CHANGES 2005: THE AFL NATIONAL DRAFT CAMP

[Demonland 73,139]

by The Oracle

"The world's spinning madly, it drifts in the dark

Swings through a hollow of haze,

A race around the stars, a journey through

The universe ablaze with changes."

From "Changes" by Phil Ochs

A couple of years ago I wrote about how I really love this time of year. There's a distinct change in seasons as we drift from winter into spring and suddenly we're into sunny days and warm weather. In the blink of an eye, it's summer time and the living is easy.

It's easy for most us but not for those in charge of managing an AFL playing list. You need only look around at the frenzy in the media, around offices and workplaces, in pubs and bars and on the internet surrounding the myriad of trade and draft stories that abound at this time of year. There is so much argy bargy allegedly going on that if you believed all the rumours, then every AFL football manager would be going bonkers just trying to keep pace with his own club's player movements.

It's a good thing however, that those with their fingers on the pulse (i.e. the football club managers) only need to deal in fact and not fiction because for every trade fact that emerges at this time of the year, there are dozens of tales that are no more than unsubstantiated rumours with little or no chance of coming to fruition. Most of them are figments of mischievous imaginations or, as Confucius once said,

"Man who think too much about player trades, get warts on hands." Amen.

Still, there have been a few interesting trade possibilities to emerge over the past month or so and these are the ones that seem to have a basis of fact in them. Players mentioned as being on the move are Luke Power (Brisbane Lions), Daniel Motlop (Kangaroos), Jimmy Bartel (Geelong), Lance Whitnall (Carlton), Byron Pickett (Port Adelaide), Jonathan Hay (Hawthorn), Brendan Fevola (Carlton), Graham Polak (Fremantle), Shannon Grant (Kangaroos), Paul Medhurst (Fremantle) and Nathan Eagleton (Western Bulldogs). They are players who are either out of contract or have asked or been asked to move on and appear set to move elsewhere. Then there is the Melbourne contingent...

I'm one of those who doesn't like it when I hear claims made that one of our favoured sons is about to pack his bags and head off to some other club. We have the highly publicised situation involving Adem Yze whose contract is being renegotiated as we speak; a club champion who some believe should be offered as trade bait in order to snare a much needed big name, perhaps a hard inside midfielder or a tough key position player. Clint Bizzell and Daniel Ward are in contract but are also said to be in the trade mix while the club has already agreed to part ways with Steven Armstrong. And other names are certain to be added to the list of those who will soon depart.

One interesting name being bandied about is that of Shane Woewodin who left the club in controversial circumstances in late 2002 - a victim of the club's then salary cap woes. Now they say he could be back. Stranger things have happened in football.

I'm not frightened of the possibility that one or more Demon stars may be playing elsewhere in 2006 and beyond. In fact, change has become such an inevitable fact of life in football that sometimes I wonder why it still manages to frighten people.

Former Carlton and Hawthorn premiership coach David Parkin always used to say that he aimed to have at least five fresh faces in his team at the start of every new season - even with his premiership sides. He knew that changes must happen for teams to advance from year to year - whether the fans liked it or not!

For every face that disappears from the club scene, another new one will emerge to replace it. Following the Nick Stevens and Jade Rawlings sagas of 2003, clubs have come to realise that if you want to get quality, you have to give away some quality. Trading is no longer about one club screwing the other and that's how it should be.

After yet another disappointing year full of false hope, our football department has the obligation to ensure that the result of changes through trading and drafting will be a stronger list than the one that represented the Demons in 2005; that the deficiencies of the season are covered either by natural improvement of the existing players or by the introduction of new recruits. The club can't afford another fade out like the ones that haunted it at the end of the last two playing seasons.

This is the time to make decisions that will influence the club's future and that means changes to the playing list, possibly to the coaching mix and certainly changes in the style of game the team plays. Inevitably, that means we need new faces and the need to offload some of the old ones.

It is no accident that Sydney, West Coast, Adelaide and St. Kilda comprised the top four in 2005. The Swans' premiership team included some handy players picked up over the years in trades, Jason Ball, Paul Williams, Craig Bolton, Barry Hall, Nick Davis and, of course, Darren Jolly for who they gave up a first round draft pick twelve months ago. The Eagles and the Crows also bolstered their lists over the summer to catapult them to the top at the end of the home and away rounds. A couple of years ago, St. Kilda lost Peter Everitt and Barry Hall who might have been considered indispensable by some supporters at the time but their trading ultimately resulted in a stronger St. Kilda.

Another reason why we shouldn't fear change is that there are a lot of hidden gems out there in draft territory while others are out there waiting for a change of scenery to achieve personal improvement in their game.

So the next weeks and months promise to be fascinating and this is how it all will unfold:-

This coming week, the various club scouts have gathered for the AFL draft camp at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra to assess the young hopefuls in anticipation of the National Draft.

Next week, the real trade frenzy begins with a weeklong exchange period when players (and draft selection positions) will be bought and sold in the trade market. It will be a nerve-wracking time for some and there is little doubt that we will see some of our old favourites moved on in the process. More change.

And the exchange period will pave the way for the 26 November draft lottery in which Melbourne's first choice currently sits at pick 12. We won't know the final order of the draft until after the exchange period.

And after that, mid December will bring the Pre-Season and Rookie Drafts, where lists can be further topped up with recycled or previously rejected players and some trainee youngsters.

This is the list that Neale Daniher currently has at his disposal but you can be sure that by the end of December there will be changes:-

MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB - PLAYING LIST (SEASON 2005):

SENIOR LIST:

Steven Armstrong, Matthew Bate, Daniel Bell, Clint Bizzell, Nathan Brown, Cameron Bruce, Nathan Carroll, Aaron Davey, Lynden Dunn, Ryan Ferguson, Simon Godfrey, Brad Green, Chris Heffernan, Ben Holland, Cameron Hunter, Mark Jamar, Chris Johnson, Paul Johnson, Travis Johnstone, James McDonald, Brock McLean Brad Miller, Brent Moloney, Shannon Motlop*, Michael Newton, Alistair Nicholson, Phil Read, Guy Rigoni, Jared Rivers, Russell Robertson, Nick Smith, Colin Sylvia, Daniel Ward, Paul Wheatley, Matthew Whelan, Jeff White, Luke Williams, Adem Yze.

VETERAN LIST:

David Neitz.

ROOKIE LIST:

Brendan Van Shaik, Matthew Warnock.

* replaced Troy Broadbridge (deceased)

CENTRE STAGE - THE AFL NATIONAL DRAFT CAMP

PART ONE

The big time footballers are now off centre stage for a few months. Many are enjoying well-earned rests after a long, hard season of sweat and toil. The winners (Sydney) are grinning and the rest are, well, you know what the rest do, don't you?

For the next two or three months football's centre stage will be occupied by the club's football departments, list managers and recruiters - the people in charge of deciding which new faces are to be introduced into the fold by way or trades and the drafts.

These people also fulfil the role of the grim reapers of football in that they must decide which footballers are surplus to their clubs' requirements and then tell them that their time there has come to an end. A few of those players might claw their way back onto the scene through trading, a small number get back in the drafts but the majority are left on the football scrap heap. Their days are over. They must leave centre stage for good to make way for youth.

The spring and the early summer are devoted in the main to the young and the football action moves to Canberra today where the seventy-three of the very best young footballers from around Australia will attend the 2005 AFL Draft Camp at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra. The purpose of the camp is to assess the elite of the country's under 18 age footballers ahead of the National Draft, which will be held this year on 26 November. A further 112 players will also be tested early next month at half-day screening camps held in each capital city.

The players who earned their invitations have, of course, been under the scrutiny of the AFL scouts for years, in most cases from their very early teens. The majority have played in under age competitions like the TAC Cup in Victoria or junior age teams in the other states. A few, particularly in South and Western Australia have already played at senior level. Most of the elite footballers were on display representing their states in the National Under 18 Championships and some have already attracted the attention of recruiting scouts and discerning club supporters on the lookout for the next "big thing".

What they're all looking for are players who will go on and play the game at the highest level, at the highest standard and for a long time. The 200 game plus player. What are the attributes of these elusive youngsters?

Prior to the national titles, a Herald Sun article set out the 14 key performance indicators that AFL talent scouts use to rank players. I'll reproduce it here as a guide to the many factors used as benchmarks in assessing young players -

1. Kicking ability - Nathan Buckley, Nigel Lappin

2. Marking ability - Jonathan Brown, Warren Tredrea

3. Handpassing/vision-awareness - Simon Black, Scott West

4. Clean hands - Andrew McLeod, Luke Power

5. Ball-winning ability - James Hird, Nick Riewoldt

6. Pace - Jason Akermanis, Chris Judd

7. Endurance - Shane Crawford, Cameron Ling

8. Recovery and agility - Matthew Scarlett, Chris Johnson

9. Durability - Jared Crouch, Adam Simpson

10. Leadership and self-discipline - James Hird, Nathan Buckley

11. Aggression, intensity and second efforts - Glenn Archer, Mark Ricciuto

12. Football character - Robert Harvey, Matthew Lloyd

13. Competitiveness - Barry Hall, Aaron Hamill

14. Football smarts - Brent Harvey, Paul Hasleby

The article went on to point out the things that the talent scouts are not looking for and they are players who -

1. Turn the ball over through poor kicking

2. Lack sufficient pace

3. Have off-field issues that will hold them back

4. Don't always keep their head over the ball

5. Don't play a specific position

The top division of the National Championships was won again this year by the Victorian Metropolitan side and its captain Marc Murphy was the dominant player of the week and his three outstanding games won him the Larke Medal for best and fairest player in the series. WA skipper Andrew Swallow was the runner-up in the medal. They occupied the main on ball positions in the Under-18 All-Australian Team announced after the carnival:

B: Xavier Ellis (Vic Country), Austin Lucy (Queensland), Shannon Hurn (South Australia)

HB: Darren Pfeiffer (South Australia), Paul Bower (Western Australia), Joel Selwood (Vic Country)

C: Jace Bode (South Australia), Andrew Swallow (Western Australia), Grant Birchall (Tasmania) HF: Beau Dowler (Vic Country), Cleve Hughes (South Australia), Dale Thomas (Vic Country)

F: Leroy Jetta (Western Australia), Ben McKinley (Vic Metro), Josh Kennedy (Western Australia)

FOLL: Patrick Ryder (Western Australia), Marc Murphy (Vic Metro), Nathan Jones (Vic Metro)

I/C: Todd Grima (Tasmania), Sam Lonergan (Tasmania), Wayde Mills (Queensland), Gavin Urquhart (Queensland)

Coach: David Dickson (Vic Metro) Assistant Coach: Hamish Ogilvie (Tasmania)

Kevin Sheehan, the AFL's National Talent Manager has provided the following pen pictures on the AFL's website of the All Australians, most of who are certain to figure prominently in draft talk over the coming months. It's worth dwelling on these names -

Grant Birchall (Tasmania) - 18 years, 191cm, 80kg, Devonport

Tall midfielder/defender who is a long left-foot kick and high possession winner. Averaged 22 possessions over the three games, excelling in last quarter of deciding match against Queensland, helping his team to the title. AIS-AFL Academy in 2005.

Jace Bode (South Australia) - 17 years, 186cm, 84kg, Sturt/Kenilworth

Medium midfielder who was South Australia's leading possession winner against Vic Country and Western Australia averaging 21 disposals. Works hard to win the ball and runs well to link up. Among his side's best few players in games against Vic Country and Western Australia.

Paul Bower (Western Australia) - 17 years, 192cm, 87kg, Peel Thunder/North Mandurah

Tall defender who is extremely mobile and provided great run from defence during the championships. Leading possession winner for his team in win against South Australia and again among Western Australia's best in impressive victory over Vic Country.

Beau Dowler (Vic Metro) - 17 years, 192cm, 82kg, Oakleigh Chargers/Noble Park

Tall forward who is an excellent mark on the lead and accurate kick at goal. Excelled against Western Australia, taking four contested marks and kicked four goals. AIS-AFL Academy graduate.

Xavier Ellis (Vic Country) - 17 years, 187cm, 73kg, Gippsland Power/Lakes Entrance

Medium midfielder/defender who played mostly on the wing. Carries the ball well, good finisher, who averaged 22 possessions. Accurate left foot kick and excellent decision-maker. AIS-AFL Academy graduate who was named Australia's best under-17 player in the three test series against Ireland this year. Attends Melbourne Grammar.

Todd Grima (Tasmania) - 18 years, 193cm, 88kg, Northern Bombers/Tassie Mariners

Tall forward who kicked 14 goals for the championships - including 10 goals against Northern Territory in game one - showing great skills on both feet. Had limited preparation due to ankle injury but provided important target for his team up forward.

Cleve Hughes (South Australia) - 18 years, 193cm, 85kg, Norwood/Loberthal

Tall forward with terrific natural talent, clean hands and a good kick at goal. Was impressive with three goals in South Australia's 51-point win over Vic Country and among team's best players when defeated by Western Australia in game two.

Shannon Hurn (South Australia) - 17 years, 188cm, 92kg, Central District/Angaston

Medium defender/midfielder with terrific hands, penetrating kick and fine leader. Member of South Australian Redbacks cricket squad. Played very well in final match against Vic Metro with 24 possessions and 10 marks. AIS-AFL Academy in 2004.

Leroy Jetta (Western Australia) - 16 years, 176cm, 76kg, South Fremantle

Small forward with electrifying pace and agility and clever near goal. Tackles well, keeping the ball in the forward line for his team. AIS-AFL Academy graduate this year. [Not eligible for the 2005 Draft]

Nathan Jones (Vic Metro) - 17 years, 178cm, 83kg, Dandenong Stingrays/Mt Eliza

Small inside midfielder with great running capacity, attack on the ball and depth in his kicking. Prolific ball-winner, averaging 20-plus for the three games - including game high 27 possessions in Vic Metro's 27-point win over Western Australia.

Josh Kennedy (Western Australia) -17 years, 193cm, 93kg, East Fremantle/Northhampton

Tall forward with excellent work rate and contested marking ability. Reads game well and presents well up forward. AIS-AFL Academy in 2004.

Austin Lucy (Queensland) - 17 years, 193cm, 91kg, Caloundra

Tall defender who shows terrific dash from defence. Super competitive player with rugby union background. Excellent in high standard final match against Tasmania. Averaged 14 possessions per match from full-back.

Sam Lonergan (Tasmania) - 18 years, 181cm, 78kg, Lauderdale/Tassie Mariners

Medium inside midfielder who is excellent at stoppages and in heavy traffic. Captained Tasmania to division two title and excelled in final game against Queensland with 27 disposals and nine clearances.

Ben McKinley (Vic Metro) - 18 years, 184cm, 80kg, Northern Knights/Old Ivanhoe

Medium forward with outstanding hands and very accurate kick for goal. Had outstanding championships kicking six goals against South Australia and five goals against Vic Country, winning Vic Metro most valuable player award.

Wayde Mills (Queensland) - 17 years, 194cm, 88kg, Southport

Tall defender who led his team extremely well with strong physical presence and strong attack on the ball. Moved from Lennox Heads in northern New South Wales to live in a caravan in Brisbane to further his football.

Marc Murphy (Vic Metro) - 17 years, 178cm, 75kg, Oakleigh Chargers/Doncaster

Small midfielder/forward who is super competitive and creative and smart around goals. Captained the Vic Metro team successfully, winning best on ground honours against Western Australia in game one and averaged 21 disposals in the championships. AIS-AFL Academy graduate this year. Son of John Murphy, ex-Fitzroy, Swans and Kangaroos star player.

Darren Pfeiffer (South Australia) - 17 years, 183cm, 78kg, Norwood/Birdwood

Medium defender who is a high possession winner and covers a terrific amount of ground. Strong marking player who debuted at senior level with Norwood this year. South Australia's best player against Western Australia and had 21 possessions in the convincing win over Vic Country in game one.

Patrick Ryder (Western Australia) - 17 years, 194cm, 89kg, East Fremantle/Rovers

Tall forward/ruckman with agility and strong hands. Excellent at stoppages and a dangerous forward. AIS-AFL Academy program this year, coming from Geraldton in country Western Australia.

Joel Selwood (Vic Country) - 17 years, 181cm, 73kg, Bendigo Pioneers/Sandhurst

Medium midfielder/defender who is outstanding in contested situations and is a fine leader. Had game high 26 disposals in Vic Country loss to Vic Metro. Won Ron Barassi Medal as Australia's best player against Ireland at under-17 level earlier this year when he captained Australia. [Not eligible for the 2005 Draft]

Andrew Swallow (Western Australia) - 18 years, 183cm, 75kg, East Fremantle/Rossmoyne

Medium midfielder with terrific work rate and attack on the ball. Captained Western Australia to championship success in NAB AFL under 16 championships in 2003. He was Western Australia's under-18 captain in this year's championships. Was in team's best few players against Vic Metro and South Australia - leading from the front. AIS-AFL Academy graduate in 2004.

Dale Thomas (Vic Country) - 18 years, 182cm, 76kg, Gippsland Power/Drouin

Medium forward who can go midfield or back. Creative, courageous player who had 19 disposals against Western Australia in game three, putting him among his team's best.

Gavin Urquhart (Queensland) - 17 years, 181cm, 80kg, Morningside

Medium midfielder/defender who is a long penetrating kick and hard at the football. Carries the ball very well and is versatile. Spent time developing his football in Toowoomba and Rockhampton before moving to Brisbane. High possession winner. [Not eligible for the 2005 Draft]

The majority of these players will be in Canberra this week for the draft camp which involves not only physical and psychological testing in several different areas but also interviews with club recruiting managers. Traditionalists might argue that the worth of a player should be determined by what he does on the football field but past history shows that the way the players prepare themselves and perform at the draft camp will have a major bearing in the ultimate decision making process that leads to the drafts.

PART TWO

The general consensus among those "in the know" is that this year's crop of young talent is nowhere near as strong as it has been in the really big draft years such as 2001 when Luke Hodge, Luke Ball, and Chris Judd, Graham Polak, Xavier Clarke and Ashley Sampi went 1,2,3,4,5 and 6, Jimmy Bartel was taken at 8, Nick Dal Santo at 13, Lewis Roberts-Thompson at 27, Ashley Hansen at 38, Brad Miller and Paul Medhurst at 55 and 56 respectively and Adam Schneider was taken by the Swans at 60. A handy youngster by the name of Gary Ablett Junior was snaffled up in this draft as a father son selection.

There are good drafts and there are bad drafts and, as we can see from the example of 2001, not all of the cream is at the top of the draft. One only has to look at the 2005 premiership team to discern this as fact. Before this season, Sydney has been at around middle of the road for some time so it hasn't really had many early selections. To find those in Sydney's record, you have to go right back to the 1998 National Draft when the Swans picked Nic Fosdike at 3 and Jude Bolton at 8. A year earlier, they picked a gem at number 43 in Adam Goodes who went on to win a Brownlow Medal in 2003. In 1999 Ryan O'Keeffe was selected at 56 while they picked up Luke Ablett and Amon Buchanan in 2000 at numbers 24 and 52 respectively. The following year the Swans again did well with mid to low range picks when they snared Lewis Roberts-Thomson (29) and Adam Schneider (60). Sean Dempster was a father son selection in 2002 with pick number 34.

But it wasn't only in the draft where the Swans recruited well; they did some very nice things in their dealings with other clubs. The team last Saturday contained six players who were picked up from other clubs, five of them - Jason Ball (1999), Paul Williams (2000), Barry Hall (2001), Nick Davis (2002) and Darren Jolly (2004) - in trading as well as Craig Bolton who was picked up from the Lions in the pre-season draft of 2003. Injured former skipper Stuart Maxfield who has now retired was also recruited in this manner from Richmond.

But that's not all. The premiership side contained three former rookies in Brett Kirk, Tadhg Kennelly and Paul Bevan with Kennelly being an international rookie selection from Ireland.

The reward for the Swans' success in terms of the drat is that their first pick before trading is the last selection in the first round at number 19 sitting behind the three clubs - Carlton, Collingwood and Hawthorn - that have priority picks 1, 2 and 3 and then the first round selections begin in reverse order to ladder position. Based on their recent recruiting record and the perceived shallowness of this year's draft pool, this might not worry the Swans at all.

This year, it appears that while the top four or five picks are virtually given as being of reasonably high quality, the next group could be picked from any one of up to thirty players. If the perceived strength of the draft is weak, this will have an impact on the way clubs trade during next week's trade week because they will be more inclined to trade earlyish selections in order to find the player who meets their specific needs.

The AFL scouts will nevertheless look closely at what happens during the draft camp because they have the opportunity to look at players close up under testing conditions. The 73 attendees arrived yesterday for the 12th national draft camp so there is a growing data bank available for them to be able to make observations on how the players at this camp compare with those who have gone before them. The various types of testing can be seen from the draft camp programme -

Wednesday 28 September

9am-12pm - Fitness Assessment No. 1 (Group One) Height/Weight, Sit & Reach, Skinfolds, Arm Length, Handspan

9am-12pm - Medical and Visual Screens (Group Two) Players move through 4 checkpoints Players visually screened

1.15pm - 5pm - Psychomotor Tests (Group Two) Reaction time, decision making, peripheral awareness Dr Noel Blundell

1.15pm - 5pm - Medical and Visual Screens (Group One) Players move through 4 checkpoints Players visually screened

6.30pm-10pm - AFL Club Informal Interviews with Club Recruiting Managers

Thursday 29 September

9.15am-11.30am - Fitness Assessment No. 2 (Position Groupings - all players) Sprint Agility Vertical Jump

1.30pm-4.30pm - Fitness Assessment No. 1 (Group Two) Height/Weight, Sit & Reach, Skinfolds, Arm Length, Handspan

Psychomotor Tests (Group One) Reaction time, decision making, peripheral awareness Dr Noel Blundell

5pm

Fitness Assessment No. 3 Shuttle Run Recovery in Pool Complex

7.30pm-10pm

AFL Club Informal Interviews with Club Recruiting Managers

Friday 30 September

9.30am-11am Skills Session - Manuka Oval

2.30pm - Fitness Assessment No. 4 - 3km Time Trials

And then there are the players themselves. The AFL has produced the following details of the

attendees based on a breakdown of the most likely position for each of the players -

2005 NAB AFL DRAFT CAMP

Name, height (cm), weight (kg), Club, State

Medium Forwards

Dzufer Daniel 189 80 Suncoast Lions QLD

Dempsey Courtney 186 70 Morningside QLD

Grant Grae 184 74 Perth WA

Seal Matthew 183 74 East Perth WA

Crook Marcus 185 78 Geelong Falcons VIC

Thomas Dale 182 76 Gippsland Power VIC

McKinley Ben 184 80 Northern Knights VIC

Kelleher Brad 188 82 Eastern Ranges VIC

Pfeiffer Darren 183 78 Norwood SA

Owen Stephen 187 81 Nth Ballarat VIC

Jackson Ryan 188 80 Northern Knights VIC

Medium Defenders

Hurn Shannon 188 92 Central Districts SA

Lower Ed 186 85 Norwood SA

Ibbotson Garrick 185 78 East Fremantle WA

Riggio Matt 188 82 Peel Thunder WA

Toovey Alan 188 79 Claremont WA

Stanley Danny 186 87 Geelong Falcons VIC

Ellis Xavier 187 73 Gippsland Power VIC

Looby Tim 186 91 Murray Bushrangers VIC

Thomas Matthew 185 80 Sandringham Dragons VIC

Douglas Richard 180 70 Calder Cannons VIC

Small/Medium Midfielders

Kiel Haydyn 178 76 Southport QLD

Hooper Rhan 177 71 Mt Gravatt QLD

Varcoe Travis 179 72 Central Districts SA

Murphy Marc 178 75 Oakleigh Chargers VIC

Jones Nathan 178 83 Dandenong Stingrays VIC

Addison Dylan 183 75 St George NSW

Elliott Sam 181 74 South Adelaide SA

Iles Sam 181 80 Clarence TAS

Swallow Andrew 183 75 East Fremantle WA

Simpkin Jonothan 181 78 Geelong Falcons VIC

Eddy Robert 182 82 Gippsland Power VIC

Medium Midfielders

Gamble Ryan 185 72 Glenelg SA

Bode Jace 186 84 Sturt SA

Lower Nick 187 86 Norwood SA

Oakley-Nicholls Jarrad 186 74 East Perth WA

Casserley Travis 184 76 Swan Districts WA

Pendlebury Scott 188 82 Gippsland Power VIC

Grigg Shaun 187 77 Nth Ballarat Rebels VIC

Thornton Kristin 185 71 Peel Thunder WA

Muston Beau 188 71 Murray Bushrangers VIC

Laidlaw Matthew 184 78 Oakleigh Chargers VIC

Higgins Shaun 184 76 Geelong Falcons VIC

Ruckmen

White Jessie 196 96 Southport QLD

McEntee Luke 197 89 North Adelaide SA

Ryder Patrick 194 89 East Fremantle WA

West Trent 198 90 Gippsland Power VIC

Warnock Robert 204 80 Sandringham Dragons VIC

Graham Angus 198 92 Calder Cannons/Tas TAS

Bailey Max 205 85 West Perth WA

Wall James 198 82 Calder Cannons VIC

Banjamin Andrew 200 83 Geelong Falcons VIC

Tall Forwards

West Michael 194 85 Redlands QLD

Hughes Cleve 193 85 Norwood SA

Rischbieth Tom 190 84 Sturt SA

Grima Todd 193 88 Northern Bombers TAS

Kennedy Josh 193 93 East Fremantle WA

Clark Mitchell 197 90 East Fremantle WA

Dowler Beau 192 82 Oakleigh Chargers VIC

Roffey Nate 193 82 Mt Gravatt QLD

Ainger Andrew 194 83 Oakleigh Chargers VIC

Cheetham Jon 192 83 North Adelaide SA

Tall Defenders

Lucy Austin 193 91 Suncoast Lions QLD

Mills Wayde 196 88 Southport QLD

Obst Alan 192 82 Central Districts SA

Birchall Grant 192 80 Devonport TAS

Bower Paul 192 87 Peel Thunder WA

Taggert Ben 192 82 East Fremantle WA

Drum Marcus 190 82 Murray Bushrangers VIC

Tyler Matthew 194 80 North Ballarat VIC

Spangher Matthew 193 84 Eastern Ranges VIC

Gilbert Sam 192 84 Southport QLD

Carlile Alipate 191 99 Murray Bushrangers VIC

The majority of these youngsters are in for a nervous few days. Some of them have already been pencilled in for selection. Most will be picked up in the national or the rookie drafts. Some are young enough to go back to the drawing boards and try again next year. A few who miss out, will go into their state competitions where a small number might get another chance in the future and some will never make it to centre stage.

PART THREE

Two large groups converged on Canberra this week to take part in the AFL's annual three day draft camp. The first group comprised the 73 players invited to take part in the testing with a view to becoming AFL draft choices either at the November National Draft or in the December Pre season and Rookie Drafts. The other group was even larger - estimated at around 100 and this is the group representing the sixteen AFL clubs.

There is no question about it; this week is critical to most of the youngsters invited to the draft camp. Those 100 people from the AFL clubs includes most of the coaches and recruiting managers and the event will give them an opportunity to crystallise their views on many of the players coming under consideration for the drafts. As Kevin Sheehan, the AFL's National Talent Manager, recently pointed out to the media, some of the potential early draft picks have already been determined.

"Some of the names people are talking about include Patrick Ryder from East Fremantle, a youngster called Travis Varcoe from South Australia, from Central Districts, Victorian Marc Murphy from the Oakley Chargers and one from country Victoria, Xavier Ellis - they're some of the leading candidates," he said.

Of course, you don't have to wait for the AFL National Draft to involve yourself in the AFL National Draft speculation. The excellent footydraft site (footydraft) has been running a mock 2005 AFL Draft for some time and this is its latest version*: -

1. Carlton - Murphy Marc 178 cm 75 kg Oakleigh Chargers VIC (Small/Medium Midfielder)2. Collingwood - Ellis Xavier 187 73 Gippsland Power VIC (Medium Defender)

3. Hawthorn - Ryder Patrick 194 89 East Fremantle WA (Ruckman)

4. Carlton - Hurn Shannon 188 92 Central Districts SA (Medium Defender)

5. Collingwood - Clark Mitchell 197 90 East Fremantle WA (Tall Forward)

6. Hawthorn - Kennedy Josh 193 93 East Fremantle WA (Tall Forward)

7. Essendon - Birchall Grant 192 80 Devonport TAS (Tall Defender)

8. Richmond - Dowler Beau 192 82 Oakleigh Chargers VIC (Tall Forward)

9. Brisbane - Drum Marcus 190 82 Murray Bushrangers VIC (Tall Defender)

10. Fremantle - Swallow Andrew 183 75 East Fremantle WA (Small/Medium Midfielder)11. Bulldogs - Hughes Cleve 193 85 Norwood SA (Tall Forward)

12. Melbourne - Oakley-Nicholls Jarrad 186 74 East Perth WA (Medium Midfielder) 13. Kangaroos - Thomas Dale 182 76 Gippsland Power VIC (Medium Forward)

14. Port Adelaide - Pfeiffer Darren 183 78 Norwood SA (Medium Forward)

15. Geelong - Douglas Richard 180 70 Calder Cannons VIC (Medium Defender)

16. Adelaide - Higgins Shaun 184 76 Geelong Falcons VIC (Medium Midfielder)

17. St. Kilda - West Trent 198 90 Gippsland Power VIC (Ruckman)

18. West Coast - Muston Beau 188 71 Murray Bushrangers VIC (Medium Midfielder)

19. Sydney - McKinley Ben 184 80 Northern Knights VIC (Medium Forward)

20. Carlton - Lucy Austin 193 91 Suncoast Lions QLD (Tall Defender)

21. Collingwood - Jones Nathan 178 83 Dandenong Stingrays VIC (Small/Medium Midfielder) 22. Hawthorn - Varcoe Travis 179 72 Central Districts SA (Small/Medium Midfielder) 23. Essendon - Neaves Shane 197 91 Calder VIC (Ruckman)

24. Richmond - Stanley Danny 186 87 Geelong Falcons VIC (Medium Defender)

25. Brisbane - Lonergan Sam 181 80 Lauderdale TAS (Small/Medium Midfielder)

26. Fremantle - Spangher Matthew 193 84 Eastern Ranges VIC (Tall Defender)

27. Bulldogs - Toovey Alan 188 79 Claremont WA (Medium Defender)

28. Melbourne - Paul Bower 192 87 (Peel Thunder) WA (Tall Defender)

29. Kangaroos - Grima Todd 193 88 Northern Bombers TAS (Tall Forward)

30. Port Adelaide - Obst Alan 192 82 Central Districts SA (Tall Defender)

31. Geelong - Warnock Robert 204 80 Sandringham Dragons VIC (Ruckman)

32. Adelaide - Pendlebury Scott 188 82 Gippsland Power VIC (Medium Midfielder)

33. St. Kilda - Looby Tim 186 91 Murray Bushrangers VIC (Medium Defender)

34. West Coast - McGuane Jacob 189 87 Geelong Falcons VIC Medium Forward)

35. Sydney - Grant Grae 184 74 Perth WA (Medium Forward)

36. Carlton - White Jessie 196 96 Southport QLD (Ruckman)

37. Collingwood - Grigg Shaun 187 77 Nth Ballarat Rebels VIC (Medium Midfielder)

38. Hawthorn - Gilbert Sam 192 84 Southport QLD (Tall Defender)

39. Essendon - Jackson Ryan 188 80 Northern Knights VIC (Medium Forward)

40. Richmond - Dempsey Courtney 186 70 Morningside QLD (Medium Forward)

41. Brisbane - Dzufer Daniel 189 80 Suncoast Lions QLD (Medium Forward)

42. Fremantle - Elliott Sam 181 74 South Adelaide SA (Small/Medium Midfielder)

43. Bulldogs - West Michael 194 85 Redlands QLD (Tall Forward)

44. Melbourne - Kelleher Brad 188 82 Eastern Ranges VIC (Medium Forward)

45. Kangaroos - Iles Sam 181 80 Clarence TAS (Small/Medium Midfielder)

46. Port Adelaide - Laidlaw Matthew 184 78 Oakleigh Chargers VIC (Medium Midfielder)

47. Geelong - Mills Wayde 196 88 Southport QLD (Tall Defender) 48. Adelaide - Riggio Matt 188 82 Peel Thunder WA (Medium Defender)

49. St Kilda - Graham Angus 198 92 Calder Cannons/Tas TAS (Ruckman)

50. West Coast - Seal Matthew 183 74 East Perth WA (Medium Forward)

51. Sydney - White Matt 178 74 Calder Cannons VIC (Small/Medium Midfielder)

52. Carlton - Thomas Matthew 185 80 Sandringham Dragons VIC (Medium Defender)

53. Collingwood - Cheetham Jonathon 192 83 North Adelaide SA (Tall Forward)

54. Hawthorn - Redden Thomas 190 74 Glenelg SA (Medium Defender)

55. Essendon - Heise Cameron 179 79 Subiaco WA (Small/Medium Midfielder)

56. Richmond - Tyler Matthew 194 80 North Ballarat VIC (Tall Defender)

57. Brisbane - Eddy Robert 182 82 Gippsland Power VIC (Small/Medium Midfielder)

58. Fremantle - Carlile Alipate 191 99 Murray Bushrangers VIC (Tall Defender)

59. Bulldogs - Kiel Haydyn 178 76 Southport QLD /Medium Midfielder)

60. Melbourne - Bode Jace 186 84 Sturt SA (Medium Midfielder)

[* I have matched the names up with the official player information issued by the AFL]

If you follow the above link to the FootyDraft site you'll get some excellent pen pictures of the hopefuls. The mock draft is not set in stone and will be reviewed a few times before the November Draft with the next one due on October 11.

PART FOUR

The AIS at Canberra is emptying out for the weekend as the AFL scouts and seventy footballers head back home at the conclusion of the 12th National Draft Camp. Over the past four days, the hopefuls have been put through the hoops and undergone an interesting series of tests to determine their physical attributes and mental capabilities with an eye to determining whether they have the makings of elite footballers.

In the old days, you just used to ask whether a bloke could get the ball and if so, how good was his disposal but today we're looking for athletes who can play a bit of football so things are a little different. Actually, that's not entirely true because many of the tests that the players have undergone really do indicate a lot about each individual - aspects such as speed, agility, reflexes, strength and endurance. You have to have all of these in differing proportions if you want to make it to the big stage in the sport.

They even test height and weight and the interesting part is that the official results often indicate different personal statistical data for many players than those published in the competition records. Colin Wisbey has noted elsewhere that he is highly sceptical of some of the height and weight details of some players. The draft camp tests will set the record straight. The tallest participant in the 2005 camp was Sandgroper Max Bailey who stands at close to 206 cm. while Queenslander Jesse White had the biggest impact on the scales at 98.5 kg.

The AFL produces a list of the top 10 -12 in each testing category but it's damn hard finding out how the lesser performers went in each of them. I suppose they don't want to embarrass some of the youngsters who haven't performed as well as they should. Apparently, one participant a few camps ago produced such dismal results that he fell right out of consideration and, as a consequence went from being a top 20 draft chance to the point where he missed out altogether.

The camp tests players for their aerobic and anaerobic capacities. Those who excel in the latter group are usually the speedsters while the former are the endurance athletes - the stayers. Occasionally, an athlete is strong in both areas but such people are a rare breed. The outstanding youngsters in the speed stakes were Matt Laidlaw of the Oakleigh Chargers and East Perth's Jarred Oakley-Nicholls who sizzled through the 20 metre sprint and also performed well in at least one other category. The outstanding endurance athlete was Sturt's Tom Rischbieth who excelled in breaking the camp record for the infamous beep test and then demolished the previous 3km time trial record by over half a minute. As a consequence the footydraft experts lifted the South Australian Under 18 vice captain into their revised mock draft rankings to number 26 with a red bullet. Laidlaw's ranking was also up in today's revision. Dandenong Stingrays on baller Nathan Jones enjoyed a marked rise in the mock draft up to number 7 but that had little to do with the draft camp and more related to his slashing 38-possession performance in the TAC Cup Grand Final. Jones finished sixth in the time trial, a minute behind Rischbieth.

The shock of the camp was on Friday when the Canberra weather cleared to a fine day and they brought out the footballs. Suddenly, the prospective draftees were going through the paces doing some training drills and most of the prospective early choices stood out including Marc Murphy and Xavier Ellis who are tipped to go 1, 2 in the national draft. Neither had been outstanding in the other testing (Murphy is nursing a minor knee problem) but they looked good out there on the ground. Melbourne football manager Craig Cameron came on radio and nominated his top five draftees - Murphy, Ellis and East Fremantle trio Josh Kennedy, Patrick Ryder and Mitchell Clark, all of who measure in excess of 195 cm. They will be challenged by one of the no shows of the camp in Central Districts' Shannon Hurn who is otherwise engaged at the weekend in the SANFL Grand Final.

The other important phase of the draft camp process is the player interviews. Many a draft choice has turned on the impression a particular player has given under these conditions. Clubs place a high priority on the character of youngsters coming into the system. You just can't afford to draft ratbags these days. Mind you, the entire development system usually weeds them out well before any invitations are sent for events as prestigious as the draft camps.

At week's end, the various club scouts will consult together with their football departments and coaches. They will have a good idea of the direction they anticipate will be taken in the draft and, in many cases, will make decisions to seek better draft choices or offload them in the trade period. It's just one of those aspects that makes the trade week so very interesting.

12th National AFL Draft Camp Results

Height

Max Bailey (West Perth) - 205.8cm Robert Warnock (Sandringham) - 204.5cm Angus Graham (Calder Cannons) - 200.3cm Andrew Banjamin (Geelong Falcons) - 200.0cm James Wall (Calder Cannons) - 198.5cm Trent West (Gippsland Power) - 198.2cm Mitchell Clark (East Fremantle) - 198.1cm Patrick Ryder (East Fremantle) - 195.7cm Andrew Ainger (Oakleigh Chargers) - 195.7cm Wayde Mills (Southport) - 195.1cm Josh Kennedy (East Fremantle) - 195.1cm Michael West (Redlands) - 195.1cm

Mass

Jesse White (Southport) - 98.5kg Max Bailey (West Perth) - 93.0kg Alipate Carlile (Murray Bushrangers) - 92.9kg Angus Graham (Calder Cannons) - 92.6kg Josh Kennedy (East Fremantle) - 92.3kg Mitchell Clark (East Fremantle) - 91.3kg Trent West (Gippsland Power) - 89.8kg Austin Lucy (Suncoast Lions) - 89.7kg Daniel Stanley (Geelong Falcons) - 89.5kg Tim Looby (Murray Bushrangers) - 88.8kg

Agility

Jarred Oakley-Nicholls (East Perth) - 7.97 Courtney Dempsey (Morningside) - 7.99 Stephen Owen (North Ballarat) - 8.02 Todd Grima (Northern Bombers) - 8.11 Andrew Swallow (East Fremantle) - 8.12 Richard Douglas (Calder Cannons) - 8.17 Matt Riggio (Peel Thunder) - 8.18 Rhan Hooper (Mt Gravatt) - 8.19 Marc Murphy (Oakleigh Chargers) - 8.21 Nick Lower (Norwood) - 8.23

Vertical Jump - standing

Darren Pfeiffer (Norwood) - 72cm Matt Laidlaw (Oakleigh Chargers) - 70cm Wayde Mills (Southport) - 70cm Garrick Ibbotson (East Fremantle) - 68cm Nate Roffey (Mt Gravatt) - 68cm Brad Kelleher (Eastern Ranges) - 67cm Andrew Swallow (East Fremantle) - 66cm Daniel Stanley (Geelong Falcons) - 66cm Dale Thomas (Gippsland Power) - 66cm Alan Toovey (Claremont) - 65cm Austin Lucy (Suncoast Lions) - 65cm Angus Graham (Calder Cannons) - 65cm

20-metre Sprint

Matt Laidlaw (Oakleigh Chargers) - 2.83sec Jarred Oakley-Nicholls (East Perth) - 2.85sec Nate Roffey (Mt Gravatt) - 2.92sec Andrew Swallow (East Fremantle) - 2.92sec Grant Birchall (Devonport) - 2.93sec Nick Lower (Norwood) - 2.93sec Dale Thomas (Gippsland Power) - 2.93sec Sam Elliott (South Adelaide) - 2.94sec Austin Lucy (Suncoast Lions) - 2.94sec Alan Toovey (Claremont) - 2.94sec

Shuttle Run (Beep Test)

Tom Rischbieth (Sturt) - Level 15.8 Travis Casserley (Swan Districts) - 15.2 Robert Eddy (Gippsland Power) - 14.9 Sam Iles (Clarence) - 14.6 Kristin Thornton (Peel Thunder) - 14.6 Matt Riggio (Peel Thunder) - 14.6 Alan Toovey (Claremont) - 14.6 Ryan Jackson (Northern Knights) - 14.5 Wayde Mills (Southport) - 14.3 James Wall (Calder Cannons) - 14.3

3km time-trial

Tom Rischbieth (Sturt) - 9:30 Daniel Dzufer (Suncoast Lions) - 10:06 Wayde Mills (Southport) - 10:12 Robert Eddy (Gippsland Power) - 10:19 Matthew Thomas (Sandringham) - 10:22 Nathan Jones (Dandenong) - 10:31 Travis Casserley (Swan Districts) - 10:22 Ryan Jackson (Northern Knights) - 10:34 Haydyn Kiel (Southport) - 10:41 Sam Iles (Clarence) - 10:42