Hi Guys! Long time reader; first time writer.

AFL Article

Not sure if this has been mentioned before but Draft guru Kevin Sheehan has posted a list of names, in order, of the players who he thinks are the top 18 draftees this year. Hopefully the link to the article works (it starts at part 3 because that page has links to the other parts). There were a few interesting things to note, particularly:

- He puts Naitanui at 1 ahead of Watts, then Rich

- At 12 - 18, he has Ziebell, Suban, Hurley (who many pundits had as a top 5 not so long ago) & McKernan; all of which look like they can play. Personally I wouldn't mind a forward line in 2 - 3 years that had Watts & McKernan kicking 150 between them a la Buddy and Roughead.

- Also, Steele Sidebottom sounds like the next Ben Cousins, Qld's best player isn't waiting for GC17 could be a smokey, and (unfortunately for us) he rates Cornelius as a top 10.

By the looks of it, picks 17 & 19 could be deal breakers for us in the coming years.

I don't think its any order. Blease is an awesome player but there is no way he'll go top 5.

is this amateur hour or something. of course it isn't in order. delete thread

is this amateur hour or something.

Go easy - he's hurt and confused

How come every time i read about Shaun Mckernan, it always mentions that he has the biggest hands in his class.

Don't know if he'll go before 17, 19 but if he can play forward, wow. Vardy like hands, quick and athletic.

sidebottom had that awesome game but he isnt that great

i have mates that have played against him and laugh at all the attention he receives

How come every time i read about Shaun Mckernan, it always mentions that he has the biggest hands in his class.

Journalists are always looking for that quip to make the copy more interesting.

sidebottom had that awesome game but he isnt that great

i have mates that have played against him and laugh at all the attention he receives

Yeah he's shithouse.

Just because he had 1 fantastic game and a heap of people get on the bandwagon, doesn't mean you write him off. Have no qualms, he has every right to be rated where he is, even without that "one game". He was around top 10 prior to that and that dominant performance basically just made him a lock.

I mean he's only had 1 good game. He didn't have 29 touches, 8 marks & 3 goals for a best on ground performance in the first game of the TAC cup finals, in a close game, and he didn't get in the best in the other game of the finals and he wasn't clearly the best performed player of the whole TAC cup finals. He also didn't get in the best 13 of the 17 games that he played in TAC cup.

I'm sure your mates will still be laughing when he gets picked top 10 and they're playing ammo's next year

Yeah basically ^

Reckon your mates should put their glasses on occasionally

Ok.

I didn't say that this was Mr Sheehan's predicated first round of draft picks; he hasn't done a "Melbourne takes this bloke, West Coast this bloke" and so on draft order. What I did say was that this was his idea of the top 18 players in the draft in order. Why in order? Well firstly, he starts off the big three. Secondly, the caption under Mr Sidebottom says he could go top ten, and he sits at 9 on the list. Thirdly, Ayce Cordy, who we know is already going to the Dogs at 14, is described as being a top 12 pick in Mr Sheehan's eyes, and hence is put at number 12 on the list. It's just the views of one man; albeit from a guy who pretty much runs the thing.

The reason I think why he rates players like Sam Blease are at 4 is because he has a tendency to highly value players with the strong physical attributes required in the modern game, namely speed, agility and apparently, big hands. I would be incredibly surprised too if he went at 4. It probably explains too why he has players like Ziebell, Hurley & Suban towards the back end of the first round. Still, at least in my opinion, it provides us with an insight into what we'll be picking up at 17 & 19.

Ok.

I didn't say that this was Mr Sheehan's predicated first round of draft picks; he hasn't done a "Melbourne takes this bloke, West Coast this bloke" and so on draft order. What I did say was that this was his idea of the top 18 players in the draft in order. Why in order? Well firstly, he starts off the big three. Secondly, the caption under Mr Sidebottom says he could go top ten, and he sits at 9 on the list. Thirdly, Ayce Cordy, who we know is already going to the Dogs at 14, is described as being a top 12 pick in Mr Sheehan's eyes, and hence is put at number 12 on the list. It's just the views of one man; albeit from a guy who pretty much runs the thing.

The reason I think why he rates players like Sam Blease are at 4 is because he has a tendency to highly value players with the strong physical attributes required in the modern game, namely speed, agility and apparently, big hands. I would be incredibly surprised too if he went at 4. It probably explains too why he has players like Ziebell, Hurley & Suban towards the back end of the first round. Still, at least in my opinion, it provides us with an insight into what we'll be picking up at 17 & 19.

mmm.. i'm not buying it, sorry. If he intended it to be read as a ranking he would've numbered them.

It is sort of random order though, not alphabetic or by club...

mmm.. i'm not buying it, sorry. If he intended it to be read as a ranking he would've numbered them.

It is sort of random order though, not alphabetic or by club...

I tend to agree, although in terms of Parts 1,2 & 3 it looks as though he will be close enough. Hurley was in Part 3, he has been touted to go at around pick 5,6 or 7 depending on different opinions. That's one that stood out for me as not being in numerical order. Part 1, those 5 players could well be the first 5 but not in Sheehan's order.

I'd have it as Watts, Rich, Naitanui, Vickery, Blease. I've heard a bit lately on Blease that he will go earlier than anticipated. I personally was hoping he'd last until pick 17, still am hoping..

But HT, H&C isn't saying that's the order Sheehan thinks it will go, he's done a 1-5 of how he rates the players

I'm sure we'll get a rankings type deal just before the draft.

He has come out and said (well before he blew minds at the draft camp) that if he personally had pick number 1 he would take Jack Watts, said he could see him kicking goals from 50m out on the MCG for the next 10 years. It was on triple m radio.

said he could see him kicking goals from 50m out on the MCG for the next 10 years. It was on triple m radio.

Hope he's right

It probably explains too why he has players like Ziebell, Hurley & Suban towards the back end of the first round. Still, at least in my opinion, it provides us with an insight into what we'll be picking up at 17 & 19.

If the clubs at pick 12 or 13 still had the choice of Ziebell & Hurley at their pick they'd blow a gasket. One being available there would make the pick a no brainier, 2 and you'd be spoilt for choice. Both those 2 in the 3rd part is proof enough that there's no order.

What insight? Sheahan, Beams, Rockliff & Sloane are reviewed there and i wouldn't think they'd be on our radar to be taken as highly as pick 17 or 19, i'd even expect 1 or 2 of them to still be available at pick 35. Cornelius, McKernan & at a stretch Suban are the only ones reviewed i rate a chance to not be taken earlier that we'd be considering at those picks.

I'd be thinking that Swift, Hill, Robinson and maybe Zaharakis would be by Melbourne considered ahead of at least 4-5 players in that list.

I've been having trouble sleeping lately, thinking about how good NikNat might become and we would have been the schmucks who passed on him

Heard whispers Natanui has slipped off the radar a bit and could slide to as low as 6 or 7

I tend to agree, although in terms of Parts 1,2 & 3 it looks as though he will be close enough. Hurley was in Part 3, he has been touted to go at around pick 5,6 or 7 depending on different opinions. That's one that stood out for me as not being in numerical order. Part 1, those 5 players could well be the first 5 but not in Sheehan's order.

I'd have it as Watts, Rich, Naitanui, Vickery, Blease. I've heard a bit lately on Blease that he will go earlier than anticipated. I personally was hoping he'd last until pick 17, still am hoping..

imo Blease would be a huge risk for anyone to take him in the top 10

Heard whispers Natanui has slipped off the radar a bit and could slide to as low as 6 or 7

Yeah, i've kinda been waiting for this... athletic freak or not, from everything i hear, the kid has no football brain.

Surely its a massive gamble for a top 3 pick in such a deep draft.

I've been having trouble sleeping lately, thinking about how good NikNat might become and we would have been the schmucks who passed on him

Mate, just have dreams about how good watts is going to be. Watts = Franklin but better

Take Watts second.

Mc Kernan may slip down the board this year, and should be available around 17-19. Watts and Mc Kernan could be nice pieces to rebuild a non existent forward line. That said, we are in dire need of a quality midfielder with on of the top 3 picks.

It will be interesting to see what the dees do on the day. I would not be putting any money down on anyone outside Watts joining the Dees. Even that is not a dead certainty.

Heard whispers Natanui has slipped off the radar a bit and could slide to as low as 6 or 7

imo Blease would be a huge risk for anyone to take him in the top 10

Sure, the best thing is we won't have to worry about it until pick 17. He would be considered a very good pick up at 17.

Sure, the best thing is we won't have to worry about it until pick 17. He would be considered a very good pick up at 17.

It is not in order.

Sheehan is on record as saying that he rates Watts as number 1.

Fact.

His top 5 - not in order are:

Watts

Rich

Nat

Vickory

Zeibell