Lord Travis

I've seen him mostly as an intercept defender playing on mediums and smalls. He was pretty good, especially his marking, but nothing screamed top 5-10 pick compared to others on the field, especially Sanders and Mckercher. We need fresh elite midfield talent coming through, and multiple first round picks in a draft is the time to get some. 

I haven't seen him play midfield. What are peoples impressions of him in the guts? 

Hopefully we pick him up as a father son either late or rookie. Though he's slight, he's a real goer and was actually one of Vic Metros best players! With a bit of work to build his body strength up he could definitely forge an afl career. Fingers crossed he makes it in red and blue.

Lost both finals by single digits. We were a bees [censored] away from a grand final and premiership. If we had a better run with injury in our forward half at the tail end of the year we would've won the premiership with little resistance. It's why 2023 hurts so much. Alongside the Bulldogs in 2016, Collingwood are the weakest premier of the century so far. They won their 3 finals by a cumulative margin of 12 points. Fully fit, we account for them comfortably and so do a few other teams.

Next year is flag or bust.

If we bail out of finals in straight sets again, or worse, then it's time for drastic action like sacking Goodwin or some seriously strong trading. This window won't stay open forever and we need to make the most of it now. We've realistically got 1-2 years strong years left before Gawn and May are out of contract and likely retiring or declining sharply. Make it count.

12 minutes ago, spirit of norm smith said:

Caleb Windsor reminds me more of a Max Holmes type. Quick. Loves to run.  Good tackler.   Likes to get inside 50 and snag a goal. 

Very good comparison. His leg speed, two way running and attacking flair are a key reason why he's shooting up draft boards and we're reportedly interested.

15 hours ago, Deebauched said:

Id like to see a list of the top 20 AFL players who were picked way down the draft betweeen 40 and 80.

Garry Lyon was talking about it with with one of those Data guys.

It's very subjective. Others have posted some lists already showing that you can find quality all throughout a draft. How much of it comes down to development by club or the individual themselves can't really be measured. The absolute top players and leaders are generally first round picks though. Having a look at some current stars draft pick

Bont pick 4

Petracca 2

Daicos 4

Oliver 5

Toby Greene 11

DeGoey 5

Butters 12

Rozee 5

Curnow 12

Darcy Moore 9

If you go back a generation you get the Buddy, Judd, Hodge, Dusty, Reiwoldt, Dangerfield, Selwood, Pendlebury, Roughhead, Pavlich etc all top 10 picks.

Going through the best players, it seems the best midfielders are often first rounders, but tall quality is more spread across the draft, especially tall defenders Tall forwards used to be the cream first round but have actually become less reliable recently. I'd be drafting a midfielder with our first pick and that's likely Sanders if we don't trade up.

18 minutes ago, Whispering_Jack said:

2023 AFL Mock Draft: Picks 1-27 (first edition)

How does this one sound to you?

Sanders and Windsor would be a great result for us.

20 minutes ago, Mickey said:

 

Cringe worthy and unprofessional. Our reported offer was overs as is. I'd be taking it off the table now given the rejection and then that pathetic statement. Their use of that meme makes them look like this meme

We'll just take Reid back in a few years for a fraction of the cost thanks. 

13 hours ago, Gator said:

I take it back about Caddy.  His first 60 seconds are particularly special.

 

Jeez that's one of the worst video packages ever assembled. He dropped more uncontested marks than Chris Dawes! Kick fell short from 40 metre set shot again too. He's got aggression at the man, but he's got some serious work ahead of him to make it IMO.

It does however show than young Kynan Brown is a goer and could be a steal as a late father son pickup.

We also delisted K Turner, meaning we're taking an extra pick to the draft now. We will now take 3 players plus rookie upgrades instead of 2 plus rookie upgrades. That likely means we tried to trade up, couldn't get a deal done, and now are taking 6+11+42 all to draft.

1 hour ago, Demonsterative said:

From memory, Curnow had some issue with police… in his draft year. It may have been drinking driving. He dropped down the order as a result. 

Correct there were disciplinary issues with drink driving that popped up. Recruiters were also unsure what position he was suited to as he seemed like a bit of a tweener. At 192cms he seemed too small for a KPF role and he'd be playing bursts in the midfield looking to develop as an inside mid. Hindsight shows his athleticism ensured he made it as a KPF, but it did take him him 6 years before clicking properly from both injury and form perspective. He's 27 before next season starts, so he's not as young as some think, further proof tall forwards generally take time. Its why JVR is extremely impressive for a 19 year old and well on his way to being one of the best KPFs in the league. Interestingly we were interested in Curnow as a big bodied midfielder rather than a forward but went with Weideman after selecting Oliver as an inside mid. 

On Caddy, he doesn't have the same athleticism that Curnow does. He doesn't have an explosive burst of pace off the mark, doesn't have much of a leap on him, struggles if he doesn't mark it, and kicking lacks penetration (barely makes it 50 metres).Though they're similar height, Curnow is far more physically blessed than Caddy appears to be. Really the only strengths I see with Caddy are aggression, and ability to read the ball in the air well and clunk marks at full extension when one on one. Not sure those strengths are enough to make it as a good AFL KPF at his height and don't think he's a top 10 pick personally.

25 minutes ago, Gator said:

This short video sums up Caddy to me.  I see an aggressive competitor, which I like, but a distinct lack of class.  If he's considered a top 10 draft pick it really is a shallow draft.

 

Similar for me. I like his aggression and he's good in the air as an undersized marking option. Good at reading the flight and clunking, doesn't have a good leap which is limiting when he's already undersized. He said in an interview he'd like to become a big bodied midfielder like Nat Fyfe, but he really struggled when playing midfield. I can't seem him making it as a mid at AFL level due to lack of athleticism and not the quickest decision maker. He projects as an undersized key forward similar to Jack Darling if he makes it IMO. He lacks athleticism, leap, kicking penetration and explosiveness, so will never become a Charlie Curnow type dominant key forward IMO. Very much a mark and set shot type, but barely makes the distance from 50...

I'd steer clear with pick 6 and probably pick 11 too. Would rather O'Sullivan or Murphy if we're going tall. Both are superior athletes and better kicks and could be developed as tall forwards if needed. Similar to both Petty and JVR being drafted mainly as defenders and then developed as forwards.

4 minutes ago, Mach5 said:

Would you trade pick 6, 11 & a F1/2 for pick 3?

I wouldn't even trade 6+11 for 3, let alone throwing in future picks.

It's not worth losing pick 11 to move up 3 spots. Pick 11 is a good pick and higher than we're likely to have again for a few years if we remain competitive. It will net us a good KPD (O'Sullivan, Murphy) or outside midfielder (Wilson, Windsor) for the next decade. Losing a 200 game type just to have a crack at Duursma instead of Sanders/Watson/Curtin seems mental to me. 

11 minutes ago, old55 said:

Call me in 2027 when Petty (playing for Adelaide) and Curtin are AA key backs and Sanders is moving to play for Tasmania's inaugural team.

Petty is a contracted demon and Curtin is an interstate player from WA and just as likely to go home as Sanders or Petty?

We've also got pick 11 and I dare say we can get a decent KPD there, but less likely to get the elite mid.

1 hour ago, old55 said:

So when Petty goes to Adelaide at the end of 2024 and May retires at the end of 2026 and "Trac, Clarry, Viney and Bradshaw" are all still playing, will Sanders be playing key defence?

Irrelevant. Matches are won in the midfield and elite midfielders win premierships. We won a grand final with May on one leg whilst Petracca was the match winner. There are other options to play key defence. Pies just won a flag with Moore and Murphy as key defenders. Moore is weak as my grandmother one on one. Murphy is a b grader. Neither had an influence in the grand final. They wouldn't have won the flag however without Daicos and Degoey and Sidebottom running amok.

Take the best talent we can at draft, and luckily he's a midfielder also if he lasts until 6.

If we don't trade our first pick up higher, Sanders is the best realistic option. We need to replenish our midfield talent. Trac, Clarry, Viney and Bradshaw are all getting on now, and there's no next wave of elite midfield talent behind them. Sparrow and a few others look like they'll continue to form part of a midfield rotation, but the top end needs more coming through. Sanders is the most rounded and best performed midfielder in this draft. He's a classy player and looks like he'll have a great career. Gotta get him in and red and blue.

2 hours ago, BangBnagBang said:

Who says no???

Melb swap 6,11, F1 for 3 and 18 (or 15/17)

Not a great deal for us. We traded up and paid a high price to get 11 as it is, so trading it backwards again and giving up our first rounder for next year just to get from 6 to 3 seems overkill. The drwfr drops off before pick 18 too, so it's a bigger downgrade than it appears on paper.

Unless we get pick 1, then any further pick upgrades are likely fruitless IMO. The different between Duursma and Sanders isn't worth throwing away other valuable picks. I think Sanders will be the better player anyway!

Welcome to MFC Shane O-Mac

Sounding unlikely we get pick 1, so we're likely going to draft with pick 6 and 11.

Realistic targets;

Pick 6, we'll take Sanders as a well rounded classy midfielder. Best performed midfielder of this crop thus far and looks like he'll have a good career. Might not have the high X factor game breaker ability of Reid or Duursma, but IMO will be more consistent and have a better career. Capable inside and outside, wins his own ball, great runner and lineman, can hit the scoreboard, has leadership potential. He'll be a winner.
Other possibilities are Watson or Curtin sliding.
Mckercher and Duursma will be gone.

Pick 11, hoping for Darcy Wilson to add outside dash and skill to our midfielder or flanks in future.
Other possibilities are Murphy, Windsor or Leake.
O'Sullivan and Caddy will be gone.

Good get. Our Jack quota has been too low the last few seasons.

So back on Billings...

Any confirmation of details yet? Particularly around if Saints are paying any of his salary?

21 minutes ago, binman said:

My sense is Billings is an excellent kick, but that may well be becuase i haven't really paid that much attention to him.

Where would posters rate him on the dees elite kicking scale, with 0 being Tmac playing at CHB and 10 being Mcvee (do others agree he is now our best kick?)?

He's a great field kick but gets the yips with set shots, similar to Trac in some ways. His field kicking is his biggest strength, so he ticks a box for us in that regard. He's the type of player you want delivering the kick inside 50. His weakness is consistency, and it appears confidence based. He was legitimately good under his first coach, then struggled once Ratten came across. Never had a clean run at it under Lyon. Get him into a new environment, get him fit, and he may flourish.

He had some really good seasons with his 2017-2019 run being the highlight. His 2019 was A grade stuff, averaged 26 disposals and kicked 13 goals. Had a few monster games where he looked set to be a star of the competition. His 33 disposal, 11 tackle, 2 goal, 12 score assists game was a monster.

Not sure what happened the past few years, sounds like injury played a part in his form drop off. If we could get him cheap, he'd be a great pickup. He'd aid kicking skill to our midfield/half forward rotation and give us more depth to counter what was lost with Harmes and Jordon.

28 minutes ago, DubDee said:

Big Kozi from hawks going to Tiges maybe. I thought we might have looked at him. maybe we did and decided on Tom F

He requested trade to the Tigers weeks ago before trade period began. Would've suited us 

Brockman has officially been traded for picks 44 and 63 already. Helps us potentially as he won't be part of a Hawks bid for pick 1.

34 minutes ago, H_T said:

With the long term contract signed by  Naughton at the Dogs, where would that leave natural KF Ugle Hagan in their forward set-up? They already have Bruce, Darcy, Lobb .. they have surplus. 
I know we have Jefferson in the wings, but if we’re seeking a young KF who has many strings to their bow, Ugle Hagan would be ideal to prise away at a cost. But the benefits would be huge.

Bruce retired didn't he?

Darcy will be a KPD. They'll build around Naughton and JUH with Lobby as depth for a year or two more.

Makes Weideman and Schache look like Wayne Carey.

Regardless, he's a demon now so let's see if he can crack into our 22 at some stage next year.