Pennant St Dee

Ziebell in Bastinac's place and it's a deal

I saw Judd play his one and only WAFL game, would love to see a Dees player do that from the outset

Bit hard to do otherwise considering Mcdonald was off loaded at the end of 2010 and Scully basically played less than a handful of games after 2010. It's not rocket science, other sides have been doing it for years

And they were good alongside the bigger and older mids. Scully and Trenners complimented each other well in 2010. Just playing devils advocate here but would Brayshaw and Petracca blossom with the older wiser heads of Jones, Vince, Cross along with Tyson and Viney with an extra year under their belts. That doesn't take into account Salem, Toump, Trengove and Riley hopefully getting a good run at it through preseason I do hope we have learned from moving Junior on and whilst he was no world beater Maloney took a tag and won a lot of clearances

On Saturday managed to clear some things and went to the Perth vs East Perth game. The main draft prospect on show was Clem Smith but I have kept an eye on Thomas SHANAHAN since last year and he made his senior debut for East Perth. Both boys were impressive but for different reasons. The game was very physical and there was a large amount of late hits and a fair degree of spite. Clem Smith was very impressive in a severly undermanned side and out of character for him he didn't get drawn into the spite and concetrated on going hard at the ball when the opportunity arose. He was very smooth with the ball in hand and seemed oblivious to pressure, not that he lacked awareness it just did not cause him to get rid of the ball at all costs and cause a turnover. The composure and I would describe it as elite disposal was very much a highlight on a bleak day for the Perth Demons Shanahan came off the bench halfway through the first quarter and for the first few minutes I would say his nerves and enthusiasm had him making several long runs to space or a contest in his attempts to get involved in the action early. As he became acustomed to the tempo he started to read the play much better and after about 10 minutes with Perth attempting to hold possession across half back, Shanahan backed himself left his man and intercepted the defender awaiting a pass on Half back flank, he played on running toward goal and as the defender came to him, I expected him to handball over the top to the forward heading towards the goal square but he calmly slotted from 25m out with his first kick. Shanahan spent the majority of the game at HFF but had stints in the middle and continued to find his own ball. My only mark against him during the game was a willingness to allow the senior players to much respect. This is not a bad thing and showed he was not just looking on building up impressive stats. On several occassions he was the first tackler when senior team mates would come in over the top and once the free was awarded he would allow the senior player to pick up the ball and take the kick. He ended the game with a disposal count which would have been in the high teens and two goals, which could have been at least two more. I saw two direct goals when he handed off to a senior player demanding the ball when he could have easily run on and kicked his own but this will come. Shanahan and Smith went head to head for a short period and Smith tried to unsettle him with some hard body work but he was unfazed and just got on with his game. He probably done enough to hold his place but a lot depends on what the Meth Coast want done with their players. Will be very interested to see if he plays finals how he deals with the lift in intensity but on what I have seen with him Colts to Reserves was an easy transition and he will be right up there in the WAFL ressies B&F and he did not look out of place in his first outing Smith - One of the best displays I have seen from him, a recruiter said to me once, you learn a lot about a player in a weaker team when they are being soundly beaten. As I said above Smith was composed, ball use was elite, all decisions made were good, plenty of 1% efforts, kept his feet in traffic and read the play well. Could have easily thrown the towel in and got involved in the spite but just got on with his own game, if he keeps that up will go in the Top 25

If we finish last they can have a look for Bontempelli

Late Pick or Rookie I nominated as worth a look in last years draft was Tom Shanahan from East Perth's Colts side. http://www.afl.com.au/news/2013-10-20/thomas-shanahan He did very well in the WA Combine but was overlooked. One of the few East Perth kids kept on with the spots being limited due to the alignment with Meth Coast. I've again seen a bit of him this year and he has been banging down the door with plenty of BOG performances in the two's. He has been named in the emergencies a few times this season but not cracked a senior game yet. Finally I believe this week he will make his senior debut tomorrow. I don't think I'll be able to get to the game but will see if I can find out how he goes. Still rate him and think in any other WAFL side he would have been given a debut a lot earlier in the year. Not sure how it works with the SA alignments but over here some on the Meth Coast list are not performing well in 1's or 2's but due to being on their list they have been getting games ahead of some of the more talented younger players who didn't manage to get drafted for various reasons. On what I saw last year and this year still IMO worth a good look at, I mentioned last year I thought he had a very good inside game but he was played more as an outside mid. This season he has shown his qualities at winning his own ball on the inside and his tackling/pressure acts improved a lot.

Yes fookin hilarious! 2 more talented kids running around in the NEAFL for 2 years until they or Shiel, Treloar, Coniglio, Whitfield or whover else they pick up are traded off in a couple of years for more Top end picks God I hate that club and the AFL for the way they set this up

Chaser what's your thoughts on Reece Mckenzie, seems to be getting some publicity lately and may be the late bolter in the style of Hill, Watts, Martin, Bontempelli

Rare commodity and one of Sammy Mitchell's great talents

Who says North want Brayshaw, apart from the family connection can't see any other reason. They have no problem with ball winners what they need is outside game breaking class

Think Petracca could be a good fit when you take into account Roos team at Swans who had 10-12 players who rotated through the midfield and off either Half Back or Half Forward. Petracca has shown the ability to be able to work on his tank and run through the middle

Who cares honestly the draft has not saved us, finish as high as we can and take the best player available. It's about building a winning culture

Depending on Frawley leaving and possible compo, 1 for today and 1 for tomorrow, trade 1 and keep 1. You never know another Tyson like deal sees us with two first round picks and one definite ready to go. That would IMO be a very good outcome

Blakely will not be available in the second round, standout for WA through the championships which says a lot about his makeup playing in such a poor side. Overtook Walsh & Waterman as WA'S best mid. His stocks are rising fast and with Swans entrenched in the WAFL top 2 a good run in the seniors for the rest of the season could see him possibly go top 10. Has been named in their seniors for tomorrow's game against Claremont

Goddard

When I watched him against WA at Freo Oval he looked really polished but rather laconic, reminded me somewhat of a Jack Watts type in the way he seemed to just stroll through the game without really imposing himself. He reads the play very well and has good positional sense but I have some doubts on his intensity at the next level as when he went to a contest or to tackle an opponent I didn't see that absolute mongrel and desire to nail his opponent. On what I saw he is bigger than Watts with a body type which looks like it will build up easier. For mine he is no certainty to go top 10

So one rising star nominee will change everything, you are fookin unbelievable

STMJ I saw him play against WA and did a write up about the game in the U 18 National Championship thread, I'd heard of his a speculative 2nd rounder prior to this and he really caught my eye that day when I actually went with the intention of seeing Brayshaw

have Sydney invested heavily or have the AFL invested heavily into these Academies. who invests in TAC cup if it is the AFL the argument of giving each club a zone academy could be argued WAFC who are the licence for both WA clubs put money back into development in WA but no first access to these players

Ross Lyon would love him over Dawson, he is quicker, he is a better kick and his decision making is better. Lyon relied heavily on Dawson at Saints and is doing so again at Freo He is there to beat his man nothing else, if he does happen to find the ball he is just told to kick it long or feed off to Johnson, Ibbotson, Hill and when at the Saints it was Dempster, Gram, Fisher and Nicky Dal. Mcdonald is not the defensive problem

Hawthorn run harder than any side and are that well drilled they know where to kick the ball because they know exactly which space their player will run to. Good sides back their team mates and actually cheat somewhat peeling off their opponent in the belief their team mate will win the ball, generally they do. Once they have the ball they kick to the team mate who has peeled off and is in space. Have you heard the saying it's easier to play with good players, well its a fact.

Demonland never ceases to amaze me, his strengths outweigh the weaknesses. Amplified today by the poor performance all round. GWS, Hawks, Crows, Blues, Dogs, Freo, Meth Coast, Saints, Tigers & Lions would all take him in a heart beat

Headed to WA vs Vic Country today and saw a poor WA performance overall for the second time this season, they lack depth in their squad and with the new home and away format they just struggle with the rotation of players. Still some good performances by a few of them who put their hands up in a losing side. I was without a programme for the 1st quarter but managed to grab one to identify the players who caught my eye from Vic Country running hard of the rebound and picking up plenty of ball through the middle. I already knew who Lonie was but was also really impressed by number 3 & 4 who were Cunico & Parish, these boys are good players who have good cruise speed hitting the ball at pace and running hard before feeding off to a hard lead with quality disposal. Parish and another mid Dixon were on top early at the clearances and around the ground and had good battles with Hardisty & Blakely of WA but it was Cunico on the outside who gave Vic Counrty the advantage. Up forward the dreadlocked Tom Lamb looks every bit a player, he knows where to lead to, always provides a contest and was good with pressure at ground level. The most impressive player was Lonie, who I thought was very much a Ballantyne player early in the first quarter but come late in the first quarter and through the second quarter he had runs through the middle and whilst he is small he has nice pace, uses the ball well and has a nice but of agro about him. For WA Jared Hardisty continued to find the footy and he is a kid who rides tackles before feeding off by hand and makes good decisions, he loves a contest but I am worried about his pace and size at the next level, not sure whether I see a rookie prospect who will just end up being a good 150/200 game WAFL player. Connor Blakely mark that name down was the best player in the WA side and was the best clearance player on the ground but WA lacked run and spread and once they turned the ball over Vic Country rebounded with great ball movement mainly through Cunico, Maishman, Lukas Webb, Parish and Lonie. A lot of WA attacks were cut off by Hugh Goddard floating across half back after leaving his man, not sure what to make of Goddard, he reads the play very well and you can see he sometimes get caught out when something goes against the norm and he has anticipated where the ball is going but can get caught several yards off his man. He runs laconically and seemed to lack urgency when attacking the ball, but there are plenty of tools to work with, good size, good user of the footy but fitness is going to have to be worked on. As I said above Lamb looks a footballer, likes to contest leads well and to the right area and is a good mover, looking at his frame I was wondering if getting good size may be an issue but the coaching staff showed another dimension in the second half when he was moved through the middle. This was an eye catcher, he is the prototype big size mid and is a smooth mover, a lot of David Mundy in what I saw in the second half, which IMO will push him right up the list. Gach Nyuon Vic Country's ruckman was good, a nice size with a great leap and plenty of athleticism and whilst not a star has some decent tools and if Majak Daw was drafted this kid has the DNA and already showed enough understanding of the game to be rookied. WA'S defence was under an awful lot of pressure for most of the day but really liked Dylan Winton at full back, positions himself well and uses his body well against opponents and reads the play well. He is a young Darren Glass in the making although I think his disposal whilst not great is better than Glass's was at that age and early in his career. Greg Clark who I have seen come through the ranks at Subiaco is still a year away from being drafted but was also good down back in a losing side and also went to the wing in the second half and is a smooth mover who will push high up next year Billy Evans (VC) was impressive in the second half and has a nice bit of zip and hardness rotating through the middle and half forward flank and as happens every week at the footy Howe took an absolute screamer in the 4th quarter. Dan Howe this time instead of Jeremy. I have seen Vic Country and Vic Metro and think Country have the greater spread of even talent across the ground, they are a well balanced side with some nice speed and line breakers. On Todays game Vic Country Tom Lamb - First rounder can play as a forward but the ability to run through the middle is a big feather in his cap and Meth Coast could do worse than look at him as it's a big dearth they have Jack Lonie - small but very very hungry, full of life and enthusiastic and is a cross between Haiden Ballantyne & Boomer Harvey worth a pick in the draft but his size will worry recruiters Jordan Cunico - nice use of the ball busy through the middle runs hard to present and get to space or to receive after giving off the footy has the smarts, average mid size but will get taken because he accumulated today and controlled the midfield from the outside Joe Maishman - didn't get as much of the ball on the outside as Cunico but he used it well by hand or by foot when he got it Hugh Goddard - will go high because he reads the play well, uses the ball well and is a good size, I didn't see him attack any contests with urgency or hit them really hard, played a lot like a laconic Jack Watts without the pace but has greater natural size Darcy Parish - this kid is fantastic inside and was hard at the ball during stoppages and through general play, picked his moments before feeding the ball out to his outsiders, good decision maker and on what I saw today he would be a monty to go in the first two rounds this year but I think he is to young so I will keep an eye on his for 2015 WA Conor Blakely - great clean & quick with his hands and decision making around the stoppages and general play, this kid worked really hard today in a side that was up against it and for me that shows great character which is always something recruiters look for. Was up against it with Parish and Dixon but looks like a warrior will go in the top 30 to 40 plenty of upside Jared Hardisty - have not seen him play a bad game for WA or for Claremont Colts, loves a contest stands strong in the contest and really good with his hands. Physically I worry if he has peaked in his height and his speed is an issue, runs all day because he is a warrior but you'll never die wondering with him Dylan Winton - plenty of sides looking for defenders so a monty to get drafted just a matter of where, a medium tall at this stage but has great positioning sense and uses his body well. Reads the play and anticipates quickly to get to the right area. Size may prevent him going first round but will be a good pick up Cameo's Jarrod Pickett showed glimpses as he always does kicked a lovely goal and was giving a couple of runs through the middle and he looks impressive breaking form a clearance but again I really worry about what he does when he doesn't have it Francis Watson - came in and out of the game a couple of times and what he did was nice and clean but very much outside, beautiful user of the ball and just your typical indigenous player who does little but then excites the crowd with something making you say WTF! Bailey Matera - if I am not mistaken this is Peter's son but plays more like Phil, came in and out of the game and took a really nice mark but nothing to suggest he will be anything exceptional

I have only seen Petracca once live and was really impressed but I went to the game with a view of keeping an eye on others and little knowledge of him. But very early on I was "who is that kid" Funny you say about his awareness around contests - that and his tackling ability were the fist things which initially attracted my attention. Attacks the contest hard with a an attitude of if I don't get clean ball no-one else will Had an awareness of players being close by and the need to accelerate early and hit the ball at pace catching others flat footed and naturally creating much needed time and space If there was heavy congestion made the decision of his next move before getting ball in hand so once he had got the ball he already knew what he was doing next He looked like he enjoys hurting opponents (love this in a player) and he maintains his awareness when teammates have the ball and are under pressure to apply a shepherd or solid body pressure on an opponent. When he tackles they stick and he wraps the opponent up so they don't break the tackles - I would think he will maintain this at the next level despite opponents being bigger at AFL level So was it a one off I don't think so, it was done throughout the game and not in spurts so it would suggest it's in his DNA. By all accounts he backed it up in the game against Vic Country last week so he may well be the one who started around mid second round prospect but shoots up the pecking order as the season goes on