2024 Phantom Drafts

[DeeSpencer 25,483]

2 hours ago, Palace Dees said:

We must be looking at a different player. In the u18 Championships, he took every mark one grab. It really stood out. 

His school coach, Matthew Lloyd, says he's the best one grab mark he's ever seen as a junior.  

Whatever knock you want to put on Armstrong, marking is not it.

He’s clean at times but there’s a lot of two grabbing or the ball going off his hands.

If he was an exceptional mark to go with his rare athleticism for a tall and straight set shot kicking he’d be a sure thing top 5 pick. 

Lloyd is pumping up his guy, not really an unbiased opinion.

[joeboy 3,165]

3 hours ago, picket fence said:

Armstrong is a two grabber most times, a HUMUNGOUS NO! 

Luke Jackson says hi 

[adonski 11,843]

1 minute ago, joeboy said:

Luke Jackson says hi 

If Armstrong has Jackson's hands, he may never play a game!

[Ugottobekidding 1,181]

For me Lalor, draper or Taurus 

Reid or Shanahan, or Whitford 

[Willy's Warriors 69]

For me: 

Pick 5: Langford, Smith, FOS, Tauru (in order)

Pick 9: Tauru, Travaglia, Reid, Hotton, Armstrong, Shanahan, Allan (in order)

Edited 2 hours ago by Willy's Warriors

[Macca 16,935]

Our draft hand has a direct connection as to whether Petracca & Oliver stay or go, post 2025.  And there's a good chance that the club won't know for sure, either way

And then there is the form of both players and whether either or both get back to their best

A safety first attitude would be to draft 2 mids and then if everything works out well, we find a way to manage 5 or 6 dynamic mids

Nice problem to have and it should be remembered that Viney only has a few years left and Petracca can play various roles in the forward line (with stints in the midfield) And we'll be looking to cover for the loss of Brayshaw & ANB 

All things considered, I reckon we'll draft 2 mids and hope that a forward line line that contains 2 or 3 of JVR, Petty, Turner & Jefferson can somehow work to a high standard

Looked at in another way, we probably won't be wanting to risk having a B- midfield in the future

Our chance to rebuild a stellar midfield is right now

Edited 2 hours ago by Macca

[dazzledavey36 54,298]

Hears anything from your end @goodwindees?

[Slartibartfast 17,200]

1 minute ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Hears anything from your end @goodwindees?

Draft night is like Christmas, once you open the presents all the mystery is gone.  I love the speculation and this year is special.  Don't ruin it @goodwindees, we can all wait and enjoy the suspense.  And if you do have quality mail, keep it to yourself, it can't do any good by releasing it but there is a very small chance it could do some harm. We'will know soon anyway!

Patience grasshopper.

[Mouseymoo 264]

3 minutes ago, Macca said:

Our draft hand has a direct connection as to whether Petracca & Oliver stay or go, post 2025.  And there's a good chance that the club won't know for sure, either way

And then there is the form of both players and whether either or both get back to their best

A safety first attitude would be to draft 2 mids and then if everything works out well, we find a way to manage 5 or 6 dynamic mids

Nice problem to have and it should be remembered that Viney only has a few years left and Petracca can play various roles in the forward line (with stints in the midfield) And we'll be looking to cover for the loss of Brayshaw & ANB 

All things considered, I reckon we'll draft 2 mids and hope that a forward line line that contains 2 or 3 of JVR, Petty, Turner & Jefferson can somehow work to a high standard

Looked at in another way, we probably won't be wanting to risk having a B- midfield in the future

Our chance to rebuild a stellar midfield is right now

Yeah absolutely agree.

In my eyes it's incredibly simple; we've lost Brayshaw, Harmes, Jordan, ANB- we have Viney in his twilight, question marks over Oliver's psyche and Petracca's commitment. These issues outweigh and are far more pressing then any concerns over our forward depth. 

We need midfield doggedness before prospective KPPs. 

Langford/Smith and Allen/Travaglia/Reid like combo is an absolute must. 

 

[Willy's Warriors 69]

4 minutes ago, Macca said:

Our draft hand has a direct connection as to whether Petracca & Oliver stay or go, post 2025.  And there's a good chance that the club won't know for sure, either way

And then there is the form of both players and whether either or both get back to their best

A safety first attitude would be to draft 2 mids and then if everything works out well, we find a way to manage 5 or 6 dynamic mids

Nice problem to have and it should be remembered that Viney only has a few years left and Petracca can play various roles in the forward line (with stints in the midfield) And we'll be looking to cover for the loss of Brayshaw & ANB 

All things considered, I reckon we'll draft 2 mids and hope that a forward line line that contains 2 or 3 of JVR, Petty, Turner & Jefferson can somehow work to a high standard

Looked at in another way, we probably won't be wanting to risk having a B- midfield in the future

Our chance to rebuild a stellar midfield is right now

I think that is right for pick 5.  At 9, I am not so sure. 

The mids still there are likely to be Allan, Reid, Hotton, and Lindsay.   Allan (disposal and decision making), Reid (speed and contested ball) and Hotton (ACL) all have questions marks over them.  Lindsay seems to be less risk, but also doesn't have the same damaging traits as the others.  

Travaglia, for example, would be a safer pick. 

I am happy to trust JT at pick 9 - if he thinks the best player is Reid, or Hotton, or Armstrong, I wouldn't have any issue with that.  

[DeeSpencer 25,483]

Just now, Mouseymoo said:

Yeah absolutely agree.

In my eyes it's incredibly simple; we've lost Brayshaw, Harmes, Jordan, ANB- we have Viney in his twilight, question marks over Oliver's psyche and Petracca's commitment. These issues outweigh and are far more pressing then any concerns over our forward depth. 

We need midfield doggedness before prospective KPPs. 

Langford/Smith and Allen/Travaglia/Reid like combo is an absolute must. 

 

But for every argument about our declining midfield depth and future doubts on current guys I think you can make the exact same argument for our talls. BBB gone, May, Max, McDonald not much left. Even Lever not a consistent force any more.

The top line midfielders available at 5 are seen as very high level prospects. Personally I think the reason no one can decide who goes 2 and who goes 6 is because they’re all good without being great.

The second tier mids are obviously considered by consensus another level lower.

At some stage if they aren’t rated all that highly and one of the talls are then we should go the better rated tall. Even more so if we can get a sneaky trade back too.

I believe the club are super high on Rivers. Add in Windsor and pick 5 that’s the basis of the next wave of mids. Plus Kolt. Depth is iffy right now but rebuilding midfield depth isn’t as difficult as finding stars. 

[dazzledavey36 54,298]

9 minutes ago, Slartibartfast said:

Draft night is like Christmas, once you open the presents all the mystery is gone.  I love the speculation and this year is special.  Don't ruin it @goodwindees, we can all wait and enjoy the suspense.  And if you do have quality mail, keep it to yourself, it can't do any good by releasing it but there is a very small chance it could do some harm. We'will know soon anyway!

Patience grasshopper.

But it's okay for guys like Cal Twomey and 50 other journalists to do so? Have you emailed them and advised them to keep their mail and information to themselves as well? Probably best not to read Cals phantom draft tomorrow. 

It's all a bit of fun. That's why the draft has become a popular spectacle. Now we're seeing heaps of YouTube channels trying to get one up with phantom drafts and information. 

[DeeSpencer 25,483]

1 minute ago, dazzledavey36 said:

But it's okay for guys like Cal Twomey and 50 other journalists to do so? Have you emailed them and advised them to keep their mail and information to themselves as well? Probably best not to read Cals phantom draft tomorrow. 

It's all a bit of fun. That's why the draft has become a popular spectacle. Now we're seeing heaps of YouTube channels trying to get one up with phantom drafts and information. 

The afl probably shouldn’t pay for Cal to fully ruin the draft. Honestly he should get a few in the top 10 and more in the top 30 wrong just to make it more interesting!

That said, I’ll read every bit of it and I’m happy for any classic demonland mail!

[Macca 16,935]

11 minutes ago, Willy's Warriors said:

I think that is right for pick 5.  At 9, I am not so sure. 

The mids still there are likely to be Allan, Reid, Hotton, and Lindsay.   Allan (disposal and decision making), Reid (speed and contested ball) and Hotton (ACL) all have questions marks over them.  Lindsay seems to be less risk, but also doesn't have the same damaging traits as the others.  

Travaglia, for example, would be a safer pick. 

I am happy to trust JT at pick 9 - if he thinks the best player is Reid, or Hotton, or Armstrong, I wouldn't have any issue with that.  

Yes, it's one thing having our own opinions but the MC & JT may well be happy with a mid and a position player with the 2 picks

In the 12 years with us, Taylor's track record is fantastic with draftees, so if there is a left-field pick, I'm quite happy to back JT in

But if it is 2 mids, we will need Turner and/or Jefferson to come on.  Injury-free, Petty is an excellent target and JVR should keep getting better 

[Willy's Warriors 69]

16 minutes ago, Macca said:

Yes, it's one thing having our own opinions but the MC & JT may well be happy with a mid and a position player with the 2 picks

In the 12 years with us, Taylor's track record is fantastic with draftees, so if there is a left-field pick, I'm quite happy to back JT in

But if it is 2 mids, we will need Turner and/or Jefferson to come on.  Injury-free, Petty is an excellent target and JVR should keep getting better 

We certainly need something in our forward line, that is for sure.  

One thing I have noticed is that in the last few years we have been really keen to trade up to secure a forward who would make immediate impact.  We went pretty hard at Bailey Humphrey in his draft year in 2022, then Harley Reid and Nick Watson in 2023, before trading up to take Kolt.  All mid/forwards. 

There are quite a few in this draft: Lalor, Langford, Reid, FOS, and Hotton.  

I wouldn't be surprised if we take, say, Langford and Reid, in the hope that one of them develops in the mid/fwd we have been searching for.  But if the last few years is any indicaiton, I don't think we will draft for need if there isn't a player at our pick that we consider good enough to warrant it. 

Edited 2 hours ago by Willy's Warriors

[Mouseymoo 264]

22 minutes ago, DeeSpencer said:

But for every argument about our declining midfield depth and future doubts on current guys I think you can make the exact same argument for our talls. BBB gone, May, Max, McDonald not much left. Even Lever not a consistent force any more.

The top line midfielders available at 5 are seen as very high level prospects. Personally I think the reason no one can decide who goes 2 and who goes 6 is because they’re all good without being great.

The second tier mids are obviously considered by consensus another level lower.

At some stage if they aren’t rated all that highly and one of the talls are then we should go the better rated tall. Even more so if we can get a sneaky trade back too.

I believe the club are super high on Rivers. Add in Windsor and pick 5 that’s the basis of the next wave of mids. Plus Kolt. Depth is iffy right now but rebuilding midfield depth isn’t as difficult as finding stars. 

Yep I also agree with you. I guess we can flip a coin as to what the more pressing needs are. 

If we took Tauru/Armstrong at 9 or split that for a Hynes/Armstrong combo I'd I have to back the man JT. Passing up on the mid that slides to 5 would be a travesty. 

[DeeSpencer 25,483]

26 minutes ago, Mouseymoo said:

Yep I also agree with you. I guess we can flip a coin as to what the more pressing needs are. 

If we took Tauru/Armstrong at 9 or split that for a Hynes/Armstrong combo I'd I have to back the man JT. Passing up on the mid that slides to 5 would be a travesty. 

I can only justify passing on a mid at 5 if they think Tauru is a cut above the mids AND they think the selection of top bracket mids stretches to 9 - which is possible if you think Smillie, Travaglia, Allan, Reid etc are on the same level as the top guys.

[Redleg 40,848]

1 hour ago, dazzledavey36 said:

But it's okay for guys like Cal Twomey and 50 other journalists to do so? Have you emailed them and advised them to keep their mail and information to themselves as well? Probably best not to read Cals phantom draft tomorrow. 

It's all a bit of fun. That's why the draft has become a popular spectacle. Now we're seeing heaps of YouTube channels trying to get one up with phantom drafts and information. 

You missed Slarti’s point.

If Goodwindees has inside mail it can only harm us to release it. Surely you understand that.

The media are guessing from bits of info that could be correct or not, even planted by other clubs as well, or just using their assessment of clubs needs.

The media speculates and that is fine.

We don’t need to harm our chances by spilling the beans to the whole AFL world.

[Demons11 6,924]

3 hours ago, adonski said:

Wishful thinking or something more, D11?

Just a whisper I’ve heard.  I’ve heard we want a combination of either Langford, Allan or the Viking

Edited 1 hour ago by Demons11

[dazzledavey36 54,298]

2 minutes ago, Redleg said:

You missed Slarti’s point.

If Goodwindees has inside mail it can only harm us to release it. Surely you understand that.

The media are guessing from bits of info that could be correct or not, even planted by other clubs as well, or just using their assessment of clubs needs.

The media speculates and that is fine.

We don’t need to harm our chances by spilling the beans to the whole AFL world.

Yeah I'm sure recruiters are falling over themselves to get inside information off demonland..

Look, you've got a well respected journo who is well connected to the draft and has the best draft intel going around in Cal Twomey who's literally about to release a phantom draft tomorrow to the whole of Australia outlining the inside mail coming out of the dees camp on who they may take at pick 5 and 9.

Marc McGowan from the AGE literally did the exact same thing last week. This is literally no different. 

You also do realise that even if the club has a particular player in mind for both our picks, it doesn't mean it set in stone now. There are always last minute decision changes or that particular player gets taken early or slips through.

As I said, it's all a bit of fun.. 

[demoncat 1,330]

21 minutes ago, Demons11 said:

Just a whisper I’ve heard.  I’ve heard we want a combination of either Langford, Allan or the Viking

Langford at 5 and one of Allan/Tauru at 9 would be ideal

No Tauru at 5 though pls 

Edited 45 minutes ago by demoncat

[Demons11 6,924]

Just now, demoncat said:

Langford at 5 and one of Allan/Tauru at 9 would be ideal

I reckon the top 5 looks like this (excluding Ashcroft)

1. Lalor 

2. FOS

3. Jagga

4. Draper (I think there is a chance Crows take Langford)

5. Langford or Allan (depending on the above) 

[demoncat 1,330]

3 minutes ago, Demons11 said:

I reckon the top 5 looks like this (excluding Ashcroft)

1. Lalor 

2. FOS

3. Jagga

4. Draper (I think there is a chance Crows take Langford)

5. Langford or Allan (depending on the above) 

Surely we wouldn’t pass on Draper at 5 if Crows take Langford? 😱

Edited 41 minutes ago by demoncat