willoblue
Club Legend
Willoblue Phantom Draft 2012
Firstly, I have used descriptions from Chris25 and Knightmare, as well as the latest Inside Football to make my decisions. Gents, your knowledge of the players is superb.
Secondly, I have added Kurt Tippett to the draft as I think the AFL will send him there & give Adelaide a suspended sentence, hence no penalty this year. The AFL will see that GWS will get him & use as a way to further help the new kids on the block. Adelaide have actually been punished in a way by losing him for nothing.
Thirdly, I have done this by looking at each team’s approximate best 22, looked for areas of weakness, including back up players and chosen accordingly.
Following this phantom draft (my first) is a summary of what each club has received as well as my rationale for going after those players.
Pick ClubPlayer & Reason
1 GWS L Whitfield – if he is as good as they say he will go number one
2 GWS J Toumpas – midfield class and ready to go.
3 GWS K Tippett – can play the tall forward/second ruck role with Giles & form a great
partnership.
4 M O Wines – added to Viney will give 2 tough, young guns in the “guts”
5 WB L Plowman – replacement for Lake. Will be the cornerstone of the defence in the future.
6 WB B Grundy – will finally give the Dogs some ruck strength. Yes Minson is there & the other younger ones, but Grundy will be leading the ruck in the future & dominating.
7 PA S Mayes – local boy who oozes class with great foot skills
8 B K Jaksch – great KPF with versatility to go back as well.
9 R J Stringer – imagine a midfield with Martin & Stringer in it. Those 2 beasts will monster many opponents.
10 E J Daniher – locked & loaded
11 C M Shaw – the power KPF the Blues have been screaming out for
12 GWS J O’Rourke – will be wrapped to get him at this pick & will call his name really quickly
13 GC N Vlastuin – more midfield grunt to compliment the runners, but can also play in defense
14 GWS T Clurey – KPD to join Davis
15 NM T Menzel – class act who should slot in well at the Kangas
16 G J McRae – Cats will be stoked to land this quality player at this pick
17 F D Garlett – Dockers will surprise most by not going for a KPP at this pick, but will look to further bolster the midfield.
18 Coll B Kennedy – midfield class to add to the impressive group at the Pies. Maybe a replacement for Wellingham?
19 Coll T Membrey – strong forward who will provide a contest and will work well with Cloke.
20 A L McBean – Rutten successor, as the Crows have a nicely balanced list. Could pinch hit in the ruck if required.
21 Coll N Hrovat – the Luke Ball successor
22 WB J Lonergan – have gotten a KPD & a ruck. Will get a quality mid with this pick.
23 S M Haynes – the Swans have loved Jetta’s run, and with Rohan returning & the addition of Haynes, will become a seriously quick team.
24 B T Smith – KPD to tie up the bookends for a while to come.
25 SK J Simpson – midfield class to step into the Montagna type role.
26 SK T O’Brien – KPF, along with Lee& of course Riewoldt, will form a potent tall trio in attack
27 M J Viney – locked & loaded
28 GWS T Garner – smart player rated highly.
29 H N Graham – solid midfielder
30 PA S Colquhoun – SA boy to slot into defence.
31 PA T Broomhead – another local who will add to the midfield
32 R A Howson – KPF who can play back should the need arise
33 B A Carter – mid/defender who could be groomed to do the Drummond role.
34 R N Rodda – strong full back will release Rance to CHB
35 E J Pongracic – hard bodied inside midfielder. Perfect for the Dons.
36 C N Wright – good, smart midfielder to add to the team.
37 F S White – KPF Freo desperately needs.
38 NM L Wilkins – athletic mid with an eye for the goals.
39 Coll J Stewart – could have picked him up as a F/S, bit chose not to, however will see him as a good back up KPP
40 F B Colledge – will go for another KPF in the hope that one of the two works out at least
41 SK K McIntosh – missed out on Brown, so will target a tall defender
42 NM M McDonough – good, small forward to slot in next to the Kanga talls.
43 R R Atkins – midfielder set to compliment the Tiger mids.
44 SK A Boston – good midfielder ready to play.
45 S M Duffy – clever forward who will be given the chance to add more cream to the super impressive Sydney “cake”
46 WC D Towers – adds needed class in the midfield
47 S J Ballard – mid/defender with a big body.
48 NM T Sumner – midfielder to add to the tough inside already at the Roos.
49 M M Warrell – will add creativity to an honest, but unexciting midfield.
50 WB L Hunter – locked & loaded
51 WB A Corr – another strong defender who with Plowman will form the basis of the Bulldogs backline for years to come.
52 E S Lowrie – tall midfielder to add to the mix.
53 M M Dick – versatile and skillful defender
54 A M Close – KPF & would compliment Walker nicely.
55 E L Herbert – will add to the forward line mix at the Dons.
56 C M Paparone – the Waite successor, will be the forward workhorse.
57 GC B Murdoch – good medium forward who can play up the ground.
58 NM J Scott – medium sized forward who will work to keep the ball locked in.
59 G M Wood – tallish running defender, perhaps to take over from Mackie
60 F J Frost - KPD to succeed McPharlin in time.
61 WC S Nelson – local midfielder with pace.
62 WC D Kent - smart mid who moves well.
63 NM B Kearns – mid/fwd who can impact a game quickly
64 A H Montgomery – small defender with good skills.
65 GWS J Bourke – tall forward who can play down back
66 S J Lienert – versatile defender.
67 S J Hardy – KPF / ruck. Consolation for not getting Tippett
I’m going anti-alphabetical, just to do something different:
Western Bulldogs – Plowman, Grundy, Lonergan, Hunter, Corr. Two key defenders, one ruckman & 2 mids. I would have liked to have added a KPF, but I think with the loss of Lake and Hargreave, the defense needs shoring up. I think the 2 incoming mids could form a nice partnership with the current players & a rookie KPF could come on board.
West Coast – Towers, Nelson, Kent. 3 mids, but versatile & different from each other. West Coast have a really balanced backline, 2 fantastic ruckmen and 3 stars in the forwardline (Kennedy, Lecras & Darling). Their weakness is a slowish & bland midfield reliant on an ageing Kerr. Wellingham will help & the rucks mask the current deficiency, but WC need class in the middle.
Sydney – Haynes, Duffy, Ballard, Lienert, Hardy. 4 versatile players who can play either forward & mid or defense & mid, as well as a KPF/ruck. Sydney can get who they want as they have such a good squad.
St Kilda – Simspon, O’Brien, Boston, McIntosh. A balanced draft for the Saints. They missed out on Brown, so they get McIntosh. They got Lee, & have also added O’Brien to help out Riewoldt. Also 2 different mids & this becomes a good draft for St Kilda.
Richmond – Stringer, Howson, Rodda, Atkins. Stringer and Martin will terrorise other midfields & defences together. Rodda shores up the defence. Howson added to Riewoldt & Vickery creates problems for the opposition & Atkins crashes into the midfield. The Tigers already have a very good midfield led by Cotchin, so I felt the main area to target was in defense & attack. I just think that Stringer will be too good to pass up.
Port Adelaide – Mayes, Colquhoun, Broomhead. I think, more than anybody else, the Power will target local talent if possible to try to keep its core of players together. The 3 players chosen all have good kicking skills which will help Port to improve.
North Melbourne – Menzel, Wilkins, McDonough, Sumner, Scott. When I analysed the Kangas I was unsure of what they needed. They just look pretty good across the park, when they want to play. I went for midfield spark to assist Wells as the other mids, despite their obvious talent, seem a bit one-paced. I have chosen the talented Menzel and Wilkins to provide some difference to the current midfield as well as a couple of non-key forwards to offset the loss of Campbell & the other than Thomas & the ageing Harvey, lack of no-tall forward line options.
Melbourne – Wines, Viney, Warrell, Dick. I think the Demons have the makings of a good tall forward division with Clark, Dawes & Watts (as the 3rd tall), a steady backline that will have Dick added to them (keep it clean). My perceived weakness of theirs is the bland midfield. Wines & Viney will love crashing the packs with Jones, whilst Warrell will provide some outside run.
Hawthorn – Graham. Did their stuff at the trade table. Will add a mid to the one area where they aren’t superb.
Greater Western Sydney – Whitfield, Toumpas, Tippett, O’Rourke, Clurey, Garner, Bourke. Look out! Get the best 2 players in the draft for their already impressive midfield, one of the best KPF/2nd rucks going around, another strong & highly rated mid, a clever player likened to Fyfe, a KPD & a KPF. Yep, a smorgasbord.
Gold Coast - Vlastuin, Murdoch. Was not sure about GC's needs so went with a couple of best available types.
Geelong - McRae, Wood. The Cats have impressed me with their drafting over the last few years with their ability to pick not only good players, but also players who fit into what they require. I see McRae as a utility who will move from half back, thru the mid, to half forward, whilst Wood could be groomed to take over from Mackie.
Fremantle - Garlett, White, Colledge, Frost. Watch the Freo fans go "apespit" when a mid is taken with the first pick. I think Shaw will be gone and besides Freo will feel they can get quality talls a bit later. I like this for Freo. 1 mid, 2 KPF's & a KPD.
Essendon - Daniher, Pongracic, Lowrie, Herbert. Struck gold with Daniher. Have the inside mid in Pongracic to aid Watson, Lowrie adds size to the midfield & Herbert creates a new dynamic to an already dangerous forward line.
Collingwood - Kennedy, Membrey, Hrovat, Stewart. Have lost Wellingham, but gain Kennedy and can groom Hrovat to replace Luke Ball. Membrey is a different player to Dawes, but will prove difficult to stop in the Pie forward line, whilst Stewart will actually get to the same team as his Dad. Difficult to see many flaws with Collingwood, except maybe in the ruck, so they may take one with a later pick
Carlton - Shaw, Wright, Paparone. 2 key forwards. One a beast who they can build the forward line around, & the other a Nick Riewoldt like running half forward. Wright will help to top up a strong midfield. The Blues need a strong key forward more than anything else.
Brisbane - Jaksch, Smith, Carter. (say the first 2 quickly
) KPF, KPD & mid/def. I think the Lions have the makings of a good team, but need to plan for the future, so will take the bookends. I am hoping Carter can be groomed to be the Drummond style kicker down back.Adelaide - McBean, Close, Montgomery. KPD, KPF & small def. The Crows are a very good team with no obvious deficiencies so I have gone for replacements for Rutten (soon to retire), Tippett (gone), & Johncock as a defender. I know Reilly was excellent down back, but another small defender could even take the Doughty role.
Hope you all enjoy it.
Remember this is my first effort.
Once again thanks to Chris25 & Knightmare for your knowledge.
