The 2014 AFL National Draft

[dee-luded 2,959]

1st round #1 potentials

Angus Brayshaw

Pat McCartin

Christian Petrecca ... my choice

Jake Lever

2nd round

Billy Stretch - #19 father son

#20 frawley compo - Tom Lamb. A huge talent.

Draft talk in April !!!!!

chop chop !

[dee-luded 2,959]

Mate, you abused me last year when I raised Dunstan's name; now look at him.

Don't be so dismissive of people's views. You don't have any more standing than the next guy.

I liked Dunstan as well for between 8 - 16

I'm fine with Salem as I reckon he'll develop nicely in our timeframe.

[dee-luded 2,959]

draft talk already

how depressing

shifting axis, poles apart yet.

maybe this year we'll do our draft strategy now, then get excited for the run home in July ?

the way the weather is, winter won't start til august.

[Demon 16 213]

David Swallow would have been great, and a potentially realistic target last year - but he's started like he may breakout this year and will be off the table if he keeps up his form.

[stuie 7,374]

Not nearly enough talk about Peter Wright in this thread. Find that staggering.

[Earl Hood 6,086]

Freeman's not playing, Sheed was dropped, Dunstan's going ok and Salem will be better than all of them. He has grunt.

God I hope you are right and we actually got a first round pick right for the first time in 10 years or more!!!

[Ted Lasso 19,518]

Not nearly enough talk about Peter Wright in this thread. Find that staggering.

I agree, Peter Wright is the hand down pick 1 for me at this point, every bit as exciting as Boyd last year.

[whatwhat say what 22,775]

Wright seems to be the consensus #1 pick this year, but from those who've seen him is he a forward / ruck or ruck / forward?

What sort of comparison does he have to a modern day player? I'm hoping it ain't Kruezer!

[Little Richard 6,264]

I'm picking young Billy Carter from the Northern Knights to push from nowhere to top 3 contention.

Plays in the middle, runs all day (beep test of 16.4), is a great height at 189cm and is already built like a brick shithouse, having put on 12kg over summer. He's been tearing it up at preseason training and will be making a huge impact this season.

[Ted Lasso 19,518]

Wright seems to be the consensus #1 pick this year, but from those who've seen him is he a forward / ruck or ruck / forward?

What sort of comparison does he have to a modern day player? I'm hoping it ain't Kruezer!

for me the comparison is Kurt Tippett, he's a monster, 202 cm and over 100kg already, takes a good pack mark, his kicking at goal is pretty good, leads hard

He's another Boyd, Hogan, Patton type player, probably doesn't have the tank of Hogan

but Hogan at CHF and Wright at FF sounds great to me,

[Little Richard 6,264]

for me the comparison is Kurt Tippett, he's a monster, 202 cm and over 100kg already, takes a good pack mark, his kicking at goal is pretty good, leads hard

He's another Boyd, Hogan, Patton type player, probably doesn't have the tank of Hogan

but Hogan at CHF and Wright at FF sounds great to me,

Having pick one does not sound good to me.

[Ted Lasso 19,518]

Having pick one does not sound good to me.

That's fair, and i agree, but we don't know if Wright will go pick 1 either so i suppose for me, Wright would be my draft target with whatever pick we do have

[dazzledavey36 54,951]

Go for Jono o'rourke and Lachie Plowman. Both talented players that would improve our midfield like Dom Tyson has. Even Matt Buntine aswell.

[spirit of norm smith 16,468]

Wright is good but injury prone and I worry about the MFC curse !!!

Angus Brayshaw is elite. Tough, skilled, smart ... Gary Ablett junior like. He is gold

[Adam The God 30,266]

I know this is extremely early and I apologise if this has been mentioned, but I'd like to pose you all a question. Given our bad luck with KPFs, if you were Jason Taylor, would you go for a KPF or a midfielder or would you look to trade our first round pick, ala Dom Tyson?

[IvanBartul13 2,564]

I know this is extremely early and I apologise if this has been mentioned, but I'd like to pose you all a question. Given our bad luck with KPFs, if you were Jason Taylor, would you go for a KPF or a midfielder or would you look to trade our first round pick, ala Dom Tyson?

I don't see how the club cannot prioritise towards a key forward. Basically there is only one key forward on the list of any genuine long term value and even he has back stress fractures and is yet to play a game. Clarks future is increasingly murky, Dawes body is unreliable. Ideally the club should try and pair Hogan with a key forward running mate for the next 10 years, similar to Hawthorn's Roughead/Franklin blueprint. Wright's ruck ability makes him an incredibly interesting prospect, he would be, from a structural standpoint, highly ideal and there are other viable forwards as well.

Obviously the club have been unlucky that the forward trio havent come up but that there is no young forward on the list, bar Max King, is an oversight.

The club has used premium material on Tyson, Vince, Viney, Salem and Toumpas, traded for Michie and committed to Watts playing up the ground, it now needs to invest in other areas a bit more aggressively.

Obviously if a priority pick is involved and or a Frawley compo pick, that gives the club a bit more flexibility but the likelihood of the forward talent avallable and our needs point towards that path.

Would need to be a terrific mid with pace and elite kicking, a counterpointing compliment to Dom Tyson, to warrant another approach.

[Adam The God 30,266]

I agree, goodoil. I think if we were to get a mid with 2 or 3 years under their belt with pace and elite kicking, we'd be stupid not to think about trading a first round pick. I think Roos has shown us he's quite happy to trade first round picks.

However, I think it might sway things towards a KPF, if we don't get Dawes or Hogan back for at least half the season and Clark retires. This being the case, we'd then really have to invest a pick at the pointy end on a KPF. That's where the KPF stars are found. We've said it many times before, but I think given George Stone and Roos, we can be confident that we might be able to develop some mids that aren't necessarily first rounders. Say your Sewell's, Mitchell's, even Cross's. Compliment Vince, Jones, Tyson and Viney with an A grader and all of a sudden that midfield isn't third world anymore.

Edited April 4, 2014 by AdamFarr

[RalphiusMaximus 6,054]

SEN were talking up Wright as being the best tall prospect they have seen. They rate him higher than Danniher.

It would be awesome to have Gawn rucking with Wright and Hogan forward. Imposing. Especially with Watts and Salem delivering the ball to them.

[Hero1 74]

SEN were talking up Wright as being the best tall prospect they have seen. They rate him higher than Danniher.

It would be awesome to have Gawn rucking with Wright and Hogan forward. Imposing. Especially with Watts and Salem delivering the ball to them.

i haven't seen anything awesome about Gawn thus far apart from his height measurement.

[rjay 24,940]

SEN were talking up Wright as being the best tall prospect they have seen. They rate him higher than Danniher.

It would be awesome to have Gawn rucking with Wright and Hogan forward. Imposing. Especially with Watts and Salem delivering the ball to them.

It was Paton a few years back, then Boyd now Wright but we do need a couple of KPP. If things keep on as they are we will have a few early picks, we can use one in a trade for something really good and keep a couple.

[whatwhat say what 22,775]

That's certainly what you'd expect if things continue the way they are - as others have said, we may be in the 'fortunate' position of having three early picks if Frawley bails on a big money deal.

Good grief it's depressing.

[whatwhat say what 22,775]

As someone said to me during the week - which top-rated player can we ruin next?

[Dockett 32 1,239]

Wont be the top two as they are both big blokes.

[Whispering_Jack 30,198]

Angus Brayshaw who trained at the club along with Billy Stretch as part of the AFL's work experience programme, continues to impress.

Brayshaw, Lamb shine as Pies down AIS

[whatwhat say what 22,775]

He looks a good n.