The First Draft by Whispering Jack

[Demonland 71,624]

THE FIRST DRAFT: Stevo's guide to the last Thursday in November as told to Whispering Jack

The most important single day in football is undoubtedly the day of the grand final, the last Saturday in September. Running second only to the big show is national draft day which takes place two months later.

Thursday 26 November, 2009 will see the majority of new players coming into the AFL system and finding out the teams of their destination. A few others will also make it to their second and even perhaps their third destinations in the sport on that day.

This year, because of changed conditions regarding the draft which have been well documented, the available pool of players may not be as strong or as deep as it has been in the past and we might well see less players selected overall. However, for supporters of the Melbourne Football Club which has four prime picks in the top twenty including the first two choices, there should be no shortage of interest in the event.

The actual draft meeting has been moved to a Thursday evening (6.30 to 8.30) to capture the growing audience of interested draft watchers but unfortunately, it won't be on free to air television.

The new format whereby the first ten selections will be made behind closed doors and broadcast from 10 to 1 is already attracting controversy. Most don't like the concept but personally, from the perspective of a Melbourne supporter, the reverse order for the top ten sounds just fine to me. The build up to the inevitable top two (and we already know who they are, don't we?) is to be followed by a restart at pick 11 which happens to be Melbourne's third selection overall. Shortly afterwards that will be followed by the club's fourth at 18 at which time some others will still be looking into the distance for their own first selection.

Like the Brownlow Night, the draft is an official AFL meeting although one expects that this time Brendan Fevola won't be working the crowd in front of a camera. I'm hoping the producers of the television draft package won't attempt to turn it into a reality show with a station break before the announcement of number 1 because, in this draft, the selection is almost a foregone conclusion - as virtually is the second.

That's why I've been saying that the 2009 national draft is actually two drafts rolled into one. The first is the one that will bring us Melbourne's priority selection as well as the first pick in the first round. In my estimation, the players likely to be chosen are a class above the rest and therefore deserving of a draft of their own. Certainly, the supporters of the club who have gone through lengthy periods of high anxiety over the past six months to reach this point, will appreciate the the outcome.

For those who can't wait another three weeks I'll do you all a favour and give you the result in the order in which god, rather than the television executives, meant it to come.

PICK 1 – MELBOURNE - Tom Scully (Dandenong Stingrays, VIC) Height: 182cm, Weight: 74kg, DOB: 15.05.91 Midfielder

Tom Scully has been favourite for selection # 1 in this draft for a long time. A gun in the under 16's, he represented Victoria Metropolitan last year and was a member of the 2008 national champion team that included future team mates Jack Watts, Sam Blease and James Strauss. Neville Jetta represented WA in the decider.

Scully was nominated an All Australian that year and repeated the achievent this year. He captained Victoria Metro this year and has represented the Dandenong Stingrays in the TAC Cup competition over the past two seasons but his appearances were limited due to school commitments with Haileybury College.

The Stingrays were losing grand finallists in 2008 and 2009. Scully was their best player when they were thrashed by the Murray Bushrangers last year (while I don't necessarily endorse You Tube highlights packages as a guide to a player, it's worthwhile checking out this one). This year, the Stingrays were a good thing beaten the minute Scully was forced to pull ouy of the grand final with a knee injury.

Scully is an elite inside midfielder and if one must make comparisons, it would not be unfair to compare him with Chris Judd. The image of Scully with head swathed in bandages at Etihad Stadium in this year's championships was Judd-like in that it echoed that of the Carlton skipper in a Friday night game a few weeks earlier. And the comparisons don't stop there.

Scully is fast - really fast. Not just in his movement over the ground but also with his brain and with his reflexes. His handball is like lightning, he reads the play well and is a good kick. He also has great endurance and runs and tackles hard all day.

He is also a very good on the outside as well as being superb inside, has good leadership qualities and is the rare type of player who has the ability to make something out of nothing.

We missed the opportunity of seeing him tested at draft camp due to the fact that he was recovering from minor knee surgery but the legend goes that earlier in the year he was eased up at the end of a beep test and still recorded 15.6. He is said to have the capacity to run 3kms in just over 9 minutes and would also have fared well in the 20m and agility tests had he been able to do them.

Tom Scully is the best player in this year's draft and Melbourne will pick him with its first selection. I have no doubt.

PICK 2 – MELBOURNE - Jack Trengove (Sturt, SA) Height: 185cm, Weight: 82kg, DOB: 02.09.91 Midfielder/Medium Forward

"This bloke is like an Aston Martin. He is as smooth as silk." - an ABC Commentator on Jack Trengove during the telecast of the SANFL Preliminary Final.

The key to success in modern football is a quality midfield. You can't get enough of quality midfielders and that's why the Demons should have no hesitation in selecting South Australia's Under 18 captain Jack Trengove.

A top sportsman who excels at both football and cricket for Adelaide's Prince Alfred College, Trengove received the call to play in Sturt's senior team in the SANFL in July after winning All Australian honours at the national under 18's.

He was an instant success winning a rising star award and consistently amassed over 20 disposals per game. He was close to best on ground in the Preliminary Final with 29 possessions and, despite having to endure a close tag, was one of his team's best the following week in the grand final.

Trengove is clean with his hands, is an excellent kick and has plenty of poise and balance. He can take a good mark and kicks goals going forward.

The SANFL grand final precluded his attendance at the AFL's national draft camp but he tested well at state screening with a 15 plus beep test and a reasonable 2.97 seconds in the 20 metres.

Some commentators have suggested Jack Trengove's late form with Sturt has lifted him into contention for selection as the # 1 in the draft.

In my view, that's unlikely but he's well ahead of the next cab on the rank.

That's my take on the top two selections in the first draft but there's lots more to come before the last of the relatively uncompromised trade and draft periods is over.

[Demonland 71,624]

Here are the Inside Football profiles for the players we predict will go # 1 & 2

Tom Scully

Tom picks himself. He's easy to manage, a low-maintenance player who strives to achieve his best at everything he does. He'll go out and train as well as he possibly can and the next session he'll work on something else to try to improve and that's what impresses me. He does everything at a fast pace, whether it be training, rehab, his gym work - his preparation is unmatched in anything I've ever seen. On the field you look at him and he's fairly lightly framed, but he's actually a real tough, inside player with pace on the outside. Like Chris Judd, he's got a high cruising speed but he can really accelerate and his lateral movement is really quick which allows him to get out of dangerous situations. His ability to run continuously at a high level really stands out - Dandenong Stingrays coach Graeme Yeats. Vic Metro representative 2009. All Australian 2009.

Jack Trengove

Trengove's an outstanding footballer and person. In my mind he's a potential AFL captain, that's how highly I rate him. He's an outstanding midfielder who can go forward and take a mark, but he can also play a role on a wing or down back. He played senior football with is for most of the second half of the season and did well - he was our best player in one of the finals. We saw him two years ago come out to senior training from the underage programme, and basically in a short period of time he became an elite runner. We do a standard 3km test and he was running under 10 minutes for that. We knew aerobically he was talented, and as soon as the balls came out, you could see he had a real feel and touch for the game. So we knew we had someone pretty special two years ago. Last year he played in the under 17s premiership and a week later played in the reserves premiership. In 2009 he played in our grand final side. If he doesn't go No. 1 or 2 I'll walk naked down Rundle Mall. -Sturt football manager Dwayne Massey. SA's MVP at national championships 2009. All Australian 2009.