Anthony Morabito

[e25 5]

This kid looks very bloody good - I think if MFC has pick 1 & 2 they'd be a big big chance to pick him 2nd after Scully.

In fact, I'll call it now - Butcher will not go number 2.

There are far better players getting around who can do more than play as a stay at home FF.

Fitzpatrick, Christensen & Gysberts all look just as good to me.

[Freak 100]

i'd rather a master of one trade (i.e butcher) than a master of none. thats all

[e25 5]

i'd rather a master of one trade (i.e butcher) than a master of none. thats all

But is he..? From some reports his kicking is suspect.

I just fear he is exceptional at U/18 level because of his height & marking strength, but when 2 things won't be enough to translate into AFL success.

And I just don't see the scope to improve that I see in a lot of other players.

Besides that, I think Morabito is an out & out gun and will go number 2.

[Forest Demon 4,681]

But is he..? From some reports his kicking is suspect.

I just fear he is exceptional at U/18 level because of his height & marking strength, but when 2 things won't be enough to translate into AFL success.

And I just don't see the scope to improve that I see in a lot of other players.

Besides that, I think Morabito is an out & out gun and will go number 2.

For those of us that dont know as much about the potential draftees, could you tell me a bit about Morabito please?

[e25 5]

For those of us that dont know as much about the potential draftees, could you tell me a bit about Morabito please?

From my point of view:

Looks A LOT like Adam Goodes. Strong through the hips and great core strength -- doesn't go down when tackled, keeps his feet and either breaks the tackle or manages to get the ball away.

Amazing burst of acceleration at times when breaking away from a pack or an opponent on his tail.

Racks up loads of possessions and would appear to be the best WA prospect at this stage for mine.

Not quite as polished as you'd like - doesn't yet have the class of a Daniel Rich.

Seems to have good skills on both sides of the body, but not great. I've seen him be a little casual with some kicks.

Doesn't tackle quite hard enough for my liking, but I'd compare it to Jack Watts' tackling - room for improvement and I think it will.

Has all the athletic features of Goodes. The rest is good but a work in progress.

[jabberwocky 2,301]

We will of course go for "best available" however our midfield is lacking 2 or 3 class players and is the area that needs to improve most.

Then a strong forward would be handy, as would a ruckman.

We are still those four or five class players short of becoming a good side.

[Carn dees 108]

http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/showthread.php?t=589241

a pretty good summary on whats to offer.

[Adam The God 30,602]

We are still those four or five class players short of becoming a good side.

I think we've got at least two or three already on the list, which with time would fill those shoes. Watts, Grimes, Sylvia, Davey, would be starters, then you've got Blease who hasn't even played yet who might come through, then there's Strauss. It's all about development and giving these kids time to develop into the class players. Not all class acts have begun like Daniel Rich. The beauty of drafting Western Australians has been visible this season in particular, with their ability to compete with the big boys, almost immediately. It comes down to their WAFL system, as apposed to our TAC cup competition. The TAC cup is a boys competition, whereas the WAFL is for men.

[Little Goffy 14,750]

- CONTROVERSIAL SUGGESTION WARNING -

As this stand, looking at the proposed prospects for the coming draft, I've got two main thoughts.

It's Scully for No. 1 by all accounts, and geez he loks good in the videos.

There's about a dozen other seriously first class options.

In the event of getting our bonus pick, my thought are that we should seek to get ourselves a second pick in the top ten, for example by trading 2 and 18 for 7 and 9, or something like that. Even 2, 18 and 34 for seven and nine sits quite comfortably with me.

It would be a matter of how to get things rolling so that another club can make that trade to us, obviously there's a lot of water under the bridge yet...

But whatever happens, we MUST get pick seven. Seriously - Rich, Palmer, Selwood, even Ryder has come good, and Jordan Lewis. You have to go back to the 'scrap draft' of 2003 to find Kane Tenace before you'd be unhappy with your choice.

[45HG 1,559]

How could we get picks 7 and 9 from the one club?

[Swampfox 190]

Whilist i do think Scully looks the goods its far too early to predict the possibilities

Watts came with a rush last year if you remember

[Jarka 767]

How could we get picks 7 and 9 from the one club?

That is a very good question

I'll be happy with a pp and unless someone wants to a trade a good young player then I'd be pretty [censored] if the club traded our 2nd pick

[Rogue 585]

We will of course go for "best available" however our midfield is lacking 2 or 3 class players and is the area that needs to improve most.

If we've taken the best mid with pick #1 (say Scully) and it's a toss-up between a KPF and a mid for #2 I'd take the KPF.

Decent mids are easier to find - later in the draft - and take less time to develop (future years).

[RalphiusMaximus 6,102]

I'm more leaning towards Fitzpatrick at this stage. A Ruck/Forward is a good thing. We are still desperately weak in the ruck area, and if he can push forward like Ottens or Fraser and be a legitimate threat even better.

[Jarka 767]

If we've taken the best mid with pick #1 (say Scully) and it's a toss-up between a KPF and a mid for #2 I'd take the KPF.

Decent mids are easier to find - later in the draft - and take less time to develop (future years).

I don't think it's that easy to find decent mids, just look at our midfield.

[Freak 100]

i'd be [censored] if we wasted a top pick on a pinch-hitting ruckman. Hawks won the flag last year without a decent ruckman. you don't need a good one.

[dee-luded 2,959]

This kid looks very bloody good - I think if MFC has pick 1 & 2 they'd be a big big chance to pick him 2nd after Scully.

In fact, I'll call it now - Butcher will not go number 2.

There are far better players getting around who can do more than play as a stay at home FF.

Fitzpatrick, Christensen & Gysberts all look just as good to me.

Starting to agree after seeing our midfield going so poorly this season & watching the Blues Mid brigade going around the other night.

We might be better going for 2 gun Mids with picks (if we get them) 1 & 2,

3rd pick (2nd round) for a powerforward.

[RalphiusMaximus 6,102]

i'd be [censored] if we wasted a top pick on a pinch-hitting ruckman. Hawks won the flag last year without a decent ruckman. you don't need a good one.

You wouldn't have taken Kreuzer?

[Dappa Dan 2,188]

This kid looks very bloody good - I think if MFC has pick 1 & 2 they'd be a big big chance to pick him 2nd after Scully.

In fact, I'll call it now - Butcher will not go number 2.

There are far better players getting around who can do more than play as a stay at home FF.

Fitzpatrick, Christensen & Gysberts all look just as good to me.

I'm behind you at this stage. Butcher to do a Rich and drop a notch or 5. And I'm ABSOLUTELY all for the proposal of getting another in the first round. Would be a BIG coup.

[Freak 100]

You wouldn't have taken Kreuzer?

hell no.

i would have picked up cotchin or rioli. most ruckman dont provide anything other than hitouts to a neutral position.

[buddha82 12]

had a bit of a look on youtube and he looks pretty good. big bodied already, really highlights the difference between the WAFL and the TAC cup. He's huge and he's only 17. Wasn't that enamoured with some of his kicking, although not sure if it's bad decision making or bad execution. either way looks fantastic and will go high, but is he the sort of player we need? i think we're dying for a key position forward, and as such i think we should take the best available. if that's butcher then great, if it's someone else then so be it. as good as he will be i think we need a full forward more than we need a player like him.

[Mousey 47]

hell no.

i would have picked up cotchin or rioli. most ruckman dont provide anything other than hitouts to a neutral position.

I would of taken Kruuuuuz every day of the week over those other two.

The guy is very very very good and still has a heap of development in him.

Cotchin is yet to show people why he was selected so highly due to injury etc

[Toad33 57]

Starting to agree after seeing our midfield going so poorly this season & watching the Blues Mid brigade going around the other night.

We might be better going for 2 gun Mids with picks (if we get them) 1 & 2,

3rd pick (2nd round) for a powerforward.

Perhaps you noticed a guy called Reiwoldt playing for the other team?

Why can't we have both like the Dawks?

I will be happy so long as we DON'T use our early draft selections (at least the first 4) for another 'utility' (read not convincing at any one position but too good to be let go so they are keep on the list to try and fill holes. Wheatley, Bruce, Bate, Dunn, Bartram and probably Buckley).

I understand the argument about good average mids being 'a dime a dozen', and agree, but I also think that elite mids are 'rare as hens teeth' and are clearly a level above the 'good average'.

We also desperately need another KP forward that has the size to develop into a genuine power forward.

All things being equal, if Scully is a clear No. 1 I would not hesitate to take him and then the best tall thereafter (if we have picks one and two of course), unless of course the best tall is ranked well behind a handful of other players.

The strategy of drafting the best player available is a sound 'conservative' approach with probably a higher rate of success than drafting for type. However, Hawthorn (yes them again) drafted for type in 2007 (Rioli and Dew) and look what happened. It could be argued that drafting for type has a far greater upside for the team but with more risk of failure.

Go Dees

[FC Melbourne 108]

Scully has pace, Morabito is said to be lightning quick. IIRC, Blease has been picked up for his pace but it would be a risk to have all our eggs in the one basket. With our current group of plodders, some genuine pace must come into consideration.

In saying that, as I think Whispering Jack once stated, to get KPP's you need to ante up, you just don't get them with speculative late picks. (Look at Newton). If we did go Scully at #1, it would have to be someone exceptional to take a mid at pick #2 .

I've started tagging articles I come across on the 2009 draft at http://fcmelbourne.com/tags/2009%20draft/ for those interested. Anyone that can help by joining up and adding more bookmarks would be appreciated.

[Its Miller time 6]

If the bloke is anything like Adam Goodes id take him for sure.