The 2012 Mini Draft

[markc 975]

Is it too early to dicsuss the 2012 Mini Draft?

Does anyone have any ideas on who will be available ?

We still have our 2 compo picks which we can use / trade for one of these?

[ChaserJ 3,968]

Jack Martin's the one that's been talked about most at this stage.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/sport/a/-/afl/9123659/gnfl-throws-up-another-afl-possibility/

And some video from the U16 Champs this year (Shifter Sheehan doing the VO work).

http://www.afl.com.au/Video/tabid/76/contentid/374273/invoke/Default.aspx

[Lutz 76]

Thing is, compo picks won't have as much value compared to early normal picks. GWS wanted compo picks to get into next year's strong draft.

I think this year, our mid round compo pick had more value than pick 8 or 9 and our after-1st-round-pick was close too.

Next year we won't quite have that bargaining power but it may not matter because we may be happy to take the picks.

[RalphiusMaximus 5,993]

I wouldn't be going in for the mini draft next year. This year it was worth it because the players were better than we could pick up in the draft. Next year I don't know if that will be the case. Personally, I would prefer to see us with two live picks in the first round plus Jack Viney That sounds like a hell of a good deal to me.

[ChaserJ 3,968]

I wouldn't be going in for the mini draft next year. This year it was worth it because the players were better than we could pick up in the draft. Next year I don't know if that will be the case. Personally, I would prefer to see us with two live picks in the first round plus Jack Viney That sounds like a hell of a good deal to me.

The presumption is that a high pick in the mini draft gets you an elite player. Next years draft is tipped to be strong largely because the top end is very talented AND draft selections aren't swallowed up by an expansionteam for the first time in two years. The first six are projecting to be elite level, but I don't know enough about the players outside of Whitfield and the unselected mini draft nominees.

We might be having to decide between going for two very good players or trading for a single elite player. Not sure where our picks would end up being once you factor in priority picks and other clubs compenstion picks.

Lots to happen between now and then of course.

[flamindees 16]

I think that unless someone like Pendlebury or Goddard wants to be traded to us next year( either one will certainly cost both compensation picks) then i think we should use 1 of them next year and hold on to the other until the year Billy Stretch is eligible to be drafted. If we want to draft him via the father/son it may be handy to have that extra first round pick if we have to use our first round pick in order to select Stretch.

Of course that could change if the 2013 draft is considered to as similarly strong as 2012- does anybody have any idea of strong the class of 2013 is being projected to be?

We have to consider the salary cap too - if we draft 3 first rounders at the same draft and they all turn out to be gems and they all sign new contracts in the same year, then they'll all require sizable pay rises - with so much potential on our list, if the majority of them really come on, then we're gunna have to be very careful with how we manage the salary cap!

[Jesse Christ 2,884]

I'll call it early; we won't be able to deal with GWS whilst that neurotic nut-bag is at the helm!