adonski

If the cookie crumbles a certain way on draft night, Sid Draper sees his way through to pick 5 (6) after Lalor, FOS, Jagga, Langford are off the board: The trait which immediately stands out with Draper is his turn of speed. He posted the top agility test time nationwide during the 2023 preseason (7.80 seconds), and it translates on-field where he is near-impossible to lay a hand on. Some of his best action shots this year feature him literally standing on his toes as he darts away at angles which defy belief. His lightning acceleration makes him an asset in bringing contested ball to the outside. Draper's hands on the inside are supremely clean, and once he recaptured his usual touch as the season wore on, he got to showcase that kind of ability at senior level. He also uses his speed to take the game on in attacking phases, making carving runs through the corridor to set up scores. One of Draper's best plays throughout his junior career came late in last year's SANFL Under 18s Grand Final, where he took off with three bounces before helping set up Dakota Sterzl for the game-sealing goal. Not only was it a passage which highlighted his enormous talent, but also the guile to recognise when a big moment arrived, and the bottle to take it. What sets Draper apart even further is his work rate. He is capable of repeat sprint efforts and gets from contest to contest effectively. In that aspect, and with the aforementioned traits, he suits the modern game as a midfielder with balance who can impact on the way forward. The Adelaide supporter even models his game on Port stars Connor Rozee and Zak Butters. For all his brilliance on the field, Draper also fits the bill off it. He is a diligent and thoughtful in his preparation throughout the week, investing heavily in his football to get the best out of himself. He can also lift others and has been entrusted with leadership roles throughout the pathway. It was no surprise to see him return from injury so emphatically, such is his professionalism. In terms of his improvement areas, Draper sought to add polish to his disposal this year. Given he often moves at high speeds, his disposal can sometimes waver, though he backs himself in the way of decision making. Durability is the other slight question mark given his relatively slight frame and injuries on the back of a heavy preseason workload. He worked through it, though. STRENGTHS: + Agility + Clean hands + Leadership + Professionalism + Speed + Work rate IMPROVEMENTS: - Durability - End product

He'll make it. I agree tho, the ceiling very much up for debate

Tom's 5 minutes patch in the 2021 GF was great but before and after that moment he's done bugger all Gotten as many games as he has given our ordinary midfield depth combined with Goodwin's strange affection for him Likely to be delisted at the end of his contract if we draft a couple of decent midfielders over the next 12 months

Allan is pretty much the only of the midfield prospects that scares me. It's tough to coach a brain into a player!

You could knock me down with a feather if we don't pick a midfielder at 5 I'm a bit more open minded to pick 9. I can understand the logic of Armstrong, or even a flanker like Travalgia or Lindsay who we may project becomes a midfielder in time.

Maybe, probably referring to a Rivers, Tholstrup maybe even a McVee with more midfield mins too

That might be the only trade the AFL would ever veto

Links to Travaliga and a new one, Jack Whitlock too

Lots of Langfords best moments seem to be his link up work and his marking especially up fwd, rather than dominating the midfield

Sounds like all the good players this year will be gone by pick 5. Just our luck.

He's obviously not keen on Armstrong

MFC playing funny buggers just like the Kako bid

Windsor will be a big boy in a couple of preseasons I reckon, but agree with your point

28 & 3 from TT, certainly wouldn't be upset hearing his name called out on draft night

St Kilda has told clubs it is open to splitting one of its top-10 selections in this year’s draft as part of a strategy to capitalise on the depth in this year’s talent pool. The Saints have picks seven and eight in this year’s draft and have indicated they could be interested in trading one of them for two picks later in the first round. The two clubs best-placed to do a deal with the Saints are Richmond (which has 18, 20 and 23) and GWS Giants (15, 16 and 21). This article contains features which are only available in the web versionTake me there It means the Saints could take a top-line midfielder at pick seven and then snare two players in the back-end of the first-round with its Josh Battle compensation selection. It would be a bold call from the Saints but recruiters are excited about the level of talent on offer through the back end of the first-round. The move would effectively see the Saints take three players potentially inside the top-20 of a draft scouts are calling the strongest in several years.

Travalgia and Xavier Lindsay are defenders

A real bomb it long sort of operator

Probably irrelevant anyway, reckon Tigers get pick 2 one way or another

Langford sure could. Saints may elect to grab Armstrong and Smillie.

Norf forced to grab a tall at 2 would be such a good result

I'd be surprised if we didn't take at least one 'proper' midfielder. With that being said, I have a lot of faith in Rivers being a big part of our 2025 midfield group and beyond. I thought what he showed in the middle in the last 6-8 or so weeks of the season, when our team as a whole was pretty much cooked, was very encouraging.

He's the style of player we seem to like, plus with Rivers moving into the midfield it may make sense.