Player Watch Sid Draper

[ABAB]

Pedlar is not a mid and never will be, he lacks lateral movement and is to one sided . Struggles to get over 10 possessions a game

All our forwards struggle with a half of that game plan. Pedlar is at the fittest he has been, it's either midfield or will be delisted. He doesn't have the goal sense to be a small forward, he is a bash and crash midfielder. You can see that potential with the very good stuff he does around the ball, there are a lot of very good midfielders can't kick on their opposite side.

 

[Cromulant]

All our forwards struggle with a half of that game plan. Pedlar is at the fittest he has been, it's either midfield or will be delisted. He doesn't have the goal sense to be a small forward, he is a bash and crash midfielder. You can see that potential with the very good stuff he does around the ball, there are a lot of very good midfielders can't kick on their opposite side.

Hes a bash and crash midfielder without the midfield craft

 

[FR0GGY]

Its not uncommon for draftees to start their careers in a different position to their draft year.

Most clubs though, use it as a way to get games into players before transitioning them to where they should be. Hayden Young, Isaac Heeney, Connor Rozee, Kozzi Pickett are recent examples.

We seem to pick and stick. Rachele had to bash the door down for years to get significant midfield time, Curtin possibly the only one where we quickly discarded the defender idea and moved him back around the ball where he looks far confident.

A top up should never take precedence over a listed player though and we regularly do that in the midfield.

 

[cmndstab]

Five on the bench negates this somewhat. Case in point Collingwood’s management of Pendlebury.

I mean we’ve literally played a fully fit Nank for 45% and a full liability ROB for 35%. Draper could have easily done those numbers.

He could have, yes. But I don't want him to have 35% game time, and it won't help him build his fitness further.

Get him to the stage where he can play 75%+ game time, then put him there and play him in the middle for 75% game time.

 

[Crow till I die]

What?
Rankine. 3.
Draper. 4.
Rachele. 6.
Curtin. 8.
Thilthorpe. 2.

He meant drafted specifically as a midfielder

 

[cmndstab]

A top up should never take precedence over a listed player though and we regularly do that in the midfield.

100%, yes. When we got our own SANFL team, one of the selling points was that we would finally have control over where our players played. No more recruiting a ruck only to have him played at FF or FB.

It's so frustrating to me that, with full control over our own destiny, we're playing first-round pick midfielders out of position so that some top-up can play midfield.

 

[ABAB]

Hes a bash and crash midfielder without the midfield craft

Who cares, he will never be a high footy IQ midfielder. He see ball and win the hardball like he did with that goal assist to Walker, his touch below his knee is very good and doesn't fumble like Berry.

 

[1990crow]

He meant drafted specifically as a midfielder

I think Rachele was always drafted with midfield in mind.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Charlie Edwards drafted as a later 1st round bigger bodied midfielder with what was considered plenty of upside on offer spent a lot of the 2025 SANFL season toiling away off half back. Finally gets to play permanent midfielder and show us what the recruiting guys saw in 2023. It's time!!!

Our first choice AFL midfielders are all good players, but none strike me as natural stoppage mids

Dawson, Peatling, Rachele, Berry combined for 68 CBAs vs Fremantle for 2 centre clearances. I know that's just one game but they all seem better in transition play / ground ball gets off marking contests etc

Thilthorpe is a more natural reader off hands at stoppages. Edwards - off a handful of glimpses admittedly - seems comfortable at stoppages.

Do we need to re-jig our use of inside mids / high half forwards?

 

[Cromulant]

Who cares, he will never be a high footy IQ midfielder. He see ball and win the hardball like he did with that goal assist to Walker, his touch below his knee is very good and doesn't fumble like Berry.

He averages 8 disposals and less than a goal a game across his career.

Hes not a midfielder, hes not a small forward.... he is sadly, a bust

 

[1990crow]

Our first choice AFL midfielders are all good players, but none strike me as natural stoppage mids

Dawson, Peatling, Soligo, Berry combined for 68 CBAs vs Fremantle for 2 centre clearances. I know that's just one game but they all seem better in transition play / ground ball gets off marking contests etc

Thilthorpe is a more natural reader off hands at stoppages. Edwards - off a handful of glimpses admittedly - seems comfortable at stoppages.

Do we need to re-jig our use of inside mids / high half forwards?

Racheles numbers are good. He needs to be midfield full time.
Peatling showed a bit. He can be second picked.
When Curtin comes back he's straight in.

There's huge pressure on Curtin and Draper to come good or we are stuffed IMO.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

A top up should never take precedence over a listed player though and we regularly do that in the midfield.

It's among our favourite things to do

Use prime SANFL development roles for players who aren't on our list, ahead of young players who are crucial to the development of our AFL list.

Second only to bringing back players who are about to be delisted, ahead of players who are contracted and in desperate need of experience/exposure.

 

[ABAB]

He averages 8 disposals and less than a goal a game across his career.

Hes not a midfielder, hes not a small forward.... he is sadly, a bust

He has never been fit as he is right now to play midfield. The only time he played full midfield was against the Saints a few years ago and looked very good. It's either midfield or delisted.

 

[Cromulant]

He has never been fit as he is right now to play midfield. The only time he played full midfield was against the Saints a few years ago and looked very good. It's either midfield or delisted.

Itll be the latter.

Hes not getting a midfield spot in front of Dawson, Peatling, Rankine, Rachele, Curtin, Soligo or Draper (when fit). And despite what people think of Berry, he's a much more rounded player than Pedlar is too

 

[skam85]

Its not uncommon for draftees to start their careers in a different position to their draft year.

Most clubs though, use it as a way to get games into players before transitioning them to where they should be. Hayden Young, Isaac Heeney, Connor Rozee, Kozzi Pickett are recent examples.

We seem to pick and stick. Rachele had to bash the door down for years to get significant midfield time, Curtin possibly the only one where we quickly discarded the defender idea and moved him back around the ball where he looks far confident.

I’ll always believe that HB is the best position for a young midfielder to ply his craft. Time and time again we throw them into the nothing half forward role though.

 

[Redline]

We need to bite the bullet on Draper and Edwards and simply just play them in the Seniors

Stop mollycoddling them and hiding them in the 2s.

We cant waste first round picks languishing in the SANFL given how atrocious our 'development' is.

If they are not up to it, then delist and move on. FFS Crows get with it.

It will be the end of Nicksy if he doesn't make some changes.

.If you are not really contending you have to show you are at least you are moving the group forward with youth and show they are improving.

If he plays out the year and we miss the top ten with ROB, Laird and even Tex and he can't show improvement in younger players then he's gone.

 

[ams4crows]

Needs a haircut, if you want to wear a headband go to Geelong and join their cult.

 

[Soggy2112]

He averages 8 disposals and less than a goal a game across his career.

Hes not a midfielder, hes not a small forward.... he is sadly, a bust

How many of those games was he the sub?

 

[Cromulant]

Needs a haircut, if you want to wear a headband go to Geelong and join their cult.

Im sure we want Sid to join Geelong and realise his potential

 

[ABAB]

Itll be the latter.

Hes not getting a midfield spot in front of Dawson, Peatling, Rankine, Rachele, Curtin, Soligo or Draper (when fit). And despite what people think of Berry, he's a much more rounded player than Pedlar is too

I'll play Pedlar in the midfield in the SANFL to win his spot to replace Berry. Not sure what you mean by Berry being much more rounded player, he is worst in the forward than Pedlar and doesn't tackle as much as he used too. Has a good bust of speed which Pedlar also does but fumble below his knee.

 

[Cromulant]

I'll play Pedlar in the midfield in the SANFL to win his spot to replace Berry. Not sure what you mean by Berry being much more rounded player, he is worst in the forward than Pedlar and doesn't tackle as much as he used too. Has a good bust of speed which Pedlar also does but fumble below his knee.

Berry can run out a game and although he doesnt get the tackle numbers he used to, he still provides more defensive effort than Luke

I agree if we want him to be a midfielder then he needs to play SANFL, im just not sure we want that

 

[Cromulant]

How many of those games was he the sub?

Granted a few, but its still not good enough for a first round pick after over 40 games.

Hes kicked 1 goal in 4 games this year.

 

[cmndstab]

It's among our favourite things to do

Use prime SANFL development roles for players who aren't on our list, ahead of young players who are crucial to the development of our AFL list.

I think we try to get a little too smart for our own good.

We look at someone like Edwards and say "oh dear, our midfield is currently full, we'd better develop him in another role so he has another avenue into the side!" And then he spends a year languishing in a role he's not suited to.

Rather than just saying, we spent a first-round pick on this guy as a midfielder, let's develop him as a midfielder and that way he'll be ready to go when a midfield spot opens up (which will be soon anyway because our midfield is kinda trash)

 

[Cromulant]

I think we try to get a little too smart for our own good.

We look at someone like Edwards and say "oh dear, our midfield is currently full, we'd better develop him in another role so he has another avenue into the side!" And then he spends a year languishing in a role he's not suited to.

Rather than just saying, we spent a first-round pick on this guy as a midfielder, let's develop him as a midfielder and that way he'll be ready to go when a midfield spot opens up (which will be soon anyway because our midfield is kinda trash)

I've got no real issues with us developing players in different roles, but when they show something in said role like Edwards did... then you get him in there. We chose Smith.

Its half worked with Taylor, who went forward in our SANFL side and now fills a role in the senior side. Shows a bit more composure around the ball than some more senior teammates.

But Draper is a top end midfielder, play him forward at times if we must.... but get him around the ball.

 

[Banrock]

I'll play Pedlar in the midfield in the SANFL to win his spot to replace Berry. Not sure what you mean by Berry being much more rounded player, he is worst in the forward than Pedlar and doesn't tackle as much as he used too. Has a good bust of speed which Pedlar also does but fumble below his knee.

Berry has lost his touch. He is so fumbly at the moment. It was horrible to watch it n Friday night the amount of times he 2,3,4 grabbed at the ball and wasn’t able to take it cleanly. It must have been 10 times. Take any of those cleanly and we are forward of centre and can set up structure. I think a few resulted in goals to freo as they picked it up cleanly and got it forward