demoncat

It would be a reach at 9 but I don’t mind it as he could have a very high ceiling and looks a JT pick He could be a consideration if we take a smaller mid like Smith or Draper at 5 and Langford and Smilie are gone

Thanks FFD - any idea who the club might be targeting for that strategy coach? I don’t mind Jones and Bassett - and promoting Radford - but I still think we could use someone with a bit more tactical nous, as it’s been an area of significant weakness the past few years

Am I being pessimistic or does the Jones and Radford promotion read like we couldn’t get anyone more highly regarded into the club? Teague said no to us for instance Having said that I’m glad they’re being transparent about the findings - let’s hope some of these changes are what we need to get back into finals

The author has us taking Jagga Smith at 5 and Harry Armstrong at 9 He also has Tauru going to the Roos at 2 and Langford going to the Crows at 4

Did Jagga run over your dog @DeeSpencer? I’ve never seen someone argue at such length against a kid who is universally agreed to be in the 5 best prospects in the draft Praying for you if we end up landing him 🙏

It would be good for us if our aim is to pick up a mid with 5 Would almost guarantee Smith and/or Langford falls to us if North takes Tauru at 2 Of course it also suggests that we’re into Tauru at 5, which I’m not sold on

Is that inside knowledge Daz or just the recent media reports?

Love you Jonesy but I’m not sure about this one…

I think that’s for the best at this point 5 gets us whatever top end mid slides out of Lalor, FOS, Smith, Langford or Draper And 9 is right in the middle of that next bracket of talent where there will be a range of high quality players available regardless of who Richmond and Saints pick with 6, 7 and 8 We’ve done our wheeling and dealing - now take the best talent and run

Could he become a Nick Blakey type? Almost a hybrid third tall / running half back? He’s certainly got skill so the upside is there

I know it’s only draft highlights in a COVID affected year but he looks so impressive in some of these clips Unfortunately he hasn’t been able to demonstrate the same smarts, evasiveness and kicking ability at AFL level, and in all honesty it hasn’t been that consistent at VFL either If he could start to show some of the above at AFL level he could be a really handy player for us, but with another couple of top draftees coming in it’s going to be even tighter for spots, so I suspect he’ll need to force his way in with strong VFL form Here’s hoping 2025 is Bill’s year

I’d be curious how his speed compares to Bont or Cripps Neither are quick but they’re two of the best centre bounce midfielders in the league and have no issues winning a clearance

I’ll be a very happy Dees fan if we nab either one of them

Speed won’t be an issue as long as he can get to contests and use his strength and smarts to win the ball (not to mention his contested marking in the fwd 50) If he’s available at 5 take him and pick a faster type at 9 to pair with him for the next decade

Interesting that Lloyd points out his aggression when it doesn’t really come across in his highlights I’ll back JT in if he sees the same traits and drafts him, but I’ll be holding my breath that’s for sure

I can’t speak for anyone else but personally I haven’t seen enough from him to suggest that he has the competitiveness and aggression to make it as a key fwd at AFL level And while he’s solidly built for his age he’s not coming in as physically developed as a say a Jed Walter type, another first round pick who struggled at AFL level in his first year I think a lot of Dees fans are just worried about using a first round pick and ending up with another Weid (and potentially Jefferson) Whereas we have the opportunity to draft more likely midfield types with both 5 and 9, and set our midfield up for the next decade alongside Rivers, Windsor and Tholstrup

I had Langford ahead of Smith for a while but I’m coming around to taking him if he’s available (even if Langford is still there) Imagine if we had a Daicos or Sheezel type in our midfield the last few years? Smith might not be at their levels but I could definitely see him coming in and playing a similar role to those two - perhaps coming off half back or sitting off the back of stoppages and then using his skills and ball winning to set us up in transition

He looks a gun in every part of his game except his kicking, which looks genuinely shocking at times If you could fix that he could be an absolute steal, but after the past few years I think a lot of Dees fans are nervous about taking any player who isn’t at least a competent kick…

Me when we leave Smith and Langford on the board at 5 only to take Armstrong

Need to put pressure on some of our mid and half forward/back players like Sparrow and Bowey too Bringing in two top end mids - particular a big body player and a more outside player - will put pressure on some of these guys who have underperformed the past couple of years (given they might start on the half forward or half back lines)

Love a Werribee boy Would love to get him or Riley Bice onto the list

Not at 5 pls

I could see him coming in and having a Daicos, Sheezel or Ashcroft type effect on our midfield Not necessarily saying that he’ll be at their level, but each of them has been able to come in and immediately compliment their teams more experienced players

Langford at 5 and Lindsay at 9