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.

 

[FB19]

Really? Seems a controversial take rather than a general view.

Reid vs Ashcroft
Walter vs Cadman
McKercher vs Wardlaw
Duursma vs Sheezel
Curtin vs Tsatas (not directly comparable)
Watson vs Humphrey (not directly comparable)
Sanders vs Mackenzie

I would think the top end of these two drafts are extremely comparable in talent and that any recruiter that claims you can just plop the top 6 from this year into last would be very bold. However, I definitely agree that the next tier of players in this draft are weaker than last year.

Yeah there’s no way that’s accurate. Ashcroft would go 7 sheezel 8 and wardlaw 9 I don’t think so.
Reid and Walter top 2 maybe Duursma might go 3 but would be close with Ashcroft and sheezel.

 

[The Chad and I]

The general view amongst recruiters is that Reid, Walter, McKercher, Duursma, Watson and Curtin would be the top 6 if they were transported into last years draft based on their junior careers. Sanders splits recruiters and the likes of Caddy, O’Sullivan, Wilson, Leake would sit after Weddle at pick 18 and most likely in the early 20’s.

Thanks for that. Confirms my views on top 6 being very good, and that O’Sullivan isn’t really “top 10” in most years, but surprised about caddy not being rated.

 

[Dewnior]

He’s correct Twomey tweeted out the other day if he isn’t bid on he will be taken with our last pick in the ND.

Yep, just looked it up. Excerpt from the 2023 rules of the game below.





So effectively the AFL are encouraging clubs to gamble when deciding whether to nominate a f/s for their primary or secondary/rookie list

 

[lethalselbow]

If Curtin is there at pick 4, I wonder if we'd entertain trading it for WCE future first.

No chance

 

[dermott]

Despite the fact clubs have been desperate to get inside the top six picks (eg Bulldogs and Demons) some appear to want us to trade back into the grey zone which doesn’t appear to be as highly rated by the professional recruiters.
Seems a no brainer to hold pick 4 to me.

 

[naysayer]

They haven't maintained a high standard, Daniel and Pickett reached a good standard early and have not materially improved. For both the Bulldogs and Melbourne respectively, the far bigger contributor for was that they have genuine game breaking midfielders in Petracca and Bontempelli.

On goal sense, what is beyond silliness is trying to make a comparison on pure goal numbers between a Victorian and a kid from SA. In Caleb Daniel's 3 U18 games he averaged a shade under 3 goals a game with a couple of the best crumbing goals you'll see, Watson averaged 3.5. Daniel played SANFL league football otherwise, against men, Watson might have more goals but they were kicked against a completely different standard of opposition.

I think your memory is failing you about Caleb Daniel is failing you. He kicked 6 goals across 3 games in the 2014 champs. Watson nearly kicked that in a single half against WA. One of these players is a prolific goal-scorer and one is not, there is not a comparison to be made apart from their height.

Your view of Pickett is also wide of the mark. Averaging 40 goals per year as a 22-year-old is as good as it gets for any forward, small or not.

 

[Mr Meeseeks]

Reading a little of north posters in recent weeks on here, there seems to be an air of believing they now have all the right people in place to be successful. There’s a part of me that wishes them well, the other voice is desperate to watch draft night with a beer and hear
Pick 2 “Colby McKercher”
Pick 3 “Ryley Sanders”

Cant remember who it was but there was a guy on here adamant that North would be forced to take Sanders.

 

[BIGHAWK23]

Cant remember who it was but there was a guy on here adamant that North would be forced to take Sanders.

It was me

When there was talk of a priority pick going to North early, one caveat was that they would take Sanders as an NGA

 

[Bugs1977]

If Curtin is there at pick 4, I wonder if we'd entertain trading it for WCE future first.

So let me get this straight. You want us to trade this years 1st for a 1st next year so we have 2 x 1st rounders in a draft where the top end talent is forecast to all be midfielders which atm is the strongest part of our list. Nah like it's been mentioned a million times before in here we use pick 4 on BPA and then if a player we rate is still there we try to work out a deal for our F1.

There's always a chance you have a couple of KPP start looking top end worthy next year but like free agency this year (ie McKay, Ratugolea, Chol) the queue to get them will be ridiculous and you'll have to overpay. IMO our best bet is to try to get another KPP along with McCabe this season so we can get a full season of development into them and hopefully the AFL pulls their finer out their a$$ and brings in pick purchasing so we can still get into the top end of next years draft as well.

 

[Platten44]

Is there a view on how next years crop compares to this years? On talent, not positional.

Strong mids as widely reported but only takes a few growth spurts and late developers for that to change quickly.

 

[kenneje]

So let me get this straight. You want us to trade this years 1st for a 1st next year so we have 2 x 1st rounders in a draft where the top end talent is forecast to all be midfielders which atm is the strongest part of our list. Nah like it's been mentioned a million times before in here we use pick 4 on BPA and then if a player we rate is still there we try to work out a deal for our F1.

There's always a chance you have a couple of KPP start looking top end worthy next year but like free agency this year (ie McKay, Ratugolea, Chol) the queue to get them will be ridiculous and you'll have to overpay. IMO our best bet is to try to get another KPP along with McCabe this season so we can get a full season of development into them and hopefully the AFL pulls their finer out their a$$ and brings in pick purchasing so we can still get into the top end of next years draft as well.

Nope, was just raising it as a point of discussion as I could see WCE offering it.

 

[burner1]

The general view amongst recruiters is that Reid, Walter, McKercher, Duursma, Watson and Curtin would be the top 6 if they were transported into last years draft based on their junior careers. Sanders splits recruiters and the likes of Caddy, O’Sullivan, Wilson, Leake would sit after Weddle at pick 18 and most likely in the early 20’s.

Would suggest trading a future 1st for pick ~10 is crazy if talent drops off as quickly as you suggest after the top 6. And that is splitting our first pick is highly unlikely.

 

[BIGHAWK23]

To be fair, the idea the afl would force north to take sanders at pick 3 was clear nonsense even at the time

Was more around North wanting access to Sanders

But mature enough to admit when wrong

 

[Slaatybaadfaast]

Looking at their needs, i think there's a good chance North take Duursma and Curtin

 

[Bugs1977]

To be fair, the idea the afl would force north to take sanders at pick 3 was clear nonsense even at the time

To be fair we're talking about the AFL here. If you cast your mind back North we're pushing hard for the AFL to let them bring Sanders in as an NGA pick or something like that. IMO it wouldn't be far fetched that the AFL said to North you can't have both draft assistance + Sanders as NGA so choose your poison and this is not even touching on the McKay compo. One could only imagine the backlash if the Shinbeggers got pick 2, 3, 15, 17 + 18 and Sanders as well. I mean they'll still manage to heck it up but yeah water is wet and the sky is blue

 

[TylerDurden]

Who cares about last year's draft now. Irrelevant.

 

[Platten44]

Who cares about last year's draft now. Irrelevant.

It’s a reference point for how good the top few are this year and why you would be mad to trade down.

 

[toomanysquibs]

Would be so much better than that player agent puff piece show they put out.

The AFL is in the twilight zone when it comes to how much credibility they give us as viewers.

They still think Fonzie reading a player's first initial out and pausing before revealing the surname at a Brownlow count, or this weird new draft format is cutting edge.

I don't remember a heap of the ABC show The Winners from the 1980s, but I don't think it's moved forward very far since then.

Would be a dream to get that NFL level draft access.

 

[TylerDurden]

 

[Bremner20]

Looking at their needs, i think there's a good chance North take Duursma and Curtin

If that was the case then I’d be hoping we’d deal with bulldogs or demons in pick swap plus 1 extra depending on who gave us the best deal we don’t need McKercher that would be basically undermining our last 2 high end draft strategies of adding Ward and McKenzie and Watson is a gamble IMO and we’ve added Ginnivan too .

 

[TylerDurden]

 

[Platten44]

The Scum are not even using pick 61 from the Massimo trade. Gold Coast and Dogs lost picks as not enough open list spots.

 

[TylerDurden]

The Scum are not even using pick 61 from the Massimo trade. Gold Coast and Dogs lost picks as not enough open list spots.

Dodo being Dodo. Such a campaigner.

 

[2008wasoverDEW!]

Looking at their needs, i think there's a good chance North take Duursma and Curtin

I would say McKercher and Curtin are more important to North's list rebuild than Duursma.
Kangas currently have Zurharr, Ford, Taylor, Stephenson, & George that can play as medium forwards. I'm not suggesting that they are better players than Duursma, just stating that they do have some depth in that department.

But North might not want to risk taking two interstate kids at those picks after their JHF experience.

Regardless, we will still have access to one of McKercher, Duursma, Curtin, & Watson. We're in a pretty comfortable position thankfully.

 

[TylerDurden]

North are bonkers if they don't take Curtin with one of those picks.