Gawndog98

All the guys I mentioned are extremely versatile and can play wing as well to a high standard, so if a Salem wing experiment didn't work you can always swap their positions. Personally I don't see it in Baker, don't think he has the toughness to ever make it at AFL level.

I think Salem has much better attributes as a wingman than many of the players we've tried to play on a wing who have mostly been slow, poor kicking inside mids. Salem is a good half back flank, but I think he can be a very good wingman. As for who to replace him at half back if he moves up the ground, that's where we can target this position at the draft. Jack Carroll and Nathan O'Driscoll will be around our first two picks and could slot in straight onto a half back flank, as could Jake Bowey and Isiah Winder who will be around the mark at our second and third rounders. If it doesn't work out all those just mentioned can also play on a wing to great effect. Otherwise I'd move Hunt back to a half back flank as a short term fix. I still think it's his best position and can really break games back there, and he's a bit awkward as a forward where he kicks goals but doesn't put on much pressure and doesn't get involved much in scoring chains.

I'm big in the camp of Salem moving up to the wing where I think he'd be the perfect compliment to Langdon. Problem with Salem at half back is that he's not a line breaking kick. He's very good at hitting targets but his kicks don't travel fast through the air, they are more chip kicks which is what you want for your forwards to lead to because they are easier to mark, hence why he should be pushed up to a wing. Salem was actually second in our team for distance run per game, he has gradually been building his tank, which he could work on even more as his last pre season was interrupted by a bout of glandular fever if my memory serves me correctly. Whilst he's not the quickest we have Langdon on the other wing who is quick where Salem compliments him with the ball use. Salem also does some of his best work around stoppages where some his best attributes is his vision, decision making, clean foot and hand skills. I'd like to see him played in a specialised "inside winger" at stoppages where he roams the back of the stoppages looking for the handball receive where he hits up a target inside 50, a high half forward, or can make the handball to start a scoring chain. Sort of like how Collingwood play Sidebottom or GWS play Kelly I think Salem has similar traits and could make much more of a difference on a wing in a specialised role than he does at half back.

Obviously is very very different from my last one, I'm not very confident in this happening because of all the conflicting reports on who will go where at the moment but this phantom draft more outlines Melbourne's best case scenario which this scenario is a possibility. Hoping there's some more clarity around each pick early next week when all the good mock drafts drop. Macrae and Carroll both inside/outside midfield types who are both great kicks and would correct our outside midfield deficiencies, would be a dream to have them both on the board at our picks. Either could play half back or half forward as well. Bowey could play anywhere and add a fair bit as a small forward to start his career, he's an elite kick which we don't have many of. Still have Baldwin getting to our pick but he's a bit of an unknown where he goes, either way he's a long term key position player who could be one of the best players in the draft if he got back to his under 16's form before he did 2 ACL's. R1 1. Western Bulldogs (NGA) – Jamarra Ugle-Hagan (VIC) – key forward 2. Adelaide – Riley Thilthorpe (SA) – key forward/ruck 3. North Melbourne – Logan MacDonald (WA) – key forward 4. Sydney – Denver Grainger-Barrass (WA) – key defender 5. Hawthorn – Elijah Hollands (VIC) – balanced midfielder/general forward 6. Gold Coast – Zach Reid (VIC) – key defender 7. Essendon – Will Phillips (VIC) – inside midfielder 8. Essendon – Nik Cox (VIC) – tall utility 9. Sydney (NGA) – Braeden Campbell (NSW) – balanced midfielder/small forward 10. Essendon – Archie Perkins (VIC) – balanced midfielder/general forward 11. Adelaide – Reef McInnes (VIC – bid not matched) – inside midfielder/medium utility 12. Port Adelaide (NGA) – Lachlan Jones (SA) – general defender 13. GWS – Heath Chapman (WA) – general defender 14. North Melbourne – Tom Powell (SA) – inside midfielder 15. Fremantle – Oliver Henry (VIC) – medium utility 16. GWS – Bailey Laurie (VIC) – small forward/balanced midfielder 17. Collingwood – Connor Stone (VIC) – medium utility 18. GWS – Tanner Bruhn (VIC) – inside midfielder 19. Brisbane (NGA) – Blake Coleman (QL) – small forward 20. Collingwood – Brayden Cook (SA) – outside midfielder/general forward 21. Richmond – Matt Allison (VIC) – key forward/outside midfielder 22. Melbourne – Finlay Macrae (VIC) – balanced midfielder 23. Sydney (NGA) – Errol Gulden (NSW) – outside midfielder/small forward 24. Melbourne – Jack Carroll (WA) – balanced midfielder/general defender 25. Hawthorn (NGA) – Connor Downie (VIC) – outside midfielder/general defender 26. GWS – Luke Pedlar (SA) – inside midfielder 27. St Kilda – Nathan O’Driscoll (WA) – balanced midfielder/general defender R2 28. Adelaide – Caleb Poulter (SA) – balanced midfielder/general forward 29. Adelaide – Liam Kolar (VIC) – key forward/outside midfielder 30. GWS – Jackson Callow (TAS) – tall utility 31. Geelong – Sam Berry (VIC) – inside midfielder 32. Fremantle (NGA) – Brandon Walker (WA) – general defender 33. Melbourne – Jake Bowey (VIC) – small utility 34. North Melbourne – Zavier Maher (VIC) – inside midfielder 35. Fremantle (NGA) – Joel Western (WA) – small utility 36. Carlton – Corey Durdin (SA) – small forward 37. Richmond – Zane Trew (WA) – inside midfielder 38. Carlton – Eddie Ford (VIC) – general forward/inside midfielder 39. Essendon (NGA) – Cody Brand (VIC) – key defender 40. Adelaide (NGA) – Tariek Newchurch (SA) – small forward 41. North Melbourne – Jack Ginnivan (VIC) – general forward/inside midfielder R3 42. Hawthorn – Max Heath (VIC) – ruck 43. Hawthorn – Josh Eyre (VIC – bid not matched) – tall utility 44. Richmond (NGA) – Maurice Rioli Jnr (NT) – small forward 45. Hawthorn – Isiah Winder (WA) – small utility 46. Melbourne – Kaine Baldwin (SA) – key forward 47. Geelong – Henry Walsh (VIC) – ruck 48. Brisbane – Shannon Neale (WA) – ruck 49. Port Adelaide – Zac Dumensy (SA) – outside midfielder/general defender

I wouldn't be against it but I wouldn't do it because I think there's a chance he gets through anyway, and I think him and Carroll are on about the same level who will be at our picks anyway. It does all depend on what Dons do at pick 8, Adelaide pick 9, and north pick 11 which I think all three of those pick will be mids. Say Essendon go Perkins at 8, Adelaide bid on McInnes at 9 and pies don't match, and then North go Powell over Macrae then it's a real real chance he slips through. i'll put up a phantom draft later showing how it could happen but really it's a fair bit of guesswork until it becomes more clear how it will play out.

It's very interesting because Cal seems to think Richmond are going to take a midfielder but Balmer thinks they will take tall forward (Allison or Kolar) which makes sense since they have Collier-Dawkins, Dow, Ross, and Graham who are all young mids. All the journo's seem to have conflicting mail on just about every pick.

Fairly good result, hope we pick up a small forward with our second rounder (Bowey or Winder). Balmer seems big on Laurie being a late bolder and now reckons it's highly unlikely he gets to our picks. Watch if Macrae gets through Essendon, Adelaide, and North starting to think he's a real chance to get to our pick.

Yep it would be an incredibly hard job especially this year with Vic kids not playing, Matt Balmer from FoxFooty also seems to have some mail of a few more first round bolters in Matt Allison and Liam Kolar who are both athletic key forward types, they've been linked to Richmonds first rounder. It seems a bit all over the place at the moment but hopefully there's some more clarity on where players will go by Twomey's phantom draft on Monday.

Stone is an athletic medium who can play at either end who showed a lot of flashes of potential but tended to drift in and our of games. Sounds like he will be off the board before our pick with clubs as high as Essendon and Adelaide's pick 9, I think these clubs view his potential as a midfielder who could break games open. Pedlar is a big body inside mid clearance type which we have plenty of but gathering plenty of interest in the mid first round, especially from the giants surprisingly. Sounds like we'll take Laurie with one of our firsts, just gotta hope Giants don't take him with their pick 16. Sounds like we are keeping our cards pretty close to the chest with Twomey unsure about who we like apart from Laurie. I think we will wait to see who gets through, sounds like Carroll definitely will get through and I'd hope we take him. Macrae a potential chance, I'd think for him to get through we'd need Bruhn and Macrae to be available at Richmond's pick so they'd take Bruhn, otherwise I don't think he'd get through Richmond's pick.

Yep Gold Coast is certain to trade out their pick 27, because they don't have enough list spots to accomodate any more than their pick 5 and their two academy boys who can't be bid on but are first rounders on talent. I was just using the current draft order because its a bit easier than predicting and accounting for potential trades. I think that trade checks on our and Hawthorn's behalf but I'd think Gold Coast would want a future second coming their way not a future third. I think there will definitely be clubs offering future seconds for Gold Coast's pick with clubs like Geelong or West Coast who don't have many picks looking to get up in the order. Or there is probably going to be sliders around that points so Gold Coast might get overs for that pick on draft night if there's someone who slides who a club really rates. Either way that pick won't belong to Gold Coast by the time the pick comes around, someone will be using it.

Yep great stuff. Another factor to look at is where our second rounder ends up. Brisbane and Hawthorn both have picks in-between our picks 19 and 28. In my phantom draft I had us bidding on Downie (Hawthorn NGA) and Coleman (Brisbane NGA) because it makes sense on a need basis but the double advantage to is that the Hawks and Lions will lose their those second round picks in-between ours if they match those bids (which they most likely will), which essentially means there will be 2 extra players in the pool when our pick 28 comes around. So if they don't match those bids, great we get an outside runner and a small forward, if they do match the bids, great we get 2 extra players to pick from with our second rounder.

Agree that Maher would bring something different to our midfield and that Shuey is a great comparison but the problem with Maher is that he can only play as an inside midfielder and like Sparrow will be stuck behind guys like Oliver, Trac, Viney, Brayshaw, Harmes. Winder would be a very shrewd pickup with our second or third round pick. Personally with our top 2 picks, I'd be going outside mid with one and small forward at the other. For the outside mid if Carroll is there take him, if not take Poulter, one of them will be there and both great kicks and very athletic, for the small forward bid on Coleman, if not matched take Laurie, he should be there. Bowey fits the bill for both positions as well, hopefully he gets through to our second rounder, if not I'd take Winder, he will be there.

Yeah I heard they are even planning on using their pick 71 or whatever it is, might suggest they are after more picks.

If we can package up some picks to get North's pick 11 (North just looking to add more young talent) that will be high enough to get Macrae who's the best wingman in the draft. I'm quite happy with where we are at the moment though, there's every chance Carroll, Cook, or O'Driscoll could get through, and if not guys like Poulter, Laurie, and Bowey are still really good prospects who suit our needs and could even step into the team round 1 next year. The difference between 19 and 28 will only be about 4-5 picks come draft night due to teams between those picks, losing their picks due to academy bids, so I would've thought something like 19+28 should get us pick 11.

Also here's an update to my phantom draft from last week, if you want to check out any write-ups for the players I've got us picking they shouldn't be too hard to find in this thread or a few other threads. Overall with our first 3 picks we pick up 3 really classy and quick players who will compliment our inside grunt really well. Then have us picking up a long term key forward with our last pick who would've been a top 10 pick if he hadn't been injured. R1 1. Adelaide – Logan MacDonald (WA) – key forward 2. Western Bulldogs (NGA) – Jamarra Ugle-Hagain (VIC) – key forward 3. North Melbourne – Elijah Hollands (VIC) – balanced midfielder/general forward 4. Sydney – Denver Grainger-Barrass (WA) – key defender 5. Hawthorn – Riley Thilthorpe (SA) – key forward 6. Gold Coast – Will Phillips (VIC) – inside midfielder 7. Essendon – Archie Perkins (VIC) – balanced midfielder/general forward 8. Sydney (NGA) – Braeden Campbell (NSW) – balanced midfielder/small forward 9. Essendon – Nik Cox (VIC) – tall utility 10. Port Adelaide (NGA) – Lachlan Jones (SA) – general defender 11. Essendon – Zach Reid (VIC) – key defender 12. Adelaide – Tanner Bruhn (VIC) – inside midfielder 13. GWS – Oliver Henry (VIC) – general utility 14. North Melbourne – Heath Chapman (WA) – general defender 15. Fremantle – Finlay Macrae (VIC) – balanced midfielder 16. GWS – Nathan O’Driscoll (WA) – balanced midfielder/general defender 17. Collingwood – Brayden Cook (SA) – outside midfielder/general forward 18. Collingwood (NGA) – Reef McInnes (VIC) – inside midfielder/general utility 19. GWS – Jack Carroll (WA) – balanced midfielder/general defender 20. Richmond – Tom Powell (SA) – inside midfielder 21. Hawthorn (NGA) – Connor Downie (VIC) – outside midfielder/general defender 22. Melbourne – Caleb Poulter (SA) – balanced midfielder/general forward 23. Brisbane (NGA) – Blake Coleman (QL) – small forward 24. Melbourne – Bailey Laurie (VIC) – small forward/balanced midfielder 25. Sydney (NGA) – Errol Gulden (NSW) – outside midfielder/small forward 26. GWS – Eddie Ford (VIC) – general forward/inside midfielder 27. St Kilda – Zavier Maher (VIC) – inside midfielder R2 28. Adelaide – Zane Trew (WA) – inside midfielder 29. Adelaide – Zac Dumensy (SA) – outside midfielder/general defender 30. Gold Coast – PASS 31. Fremantle (NGA) – Brandon Walker (WA) – general defender 32. Melbourne – Jake Bowey (VIC) – small utility 33. GWS – Jackson Callow (TAS) – key forward/key defender 34. North Melbourne – Sam Berry (VIC) – inside midfielder 35. Fremantle (NGA) – Joel Western (WA) – balanced midfielder/small forward 36. Carlton – Corey Durdin (SA) – small forward 37. Richmond – Matt Allison (VIC) – key forward 38. Carlton – Patrick Walker (TAS) – outside midfielder 39. Essendon (NGA) – Cody Brand (VIC) – key defender 40. Adelaide (NGA) – Tariek Newchurch (SA) – small forward 41. North Melbourne – Liam Kolar (VIC) – key forward R3 42. Hawthorn – Max Heath (VIC) – Ruck 43. Hawthorn – Jack Ginnivan (VIC) – general forward/inside midfielder 44. Melbourne – Kaine Baldwin (SA) – key forward 45. Geelong – Henry Walsh (VIC) – Ruck 46. GWS – PASS 47. Brisbane – Shannon Neale (WA) - Ruck 48. Western Bulldogs – Isiah Winder (WA) – small utility 49. Brisbane – Luke Edwards (SA) – general defender 50. Port Adelaide – Connor Stone (VIC) – general utility 51. Richmond – Fraser Rosman (VIC) – outside midfielder

yeah it's pretty annoying, still a chance Brisbane don't match though considering they'd lose their pick 25 (they might rate someone over Coleman), they have an abundance of small forwards, and they have 2 other academy players in Crozier and Michael who will likely attract bids, they probably can't take all 3 of them.

I think with our top 2 picks we will take a outside midfielder/running defender with one and a small forward with the other. I'm not sure what we do with other 2 picks, I've compiled a list of 9 players in order of preference that would be well suited to our needs, a few of them could potentially slip to our pick 28 as well (Laurie, Bowey, Poulter). I think worst case we end up with 2 of of Poulter, Laurie, and Bowey (could potentially snag all 3) which I'd still be happy with but hopefully Carroll is on the board at our first pick. I'd like to pick up one key position player which I think it's actually more likely now that Baldwin could still be on the board at our 3rd round pick. I didn't include Macrae because I think the chances of him getting to our pick is extremely slim but he would be number 1 if he was available. Outside midfielder/running defender 1. Jack Carroll (WA) – 188cm, 76kg, plays like: Hugh McCluggage Carroll is one of the classiest players in the draft pool, he combines elite decision making and disposal efficiency to break open games either at half back, on a wing, or as an inside mid. He has a penetrating left foot and his decision making makes him deadly with ball in hand. Carroll is just as classy as he is tough, he successfully proved himself as a midfielder this season where he displayed his courage around the ball by throwing himself at packs, he averaged 15 contested disposals per game this season in the WAFL Colts which led the league. He never shirks a contest and is prepared to go back with the flight of the ball where his overhead marking is another strength of his. Carroll also has a range of weapons athletically, he stands at 188cm, ran a 3.018 seconds 20m sprint, a 8.67 seconds agility test, and possesses a 88cm running vertical leap, add onto that he is one of the youngest players in the pool which indicates a lot more room for growth. Jack has tremendous upside and will take a few years to build his endurance to a level where he can play on a wing or inside midfield, but he can definitely have a big influence early on as a running defender. In my opinion Carroll is the missing piece to our midfield or defence, he is exactly what we are looking for and already has connections with Riv and Jacko where he played a lot of footy with them last year at East Fremantle. 2. Nathan O’Driscoll (WA) – 187cm, 76kg, plays like: Cam Guthrie In my opinion O’Driscoll is one of the most underrated players in the pool due to his ability to play just about any position/role for the team. O’Driscoll can: lockdown the oppositions best midfielder, lock down the best small/medium forward, or collect 25+ touches at half back, on a wing, or as an inside mid. O’Driscoll might just be the hardest working player in the pool where he works up and down the ground really hard on offence and defence. He is a highly competitive and courageous player who is a strong overhead mark and sticks to his man like glue if required to. His kicking isn’t as bad as some people make it out to be, he hits easy targets and plays within his limitations most of the time, if he was able to improve his kicking to hit more difficult kicks he could become a seriously good player. O’Driscoll shines athletically where he stands at 187cm, ran a 2.931 seconds 20m sprint, a 8.12 seconds agility test, and 6:23 minutes 2km time trial, which his size, athleticism, and competitiveness give him the versatility to play on taller and smaller players. O’Driscoll is also a great character, he’s very easy going, is well liked by all his teammates, is a natural leader, he’s just someone you’d want to have around your club. The key benefit of drafting Nathan is his versatility, he could fill Nev’s role as a lockdown defender, he could play on the opposite wing to Langdon where he runs all day, or he could provide rebound off a half back flank, he’s someone who is very high on my list of wants. 3. Brayden Cook (SA) – 189cm, 82kg, plays like: Jaidyn Stephenson This years bolter Brayden Cook has shown the ability to turn games on their heads this year where he has kicked big bags of goals as a wingman or medium forward. He has the build of a prototypical modern footballer where has grown to 189cm and possesses a handy 74cm running vertical leap, which allows for his point of difference, his overhead marking ability. He is a terrific one-on-one mark, and is also capable of taking a pack mark. He is incredibly clean on ground level, knows where the goals are, and has a nice bag of tricks. Whilst not being an elite kick, his kicking is good and is well complimented by his excellent decision making and vision. He doesn’t have elite speed either but is nimble where he ran a 8.45 seconds agility test, and has a nice tank which he ran a 6:48 minutes 2km time trial. Cook is a quintessential link up player who can either impact at the start, middle, or finish of a scoring chain and is a very versatile player. Likely starts his career as a medium forward but I suspect he could even play off a half back flank with his overhead marking ability, and can eventually move to a wing once he improved his strength and fitness. 4. Caleb Poulter (SA) – 192cm, 79kg, plays like: Bailey Smith Poulter is a modern day tall midfielder who hurts the opposition on the inside and outside. Poulter’s upside is enormous where he has the class, athleticism, and point of difference to one day be an absolute star of the competition. Poulter is a classy, penetrating left foot kick and is an excellent decision maker where he regularly lowers his eyes going inside 50. His point of difference is his 192cm frame which he uses around the ground as a marking option where he has a clean set of hands. He also uses his large frame around the ball to win clearances and is a keen tackler which he can be intimidating around the ball at times. He also has really clean hands and can effectively execute long handballs which release teammates into space. To go with all that Poulter ran a 3.058 seconds 20m sprint (very impressive for his size), has a 81cm running vertical jump, and also ran a 6:38 minutes 2km time trial. Poulter can be utilised as either as an outside or inside midfielder due to his tank and class, where he often gets involved in offensive chains where he doesn’t stop running. Poulter just needs to work on his four quarter consistency and if he can add size to his frame he will be a force to be reckoned with. He probably plays his best footy as an inside midfielder but also very capable as an outside midfielder, or potentially at half back due to his overhead marking. If he kept growing he could become a key position player size whilst at the moment he can also effectively play as a medium forward. Potentially could be a flight risk, but he presents enormous upside and might be too hard to pass up on if the players above are already taken. Would also be impossible not to talk about Poulter without giving a shoutout to his incredible mullet, which he will stand out as a future cult hero. 5. Jake Bowey (VIC) – 175cm, 67kg, plays like: Shai Bolton Bowey might just be the most skillful player in the draft and is extremely versatile which he can play as outside mid, small forward, or a rebounding defender. Bowey’s best asset is his elite kick, and he is a sound decision maker, he might be the best player with ball in hand in this years draft. He can rack up disposals where every one of them hurts the opposition on a wing or at half back, and has shown he can regularly hit the scoreboard as a small forward. Bowey’s obvious drawback is his size which is why he will be overlooked early which he is no doubt a first round pick with his skillset. However he makes up for his lack of size with terrific athletic traits, he ran a 2.95 seconds 20m sprint, a 8.07 seconds agility test, and possesses a 88cm running vertical leap which he showed in the futures game on Grand Final day in 2019 he can get up for a hanger. Bowey also shows a lot of toughness and courage for his size where he’s a keen tackler who will look to bring down any player despite his size. Bowey just has to work on the contested side of his game and add some size so he doesn’t get knocked off the ball as regularly. Jake would be a great pick up and his skillset is exactly what the dees are looking for, which he could be utilised most likely as a small forward at the start of his career and then potentially push up the ground as he builds his endurance base. Small forward 1. Blake Coleman (QL) – 181cm, 79kg, plays like: Liam Ryan Coleman is tied to Brisbane’s NGA Academy, however they could potentially pass if a bid came earlier than expected at one of our first rounders where the Lions have a pick shortly after and have other academy prospects to bring in. Nevertheless, It is unlikely the Lions pass on a bid for Coleman, but he has a lot of exciting attributes as a small forward where he could form a damaging partnership with Kozzy. Coleman is deadly at ground level, he appears a lot quicker than his 3.072 seconds 20m sprint, he is an incredibly smart crumber and is capable of kicking those incredible goals. He also has incredible agility, is a great kick with ball in hand and a great decision maker where he also has the long handball skills to open teammates into space. Coleman’s point of difference is he’s just as damaging in the air as he is on ground level, he is a really strong 1v1 and even contested mark, and is clever at deciding whether to go fly for a mark or stay down for the crumb. Coleman also applies relentless forward pressure where he uses his speed at ground level. Coleman just has to work on his endurance and four quarter consistency but he has all the tools to be a really dangerous small forward. Coleman is best utilised close to goal and would be the perfect small forward to partner Kozzy if the Lions didn’t match a bid. 2. Bailey Laurie (VIC) – 179cm, 78kg, plays like: Zak Butters Laurie is a classy small forward/midfielder who plays his best footy in that high half forward role. Laurie is a high impact per possession player where he uses his lethal kicking and decision making going inside 50 creating scores for his teammates and himself. He is incredibly crafty and hard to tackle which is aided by 7.97 seconds agility test where he in games he really uses that agility to weave in and out of tacklers. Laurie does great work around stoppages, his poise and footy IQ really stands out where he consistently makes good decisions under heavy pressure. Laurie is a natural crumber up forward and whilst he’s not a dominant overhead mark he has a knack of knowing where to run to get on the end of a chain. The defensive side of Laurie’s game is also good, he’s a good pressure player where he uses his strong endurance base (6:24 minutes 2km time trial) to keep chasing defenders. Laurie’s only downfall is that he doesn’t have elite small forward speed, he ran a 3.06 20m sprint so he still has some toe but he makes up for a lack of speed with his high footy IQ and nimbleness. Laurie’s a very versatile player who could partner Kozzy up forward, play Melksham’s role as that high half forward, or I suspect he could even play on a wing with his strong endurance base and kicking skills. In the future Laurie could also run through the midfield where he has that high impact per possession skills that not many of our mids have. 3. Jake Bowey (VIC) – 175cm, 67kg, plays like: Shai Bolton See above 4. Errol Gulden (NSW) – 175cm, 75kg, plays like: Karl Amon Gulden is tied to Sydney’s NGA academy but there is a slight chance they may not match a bid if a bid came earlier than expected due to them having a few similar players and the Swans were to go into draft points deficit next year which would affect their first round pick. Gulden can be utilised either as a small forward or outside midfielder. Whilst his 3.10 seconds 20m sprint and 8.55 seconds agility test may not indicate that he’s super quick, on the field he shows lightning pace which he uses to cause chaos for the opposition. Gulden possesses high footy IQ and is a very classy player, he also knows how to rack up a lot of disposals as a midfielder. Gulden plays with a hard edge where he is a relentless tackler up forward and operates well at the feet of the tall forwards. Whilst he often hurts teams with his penetrating kicks, his decision making can be a bit scratchy sometimes where he tries to bite off too much. Gulden is a highly versatile player and whilst he probably ends up at Sydney he’d be a suitable small forward partner for Kozzy or could play on a wing or half back.

Whether Carroll will get to our pick or not is really interesting and a bit unknown to me. All the draft experts seem to have him going somewhere around 10-20 in their mock drafts where he doesn't get to our picks but then Cal Twomey who has the best mail generally has been saying things like will he be available at St Kilda's pick who is after us and even linking him to clubs early in the second round.

Surprised to see Jordon moved to the rookie list, I think it now means that we have the space to use our 4 picks at the draft this year and can sign a delisted free agent.

It is a bit of a strange comparison, in the way he plays I'd say the best comparison for Macrae is Josh Kelly in the way that he can win the ball on the inside, get involved in link up play on the outside, the big endurance base, and the neat kicking. Not saying he'll get to that level but in the way he moves and plays that would be the best comparison I think.

Best of luck to KK, I hope his long term health is good. With him retiring does this mean we'll be able to use 4 picks at the draft whereas before we could only use 3 due to list spots?

I do agree with you re Baldwin that a key forward isn't our biggest at the moment need but I just think that the upside is so great that if he continued on from his trajectory at under 16s he could well be the best player from this draft. There is a chance he could still be available in the 3rd round or even go undrafted potentially. For a winger I had us taking Jack Carroll who could be a classy winger for us long term, he just as a bit of work to do on his endurance base. He can also play off a half back flank as a classy on baller which his versatility is a big advantage. As @spirit of norm smithmentioned he is by no means guaranteed to make it to our pick but I'd say it's a 50/50 chance. It is extremely unlikely that Finlay Macrae will make it to our picks but if we were able to package up a few of our picks into that 10-15 range (maybe North's pick) we'd be a good chance to get him. Finlay plays much like his brother Jack, he's a really good kick on both sides of his body, has incredible composure and awareness, and has the endurance to run up and down a wing all day. Macrae is probably the best out and out winger in this years draft but is also versatile enough to play inside or across half forward. Another winger who would be around the range of our second round pick is Zac Dumensy from SA who had a consistent season for South Adelaide's senior team on a wing and half back. He's a really good, composed right foot kick and is a nice overhead mark where he uses his 187cm frame to his advantage. Has a really good endurance base to run up and down a wing but he isn't very quick. My personal opinion is that Salem would be perfect for the vacant wing role and we should be recruiting a half back to take his spot there. Carroll would be perfect to fill his spot at half back and if a Salem wing experiment didn't work you could always swap them or Rivers if he improves his endurance could push up to a wing as well.

I believe so with Lockhart being promoted and Harley retiring (I assume he was on the rookie list like Mitch Brown was). I think our only current rookies are M.Brown and Chandler, and then there's Bradtke who is category B.

I can't see Richmond taking Laurie with their abundance of small forwards, I think he'll definitely be there at our picks. I also think we'd be taking Poulter over Mitchell if he's still on the board.

Thanks mate, IMO I think MacDonald is the best player in the open pool which is why I have Adelaide taking him, I think it would be a mistake to not go best available at pick 1. I have a few doubts over Thilthorpe's pace/mobility as a key forward, I think he'll be much better but he kinda reminds me of Peter Wright a bit. I had GWS bidding on McInnes, sorry I probably should've made it more obvious, but agree I think on draft night I think they'll try move one of their first rounders and their future first for one of Essendon's picks to grab Cox or Reid. I think it's highly likely a McInnes bid comes before one of their first rounders so they'll be looking to move one of them. I think Baldwin's upside is worth it and he wouldn't have any pressure to play for us in the next few years, he'd be given time to develop. He was the best player at the under 16 champs and was seen as the best key position player in the pool (better than MacDonald, Thilthorpe, Grainger-Barrass, etc.) There is a slight chance that Baldwin or Winder doesn't get drafted and could slide through to the rookie draft. I think we might try move something like 19+28 for North's pick 11 to grab Macrae.