ChaserJ

And only 18 as of 2 days ago, so young for this group. Could still grow a few cms. FWIW when I watched Tauru in NAB League finals I straight away thought he’d elevated himself into that 5-10 range. His aggression & courage in the air combined with his athleticism was high, high level.

My read is that Draper is the one we’d definitely pass on for Tauru, still feels like any of the others would still get the nod.

Cal says it’s out of Langford or Tauru for us (unless Lalor or O’Sullivan get through if the first few go a different way).

I guess they have until 11:59pm...

Dave (aka 'Footy Stuff' on Youtube) has put out a guide to the draft pool:

Cal Twomey tweeted the list f/s & academy nominees a few days ago, Melb nominees were Andrew & Mentha (no Yze).

I think he does a pretty good job. Prefer him to his predecessor (Knightmare) who was contrarian for the sake of it sometimes. I can see the rationale for his thinking in most cases, and always like it when there’s some difference in the opinions of the gurus.

Jasper sees things slightly differently to other draft writers and some recruiters, accepts that his ranking won’t necessarily be reflected in club selections. Murphy Reid is another with a wide range amongst draft writers (and presumably recruiters too).

We’ve had a link to Jack previously (per Marc McGowan in the Age). ABC have had a go at a phantom:

FOS

Yes (can't rule out recency bias here though). Jagga has Parish for agility and sheer accumulation (can't think of a more prolific ball winner in CTL/TAC Cup), probably slightly better at winning the ball in contest at the same age too. Parish was probably a better 'metres gained' player for more of his draft year.

Billings was ostensibly a lead and mark medium forward for Vic Metro. Didn't get an extended run in midfield (injury limited opportunity for extended mf time with Chargers), was speculated that he would eventually become a good midfielder. He and Lindsay not super similar as players at the same point in time, Lindsay has more exposed form in multiple parts of the ground and midfield production at the equivalent stage in his draft year. Maybe Salem is a better comp.

I want to hear commentators adopt ‘weird things’ into the vernacular! Need an alternative to ‘X factor’ and I think you’ve found it @Axis of Bob

In many aspects of their game Smith & Draper are similar players, but Drapers edge in acceleration and top end pace has me leaning his way slightly. Would change the dynamic of our midfield and help us add some speed to transition game.

Thanks for sharing Bob. Being involved in community sports at that age group rams home for me how devastating this will be for the community, never mind poor Jack’s family. Tragic.

This week’s Gettable is up:

I was watching Brian Lara being interviewed by the late, great Dean Jones in St Kilda that night. I had the Fox coverage on mute streaming on my phone. Had to stifle a Riv related cheer whilst Lara was recalling how he retook the test hs record against England.

And the corresponding Gettable ep is up as well:

Apparently was managing injury and illness at times through the year.

Cal’s latest phantom form guide is up: https://www.afl.com.au/news/1248177

Wouldn’t be disappointed with that outcome. Big fan of how Lindsay can change the angle of attack with his kicking. The sort of player Hawthorn has a habit of loading up on (and that we sorely lack). Langford’s had a magnificent season and well worth a pick in the top 5 (even if his pace is lacking).

He showed so much improvement this year (noting that he won last years B&F for Bendigo ahead of Harley), and was so competitive on field, I reckon he will get as much out of himself as possible. I agree Daz, I think he’ll take off once in an AFL system.

That would throw a cat amongst the pigeons. Apparently the Tiges are bullish on him as well and is a possibility at 6. Clubs will be spending a lot of time between now & draft day going back over vision. Not uncommon for the order to get thrown around a bit as recruiters revisit prospects. Smillie’s early season stuff in CTL was compelling. He dominated games early on, winning clearances for fun and kicking goals. Tapered a little, but probably only suffered by comparison with his earlier output. It’s hard to say O’Sullivan or Lalor had better seasons than Smillie given their injury woes, but both have been sitting higher on experts boards (FWIW I also rate their potential higher as well). A case of exposure not being a prospects best friend I guess, but maybe some recruiters have gone back and reassessed.

Salo should have been in the All Aus team that year. He was outstanding in ‘21.

He’s a high IQ footballer and is very clean with his skills in all conditions. Stood out as one of the best for Metro in wet conditions against the Allies…his cleanliness and quick mind gave him much more time than others. His creativity in tight is as good as I’ve seen at junior level. Went on to dominate champs. Can see him being a game breaker, BUT the limitations with his pace had created a perception that he won’t become a true mid at the level (won’t be able to break away on offence, run quick enough defensively on transition). He’s a smart footballer, so maybe he’ll find a way to compensate, he had been compared to Pendles, but SP has around 8cm on him and has always been good overhead. Probably sits in a rung just below the first group and it gets very even there. Could go 8, could go 18.