10 minutes ago, Pink Freud said:

I would definitely keep pick 24 which is currently the first pick on the second night of the draft and usually highly sought after by the clubs.

@Pink Freud Agree. Agree. Agree. It’s very handy. Don’t give it up easily.

if we do end up gulp with picks 7 & 8, i'm liking Robey and Lindsay. surprised that no one has mentioned Lindsay. antother with great foot skills & looks hard at it too. potential mid?

4 minutes ago, Mt. Dee-Maaan said:

if we do end up gulp with picks 7 & 8, i'm liking Robey and Lindsay. surprised that no one has mentioned Lindsay. antother with great foot skills & looks hard at it too. potential mid?

Robey will be gone by then and Lindsay’s knock is that he ISN’T hard at it, doesn’t have a contested game

Maybe we'll see Taylor draft Taylor and Taylor?

13 hours ago, Random Task said:

Maybe we'll see Taylor draft Taylor and Taylor?

I’ll pay that @Random Task very clever 👏👏

Suns 7&8 for Trac &24 ? 🤮 Hypothetically hypothetical… 7&8?

1. WCE -Willem Duursma

   Suns match bid …Zeke Uwland (academy)

2. WCE -Cooper Duff-Tytler   

3. Rich Dyson Sharp.

   Lions bid match … Daniel Annable (academy)

4. Rich. Sullivan Robey 🤩

   Suns bid match … Dylan Patterson (academy)

5. Ess. Sam Grlj 🤩

   Blues bid match. Harry Dean (Carlton f/son)

6. Ess. Xavier Taylor

   7&8 contenders

   Josh Lindsay (Vic)✅

   Jacob Farrow (WA)

   Beau Addinsall (Suns academy)✅

   Sam Cumming

   Lachlan Dovaston (Vic)✅

   Oliver Greeves (Vic)

   Noah Hibbins-Hargreaves (Vic)

   
   

Edited Saturday at 22:403 days by spirit of norm smith
Y

The Zero Hanger clickbait site has its current mock top 10 for the forthcoming draft as follows

If the selections fall that way, Melbourne would under the media’s almost unanimous GCS trade for Tracc, select Sullivan Robey and Xavier Taylor while giving up pick 24. While these players might sound okay, there’s very little to show of Robey (he was a latecomer to the conversation) and Taylor may or may not turn out as good as the experts expect.

Aussie Rules Rookie Me Central

Sullivan Robey Draft Profile

Sullivan Robey is the bolter of this year's draft crop, possessing physicality and power as a high-impact midfielder/forward.

Aussie Rules Rookie Me Central

Xavier Taylor Draft Profile

Eastern Ranges prospect Xavier Taylor has ascended draft boards this year with his competitive nature and defensive versatility.

I think we would be expecting at least this and the capacity to land a decent player, perhaps in conjunction with the Oliver trade.

27 minutes ago, Whispering_Jack said:

The Zero Hanger clickbait site has its current mock top 10 for the forthcoming draft as follows

If the selections fall that way, Melbourne would under the media’s almost unanimous GCS trade for Tracc, select Sullivan Robey and Xavier Taylor while giving up pick 24. While these players might sound okay, there’s very little to show of Robey (he was a latecomer to the conversation) and Taylor may or may not turn out as good as the experts expect.

Aussie Rules Rookie Me Central

Sullivan Robey Draft Profile

Sullivan Robey is the bolter of this year's draft crop, possessing physicality and power as a high-impact midfielder/forward.

Aussie Rules Rookie Me Central

Xavier Taylor Draft Profile

Eastern Ranges prospect Xavier Taylor has ascended draft boards this year with his competitive nature and defensive versatility.

I think we would be expecting at least this and the capacity to land a decent player, perhaps in conjunction with the Oliver trade.

Going by this mock we would actually end up with selections 11 and 12 as 4 of these players are linked to other clubs through f/s and NGAs.

39 minutes ago, Whispering_Jack said:

The Zero Hanger clickbait site has its current mock top 10 for the forthcoming draft as follows

If the selections fall that way, Melbourne would under the media’s almost unanimous GCS trade for Tracc, select Sullivan Robey and Xavier Taylor while giving up pick 24. While these players might sound okay, there’s very little to show of Robey (he was a latecomer to the conversation) and Taylor may or may not turn out as good as the experts expect.

Aussie Rules Rookie Me Central

Sullivan Robey Draft Profile

Sullivan Robey is the bolter of this year's draft crop, possessing physicality and power as a high-impact midfielder/forward.

Aussie Rules Rookie Me Central

Xavier Taylor Draft Profile

Eastern Ranges prospect Xavier Taylor has ascended draft boards this year with his competitive nature and defensive versatility.

I think we would be expecting at least this and the capacity to land a decent player, perhaps in conjunction with the Oliver trade.

@Whispering_Jack MFC 7&8 hypothetical would be picks 11&12 given Uwland, Paterson, Annable & Dean as nominated priority players. So unlikely to get Robey and Xavier Taylor. But young guns like (Josh) Lindsay, Farrow, Addinsall and Dovaston as options. Lindsay was potentially a number 1 pick 12 months ago. He’s a star. He’s delivery is elite. He’s smart. He’s sidestep is also excellent.

3 minutes ago, spirit of norm smith said:

@Whispering_Jack MFC 7&8 hypothetical would be picks 11&12 given Uwland, Paterson, Annable & Dean as nominated priority players. So unlikely to get Robey and Xavier Taylor. But young guns like (Josh) Lindsay, Farrow, Addinsall and Dovaston as options. Lindsay was potentially a number 1 pick 12 months ago. He’s a star. He’s delivery is elite. He’s smart. He’s sidestep is also excellent.

So we could still potentially swap picks and move up the list as well if there was a particular player we really wanted.

3 of the top 5 kids are going to QLD clubs via academies

GAGF’d!!!

the academies are out of control

22 minutes ago, Whispering_Jack said:

So we could still potentially swap picks and move up the list as well if there was a particular player we really wanted.

Unlikely that anyone will swap...

edit: and it appears that each time we've tried this we've missed the particular player we wanted.

Humphrey, Watson, Holmes...

So I wouldn't be banking on this strategy.

Edited Sunday at 01:493 days by rjay

There is a great article on Code Sports on Mature-age draft prospect Latrelle Pickett.

"The Glenelg mature-age draft prospect’s cousins include Melbourne premiership star Kysaiah Pickett and Port Adelaide Norm Smith Medallist Byron Pickett. Kysaiah is five years older, but he is close with Latrelle, who describes him as like a big brother. “It’s pretty surreal to watch him,” Latrelle, 19, said. "

"“We text a lot, ring a lot and when he played that last game (in July) against the Crows, I stayed at his hotel and went to the game with him and met a couple of the boys. " Originally from Port Lincoln, Latrelle played under-18s at Norwood, only to return home.

Glenelg lured him back to Adelaide after he impressed in a Nunga carnival. Kysaiah’s advice to Latrelle has been “keep at it and hopefully you’ll make it to the big stage one day”. The thought of lining up alongside or against the Demons livewire is “pretty crazy”.

I'm very intrigued to know is whether Jason Taylor has interviewed Latrelle as yet.

6 minutes ago, Langers15 said:

There is a great article on Code Sports on Mature-age draft prospect Latrelle Pickett.

"The Glenelg mature-age draft prospect’s cousins include Melbourne premiership star Kysaiah Pickett and Port Adelaide Norm Smith Medallist Byron Pickett. Kysaiah is five years older, but he is close with Latrelle, who describes him as like a big brother. “It’s pretty surreal to watch him,” Latrelle, 19, said. "

"“We text a lot, ring a lot and when he played that last game (in July) against the Crows, I stayed at his hotel and went to the game with him and met a couple of the boys. " Originally from Port Lincoln, Latrelle played under-18s at Norwood, only to return home.

Glenelg lured him back to Adelaide after he impressed in a Nunga carnival. Kysaiah’s advice to Latrelle has been “keep at it and hopefully you’ll make it to the big stage one day”. The thought of lining up alongside or against the Demons livewire is “pretty crazy”.

I'm very intrigued to know is whether Jason Taylor has interviewed Latrelle as yet.

Would not be upset the slightest if we take him or if we take him early than he’s predicted. We lack small forwards so any more to add to the team is a win for me.

It could be ironic if the Dees did trade Trac out and then could use one of the two picks to grab a kid from the Suns academy.

Beau Addinsall. Plays like … Lachie Neale. Skill. Smarts. Run. I like his creative handball and composure with the footy. He’d get into our MFC best 22 as a rotating mid sometime in the 2026 season. Actually he’d be wasted to go the Suns given their midfield depth and continued academy products coming through.

Excluding Academy picks; I have the top 15 like

Willem Duursma

Sullivan Robey

Cooper Duff-Tyler

Dyson Sharp

Xavier Taylor

Josh Lindsay

Aidan Schubert

Sam Grlj

Jacob Farrow

Sam Cumming

Lacy Dovaston

Mitch Marsh

Oskar Taylor

Oliver Greeves

Jevan Phillipou

I would be interested in if we didn't rate the draft to swap Pick 7/8 for Pick 1 to try nab Willem Duursma. He trained on with us/Casey and I think he will be one of the more versatile players in the game today once he gets a crack. He just screams Goddard to me.

Outside of that, pace and skill required. Sam Grlj, Josh Lindsay, Lachy Dovaston, and Oskar Taylor all would be who fit the bill.

Out side shouts: Mitch Marsh, plays like Melksham. Aidan Schubert, I think despite his build he could play seniors first year.

On 11/10/2025 at 00:29, spirit of norm smith said:

Sam Cumming SA midfield/Hff 

Sam Grlj VIC halfback/midfield

If we get picks 6 and 7 I'd be right up for this pair, nevermind the early call, as my little one is named Sam.

I guess there's a place for another runner too, so Sam Swadling from a pick in the 20s range.

Not an entirely nonsense set of picks, actually.

I think we could do quite well with an exclusively Sam-oriented drafting and trading strategy for years to come.

Definitely should have gone harder after Flanders, Draper and De Konig.

Sam Walsh is a free agent next season and maybe Sam Lalor will want to pull a Horne-Francis if Richmond don't make progress.

Sam Sam Sam Sam Sam Sam Sam Sam. Lovely Sam! Lovely Sam! Sam Sam Sam Sam.

Is it obvious that the top ten or 12 of this draft are not at the same level as the top 10 or 12 of last year's draft - or is it very difficult to compare under 18s across seasons?

This years top 10-15 are very speculative. Duursma good at all the things his brother was good at that were highly rated at Coates but that hasn't gone anywhere (not that he should be graded on that) but a tall athletic junior game doesn't translate to AFL easily. Hope it does as he looks like a nice kid. Robey good, based on very small sample size and a lot of highly rated players by Cal who have had fairly ordinary Coates and Nationals but given a pass based on small patches showing signs? Josh Lindsay - only left foot and misses more elite traits than he has? Archie Ludo tall skinny kid who clunks a few marks every fifth game who shows potential because he's six inches taller than an opponent not old enough to know to rough him up? Just because you have a good combine seems to excuse had a quiet season or showed some signs? Watched quite a bit this year and the value is in the later picks blokes who were good at Coates level regularly.

20 hours ago, Little Goffy said:

If we get picks 6 and 7 I'd be right up for this pair, nevermind the early call, as my little one is named Sam.

I guess there's a place for another runner too, so Sam Swadling from a pick in the 20s range.

Not an entirely nonsense set of picks, actually.

I think we could do quite well with an exclusively Sam-oriented drafting and trading strategy for years to come.

Definitely should have gone harder after Flanders, Draper and De Konig.

Sam Walsh is a free agent next season and maybe Sam Lalor will want to pull a Horne-Francis if Richmond don't make progress.

Sam Sam Sam Sam Sam Sam Sam Sam. Lovely Sam! Lovely Sam! Sam Sam Sam Sam.

I’d be a no to Swadling, tbh

Looking through a lot of National Draft social media it is very clear you can now buy good PR as a draftee through a few of these sites.

On 12/10/2025 at 17:03, MurDoc516 said:

Excluding Academy picks; I have the top 15 like

Willem Duursma

Sullivan Robey

Cooper Duff-Tyler

Dyson Sharp

Xavier Taylor

Josh Lindsay

Aidan Schubert

Sam Grlj

Jacob Farrow

Sam Cumming

Lacy Dovaston

Mitch Marsh

Oskar Taylor

Oliver Greeves

Jevan Phillipou

I would be interested in if we didn't rate the draft to swap Pick 7/8 for Pick 1 to try nab Willem Duursma. He trained on with us/Casey and I think he will be one of the more versatile players in the game today once he gets a crack. He just screams Goddard to me.

Outside of that, pace and skill required. Sam Grlj, Josh Lindsay, Lachy Dovaston, and Oskar Taylor all would be who fit the bill.

Out side shouts: Mitch Marsh, plays like Melksham. Aidan Schubert, I think despite his build he could play seniors first year.

The first 2 Duursma's are a bit meh, not expecting the 3rd to be that much better over time, although he may become as good as a previous geelong captain who was a 3rd brother.

6 minutes ago, Viscount Cardwell said:

The first 2 Duursma's are a bit meh, not expecting the 3rd to be that much better over time, although he may become as good as a previous geelong captain who was a 3rd brother.

Or the Travis to the Jason and Cameron Cloke

I like the below group of four for pix 7/8

Grlj
Oskar Taylor
Doveston
Lindsay

Latrelle Pickett to cap things off with pick 24/28

2 hours ago, Pennant St Dee said:

I’d be a no to Swadling, tbh

I condemn your anti Sam bias.

And I expect silent credit for not making the obvious but not really impressive joke.