity who managed to get 21 possessions himself. There was thought amongst those commentating the match that he just wasn’t prepared to work hard enough. That will raise red flags for teams. Another red flag would also have been his coming off worried about him hurting his draft stock rather than that the team was getting smashed. Self-centred and not willing to work – not the message anyone would want to give at the champs. One thing which I have noticed is that he tends to get his hands to a lot of balls but is too often unable to control it. He doesn’t have that one touch control that Morton and top flight extractor midfielders exhibit so well. Going back to him playing up forward I also don’t think he has the goal sense that others like Palmer, Rioli and even Grimes have shown. All the negatives are not to suggest that I don’t rate him but more that I believe he is not the can’t miss prospect that many consider him to be.


4. Melbourne – Brad Ebert – DOB 2/4/90 Ht 187 Wt 86

If Morton is gone Ebert offers the combination of skills that is going to most suit the Demons. Melbourne is probably most in need of a skilful and athletic outside player and Ebert could certainly play that role whilst being able to go into the trenches if needed. He also have nice height and is a class player. On the negatives with the impending move to some form of free agency Ebert might well be considered a major risk of departing at his first opportunity. Given though that he is one of the few that I think has a good chance of being the best player to come out of this draft I think Melbourne should take him if Cotchin and Morton are gone. With his ability to play inside and outside, his height and top shelf skills he ticks all the need boxes for the Demons.

Ebert came into the championships with sky high expectations on him and although he played well some were disappointed. I for one thought Weavers comment that he “wouldn’t have found the footy at the Champs if they tied a bell on it and let him have 10 minutes start on everyone else” was particularly harsh. Bear in mind that he played a lot of time up forward, was tagged heavily and still managed 22 possessions per game and won an AA berth. For me Ebert is one of the class players in this draft and it is worth noting that Michael Voss (who is an assistant coach at the AIS) rated Ebert as the most impressive player for him from the Champs.

On the field he looks like a classic modern footballer. He is tall for a midfielder, moves very well and has great balance in contested situations and he is very good overhead. His disposal is also up there with the best of this year’s draft crop. His kicking is great on both sides of his body and he always finds the right man in stride and able to do damage. He is also a real leader and despite being a bottom aged player he captained the SA team and directed them around the field with great aplomb. He is very strong and well built for a bottom aged player and looks like he will develop into a powerful presence for whoever picks him up.

Ebert has been a regular senior player for the Port Adelaide Magpies in the SANFL for most of the year. For the Magpies Brad has played mostly up forward and this might possibly be where he ends up playing at AFL level much in the same that Brett does for Port. He was very solid for Port and given that he is only 17 and playing well against grown men it is certainly a positive indicator of his future prospects.

The negatives for Ebert are that basically his family are Port royalty and he might well use the first opportunity to return home. The other major consideration is that whilst he is not terrible he is certainly not one of the best athletes in the draft.

5. Western Bulldogs – Chris Masten – DOB 2/5/89 Ht 179 Wt 78

I know the Bulldogs fans are going to have a fit but shock horror I have decided that the Bulldogs should take the best player available. They really need a key position forward but the gap between the available forwards and the midfielders is too marked not to take the midfielder. Masten is the guy that I rate most highly and with West is not getting any younger and Masten would fit very well into that role and offers the best opportunity to replace what they will lose when West retires. If they decide to go with a key position I think they will go with McEvoy.

Masten is a ball magnet out of East Fremantle who captained the WA team to the Div 1 championship this year. In addition to his leadership he is also a good team player and will do the team thing even where it might not benefit him personally. At the championships where all the players are out to get noticed this stood out. That being said there is plenty of good things to notice about Masten’s game. One of the primary strengths of his game is his running ability. He was an elite middle distance age athlete and it shows on the field where he gut runs more than probably anyone else at this level. He gets a lot of possessions because of his superior running ability especially toward the end of quarters. Running wise the only thing which has raised questions is his pace depending on who you listen to it can be great or ordinary. For me I think he is reasonably quick and probably around the middle of the pack as far as AFL midfielders go. I do note however that on the field he does, at times, struggle to get separation. He comes from a very similar athletics background as Simon Black who similarly does not have elite speed. This lack hasn’t really affected his game and I don’t think it will affect Masten’s game at AFL level.

Masten is very good in an under and will win whichever team drafts him a lot of clearances with his quick hands. He is hard at it and attacks the contested ball very well and wins more than he loses. He lacks maybe a little penetration on his kick but in his range he has a nice flat kick that finds the targets. As far as range goes I note when shooting for goal his range is probably from the 50 metre arc in. So he is not terribly short on his kick but it is something to work on. He has good awareness in tight and good vision when assessing the options open to him. He uses his disposals well.

Masten had a close tag for much of the championships but worked through them well to pick up 25 possessions a game. He has been playing senior football in the WAFL and has looked very good in a similar rover / ball magnet role. Masten will be a goodie and passing up on him to take a very risky key position prospect is not going to be good drafting.

6. Essendon – Cyril Rioli DOB 14/7/89 Ht 178 Wt 74

Again another pick which is not going to be popular with the Big Footy fan base. I am sure there are going to be Essendon supporters who will be thinking that Rioli repeats the skill set of Jetta and Davey but in my opinion though he will end up a completely difference style of player. Jetta and Davey are likely to be forwards who will occasionally play in the midfield whilst Rioli will be a full time midfielder who will rest up forward. He has the pace and skill that is needed by the Bombers especially with Hird retiring. Palmer and Ebert are also chances here.

I have been on the Rioli bandwagon for a while and rate him very highly. He has had injury problems for much of the year and if he had been fit and in shape I feel confident that a lot more people would have been predicting him to go in the top 5. He quite simply can do it all and could easily be the best player to come out of this draft. It is important that he gets his body sorted out and that teams get the sense that he is committed to doing what it takes to succeed. If those things are taken care of look out someone will have a champion player on their hands.

I expect him to be developed much in the way that Gary Ablett has been for Geelong in that he will start his career in the forward line before moving into the midfield as he gets more miles in his legs. I think the comparison with G Ablett is a really good one and there is a lot of similarities in the way that he plays. He has a fantastic awareness around goals and has the ability to read plays a couple of steps ahead and be in the right position to take advantage of it. He also has the capacity to do the spectacular more regularly than he should be able to and this is not just for himself but also in creating opportunities for others. The other similarity is his balance and the way that both Ablett and Rioli seem to be able to be able to dance around in traffic waiting for an option to open up when most other players would be getting tackled.

He has great vision and player awareness and a fantastic flat, long left foot kick that allows him to pick out his man. He also has a great long handball in his bag of tricks which he occasionally brings out as well. It is also worth noting that he works well at full pace and in tight situations and even in those situations he seems to take the right option. Up forward he is a goal scorer who is good on the lead as well as roving packs and his is a dead-eye shot for goal – maybe not Maric like but up there with anyone else in this draft.

He is short for a modern footballer but is deceptively strong. He has good pace and is great as a chase down and tackle forward. It is worth noting that despite being nowhere near fully fit he was 3rd in the repeat 30 metre sprints at camp. As mentioned he has had injury problems and he will need to be nursed somewhat whilst he does much needed work improving his endurance.


7. Fremantle – Rhys Palmer – DOB 13/2/89 Ht 180 Wt 76

Fremantle would love to pick up one of the two blue chip midfielders from West Australia and if Palmer is available I am sure they will take him. The Fremantle midfield could use the injection of pace and flair that Palmer would offer them.

There is little doubt that Palmer did more to help his draft stock than anyone else. He averaged 32 possessions and 3 goals per game and many considered him unlucky not win the Larke Medal. He has good (not great) pace and covered a lot of ground at the championships. He is a capable ball winner in close and positions himself very well to receive the ball from others. His endurance has improved a great deal from previous years to the extent this year where he is considered elite and was 5th overall in the beep test (14.8) and 2nd in the 3km time trial.

When he is playing forward he is a dangerous crumbing forward who reads the ball off hands very well and knows where the goals are. He has a good baulk which he doesn’t mind using, regularly takes his man on and is a very exuberant celebrator of a goal Justin Sherman style which I think helps to boosts team morale. In short he is a very flamboyant player.

On the negative side his disposal is not always the best and the options he takes likewise could be better. I worry a little that when he gets to the AFL and has less time whether he will struggle to find a man. He played quite a lot of seniors for East Fremantle this year and whilst he was pretty quiet early he came on strong when he returned from the Champs and he received regular mentions in the best players. Quite a lot of people expect Palmer to step right in and play early but I for one think that he might take a little time to adjust to AFL and there are still quite a few things that he needs to work on in his game. People have compared him a lot to Justin Sherman but for me I think Luke Power might be the better choice and if he turns out like Power whoever picks him up is going to be very happy.


8. Brisbane – Tom Collier – DOB 25/3/89 Ht 192 Wt 86

I think Collier would be a great fit for the Lions. He offers them a good defensive player with the ability to play big or small and who has a great run off and line breaking ability that is a need area for the Lions. He could be running off the Lions half back line much in the way Leppa and Chris Johnson did in the premiership years. People talk of Rance as being the best CHB prospect in this draft but for me that player is Collier.

There were two guys who stood out head and shoulders above the rest of Div 2 players as far as being draft prospects go and they were Rioli and Collier. Collier played on ball or at half back and looks like he has all the talent and skills to be a star at the next level. At 192 he could legitimately play at CHB at AFL level but with his skills and engine he could also play in the midfield much in the same way as Chad Cornes does for Port. At the Champs was a very physical presence especially charging through packs when he had the ball. He is a very strong, well balanced, elusive runner with a fantastic burst of speed all of which makes him extremely difficult to tackle. This is all the more the case when he is playing in the middle against smaller opponents. At the Champs he had some jaw dropping runs through the middle leaving defenders sprawling in his wake.

As far as his midfield work goes for a tall guy he works well in and under and got his fair share of hard balls. When he has the ball he is poised and balanced in his disposal. He has good vision and his option taking is usually first class. He regularly set up goals for others at the Champs. At the Champs he had a hard tag most of the time and still managed to pick up 23 possessions a match and most of them were pure class. Collier also ended up with 11 contested possessions a match which was fourth best and even better considering he split time between the backline and midfield. He was a leader of the Tasmanian team and the guy they looked to to lead the way for them. He tends at this stage to not work overhead much and I haven’t seen enough of him to know whether this is a problem in his game or not. He has improved enormously over the last year after being overlooked in last year’s draft. He had been playing senior football for Tasmania in the VFL at half back and has shown discipline and composure in that role at that level. He was injured toward the end of the year with a finger problem but this shouldn’t hurt his draft prospects. One of the things keen camp watches would have noted was Collier’s agility result. He finished 4th overall (8.22) which was exceptional for a guy his size and very handy for a guy who might end up playing most of his games at CHB.

 

[Quigley]

9. St Kilda – Ben McEvoy – DOB 11/7/89 Ht 199 Wt 90

Looking from the outside the Saints are in need of a young ruck prospect as well as some key position depth and possibly some depth to their midfield brigade. McEvoy seems like a good option given that has played a lot of junior football in both the ruck and up forward and has shown good promise at both. The risk is that he will be neither fish nor fowl and will not cut it. Rance would be the other major prospect that will be getting a long look here.

McEvoy rates only the third best ruck prospect coming out of the Champs this year but that is not going to stop him going probably in the top 12 or so and possibly as high as 5th. He probably has just under ideal height for a ruck but he is a solid ruck practioner and was 5th in the Champs for hitouts despite playing a lot of time in the forward line. What a lot of clubs are going to really like about McEvoy is his versatility. He can ruck but is also a solid prospect up forward or down back and he will go into wherever he is asked to play and give it his all. He is a high character guy who will make a team better with his good attitude and competitiveness. He was selected as a forward in the AA team this year which was a case I think of slotting a player who deserved to be picked but there were others ahead of him in his preferred position. In the ruck he was and is a fair bit behind Kruezer and Naitanui.

His disposal is pretty good and when playing in the ruck his players feel comfortable going to him. He is a good mark and has good athleticism for a guy his size. His endurance and agility are also top shelf for a ruck prospect and certainly adequate for a key position especially one his size. Someone is going to fall in love with the versatility he offers and take him early. This could mean the Bulldogs at 5 who are desparate for some height and I think more likely the Saints who are likely to give him a big look at 9.


10. Adelaide – Brendan Whitecross – DOB 25/1/90 Ht 182 Wt 79

Time for me to go against conventional wisdom I think. Whitecross is one of my favourite players and is criminally underrated on Bigfooty. The fact is that he ticks all the boxes for the Crows needs wise and so I have put myself up there to be shouted down by having him taken earlier than any of experts think. The other player I had Adelaide taking was Myers but Whitecross is younger, quicker, has better endurance, is a longer kick and is at least as good leadership wise. Whitecross also has very good skills although admittedly they are a little behind Myers at this stage. He can start his career as a backman and move into the midfield as he develops. He is a great prospect and the Crows should be glad to have him.

Coming into camp I think a lot of teams would have been viewing Whitecross as a backman only but I think he answered a lot of questions with his test results and I think teams will now be looking at him as a midfielder in the medium term. He showed elite speed, agility and endurance at camp and when those athletic abilities are combined with his other attributes teams are going to have to pay a higher draft pick now if they are interested in him. He was equal second in the beep test (15.1), equal 5th in the sprint (2.91), 8th in the repeat 30 metre sprint (24.25) and 8th also in the agility test (8.36). At the moment he probably doesn’t use his pace to full effect but it is certainly there and with some coaching he could be a dynamic chase down / line bursting player.

He has reasonable height and plays taller than he is and is solidly built for a bottom aged player. He is a long, accurate kick and capable of hitting his man from 50 metres and he regularly hits it that far or more when he takes kickins. He is good off either foot and to me seemed to have good vision and able to consistently take the option that best positions his team going forward. At the Champs some of his decision making was a little below his usual standard and I think this was likely the result of him trying a little too hard when the team was not performing well. He is a balanced runner, is strong over the ball and keeps his feet well.

Whitecross started the year slow, had a pretty good Champs and then finished the year on strong. He is probably going to start his AFL career as a HBF or back pocket player but I see him developing in a top shelf midfielder. He reminds me a lot of Jed Adcock and I would expect a similar type of development for him. Look for him to take a leadership role early and be directing traffic at the back for whatever team picks him up. He gets his team mates talking very well and whichever unit he is with seems to lift when he is playing there. He played on the wing and back pocket mostly for the Scorpions and looked like a class player. When he was in the backline they seemed stronger in defence and dangerous going forward and when he was in the middle the drive going through there was noticeably improved. He is a calm presence on the field and is a player who seems to have more time than those around him. He is a current AIS Academy player.


11. Sydney – Alex Rance – DOB 9/10/89 Ht 194 Wt 87

Sydney picking at 11 have the opportunity to take probably the best pure key position in this draft in Rance. Sydney really struggled with Kennelly out and Rance potentially offers some of the run and skill at the back that they need. Sydney’s window is closing rapidly and Rance is likely to play before most of the key position prospects in this draft. A key position forward is also a strong possibility here and they could look to take Henderson or Goudis. If Sydney is looking for a midfielder I am not prepared to rule out Grimes.

Rance was probably the most impressive Div 1 key position player for me and looks like he will be a class player at the next level. He directed the WA backline from CHB and provided good leadership for his fellow backmen. He has ideal size and is reasonably agile. Defensively he is mostly very good although he does have occasional lapses where he gets caught zoning off and lets his man lead him to the ball. There has been some concerns about his speed but I have not noticed this to be a particular issue in games where his closing speed seems okay although this might well be because he reads play very well and reacts early. He also demonstrates good awareness of when to commit to a contest which is an important skill in a backman. He works hard to keep the pressure on and is never out of a contest having very good recovery skills. He is also courageous, goes hard at the ball and will put his body on the line.

Going forward he is excellent and provides great run from defence. He will get his fair share of possessions and he has the skills to make them count. By foot he has pretty good length and when going short weights his kicks particularly well and usually finds his man. He finished seventh in the championships in handballs and looks to play on quickly on most occasions. He has been playing senior football in the WAFL and is a very improved player this year.

12. Hawthorn – David Myers – DOB 30/6/89 Ht 190 Wt 85

Myers does duplicate the skill set of some of the guys already on the Hawks list but at the end of the day I have them adopting a best available policy and Myers is probably that. He has been very pumped up recently on Bigfooty and whilst I have not been totally convinced that he represents the second coming I do think he will be a fine player. This is about the slot that I have had Myers going since the Champs so I am going to leave him here with the Hawks.

Myers is a classic modern back flanker. He has great height for the position at 190cm and moves like a midfielder. He picked up a mountain of possession off half back for WA (4th overall with 84 possessions) and his skill level is top shelf. He was another of the leaders of the WA team and was very dangerous going forward. He makes himself available in tight, is cool in tight situations and picks good options going out of defence and generally. He is good length on his kicks and has a nice little flat punch kick which he delivers nicely into confined spaces. He is composed and balanced on the run and from a stoppage. I haven’t noticed any pace issues and he is prepared to take his man on with ball in hand.

Defensively he is a very composed presence at the back who uses his superior play reading to be in the right place at the right time. He seems ideally suited to playing on the HBF at AFL level and I would expect him to get every chance to play there early next year whichever team picks him up. He has been on the radar of AFL teams for a while (especially since winning the Barassi medal).

People who have him higher have been talking him up as a midfielder but I am not convinced that is where he will play his best football. He has not shown and particular skill winning his own ball, is not a tough nut in contested situations, does not have elite athleticism nor is he up there on the 1%ers such as tackling, shepherding etc. I would put him in the top half dozen kicking wise but there are others that I would have ahead of him (eg Rioli to name one and from his own team I would have put Morton and Rich ahead of him at the least). In all I consider him a very nice prospect but I am not seeing him being other than he has demonstrated to date that being a nice half bank flank prospect.


13. West Coast – David Gourdis – DOB 24/11/89 Ht 193 Wt 88

The West Coast I think will be more than happy to take Gourdis at 13. Their key positions have not been a strength of their team but after last year and this things could be beginning to change. Although things have changed a little over the last couple of years I still think that as a general rule most talented talls usually play in the forward line as a junior and that teams should stock up on tall forwards even if you have a need at the back. Gourdis although currently predominantly a forward could end up playing at either end for the West Coast. The West Coast would also be giving serious consideration to Henderson and Myers if available and perhaps Notte.

Gourdis played some great football at HF for WA at the championships and when this is combined with his stunning results from camp you have one of the most intriguing prospects going around. He lit up Canberra this year when he broke the vertical jump record (81cm), won the 20 metre sprint with a great time (2.83) and was sixth in the repeat 30 metre sprints (24.22). From a key position prospect they make people sit up and pay attention but when you consider that he can actually play as well teams start to salivate and someone might well jump the gun and take him very early.

He has legitimate key position height and looks like he has a body type that will fill out well and he certainly has the pace to create separation or close a man down depending on what end he is playing. He would be close to the best contested and pack mark at the championships this year and he has very soft hands and great timing on his jumps. One thing which does need to be ironed out is where he takes his marks. At the moment when he is up forward he seems to be shepherded too easily to the boundary or outside the 50 and as a result he is left with extremely difficult shots on goal. At the Champs he didn’t get many shots at goal despite the number of marks he had. One thing which he does very well is after a mark, get back to his feet quickly and look for his options. He has good awareness and if an option is open he will look to take it quickly. He has good vision and will look to pick out the right target but at the moment his disposal lets him down too often. His kicking is somewhat erratic and he doesn’t seem to have great feel on his passes.

Given the package though he is an interesting prospect and someone will take him pretty high figuring they can iron out the disposal issues. He seems to have a good attitude and looking at him giving directions on the field and in the huddles at the Champs he seemed like a leader of the forward unit.


14. Melbourne – Lachlan Henderson – DOB 14/12/89 Ht 196 Wt 90

Before Melbourne picked up this pick they would have been giving serious consideration to Henderson at 4 and they would be ecstatic to get him at 14. The Melbourne forward line is getting a little long in the tooth and Henderson has as much potential as any key position available. Gourdis, Grant and Simpson are likely to be the others which Melbourne will be looking closely at here.

This would have to be one of the weakest key position drafts in quite some time and with the year that he has had Henderson would probably only have been lucky to be a second round pick last year. Henderson has great height for the position and can be a real handful in the forward line. He is pretty agile for a guy his size and is good overhead. Before this year he played predominantly at ruck and so is not hugely experienced as a key forward and I remain to be convinced that he will be able to make the jump to forward at AFL level. He is very similar in this regard to Sellar last year. It is worth noting that his Gary Hocking (his coach from Geelong) rates his best position as being at centre half back. In the games he did play toward the end of the year he had a tendency to seriously fade in and out of games and his kicking was pretty ordinary. Despite those games he has a reputation of being a good kick with a good awareness of what is happening around him.

As mentioned he was injured for most of the year and as a consequence he missed the Championships this year which given the poor performance by Vic Country and the poor service he would have gotten it might actually have helped his draft stock. He comes into the draft without his reputation as the best KP prospect in the draft being tested to any significant degree and the team that takes him will be taking a fair risk. On the other side of the coin the rewards could be equally high as he could develop into a top notch key position player.

15. Kangaroos – Scott Selwood – DOB 27/3/90 Ht 184 Wt 81

Selwood is a hard at it player who would fit very nicely into the Kangaroos team. With Archer retiring there is a spot open in the Roos defence that Selwood might be able to step in and fill at an early time. He would provide some starch they might be losing with Archer. Veszpremi or Collier if he fell would be other options in this role.

The fourth of the Selwood brothers seems like he will ride on his brothers’ coat tails into the first round. Scott is not as polished as Joel and is probably going to play much more like Adam and Troy. Like all three of his brothers though he can be counted on to go hard at it and be courageous to a fault chasing the ball. At worst he is going to be a hard, inspirational club man and at best he just might turn out to be on a par with Joel who is looking fantastic for Geelong. He was rated better than Joel by some coming into this year but he hasn’t lived up to the billing. It is important to remember that he is another bottom aged player and there is plenty of room for development.

His game against Vic Metro probably changed his Champs from disappointing to fair. I thought he was lucky to make AA taking account all three games. He picked up 32 possessions against Vic Metro but only averaged 21 over the three games. He played mostly off the HBF but did spend some time in the middle but except against Vic Metro he didn’t seem to be working hard enough to get into the game. He has probably better disposal skills than the twins (not hard) and he does some nice things with the ball although you would never describe him as flashy. Overall he is a very safe solid late first round pick for me. He would be a great depth player early for a strong club and might develop into a very good player down the track. I look for him to develop into a tough enforcer type backman and a good comparison I think are the Scott boys or Archer. They are remembered as hard men but all of them were also very skilful players and I think Scott Selwood could be much the same.

16. Port Adelaide – Jack Grimes – DOB 11/5/89 Ht 187 Wt 76

Grimes is one player who I would not be surprised to see get taken here on draft day. I think he would fit in well at Port and the determination and leadership he has would be an asset to this developing team. He is a hard player who would fit into a midfield which apart from the Cornes boys might be a bit lacking in this regard. Port could also go with height here and might be considering Grant or Simpson.

Grimes was the best Vic Metro midfielder at the championships in my opinion. He has all the physical tools to succeed at AFL level in the midfield or the HFF. He has prototypical height for a modern midfielder at 187, is agile and has good pace. He seems to have a good engine and works hard around the ground especially so to make contests. His hands are good and he works well in tight situations. He has a determined streak which serves him well on the field and he looks like he thrives on a challenge. He reads play well and has footy smarts which this serves him well when he floats forward. He is very dangerous around goal and is a good shot on goal within his range. Teams who value leadership in their recruits will also be looking at him closely as he captains his sides at all levels.

The one major weakness in his game is in his disposal which lets him down too much. He is a right footer who doesn’t have great style and misses his targets too often. He doesn’t seem to have great feel on his kicks and when weighting passes will sometimes come up short or long. At the championships he also tended to fade in and out of games a little but I don’t have major concerns with this given that he was getting a lot of attention and he managed to work through the tags and still get his possessions. He has had a good season in the TAC and has averaged in the high 20’s in possessions.

The other concern for teams is the fact that he missed games at the end of the year with stress fractures in his back. These are usually a definite red flag but reports are that he has fully recovered. If his medical checks out and a team thinks they can sort out his kicking I think he could go very high. I like this guy and think he has the determination to get the absolute most out of his talent (which he has a fair bit of).

17. Geelong – Addam Maric – DOB 18/4/90 Ht 179 Wt 80

Geelong is in a great position of not really needing too much especially with the likes of Hawkins and Djerrkura waiting in the wings and they can pretty much afford to take the best available at each pick and at this pick I think that is a specialist small forward. Maric is a weapon up forward and Geelong are a team that could use his talents to great effect. He is probably only ever going to be a forward but given his skill in this area that should be fine with the Cats.

Anyone taking Maric will be doing so on the basis that they need a forward pocket player. He is never going to be a midfielder or even HFF flanker at AFL level - he is not the second coming of G Ablett Jnr. That being said Maric has as much potential at his position as anyone in the draft. Lets start with his kicking for goal which is not just good but it is exceptional in its accuracy. He is quite simply the best shot for goal that we have seen in a lot of years. If you give him a shot inside his range he is going to nail it 80%+ of the time no matter where on the ground it is. That alone is going to get him drafted. He is wily around goal and works hard to get open and he does so regularly. He reads the play very well both in flight and off packs. In addition he recovers quickly and generally has good balance. When he gets away from his man he has the pace to maintain separation and he has very good hands and is a good mark for his height.

On the negatives he is short and stocky and given that he is bottom aged there might be some concern with his body shape going forward. His first touch is also not always the best and his option taking when he decides to pass off often leaves something to be desired. Defensively I haven’t seen him chasing very much when the ball rebounds the other way. That being said though if I am a team in need of a small forward I would have no trouble taking Maric as he could be exceptional at what he does. He had shoulder surgery following on from the Champs but I haven’t heard of there being any issues arising out of the injury. That being said a shoulder injury is something which can easily become degenerative and so teams will have to do their homework.

18. Richmond – Tom Bellchambers – DOB 9/7/89 Ht 199 Wt 91

Richmond need to pick up a ruck in this draft and for me Bellchambers would be a very nice addition to their side. He is a big bodied ruck that will be able to provide a contest and will likely be playing before most of the more lightly built rucks prospects have developed. An AFL preseason is likely to do him the world of good and he could end up being a steal at the end of the first round or early second.

For me he was clearly the best ruck in Division 2 this year being too strong for his opposition. He was unlucky that the Div 1 rucks were so strong this year otherwise he might have been a strong chance for AA. His game body shape, size and game is similar to that of Clark Keating except that he is more of a tap ruck rather than a crash and bash sort in the ruck. There is a fair bit of the crash and bash though around the ground where he doesn’t mind throwing his ample frame around. His 1%ers are very good for a big man and he will work to lay a tackle and shepherd when needed. In the ruck he is one of the more skilled tap rucks going around this year and he gets first hands to the ball more often than not. It is worth noting that he beat Matthew Clarke in his VFL debut against the Scorpions this year.

It is probably unlikely that he will ever be a high possession ruck but he will get a few and his disposal is pretty good. Around the ground he is a lumbering sort (ie not quick) that looks ungainly but still manages to cover a fair bit of ground. Word is that his conditioning levels are poor and for me that is encouraging. I was impressed with him when he was half fit and so if he lifts his endurance he has an excellent chance of being a top shelf ruckman. I would be interested to see what he measured in at at camp as when I have seen him in person I came away thinking that might be shorter than advertised. That being said I still is legitimate ruck size at AFL level. For me he is a late first early second round pick. I couldn’t see Richmond, Bulldogs, West Coast and Melbourne all passing from him at the top of the second round.


19. Western Bulldogs – Jarrad Grant – DOB 6/7/89 Ht 191 Wt 77

In all honesty I did not have Grant this high before a couple of the experts like Shifter suddenly had him going at 5. 5 in my opinion would be massively overpaying for him but at 19 he is probably a pretty fair pick up and he is the type of thin, athletic player who is often taken by the Bulldogs. He could end up being a very good player but he needs a couple of years in the gym before we are going to see the best of him. Grant is not going to give the Bulldogs the immediate help they need up forward but with the draft it pays to plan for the longer term rather than the short as almost invariably the short term strategy comes back to bite you (except if you are Sydney it seems).

Grant is getting a lot of attention after some good performances in the TAC over the coarse of the year. He didn’t play a lot of games but in the ones that he did he managed to top the averages for goals per game and contested marks per game. He has good hands, is a very nice mark and is can make the highlight reels with some screamers. When he is on he has a lot of flair in his game and can look like a million bucks. He does however fade in and out of matches and can look disinterested. He was an non-factor at the Champs especially against WA and that might cause some concern about whether he can step up.

He is extremely quick and showed that with a 2.89 in the 20 metre sprint at Camp (4th overall). I would have liked to know his agility scores as this is one area which I have not been that impressed. He does not change direction particularly well and similarly his recovery could be better. For these reasons I think he is going to be a forward and probably won’t be make it as a backman. I think he also needs to work on his endurance but that is not a concern for me in a forward at this level. His height is a little under ideal but his pace, hands and leap compensate for that. I have a fair few negatives here but I think that is more to justify not having him higher rather than me not rating him at all. I think he is a good prospect but I don’t think he is a “can’t miss” prospect.


20. West Coast – Patrick Veszpremi – DOB 1/9/89 Ht 181 Wt 83

There are always a couple of guys who are pumped up on Bigfooty who fall out of the first round and I think Veszpremi could be one especially after more injury problems kept him out of Camp. West Coast though would be very keen I think to pick him up at 20 as he would give their new look midfield some extra grunt and he and Hurn would certainly make an interesting combination.

Veszpremi is a solid player in all connotations of the term. He is a solidly built guy who is more than willing to throw his weight around in the contest and is extremely courageous in his attack on the ball. Skills wise he is also solid without being outstanding but by the same token he doesn’t have any obvious weaknesses. That being said he is a big kick and can get a lot of penetration. His pace is not top shelf but he rarely gets caught out because of that because he works so hard with and without the ball and because he has good awareness of what is happening around him and where the chasers are. He is 100% at them whenever he is on the field which coaches love and this alone makes a lot of recruiters have a closer look at him.

What he sets him apart from players which will be taken after him is his confidence and willingness to take his man on and come out the other side. He will back himself, charge through the packs, take a bounce or two and pump it long. He tackles very well and is good on the 1%ers. He is very versatile and can play down back, in the midfield or up forward and he is equally adept at whatever job he is given.

He came into the year with a lot of expectations on him after making AA as a bottom aged player last year but injuries have probably robbed him of the impact he would have been hoping for. He had a thumb injury early and a hamstring injury late which kept him out of camp. Athletically there are a few concerns with him and teams probably would have liked a look at what he could have gotten in the testing. On the positive side though his 8 goals game late in the year certainly made a lot of people sit up and that game on the back of last year could see him taken probably higher than the rest of his performances this year would warrant. The Selwood factor is also probably going to work in his favour with teams being less likely to discount guns from the previous year who have been carrying an injury.

 

[Quigley]

21. Melbourne – Tony Notte – DOB 15/4/90 Ht 194 Wt 70

Melbourne are going to be needing a few key position prospects over the next couple of years and picking Henderson and Notte could really set them up for years to come. Notte is essentially just a forward at the moment and the Demons might want to keep him as such but I am not willing to pigeon hole him as solely a forward just yet. Plenty of 17 year old forwards end up playing as a back as a 23 year old and down the track help is needed at both ends. He is a very talented prospect and I think the Melbourne would love to bring him across to Victoria.

The first thing you notice about Tony is he has to run around in the shower to get wet. He is not just thin he is almost anorexic and if he were to get a game next year AFL players would snap him in half. Basically what that means is that any team taking Notte is going to do so on the basis that he is a three year project. It is going to take him that long to put on the 20kgs of muscle that needs to compete even adequately with the big boys. Looking at his frame at the moment I would think he is never likely to be a huge man but he should be able to put on enough weight to get by.

Okay enough about his weight - height wise he is currently listed at 194 but I wouldn’t be surprised if he is taller and word is that he is still growing. He is bottom aged and that would not be surprising. For such a tall guy he moves extremely well, is sneaky quick and he is very agile. He played as a KPF at the Champs and looked very dangerous whenever he was around the ball. He also played some backup ruck and he did okay given that he was giving away a lot of height, weight and strength. He has a good jump, times his leaps well and has extremely good hands. Despite having no bulk to speak of he is a great pack mark which speaks well of his potential in this area as he develops.

If he is going to be a key forward in the AFL he needs to work on his kicking as at the moment he struggles with distance from 50. Despite that he always goes for goal from that distance although invariably he pulls up short. A key forward attitude certainly but you do like someone who will do the team thing when the chances are very slim of him getting the distance. I have heard that his kicking for goal wasn’t his best at the Champs and those who have seen a lot more of him than I do say his kicking is usually pretty good. In close he has pretty quick hands and can feed his runners well. Overall there is a lot to like and I think a team that is willing to be patient will be rewarded handsomely for taking Notte.


22. West Coast – Steven Browne – DOB 1/2/89 Ht 181 Wt 74

Snaring Browne at 22 I think would round off a very good draft for the West Coast if they decide to stop here. Browne will start off in their backline freeing up Hurn to play more in the midfield but eventually he I see him joining the mids. He offers a different skill set to the other players taken so far for the West Coast and I can see him playing sooner rather than later. Browne is a quality player who is seriously underrated on Bigfooty. He has the pace and skills which would a valuable asset to any team and I would be pretty confident that either West Coast or Fremantle will pick him up about here on draft day. If this is the Coast’s last pick I would not rule out them taking a ruckman here on draft day as currently they are flirting with danger with only two rucks on their list.

I see a lot of Jed Adcock in Browne and I think he could follow the same development path as Jed did from tight marking backman, to tight marking / run off backman to running midfielder. Browne is a blanket defender who gets plenty of the ball and runs off his man well. When he runs off he does so with purpose and creates very well for his team mates. Its hard to explain exactly but Browne just looks like a footballer when he is on the field. He seems to understand what is going on around him and he moves well and with authority. He has good balance and pace, reads play well and will usually be found at the drop of the ball. He is a lovely kick off either foot particularly his left and can deliver it lace out or weighted nicely to his forwards. Browne is also a good mark and will often take marks over bigger opposition.

He was a much underrated and overlooked part of the WA small brigade from the Championships but make no mistake he was a crucial element of that defence and the run generated much of the play. He dominated his opponents. What teams also like to see is the way that he has built on his carnival performance. Since then he has been playing seniors and playing very well. There is not much down side to Browne. Even if he never becomes a top line midfielder chances are you are still going to have a top shelf back.


23. Essendon – Steven Gaertner – DOB 2/1/90 Ht 196 Wt 83

Everybody I think is more than a little unsure of what the Bombers recruiting strategy will be post – Sheedy. I think they will try and maintain the same strategy that they have done previously and Gaertner would be the type of high risk high reward player that Sheedy would have loved. At 23 the Bombers are not overpaying for a very raw but very athletically gifted key position prospect. He will be given a year or two to develop but with the almost certain departures of all four of their key positions over the next two years they have to do some serious succession planning and Gaertner might well be a nice piece to fit into that puzzle.

Gaertner will be relying solely on his package of great KP height and athletic abilities to get drafted. At the moment he is bottom aged, extremely raw with little football nonce. At the championships he played up forward and looked good on a straight lead where he could use his running ability to good effect. The problem was though that he didn’t get much of it and even when he managed to get the ball close to goal he couldn’t go back and kick the goals. He has a high punch kick action which often goes astray. His positional play is also all over the place and as a consequence he is easily shut down and he has minimal effect on a game. He is very much a work in progress and anyone that takes him will be doing so purely on potential.

Personally I see him as a backman where he can be given a job and he can use his superior athletic ability to blanket and opponent. The only problem with that is that every time he gets the ball his team mates are going to be cringing wondering where the ball is going to go. He is at least 196 cm tall (recent reports suggest he may now be 198), has a great leap (6th at camp for vertical leap – 70 cm), is extraordinarily quick for a big man (2nd at camp for 20 metre sprint – 2.88) and also extremely agile (10th in camp for agility – 8.39). He needs to improve his strength and endurance but that will come and he has a fantastic base to work on. Weaver mentioned that he is much like Tom Williams at this stage and I agree with that. As with Tom a team taking him is going to need to be patient because notwithstanding the great athletic base there are quite a few kinks to work out before he will be a decent AFL player.


24. Fremantle – Sam Reid – DOB 7/11/89 Ht 185 Wt 75

The West Australian teams rarely if ever take Queenslanders but they and particularly Fremantle here might well make an exception for Reid. He has reasonably height and pace and that bit of class that would be valuable in a midfield which is in need of an injection of those qualities. I think Reid would do very well for the Dockers and he would be a good pick up for them.

Going into the Champs Reid was regarded (and still is in the opinion of a lot of people) the most talented of the Queensland prospects this year and is considered highly by those involved with the AIS Academy. People have talked about him being a Luke Power or Xavier Ellis clone in that he is very light on his feet, well balanced and good in traffic. He had a very good start to the year and if he had continued with that form throughout the year he would have been a certain first round and possible top ten selection. Unfortunately he didn’t perform up to expectations at the Champs and this could really affect his stock. He might well drop into the third round. There was talk of him carrying injury into the Champs and he was injured for much of the second half of the year.

He will probably start his career off on a flank and he is equally effective at half forward or half back. Over time I would him to move into the midfield. He played on the HF line at the Champs and often did a few nice things early before fading out after that (injury?). He has good pace, is very agile and when in form will take his opposition on and can make game breaking runs through the middle. He has good height for a midfielder and despite being listed at only 75kg he looks strong and is extremely cut in the upper body. He might want though to do a bit of lower body work because he tends at the moment to go to ground too easily. He has good hands at ground level and in a marking contest but needs to find more of the football than he did at the Champs. His kicking is generally very good and he uses it very well taking the option to best position his team mates.


25. Brisbane – Aaron Joseph – DOB 4/7/89 Ht 178 Wt 75

After Masten, Joseph is probably the best pure clearance man in this year’s draft. He is great at the bottom of packs and this and his ability to play a run with role make him an ideal second round selection for the Lions. He is intensely competitive and Leigh will love the edge he will bring in that regard to the engine room. It would be great to see how he combines with Proud in this regard after last year’s game at the Champs.

Joseph had a very impressive Champs and ended up getting a well-deserved AA selection and was voted the best player for Tasmania for the second year in a row (that was the first time that that has happened). He worked tireless throughout the Champs and picked up a mountain of possession (29 possessions per game for second overall). In all honesty he is often easy to miss as he can be quite unobtrusive but he just keeps getting the ball. He plays in and under and wins the hard ball. He has quick hands and clears the ball from the middle of packs well. He does the small things well and will get in a tackle with the best of them. Kicking wise he doesn’t have great penetration but he picks out his man well and lead the Champs with 7 goal assists. One of the things that I really liked was that he also played some run with and did a good job and really hurt the opposition going the other way. I love that and teams value that ability.

In addition to his performance at the Champs Joseph also was a big possession winner for the Tassie Mariners and Glenorchy for where he became a premiership player. In the 9 games for the u18s he averaged 27 possessions per game.

Joseph really stepped up and got people’s attention at Camp when he won the agility test with a great score (7.91 the next best was 8.05) and pulled out a very nice 2.91 20 metre sprint (5th overall). I had had some concerns about his ability to compete athletically at the next level but these results certainly laid some of those concerns to rest. Negatives wise and he is a little on the short side at 178 and he needs to put on some weight and get stronger to go with the AFL players in and under.

26. Sydney – Patrick McGinnity – DOB 18/2/89 Ht 182 Wt 75

With Kirk starting to get a little long in the tooth the Swans might have to do a little forward planning and McGinnity is the closest thing to a replacement that is available. He has the kind of combatitive attitude which could slot him nicely into the Sydney team ethos. He is not the most physically gifted player but plays well within the system and will do a job and do it well which are both important elements for anyone wanting to play for Roos.

The game against Vic Metro matched up on Cotchin put McGinnity on the map. This was his first underage match and he came in unheralded and unheard of by most. In that game he played a run with role and completely took Cotchin out of the game and picked up 21 possessions himself. He continued his good form in the other matches and earned himself an All Australian spot and a certain draft spot probably in the second round. A run with player who can hurt the opposition going the other way is an important weapon most coaches like to have and he has showed that he can do just that against the best at U18 level. McGinnity plays well in and under and is a hard at it player who does all the little things which are appreciated so much by coaches.

He is light at the moment but uses his body well to position himself for possessions. Defensively he marks closely and tackles hard. He reads the play well in disputed situations and is reasonable when he gets it. He is probably better by foot than hand and usually weights his passes well. He has pretty good pace as well which will allow him to run with AFL level players. What I like is the fact that he will back himself even when playing run with and will go and get the ball and force his opposition to run with him (much like Kirk). He played colts for Claremont as an inside, hard ball winning mid and finished second in their best and fairest. At camp he managed to do well in the endurance testing (6th in 3km time trial and 9th in the beep test – 14.4).

27. Adelaide – Marlon Motlop – DOB 17/4/90 Ht 182 Wt 76
Adelaide are a team that is already low of flair and with the departure of McLeod not far away that is only going to decline further. Motlop is a very gifted player and has as much X factor as virtually anyone in the draft. He will probably play off a flank and could be anything if he decides he wants it.

A lot of people were looking at Motlop with high expectations coming into the Champs this year and in all honesty he was a little disappointing. It is worth noting however that he had stress fractures in his back which disrupted his start to the year and that he entered the Champs short of full fitness. Clubs are also are going to remember the U16 Champs last year where he was outstanding being named the best Div 2 player and leading the NT to the title. Notwithstanding the injury issues I think he struggled a little to adjust to the bigger bodies at U18 especially against NSW where he was virtually invisible. He improved as the Champs went along but was still not among the best for NT. Despite that I see him getting picked up probably in the second or third round.

He is an exciting prospect with good skills, pace and awareness and is a very smooth, balanced and evasive runner. He plays a bit like Rioli in that he can play in the middle, on a wing or up forward and a team that picked him up would be hoping he develops much the same way. He looks like he will develop a fairly solid build which should stand up to AFL football well provided his back issues have been resolved. Around goal he is very dangerous and he is a good shot on goal. He is going to get picked up by a club with an eye to the future which can stash him away for a year or two to develop. If he is given time I think he could be a very nice player.

28. Port Adelaide - Scott Simpson – DOB 19/10/89 Ht 194 Wt 91

Port is getting to the stage where they have to look to replace some of the key positions and Simpson is one guy who I gave serious consideration to them taking at 16. He will end up a big boy and I think the structure he is likely to play with at Port is likely to suit him in that he will have other quicker players creating space and working off him.

Simpson is a big lump of a kid who I am still a bit unsure of. I expect him to be taken in the late first or the second round as he has good size and playing for Vic Metro is going to help him with the Victorian teams. For me though I would like to see his speed and agility results from camp before I invested a high pick on him. At the moment I question whether he has the separation speed to be effective at AFL level. He relies almost exclusively on his great marking ability to get him shots at goals and the gorilla full forward is a bit out of fashion at the moment. His kicking for goal could also be better but poor goal shooting doesn’t seem to be held against forwards at the moment so maybe that won’t be held against him too much.

Working for him though is the fact that he is an extremely hard worker, is strong, has good endurance and he keeps presenting all day. Given he is a big guy both in height and weight I certainly wasn’t expecting him to get in the top ten in the beep test at camp which he did and that demonstrates I think that the kid is prepared to work through the pain barrier to get what he wants. He comes from a rugby background and is capable of laying a crunching tackle if he is given the opportunity. He has only been playing for three years so there is plenty of development potential there. Also being so highly regarded by his club coach also helps. To quote Graeme Yeats - “Superstar. I love him. From a coaching perspective he was just outstanding with his work ethic.”


29. Hawthorne – Tayte Pears – DOB 24/3/90 Ht 192 Wt 90

To be serious premiership contenders I think the Hawks need some depth at the back and Pears could be an excellent player if he lives up to the form he showed at the Champs this year. He has key position height and given a couple of years to develop he could be the type of big bodied full back that the Hawks have been looking for.

Pears is a very solid bottom aged KP defender from WA and despite being a bottom aged player he is stronger than most at U18 level. When you combine his strength with elite key position closing speed he is a difficult opponent to deal with and at the Champs his opposition players struggled to make any impact. Pears is very composed at the back but can be a bit of risk taker and will kick into tight situations which, in a backman, can give coaches grey hairs. His kicking is reasonably good and he weights his passes well which usually means his passes go where there are supposed to. I haven’t seen a huge amount of Pears but from what I have I haven’t been that impressed with his hands and they are not as soft as they could be. This might be one of the reasons he is at the back and not up forward. That being said he is a very good punch and has great closing speed despite being such a big lump. At Camp he pulled out a great 20 metre sprint finishing 7th overall with a 2.92.

Reports out of club football in the West haven’t been all that encouraging which is why I have dropped him down my list a little. Apparently the three games at the Champs might have been his three best games of the year and clubs who may tagged him for a closer look would not have been that impressed. I am also not sure about his positional awareness as he seemed to rely a bit on being directed around the ground by Myers and Rance at the Champs but given that he is bottom aged he might have just doing what the more experienced guys wanted. The fact that he is a country boy and has to travel a fair bit probably has affected his development and once he gets into a full time environment I think he will quickly catch up the endurance, skill and positional work which he is a little behind on. Anyone in need of a fullback I think could do a lot worse than take Pears.

30. Adelaide – Luke Sampey – DOB 23/5/89 Ht 191 Wt 91

This is a player who no-one wants to know on Bigfooty. In my opinion though he could be a very nice player and he is certainly worth a stab at 30 for the Crows. The Crows need some key position forwards coming through and Sampe is the type of player who I think would do well with the type of service the Adelaide mids are capable of delivering. He would also complement the styles of the other Crow forwards.

Sampey is a leading FF and he had a good championships especially against Vic Metro. He tends to not be rated by a lot of people but I like the look of him. His speed is not exceptional but he can get a step and leads very hard to space. Once he has the space he uses his strong body exceptionally well to keep the defender away from the ball and he has pretty good hands. He is solidly built for an 18 year old especially in the legs and he will throw his body around and lay some crunching bumps. For a FF his disposal is good and he is very team oriented and will give off if someone is in a better position. He is pretty good below the knee and has quick hands and can shuffle the ball out of a contest well for a big guy. He is a right footer who as mentioned has good disposal and weights his passes well. Kicking for goal he is a little erratic and at the championships he missed a few he should have gotten. His kicking for goal has also been a problem has also been a bit of an issue for East Perth and is probably the main knock against him. Another issue is that he doesn’t seem to have great agility and the quickness of his recovery is not high.

He reminds people of Q Lynch in this respect and I think it is a good comparison both in regard to the good things and the bad. He may be an inch or so shorter than is ideal for a KP but he makes up for this with his strength and the clever use of his body. I like him more than most people on BF and I think he is a better prospect than some of the marginal Victorian prospects getting some air time.

31. Collingwood - Dawson Simpson – DOB 17/2/89 Ht 205 Wt 97

The Pies supporters are probably going to jump up and down about taking Simpson given the acquisition of Wood but face facts your ruck division is the glaring weakness of your team and if you can fix it for the next ten years by spending your first and second round picks in a weak draft I think you would be silly not to do it. Simpson needs time to develop but he can sit behind Fraser for a couple of years and learn his craft and at the end of it there is a chance he could be a dominant figure in the game. This would be a pick for the long term and a good one at that.

To quote an old basketball adage “you can’t teach height” and I think that more than anything else gets Dawson Simpson taken in the second or third round. There is talk on BF that Simpson is now up around 207 which will make him even more intriguing to clubs especially when you consider that he might well end up also being one of the strongest players in the AFL. Guys that tall traditionally have not been that effective but Sandilands has broken the mould in that respects and clubs are now on the look out for super tall rucks who also can get around the ground and Simpson might well be the next one to get the chance. He is very much a work in progress but he has improved a great deal over the last two years in as far as his ruck and around the ground skills. I would still consider him below most of the other Div 1 rucks and some of the Div 2 rucks skills wise but the improvement he has shown over the year combined with his height, strength and athletic ability seems him get taken ahead of most.

Simpson was the starting ruck for Victorian Country this year and showed some encouraging signs early in the year and at the Champs. He didn’t build on these encouraging signs as much as people would have liked though. It is worth noting that Simpson did have a broken bone in wrist for much of the year and this would have affected him to some degree. I think you also have give him some time to get used to his body given that he has put on 15 to 20 kgs in the last two year. That kind of weight gain takes some time to get used to.


32. Kangaroos - Patrick Dangerfield – DOB 5/4/90 Ht 188 Wt 80

This is another player who suits I believe the style of play that North wants to play. He is a hard two way player who can play in a variety of positions. He will provide the Roos with an excellent depth player whilst he is developing and can play tall or short at the back or in a tagging role very effectively much in the way Sewell did for the Hawks this year.

Teams looking for a back pocket or tagger could do a lot worse than Dangerfield. He has good height and is hard at it and composed in tight situations. Dangerfield is a disciplined defender and does what he is asked. He has good speed and endurance and he uses that to run off his man quite well. At camp he was equal 7th in the 20 metre sprint (2.92) and he was second overall in the repeat 30 metre sprint (23.96). I think he will be best used as a damaging two way defensive weapon and 32 is about the right place for that type of player. People who are taking him higher have him converting into a midfielder. His skill level though would be a worry for anyone looking to put him in the middle. His disposal is very erratic and he would have to improve a lot in this area before I was comfortable playing him as a midfielder. He is an AIS graduate and represented Victorian Country this year.

 

[Quigley]

33. Port Adelaide – Callan Ward – DOB 10/4/90 Ht 183 Wt 71

Apologies to everyone on the Ward bandwagon but I am not yet convinced. Notwithstanding that I do believe he offers pretty good value here and Port have the depth to take a chance on him. He might play a bit more off the half back line for Port and could give them good run forward.

The Ward bandwagon is certainly in full swing at the moment with a lot of mocks now having him in the first round. People are getting excited because of the enormous improvement that he shown over the last couple of years and this year particularly. He has come from nowhere at the beginning of the year and from 16B’s a couple of years ago. It has also helped that he played so well at the end of the year when most of us amateur pundits are paying most attention. The thing for me is that he has improved so much I worry that he might hit his ceiling pretty shortly and he is quite simply still quite a lot behind a lot of players available in this draft particularly the upper echelon of guys. I also have concerns that he might be able to handle the increased pace of the game at AFL game as he did seem to struggle somewhat to adapt to the increased pace in the game against WA. He does not have the athletic ability of others in this draft although I do note that he finished 9th in the agility test at Camp.

What has gotten people excited has been the quality of his kicking. When he has time he can really kick long to hit his targets to advantage. He will often also work hard to impose himself on the game when things aren’t going as well as they might be. He has played all over the ground at TAC level but is probably best suited deep in defence I think at AFL level where his composure on the ball will be an asset and he might have a bit more time with his disposals. He also has good hands and can take a nice mark. I may have been a little harsh on Ward given that he is a bottom aged player.


34. Geelong – Dan McKenna – DOB 29/6/89 Ht 194 Wt 82

One area where Geelong are a bit short on depth is at the back. It would not surprise me if Geelong took a couple of key position prospects this year and McKenna is one guy who I think could develop into a nice key backman as he matures.

At the moment he is a light key forward prospect which teams might well be looking at to convert into a backman. I find it hard to see him developing into a key forward in the AFL but he has the tools I think to make it as a CHB or FB. He has reasonable height, moves well and looks like he is a fair reader of play. He does need to bulk up a lot and teams picking him will be on the basis that they can stash him on their list for a year or two whilst he builds up and learns to play at the back. He didn’t do much to impress at the Champs which was a combination of poor service and also him not really working hard enough. He has flashed some talent at club level and there is enough talent there for someone to pick him up for a look from the late second round on. He started the year on fire for the Gippsland Power but then disappeared for most of the rest of the season before coming back to play well in the finals games he played. He has very nice hands and can take a good mark. His skill level is pretty good.

35. Bulldogs – Robbie Tarrant – DOB 25/4/89 Ht 196 Wt 92

I am confident that the Bulldogs will take a couple of key forward prospects and Tarrant is one guy who might be able to contribute more quickly than someone like Grant. I am not convinced that Tarrant will the answer but he is a big guy who has a chance and the Bulldogs could use a gorilla up forward that the smalls can work off.

Tarrant is a specialist FF and that is probably all he ever will be. He is a big unit who doesn’t mind throwing his weight around and looks like an impressive player. The problem though for me is that he is extremely inconsistent and cannot really be relied on in the crunch. He is not particularly quick and relies on his size and bulk exclusively to get possessions. He doesn’t have great hands and kicks for goal with about the accuracy of his brother. Being the brother of Chris there has been a lot of scrutiny of his temperament and not all of the results have been great. Make no mistake though he is a handful in the forward line and if a team is looking for someone to crash packs bring the ball to the ground there is probably no-one in this draft likely to do that better.

36. Carlton – Ben Gibson – DOB 7/8/89 Ht 193? Wt 83

Carlton desperately need to sort out their back line particularly their key positions and rather than going for an athletic freak with no idea of how to play the position I have gone with a guy who can step in at an early time and hold his own at the very least. He will probably end up playing at fullback in the AFL and I believe he will be a very solid player at the very least. He is a good technician down back and would be very good low risk pick in a need area for the Blues.

I expect Gibson to be the smokey who will come from the Qld screening to be taken quite high. Gibson along with Zorko were easily Qld’s best players at this year’s Champs and if any of the Queenslanders was going to make AA he would have been the one. Playing at fullback he covered his man well and provided good run from defence. He is very good overhead and is not afraid to back himself to take a mark deep in defence. His skills are good most particularly by foot. He has good closing speed and athleticism and is a very difficult match up for most forwards. As with most 18 year old key position prospects he is lightly built but he has a frame that looks like it will bulk out nicely. He is listed at 190 in the material distributed at the Champs and teams might initially have overlooked him as a KP prospect because of this. It has been recently reported though that he is now up to 193 and at that height a lot of teams are going to go back and look at him closely. What they will see is a guy who has built on his Champs form nicely and produced some great games for Morningside in defence including taking Mitch Clark out of the game he played against the Suncoast Lions. A good match for the Allies is also not going to hurt his cause. There are a lot of teams looking for key position defenders and I think Gibson will get taken somewhere as he is probably one of more solid options that are available.


37. Kangaroos - Andrew Otten – DOB 15/5/89 Ht 192 Wt 86

Otten is another versatile player who will appeal to the Roos with his ability to play short or tall, up forward, at the back or in the midfield. He and Smith would combine for a very skilful half back combination and as he develops he could end up playing key position for the Roos.

Otten is a very versatile player who if he had played up to his potential at the Champs would have been getting serious first round talk. Despite that Otten has been very impressive for Oakleigh this year averaging over 25 possessions and 5 marks a game and has been BOG a swag of times. He was even better than that after returning from the Champs and it looked like he was disappointed with his performance and came back determined to really make the clubs sit up and take notice. He moves very nicely for a taller guy and has pretty reasonable skills. Combined with the height to play anywhere on the field teams are going to love Otten’s ability to get his hands on the ball. He can win his own ball but also will position himself to receive it very well as well. Once he bulks up a little more he looks like he will be the type of utility that you could throw anywhere and he would have the tools to do it very well.

Athletically Otten is also good and is very agile for his size as evidenced by the fact that he finished 6th in the agility test at camp with 8.29. The only question I have and why I have him at 37 is I am not sure he has a position at AFL level. He can play competently anywhere but is there anywhere where he will excel. I think his best chance to excel would be as a CHB but he needs some work on his defensive and positional skills. He also needs to up his strength if he is going to be going toe to toe with AFL players.

38. Adelaide – Trevor Oliver – DOB 20/2/88 Ht 181 Wt 88
Oliver is another player with a great deal of flair and panache off the half back flank he would be a great addition to the Crows team. He has been playing seniors for most the year in the WAFL for East Perth and doing well and being a year older he is likely to be able to come in and play more quickly than a lot of the other prospects available at this time. I like Oliver and Adelaide or Fremantle would be situations that would suit him down to the ground.

Oliver played in the half back line for the Territory and looked like a class player back there directing a lot of their good movements going forward. He is a year older than most at the carnival and more developed physically. He carries the extra weight he has well without losing his very good pace. In general he moves extremely well and he has a gait that glides him across the ground. He is a right footer and he is a classy user of the ball. He made a couple of mistakes at the back at the Champs but was probably more disciplined than most of the NT guys. For NT and for East Perth he ran hard and was always a danger to go forward and when he had an opportunity he was a good shot on goal. He played the Champs with his shoulder heavily strapped indicating that he may have past problems there. In all looked like a class player and I would expect him to find his way onto a list somewhere.

39. Essendon – Darcy Daniher – DOB 21/9/89 Ht 192 Wt 89

Essendon’s father / son pick.

Daniher was the subject of a father/son battle between Sydney and Essendon before he ended up deciding on Essendon. To me he looks like he has all the makings of an old school fullback. He has okay but not great height for the position and is solidly built and looks like he can easily bulk up more and become a strongman at the back. The concerns for me though are in his pace. He seems like a bit of a lumberer to me and I have concerns whether he has the pace and agility to stay with the modern fullforwards. He is going to be giving away multiple centimetres to the young forwards coming through and they are not going to sit at the back and get into a wrestling match with him. I do note his coach from Oakleigh thinks he has good pace and will end up as a half forward.

Disposal wise he is very right footed but on his right his kicking is good. Skills wise in general he is still very raw which is a bit of a concern for me given that he has grown up in the game. Will he ever develop his skills to a level that is needed to be truly effective in the AFL?


40. Fremantle - Jarrahan Jacky – DOB 5/4/89 Ht 180 Wt 71

Jacky is a very exciting forward prospect who might well spend significant time in the midfield as he develops. With Farmer on a knife’s edge and not the long term answer as a small forward the Dockers might be looking for a replacement and Jacky would be a good choice at this pick.

At the moment Jacky is a dangerous half forward but with a year or two under his belt he has the potential to move into the midfield. He has very good speed (9th in Camp at the 20 metre sprint with a time of 2.93) and uses it well to create separation in the forward line and also on his forays into the middle. He is a player that likes to take on a man and he can be very exciting to watch. He has excellent athleticism, is a very balanced mover and he has great recovery speed. He has soft hands and is good mark for a small man. Kicking wise he gets pretty good distance and is usually an accurate kick. I have noticed though that his kicking style is a bit variable and this is something that he needs to work on. He is very dangerous around goal and has the talent that will have teams paying attention. With his pace Jacky might also be moulded into a chase down type forward. These types of players are very much in vogue at the moment and can only help his chances of getting picked up. It is worth noting that Jacky has only been playing football for a few years and is still very new to the game.


41. Brisbane – Levi Greenwood – DOB 19/2/89 Ht 181 Wt 91

When I moved Whitecross up the list I moved a couple of others around and ended up bumping Greenwood from Port’s pick at number 28. I had figured that I would move him into the low thirties but I found that I was pretty comfortable with those picks so I found myself letting him drop down to 41. This is probably too low but notwithstanding that Brisbane would jump at the chance to get him here. He would offer them good grunt in their midfield or perhaps some cover at the back. As another in and under he would provide good depth at a need position.

Greenwood was named SA’s best player at the Champs and was unlucky to miss AA selection in my opinion. He is probably going to get drafted lower than he deserves because of his build. Teams are looking to draft a Ferrari whilst Levi is built like a Hummer. He is a tank and uses that body well. He works very hard and gets plenty of the ball in contested situations. There is a perception (which I admit that I had) that he is not very athletic and might struggle against some of the players he will be matched up on in the AFL. The Camp results though turned that perception on their head and Levi ended up finishing seventh in the repeat 30 metre sprint (24.22) and 5th in the vertical jump (71 cms). Those results are going to make teams take another look at Greenwood as with reasonable athleticism, great strength and attack on the ball he will be a difficult match for his opposition player in the AFL. He is a long and usually pretty accurate kick although under pressure he does often just kick it forward without a target. He has played a fair bit of the year in the seniors for the Port Adelaide Magpies and did pretty well.

42. St Kilda – Ashley Arrowsmith – DOB 12/4/89 Ht 188 Wt 82

St Kilda has some quality in their midfield but not a lot of depth and Arrowsmith would be another quality player that could help especially if there are a few injuries. I am betting they would be very happy to pick up Arrowsmith here although he could well go as high as the early second round.

Arrowsmith was one of the Vic Metro stars coming into the championships and didn’t perform up to the level many expected of him. He has copped a bit of hammering on BF but for me having seen little of him I came away thinking there was a fair bit to like. He is a good runner and works pretty hard without the ball and covered a lot of ground. He is solidly built and will throw his weight around in a contest and has the ability to ride a tackle well. He has nice hands particularly down low and knows how to clear the ball from a contest. He is very right footed at the moment and is ordinary on his left. On his right though his disposal is pretty good. He has played mostly on the wing this year as an outside player but I think he has the ability to play on ball as an in and under. From reports he has a very good attitude and is very coachable. At the Champs he was found out a little for pace but other than that he seems a pretty solid midfield prospect.


43. Western Bulldogs – Joel Smouha – DOB 5/2/90 Ht 196 Wt 80

The Bulldogs are a little light on rucks and Smouha is a very interesting prospect. He is very athletic and whether he will end up as a ruck or a key position is a bit up in the air as yet. His engine makes him an around the ground nightmare for most opposing ruckmen and he would add a new dimension to a lot of teams. The Bulldogs have a strong presence in Queensland and have made a habit of taking a prospect or two from the Sunshine State and that might well continue this year with Smouha given that he has the potential to play in two need areas for them.

Smouha had a fantastic camp and he has upped his profile an enormous and he has gone from a fringe candidate to an almost certain selection. He won the 3km time trial, finished second in the beep with a fantastic 15.1 and was 10th in the repeat 30 metre sprint. For a ruckman these results were astonishing and what he has done is announced to the AFL world that he can run with and probably outrun any ruckman in the competition. Overall he is very athletic having elite endurance as well as good speed and leaping ability. He is currently listed at 196 and after his camp performances clubs are going to going straight to the height measure to see what his height was measured at. I have heard that he has grown a couple of centimetres this year to be 198 rather than the 196 and if that is the case clubs are going to be much more comfortable taking him as at 198 he could probably ruck in the AFL. That being said it is worth noting that he is bottom aged and so there is a fair possibility that he may have some more growing to do.

Potential is what Joel is all about at the moment given that he is still only very new to the game. He has only played last year and this year after coming from a soccer backround and he has shown some enormous development in that time. Despite only playing the game for a year and being 17 years old he was the number 1 ruckman for the AFLQ premiers Mt Gravatt this year and did the job very well. He is good below the knees, has reasonable skills and pretty good hands but he is very much a work in progress. His kicking is one area where he still needs a fair bit of work. Rucking wise he is okay and has some games where he is very good. He had a very good game against the young Lions rucks in early in the year and a few people would have paid careful attention to that. For his age and time in the game I would consider his ruck potential to be very high. In play he has good awareness of where the players are around him and this helps a lot in the ruck contest. The fact that he is intensely competitive is also going to increase his appeal to teams.


44. Geelong – Matthew Lobbe DOB 12/2/89 Ht 199 Wt 82
Long term I see Lobbe as a ruckman who can play forward. With Ottens doing so well this year a lot of teams are going to be looking for someone in that mould and Lobbe is probably the closest to that available in this year’s draft. With King departing and Ottens getting on in age the Cats could probably use another developing ruck who could also provide cover as a marking forward and given that Lobbe could well tick both boxes.

Lobbe won the best and fairest for Eastern Ranges last year playing in the ruck but at 195 he was considered too short to be an AFL ruckman so it was decided to play him as a half forward this year. By the Champs he was listed at 197 and now at the end of the year he is listed at 199. At 199 he can again be considered as a potential AFL ruckman and I think a lot of teams are going to be looking at him in this regard. The work he has done on the half forward line is going to be seen as giving him a nice additional string to his bow. As a half forward this year he started well and finished okay but wasn’t really much chop in the middle.

Lobbe has great movement and will cover a lot of ground and stretch any key position defender or ruckman that is matched up on him. In the forward line he will go on extremely long leads that will often see him pick up his possessions on the wing in his own defensive half. The problem though is that despite his height, good jumping ability and seemingly being a good judge of the ball in flight he is not really a threat closer to goal and rarely picks up a mark in kicking distance of goal. Given he converted from ruck this year he was probably still picking up the nuances of the position but he is very raw and a lot of work will need to be put into him before he is ready to play AFL football. He is also extremely light and needs a lot of work in the gym. His disposal needs a lot of work and he will regularly turn the ball over with ill-directed passes.

At camp he performed very well showing elite endurance for a ruck / key position prospect (10th in the beep test (14.3) and 6th in the 3km time trial) as well a good leap (6th overall in the vertical at 70cm). With his height and athletic ability though he will be an intriguing prospect for teams and that will get him drafted.

45. Hawthorn – Chris Kangars – DOB 1/8/89 Ht 193 Wt 84

Kangas is more of an athlete rather than a player at this stage but Hawthorn can afford to wait and given his height, speed and endurance he just might pay off for them. He is probably more suited to a role in defence and that is an area of need for the Hawks.

Kangars is a raw athletic prospect who will be looked at as a long term CHB prospect. He is a fair way away though before he actually becomes a player. Notwithstanding that he did excel at camp and would have kept his name in consideration. He won the repeat 30 metre sprint with a time well ahead of everyone else both this year and last (23.59) and was 8th in the beep test (14.5) and 10th in the 3km time trial. Gary Hocking his coach at Geelong thinks that he is best suited to a tagging role on the hard running forwards of the AFL like Nick Reiwoldt. This might be give him a short term role but anyone taking him would have to have more confidence that he can develop into a full time defender. In his favour is the fact that he works hard on and off the field and you know when he is playing he is putting in all he has. He seems to be improving all the time but I have some concerns whether he has the ability to be a top shelf player as he doesn’t seem to read play very well. This is something which he may improve with good coaching but a lot of work needs to be put into him.

46. Carlton – Joey Daye – DOB 2/2/90 Ht 194 Wt 79

We all know how rabid the Carlton fans get defending Walker well here is another guy that they could be just as passionate about. He will probably end up playing as a third tall in defence and give Carlton’s shortage of quality backmen he would fit in very nicely once he has had a year or two’s development. As a bottom aged player he is extremely good value at this pick. Carlton supporters love Walker and Daye is a similar type of player. The combination of the two of them on the half back line going forward could give them enormous run and carrying ability.

When you see Daye play the first thing you notice is the way he moves. For a tall guy he covers the ground very nicely and is the definition of a smooth mover on the field. You will also notice early is that he has a terrific left foot. Off the left he is extremely long (55+) and it is laser like on occasions. He is long and has a classic lean aboriginal frame at the moment but he does look as though he will fill out nicely. After being initially very impressed you will quickly notice that he really is still pretty raw and doesn’t have a right foot to speak of at the moment and generally his skills are not fantastic. For someone with his package of attributes he also does not have the kind of influence you would expect on a match. It is worth noting that he is bottom aged and according to reports still growing. At the moment he doesn’t really have a position and tends to play on the HBF or wing. As he continues to grow and get stronger I expect him to settle into half back for a team. I think if a team is prepared to be patient with him he could be a very good player. He is an AIS Academy player.


47. Collingwood – Hugh Sandilands – DOB 7/3/89 Ht 191 Wt 82

After the ruck Collingwood’s biggest area of need is probably at the back given the retirement of Clement. Sandilands is a very nice athlete whose strongest position is probably at the back. His running ability would suit running game that Collingwood implemented this year although admittedly he is probably a year or two away from contributing with any consistency in a key position.

Sandilands played mostly schools football this year for Caulfield Grammar although he did represent Vic Metro at the Champs. He is a pretty good athlete having pretty good pace, a nice leap and good endurance (he came in third in the 3km time trial at camp). What he does do very well is give his team run from the back. He will make himself available and back himself on runs through the middle. That can catch him out defensively every now and then but mostly he is pretty disciplined at the back. One of the things I do like about him is that he will do the disciplined thing at the back and will not always go for the big mark like a lot of U18 backmen. He generally reads the defensive situation pretty well and will punch if necessary. His skills are okay but nothing to write home about. He is a little on the short side for a key position at AFL level and it is possible that he could become a third tall option rather than the CHB he has played mostly to date. Some people have questioned his work rate but I think that he will quickly learn the difference between school football and AFL in this regard.

 

[Quigley]

48. Western Bulldogs – Tom McNamara – DOB 29/4/90 Ht 189 Wt 84

He is the kind of extremely hard at player that the Bulldogs could use in their backline. I would be interested to see what he measured in at camp. It appears at the moment that he is not going to have key position height but he can play tall or small and he would be a good addition to a division that often struggled this year.

McNamara just under the cut off date for bottom aged prospects and so will be amongst the youngest available. He has had an interrupted year with injury early and then school commitments potentially affecting his development. He came into the year with the reputation as an exceptionally talented player and unfortunately I don’t think we got to see him at his best. There have been a few people on BF who have listed him as taller than 189 but at the moment his official height is 189 which rules him out of key position reckoning. That being said he at the least would be a very good third tall option who could play tall or short in defence. He is exceptionally hard at the ball and you would back him every time in a contested ball situation. Taking account of that and the fact that he seems like a very disciplined player at the back you have to figure that a couple of coaches are going to fall in love with him. He is another who could conceivably go much higher on draft day. Skills wise there is some room for improvement but I would not consider his disposal to be a major weakness.

49. Port Adelaide – James Mulligan – DOB 14/6/89 Ht 201 Wt 96

Westoff and Mulligan if they got on the field together might well be the tallest key position combination ever. Port might look at taking a couple of key position flyers and Mulligan has the athletic talent to make teams take a risk on him. With an aging ruck combination they also might be more tempted given that he might well develop along those lines as well.

Mulligan is an athletic freak who could be absolutely anything and a team is going to take a punt on that potential a lot higher than he probably deserves. If the light ever goes on with him he would be virtually impossible to match up on as a key position. At the Champs he played mostly at FF with occasional stints in the ruck. He didn’t pick up many goals and too often lead to areas where he was little chance to kick a goal. His leads will often take him up onto the wing and will easily outdistance anyone with the height to match up with him. If he stays put he should also have the great height and leap (4th overall at camp in the vertical leap with 72cm) to make him a nightmare to deal with. Think of O’Hailpin or Westoff in that he has legitimate ruckman size with the agility and pace to play at key position. On the negative side he has been around the game for a while and really should be more progressed in his game than he is. When he is in the ruck he is not really a factor which is disappointing given his height and leap although he does not have much experience in this area. I have heard that he doesn’t like the physical side of the game and that his opposition players in the AFLQ have used this to nullify his influence on the game. This is something which will have to be addressed if he is to be an AFL player.

50. Geelong – Harry Croft – DOB 24/1/89 Ht 192 Wt 82

A key position who was playing well as a rover at the end of the year is going to get a look in somewhere and it could well be with Geelong. Croft could well slot nicely into a backline utility for Geelong and they could use that type of player. If Geelong come out of this draft with a small forward, a ruck and a couple of defensive key position players I expect them to be pretty happy.

I think Croft is likely to start his career as a third tall option either in the forward or backline with the potential that he will move to key position (probably in the backline) as he develops physically and becomes stronger. Croft played for Wesley College and Oakleigh in the TAC and played all over the ground including as a ruck rover at the end of the year and he played them all well. He had a slow start to the year with some injury issues but worked hard to get himself in shape and overall he had a good year. He didn’t have much influence at the Champs and will be relying on his TAC performances to get picked up. Athletically he may have some difficulty but he an interesting prospect.


51. Richmond – Austin Wonaeamirri – DOB 2/10/88 Ht 176 Wt 76

Richmond haven’t had much luck recently with their short indigenous players but with them setting up their indigenous academy I would expect them to take one or two aboriginal guys this year. Wonaeamirri is a hard working in and under who would add some starch to their midfield which has too many soft players at the moment I think. I like him and Richmond could do a lot worse at this stage.

The biggest problem for Wonaeamirri may be that he just doesn’t look like a footballer. He is a bit on the short side and doesn’t look in shape being a bit on the pudgey side (technical term there). When I watch him I tend to prejudge him because of that but I am willing to admit the kid can play. He also may be a bit taller than advertised as he was listed at 178 in end of year publications.

At the Champs he probably covered as much ground as any of the Territory guys and I would expect him to have lead them in disposals. He has good pace and is capable of bursting through tackles with pace and strength. He has good vision and lead the way through the middle or off half back for the Territory. He has good skills off either foot although when pressured some of his disposals can go astray. Any team looking to toughen up their midfield could do worse than Wonaeamirri as he is as tough as nails and tackles exceptionally well. He is older than most draft picks and this might count against him. He has been good in the seniors for Norwood this year as a goal kicking wingman. Wonaemirri was named NT’s best player at the Champs.

52. Brisbane - Matthew Clarke - Age: 21 Ht: 189

I am going to be a speckie here with a guy not many outside of Queensland are likely to have heard of. The Lions I think are going to be moving into their window again in 2009 and they might start to look for a few guys who are going to be in a position to make a significant contribution at that time. Clarke will be 23 that year and is a tall, athletic, hard running, goal scoring winger. His goal scoring ability is something which I think will appeal to the Lions as they could use a little more goal scoring ability off the wing. That being said though there will be a LOT of competition for those positions and there is a fair bit of talent already playing and coming through but he is the type of player that Leigh loves.

A classic late developer, Clarke picked up this year’s AFLQ Rising Star (an award which 4 AFL recruiting managers participate in) by a comfortable margin. Clarke had a great year for Labrador and was rewarded with selection in the AFLQ team of the year on the wing and in the Queensland team that played Tasmania. He is very quick and moves very nicely. He is a hard runner and wins more than his fair share of the ball for a wingman. Around goal he is very dangerous and goaled regularly for the Tigers over the course of the year. One of the performances that would certainly have grabbed the attention of the Lions hierarchy was the great game he had against the Lions reserves in the AFLQ finals where he picked up 5 goals and some of the highly rated Lions prospects playing on him were unable to go with him. At 189 he has very nice height for an AFL wing and he also has the pace to match it with virtually anyone going around.

53. Melbourne – Andrew Renton Ht 202 Wt 94

Melbourne have very little ruck depth and given this is the draft with the best ruck depth in living memory they are likely to ruck somewhere. Renton is one of several options which they might consider.

Of the ruck prospects Renton probably finished the year the strongest and accordingly would have impressed the most when the most people were watching. He has very nice height and his ruck skills are probably amongst the best of the rucks available this year. His skill level is also good pretty good for a ruckman. Around the ground though his work rate is probably below a lot of other guys he is competing against and there is question marks about his endurance and his willingness to do the work needed out on the ground. How high he goes is probably going to be dependent on what the recruiters like and the extent to which they think they can fix his shortcomings.

54. West Coast – Will Sullivan – DOB 24/8/89 Ht 202 Wt 95

I don’t see West Coast using this pick but should they it will be to pick up a ruckman. With the delisting of Spaanderman they have only two rucks on their list and that is not smart list management. As I mentioned under the Melbourne pick above there are plenty of good options around here for rucks and Sullivan is another who will be getting a close look.

Another of the talented rucks that abound this year. He was very good last year but maybe hasn’t shown the development many hoped this year. He was the back-up ruck behind Kreuzer at the Champs but didn’t get much game time. He is a reasonable tap ruck and moves pretty well but I think it unlikely that he is going to high possession type. McEvoy got the better of him in the match up at the Champs which is not a fantastic sign. That being said he does have good height and there is enough there to think that he would present good value for someone from the fourth round on. He tailed off toward the end of the year but seems to have fairly good endurance for a ruckman and he works hard around the ground. His disposal needs a lot of work and his below the knees work is not great. If I am his agent though I am sending teams his game against Bendigo where he picked up 40 hit outs, 22 disposals and 12 marks. It is always hard to judge young rucks but Sullivan seems to have the tools to succeed if he can put it all together.

55. Essendon – Dean Putt – DOB 10/4/89 Ht 202 Wt 88

Keeping the trend going I am also giving the Bombers a fourth round ruckman. The ruck division at Essendon is not that solid and having a young developing first ruck would be very helpful to them. The need is not immediate but it is there.

Again how high he goes in relation to the other ruck prospects taken around this area will depend on what the teams value and their need. Putt is the fast, athletic ruckman come forward with pretty ordinary ruck skills. He is capable of taking a big mark but I do not see him as a long term key position prospect. His kicking is still pretty ordinary and he is thin and lacks strength even at the U18 level. He does flash some ruck skills and I would have liked to see him playing more in the ruck for Calder this year. I do not think Calder have done him many favours as far as his draft position. Whichever team takes him will need to be patient with him as he is one of the rucks who is furtherest away from contributing. You have to like his athletic package though and he could easily develop into a very good ruckman.

56. Fremantle – Brent Connelly DOB 24/2/89 Ht 200 Wt 85

I expect Fremantle to take a ruckman at some stage this year given that they really only have two legitimate rucks on their list. Given I have gotten to 56 without them taking one I guess it had better be here. Again there is a fair bit of potential with Connelly and he also has the ability to go forward and kick goals which would appeal to the Dockers who could use that from their rucks.

Connelly started the year slowly but by the end of the year he would have gotten the attention a lot of teams given the role Ottens played for Geelong this year. It is possible that he could develop along similar lines and be a ruckman who can go forward and be a very dangerous forward. The Champs would not have helped him too much given that he backed up McEvoy in the ruck for Vic Country but was not particularly impressive. For Gippsland though he played in the ruck for most of the year yet still managed to be one of their leading goal kickers. He will run good routes in the forward line and when he gets the ball he is a good kick for goal. He had trouble with his hands early in the year but seemed to improve in this area over the year as his confidence improved. He is very light for a ruckman and is probably going to need a couple of years in the gym before he is ready for the AFL.


57. Brisbane – Jake Spencer - DOB 9/10/89 Ht 203 Wt 93

With McDonald and Tippet as the reserve rucks for Brisbane the need for another ruckman is not dire but it probably is there given that McDonald is probably only a couple of years (or one more significant injury) away from retirement and Tippet is still very raw and untested. I would expect Brisbane to take a ruckman at one of their fourth round picks or as a rookie selection. Spencer or Hill I would expect to be right in contention.

Spencer is originally from Townsville and he has been a big improver since moving to Brisbane. For me he was probably the best of the Queensland rucks at the championships and more importantly he has continued to improve since returning to the AFLQ. For Redlands he has been very good and with the package that he has you have to think there is some good development left in him. He is a palm ruck who can ruck with either hand and who regularly gives his on-ballers first use of the ball with clean taps in good position. He is a legitimate 203 and he uses his height well. At the moment he is pretty lightly built despite coming in at 93kgs and can get bumped around by more physical rucks. He moves pretty well for a big man and seems to have reasonable endurance. He certainly works hard on the ground and is not afraid to get in and mix it up Jamie Charman like. I don’t think it is likely that he will ever be a high possession type ruck but he could win a lot of ball and provide good service allowing his team first use of the ball. He is pretty new to the game and there is plenty of potential for him to improve a great deal. He can kick off either foot and his skills have improved a lot over recent times. A good prospect who I hope someone puts on their list somewhere.


58. St Kilda – Dayne Zorko – DOB 9/2/89 Ht 176 Wt 69

Zorko would give the Saints some toughness and grunt that they seem to be short when Ball is out and he would also provide good value for them as a crumbing forward in the role that Milne currently plays. The only issue with Zorko really is his size and at this stage of the draft all the players have issues and the Saints could get a very handy player if they went with Dane.

Zorko is one of those players who has been knocked all along the way but has just kept working hard and running through the obstacle and coming out the other side. He hs taken up every challenge and succeeded. He captained his State, was named Qld’s best player at the Champ, has starred for his club at senior level and was named MVP of the Allies match. Everything he could do in order to get picked he has done. In short Zorko is a footballer. He is a nuggetty (he has to be more than 69kgs) in and under player who is extremely hard at it and clears from packs well. His skills are okay without being fantastic but he usually has good clean hands especially in difficult conditions. He is a good crumbing forward and reads the ball off packs well. In addition he knows where the goals are and can be relied on to slot them when he gets the chance. He doesn’t have great pace and his body shape is not ideal for modern football.


59. Adelaide – James Wundke – DOB 2/3/90 Ht 196 Wt 87

Wundke is a bit like last year’s first year’s selection Sellar in that (unless he grows) he might be an undersized ruck trying to convert to key position but as a talented local boy he is worth a shot at 59 in my opinion. He is a bottom aged prospect and if he grows a couple of centimetres he could be very much in the ruck mix. If he doesn’t he has the skills that might allow him to successfully convert to become one of the key positions that the Crows are going to need over the next couple of years.

Due to the lack of ruckmen in the SA squad Wundke was forced to play solely in the ruck at the Champs. Unless he grows a couple of centimetres however he is not going to be a ruck at AFL level and not having an opportunity to see him at a key position might well hurt his stock come draft day. At 196 he is undersized for a ruck but offers very nice key position height. He is very athletic and has the agility to hold down a KP place. His attitude is first class and has a lot of potential for further development. He is light at the moment and needs some time in the gym but given that he is a bottom aged ruck/KP this is hardly surprising. Wundke is a current AIS member and I think there is a pretty good chance someone will pick him up.


60. Sydney – Tom Rockliff – DOB 22/2/90 Ht 182 Wt 83

With the trading of Schneider and retirements over the next couple of years there are going to be a few openings in the Sydney forward line and Rockliff is a very nice prospect in this regard. Snagging a couple of players who are good in front of goal will definitely be on the Sydney shopping list I think.

Rockliff is probably a specialist small forward in the AFL and he is a very good prospect in this regard. As a likely lower round pick he could offer very good value for a team looking for help up forward. He had a broken ankle which put him out for the first half of the year but came back midway through the year for the Bushranger and finished the year with 40 goals from 12 matches to finish second overall in the TAC goal kicking. He is very clever around goal, is strong in the air and is a good shot. As a bottom aged player I think there is also plenty of development left in him.

 

[Quigley]

Wow, full marks for effort there Quigley. Just scanning over your PD, the obvious shock is Whitecross at 10. Being from Melbourne it's fair to say i've never seen the kid play let alone hear much about him...do you really rate him top 10? If so, I wouldn't back your judgement as you sound like you've seen quite a bit of him. Top three aren't much of a shock and rightly so. Quality mock Tommyneu.

Do I expect him to go top 10? No not really but I do think he is a very solid second round pick and a possible first rounder. He is a favourite of mine and I think after a few years he will be rated as one of the best players to come out of this draft hence me including him that high.

 

[Lynch takes a mark]

that would have to be a record for the shorted top 7 ever

VERY good read

would be stoked more than a fire in winter with those picks

 

[TOA.]

Looks awesome Quigley.

Must have taken you a while, makes mine look tiny

 

[Quigley]

Looks awesome Quigley.

Must have taken you a while, makes mine look tiny

It has been annoying the hell out of my wife for the last couple of weeks whilst I have been trying to fit in time to get it done.

 

[Grimreepah]

A few interesting selections there. Good work Quigley.

 

[Stokes-Selwood-Prismall]

Good read mate.
Can I just say one thing from a geelong POV, we dont need another small forward, varcoe, stokes, Djerrkura (could play back) davenport (better on the wing but if needed) and as a last resort Byrnes.
We need ruckmen and KPB.

 

[Sezzac1]

Congrats on your effort but.......................

Ben Gibson never got a vote to attend the DC or a SS and you think CFC will take him at 36 and then you have Greenwood going later at 41 after his great DC plus a solid year in the SA.

 

[Quigley]

Yeh Greenwood is too low.

If Gibson is 193 as reported I think he comes into contention I think - probably more likely in the fourth than the third but with the number of teams looking for key position defenders this year someone might jump up and take him. Over the last few years at least one Queenslander has come from the clouds each year and Gibson could be it this year.

 

[macca69]

Congrats on your effort but.......................

Ben Gibson never got a vote to attend the DC or a SS and you think CFC will take him at 36 and then you have Greenwood going later at 41 after his great DC plus a solid year in the SA.

I'm pretty sure Gibson did get a SS invite.

Nice read btw Quigs.

 

[Quigley]

Good read mate.
Can I just say one thing from a geelong POV, we dont need another small forward, varcoe, stokes, Djerrkura (could play back) davenport (better on the wing but if needed) and as a last resort Byrnes.
We need ruckmen and KPB.

I didn't really see any of those guys as a true forward pocket kind of player and I was going a lot for best available. Maric is a unique talent and Geelong are one side that can afford to take the risk given they don't need a whole hell of a lot.

 

[Quigley]

I'm pretty sure Gibson did get a SS invite.

Nice read btw Quigs.

True macca Gibson was definately at the Qld state screening.

 

[Sherminator.]

Very good Quigs. Stoked that you added M. Clarke! I really love this guy and by the sounds of it, Spencer is the kind of ruck I think we need.

Joseph/Collier in the first two rounds are good calls and this would be very likely on the day, IMO. Imagine Joseph dishing the ball out to Proud/Shermo/Harding.

Greenwood at 41 would be highly unlikely, but I do like him. He could be a good centreman, IMO.

 

[crows26]

Great work Q. Being from Tassie, I loved your writ ups on the Tassie Boys. FYI Bellchambers officially measured in at 200cm and 100kg! So a big unit for a 17yr old!!!

 

[Vinnie Vegas]

Nice mock, and good to go against conventional wisdom, but I think you've misread Collingwood's needs in one area.

While you cite Clement's retirement as a reason that we could use another medium-sized defender, the reality is that we played most of this season without him and were able to cover the gap fine. In fact, with Maxwell, O'Brien, Goldsack, Cox and the untried John Anthony on the list, medium-sized defenders is one of our strongest and youngest areas, so with that in mind, I'd be astonished to see us take someone like Sandilands in the draft.

Much more pressing for Collingwood to recruit is a midfielder capable of winning clearances and hard-ball, or a wing/half-forward to release guys like Alan Didak and Dale Thomas into the midfield. Even a small defender to potentially release Heath Shaw might make sense.

With Burns and O'Bree still shouldering much of the clearance work, and both getting on in years, it is becoming a pressing need to bring in someone that can replace that grunt at stoppages. Given that, I'd suggest that might be a direction Collingwood goes in on draft day.

Of course, I tend to be shocked by Collingwood on draft day, so you might be right.

 

[macca69]

Nice mock, and good to go against conventional wisdom, but I think you've misread Collingwood's needs in one area.

While you cite Clement's retirement as a reason that we could use another medium-sized defender, the reality is that we played most of this season without him and were able to cover the gap fine. In fact, with Maxwell, O'Brien, Goldsack, Cox and the untried John Anthony on the list, medium-sized defenders is one of our strongest and youngest areas, so with that in mind, I'd be astonished to see us take someone like Sandilands in the draft.

Much more pressing for Collingwood to recruit is a midfielder capable of winning clearances and hard-ball, or a wing/half-forward to release guys like Alan Didak and Dale Thomas into the midfield. Even a small defender to potentially release Heath Shaw might make sense.

With Burns and O'Bree still shouldering much of the clearance work, and both getting on in years, it is becoming a pressing need to bring in someone that can replace that grunt at stoppages. Given that, I'd suggest that might be a direction Collingwood goes in on draft day.

Of course, I tend to be shocked by Collingwood on draft day, so you might be right.

Just wondering Vinnie, how many types of these players has Hine selected in recent years?

 

[Sezzac1]

Yeh Greenwood is too low.

If Gibson is 193 as reported I think he comes into contention I think - probably more likely in the fourth than the third but with the number of teams looking for key position defenders this year someone might jump up and take him. Over the last few years at least one Queenslander has come from the clouds each year and Gibson could be it this year.

Actually I have to apologise as he did go to SS. Can't read my own computer Having said that his results were far from startling and I suspect he is a Brisbane rookie at best. He was 190.6cm at SS.

 

[HBF]

Great effort there Quigley. It's clear that you have put a heap of time and effort into that. With regards to Carltons selections, i'm not convinced that we'll go that tall with selections #36 and #46. Think the club might have a look at some runners with these selections.

 

[Nt Bomber]

Good to see you think four Northern Territory players will be drafted but I have doubts over both Trevor Oliver and Austin Wonaemirri.

Just dont think they are AFL type players.

 

[gandaal]

Great effort there Quigley. It's clear that you have put a heap of time and effort into that. With regards to Carltons selections, i'm not convinced that we'll go that tall with selections #36 and #46. Think the club might have a look at some runners with these selections.

If we go with two talls at pick 36 and 46 I'll go jump off the West Gate Bridge. Won't happen. We already have the tallest list in the league and after Kreuzer we'll certainly be looking at mids.