Axis of Bob

Baghdad Bob, the Iraqi Minister for (Mid)Information .... the draft is actually tonight!

I thought the argument against him was that we don’t need a ruckman, but we do need a half back flanker?

Whilst I support Redleg, I have a gnawing feeling that Pickett could be another Eddie Betts whilst Kemp becomes an Anthony Morabito/Blake Acres type. ?

Given that our next pick is at 28, it doesn't make any difference who they want to take.

Not exactly. Cyril was a top prospect all year and slid come draft time but Daniel’s name only came to attention very late (like Pickett). Two different draft stories.

3. Jackson 10. Pickett 28. Cahill

The potential selection of Pickett is intriguing to me. I think it represents a change in the philosophy of drafting. Certainly with regard to paying for player to play a role. It used to be that you paid a high price for midfielders and key forwards, and picked up the rest at the back end. But with the difficulty scoring in a congested forward line, the ability to lock the ball in and snag the occasional goal out of nothing has become much more valuable. This represents a shift towards paying for role players, rather than having a team of interchangeable midfield runners. I watched the WA v SA game and, whilst not dominant, he does play the opportunistic pressure forward very well. He gets to great spots at ground level and is excellent in tight spaces. Should we draft him at 10? I have no idea, but he’d be great fun to watch.

He’s kicked 9.4

Kicked 9.4 at in Colts this year, so he must hack them through with a lot of fortune!

GWS offered Adelaide pick 6 and a first rounder next year for pick 4. They would have offered us the same deal, but we must have rejected it. So why would we accept an inferior deal from Sydney?

Whose rankings? Not necessarily Jason Taylor's rankings. Amateur draft pundits are a rough guide, but that's it.

Ha ha ha! You’ve really leant in to the ignorance, haven’t you. Although it’s obvious, and you clearly know this and are trying to bluff your way out of this pit, I will mention that he has played other games of football other than these four games specifically. I know this because Jason Taylor specifically talked about the thing that you claim never to have happened. Anyway, enjoy the draft.

Yes he has .... Taylor specifically spoke about it in the podcast. He watched him play after the championships where he was very impressive as a forward who still got the ball 20+ times a game. You’ve never even seen him even play in the position. In fact you didn’t even know that he had played the position! So how can you say that he “is no forward. No footy smarts”? You cannot.

Half back flankers drafted in the top 5 in the last 15 years. - Andrew McGrath 1 - Lachie Plowman 3 IMO they would have to be pretty special to use a top 5 pick on a back flanker. I think to be a successful HBF in the top 5 you have to be exceptional. Is Young “Luke Hodge” good? I don’t know.

How would you know this? How much have you watched him play as a forward?

He plays as a forward and allows us to play Max as an attacking weapon in the ruck rotating forward. Or he’s just the best player available. If you’ve got two gun ruckmen then you can make it work as a weapon, especially if one is as mobile as Jackson. West Coast were equal top when Naitanui did his knee near the end of 2018, and won the flag with a two ruck combo. Or do you think we shouldn’t draft the best player available because he’s not a half back flanker?

I appreciate the work of KM and the effort he puts in ..... but he’s a one amateur from Victoria and there is no way he has the resources to be anything more than an interesting rough guide for the rest of the amateurs. Why do you think GWS and Melbourne are both trying get Jackson? Why did he say that he was probably going to go to Melbourne (pick 3), GWS (pick 4), Adelaide (pick 6) or Fremantle (pick 7)? Because “99.5% think it’s ridiculous”? No, it’s probably because the AFL recruiters know that he’s one of the very best players in the draft, and they are clamouring to draft him. Or maybe, as many of you seem to think, it’s because the majority of AFL recruiters are complete idiots.

It's good play from GWS if they want Jackson. Basically they get us to choose between Jackson and Green .... if we bid on Green then they get their preferred player in Jackson. If we take Jackson then GWS get Green and an extra pick. It does mean that Green is well and truly in play for us if we want him, because GWS won't match.

I agree. From the limited amounts I’ve seen, Young looks safe and would play a nice role as a behind the ball kicker, but there’s nothing screaming ‘star’, whilst Jackson has several things that do. His footwork is excellent, he covers ground well and easily, he has outstanding instincts around the ball, wins a lot of contests and has the size and athleticism to be anything in a range of positions. At worst he looks like he’ll just be an excellent ruckman .... at best it’s impossible to predict. I hope that Taylor thinks he’s the best player at 3, because he’s going to be the most fun to watch.

James Strauss had elite kicking skills. Just saying someone is a nice kick doesn’t necessarily make them the best pick.

So why did Taylor specifically mention that he saw him play some impressive games up forward after the Championships? Maybe you didn’t see the games from Melbourne.

Taylor has said on the podcast that he doesn’t see Jackson as a pure ruck, but as a key forward and ruck. He was glowing of his continued improvement post-champs, especially up forward. He’s certainly a unique talent. Young is a solid, meat and potatoes choice as a high level role player at half back. This is where it’s hard to select ‘best available’. Who is better, the high floor solid half back whose ceiling is known, or the unique but very raw key forward ruck whose base is low but ceiling is much higher? I think I hope that we pick Jackson .... just to watch this place burn to the ground on draft night! ?

Good stuff, RN. A classy response. I’m happy that you’re excited about the draft and I (and many others) genuinely appreciate the information you bring into these threads. The absence of uncertainty is just a bit of a bugbear of mine (and obviously old55 too). I hope that you continue posting frequently in the lead up to, and after, the draft, as it’s clear that you are obviously doing a lot of research on the kids and that makes Demonland a better forum. ?

That’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying that to be so sure of your own opinion comes either from the sort of knowledge that can be gained only from years of dedicated study to the exclusion of almost everything else ..... or almost no knowledge. Or another way is that, whilst having an opinion is ok, I think that you should be more open to the possibility that you you may not be right.