Whispering_Jack

AFL NATIONAL DRAFT ORDER (after Day 1 of the National Draft) with Draft Points ROUND TWO 21. Fremantle 878 22. North Melbourne 845 23. Hawthorn 815 24. Geelong 785 25. Geelong 756 26. Hawthorn 729 27. Carlton 703 28. Richmond 677 29. Richmond 653 30. Richmond 629 31. West Coast 606 32. Sydney 584 33. Geelong 563 34. North Melbourne 542 35. Adelaide 522 36. West Coast 502 37. North Melbourne 483 38. Melbourne 465 ROUND THREE 39. Sydney 446 40. Brisbane Lions 429 41. Western Bulldogs 412 42. Melbourne 395 43. Geelong 378 44. Essendon 362 45. Collingwood 347 46. GWS Giants 331 47. GWS Giants 316 48. St Kilda 302 49. Essendon 287 50. Melbourne 273 51. Collingwood 259 ROUND FOUR 52. Hawthorn 246 53. Fremantle 233 54. St Kilda 220 55. Port Adelaide 207 56. Carlton 194 57. Hawthorn 182 58. St Kilda 170 59. St Kilda 158 60. West Coast 146 61. Fremantle 135 62. Sydney 123 63. GWS Giants 112 64. Western Bulldogs 101 65. North Melbourne 90 66. Port Adelaide 80 67. Port Adelaide 69 68. Adelaide 59 ROUND FIVE 69. North Melbourne 49 70. Adelaide 39 71. Hawthorn 29 72. Carlton 19 73. Collingwood 9 74. Richmond 75. Fremantle 76. St Kilda 77. West Coast 78. Sydney 79. Essendon 80. Port Adelaide ROUND SIX 81. Gold Coast 82. Adelaide 83. Essendon 84. Sydney ROUND SEVEN 85. Gold Coast 86. Essendon ROUND EIGHT 87. Collingwood 88. Geelong 89. Western Bulldogs ROUND NINE 90. Collingwood 91. Western Bulldogs ROUND TEN 92. Western Bulldogs

Well … well … well

Nailed it!

Blake Howes of the Sandringham Dragons is one of the players Melbourne and a few other clubs are keen on. He's 18 years of age, a 190cm, 79kg outside midfielder and wouldn't take long to fit into a regular spot, even in the premiership side.

I don't think the club is as interested in a KPP selection at that stage of the draft than I am. They're the ones with their jobs on the line so I'll leave it to them.

One of the results of the Covid19 pandemic is that it will take a while before the outcome of last year’s AFL National Draft can be judged. And if 2020 turned out to be an enigma for recruiters then tonight’s national draft is going to be just as difficult for AFL clubs even though we saw a little more football than we did last year. You might not appreciate this if you pick up today’s newspaper or look at on line sites given that nearly every draft expert is predicting an identical top five as follows:- 1. Jason Horne-Francis (South Adelaide, SA) 2. Sam Darcy (Oakleigh Chargers/Vic Metro) 3. Finn Callaghan (Sandringham Dragons/Vic Metro) 4. Nick Daicos (Oakleigh Chargers/Vic Metro) 5. Mac Andrew (Dandenong Stingrays/Vic Country) You can just about lock that in as my draft top 5 for tonight but if you think that this is the order from 1 to 5 of the best players available in this year’s draft pool, then you need to think again. The outcome above is a combination of the machinations of the AFL draft system and the fact that drafting has been compromised by Covid19. Writing in the Herald Sun’s on line section (no link available), former Hawthorn star and “recruiting guru” Gary Buckenara cautioned that the limited number of games and the inability in 2020 and 2021 of recruiters to travel and see players playing live was a major issue. Often clubs have had to rely on the use of video analysis and local part time staff and this is not ideal. Buckenara maintains that the best way to form an opinion about players is to view their games in person. “You cannot actually pick up everything about a player by analysing videos and stats and relying on these two forms of analysis is lazy recruiting”. My reading of much of the draft coverage of the past week confirms this about many of the leading experts in the field. The pen pictures that have been posted about certain players bear such a resemblance to each other that it couldn’t be coincidental. So please forgive me for joining the lazy sheep in posting my top five as above. You would be aware by now that, despite his potential as a future player, I wouldn’t place over-hyped Melbourne’s NGA player, Mac Andrew, in my top twenty “power rating” but spare a thought for GWS Academy player Josh Fahey who will probably have to wait until tomorrow night to be drafted without much fanfare by the Giants in the 20s. Fahey was his team’s only four quarter player for the Australian Academy when it was thrashed by 130 points by Geelong VFL and named its best player. Andrew was unsighted in that game for three quarters but put in a solid final term which catapulted him into top twenty draft rankings. Good luck to both of them in 2022 when they start the season as equals in their quests for long AFL careers. The way things look at the moment, I’ll be cheering Blake Howes from my NAB Boys League club, the Sandy Dragons because most of the draft pundits have already decreed this to be the case.

Van Rooyen has been one of my favourites since the start of the season and looks gettable by the club if you follow the draft experts most of who all seem to be singing from the same choir book on draft eve (the Herald Sun joined in the chorus today). The consensus is that he will be selected by Brisbane with the last selection in Round 1 tonight.

He’s dramatically downgraded Chesser right out of the park in his power rankings because he claimed he hadn’t seen enough of his output. Yet, he upgraded Mac Andrew to top 20 in his power rankings on the strength of one so so quarter for the Academy after earlier stating that the “team got pumped by 100+ points. I wouldn't read too much into anyone's performances”. He also incorrectly claimed back in early May that Andrew weighed nearly 80k (he’s still 74kg today). There’s lots more this year. Still, he’s entitled to his opinions but I wish he expressed them consistently. Here’s his latest power rankings - November's AFL Draft Power Rankings: No. 1 player locked in as bolters make their moves

This is Chris Doerre’s Phantom Draft Every club, every pick: ESPN's full AFL phantom draft You may call me a cynic but it does help your accuracy to be second, a day after Cal Twomey.

Mentioned elsewhere on Demonland is Cal Twomey’s Phantom Draft. Cal Twomey's 2021 Phantom AFL Draft: Top 30, late picks, club whispers Highlights for Melbourne are that he believes that the club will select Blake Howes of the Sandringham Dragons and, his “whispers” for the rest are - “A father-son is set to land at Melbourne for the first time since 2014 with Taj Woewodin nominated as a national pick, meaning if a bid doesn't come for the son of 2000 Brownlow medallist Shane then the Dees can automatically grab Woewodin with their last live selection. That appears the most likely outcome, with a bid not expected before Melbourne's third pick. Dandenong Stingrays forward/midfielder Judson Clarke could still be on the board at No.37 while the Dees have nominated Andy Moniz-Wakefield, an outside runner, through their Next Generation Academy and he could be a rookie shot. As could Anthony Caminiti, a 198cm forward who kicked five goals in his NAB League debut for the Northern Knights.”

Class of 2021: Father-son Taj Woewodin 'put to the sword

I think that if Melbourne goes for a midfielder or mid-sized player with its first selection at 17 then this Western Australian KPP might be worth a look with its second pick. Jack out of the box: Why athletic WA tall is open to a move east

Ha, ha … I beat him to it.

I came across the name Harry De Mattia a few years ago in the context of a discussion on young football prospects in the southern suburban region. He was described to me as an absolute gun footballer. I’m not sure if he’s made the choice of cricket over football yet but yesterday, at age 16 he made his debut in Premier District Cricket for the Melbourne seconds and scored an unbeaten ton. Say no more.

The AFL’s talent ambassador Kevin “Shifter” Sheahan has filed his list of top draft prospects. Kevin Sheehan's top 40 draft prospects: Who has traits like the Bont?

If there’s one player at North Melbourne who represents hardness at the contest, that man is Ben Cunnington. Kangaroos rally around Cunnington as he heads into chemotherapy We wish him well as he faces a round of chemotherapy with the same courage he displays on the football field.

Also along club lines is this article in today’s Melbourne Age:- How your club stands ahead of the 2021 draft MELBOURNE PICKS: 17, 37, 49, 57, 94 KEY DEFENDERS: Steven May, Jake Lever, Adam Tomlinson, Harrison Petty, Joel Smith SMALL/MEDIUM DEFENDERS: Christian Salem, Trent Rivers, Jake Bowey, Michael Hibberd, Jayden Hunt, Deakyn Smith, Daniel Turner MIDFIELDERS: Christian Petracca, Clayton Oliver, Jack Viney, Ed Langdon, Angus Brayshaw, James Harmes, Luke Dunstan, Tom Sparrow, James Jordon, Oskar Baker, Fraser Rosman KEY FORWARDS: Ben Brown, Tom McDonald, Sam Weideman, Mitch Brown SMALL/MEDIUM FORWARDS: Bayley Fritsch, Kysaiah Pickett, Charlie Spargo, Alex Neal-Bullen, Bailey Laurie, Jake Melksham, Toby Bedford, Kade Chandler RUCKS: Max Gawn, Luke Jackson, Majak Daw It is an obvious take after a flag triumph, but the premiers could not be more primed for a sustained run at success. Headline midfielders Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver are only 25 and 24 respectively, while there is a mix of young and senior depth. Luke Dunstan provides an experienced back-up option as James Jordon and Tom Sparrow establish themselves. Precocious half-back winger Jake Bowey is yet to lose a game, Kysaiah Pickett is already one of the best pressure forwards in the league and Luke Jackson will be a frightening ruck prospect for the next decade. Winger-forward Blake Howes would offer something different with his height and athleticism, while Campbell Chesser would provide more slingshot and speed off half-back. Sam Butler could come into the Dees’ thinking as an attacking outside player. A key forward is not out of the question given the senior ages of Ben Brown, Tom McDonald and Mitch Brown, and West Australian Jack Williams would be a fine option if he slid into the third round. Melbourne are committed to father-son Taj Woewodin, who may not attract a bid until later in the draft. The son of Brownlow medallist Shane is skilful on both sides of his body and can adapt to multiple roles.

As we enter the home stretch and move into the week of the 2021 National Draft, the scribes are looking more and more at the individual clubs and their needs. Rookie Me Central has come out with its 2021 AFL Draft Preview: Melbourne These are their key questions - Will Melbourne again make moves in the first round via live trading? How early will the Woewodin bid come in? Will Melbourne pick for needs, or select best available talent for pure squad depth?

… or John Cleese for that matter.

A decade before the Tigers won their 13th premiership, they were sitting on 10 VFL/AFL flags, the last of which came three decades earlier in 1980. They had been in the football wilderness for much of the interim period and, at one stage came close to folding in the midst of a financial crisis. New CEO Brendon Gale made this statement in 2010 ~ ''By 2020, we aspire to have won our 13th premiership; consistently provide the most exciting and powerful match-day experience in the competition; once again have the strongest support base in the nation, and enjoy the strongest emotional connection with our members and fans.'' The Tigers achieved their aims and today, after breaking our own drought, we are level with them on 13 premierships and are striving for more. What are the other things besides a flag that you think we should be aspiring to and are we achieving those aims?

Noah Yze is around 15 years of age. He’s 2 - 3 years away from draft age. Let’s not forget however, that not every child of an AFL star is necessarily the “son of a gun”.

AFL NATIONAL DRAFT ORDER with Draft Points ROUND ONE 1. North Melbourne 3,000 2. GWS Giants 2,517 3. Gold Coast 2234 4. Adelaide 2,034 5. Hawthorn 1,878 6. Fremantle 1,751 7. Richmond 1,644 8. Fremantle 1,551 9. St Kilda 1,469 10. West Coast 1,395 11. Essendon 1,329 12. Port Adelaide 1,268 13. GWS Giants 1,212 14. Brisbane Lions 1,161 15. Richmond 1,112 16. Sydney 1,067 17. Melbourne 1,025 18. Brisbane Lions 985 ROUND TWO 19. Fremantle 948 20. North Melbourne 912 21. Hawthorn 878 22. Geelong 845 23. Western Bulldogs 815 24. Hawthorn 785 25. Carlton 756 26. Richmond 729 27. Richmond 703 28. Richmond 677 29. West Coast 653 30. Geelong 629 31. Sydney 606 32. Geelong 584 33. Adelaide 563 34. Geelong 542 35. West Coast 522 36. Collingwood 502 37. Melbourne 483 ROUND THREE 38. Collingwood 465 39. Sydney 446 40. Collingwood 429 41. Brisbane Lions 412 42. North Melbourne 395 43. Western Bulldogs 378 44. Western Bulldogs 362 45. Western Bulldogs 347 46. Collingwood 331 47. North Melbourne 316 48. Collingwood 302 49. Melbourne 287 50. Geelong 273 51. Essendon 259 52. Western Bulldogs 246 53. GWS Giants 233 54. GWS Giants 220 55. St. Kilda 207 56. Essendon 194 57. Melbourne 182 58. Collingwood 170 ROUND FOUR 59. Hawthorn 158 60. Fremantle 146 61. St Kilda 135 62. Port Adelaide 123 63. Carlton 112 64. Hawthorn 101 65. St Kilda 90 66. St Kilda 80 67. West Coast 69 68. Fremantle 59 69. Sydney 49 70. GWS Giants 39 71. North Melbourne 29 72. Port Adelaide 19 73. Port Adelaide 9 74. Adelaide ROUND FIVE 75. North Melbourne 76. Adelaide 77. Hawthorn 78. Carlton 79. Richmond 80. Fremantle 81. St Kilda 82. West Coast 83. Essendon 84. Sydney 85. Port Adelaide ROUND SIX 86. Gold Coast 87. Adelaide 88. Essendon 89. Sydney ROUND SEVEN 90. Gold Coast 91. Essendon

Tiernan Stynes is still a couple of years away. However, he was also regarded very highly in basketball ranks and made a state junior representative side a little while ago,

The author here seems to feel that there's more risk involved in drafting ruckmen and KPP's than midfielders which is more or less the general view taken over the past decade and a half. The underrated zone where real value lives; how to avoid early mistakes: Inside the AFL draft "A potential key position player at the age of 18 is going to be further away from his physical prime than a midfielder, particularly since mids don’t need to fill out with quite as much muscle. "Rucks and KPPs also require skills that must be trained against fully-grown men - which is impossible at an early age - whereas the endurance and speed required in the midfield can be brought from the underaged ranks into the elite game." Of course, every once in a while, a tall KPP ruck or KPP comes along as the exception to the rule. Luke Jackson at #3 from two years ago is one of them.

The Herald Sun today published the names of 863 players who have nominated for next Wednesday's National Draft (and therefore the subsequent drafts). They include recently delisted Melbourne players, Kye Declase, Marty Hore and Jay Lockhart, Melbourne NGA's Mac Andrew and Andy Moniz-Wakefield as well as Kobi George and Ryan Koo Kwet Kim (not known if theyve been registered as Melbourne NGA's for the purposes of being drafted by the club. There's also a number of Casey players who have decided to try their luck and Father-son prospect Taj Woewodin. There may be others with connections - I'm not sure if it's an exhaustive list. Mac Andrew, Dandenong Stingrays Jack Bell, Casey Demons Andrew Courtney, Casey Demons Kye Declase, Melbourne Demons Corey Ellison, Casey Demons Zac Foot, Casey Demons Tom Freeman, Casey Demons Kobi George, Dandenong Stingrays Marty Hore, Melbourne Demons Ryan Koo Kwet Kim, Dandenong Stingrays Jay Lockhart, Melbourne Demons Tom McCaffrey, Casey Demons Lachlan Modica, Casey Demons Andy Moniz-Wakefield, Nightcliff James Munro, Casey Demons Miles Shepherd, Casey Demons Mitch White, Casey Demons Taj Woewodin, East Fremantle