AFL NATIONAL DRAFT - Pick 40

[Whispering_Jack 30,674]

So we've seen on another thread just how much controversy a seemingly simple draft selection like pick 9 can create but what about Melbourne's current second selection number 40.

I know there's still another week of trading between the clubs left and its possible that we might well not finish with this pick but I think its time to show a bit of love for pick 40.

I'll leave it to others to do the research on past pick 40's but in the meantime, the following are the selections of two bigfooty aficionados Knightmare and Chris25 in the range 38 to 42 for you to consider (for the latter, I've deleted the clubs to which the picks are attached as they're no longer relevant):-

Knightmare

#38 Hawthorn Alex Spina (SA Mid/Fwd)

Height: 181cm, Weight: 74kg, DOB: 27/06/1995

Recruited from: North Adelaide

Style:

Player comparison: Tim Broomhead

Range: 20-50

Profile: Spina is a damaging forward who has the potential later on to develop into more of a midfielder. He probably lacked the impact through the u18 champs many of us hoped and hasnt stood out as much as Id like in the games Ive seen. On the positive though he has some nice attributes which suggest potential. Spina is one of those guys who with ball in hand is so composed under pressure and in traffic seems showing that he has more time than most and can effectively use ball fakes and his evasive ability to get out of trouble and generate an opening which sets him apart. Spina is a very damaging user of the footy with his footskills in particular a class above with the damage he can do and his ability to hit targets consistently. Spina is a good combination between playmaker with his ability to hit his targets but also a finisher with his ability around goal also excellent. Finds the ball easily up forward so he likely settles into a role as a forward who can rotate into the midfield.

#39 Sydney (via GWS) - Nicholas Bourke (VIC Mid/Fwd)

Height: 187cm, Weight: 76kg, DOB: 22/02/1995

Recruited from: Geelong Falcons

Style:

Player comparison:

Range: 30-rookie

Profile: Tall, outside player who really stands out with his linebreaking ability and his strength overhead at his height. Bourke is a real athlete with some real top end pace allowing him to really take on the game and do damage with his run and carry. Bourke also has a long kick on him and is an above average user of the footy. He has some positional range with the ability to play wing, half forward or half back well. Next stage in his development will be winning more of his own footy because at this point it really comes from those handball receives or marks.

#40 Melbourne Riley Knight (SA Mid/Fwd)

Height: 180cm, Weight: 73kg, DOB: 27/03/1995

Recruited from: Woodville-West Torrens

Style: Brad Johnson

Player comparison: Angus Monfries

Range: 20-50

Profile: Knight is a midfielder who can play forward. He played some strong footy through the champs and has continued his strong form back in SA. Knight has some real footy smarts and a knack for always being around the ball. He shows excellent composure in traffic. Has excellent vision and over short and medium distances is an excellent kick. Knight while not an elite athlete also has some breakaway pace to him. As a forward hes proven to be an effective crumber getting into the right positions every time and can finish around goal. As a forward hes also a real playmaker finding those inside 50 targets. He has a tendency towards unselfishness finding those targets in better positions typically preferring not to take on the responsibility of having to go back and convert from set shots.

#41 St Kilda Tom Vandeleur (WA KPD/Def)

Height: 191cm, Weight: 89kg, DOB: 20/03/1995

Recruited from: South Fremantle

Style:

Player comparison:

Range: 35-rookie

Profile: Vandeleur is a backman who can play some key defence but feels more like a third tall. Hes more your rebounding defender as someone who reads the ball in the flight well and can take some intercept marks but you probably dont want him playing against the oppositions tallest forwards. His strengths are in his ball use and ability to take on the game for his type as someone who can relatively do some damage on the rebound.

#42 Western Bulldogs Ben Brown (VIC KPF/Ruck)

Height: 198cm, Weight: kg, DOB:

Recruited from: Werribee

Style: Tyrone Vickery

Player comparison:

Range: 20-rookie

Profile: Brown in my view has been one of the big improvers this year and hes really starting to deliver on his talent with the strong footy he has played this season. Brown is a tall key forward who is a natural who absolutely clunks those contested marks but also has some ability below the knees for his size. As a set shot goalkicker Brown is an absolute deadeye and has one of the best set shot routines Ive seen with the way he lines the ball up with the goals before going back and nailing it. Hes also shown that hes a much improved ruckman now that hes put some more size onto his frame and isnt getting pushed around as much anymore. Hes not a dominant tap ruckman but more someone who follows up well from the ruck contest and could present as a no.2 ruck option who plays the majority of his minutes up forward.

Chris25

38. Ben Brown (199cm, 99kg forward - Werribee)

I've never been the biggest Ben Brown fan. I wasn't one who got burnt by him in his draft year, and I'm still not convinced he ever becomes much more than a depth player. But, he has had a particularly good season in the VFL as a 21 year old - and he picked a really good time to do so, what with the lack of other options in the draft. Top 10 performances in the agility and vertical leap testing at the Draft Combine have thrust him back into the spotlight a bit, but athleticism was never the reason as to why he was overlooked. Injuries and then never really dominating the Tasmanian scene meant he wasn't high on anyone's list, but the move to Werribee has really paid dividends this season. Brown has very strong hands above his head, just has that knack of clunking marks but is also reasonably good below his knees too. I'm just not sure what role he plays at the next level. He reminds me a little of Mike Pyke - as that 2nd/3rd tall forward, but just without the same ability in the ruck.

39. Tom Hodgson (185cm, 78kg defender - East Perth)

At the start of the season, I didn't have Tom Hodgson on my radar. I'd seen a bit of him in the WAFL last year, and I thought that one day he might become a decent state league player but even that wasn't a guarantee. Yet he has steadily improved as the season has gone on and now I wouldn't be surprised if he found himself on a senior list next year. Hodgson plays as a small/medium defender, he is a very determined player and sticks to his opponents all day. In the U18 Championships, he pushed further up the field and did a defensive role on James Aish and he did it reasonably well too. Hodgson isn't a big ball winner, typically only gets around the 15 touches a game but he is impressive when given the chance to rebound - I'd rate him as one of the better kicks out of WA this year. For a team looking to add a hard nosed defender or a tagger, I could see Hodgson being a bit of a smokey in this draft.

40. Alex Spina (181cm, 74kg midfielder - North Adelaide)

Another Croweater who is sneaking under the radar a bit, Spina has been one of the better underage players in the SANFL for a number of years now, always playing above his age but being named in the bests regardless of what level he plays. Unfortunately, he has been suffering from some injuries this year which has seen him play a little less than we all would have liked. But he has come back strongly in the SANFL Reserves and in the U18 Championships, generally playing as a high half forward. And like a Robbie Gray or Shaun Higgins, that's where I see him getting a game at the next level. From that position on a flank, he is able to work up the ground as well as back towards the goals and become a pretty dangerous goal sneak. And while he doesn't have the blistering pace that others may have, his game sense is a real highlight and he always positions himself in the right spot. Also has a strong defensive side to his game, and could easily play on the dangerous half backs of the competition.

41. Sam Bennett (189cm, 76kg defender - North Ballarat)

I saw a North Ballarat game right at the start of this year, and was instantly drawn to Sam Bennett. Since then, I've been keeping a quiet eye on him and his development throughout the season. He does have some more highly fancied teammates, but I was still a little surprised that literally nobody had even mentioned his name. Although admittedly, I only had him pegged as a State Combine invitee - not the National Combine invite that he ultimately received. But if you really look at what he offers, you can see why he received the invite. He is one of those athletic, almost rangy medium defender types who provides a lot of run off of half back. He has both solid speed and a good endurance base, and knows where to position himself. And for a relatively lightly framed player, he is a good mark. He does have a few knocks - consistency, not a big time ball winner and does need to improve his strength. I see him following a similar career path to Jasper Pittard from Port Adelaide, might take him a few years to really cement a spot but he'll get there.

42. Mitch Harvey (195cm, 97kg forward - North Adelaide)

If you had been following my posts in the South Australian draft thread, then you'd know that Mitch Harvey has been one of my absolute favourites all season. His form in the SANFL U18s and Reserves was excellent, taking marks and kicking goals with ease. It didn't really seem to matter who he was up against. And for South Australia in the U18 Championships, he continued on with that form and was unlucky to miss out on All Australian honours. Despite this, I have been trying to downplay the hype a bit as he still had some way to go - for example in February he weighed in at 104kg, with high skin folds and only just broke level 10 on the beep test. But he has already dropped 7kg, and his running power has definitely improved too judging from his work in the ruck and at CHF. He does project best as a stay at home full forward though, being strong in the air and on the lead. With his form and the work he has put in this year, he certainly deserves being talked about as an early selection but I feel there is still a long way to go and he might be more in the 30-50 range.

Brown and Spina featured on both lists but we're well of for ruckmen at this stage so my choice is the latter although I do like the look of Riley Knight who comes from the same club as Jimmy Toumpas and Bernie Vince.

[rjay 25,092]

I'm not sure where they rate Nick Holman at the moment but he is a good one to have a look at. I like the sound of the WA boy that 'Pennant' has written up as well. We could pick up a good player here.

[Alcho Dee 269]

Dayle Garlett, if no body snaps him up b4 pick 40. He will be a freak show.

[Swampfox 190]

Dayle Garlett, if no body snaps him up b4 pick 40. He will be a freak show.

On or Off the Field ?

[Swampfox 190]

Jake Greiser

Guy Dickson

[Goat 98]

Ben Cavarra.

[Rod Grinter Riot Squad 5,654]

We will have a top heavy forward line with our best 22 on the field, so I'm very keen to see us use this pick on a quick small forward, so from these descriptions Spina fits the bill.

While I like Barry who is our best prospect for such a role, we need a contingency and pick 40 should be it.

[What 18,810]

We will have a top heavy forward line with our best 22 on the field, so I'm very keen to see us use this pick on a quick small forward, so from these descriptions Spina fits the bill.

While I like Barry who is our best prospect for such a role, we need a contingency and pick 40 should be it.

Agree, we need a small speedy forward badly.

We literally do not have one on the entire.

Barry is a midfielder.

[MadAsHell 4,215]

Cameron Giles (SA – KPD)
Height: 195cm, Weight: 93kg, DOB: 5/05/1995
Recruited from: Woodville-West Torrens
Style: Scott Thompson (NM)
Player comparison:
Range: 20-late
Profile: After Darcy Gardiner, Giles is probably that next best key defender. Through the u18 champs he played mostly as more of a shutdown defender which I don’t feel is as much his game but as more a rebounding defender he can be a factor with his points of difference at his size being his vision and footskills. Giles makes the right decisions more often than not seeing the right target but then he executes his kicks finding the right target and can hit them up over a variety of distances. Giles has a tendency to play relatively unaccountable brand of footy allowing him to be a real factor on the rebound and make best use of his ability by foot.

With the potential of Chip leaving at the end of the season and Dunn & Pedo being our only back up for KPD I think we should focus on a key position player here & Giles should be available at Pick 40, but unlikely to still be around at 57. Here's some of his highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruH3nkXKAG4

If Giles is gone by pick 40 then another area we need to look at is our small forwards that can rotate through the midfield. And Mitch Honeychurch would be a great addition IMO.

Mitch Honeychurch (VIC – Mid/Fwd)

Height: 175cm, Weight: 65kg, DOB: 02/03/1995
Recruited from: Eastern Ranges
Style:
Player comparison:
Range: 30-rookie
Profile: Short, light bodied midfielder but provides some real inside grunt and hardness over the ball really winning the contested ball with the best of them. He’s got that real competitive, hard edge to him and from all reports is as hard a trainer as you’ll find. Honeychurch in addition to his ability inside the contest also displays excellent endurance and has that ability to find a combination of inside and outside ball. Has a burst of speed to him. Excellent at ground level as someone who can gather the footy off the ground effortlessly for a clean pickup. Is excellent in traffic and is a very quick thinker. Short kicking excellent and has the vision to find his targets inside 50, my main criticism with his kicking is that he can sometimes try to do too much with his longer kicks but any minor kinks over the medium-longer distances can be ironed out.

Here's a couple of articles on him: http://www.afl.com.au/news/2013-07-10/honeychurch-name-starting-to-stick & http://www.afl.com.au/news/2013-09-23/life-sweet-for-honeychurch

So they're my two main targets at Pick 40. If we end up going with Giles then I'd be happy to see us land Chris Cain or Dayle Garlett & Pick 57. If we end up going with Honeychurch then I'd be happy to see us go with the identical twin of a gun Jake Kolodjashnij at Pick 57.

[Mgdee 322]

Definitely need to target the best available key position defender at 40. We have delisted Gillies, Sellar & Davis. We have very little in the way of backup in this area if we have injuries.

[DeeMfc 621]

Agree, we need a small speedy forward badly.

We literally do not have one on the entire.

Barry is a midfielder.

I reckon Kent showed enough flair and ability to play the small forward role considering the limited time the ball actually got down there this year. Has ability to play midfield. With a larger pool of mids next year there should be someone he can rotate with in that role.

[spirit of norm smith 16,589]

Key back and small fwds on the agenda.

[Dee-licious 1,954]

Cripps or Templeton for mine. There will be defenders left in the rookie draft

#43 Gold Coast – Eli Templeton (TAS – Util)

Height: 182cm, Weight: 67kg, DOB: 19/08/1995

Recruited from: Burnie Dockers

Style: James Kelly

Player comparison:

Range: 20-50

Profile: Templeton is a high motor midfielder with the versatility to also play forward or back. Has a very light body but despite this has a very advanced game and has dominated throughout his junior footy with his form in the u16s particularly dominant but then has also played plenty of senior footy in Tasmania showing he can mix it with the bigger bodies. Templeton is a very clean user of the footy and uses it well by hand and foot. A real accumulator and has the ability to do some damage with a penetrating kick on him as well as his ability to hit the scoreboard. Templeton can win some of his own ball but given his light frame likely finds a role as an outside player.

#44 West Coast – Patrick Cripps (WA – Mid)

Height: 188cm, Weight: 88kg, DOB: 18/03/1995

Recruited from: East Fremantle

Style: Michael Barlow

Player comparison:

Range: 20-50

Profile: A familiar name but very different to West Coast’s Jamie as a taller, stronger inside player. Patrick is a relatively late bloomer who has from reports grown 20cm in the past two years which often suggests that there is further upside ahead of him as a footballer. Patrick is an exceptional inside player who reads the ruck taps well and has the ability to win his own ball. For an inside player Cripps is a very good user of the footy with his outside game above average with his spread for the contest good and getting to the right spots but is more a smart runner who while not super slow won’t be a line breaking threat. He’ll need to improve his endurance and add some more penetration to that kick to take that next step but there’s a bit to work with.

[Deecisive 1,709]

I believe we need a strong rebounding half back line as well as mids, our current backline just does not have that at the moment. Giles certainly looks like he would fit into that bracket.

[whatwhat say what 22,948]

Garlett.

[stevethemanjordan 6,952]

Chris Cain

[Fat Tony 5,269]

Unless a player like Jonathon Marsh or Zac Jones slides, I would be going for Cain also.

[rjay 25,092]

Cripps or Templeton for mine. There will be defenders left in the rookie draft

#43 Gold Coast – Eli Templeton (TAS – Util)

Height: 182cm, Weight: 67kg, DOB: 19/08/1995

Recruited from: Burnie Dockers

Style: James Kelly

Player comparison:

Range: 20-50

Profile: Templeton is a high motor midfielder with the versatility to also play forward or back. Has a very light body but despite this has a very advanced game and has dominated throughout his junior footy with his form in the u16s particularly dominant but then has also played plenty of senior footy in Tasmania showing he can mix it with the bigger bodies. Templeton is a very clean user of the footy and uses it well by hand and foot. A real accumulator and has the ability to do some damage with a penetrating kick on him as well as his ability to hit the scoreboard. Templeton can win some of his own ball but given his light frame likely finds a role as an outside player.

#44 West Coast – Patrick Cripps (WA – Mid)

Height: 188cm, Weight: 88kg, DOB: 18/03/1995

Recruited from: East Fremantle

Style: Michael Barlow

Player comparison:

Range: 20-50

Profile: A familiar name but very different to West Coast’s Jamie as a taller, stronger inside player. Patrick is a relatively late bloomer who has from reports grown 20cm in the past two years which often suggests that there is further upside ahead of him as a footballer. Patrick is an exceptional inside player who reads the ruck taps well and has the ability to win his own ball. For an inside player Cripps is a very good user of the footy with his outside game above average with his spread for the contest good and getting to the right spots but is more a smart runner who while not super slow won’t be a line breaking threat. He’ll need to improve his endurance and add some more penetration to that kick to take that next step but there’s a bit to work with.

I don't think Cripps will get through to 40 but would be a very good get.

[Demanding Success 298]

I have seen Mitch honeychurch quite a few times. Small mid but very hard at it and can kick goals. Came back from injury for the u/18s grand final and played very well. kicked 3 goals. Faded near the end of that game but it was his first game in about 5 or 6 weeks so that can be forgiven. Also won the vicmetro b&f. He would be quite good value later in the draft. He trains very hard and will give himself every chance of making it.

[Biffen 12,947]

Definitely need to target the best available key position defender at 40. We have delisted Gillies, Sellar & Davis. We have very little in the way of backup in this area if we have injuries.

Having back up like that is similar to having Italy on side in a War.

Not very reassuring.

Fitzy will cover these three this year by himself.

[Mgdee 322]

Having back up like that is similar to having Italy on side in a War.

Not very reassuring.

Fitzy will cover these three this year by himself.

I wasn't suggesting they were good back up. Just pointing out we have delisted 3 tall defenders and at this stage not replaced any.

Not sure whether Fitzy would be the answer down back. Hogan I think could be a possibity.

[Disco Demons 92]

We need mids, this entire draft should be midfielders.

Strauss needs to become our play maker off half back. If he can't do it then needs to go

[demonchris 162]

Reading the mock draft and I notice at pick 68, a guy called Nathan Drummond.

Sounds not to dissimilair to Nathan Freeman. I'm thinking If we happen to miss out on Freeman, he could be our guy here at 40. He may be there at 58, but, he definitely, from the sound of it, has that factor that would add that extra dimension to our side.

#68 Richmond Nathan Drummond (VIC Mid/Def)

Height: 181cm, Weight: 82kg, DOB: 19/01/1995

Recruited from: Murray Bushrangers

Style:

Player comparison: Ben Sinclair (stronger bodied)

Range: 30-rookie

Profile: Midfielder with some extremely explosive pace and the ability to really take on games whether playing through the midfield or down back. Has some hardness over the footy and has the ability to win some of his own ball. Strong mark for his size and has the ability to win some 1v1 contests. The one improvement Ive enjoyed in his game, we all knew he had that offensive pace last year but hes really improved his tackling game and pressuring effort. He need to start winning more of the footy more often but if he can get his hands on it more and improve his efficiency by foot he has the opportunity to really develop into something.

[InVINCEable 358]

Zac Jones wouldn't be bad if no one snapped him up before pick 40.

[Grimseyisgod 378]

Jones Jnr????

i thought that was given that we'd take him?

any info on him please?