THE YEAR OF DRAFTING DANGEROUSLY – PART TWO

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Now the second part of Stevo's series on Melbourne's draft picks in the upcoming AFL National Draft -

THE YEAR OF DRAFTING DANGEROUSLY – PART TWO by Stevo

There's a name in the draft lists that fits the topic of my presentation on the national draft just nicely. The name is "Dangerfield" and it's a reference to Patrick Dangerfield, a brilliant 188cm midfielder who played nine games with the Geelong Falcons in 2007. He wants to be drafted to an AFL club, but says he won't play a game next year. Dangerfield has stipulated on his draft nomination that he wants to finish his VCE before taking on an AFL career. He is a super athlete and would have been a good chance to finish top 20 but some clubs might consider it a risk to use a high draft pick for a player who won't be on the track until 2009. We have seen other leading draft picks in the past who have sat out their first years after the draft with mixed success, Luke Ball and Xavier Ellis among them but while the player in question here is a quality young footballer and I don't question his motives, I have ruled him out of contention for Melbourne's second pick. Not that the Demons would want to pass on a player of his undoubted ability but there are plenty of others who are keen and eager to play and who should be available at number 14.

Selection Fourteen

At this stage I would expect my nominated candidates for pick four to be long gone and I would be hoping that another WA All Australian in David Myers, a brilliant running defender, would be still around. However, I suspect that's wishful thinking and the same goes for Brad Ebert, Scott Selwood and probably Tom Collier and Jarrad Grant who should all have been taken by then.

This will still leave a tantalising mix of players available including a few with the X factor and definitely something there for a club that wants to take risks and perhaps even recruit a little dangerously.

David Gourdis 24.03.89 192 cm 89 kg (Subiaco WA) – an athletic key forward who blitzed them at the draft camp. He's a strong mark and shapes up as the prototype modern day athletic tall forward although he needs to work a bit on his kicking.

Jack Grimes 11.05.89 187 76 (Northern Knights Vic Metro) – a true all rounder who can play anywhere with telling effect. Grimes has good size, great endurance, knows his way around the goals and has leadership quality.

Patrick McGinnity 18.02.89 183 80 (Claremont WA) – a real hard nut inside midfielder who won All Australian honours at the national carnival and impressed when he worked over Vic Metro superstar Trent Cotchin.

Tayte Pears 24.03.90 192 90 (East Perth WA) – a very quick defender who played centre half back in the national championships. Pears is strong in the air, can close down opposition forwards and also cause damage with his run out of defence.

Cyril Rioli 14.07.89 178 74 (Northern Territory Thunder) - take someone with the Rioli and Long bloodlines and you have a player with super skills and the ability to do the impossible. He has great speed and ball handling ability and was a sensation around goal kicking 7 in one game in the national carnival. There is a question mark over his endurance but he should adapt well to Victoria as he has done his schooling here for a number of years.

Patrick Vezpremi 01.07.89 181 83 (Northern Knights Vic Metro) – a 2006 All Australian when he was bottom aged but missed this year's championships with injury. Has a strong body, is classy, a great kick and a real talent. Kicked eight goals against the Gippsland Power in half a game during the finals.

Callan Ward 10.04.90 185 73 (Western Jets Vic Metro) – a bottom age emerging midfielder with classic disposal and a hard at it attitude. He has plenty of up side.

The verdict? This time last year I had Vezpremi as a shoe in for a top five selection in this year's draft. If around at number 14, he wouldn't necessarily be a steal but definitely a value selection. If he's gone at this stage, then I might be tempted to go in a different direction altogether and opt for Gourdis.

Selection Twenty-one

The popular view is that by the time you get to this stage of a draft, the talent starts to get a bit thinner on the ground but we are still dealing with the best two dozen youngsters in the country. Apart from anyone already mentioned above who might not have been selected by now, I think pick 21 will come from this disparate group which includes some real X factor candidates:-

Steven Browne 01.02.89.181 74 (West Perth WA) – a strong solid defender who made the transition to senior football in the WAFL during the season. Will possibly graduate to play midfield in the future.

Steven Gaertner 02.01.90 196 83 (Dandenong Stingrays Vic Metro) – a tall athlete who has pace and can take a mark. He’s the sort of player who might adapt to play in a number of positions and, as a bottom age player, has time to develop.

Levi Greenwood 19.02.89 181 91 (Pot Adelaide SA) - a tough little nut who has been likened to Geelong's Paul Chapman. He has played senior football in the SANFL and is highly regarded in some circles.

Addam Maric 19.04.90 179 80 (Calder Cannons Vic Metro) – a forward pocket specialist who is renowned for his accuracy in front of goal. Maric is a real impact player at under 18 level and is the epitome of the X factor player - a bit of a freak who has Daicos-like tricks in his bag.

Tony Notte (15.04.90) 194 70 (Swan Districts WA) – a key forward who looks lean and hungry. He has an ultra light frame but can take a mark and has lots of skill. It might however, be a long weight before he puts on some … weight.

Scott Simpson 19.10.89 194 91 (Dandenong Stingrays Vic Metro) - comes with gigantic wraps from his Under 18 coach and former Demon Graeme Yeats who calls him a "superstar". He has height, athleticism and determination - attributes that would please any club recruiting officer.

Robert Tarrant 25.04.89 196.90 (Bendigo Pioneers Vic Country) – a strong key forward who was overlooked last year but worked hard over the current season and produced some outstanding draft camp results.

There is a possibility is that a young ruckman of the calibre of Tom Bellchambers, Andrew Renton or Dawson Simpson might be looked at but I have my doubts on that score. As history has shown, some of these tall young ruck types are dangerous early selections. The Magpies found that out when they selected Guy Richards half a lifetime ago and waited until a month ago for their patience to run out.

The verdict? In the club's entire history, it has never had a Simpson playing in its senior team so it's about time. The one I have in mind is not Homer, he doesn't come from Springfield and he doesn't work in a nuclear power plant. He doesn't even have the initials "O.J" and his would not be a dangerous selection if still available at 21. It's not big 207cm tall Dawson Simpson but tall enough at 194 cm to be a key position prospect and just the right size to fill a need at Melbourne – Scott Simpson.

The rest?

I'm not game to have a crack. It's too dangerous!