2 hours ago, Adam The God said:

Mate, who do you like for our pick, versus who do you think we'll pick if different?

It’s still early and I’m by no means any expert, but I currently lean towards Lalor. I think he’s the type of player we’ve shown ourselves to go after aggressively when we’ve had a chance.

26 minutes ago, Skuit said:

As proven credit card junkies unfussed by high interest rates, I'd imagine it's closer to a certainty than a chance, if we can, especially considering the introduction of future future trading next year. I'm also guessing we rate ourselves to finish much higher next year, and will be hoping another club will gamble on a longer-term slip. 

That said, it's not likely going to be much to get too excited about. Probably a future first and the ANB return to push into around 19 or 20, if we're lucky. Then we'll do our best to get another pick in the mid-to-late 20s at a guess, through packaging or an unexpected departure. Something like a replica of the 2019 draft, but with a focus on mids. 

 

 

There might be a club that thinks we'll stay down and has the assets to back the punt. Maybe Richmond or the Suns might do a couple of picks in the mid-late teens to early 20s, say 17 + 21 from Richmond. That would put us in the frame for the ruck Dodson and a tall - there seems to be a batch of them around that mark.

1 hour ago, old55 said:

There might be a club that thinks we'll stay down and has the assets to back the punt. Maybe Richmond or the Suns might do a couple of picks in the mid-late teens to early 20s, say 17 + 21 from Richmond. That would put us in the frame for the ruck Dodson and a tall - there seems to be a batch of them around that mark.

I would like to see another young ruck like Dodson come in under the Gawn tutorage.

5 hours ago, Fat Tony said:

I don't see any slam dunk picks in this draft. I would be happy to trade down. 

That said, Sam Lalor looks the most ready made from the limited vision I have seen.

Definitely elite players in this draft especially the top 10.   Keep pick 5.  With Crows lining up Draper, we will get access to an elite midfielder at 5 no matter who is on the board.  

12 hours ago, Axis of Bob said:

It’s still early and I’m by no means any expert, but I currently lean towards Lalor. I think he’s the type of player we’ve shown ourselves to go after aggressively when we’ve had a chance.

It’s about time we stopped going for the same style of player we have. It’s obvious we need more skilful finishers and not bulls to round off our forward and mid field. 

Thst why we can’t get over the line I. Close games and our footy is too chaotic and not skilled enough.  

10 hours ago, spirit of norm smith said:

Definitely elite players in this draft especially the top 10.   Keep pick 5.  With Crows lining up Draper, we will get access to an elite midfielder at 5 no matter who is on the board.  

Obviously there is good depth of talent, but no players like Petracca, JHF, or Reid who you know are going to be AFL stars because of their size, speed and power and ball winning ability.

I don't see a big gap between top 5 and top 10 or even top 30 here.

Jagger Smith (expected to go number 1) looks a safe bet to be a very good player, but he is only small. Jhye Clarke had a similar game at U18 level and has not been able to establish himself at AFL level.

I like the idea of sliding or selling our pick into the future because clubs pay a credit card interest rate to push up the draft it makes more long-run sense to receive interest than to pay it.

Jagga Smith plays like Sam Walsh or indeed reminds me of Caleb Serong in his draft year.  Some were saying they were small. Agree he’s not big but he’s so smart with the footy and his running is elite. Is he as good as Harley Reid? No. But that’s a tough comparison.   
 

Jagga Smith. Strengths are his decision making and ball use. He is probably the most skilled of all the top 5/6 mids.  He creates.  His running is elite.  Watch his running after he disposes of the footy.  He’s on the move. That’s what you see in elite midfielders. That’s why they get to many contests.  Watch Butters. He’s similar in that way.  

 

We need a replacement for Gus he was sorely missed this year. I know they don't grow on trees. End of story.

8 minutes ago, old dee said:

We need a replacement for Gus he was sorely missed this year. I know they don't grow on trees. End of story.

A winter of discontent.

34 minutes ago, spirit of norm smith said:

Jagga Smith plays like Sam Walsh or indeed reminds me of Caleb Serong in his draft year.  Some were saying they were small. Agree he’s not big but he’s so smart with the footy and his running is elite. Is he as good as Harley Reid? No. But that’s a tough comparison.   
 

Jagga Smith. Strengths are his decision making and ball use. He is probably the most skilled of all the top 5/6 mids.  He creates.  His running is elite.  Watch his running after he disposes of the footy.  He’s on the move. That’s what you see in elite midfielders. That’s why they get to many contests.  Watch Butters. He’s similar in that way.  

 

Very silky with the help of the burst and agility to escape and evade on top.  Pretty rare.

Great vision.

Slick by hand and foot with a poise beyond his years.

Just the frame but hopefully a few years in the system will fix.  Wouldn't want him to gain too much either as he'll lose some of what makes him special.

Bottom line, super slippery and silky with poise, vision and decent finish hand & foot.  Ability to assess and change lanes!  Our mids are mostly all ahead straight most of the time.

Would need to make sure we don't coach that aspect out of him.  He's a 360 mid with the above.  Don't come along very often.

Would be a VG addition and exactly what we are missing through the middle.

Edited September 4, 2024Sep 4 by Demon Dynasty

1 hour ago, Demon Dynasty said:

Very silky with the help of the burst and agility to escape and evade on top.  Pretty rare.

Great vision.

Slick by hand and foot with a poise beyond his years.

Just the frame but hopefully a few years in the system will fix.  Wouldn't want him to gain too much either as he'll lose some of what makes him special.

Bottom line, super slippery and silky with poise, vision and decent finish hand & foot.  Ability to assess and change lanes!  Our mids are mostly all ahead straight most of the time.

Would need to make sure we don't coach that aspect out of him.  He's a 360 mid with the above.  Don't come along very often.

Would be a VG addition and exactly what we are missing through the middle.

He’s got good patience when he needs it too, doesn’t panic and dish off for no reason.

Jagga gets it 30+ a week so it’s easy to make compilation videos of his best pieces of play.

Isolate the individual games and you’ll see he’s a backwards sideways handball merchant with an up and under kick. Obviously super windy but watch how many times he snaps for goal don’t go anywhere or his kicks from congestion just hang in the air.

Not tall. Very slight build with no hips or shoulders. To me he’s closer to Kynan Brown than a top pick.

He’ll carve out a career no doubt but I wouldn’t be interested with a pick anywhere in the top 10 yet alone 5 or 6.

Obviously it’s been a big year for small outside in mids like Daicos, Butters, Serong, Merrett but they all have combinations of elite skills, pace and (aside from Daicos) they’re very physical. 

Jagga probably has to study someone like Lachie Neale and really build his body up and work on his clearance craft, otherwise he’s what? Darcy Parish?

14 minutes ago, DeeSpencer said:

Jagga gets it 30+ a week so it’s easy to make compilation videos of his best pieces of play.

Isolate the individual games and you’ll see he’s a backwards sideways handball merchant with an up and under kick. Obviously super windy but watch how many times he snaps for goal don’t go anywhere or his kicks from congestion just hang in the air.

Not tall. Very slight build with no hips or shoulders. To me he’s closer to Kynan Brown than a top pick.

He’ll carve out a career no doubt but I wouldn’t be interested with a pick anywhere in the top 10 yet alone 5 or 6.

Obviously it’s been a big year for small outside in mids like Daicos, Butters, Serong, Merrett but they all have combinations of elite skills, pace and (aside from Daicos) they’re very physical. 

Jagga probably has to study someone like Lachie Neale and really build his body up and work on his clearance craft, otherwise he’s what? Darcy Parish?

Agree with everything (I'll probably be wrong).

Jagga played for Richmond VFL so they've had a good look at him. With the slight frame, there's more time needed for development, which fits their list profile perfectly.

2 hours ago, old dee said:

We need a replacement for Gus he was sorely missed this year. I know they don't grow on trees. End of story.

On paper, Langford looks the most likely. I'd be very happy if we picked him up.

Seems likely that one of Langford or Smillie would slip to pick 5, i'd be very happy with either. Both read like they could play immediately.

I think Kangas would like a Luke Trainir type.  I’m hoping.  I think the Eagles would like a Jagga Smith type. I’m hoping.  
 

Dees best three options imv are Langford, O’Sullivan, Lalor.  If any are available at our pick, then happy days.  
 

Looking like the Saints will get a first round compo for Battle. Thank our lucky stars they kicked that goal in the last 20 seconds, effectively taking us from pick 7 to pick 5. 

36 minutes ago, RyanD said:

Looking like the Saints will get a first round compo for Battle. Thank our lucky stars they kicked that goal in the last 20 seconds, effectively taking us from pick 7 to pick 5. 

I reckon I got more joy watching Higgins kick that goal than I have at just about any Dees game this year 😭

5 hours ago, spirit of norm smith said:

I think Kangas would like a Luke Trainir type.  I’m hoping.  I think the Eagles would like a Jagga Smith type. I’m hoping.  
 

Dees best three options imv are Langford, O’Sullivan, Lalor.  If any are available at our pick, then happy days.  
 

Is this assuming Draper goes to the Crows? Its a shame because in terms of what our midfield is missing he's exactly what we need. However it does seem likely the Crows will keep him home.

My current prediction:

1. Brisbane - Ashcroft

2. Richmond - Jagga

3. North Melb - Trainor

4. West Coast - O'Sullivan

5. Adelaide - Draper

6. Melbourne - Langford

7. Gold Coast - Smillie

8. St.Kilda - Lalor

9. Essendon - Armstrong

10/11. - Fremantle - Reid and Allan

I think we're going to have to choose one of the three huge mids which is going to be tough as all three I believe have the highest ceiling in terms of being game-changers if they continue to improve.

Edited September 5, 2024Sep 5 by Young Blood

Whilst I agree getting in a quality midfielder would be a great fit I don't think JT and his team will be so needs focused and repeatedly they've shown they aren't afraid to have their own rankings that go away from consensus.

If Langford, O'Sullivan or Draper are on the board I'd go mid, but I'm not as sold on Reid (I'm close just can't get there yet), Jagga or Smillie. Whilst you could tell me Lalor is in pick 1 contention but also that he doesn't go until outside pick 15.

I think our options will include at least one of the talls in Harry Armstrong or Luke Trainor. Tobie Travaglia does some special stuff too and he should progress towards the midfield. I wouldn't rule out Lindsay or Dattoli as midfielders who offer something a bit different to the standard ball winners. And the other one I'd study very closely is Alix Tauru.

On 04/09/2024 at 09:39, Fat Tony said:

Obviously there is good depth of talent, but no players like Petracca, JHF, or Reid who you know are going to be AFL stars because of their size, speed and power and ball winning ability.

I don't see a big gap between top 5 and top 10 or even top 30 here.

Jagger Smith (expected to go number 1) looks a safe bet to be a very good player, but he is only small. Jhye Clarke had a similar game at U18 level and has not been able to establish himself at AFL level.

I like the idea of sliding or selling our pick into the future because clubs pay a credit card interest rate to push up the draft it makes more long-run sense to receive interest than to pay it.

We are not in The business of trading stocks and shares. We are dealing with real live human beings and 18 yo bodies and  Minds with special skills.

When you get the chance to get a star with no 5 pick take it.

By delaying it you are delaying your potential on your list and with the addition of future picks can be two years off the pace. We have nailed our Top 10 or near and under picks for nearly a decade viz. Trac Gus Clarry Jacko Kossie the Duke. Only real failure was the Weid. 

We need the best mid available (not putting our pick out waiting for potential)  strike with the golden opportunity and enjoy the ride and rewards. 

Do it today not tomorrow who knows what will be there available in the future.

The most recent videos I saw of Langford and Armstrong were incredibly underwhelming.  That said, I remember thinking the same about Luke Shuey and he became a terrific player.

3 hours ago, DeeSpencer said:

Tobie Travaglia does some special stuff too and he should progress towards the midfield.

His output and highlights are quality. He is the type of player that could end up a JT special. Good size, speed and skills and whilst he played general back I can see how he could translate into elite midfield attributes. JT certainly does not generally follow the same order as most. 

On 05/09/2024 at 11:53, Young Blood said:

Is this assuming Draper goes to the Crows? Its a shame because in terms of what our midfield is missing he's exactly what we need. However it does seem likely the Crows will keep him home.

My current prediction:

1. Brisbane - Ashcroft

2. Richmond - Jagga

3. North Melb - Trainor

4. West Coast - O'Sullivan

5. Adelaide - Draper

6. Melbourne - Langford

7. Gold Coast - Smillie

8. St.Kilda - Lalor

9. Essendon - Armstrong

10/11. - Fremantle - Reid and Allan

I think we're going to have to choose one of the three huge mids which is going to be tough as all three I believe have the highest ceiling in terms of being game-changers if they continue to improve.

Young Blood, the one thing I would say is that if O'Sullivan is available at pick 6, we call his name out quicker than an RSL Bingo night

If I was to guess who we will pick (remembering Oliver's rapid rise) it would be Langford.

12 minutes ago, Return to Glory said:

If I was to guess who we will pick (remembering Oliver's rapid rise) it would be Langford.

Lalor has more the rapid rise like Clarry IMV.

I'm split on Langford and Lalor.