12 minutes ago, Stu said:

This is the reason why the best soccer academies, focus on ball control and skill in until around 12. They play on smaller fields to remove physical advantages more developed kids might have (speed, endurance, etc), so that all kids develop the needed technique and skill. Once they get to 15, the chance for technique and skill improvement is marginal. 

It's funny watching the evolution of the pathways over the last few years.  Still very much based around athletic capacity rather then skills, that is evident in the draft combine testing, not even sure if they still do the kicking and handballing tests.

As Players are getting fitter and defending is more like soccer zones protecting space rather than an opponent, skills in particular foot skills are becoming a much higher priority.  If you can't hit targets by foot you can't work through the zones and will get hurt on the turnover.

Rather have a player with great skills and a footy iq and teach them to run

5 hours ago, No10 said:

I know this isn’t a phantom, but how is the widely expected No 1 draft player ranked 6?

FOS is No 1 for me.

It's an opinion business.

6 hours ago, DeeSpencer said:

He played half back on the G in the futures game last year and he looks excellent distributing the ball. We drafted Bowser off a similar performance (with no under 18 year due to covid).

I’d like him to have just a little more height or natural aerial ability, or a little more high end speed so he can be a more complete flanker. Hopefully he has at least high end endurance to keep linking up.

But as is should be a quality half back kicker, not as reliable getting out of trouble as prime Salo but with more penetration.

 

No offence to Bowser, but I’d want to draft someone with a lot more upside than him at pick 9 in an ostensible super draft 

5 hours ago, drdrake said:

It's funny watching the evolution of the pathways over the last few years.  Still very much based around athletic capacity rather then skills, that is evident in the draft combine testing, not even sure if they still do the kicking and handballing tests.

As Players are getting fitter and defending is more like soccer zones protecting space rather than an opponent, skills in particular foot skills are becoming a much higher priority.  If you can't hit targets by foot you can't work through the zones and will get hurt on the turnover.

Rather have a player with great skills and a footy iq and teach them to run

? Sestan

On 05/11/2024 at 21:31, Lil_red_fire_engine said:

Whilst not a phantom their order would have us getting  Lalor and Tauru which I would not have an issue with (though probably prefer Allan at 9 even with the alleged go home factor). 

I am away so cannot get it all,

Understand Taurus is the Alix bloke but who is Lalor cannot see any discussion on him,

Can one be put up, must be one somewhere,   if he is a possibility,   🙏 

 

 

Also on draft might, if we either take this Alix chap at 5, or force NM to take him at a lower pick, that must mean there is another mid to choose from at either our pick 5 or 9,

Isn't that a win, win for us, 

Go Dee's bring on the training

9 hours ago, drdrake said:

It's funny watching the evolution of the pathways over the last few years.  Still very much based around athletic capacity rather then skills, that is evident in the draft combine testing, not even sure if they still do the kicking and handballing tests.

As Players are getting fitter and defending is more like soccer zones protecting space rather than an opponent, skills in particular foot skills are becoming a much higher priority.  If you can't hit targets by foot you can't work through the zones and will get hurt on the turnover.

Rather have a player with great skills and a footy iq and teach them to run

Would Jagga Smith and Xavier Lindsay be the 2 best kicks in this year's AFL National Draft?

 

Lalor.  Found him was looking lower,  was he could be no 1,  can see why they chose him he was available. In that mock draft

11 hours ago, Supreme_Demon said:

Would Jagga Smith and Xavier Lindsay be the 2 best kicks in this year's AFL National Draft?

 

I would throw in Murphy Reid to that bucket too, I think that rounds out top 3 kicks in the draft.

Jagga & Reid are both fantastic users just the only thing is they struggle to kick the ball over 40-45 metres at this stage so their kicking lacks a bit of penetration. Both make up for it though with elite decision making always looking to lower their eyes hitting that target 30-40 out from goal rather than bombing it to the square.

Just wanted to share with everyone that my mum went to a luncheon last week at the Australian club where Jason Taylor was the guest speaker. Jason informed everyone in the room that Melbourne will be drafting midfielders this year. So I doubt we’ll see Harry Armstrong in the red and blue next year. 

14 minutes ago, Forever the pessimist. said:

Just wanted to share with everyone that my mum went to a luncheon last week at the Australian club where Jason Taylor was the guest speaker. Jason informed everyone in the room that Melbourne will be drafting midfielders this year. So I doubt we’ll see Harry Armstrong in the red and blue next year. 

55 minutes ago, Forever the pessimist. said:

Just wanted to share with everyone that my mum went to a luncheon last week at the Australian club where Jason Taylor was the guest speaker. Jason informed everyone in the room that Melbourne will be drafting midfielders this year. So I doubt we’ll see Harry Armstrong in the red and blue next year. 

Fake news. Since when are women allowed in the Australian club

1 hour ago, Forever the pessimist. said:

Just wanted to share with everyone that my mum went to a luncheon last week at the Australian club where Jason Taylor was the guest speaker. Jason informed everyone in the room that Melbourne will be drafting midfielders this year. So I doubt we’ll see Harry Armstrong in the red and blue next year. 

Pleased to hear this.

It seems that North are now looking more unlikely to trade pick 2, but still why would JT be so forthcoming in public saying we're drafting mids? Would it not be more beneficial to say we're open to drafting any position (i.e. maybe even Tauru ;) with our pick 5 so North doesn't take that chance and stop exploring a trade and take Tauru with pick 2, leaving us with more midfield options to choose from with our pick?

 

Edited November 8, 2024Nov 8 by Young Blood

10 minutes ago, Young Blood said:

Pleased to hear this.

It seems that North are now looking more unlikely to trade pick 2, but still why would JT be so forthcoming in public saying we're drafting mids? Would it not be more beneficial to say we're open to drafting any position (i.e. maybe even Tauru ;) with our pick 5 so North doesn't take that chance and stop exploring a trade and take Tauru with pick 2, leaving us with more midfield options to choose from with our pick?

 

I'd take anything he says in public with a grain of salt.

If we only ended up with one midfielder, say at pick 5, then he can say he was truthful that a midfielder was our target.

Still, I'm suspecting we will go with two mid sized players with our first two picks and perhaps balance with a tall at our last pick. Unless we play funny buggers and split one of our early selections.

 

Seems latest mail is still Smith & Armstrong — only curveball might be (other clubs changing thoughts obv) Roos trading #2 back and splitting pick or Saints taking Armstrong with a late rethink.. if this hold I’ll be happier than David Foster Wallace reading reviews of Infinite Jest!!!

Has the feel of a sliding doors moment for sure — Windsor, Kolt, Judd, JVR, Riv, Kos plus Smith and Armstrong with Jeffo to potentially debut I’d say our next gen is well and truly top-tier.

13 minutes ago, Tolstoys Nudge said:

Seems latest mail is still Smith & Armstrong — only curveball might be (other clubs changing thoughts obv) Roos trading #2 back and splitting pick or Saints taking Armstrong with a late rethink.. if this hold I’ll be happier than David Foster Wallace reading reviews of Infinite Jest!!!

Has the feel of a sliding doors moment for sure — Windsor, Kolt, Judd, JVR, Riv, Kos plus Smith and Armstrong with Jeffo to potentially debut I’d say our next gen is well and truly top-tier.

Whose mail? Seems conflicting to the report just above 

I'm a fan of this guys videos tbh he is balanced in his views. In this video he has us with Smith and Allen which would be a dream outcome for us I reckon. 

 

 

16 minutes ago, Mouseymoo said:

I'm a fan of this guys videos tbh he is balanced in his views. In this video he has us with Smith and Allen which would be a dream outcome for us I reckon. 

 

 

If I could lock that in now I would!

That first four seems to be coming up again and again. I wonder if it's just about set... or are people just assuming Adelaide will go for the South Australian?

20 hours ago, BangBnagBang said:

Fake news. Since when are women allowed in the Australian club

Hnmm, I thought the days of discrimination, based on gender,even at The Australian club would be LONG GONE! Tell me thats the case, if not... what a bloody Disgrace!

Certainly been a lot of talk of late that Smith could be our pick.

With Jason Taylor confirming that we'll be drafting mids in the draft, a Smith/Allan/Langford/Smillie or even Haynes combo would be a huge win for us.

39 minutes ago, The Taciturn Demon said:

That first four seems to be coming up again and again. I wonder if it's just about set... or are people just assuming Adelaide will go for the South Australian?

The conventional wisdom is that Adelaide take Draper but Gettable said Adelaide is trying to trade into North's 2 from 4. That must mean they want the same player as Carlton. Maybe that is Draper, but the common view has been that Carlton traded up for O'Sullivan, so maybe it's him.

That trade, on draft night, probably looks something like 2 + F2 for 4 + F1 since neither team has many other 2024 draft assets.

Whatever, that trade almost certainly signals North takes Tauru as predicted, at 4. The flow on effect of that is we get to choose from 2 of the top 5 mids (excluding Ashcroft) - Draper, Lalor, Langford, O'Sullivan and Smith at pick 5.

39 minutes ago, old55 said:

The conventional wisdom is that Adelaide take Draper but Gettable said Adelaide is trying to trade into North's 2 from 4.

My amateur feel is that there’s a strong likelihood that Draper gets to St Kilda’s pick. Everyone assumes that Adelaide takes him but I get the feel that everyone is just matching his value to whatever pick Adelaide has. I wonder if anyone has considered how Adelaide feels about it.

I think we all want things to fit into neat boxes but each of these clubs is selecting the player they want the most rather than making phantom drafts look neat. I still remember everyone losing their minds when Adelaide picked Dangerfield over Ebert.

The most vital thing for us is Norf retaining a pick ahead of 5, whether that's pick 2 or acquiring 4 

On 06/11/2024 at 17:26, 58er said:

The Duke ? Salo? McVee ? 

None of them currently play midfield.

Salem will never be a consistent mid.

Jury is out on McVee as a mid, windsor potentially.