Young Blood

Definitely agree that the Butters comparison is a poor one. But you keep mentioning that he most often goes sideways or backward with the ball. Why is this such a bad thing? Jagga's first priority is to find players in space which he does incredibly well. He'll draw a few players, use his hip strength and agility to get himself free enough to give the ball off to players in space and generally on the move. Football's not played in straight lines, fluid ball movement is about changing the angles and this kid has terrific vision to find players in space to make the next play. He very rarely throws it on the boot and values his possessions and uses his team mates to link up for forward entries. We're dying for more players like this. I'm assuming you would rather a big-bodied mid to break the lines and run forward with the ball? Thats not Jagga's game, but what he does do is give the ball off and get on the move running forward himself for the next receive. He's got such a great balance and inside/outside game.

haha I thought you would pick out the outliers! I'll add one 2016 - Taranto at 8 (ended up pick 2) Perhaps I should have worded this more carefully. Twomey *generally* gets it right and yes you're probably right he is drip fed info from the true experts as you say. Comparatively in other years a month out he got the top 6 right in 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2022. So you're right he's not the most accurate. @DeeSpencer you seem to have a very firm understanding of this draft. I trust your judgement of Armstrong as someone who knows his game well. Were you able to get down to see him live? Would be keen to know how you thought he looked in person as opposed to the others on this thread just going off of youtube clips and Lloyds gushing over him in reports. I went down to see two games of his this year for Sandy where he was pretty solid. In those games he played deeper and less involved. Would like to have seen him presenting further up the ground as its been reported. Could be a Jeremy Cameron type player with his elite agility which would be fantastic for us.

Cal Twomey pretty much always gets the top 6-8 players correct (not the exact order, just those picked in this range). You're not considering him an expert which is fine but his record speaks for itself. He certainly ranks the top 8 players in this years draft as mids. But I actually kind of agree that a few of the mids won't be as good as the two KP players picked in that mix. I think Armstrong and Tauru are certainly ahead of Reid who I think should slide into the teens (hoping saints pick him with one of their first picks so he's out of the way). Also possibly ahead of Smillie as well whose work rate I have concerns about. The other 6 best mids though I think should be who we're picking from with our pick 5. Will be very happy with Armstrong, Tauru or Travaglia with that pick 9 as I don't see any of those top 6-7 mids sliding to our pick 9 anyway.

Damn no new info from Cal. Just what we already know...

Depends which way he's facing 😜

Please be Jagga. Such a special player. We need a point of difference mid with pace and agility to work alongside our big bodied mids (Trac, Rivers, Clarry). If we want faster more fluid ball movement then Jagga is the pick. His first option is always to find the open player on the move with space in front of him. I can see him having a positive impact in this regard from day one. For those worried about his size. He will of course need to build his body, but have a look at the youtube videos of his effectiveness at VFL level against mature bodies for the Tiges. His agility and quick clean hands means he can get effective disposal away in tight. He's got such quick feet and strong hips where he can swivel out of pressure (much like Daicos). These attributes mean he will be able to play AFL straight away. I'm all in on Jagga Smith if the cards fall the way they're predicting currently.

Forgot he's only 21! Would be awesome for him to really own his spot down back next season as he showed more then enough this year that he can perform at the level. Looked to have really worked on the defensive side of his game in terms of positioning and providing pressure to go along with his strengths over head and solid decision making. At some stage would love to see him move up the ground in a more attacking role to utilise that athleticism but for now continue to carve out that role down back. Credit to the kid for switching from his junior level positions (Wing/HF) to play a role down back. If he ends up being a Lever type intercept marking defender with that level of consistency then great. He's certainly learning from the very best back there.

I wouldn't be at all opposed to taking him at pick 9. I imagine in the interviews we've already had with him during the combine that there would be a fair amount of querying his intentions as to whether he is open to living and playing on the other side of the country. Of course you might not get a definitive answer but if there were any doubts from him or he even mentioned wanting to play back home one day you would simply take him off the board. I know the Jackson history scares people but we've had some success as SONS mentions with Rivers, McVee, JVR etc signing on and looking like long term dees. His kicking isn't as poor as what his main youtube highlights portray. In the heat of the WAFL finals he played in he definitely made some mistakes by foot. I would encourage other Demon landers not to judge on short highlight clips in this regard and look at draft profile reports as well. From all accounts of friends of mine in Perth who have seen him live at games, he is actually a good user with his kicking. Reports are mainly that he needs to work on his decision making which will come in time. He's going to be a gun. Start him down back and build him up over time with midfield bursts where he'll wreak havoc.

I would be as well. I don't think Lalor drops that far but boy if he did (drooling). Out of interest what makes you pick the smaller HB/Wing players with that second pick over the talls (Armstrong/Tauru) that others are keen on? I actually think Travaglia/Lindsay would be sound picks because they have great versatility and less chance of being a bust (Which Armstrong could be a feel). They both have pace and great foot skills that we desperately need in this size so I'm all for it. That being said if Tauru was still on the board at pick 9 I would love to have him. Looks a very special player and a great Lever replacement at some point to set up our backline for the future (Petty/Tauru/Turner) would be solid. Choices!

This is where I'm at as well. I think Langford is similar to what we currently have in our big bodied mids that use their size and strength to win contests but sans some of the explosiveness (Trac, Clayton, Sparrow, Rivers). Langford will be steady work horse midfielder but I think we need something with more spark. Jagga is that point of difference in many ways and would give us something we're missing in that midfield group. The attributes I like most about Smith is his agility, evasive skills, decision making, quick feet, clean disposal and decision making. He is terrific at winning his own ball and swiftly finding a team mates, only to keep running forward himself to receive again and link up to find the best forward entries he can manufacture. He might be a little handball heavy with his disposal at this stage but what you want see him doing often is throwing it on his boot for easy turnovers. He is always looking to release to players in space using hand balls and uses his pace to keep relocating and a live option. I think he has already learnt that this is what is most effective in the modern game offensively as a strategy for best ball movement. I know people will complain about his small frame but he'll build his body over time and right now can rely on his strong hips and balance to slip his way out pressure and get the hands free. Would be over the moon if we landed this kid. From all accounts he shows terrific leadership qualities and just love his hunger and competitiveness.

Thought he was perfectly fine as a depth player and only cost a future third round pick

This latest Twomey phantom form guide is just ranking yeah? Not who he thinks each club will pick? Anyone know when he releases his actual draft predictions based on intel?

Well said. I see the same things with Smilie. I do wonder about his work rate. He can break tackles and use that body to break lines but more often then not he will back track and end up kicking high off balance kicks under pressure. I've been to a few of his games and its what he does when he doesn't have the ball that worries me as well. Doesn't always stay engaged or work hard for his team mates whether its running hard into space as an option, or defensively, laying sheppards. He doesn't get on the move after disposing the ball and often stands still asking for it back. Not sure if its an attitude thing but time will tell. Hopefully I'm wrong. I think its these little things that will see him slide to the 7-10 range. I do however think a lot of these things are fixable. I don't see him playing midfield his first season (or two) but with his size he could start in a different position and build up to playing AFL midfield.

Are you guys just basing this off this one video? Because that would be silly. The kid is 18 years old playing in a high pressure WAFL grand final. I'm cutting him some slack for some poor disposal in a big game. He's certainly not an elite kick but he's decent and has shown this more at junior levels. A raw prospect at the moment but of my Perth friends who have been to a lot of his games have said he looks like he'll developing into a Nat Fyfe / Jordan Dawson mix of player as a powerful big bodied midfielder who can break lines and a terrific mark. He obviously needs to work on his decision making amongst a few other things. But the kids going to be a gun. His draft combine was super impressive, finishing in the top five for agility and vertical jumps. https://central.rookieme.com/afl/player/bo-allan/ A ready-made, powerful midfielder, Allan has plied his trade at the coalface and off half-back for Peel Thunder in 2024. From half-back he offers run and carry, coupled with clean ball use by foot and great vision to pick off targets at speed. Through the midfield, Allan’s one-wood is his contested game. He defends hard, closes opponents down quickly with pace, and tackles with intent. Once his side has won the football he uses his big frame to drive his legs and burst away from stoppages, then launch the ball deep inside 50. Allan plays with confidence and dare that encourages him to break tackles, bust through packs and explode into space. Even at WAFL League level he showed an innate ability to shrug off would-be tacklers, including established senior and ex-AFL players. Allan was consistent at whatever level he played at throughout the year; averaging 20 disposals and six tackles per game for Western Australia, 21 disposals and 5.5 marks for Peel Thunder’s Colts side, and 11.5 disposals for their League side.

What do I know. You probably have more knowledge then me. I also didn't get to see the kid play in person so I shouldn't be judging from his videos. I'll trust JT with that one.

You're right actually. I take it all back

Arguably our most consistent player across the season. Brilliant idea to move him down back where he looks comfortable and performs his role so well.

I see Lindsay similarly to Reid. Terrific in space when he has some time. But you've got to look at what he does when there's pressure because at AFL level the speed of the game and pressure is the biggest difference. I think Lindsay might struggle at least for the first few years. Maybe with a few preseason and a better tank it might help. There is a stark difference between his clean open marking and possessions when he played at state level on HB/Wing and when he player for Gippsland Power as a midfielder. Now I think the below video is a tad unfair as I don't think his position at this stage is as a midfielder. But it does show he's unable to use the ball well in tight or contested situations. Obviously as a HB/Winger this is less important but I would like to have seen more in the contest. I think we saw good signs of this from Windsor and Rivers pre draft. I unfortunately don't see that intensity and mongrel from Reid or Lindsay.

Trainor has slid in drafts substantially throughout the year. Most likely due to multiple concussions, poor kid. I can't see us taking a risk on him at pick 9 especially given the recent history with Gus etc. As a side note I saw it mentioned somewhere that earlier this year a new rule came in where any player that suffers a concussion in games outside the AFL, if they were to get concussed again at the professional level (AFL, VFL) they must sit out 21 days at minimum. Crazy that this Mock Drafter thinks we wouldn't take Tauru at 9. If he's off the board which I think he is most likely to be on the night, I can see us taking Travaglia which is a great backup option.

Isn't Twomeys Phantom Form Guide just how he ranks each player? Not so much what each club will pick? I wish he'd do one based on the intel he's getting from recruitors and how he actually thinks the draft will turn out at this stage.

Yeah I don't participate in this anymore. I get that these forums are meant for the overly dramatic types but some of the infighting these days on here is getting to Carlton/Filth territory.

This thread is so boring

Where did you see that? Or are you just going off of the top 10's and the fact that he's not in it for 20m sprint?

Yep agree 100%. If we were to pick Tauru at 5 and the draft plays out like we all expect, the only mid lift on the table in that top 20 is Reid whom I am strongly against drafting and I think will slide to the 15-20 range. So drafting Tauru at 6 is a no no IMO. Take the best mid available at 6. Most likely one of the big boys (Langford, Smilie or Allan). If North want to take Tauru at pick 2 (which would be silly) it would work for us to snag Jagga at pick 6. We've got good options if we stick to drafting best mid at 5. If Tauru isn't available at pick 9 who do we like? For me atm its between Travaglia or Trainer. I'm not big on Armstrong from what I've seen live or from vision online.

Yep definitely a lot of Will Day about him with a bit more dash I'd say. Will be a terrific rebounding defender with his pace and ball use. But he also marks really well above his height grade as an intercept defender. Super competitive and from all accounts a great leader down back. I think eventually he'll move into the midfield much like Haydn Young and Day with their progression. If we miss out on Tauru this is my preferred next best option at 9.