Preview 2024 National Draft Preview Thread

[Chewy Chewman]

With Smillie there is a lot of focus on what he can’t do instead of what he can do. He has an ability to stand up in big moments to help his side win the game.

Only have to look back at Easterns game against the Jets, he kicked two crucial last quarter goals that helped win the game. He got the final clearance in the Country V Metro game that led to Trainor kicking the winner.

Would love that point of difference in our team.

 

[giantroo]

 

[R00StaR]

With Smillie there is a lot of focus on what he can’t do instead of what he can do. He has an ability to stand up in big moments to help his side win the game.

Only have to look back at Easterns game against the Jets, he kicked two crucial last quarter goals that helped win the game. He got the final clearance in the Country V Metro game that led to Trainor kicking the winner.

Would love that point of difference in our team.

Id be looking at Smillie more as a forward who can play midfield minutes. Or simply start in the middle and push forward. He'd be a nightmare matchup, who within a few years would be bombing em from the 55m.

 

[roos_fanatic08]

I looked over and posted draft watchers views on Bontempelli in his draft and they we're virtually the same as Smillies.

Draper to me is in a similar boat to Smith imo, both guns but lack the point of difference we need to balance out our list.

I reckon they would be very similar; Bont didn't have a crazy contested/physical games in juniors much the same as Smillie. I'd imagine they'd have a pretty similar athletic profile too. Bont was also seen as potential key forward in juniors too.

 

[noobermensch]

Cooper Hynes continues to strengthen as a top 20 draft candidate. He started the season extremely raw as a midfielder, but his stoppage craft has come a long way since then and he's now capable of some really clean and damaging extractions either by hand or with a bust of speed through traffic. In recent weeks there have been many moments where he's shown how team oriented and unselfish he is, as demonstrated in this game where when presented with a chance to pad his stat sheet with fourth goal he instead handed the ball off to a teammate in the goal square.

 

[King Corey]

@NickBlakey

 

[King Corey]

With Smillie there is a lot of focus on what he can’t do instead of what he can do. He has an ability to stand up in big moments to help his side win the game.

Only have to look back at Easterns game against the Jets, he kicked two crucial last quarter goals that helped win the game. He got the final clearance in the Country V Metro game that led to Trainor kicking the winner.

Would love that point of difference in our team.

I think this too. It's like we (posters) are over thinking him.

He would be a real point of difference for us if it paid off. That said he might be gone before we pick.

 

[HBFlanker]

It will be Trainor at pick 3, surely?

 

[R00StaR]

I reckon they would be very similar; Bont didn't have a crazy contested/physical games in juniors much the same as Smillie. I'd imagine they'd have a pretty similar athletic profile too. Bont was also seen as potential key forward in juniors too.

Yeah they highlighted how he was more a link player and would need to improve his contested and pace.

I quite like the idea of Smillie as a forward, he's 194cm now and should get to 195/6 cm. Many forward lines are going the more mobile flexible options. Larkey, Smillie and second ruck with Zurhaar, Duursma (2 x 190cm options) gives plenty of flexibility. Of course if he does turn in a Bont then fantastic. Big body mid capabilities with goal sense in the forward line, allowing faster types on the outer perimeter of our forward presses.

Im happy with either he or FOS who is set, forget and enjoy on a wing for 12 years.

 

[ohmygewd]

Id be looking at Smillie more as a forward who can play midfield minutes. Or simply start in the middle and push forward. He'd be a nightmare matchup, who within a few years would be bombing em from the 55m.

Just draft Harvey Langford if that's the case or Lalor? Both have shown more appitude to playing forward than Smillie who is 95% midfielder.
Folks got to remember that the when the Bont appeared in the TAC & Champs, both Knights & Metro played him inside and outside plus half back as he had the appitude to chase and tackle, ran all day and had a killer leap, yes he played up forward as well.

Draft prospect: Marcus Bontempelli

Watch potential 2013 draftee Marcus Bontempelli in action

www.afl.com.au

Respectively disagree with comparisons between Smillie and the Bont...he's more Patrick Cripps than Bont to me:

Draft prospect: Patrick Cripps

Watch potential 2013 draftee Patrick Cripps in action

www.afl.com.au

Dunno..you guys can make your minds up:

 

[ToxicMegaPunts]

It will be Trainor at pick 3, surely?

 

[The Talent Scout]

It will be Trainor at pick 3, surely?

Interesting, why do you think so?

 

[HBFlanker]

Interesting, why do you think so?

In a draft where it's so even, I'd rather take the player with a point of difference. He has that.

Smillie, FOS, Draper, Smith are all mids. Take the player that brings a bit of something else.

Not to mention the facotr of him being a die hard North person.

If we were to get creative, depending on where Adelaide finish, we could swap picks with them so they can grab Draper, + we would get another pick out of it.

 

[The Filth Wizard]

It will be Trainor at pick 3, surely?

I don't think so. Not with Draper, Smillie, FOS potentially on the board (I've omitted Jagga as I reckon he suits us least).

Move back in a deal with the Crows for Draper, perhaps things are more in line for Trainor.

We've shown we take best available in the past, not best need.

 

[buttox]

I don't think so. Not with Draper, Smillie, FOS potentially on the board (I've omitted Jagga as I reckon he suits us least).

Move back in a deal with the Crows for Draper, perhaps things are more in line for Trainor.

We've shown we take best available in the past, not best need.

Yep our best available picks in the first round have been good.
I think in the past we have picked for need in the second round and have a higher fail rate.

 

[Colby Cheer Squad]

I reckon they would be very similar; Bont didn't have a crazy contested/physical games in juniors much the same as Smillie. I'd imagine they'd have a pretty similar athletic profile too. Bont was also seen as potential key forward in juniors too.

You'd know far better than me but in limited observation, the one area I notice Smillie using his size at the moment is with his wing span giving him far broader reach in contested situations.

 

[noobermensch]

I for one support the commentators choice here to embrace the memes and pronounce Jack's surname as "Off" the entire game. Ough is finishing strongly this season, pushing his name up draft boards since he move to a more permanent on ball role. His size and clean hands at ground level are a feature, along with a nice change of direction and tidy disposal.

 

[giantroo]

 

[The Talent Scout]

I don't think so. Not with Draper, Smillie, FOS potentially on the board (I've omitted Jagga as I reckon he suits us least).

Move back in a deal with the Crows for Draper, perhaps things are more in line for Trainor.

We've shown we take best available in the past, not best need.

Crazy year this one, the thing is, in the past we needed elite young talent, and we certainly got it, right where we are now questions abound around our storyline in this years draft as well as Richmond and who they take could well change a few things in this draft. One of the more intriguing questions is just that, say for arguments sake we had Josh Smillie as number 1 on our whiteboard, then Richmond take him with their first pick, who's to say we go the next midfielder, it could well be we have Harry Armstrong at number 2 on our talent board, everything is not always black & white.

In my analysis of our recruiting since our rebuild and the players we have picked and throwing in the fact we're targeting a key forward this year the biggest question comes down to this, how good does Will think Harry can be? There will be some out there that say he's not going to be the best key forward from this years draft, and that's a fair question, some have got favourites, some might think Jonty or Jack or Jobe or Tom.

IF Will and brady don't rate Harry in the top two or three on their whiteboard then our thinking could very well be we will pick the next gun mid because early in the second round we can pick up Jack Whitlock , Jonty Faull, Jobe Shanahan or Tom Sims IF they are still on the board and then another question arises, what if we rated say Jack Whitlock and then Jonty Faull in order and they are off the board, do we settle for our fourth best key forward in this draft or wait another year for Archie Ludowyke? While most recruiters have some idea of who likes who in the draft and how interested they are about certain players, this draft for many reasons is going to be fascinating in many aspects.

 

[chubbspeterson]

Yeah, if they lose Josh its possible, one thing that Adelaide, St Kilda, and Richmond have in common and the biggest need in history is a gun mid, make no mistake about that! Yes they have other needs as well but their first pick is a gun mid, if either of these clubs don't go a gun mid at their first pick not only will I be surprised but BIGFOOTY will have another meltdown just like that West Coast thread that caused a meltdown when they took Ginbey in the 2022 draft or was it the 2021 draft with Chesser, man that was the greatest thread ever on Bigfooty, if not it certainly goes close.


With Richmond, depending how many players leave and what picks they end up having, their biggest needs in my opinion are a bit like us minus the gun mid and defender but with Tarryn gone we have a spot left for one so its very much the same but in a different order. Ours would be in my opinion, 1/ Key forward 2/ Small forward 3/ Midfielder/winger to replace Tarryn. 4/ A second Key forward, I know we have Fin, but another understudy would be smart play with the midfield we are assembling, this is the draft to do it!


Richmond's needs: 1/ A gun midfielder 2/ Depending on picks maybe another midfielder. If their picks pretty much stay the same then a classy key forward is a must. 3/ I know a few on their board have said a small forward but they drafted Judson Clarke for this very reason , a fast creative small forward who takes his chances as well as Seth Campbell and Maurice Rioli jnr, so I'd say a dashing half back flanker, they have Tom Brown and Kaleb Smith who is a winger/half back flanker who they got from W.A, with their champions almost finished, now is the time to get a couple of nice ones before Tassie come into the comp.

Yeah it will be fascinating. Tigers need some good ball users.
Thinking about West Coast, could they go Trainor at 3 if they traded Barass?
I guess the thing we're not thinking about with Luke is perhaps his character and leadership and ability to stand up in big games I think counts. I wouldn't have him top 4 but we don't know what the recruiters are thinking.
If they think Luke could play forward or back then Clarko might be all in on him. He is a beautiful kick on 8/10 kicks.
I'd be surprised if we took him at 2/3 but it sounds like there is still a bit of uncertainty in the order so who knows.

 

[chubbspeterson]

With Smillie there is a lot of focus on what he can’t do instead of what he can do. He has an ability to stand up in big moments to help his side win the game.

Only have to look back at Easterns game against the Jets, he kicked two crucial last quarter goals that helped win the game. He got the final clearance in the Country V Metro game that led to Trainor kicking the winner.

Would love that point of difference in our team.

That's true, his hands and groundballs are elite I think for a kid that size and he can hit the scoreboard.
I wouldn't be mad if we took him or Trainor but I'd have FOS/Draper/Lalor ahead of them on pure talent.
He can at least play forward like Langford. My concern would be the champs was the biggest moment and he faltered.
And going at 56% by foot is not great and backs up what my eyes saw with his ball use.
I'm trying to think at what he might become in 4-5 years than what he is right now.

 

[Better Loosen Up]

In a draft where it's so even, I'd rather take the player with a point of difference. He has that.

Smillie, FOS, Draper, Smith are all mids. Take the player that brings a bit of something else.

Not to mention the facotr of him being a die hard North person.

If we were to get creative, depending on where Adelaide finish, we could swap picks with them so they can grab Draper, + we would get another pick out of it.

Would you be endorsing him as strongly for pick 2 or 3 if the bolded wasn't the case? Be honest.

 

[DuckYeah]

@NickBlakey

Better end up with Lucas and Aiden or the afl can seriously shove this father son shit up their arses

 

[HBFlanker]

Would you be endorsing him as strongly for pick 2 or 3 if the bolded wasn't the case? Be honest.

Probably not, no. But it certainly helps.

 

[Ball Dont Lie]

Why does the article say Elwood Pickett is eligible for port and not us?