Lord Travis

I'd be disappointed with the club if we draft Jackson with 3. He'll be undersized as a ruck at AFL level, and hasn't shown he can play as a key forward. He's mobile and athletic sure, but he's also a horrible kick of the footy and will never be a dominant ruckman at AFL level. He'd basically be playing as a negating ruckman who then becomes an extra midfielder. If the club doesn't value ruck work (Gawns strength), then it makes sense. He's definitely not the best talent available at such a high pick. Happy to claim that and cop egg on the face in future.

We lost our number 1 KPF in Hogan, then lost the depth of Pedo and T Smith couldn't get on the park. We were essentially 3 tall forwards down last year and haven't addressed this hole yet. We've got depth down back now, so I expect Petty to be shifted forward more. We need that forward depth, so signing Brown makes sense. He's nothing to get excited about, but he fills a need for us in terms of tall forward depth and a proven goal kicking option.

The latest the bid will possibly come is pick 5. Sydney are in desperate need of a big bodied inside midfielder to replace J Kennedy, and will 100% bid on Green if the bid hasn’t already come. Adelaide will 98% bid on him at pick 4. We’re 75% chance to bid on him at pick 3. GWS will match the bid for Green regardless of where it comes. It’s about whether they can get a pick in before he is bid on. I don’t think we’ll split pick 3. We’ll likely bid on Green, have it matched, then take Young. We may split pick 8 for 10+22. This is dependent on bids for Henry and what other clubs shuffle round and do on the night.

Stephens looks the goods and I’m hoping we land him at pick 8. I think he’s surprise a few by performing well very early in his career despite not having a big body. His pace, agility and goal scoring ability mean he can start as a half forward and progress into the midfield over time. His pace is really good, which those highlights showcase. We’re in the fortunate position having two top 10 draft picks in possibly the quickest lot of top draftees ever.

Really good appointment. Lewis was a beautiful kick and decision maker for most of his career, so hopefully he is able to coach those skills into our players. Our kicking skills and decision making is obviously a weakness, so good it’s officially being addressed. Have said for a long time I think Lewis will make a good coach one day. He’s a very smart guy and seems an astute communicator and mentor.

We’re taking about the same player right? The 170cm guy who kicks one goal every second match? What attributes does he have that have shot him up the draft boards suddenly? He’s not a big goal scorer - averaged 0.5 goals a game at senior SAFL level. He’s got a good leap - but he needs to have a good leap to even just be competitive at 170cms. He’s quick, but not elite quick - not in top 20 tested. He has poor-average endurance - doesn’t find much ball, averaged 10 touches. His best attribute is he provides good defensive pressure around packs in the forward line. Statistically he’s identical to Charlie Spargo. IMO the best outcome for his career would be an in form Jeff Garlett. Don’t get me wrong, he could be a handy little small forward and have a decent career, but at pick 8 you can pick up much better than that. It would be negligent for the club to draft him at pick 8.

Interesting as Twomey also said on podcast today that Pickett is likely a third round pick, from pick 35 onwards. Wonder why he’s giving out mixed messages?

Pickett is pick 30-50 range. Unless we gain later picks, he’s not worth considering with what we have.

I voted Young and Stephens when the poll opened. My view hasn’t changed. Both are amongst the most talented in the draft pool, have attributes we’re lacking, and could play early. Both have scope to become great footballers long term. Wouldn't be unhappy with Kemp at 8 though. I think Stephens just shows great dash, agility, goal scoring ability, kicking and has already showed it against men in the SAFL. Young is a lock at 3 for me, and that’s what I heard from a source weeks ago too.

Yeah it's a really hard thing to judge, and the recruiters obviously look for specific things to help make judgement on how well certain attributes will translate to AFL level. There's no exact science though. Every year we see players who were taken lower in the draft go on the become superstars (e.g. Fyfe), while more highly rated juniors fail (e.g. Toumpas). I don't mind Gould and would like him on the list if we split and got another pick. I don't think he's worth a top 10 pick, but it's harder to judge the man-child types. Players like Tom Boyd and Josh Schache were giants at under-age level so were dominant, but then fail to translate against bigger bodies at AFL level. Gould falls into the camp due to often being 20-30kgs heavier than his opponents on the flank. Hard to judge how his skillset and size will translate to the AFL level. I think he'll be decent though!

Bianco is projected as a pick 15-30 type. He’s a small-medium player who has good kicking skills and a bit of dash. Played mainly wing and halfback flank. I reckon we’d be right into him if we had a second round pick to use.

On top of the interviews, it's his key attributes and how he'll adjust to AFL level. He's a 106kg half back flanker who often lines up on players 30kgs lighter than him. It means he can out-wrestle them, break tackles etc very easily. He'd need to lose 10kg to cope with running at AFL level, and he will no longer have a huge size advantage. That nullifies the key parts of his game from underage level. His agility is average, speed average-good straight line but average otherwise, kicking good, reading ball drop average-good. Recruiters would likely only see a few attributes that translate to AFL level when his size advantage is removed. Whether that's right or not is another matter, but it's easy to see why he's slipped from potential top 5-10 pick to more like a 20-35 pick.

Rowell was a cut above that day. Anderson and Young also played well and showed they could match it against men. Bianco was also good with his dash. If we had a second round pick, he'd be right in our cross hairs. He'll wind up a decent little player IMO

Agreed. I raised him a month or two back in another thread, as he kicked something like 43 goals from 16 matches in the NEAFL this season. He looked good his first few years at Brisbane, but was one who to demoted this year due to new inclusions like Charlie Cameron and Lachie Neale. He’s still young and I reckon would be better depth than what we’ve currently got.

FFS

Oh don’t get me wrong, Tassie is beautiful for a holiday. The annual footy match there against North however, is a miserable affair!

I think people are getting carried away with Kemp. He’s never been spoken about as a 1/2 option. Rowell and Anderson were a clear top 2, and both are far better than Kemp at this stage. He was firming as a top 5 choice before injury as he had a good end to the carnival and started having an impact in the midfield. He spent most of his junior footy down back then up forward. He’s still not been overly productive in the midfield, and recruiters were excited by his potential. Regardless, I’d also take him at 8. Him or Stephens. I wouldn’t take Jackson with either top 10 pick.

Doubt a footy club would instruct a youngster to go party hard so he slips to them! He may well wind up at the Crows with pick 23 or 28 though. Won't be anywhere near their pick 4. Gould rarely hits the scoreboard. He kicked 7-8 goals less than each of Young and Ash, the other players who play a similar position and will go in the first 10 picks. Teams and coaches would never restructure a gameplan around one player who they can't predict. Gould is a good kick, but he's not that good. I'm not against taking him if we split a pick and get something in the late teens or twenties, but he's nowhere near the best talent available at our top 10 picks.

It's a favourable fixture for us. Decent from both a game fixture and financial position. Unless we absolute [censored] the bed again, we should win 12+ games, which means finals are realistic. It's up to the coaches now to create a different gameplan and not stubbornly stick to something outdated that is not working.

I bloody hope not. I mark it down as the most miserable game of the year every year. The only thing we get out of it is wind-burn.

Gould said that he gets blasted by the coaches for ignoring team gameplan or ignoring easy options and turning it over. Doesn’t seem like a very smart or coachable player. I’m guessing after combine interviews and further character checks he’s dropped further down club rankings. The last thing clubs want these days is players who don’t follow game plan and just charge off in a straight line (see Sam Frost).

Decent footballer. Would add more run and a goal scoring option. If he's not requesting a high salary, then he's definitely worth a go.

His body is shot. Pass.

Listening to Jason Taylor on Road To Draft podcast - Luke Jackson in the frame for pick 3. They see him as a forward option. Don't think he will be a full-time ruckman at AFL level. If we draft him, he will be part of the forward group. Interesting to hear considering he's barely played forward and has played pure ruck through the year. Seems we may get a 'tall forward' after all...

Luke Jackson in frame for pick 3. See him as a forward option. Don't see him as a full-time ruckman at AFL level. If we drafted him, would be playing with the forward group. Interesting!