FarNorthernD

Being in last years draft pool Dethridge, O’Hehir and Mahoney should all be in the ‘26 column R & B According to Megs and Demonwiki Paxy signed a contract till the end of ‘26 as did Hose

I don’t know if targeting Nth Melbourne coaching group is the way to go. I am an old, fat bloke who has never coached before but if I was given their list (and a new Mazda!) this year I reckon I could have got them into the top 4. Personally I’d be looking at the coach’s who have taken an inferior list and overachieved. I know there is some woman (can’t remember her name) in WA who has taken her side from perpetual cellar dwellers to finals in the space of a couple of years. I’d be targeting someone of her ilk.

A ripping tackle and a brilliant bump. Real aggression. You are right, just what we need. The first tackle should have been a holding the ball free to Jordyn. I assume the ump knew that she was coming to us though and was just getting her used to being ripped off.

And the Rookie Me Central analysis on Chloe Baker-West STRENGTHS: + Production + Versatility + Reading the play + Footy IQ + Kicking + Vision + One-on-ones + Defensive pressure IMPROVEMENTS: - Composure - Explosive speed - Continuity Baker-West really has it all when it comes to her game. The durability over the last two seasons will be a little bit of a question mark, but she has still managed to get out and show what she can do when on the park as she did in nine Talent League games this season. What you get with Baker-West is sublime footy IQ, sheer ball-winning ability and a knack to cover the ground with ease, winning possession after possession, even in the same chain. While Baker-West may not have explosive speed, she still cruises around the field effectively and is certainly not slow. She can separate herself from opponents by darting or weaving, and also shrugging would-be tacklers with great strength through the hips. That same strength extends overhead where she, pound-for-pound would be among the best contested marks. Though she is only 165cm, she can jump and clunk consistently and her ridiculous numbers suggest just that. An average of 5.8 marks in 2025, of which more than one per game is contested, shows her aerial prowess, but she is just as competitive at ground level. Her defensive pressure has always been brilliant for a player who wins the ball so much, and while some of her huge disposal tallies can be attributed to getting into loose space and racking them up, she does the hard running as well to compete at every stoppage. Looking at her disposal, her kicking with any time or space is a delight and she can hit short, sharp passes, on the 45 or find a target long down the line with superior vision. The knock on that element of her game is her composure around stoppages as by her own admission she can tend to "bomb it" when under pressure. That is linked to her lack of explosiveness which she was hoping to develop over time. From a football perspective, Baker-West has great IQ and by reading the play, is able to get back when needed, then surge forward if required. She finds her possessions in all manner of ways, and while she does not kick a heap of goals, has played as a forward in her younger years, booting five goals from seven games in 2023. Ultimately with Baker-West, clubs know what they are getting, even if they have not seen much of it the last two seasons. She can use both sides of her body if required, has no issues getting to the right spots winning the ball, can impact on all three lines and fill any hole required. While a little smaller than the modern day taller midfielders, she competes above her size and is still taller than a number of midfielders at AFLW level. Expect her to land somewhere in the first round given her accolades and potential, with too much upside and potential with her to stray much beyond the top 10, and she could very easily be inside it as well.

Fair write up on Jordyn Allen on Rookie Me Central. Not sure if she is a running back or outside mid. STRENGTHS: + Explosive speed + Footy IQ + Kicking + Decision making + Hurt factor + Rebounding + Upside IMPROVEMENTS: - Aerial ability - Strength Allen is one of those players who can inflict an incredible amount of pain on the opposition with both her running patterns and disposal. She loves to tuck the ball under the arm and either give-and-go or burst forward and hit a target lace-out inside 50. Her work with the ball is among the most damaging going around, and she does have that two-way running ability even if her offensive game is what stands out. With ball in hand, Allen thinks through her decisions and does not waste too many, finding teammates further afield to utilise, and nailing those trickier kicks. Quite often the option it looks like she is going to take is merely a fleeting thought as she has spotted a longer option in a more dangerous position. If she needs extra meterage to get there, she will burst away or attempt to link up one more disposal before launching forward. Off the ball, Allen holds a firm line and is not afraid to duck back into defence to mop up or help out, which is crucial for any midfielder. She has already shown her potency when off half-back, and since moving onto a wing and then inside, she has proven that her traits are adaptable. That hurt factor which is an intangible element is undoubtedly one of the huge ticks in Allen's game. Allen's pace allows her to breakaway from opponents who would quite often have the extra strength on her as the Eastern Ranges talent is quite light. She packs a punch when laying a tackle - and produced an impressive 5.7 per game last year and another 3.4 per match in 2025 - but could further bulk up in order to both stick more tackles, and shrug them at the same time. On top of that improvement, Allen can further develop her aerial ability. She finds space and can mark out there, but is not a known aerialist and combined with her lighter frame, will not win too many one-on-ones in the air. It is a different story at ground level of course, where Allen can go to work and with her explosiveness and smarts work it out of congestion. Naturally these elements give an indication that Allen could further improve which is only a positive for the Eastern Ranges talent. All in all, her outside game is brilliant, and though not a contested ball specialist, Allen's inside game also got plenty of experience in 2025. She is one who will be a human highlights reel at the next level, so watch her get to work.

Good on you Werridee. Love it.

So with the two year contract for draftees rule, O’Hehir and Dethridge are on till the end of ‘26. You’d think Goldie, Hose and Mahony aren’t going anywhere. Which really only leaves Aimee Mackin, who someone said wasn’t coming back, and Paxy.

Yes I agree. I am all for a big bodied mid but we would be a bit silly to pass up what sounds like to be Tyla Hanks mk 2

As far as I’m concerned you can pry the captains role from Max’s cold, dead hands.

Carlton originally chose Mia with pick 18 in the 2022 draft. This was the same one we got up Mauve Chaplin for pick 44 and Georgia Gall for pick 72! Handy.

Aussie Rules Rookie Me CentralAFLW Draft Power Rankings: September 2025The Rookie Me Central 2025 AFLW Draft Power Rankings are in, with plenty of movement post-national championships and seasons ending.

Given North were offering pick 37 for a player who was the #1 pick two years ago, you sort of have to wonder what had happened to her. She now has to go into the draft. I do hope someone (preferably with draft pick 36) selects her and she doesn’t get to Nth just to make them ever stronger. Yes I know that Zanker is a proven player but both her and Weston-Turner were uncontracted. It does make we got for her look substantially better. Imagine being the Bulldogs right now.

Shows you how much I know, Alyssa Bannan came in 8th place just one vote less than Shelley Heath 🤷‍♂️. And beat Eden Zanker

I agree. Seems well unders. Difficult to know how much negotiating leverage we had though considering she was out of contract. And if picks 9 and 16 get us into the conversation for pick 1 from Gold Coast it will have been worth it. We need to get access to top flight talent.

Favour please A friend’s son is a train on player at hawthorn. Does anyone know if there is a Hawks equivalent to us (Demonland). I’d like to see if there is a training thread and how he is going.

I agree with you. It is a bit like the Riley Onley situation. It is hard to fathom how a quick, athletic 6’5” mid who was rated in the top 30 at the beginning of the year slid to us in the rookie draft. Every club (including us) overlooked him on average 3 times. Like everyone else here I hope CJ ends up being the recruit of the year and Riley is the draft bargain. Call me a stick in the mud but you’d think both are highly unlikely.

So what positions do people think we need to cover this draft period? You’d think a big bodied mid would be first on the shopping list. Chloe Bown is a 173cm mid from the Oakleigh Chargers who is expected to go at #1. If we can get enough draft capital from Freo for Zanker we could snaffle this pick from Gold Coast who need picks to cover the 4 academy players expected to go in the top 10. Next I’d go another big bodied mid and then maybe a pressure forward who can kick goals?. Maggie Mahoney has come on but could probably do with a friend. I suppose it depends if they think Harris, Gall, Campbell or Hose can take up slack from the departing Zanker. Thoughts?

Hey @Ghostwriter A couple of questions for you, or anyone else who has information, if ok Can you give updates please on Jacinta Hose and Amelia Dethridge. I remember the club was pretty bullish on Jacinta’s athletic profile particularly for a player standing at 185cm. And Amelia has a Wotherspoon type background being elite in hockey, swimming and cross country. She is listed as a 172 mid which is pretty much exactly what we need. What happened to her this year? Thank you in advance

Due to their academy the Suns have to find some way to fit in 4 of the likely top 6 draft picks. This is why they are auctioning off pick 1. You’d think the chances of picking up all of those players PLUS Eliza Mac would be remote. Well 🤞 anyway.

Gillard McNamara Taylor Chaplin Hore Hanks

Unfortunately I can’t be there but I’m pretty sure you’ll feel all the positive energy that’ll be flowing down from Port Douglas. Go Demons!

My wife has a betting account. It has us at 11/1 !!. I don’t bet but put 100 on it as completely ludicrous odds.

Jack Watts mk 2 - tall, fast and athletic but needs to work on competitiveness and endurance. I’ll admit Riley has been taken slightly lower than the former number one pick but give him the number 4, burden him with unrealistic expectations and be done with it. Now all this thread needs is another 998 pages and our work here will be complete.

Stoked about the Ins, bummer though Taylor and Gall have to step aside for them. That can’t have been a fun conversation for Mick.

There was an interview with Dusty before he was drafted and when asked about school he said “football is my life”. I remember thinking that I hoped football worked out for him as he obviously didn’t have a plan B. Anyway let’s hope that footy works out for Xavier the way it did for the 3 times Norm Smith medallist.