Lord Travis

If Spargo was caught out in our defensive zone then this is what we’d see. He’s got to learn to play as a link man into the forward line or he won’t make it IMO.

I’d like to see Sparrow groomed as a small back men. Has the aggression and speed to fill the role. At 183cm he’s the right size. We’re well stocked for inside mids so he can be tried elsewhere IMO.

He’s clearly the best ruckman in a very weak draft class for talls, but I don’t think he’ll make the transition to AFL level very smoothly. Even at 199cm, he’ll be the shortest 1st choice ruckman in the league, and he doesn’t have a freakish leap to compete against bigger and more athletic ruckman. He hasn’t shown he has the skills to be a gun KPF or KPD, so I’m not sure where he’s going to excel. Definitely wouldn’t use pick 3 or 8 on him. If we split a pick and got teens picks, then maybe.

At 198cm, I don’t think Jackson will ever be a dominant ruckman. He’s a good accumulator around the ground, but he’ll eventually come up against other rucks who are 10cm and 10kg heavier and get pushed around. He also doesn’t have an insane leap like NicNat, who is 202cm, so bigger to start with. His best hope to become a force is as a tall forward or defender, and IMO he doesn’t show the skill level. He’s not a great kick and hasn’t showed he can split packs with big contested marks. Not worth pick 3 IMO.

Really sad to read that. Only 23 years old and already looks like his footy career is over. But worse is the effect those concussions have on him. Can’t go to busy places, drive a car etc. very sad and he’ll probably have to manage that the rest of his life. Hope he’s able to get some semblance of normality and health back.

You’re welcome to your opinion. I’m personally very excited to be drafting the next Luke Hodge!

After missing out on Elliott, Gray would be a decent fallback option. Not a traditional small forward, but he adds running power and can have an impact. Definitely should be enquiring.

If it’s not Martin then it seems we’ve wasted an opportunity. We won’t be near the top of the drafts again for sometime so need to make it count.

Young will be taken with our first pick. Source: recruiter at another Victorian club. It’s apparently already widely known amongst AFL circles that we’ll be taking Young with our first pick. Unknown yet if we bid for Green, but Sydney will definitely bid for Green if we don’t. Cant wait to see Young in red and blue commanding the half back line for the next 10 years!

If he’s available at pick 97, then sure. But a top 10 pick... get your hand off it!

Gould's a big boy. Probably the fattest since Mumford, but only 191cms! That article above has a quote that he gets blasted by coaches for always trying to take the hardest kick and not the easy/team option. Shows he's a bit of a Sam Frost and doesn't necessarily follow team gameplan. If that's the case, clubs wouldn't rate him as very coachable or good for team environment, and it's probably why there's questions where he even gets drafted in the top 30. Personally I think he's worth a pick in the mid-late teens, but he's not who we should be drafting with either top 10 pick, and he's not what we need either. Young plays a similar position, but is more agile, quicker, better intercept marker, better kick, and more versatile. Take him at pick 3 and look for best talent available at 8. Gould ain't it.

Gould is only quick in a straight line. His agility is average. At 106kgs, he’s able to run through tackles from kids 30kg lighter than him. At afl level, he’ll no longer have a size advantage and will get brought down instead. He’d need to lose 10-15kgs so he’s able to cover the required ground too. He’s not a bad footballer, but he doesn’t possess enough elite attributes to be pick 3 or 8. Draft best available, and he’s not it. Still hoping for Young at 3 and Stephens or Kemp at 8.

And look how that worked out for us. Ball wound up a premiership midfielder. Tapscott was delisted within a few years. Let’s not repeat the mistake by drafting a low percentage kid instead of proven AFL quality.

He’s not a free agent, therefore hasn’t earns the right to choose a club and only play for that club. He must enter the national draft or preseason draft, which means he’s up for grabs from whichever club drafts him. If he elects a club and refuses to join that club, he sits out of playing AFL. Anything else is draft tampering. The AFL need to get involved here or it breaks the rules they’ve created, sets a precedent and changes the landscape in a negative way.

His game sense, decision making and reflexes are all elite. He's able to work his way through contested situations and distribute perfectly either long or short. He's really strong in the air, is quick to mop up and ground level, and always uses the ball well. There's definitely a little bit of Trapper about his decision making and kicking. It's been a long time since we've had someone with elite kicking like Young at the club. Salem has potential, but he always picks a short option and his long kicking lacks penetration compared to others. Young will be an elite half back flanker for a decade. Perfect replacement for Hibberd. He'll help improve the quality of entry into our forward 50 so we start scoring better again. Need to get him at pick 3 IMO!

Gone Young and Stephens. Young at 3 - best kick in the draft. Will be an elite half back. Could also play midfield if needed. Stephens - best outside midfielder in the draft. Will provide run and kicking on a wing or any flank.

They’d be the opposite to what they are now. Trac would be a star and DeGoey would’ve showed patches. We’ve got a proven track record of being poor at developing players. That, along with poor onfield leadership, have been our key issues for over a decade. Worst part is they don’t look to be resolved anytime soon either. We can have all the top draft picks in the world, but if we can’t develop then and surround them with leaders then it’s a waste.

Trenners first few years were brilliant. His issue wasn’t talent, it was development and injury. We still need to get better at development. Guys like Petracca and Weid have loads of talent, but could be much more than they are if they were developed better.

Young.

If you've got an iPhone, the NAB League app has footage of every player from every match. Not sure if it's available on Android. Probably the best way for general punter to see footage of these kids for now until the AFL website starts putting up highlights close to the draft.

Here's Knightmare's write-up for Young for last month. He seems like he's top 5 worthy and I'd be happy with him at 3. "Provides consistent drive from defence with his work by foot a highlight. Rises ahead of Ash due stronger form over the latter part of the season and a better contested side to his game. Strengths: Versatility to play defence or midfield, precise and damaging kick, vision, decision making under pressure, aggressive attack on the ball, contested ball winning, stoppage work, run and carry, agility, leap, one-on-one defence, defensive accountability, reading of the drop of the ball, intercept marking Weaknesses: Sometimes too accountable, needs to provide a marking target more often around the ground rather running around the back for cheap handball receives"

Seen him play two games live. Answers to your questions below. Does he get his own ball? Yes. He can definitely win his own ball, and played a few games inside midfield. Is his kicking overall elite? Yes. His kicking overall is elite. He's unquestionably the best kick in this draft class. His kicking is very accurate and well weighted both long and short. His long kicking has good punch and penetration. To compare kicking to a current AFL player, think Shannon Hurn or Daniel Rich with his ability to punch the ball forward. Marking ability? Intercept marking is one of his strengths. He's very competitive in the air, uses his body well and times his marking/spoiling well. He reads the play very well. Doesn't have an enormous leap, but more than adequate. Is he teachable? He seems a smart kid, often directing traffic out of the backline. He seems very teachable. Leadership? He shows genuine leadership. As above, he is often directing traffic across halfback. He also takes responsibility in key moments as evidenced by 'the kick' in the tweet in this thread. If I had to compare him to an AFL player it'd be Luke Hodge from early/late in his career where he played as a general across halfback. Young has shown he can play midfield, but he's best suited across halfback. Strengths are kicking and marking and he has great gamesense and composure. He's the best option at pick 3 IMO.

Surely Keays is worth a look! Still only 22 years old and has showed a bit at AFL level the past few years. Kicked 43 goals from 16 games in the NEAFL this year. IMO he'd be an upgrade on all our depth forwards at worst.

Would take Josh Walker and Ben Keays from Brisbane. Both would be depth upgrades at least.

After 4 seasons he’s been delisted to make way for a 30 year old Josh Jenkins. He’s a pretty low chance of making it. Maybe for a rookie spot, but I doubt he’ll make it.