Lord Travis

We’re a bottom four midfield now sadly and we won’t be competitive again until our next generation of midfielders in Langford, Windsor, Lindsey etc have matured.

Hopefully we learnt our lesson about pushing responsibility onto players before they're ready. It's such a shame how their careers panned out with injuries, as both were natural leaders and footballers who should have had long successful careers. I think a stop-gap for a few years once Max hands over or retires is the way to go. Long term there are some options assuming they are still at the club and continue developing well.

You're confusing performance and impact with leadership. The ability to turn a game is not a requirement to be a leader. The ability to set culture, direct team mates, shield team mates, and help them get the best out of themselves. It's also necessary now to front the media, so some semblance of public speaking and... shield team mates. They are the qualities of a captain, not how many goals they can kick or how many disposals they can rack up. In fact, defenders are far more often captains than forwards. By your logic, Petracca and Oliver should've been the next captain and vice captain. reality is neither are leaders suited to that role. Kozzie will never be captain and doesn't want to be. He's not the right type of person. He should concentrate on his football output.

Lever is the strongest leader we have and is the most obvious captain on our list, however his body is letting him down and he is ageing now. Given we're shifting to the next generation too, he could be a decent stop-gap choice or be bypassed altogether for a younger option. Our 24-28 year old bracket is poor and probably the key reason we've dropped off when the old timers have declined. That is the group of players who should be in there prime and carrying us, yet we get little from them and lack consistency there. We've got Steele, Viney, and May, all former captains on the list, but all too old IMO. Long term Lindsey and Disco Turner stand out to me as young emerging leaders at the club. Langdon is my tip as a smokey stop-gap captain for a few years until the next generation group mature and an obvious leader becomes apparent and is ready.

Woewodin to Collingwood again?!

Thanks. I thought he seemed more a rebounding back flank type. Would be good if he had scope to become the back pocket lockdown instead. We’ve got enough rebounding flank types, especially with recent draftees like Lindsey, Windsor, Taylor all likely to spend time there alongside Bowey, Salem, Rivers etc.

Looking at that, it’s clear we lack a small stopper. Not a single one of those options could line up on a Charlie Cameron small forward type. Anyone look likely in this role? Could Laurie or even Chandler fit the bill? We’ve got lots of half forward options already…

Small forward who brings defensive pressure and can also hit the scoreboard. Helps he’s a leader and good team mate. Seems like a good second round pick. We’ve got a few small forwards now, time to find a style that allows them to thrive! Welcome Thomas!

High upside pick with a point of difference; exactly what the rookie draft is for. Hopefully he can develop well in our system and become an explosive onballer. Looks a great pick. Welcome Riley!

Wasn’t thrilled we picked him so early, but now he’s a demon I’ll embrace him. Hoping that him and Kozzie light it up on the G together in red and blue for many years to come. He’s mature age and has got a decent fitness base, so it’ll be interesting to see how his development is handled by the club. We need another dangerous small forward since Kozzie is playing more midfield, so fills a need too. Small forwards are just about the most important role on the ground at present, so he can have an impact. Welcome Latrelle!

I wasn’t sure initially, but after watching lots of footage I’m stoked we landed him. Was hoping for a Taylor and Sharp double. At least we got one. Taylor looks a future gun and is a super determined kid. Excited he’s in red and blue!

It also means we're not likely chasing Bailey Humphrey again, as we'd be trading away the capital we'd need to have a chance at getting him in a trade.

That's fair also. I see him as more of an inside presence than most of those, but he lacks the foot speed on burst to some of them like Rowell. I think he's more than capable inside even considering his rugged appearance 😆 Everyone sees it differently I guess, which is all part of the fun! Will be interesting to see where he lands tomorrow night. I assumed he'd go as high as pick 2, so am shocked we're a chance to get him. Farrow is another one we're apparently keen on who could go anywhere. He's got attributes I like too and clearly has interest from other clubs around our mark.

Agreed. On your bolded points, Sharps hand balling in close is good and sets up team mates too. He is the best inside ball winner in this draft and made a lot of the other draftees look soft and hopeless. He's also a decent kick like the others you noted above. He always moves the ball on quickly and usually kicks to a lead or space rather than blindly bombing long. It's why I'm so hopeful he'll slide to our pick, as other than not being blessed with foot speed, he's a well rounded as you can get for this type of midfielder that will never go out of style.

They'll play different roles at AFL level. Sharp will likely be a dedicated inside ball winner who rests forward ala Cripps. Langford is a balanced midfielder who can play wing, half forward, deep forward or where ever he's needed. I view him as a Bont type. When they're flanked by guys like Kozzie, Windsor, Rivers, Lindsey etc I don't think it's an issue, but more a strength. Imagine Sharp feeding guys like Kozzie and Windsor bursting away from stoppages or feeding out to Langford and Lindsey to use their kicking skills. It's enticing. The whole "modern game" thing is overdone by the media too. Finals and premierships come down to clearances and contested ball. Fact. Look at the most recent grand final as an example. The Cats actually won the turnover game. Disposal efficiency was even. inside 50s were close. The key stat that determined the game was Brisbane spanking them in clearances. Clearances just determined a premiership, yet people go on about the "modern game" and speed and inside ball winners not being relevant anymore. Look at the Brownlow winners for the last years: Rowell Cripps Neale Cripps Wines Neale What do they all have in common? They're all inside ball winners, and they're all impacting matches more than others. Sharp has leadership capabilities too. He's a safe a bet to be a good AFL player as there is in this draft, and as much potential as any other draftee to be elite. 100%.

Nothing of note, though was quite firm on now trading picks and going in with 7&8. Very relaxed as always. Was probed about the same names we've been hearing and talked up Farrow and Nairn when asked. When they asked about midfield options he mentioned Robey and Cumming immediately before rolling into the other touted names, so think he rates them the most but feels they won't make it to us. Also said we've added to midfield the past few years but we've just lost champion midfielders also... No idea who we take based on that interview.

It's all speculation and I'm no expert, but they'd be big draft winners for mine if they got those three. I rate all three of them higher than both Farrow and Nairn, and reckon Sharp and X Taylor are the two best players in the draft.

Take Sharp without a second thought and ask the AFL if we can re-do the pick before it. Sharp is possibly the safest player in the whole draft. He’s the best inside mid and will play midfield and forward at top level. If he slides to one of our picks then we’ve basically won the draft.

A few, but generally not in the first round! Most top draftees who play senior footy get a decent run in the VFL, WAFL or SANFL seniors. They usually show a bit too. Harley Reid for example played a few VFL games for Carlton from memory, and was superb across half back. Langford had a few great quarters for Tigers VFL team last year. We'll see in a few nights if the Pickett chatter is legit or not, but on form it's a bit nuts he's potentially going to first round...

Would be stoked if Taylor slid to us. He looks certain to make it as at least a good AFL player. Nairn doesn't excite me at all though. The supposed interest from us with a top ten pick baffles me. Not against a bolder, but I don't see attributes worth stumping up a premium pick. Players like Sharp or Cumming look far more desirable and bankable to be good players for us. Fingers crossed for a Taylor and Sharp double.

No. He doesn't have that explosive power or star attributes IMO. A player like Harley Reid could become a Dusty/Petracca style mid-forward who rips games apart. Duursma is great in the air and has a good leap, mostly excelled playing as a third tall IMO. He's tall utlity, but I'm not sure he's got the grunt or scope to become an elite midfielder as you'd want from a number 1 pick like him. Best position might be an issue for him at AFL level, and I don't think he'll be a star like you'd hope from a. number 1 pick. This is true, and he's similar in nature, though bigger and more athletic. I don't see him having the power and hunger to be a big game changer either.

Let’s hope so, as trading up has not really been a winning strategy for us. It did net us Kozzie, but it’s also landed us with Laurie, Tholstrup, and Jefferson. It’s shown some chinks in JTs armor and stalled our list build IMO.

Some decent write-ups in there. I'm crossing my fingers we land a combo of Sharp or X Taylor as a slider, and Farrow.

A club will take him well within the top 40, but only because it's a weak draft. Make no mistake, he's nowhere near Kozzie level talent. He's less explosive, less pace, less agility, but does have better endurance. He's also not as magical with ball in hand. He's gone undrafted twice already, and played some good games late in SANFL reserves. he's less proven than kids 2-3 years younger than him, so he's high risk high reward type. If it wasn't for his surname, he'd likely be going later in this draft/rookied.

There’s also Weideman, Tholstrup and Jefferson. JT is good, but he isn’t perfect.