Whispering_Jack

Kevin “Shifter” Sheehan, the AFL’s Talent Ambassador commands a great deal of respect among the recruiting community. He has just released his list of the top 40 prospects in next week’s AFL Draft. Please note that because of his position, there could be a tendency to sugar coat but he provides a pretty good picture of each player’s major attributes. Kevin Sheehan reveals his top 40 prospects in the 2022 NAB AFL Draft

Rookie Me Central’s 2022 Mock AFL Draft Pick 14 (Melbourne) – Matthew Jefferson Key Forward | 194cm | 76kg | 08/03/2004 Melbourne has often been linked with Jefferson and he could be the long-term key forward the Dees are after. Though some recruiters aren’t as high on the remaining talls in the field draft crop, Jefferson is one with undeniable talent and first round potential. He looms as more of a project player who Melbourne have the capacity to be patient with, and has terrific aerial assets to exploit once he adds a bit of mongrel and size. Pick 37 (Melbourne) – Sam Gilbey Medium Defender | 187cm | 73kg | 14/05/2004 Justification: Potentially a case of best available, Gilbey has the weapons to become much better than this ranking suggests.

Melbourne’s two selections in next week’s draft are included in the list of nominated players in this article ~ Every nominated player for the 2022 AFL Draft revealed

Corey Ellison has definitely nominated ~ Every nominated player for the 2022 AFL Draft revealed

Just to add some context to this discussion, Matt Jefferson and of course, many others in the mix for draft selection, have been known to JT and all leading AFL recruiters for several years. Jefferson, along with the following names (who are currently in draft contention) were in the 2019 Victorian under 15 schoolboys squad:- Marcus Ashcroft, Jhye Clark, Blake Drury, Harry Flynn, Cooper Harvey, Noah Long, Paul Pascu, Jonti Schuback, Elijah Tsatas, George Wardlaw and Nicholas Watson. There were others in the squad as well but I first heard some of the names including Jefferson’s 3½ years ago so people within JT’s team would have been watching him and many others for at least that long a time. There are no guarantees but you can rest assured, no player is selected in the first round on a whim.

Because everyone loves mock drafts, Zero Hanger has come out with a second edition:- 2022 AFL Mock Draft: Picks 1-21 (second edition) The Demons make a bid for Brisbane father-son gun Jaspa Fletcher which is matched by the Lions so they nominate Matthew Jefferson with what has become pick 15.

Until a few minutes ago, I had never heard of “Tulmur” and I still can’t find it on a map. Strange place to hold an AFLW Grand Final.

Not only is this behind a firewall but judging from the names of the authors, it also seems to be connected to the Herald Sun and Murdoch Media. So if you happen to already have a subscription to the HS (as I do via my wife’s account) then you still need to subscribe to this lot. Clever marketing but I’m not buying.

There’s been a fair amount of discussion about the club’s need for a spare ruckman in the event of injury to one or both of our ruck superstars. It’s unlikely that we’re going to find one among the young draftees because they’re scarce on the ground and others are primed to swoop on the best of them (Barnett). However, it would appear that either the Rookie Draft or the Supplemental Selection Period would be the best place to find a mature age ruckman to fit the bill.

Herald Sun now reporting that Melbourne coach Mick Stinear said after the game Tayla Harris had played the game out in pain but would be good to go for the AFLW decider. “Yeah a bit of discomfort during the game we took her out of the ruck and tried to use her as a weapon forward,” Stinear said. “She’s OK, certainly a bit of discomfort during the game but I can’t see her missing next week, she’s tough.”

From memory, the last time we played against the Brisbane Lions (our only loss this year), Tayla Harris was out injured and her presence was sorely missed. We would almost certainly have played a better game today but for the injury. Fingers crossed that she gets the shoulder right for the Grand Final.

Never in doubt MELBOURNE 2.0.12 3.1.19 3.1.19 5.3.33 NORTH MELBOURNE 1.0.6 2.2.14 2.4.16 2.14.16 GOALS MELBOURNE Fitzsimon Hore Mithen D Pearce Sherriff NORTH MELBOURNE E King Randall BEST MELBOURNE Paxman Mithen Hanks Heath D Pearce Birch NORTH MELBOURNE Kearney Garner Riddell Wright Bruton Rennie INJURIES MELBOURNE T Harris (left shoulder) NORTH MELBOURNE Nil REPORTS MELBOURNE Nil NORTH MELBOURNE Nil CROWD 5,592 at Ikon Park

The sort of innuendo that has surrounded certain Western Australian youngsters in the past before getting drafted much deeper in the draft than expected by the pundits. Ask Jack Darling.

Chris Doerre of ESPN and his latest power rankings AFL Draft November Power Rankings: Late bolters and bargains to be had Doerre just loves Mattaes Phillipou

Announced yesterday 2023 NAB AFL ACADEMY Lachlan Cabor – Sydney Swans Academy/Shellharbour (NSW/ACT) Nate Caddy – Northern Knights/Yarrambat (VIC M) Jack Callinan – Tasmania Devils/Clarence (TAS) Caiden Cleary – Sydney Swans Academy/Sydney University (NSW/ACT) Daniel Curtin – Claremont/West Coast (WA) Jack Delean – South Adelaide/Reynella (SA) Zane Duursma – Gippsland Power/Foster (VIC C) Mitchell Edwards – Peel Thunder/South Mandurah (WA) William Green – Northern Knights/Northcote (VIC M) Riley Hardeman – Swan Districts/Caversham (WA) William Lorenz – Oakleigh Chargers/Boroondara Hawks (VIC M) Kane McAuliffe – North Adelaide/Central Augusta (SA) Colby McKercher – Tasmania Devils/Launceston (TAS) Ashton Moir – Glenelg/Plympton (SA) Connor O’Sullivan – Murray Bushrangers/Albury (VIC C) William Patton – West Adelaide/Mitcham (SA) Nathan Philactides – Oakleigh Chargers/Blackburn (VIC M) Ethan Read – Gold Coast Suns Academy/Palm Beach Currumbin (QLD) Archer Reid – Gippsland Power/Inverloch-Kongwak (VIC C) Harley Reid – Bendigo Pioneers/Tongala (VIC C) Archie Roberts – Sandringham Dragons/Hampton Rovers (VIC M) Jake Rogers – Gold Coast Suns Academy/Broadbeach (QLD) Ryley Sanders – Sandringham Dragons/North Launceston (TAS) Cooper Simpson – Dandenong Stingrays/Mount Martha (VIC C) George Stevens – GWV Rebels/South Warrnambool (VIC C) Koltyn Tholstrup – Subiaco/Newtown-Condingup (WA) Orlando Turner – West Adelaide/South Alice Springs (NT) Jed Walter – Gold Coast Suns Academy/Palm Beach Currumbin (QLD) Nick Watson – Eastern Ranges/East Ringwood (VIC M) Darcy Wilson – Murray Bushrangers/Wangaratta Rovers (VIC C)

2022 NATIONAL DRAFT ORDER AND SELECTIONS AFTER THE END OF THE AFL DELISTED PLAYER FREE AGENCY PERIOD ROUND ONE 1. GWS Giants 2. North Melbourne 3. North Melbourne 4. Essendon 5. Gold Coast Suns 6. Hawthorn 7. Geelong 8. West Coast Eagles 9. St Kilda 10. Carlton 11. Western Bulldogs 12. West Coast Eagles 13. Melbourne 14. Sydney Swans 15. GWS Giants 16. Collingwood 17. Sydney Swans 18. GWS Giants
 ROUND TWO 19. GWS Giants 20. West Coast Eagles 21. Western Bulldogs 22. Essendon 23. North Melbourne 24. Hawthorn 25. Collingwood 26. West Coast Eagles 27. Collingwood 28. St Kilda 29. Carlton 30. Fremantle 31. GWS Giants 32. St Kilda 33. Port Adelaide 34. Brisbane 35. Brisbane 36. Brisbane 37. Melbourne 38. Brisbane ROUND THREE 39. Western Bulldogs 40. North Melbourne 41. Hawthorn 42. Sydney Swans 43. Fremantle 44. Fremantle 45. Gold Coast Suns 46. Adelaide 47. St Kilda 48. Hawthorn 49. Carlton 50. Hawthorn 51. Collingwood 52. Hawthorn 53. Richmond 54. Essendon 55. Brisbane 56. Adelaide 57. GWS Giants 58. Geelong ROUND FOUR 59. Adelaide 60. Port Adelaide 61. GWS Giants 62. Essendon 63. Richmond 64. Geelong 65. Hawthorn 66. Carlton 67. Fremantle 68. Essendon 69. Western Bulldogs 70. North Melbourne 71. Gold Coast Suns 72. Essendon 73. Brisbane 74. Gold Coast Suns 75. Sydney Swans 76. Fremantle ROUND FIVE 77. North Melbourne 78. West Coast Eagles 79. GWS Giants 80. Essendon 81. Adelaide 82. Hawthorn 83. Gold Coast Suns 84. Port Adelaide 85. St Kilda 86. Carlton 87. Western Bulldogs 88. Richmond 89. Fremantle 90. Melbourne 91. Brisbane 92. Collingwood 93. Sydney Swans 94. Geelong

Today, I re-watched a replay of the Vic Metro v South Australia NAB Championships Under 18 game from GMHBA Stadium earlier this year (a couple of the above didn’t make the SA side) and the performance of the South Aussies was absolutely horrible. The effort was poor and an embarrassment for their coach who’s been around for a long time. They made the Victorian boys look good (which many of them are) but I was shocked at how poor the Croweaters were on the day.

I don’t know but NAB AFL Draft Nominations close next Monday afternoon at 3.00pm. I think the list of nominations gets published on the AFL site a few days later. I’d be surprised if Ellison didn’t nominate as he’d be an outside chance to be rookied by a club.

Paul Amy who writes extensively on the VFL has tweeted that “Casey Demons top-liners James 'Moose' Munro and Mitch White back for 2023”. However, he also says that of the fringe players, Aidan Quigley is unlikely to go on and versatile tall Bryce Milford is being linked with Port Melbourne.

I’m meaning that investment in NGA’s by the individual clubs outside the northern academies isn’t justified because of minimal access to players of quality now that they’re limited to outside the top 40 picks. If an NGA Vic Country rep in FE-B isn’t considered worthy of a nomination by his allocated Club, whether by reason of a recruiting/list management decision or any other reason, then the range of players who are going to get selected under the NGA system has to be extremely limited especially when club spending is capped anyway. I’ve had the opportunity of observing at close quarters how another club’s NGA works, how many coaches, assistants and admin staff plus resources are put into the system and it simply can’t be cost-effective given the current selection restraints. FE-B has good disposal but he’s slight and would struggle to find a place on an AFL primary list. Nor do I see him as the type who would fit into our rookie list (Cat A or B) at this stage of his development. He reminds me of some of the players who appear in Casey games as “23rd men” and perhaps that should be where he plays if not drafted. His best chance in that case might be to follow in the footsteps of former Demon NGA Deakyn Smith who initially missed out on being drafted but is now going into his third season as a rookie after becoming a pre-season supplemental selection in March 2021.

If that’s the case, it pretty much sounds the death knell on the NGA system for the non northern states. Emile-Brennan is a 2022 Vic Country representative. If an academy player in that category can’t be selected within the first 40 picks but isn’t thought of as worthy of selection beyond 40 then there doesn’t seem to be much scope for NGA players. Unless the AFL subsidises the system, it’s looking like a complete waste of money going forward.

Demon fans should be able to pick the error Pick 1 contenders, bolters, and more: 2022 AFL Draft State of Play

Will be wearing the red and blue next year but in the SANFL. Delisted Hawthorn forward Jackson Callow returns to SANFL club Norwood

Isaac Keeler is a promising key forward/ruckman from South Australia who has been considered by some as a potential Luke Jackson replacement. The Adelaide NGA has no problem moving interstate and this week, the Crows decided not to nominate him under the rules - Why Crows chose against nominating draft prospect under NGA rules

Two clubs have made decisions about nominating players through the Next Generation Academy process. • Essendon nominated Tiwi Islander Anthony Munkara; but • Adelaide decided not to commit to North Adelaide forward/ruck Isaac Keeler, who will instead be in the open pool in the national draft. Any news on what Melbourne’s done with Emilie-Brennan?