I’d be surprised if White got through to the rookie draft, based on the small amount I’ve seen. He showed enough in a third of that VFL game alone to be worth a pick, particularly in a shallow draft. He’s 200cm with proper athleticism and coordination. There are plenty of paths to success for young players with those attributes.

15 minutes ago, rpfc said:

So if he gets nominated after our ND37 - does that mean we go into points deficit or relinquish White?

This is an old article - from 2015 - but I don't recall anything announced that changes it:

"the AFL decide[d] that clubs matching late bids for academy or father-son picks would not risk pushing back their first selection the next year if they owed points.  
Instead, they will be able to pay back the remaining points in the same round that the bid came" from AFL closes draft bidding system loophole

Not sure what happens if White is nominated in the 2nd round as we don't currently have a R2 in 2026.

25 minutes ago, rpfc said:

So if he gets nominated after our ND37 - does that mean we go into points deficit or relinquish White?

I believe we have 5 live picks rpfc.

1 hour ago, DeeZone said:

I believe we have 5 live picks rpfc.

With Woey gone we have 33 on our senior list, 4 on our Rookie A and 2 on our Rookie B.

We usually go with 36 Senior , 6 A rookie and 2B rookie to make up the 44. (Apparently helps with salary cap)

If we keep to that we can only use 7, 8 and 37 slections. We'll probably use the 2 Rookie spots for Academy Picks/Father son.

On 16/10/2025 at 08:21, Red and Blue realist said:

  On 15/10/2025 at 11:13, Demon Jack said:

I wish Kalani well and hope he ends up playing 200 games for us, but I can't help but feel a little concerned that he's not considered to fall within the top 50 of what's considered the weakest draft in years.

On 16/10/2025 at 08:21, Red and Blue realist said:

  On 15/10/2025 at 11:13, Demon Jack said:

I wish Kalani well and hope he ends up playing 200 games for us, but I can't help but feel a little concerned that he's not considered to fall within the top 50 of what's considered the weakest draft in years.

Our pick 66 will come in massively, with Gold Coast for instance, their 3 Acadamy picks will take up at least their 7 first picks, Brissy, Essendon and Carlton will also lose picks, so 66 might end up being 52 or 53, which should be enough points, if White gets an earlier bid.

Correct Weight, should end up being 52 as you say.

1 hour ago, DeeZone said:

I believe we have 5 live picks rpfc.

ND37 is the last with any value associated to it so if White is nominated with ND38 we will have no pick value in 2025 to throw to that.

I assume we immediately trade in a pick and absorb that way but was just wondering about the deficit possibility.

3 hours ago, rpfc said:

So if he gets nominated after our ND37 - does that mean we go into points deficit or relinquish White?

If it's in the 3rd round we will have to match a bid which means we'll either need to trade in or up to a pick that has the points required, or hope our pick 60 gets brought into <54 and starts gaining points value. That might happen with all the picks that will be consumed from GC, Blues and Lions.

We can also go into points deficit next year which we'll try and avoid I'd imagine.

If someone bids for him after pick 54, i.e no points value I believe we can match him regardless with our next pick.

Personally I wouldn't be concerned about any bid coming for him in the national draft.

Edited October 17Oct 17 by Random Task

12 minutes ago, Random Task said:

If it's in the 3rd round we will have to match a bid which means we'll either need to trade in or up to a pick that has the points required, or hope our pick 60 gets brought into <54 and starts gaining points value. That might happen with all the picks that will be consumed from GC, Blues and Lions.

We can also go into points deficit next year which we'll try and avoid I'd imagine.

If someone bids for him after pick 54, i.e no points value I believe we can match him regardless with our next pick.

Personally I wouldn't be concerned about any bid coming for him in the national draft.

Ta. Ideally, he would be a rookie pick up as from what I have read and can see - he is not going to be ready until the turn of the decade.

Looking at him I'd say he's 2 full years of building his body and game, Mac Andrew is hardly a heavy weight!

I'm hopeful about all 3 of Jeff's son's playing together at the club.

STRENGTHS:

+ Aerial ability
+ Athleticism
+ Upside
+ Versatility

IMPROVEMENTS:

- Endurance
- Strength

While several draft prospects this year are looking to land at the club their father once played for, only a couple are following in the footsteps of former number one draft picks. One of them is Kalani White, whose father Jeff was taken first off the board to Fremantle before playing 236 games at Melbourne, which has committed to White junior via father-son rules.

The athletic tall also nominated the Dees having made his way through the Suns Academy. He played a full National Championships with the Allies having debuted last year, while also stepping up to VFL level with the Casey Demons. There, he played three games in the red and blue, including a two-goal return in his maiden outing.

White has impressed for several years with his ability to play in every key position, though has recently settled as a ruck-forward. The new ruck rule changes will suit his style, able to jump early and soar over opponents with his enormous vertical leap, while also proving mobile around the ground. He'll still need to add plenty of size and build on his running tank to become a more consistent and well-rounded player. At this stage, he'll have his name called late in the draft but has massive upside.

DRAFT RANGE: Late/Rookie

On 17/10/2025 at 12:56, Dr. Gonzo said:

Has a bit of the Billy Stretch, Taj Woewodin and Kynan Brown about it all. I'm not holding my breath about him but will have to wait a couple of years to see how it pans out I guess.

On 17/10/2025 at 13:31, Axis of Bob said:

I’d be surprised if White got through to the rookie draft, based on the small amount I’ve seen. He showed enough in a third of that VFL game alone to be worth a pick, particularly in a shallow draft. He’s 200cm with proper athleticism and coordination. There are plenty of paths to success for young players with those attributes.

I suspect he will surprise a few...

Calsher Dear went pick 56 in 2023 draft, another athletic bean pole, probably not expected to do much for a few years if at all.

...but in 2024 he became a key member in the forward half and carried it on this season.

White will surprise, he has the athleticism to make rapid improvement.

@Demonland, I'm wondering if the 'F/S' could be dropped from the thread title. It always looks like 'FFS' to me, and (for most on here, anyway) that's not what we feel?!

13 hours ago, rjay said:

I suspect he will surprise a few...

Calsher Dear went pick 56 in 2023 draft, another athletic bean pole, probably not expected to do much for a few years if at all.

...but in 2024 he became a key member in the forward half and carried it on this season.

White will surprise, he has the athleticism to make rapid improvement.

I hope so

1 minute ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

I hope so

Me too...

Scouting Notes 30/10/2025

Kalani White

Ruck, Defender

A raw but promising tall, White is set to follow in his father's footsteps at Melbourne

Linked Clubs: Melbourne

Club Gold Coast Suns Academy / Broadbeach

State QLD

Height 201cm

DOB 05/05/2007

Versatility / Speed / Vertical Leap / Mobility

A developing tall, White didn’t dominate this year but did show enough signs to suggest he could be a player of the future. An athletic player with good speed, an exciting natural leap and strong aerial abilities, he was trialed across all three areas of the ground. The AFL Academy member has never been a high accumulator of the footy but flies for the ball in the air and is a nice kick for a player of his size when he does win it. He also showed some handy ruck work at times. White played three VFL games for Casey in the second half of the season, collecting nine disposals, 11 hitouts and two goals in a round 12 debut against Essendon. While he has been in the Gold Coast Suns Academy since under-16s, it was announced in August that White had nominated for Melbourne as a father-son prospect in this year's draft. He is the son of former Demons ruckman Jeff, who played 236 games for the club.

2025 Coates League 95 ranking points, 12.3 disposals, 5.3 marks, 11 hitouts, 0.7 clerances, 2.7 tackles, 4.3 score involvements, 0.3 goals (3 games) 2025 VFL 25 ranking points, 5.3 disposals, 2 marks, 4.3 hitouts, 0.7 clearances, 0.3 tackles, 2.7 score involvements, 0.7 goals (3 games)

2025 National Champs 37 ranking points, 7.5 disposals, 2.5 marks, 2.8 hitouts, 1.5 score involvements, 0.3 goals, 1.5 tackles (4 games)