PLAYERS UNDER 24: Tom Sparrow (23), Kysaiah Pickett (22), Trent Rivers (22), Jake Bowey (21), Bailey Laurie (21), Daniel Turner (21), Jacob Van Rooyen (20), Blake Howes (20), Judd McVee (20), Andy Moniz-Wakefield (20), Taj Woewodin (20), Jed Adams (19), Will Verrall (19), Oliver Sestan (19) Matthew Jefferson (19), Kynan Brown (18), Koltyn Tholstrup (18), Caleb Windsor (18)

TOP 5: Kysaiah Pickett, Jacob Van Rooyen, Trent Rivers, Tom Sparrow, Jake Bowey. 

The Demons are covered across all lines with this group but there doesn’t appear a standout player that is going to lead Melbourne to its next premiership. 

Kysaiah Pickett can still be anything, as can Jacob Van Rooyen. But aside from the draftees from the past two years, there feels a ceiling on most others, although several are certainly best 22 players. 

Trent Rivers, Jake Bowey and Judd McVee are all examples of players in Melbourne’s best side for the next decade if they want to be, but how much they can continue to improve is the big question. 

League ranking: 15th 

Seb Mottram

Our next flag is 2024. Clowns.

11 minutes ago, Clintosaurus said:

Our next flag is 2024. Clowns.

4 out of our top 5 players have already won one.

22 minutes ago, Demonland said:

Trent Rivers, Jake Bowey and Judd McVee are all examples of players in Melbourne’s best side for the next decade if they want to be, but how much they can continue to improve is the big question. 

League ranking: 15th 

Seb Mottram

As opposed to if they don’t wanna be? What a redundant sentence. Dude’s reached the required word-count by writing stuff for the sake of writing stuff. 

We shall see Seb Mottram, we shall see.!!!

Yes, it sounded like he just had to do the required amount of words to complete a task he didn't want to do in the first place. I know that was just said, sorry.

Why does he want to ignore our draftees from the last two years when he hasn’t with other teams?

That’s 3 players taken in the first round he’s choosing to ignore.

We've got an odd demographic chart at the moment - we only have two each of 23yr and 22yr olds (Chandler, Sparrow, Pickett and Rivers, so all inside our best 22 for season 2023). Younger than that and to be noticed you have to be an immediate early-career star, of which there would only be two or three entering the game each year.

Is Seb Mottram Knightmare?? 

Seb is asleep at the wheel on Rivers. Surprises me how his talent is not more widely recognised.

Edited December 3, 20231 yr by Nascent

Is it the words or the ranking that people are not happy with?

The ranking is about right when you think about where we have finished and our very small rotation of players over the past 2 seasons in particular.

On exposed VFL and AFL form, you’d only circle a few of our players as genuine future/potential A-Graders; Kozzie, JVR & Rivers. If we still had Jackson our outlook would be a lot better.
 

Plenty of quality AFL types on our list but the next Petracca, Oliver, Gawn, May, Lever et al I don’t think are on our list, hence the desire to get the 1st in the draft this year.

I understand you can only rate or grade what you see, but it feels a bit disingenuous with we have three first rounds picks in Windsor, Kolt & Jefferson yet to play 

48 minutes ago, JJJ said:

Plenty of quality AFL types on our list but the next Petracca, Oliver, Gawn, May, Lever et al I don’t think are on our list, hence the desire to get the 1st in the draft this year.

Max Gawn wouldn't have been a feature in our best players under 24 either

Edited December 3, 20231 yr by Wrecker46

Lol, reading the header I thought we picked up some guy named Young Core. 

SEN’s young core of journalists is 15th (of 15) on my list of Australian sports radio stations 

1 hour ago, adonski said:

I understand you can only rate or grade what you see, but it feels a bit disingenuous with we have three first rounds picks in Windsor, Kolt & Jefferson yet to play 

Especially when you’ve already rated McKercher & Duursma inside North’s best 5 youngsters.

Edited December 3, 20231 yr by ChaserJ

Just now, ChaserJ said:

Especially when you’ve rated McKercher & Duursma inside North’s best 5 youngsters.

Lol classic 

Seb who?

What the [censored] is this [censored]?

Seb already named Daicos as the Brownlow favourite. Probably had McStay as the Coleman medalist too. 

Honestly I don't think it's unreasonable.

It's clearly not the strength of our list and there's a lot of bad teams that have dominated the drafts with the pointy end of high talent.

I do think it undervalues our spread of young talent in various parts of the ground.

It's fair to say we don't have that lock top 5 pick that looks a sure thing at being a superstar. Although I wouldn't then say JVR and Pickett are a chance yet rule out Rivers and McVee. 

For every one of the games best players who's a super high pick like a Petracca there's another player like a Gawn who can make huge leaps as they improve.

 

I can't believe how much they continue to underrate Juddy.  

This clown has Essendon's team at 13th - lol! I don't think we need to waste any more time on this article:

PLAYERS UNDER 24: Xavier Duursma (23 years old), Jye Caldwell (23), Harrison Jones (22), Nic Martin (22), Sam Durham (22), Nick Bryan (22), Nik Cox (21), Zach Reid (21), Archie Perkins (21), Jaiden Hunter (21), Kaine Baldwin (21), Jye Menzie (21), Ben Hobbs (20), Tex Wanganeen (20), Jayden Davey (19), Alwyn Davey Jnr (19), Lewis Hayes (19), Lual Luamon (18), Nate Caddy (18), Vigo Visentini (18), Archie Roberts (18)

TOP 5: Nic Martin, Jye Caldwell, Xavier Duursma, Archie Perkins, Ben Hobbs.

The Bombers boast one of the league’s most promising young cohorts whose positions range across the ground.

This group is headed by rising guns Jye Caldwell, Nick Martin and new recruit Xavier Duursma, with the likes of Archie Perkins, Elijah Tsatas and Harrison Jones not too far behind.

Recent draft additions such as dynamic key forward Nate Caddy and running defenders Lual Luamon and Archie Roberts further boost this young core, as they should all push for senior debuts in 2024.

Essendon fans have been patiently waiting for their first finals win since 2004, and it seems that these promising youngsters will finally take them there in the near future.

League ranking: 13th

Remember when champion data ranked our midfield bottom 4 at the start of the 2021 season? Good times were had by all 🙄😂

9 hours ago, rjay said:

Seb who?

I'm with you.
Never heard of him.