Player Watch 2023 AFL Draft Pool Discussion Thread

[Strapping Young Lad]

Same rule applies to this thread as other years, keep it on topic about the kids.
Don’t get bogged down on what other teams might do or where they will finish.

Trade speculation belongs here.
That's also where you can discuss your mock drafts or pick trades.

Any McCabe, Dear or Maginness talk belongs here.

 

[The Chad and I]

I'm liking the potential of Caddy...don't want to start an all out but I think he's almost worth trading back for

I like Caddy a lot.
I'd definitely trade into pick 8-10 in order to get him, so long as we get something back in return, like a late first/early second.
I don't like the idea of F1 straight swap for a pick that late.

 

[FB19]

I like Caddy a lot.
I'd definitely trade into pick 8-10 in order to get him, so long as we get something back in return, like a late first/early second.
I don't like the idea of F1 straight swap for a pick that late.

That’s the issue with live trading when you are the chaser you have to pay overs. That said if the AFL got off their backsides and brought in pick purchasing my feeling about our use of future draft picks would be very different. For now I would have liked the dees deal as stated previously but in lieu of that, trading in for OSullivan I’m totally onboard with. I think Caddy is a huge risk and I don’t like his kicking much but he clearly has a lot of good attributes. Would love Wilson but our f1 feels like too big a reach.

 

[KeeperLeaguer]

So either you are being fed false info,

No

are misinterpreting discussions with staff as gospel or eavesdropping/reading emails that you shouldn’t be.

No & no

Maybe you are the cleaner and get a peek at the whiteboard. Or it’s all BS.

No & no

I really hope you are not doing the wrong thing because as a hawks supporter you should know putting the club ahead of a few hits on a website is more important. I hope you aren’t the kid of a staff member as that would put them in an unbelievably difficult position.

Thanks and no.

I appreciate your concern but if you read carefully I'm not letting on about who we're going to pick (and yes I do know but feel free not to believe me, you can even go the other twerp's route and abuse me for pretending to be an ITK - it's all water off a duck's back etc).

I've told you our preferred target is Duursma but if we don't get him then it'll be Curtin, Watson or Colby .... tell me who in the football world doesn't suspect that? And the other thing I've done with a couple of people in PM's is confirm that we're chasing pick 8 - info that came out later anyway.

Anyway have fun with your beliefs - I'll keep posting and passing on what I know (that I can) until SYL bans me or whatever.

 

[KeeperLeaguer]

You’d be amazed. We’ve literally got posters here employed by other AFL clubs. I’ve met some of them personally.

I can confirm that. I personally know of three others from rival Melbourne clubs that like me post on these boards - mostly to confirm info on club boards but sometimes to deliberately drop false info.

 

[Tony3163]

No

No & no

No & no

Thanks and no.

I appreciate your concern but if you read carefully I'm not letting on about who we're going to pick (and yes I do know but feel free not to believe me, you can even go the other twerp's route and abuse me for pretending to be an ITK - it's all water off a duck's back etc).

I've told you our preferred target is Duursma but if we don't get him then it'll be Curtin, Watson or Colby .... tell me who in the football world doesn't suspect that? And the other thing I've done with a couple of people in PM's is confirm that we're chasing pick 8 - info that came out later anyway.

Anyway have fun with your beliefs - I'll keep posting and passing on what I know (that I can) until SYL bans me or whatever.

Ignore the Rogers of this world.

 

[unitedhawk]

I can confirm that. I personally know of three others from rival Melbourne clubs that like me post on these boards - mostly to confirm info on club boards but sometimes to deliberately drop false info.

I trust you've been doing a bit of that too to throw lurking shinbeggars and their ilk off the scent.

 

[The Chad and I]

Pick 8 - how?

 

[chopflop]

Wce to select Walter and then trade pick 1... that's my prediction

 

[ahhhhhh]

I don’t understand why we would take someone who will effectively play half back flank for 3 years and pass up an electric small forward.

 

[WillDayFanClub]

I don’t understand why we would take someone who will effectively play half back flank for 3 years and pass up an electric small forward.

Maybe because we are one of the worst contested mark teams in the League

 

[ahhhhhh]

Maybe because we are one of the worst contested mark teams in the League

I'd rather draft based on talent than trying to plug a hole at this point of our development.

 

[Tony3163]

I'd rather draft based on talent than trying to plug a hole at this point of our development.

Yet you discuss the need for an electric small forward (which is sorta plugging a hole). That may not be the best talent at our pick.

 

[Yardie]

Just remember, with all things being equal take the fat one.......

 

[cs61]

No

No & no

No & no

Thanks and no.



I've told you our preferred target is Duursma but if we don't get him then it'll be Curtin, Watson or Colby .... tell me who in the football world doesn't suspect that? And the other thing I've done with a couple of people in PM's is confirm that we're chasing pick 8 - info that came out later anyway.

Anyway have fun with your beliefs - I'll keep posting and passing on what I know (that I can) until SYL bans me or whatever.

I'm sure people many suspect that we would take Duursma pick 3. But watching our club's behaviour in the past, even if we thought that other clubs would suspect that, I've never seen the club do anything but play a straight bat. If we were hoping he slipped to us because we were desperate to take him, the last thing I'd imagine us doing is announcing to the world that he is our clear preference. That doesn't seem at all consistent with the messaging as a club, or the tactics of any clubs. You'd try to convince North that Curtin was our preference, and make them double guess themselves.

 

[houdinihuddo]

I don’t understand why we would take someone who will effectively play half back flank for 3 years and pass up an electric small forward.

Maybe we see a 197cm, 95kg, 18 year old who was extremely impressive when he played against men in the WAFL, more as a versatile KPP player with a far greater upside than a 170cm, 68kg 18 year old. I understand the excitement over the prospect of an electric small forward however the reality is it is a huge step up from under age football to the VFL let alone the AFL.

 

[ahhhhhh]

Maybe we see a 197cm, 95kg, 18 year old who was extremely impressive when he played against men in the WAFL, more as a versatile KPP player with a far greater upside than a 170cm, 68kg 18 year old. I understand the excitement over the prospect of an electric small forward however the reality is it is a huge step up from under age football to the VFL let alone the AFL.

Why are you using size? Most rankings (including Twomey) have Watson higher.

 

[KeeperLeaguer]

I'm sure people many suspect that we would take Duursma pick 3.

People suspect, clubs know. In some cases like North's where they have two picks there's still a bit of conjecture but every club knows we're taking Duursma because with McKercher they're the next best (surest) two after Reid & Walter and the clubs know we'll take Duursma because McKercher is a mid. That and the fact we've STATED PUBLICLY a while ago that Duursma was our preference not to mention every AFL scribe on the planet has said the same thing.

Oh and don't read what I just wrote and automatically discount Colby ... if Duursma is gone he's right in the mix with Curtin & Watson.

Now I'm going to go do some work because we have another kid coming in for an interview today but you can find out for yourself who because if I say I'm apparently giving out SECRETS.

 

[MrPremiership]

I'd be very disappointed in the club if that was the main motivator to fly a hopeful kid out across the country.

If we wanted to bluff more effectively without wasting a draftee's time then we could release a pre-draft interview with Mark McKenzie that just so happens to have our draft rankings with Curtin #2 to Reid #1 on a whiteboard barely visible in the background. Post it to social media for 20 minutes before removing once we know enough people have spotted it.

It's a 4 hour flight, we're not asking for his first born

 

[cryptor]

It's a 4 hour flight, we're not asking for his first born

It wouldn't matter if it was a 10 minute walk down the street. It would be incredibly disrespectful to invite someone into interview with the main motivation being to make sure everyone else knew they were there in an attempt to influence events to get someone else to the club.

 

[CaptainWorpedo]

I

It wouldn't matter if it was a 10 minute walk down the street. It would be incredibly disrespectful to invite someone into interview with the main motivation being to make sure everyone else knew they were there in an attempt to influence events to get someone else to the club.

I feel as you do and I am confident we have a genuine interest in all the kids we’re interviewing.

Clearly there would be a ranking, but in case our preference is not there, we need to know about our other options available.

 

[TheFourPillars]

I

I feel as you do and I am confident we have a genuine interest in all the kids we’re interviewing.

Clearly there would be a ranking, but in case our preference is not there, we need to know about our other options available.

It is also if said players somehow are available at picks in the 15s or 20s and we want to jump in and trade to get them.

 

[bigmaxi]

I am so glad lm not the list manager, situation fluid must be an understatement. Snippets of info folded into complex scenarios as new plans are made and changed overnight. Who will be left at our pick and who do we want. Then Sam comes up with a game plan tweak from his time away and we are looking thru a different lens again And want to talk to all the talent again.
lots of luck to MM and the team, leave no stone unturned. Go Hawks!

 

[cryptor]

I

I feel as you do and I am confident we have a genuine interest in all the kids we’re interviewing.

Clearly there would be a ranking, but in case our preference is not there, we need to know about our other options available.

Yes, I do also. I'm sure we've even interviewed players we know we won't have an opportunity to draft, but interest is genuine enough that we'd want to lay the groundwork for a potential trade down the track.

 

[TazHawk15]

Warms my cockles that North could be aware of the shinbeggars name.

One of their scouts posts on Bigfooty, so they’d know.

Good, I want them to know I have given them a more appropriate nickname than something about butchers.

 

[Bugs1977]

People suspect, clubs know. In some cases like North's where they have two picks there's still a bit of conjecture but every club knows we're taking Duursma because with McKercher they're the next best (surest) two after Reid & Walter and the clubs know we'll take Duursma because McKercher is a mid. That and the fact we've STATED PUBLICLY a while ago that Duursma was our preference not to mention every AFL scribe on the planet has said the same thing.

Oh and don't read what I just wrote and automatically discount Colby ... if Duursma is gone he's right in the mix with Curtin & Watson.

Now I'm going to go do some work because we have another kid coming in for an interview today but you can find out for yourself who because if I say I'm apparently giving out SECRETS.

Tell the Wiz we say hi and we'll see him soon