Lord Travis

Still don’t understand why Hewitt is potentially sliding out of the top 10. He’s powerful, very agile, quick, composed, hits the scoreboard, wins inside ball, links up on the outside. In terms of physical attributes and potential impact, he’s in the top few of this draft and up there with Philipou as the mid/forward weapon (Dusty, Trac, Bont type) all clubs dream of. Philipou is going as high as 4 now and won’t make it past Hawks at pick 6 (they flew him and his family to Victoria for a meet and greet this week). Is there off field stuff with Hewitt that hasn’t circulated? Can’t understand why else he’s sliding.

He's the best demon in my lifetime and he's still got many peak years ahead!

Kozzie. 21 years old. Back to back 40+ goal seasons. Game changer and match winner. Already read the article this morning so know the answer though.

I'd be disappointed if we traded 13 and 37 for 20 and 26. We lost Jackson for 13 and a future first rounder and had to fight hard to get those two first round picks. To then get rid of one in 13 would further dilute the compensation we got and the possibility of replacing him with elite talent is reduced even further. We should take 13 to draft and grab the best talent available. Whether that's Jefferson, Hewitt, Hollands, Allan etc I don't care, but that top tier talent will be there at 13 and won't be at 20+. We need elite talent now while we're in our window.

Maybe that’s why I’m so keen on him! 🤣 I’d love Philipou, but seems like he’ll be gone for our pick. Could be gone as early as pick 5 now.

One could say you’ve just described Luke Jackson. He’s a big man with small man skills. He’s lauded for agility and ground ball skills for a tall, but ironically his weakness are his big man skills such as marking and using his body in contests. I haven’t seem enough of Keeler to pass good judgement, but his skill set and output seems fine for his size.

Massive slider if true. Must have off field issues as on potential and some output shown, he’s a first round prospect. Big watch this space with him it seems.

He's a star and had another great season.Even on a broken leg at the end he was still one of our best players! He's lead the league in score involvements over the past three seasons now. When he gets going, he's unstoppable both around the ball and forward half of the ground. If he can tidy up his set shots for goal, he'll be the undisputed best player in the league. It's the only flaw in his game, which is otherwise outstanding. Love what Trac brings off the field too. He's very friendly, marketable, and a good role model for the youngsters. Great to have him signed up long term!

If he’s still available at our pick 37 then he’d be a perfect target to develop long term as either a tall forward or ruck. Think he might fall between our picks on the night though.

I’m confident Gawn and May will, but have concerns on TMac and BBrown as they’ve both struggled with injury. Foot and knee injuries being carried the wrong side of 30 mean they likely wont have long careers. I doubt either will play more than 1-2 season from here.

The Crows have decided not to nominate Keeler as an NGA. I suspect it won't matter as he'll likely be drafted before pick 40 when he'd become eligible to them. What would be the logic of not nominating him? Surely it's a free hit for a decent prospect later in the draft... https://www.afl.com.au/news/864695/key-forward-in-open-draft-pool-as-crows-opt-against-nga-nomination

Had another great year and was a rock down in defence again. His mid year concussion and then drunken fight were a low point and set the club on the wrong course which was disappointing. Still a great year by May. His game against Buddy in week one of finals was possibly the best game I've ever seen from a defender. He absolutely embarrassed an all time great that night, and Buddy is still stuck in his back pocket months later!

Sounds a decent kid Hewett. I’m hoping he’s there at our pick and he’s top of our list. He’s got the traits to be a mid/forward type who impacts games, and he seems physically ready to contribute in the near future during our window too.

Gus had a great season and showed his versatility. Should've been AA half back flanker IMO and I didn't know he had it in him! No idea what role or position he'll play next season, but I do know he'll do it very well. Gus is a very good footballer, plain and simple. The fact he's able to play such a variety of roles successfully is testament to his footy IQ, skillset, and attitude. He's a truly loyal team member who does what the team needs him to and I've got huge respect for the way he goes about it. His new contract was a big win for the club, as he's hugely important from a cultural perspective as a leader and mate. Looking forward to what Gus can achieve over the next few season as he's in his prime as a footballer.

No good KPF's the right side of 30 up for grabs unfortunately. The only one we'd consider is Hipwood, but he's not great and isn't a strong contested marking type. Missing out on McKay was a bummer. We were chasing him, but he wound up signing a long extension with the Blues. He would've been a great acquisition. Seeing the Tigers get Tom Lynch as a free agent really hurt. Big salary isn't an issue, it's getting a gun in without even having to trade for them that's the key.

Jackson spent his first few years in covid hubs and lockdowns. Like most of us here in Victoria, he wouldn't have enjoyed his time here and it would have made it hard to settle and build a connection to the place. With the offer of big cash to return to his home state of WA after that experience, I'm shocked he stayed with us as long as he did! JVR hopefully has a better experience living in a more normal version of Victoria. We have more chance of him staying longer term as he can properly settle and build a life here. We need him to become a key player in our forward line the next few years. Hoping we see lots of him in 2023!

[censored] yeah! That’s a great result. With the recent loss of Jackson returning to his home state of WA, I was worried JVR may follow suit in the coming years. Good to lock him in for a few more years and give him a chance to settle into normal life in Vic and lock down a KPF role.

I'll put my hand up and say I thought we "reached" with drafting him high at pick 12. I was massively wrong. He's a gun and is super important to our team both offensively and defensively. He's already had back to back 40+ goal seasons as a small forward, which is an incredible achievement. To put that in perspective against other current gun small forwards; Charlie Cameron is 28 and has kicked 40+ 3 times. Papley is 26 and has kicked 40+ once. Kozzie is 21 and has now kicked 40+ twice. He's out of contract end of next season and we need to lock him away. He's the most important of our young future core IMO.

No doubt Gysberts was a product of the woeful Melbourne environment then. The club was a train wreck in that era under Neeld. Gysberts burst onto the scene and then got "Melbourned" like many other highly talented juniors that were unlucky enough to be drafted to by Melbourne during those years. Any kid who is ripping out 26 disposal, 8 clearance, 5 tackle games as an 18 year starting his career in a team getting belted with bugger all senior support has clear talent. Neeld and the poor development of the club at the time ruined his career. If he were drafted now, he'd be a 200 game player. I feel sorry for those kids whose careers we ruined back then. As for pick 37 now, I'm hoping someone like Keeler may be available as a bit of a project player. 13 needs to be ready to go IMO.

Bit of chatter that Hewitt could be the slider this draft. Looked a bonafide top 10 pick all year, but reports he could slide into the teens or early 20s. Does anyone have any insight as to why he's possibly sliding? Is it behavioural issues? Consistency? On my limited viewing and reading, he's got the physical assets to be the best player in the draft. His agility and composure are next level. He's like Pendlebury in the packs, dances through traffic, creates space, always makes good decisions, then bursts away to be a linking option. His agility, speed, power, skill and flexibility make him an intriguing prospect. I really hope he's an option for us at 13.

Probably the best highlights package I’ve seen from this draft crop. His agility and ability to create space and time for himself is very good. He’s got a good burst of pace and plays aggressively. Looks competent inside and outside, could start as a half forward flanker who hits the scoreboard and provides defensive pressure or link up. If he’s available at 13, he’d be a great get IMO. Only downside to drafting him is he’s from WA, so no idea if he’ll be a flight risk!

What are peoples thoughts on Keeler? Not in first round discussions at present, but he looks to have high potential as an athletic ruck/key forward. Floats nicely in the air, decent mark, looks quite agile for his size. Could develop nicely in a key forward/2nd ruckman role. Tied to Crows NGA if he lasts until pick 40, but that seems unlikely. Any chance he lasts until 37 and we take him?

Never got going this year compared to 2021, due to the knee injury. Even when returning the team, he clearly lacked fitness and confidence. He found less ball and wasn't as effective as a precision rebounding kicker. He may have struggle with a clearly defined role and balance of the backline when we had Brayshaw, Bowey, Hunt, Rivers, Hibberd down back. Still a very important player in our teams chances for another flag next season. We need him fit again. He's in the 5th-10th best and most important player bracket (behind Clarry, Trac, Gawn, May, Langdon, Kozzie).

I'd already consider Petty as "broken out", but he's the obvious one who could have an even bigger impact if he's tried up forward and is successful there. Otherwise he could be an AA level KPD on his current trajectory. The other I'd put forward is Rivers. His first two seasons were very good for a youngster, but he struggled with managing a knee injury and lacking preseason fitness in 2022. If he's fully fit and gets a full prison, he could very well have a big impact in defense next year. We need to replace Hibberd in the short term, and Rivers looks to have both the defensive and rebounding side to his game to be effective there. Love his booming kick too, which suits our game style transition forward with both Gawn and Grundy as tall marking targets on the wings in transition.

A few on here called this potential change for next season, hats off to them! Gawn and Grundy pairing could benefit from extra bench option.