Game Day 2023 AFL Draft Live discussion Rd1, 2-4 and Rookie Draft

[bombersboy]

Loved this draft.
Not many of our own BG draft pundits got close to seeing where Wells&Mack would go.
We got 2 players that i thought we'd look closely at.
COS and Big George. Two Big .
COS seems the perfect fit for us.
Can play back mid forward. Might be the back pillar we are looking for to team up with SDK.
MVP quality in the carnival says plenty. Character Leadership are Big ticks.
George Stevens. The Big Mid Beast with a footy IQ. Adds some serious muscle in the middle.
Query surrounds his speed and tank. Rightly so. But the guy is a footballer.
Character & Leadership in spades.
This will be a shrewd pick for me. LOVE HIM.
Big Mitch Edwards was the biggest blindside that no one saw coming.
Great get.
Stanley is done. Conway is 21 hoping to get through his first full season.
And acquired a Furhy.
Edwards comes into calculations in 2026 when he turns 20-21.
Perfect another BIG .
Shaun Mannagh. What can i say, didn't see it coming. But when you look past his age.
He would have been taken by almost every side in the comp.
Plug & play in 2024. We must still think that window is still slightly ajar.
Olie Wiltshire. Spoken about by a few blokes on here.
Local left field sleeper. Great throw at the stumps.
The talent scouts saw enough of him to rate him.
Add another 5 kgs to that frame and we might has acquired a really good role player or indeed a key cog.
Lawson Humphries.
Love this bloke. The more i watched and read what and where he has come from.
Had shown enough for our boys to take a punt on a 200-1 long shot.
Fingers crossed he adds value to our VFL squad in 2024 with hope he takes the extra 1 or steps needed.
Last but not least.
Emerson Jeka
Must of convinced Wells Mack and Co. that a second chance was indeed on the cards.
Some blokes sometimes need it or require it.
Maybe just maybe his 2nd chance might just jolt that penny to finally drop.
I do not worry care or speculate on who or what could have been as it is a waste of time.
We have 7 new faces walking into our home.
Work hard, bums down, heads up and enjoy the journey.
Welcome boys and the best of luck.

You would expect that Stevens, Mannagh and Jeka would all play some senior footy next year.

 

[Gee Class Loco]

You would expect that Stevens, Mannagh and Jeka would all play some senior footy next year.

Hope so... especially the first 2

 

[Finknottle]

I wouldn't worry about Big George's speed. Sure he runs 100m in 15 seconds but he runs the last 50m in 5 seconds. Don't get in his way!

 

[Mr Meow]

Do you go for the somewhat proven commodity in Smith next year or use the pick on a highly rated young mid of which there are quite a number in the 2024 draft?

I think Smith. We have to see how the likes of Knevitt, Clark, Stevens and Mannagh track as well. But with three veteran midfielders not too far away from retirement, it would give us a better balance with Smith and Atkins as the more experienced guys 2026 onwards.

 

[dazbroncos]

Personally id say he doesnt remind me of Cramerii. He was 29 and was cooked physically when he came to Geelong.Hopefully Jeka is just coming into the right age to show if he can become a player.

The question for me is ...why did the Hawks drop him?

the Hawks poster that commented seemed to suggest application to the craft and going when it was his turn were the major issues. Skills are there - and he might be a better defender than forward.

As a rookie pick 7... its about a much a free hit as you get I guess.

One year and done if the application doesn't materialise.

GO Catters

 

[terry_bright]

We obviously promoted a rookie to the primary list for us to draft Jeka, but no mention of who that is. Dempsey seems most likely. Maybe Mullin?

 

[ShaunWDT]

Personally id say he doesnt remind me of Cramerii. He was 29 and was cooked physically when he came to Geelong.Hopefully Jeka is just coming into the right age to show if he can become a player.

The question for me is ...why did the Hawks drop him?

Hawks lack talls and still cut him which raises alarm bells but its essentially a free hit.

 

[Generalissimo]

When do they start handing out guernsey numbers? I gather CO'S already got the famous #14, but no word yet about the others.

 

[ShaunWDT]

We obviously promoted a rookie to the primary list for us to draft Jeka, but no mention of who that is. Dempsey seems most likely. Maybe Mullin?

Wells mentioned we only have 2 Cat B's so I think Mullin got upgraded

 

[Gavin Excell]

All stars in their own right, but who had the better Cats' career of Stewart Crameri, Aaron Black and Sam Blease?

Jeezus
That's tough

 

[Footy Smarts]

Wells mentioned we only have 2 Cat B's so I think Mullin got upgraded

I wouldn't be surprised if they upgraded Clohesy instead. Nothing to do with how they rate them but you get salary cap relief with category B rookies. Mullin would be on much more than your standard cat B rookie so I imagine we would leave him on that list as long as possible.

 

[STPer18]

Stephen Wells Interview | Draft Wrap

Stephen Wells wraps up the 2023 AFL National and Rookie Drafts. Proudly Presented by Pepperstone.

www.geelongcats.com.au

 

[D BRIDGE]

Nice to hear from Wells, but boy he gives very little.

 

[dazbroncos]

Nice to hear from Wells, but boy he gives very little.

i wanna know whom got the rookie upgrade.

GO Catters

 

[D BRIDGE]

i wanna know whom got the rookie upgrade.

Yeah I heard him mention that there was an upgrade in a clip but didn't even say who it was lol.

 

[Oisin_the_Goat]

I'm on board for a B+

I'm not as certain on Edwards as a selection though. Not that I don't rate him or anything, he's worth a punt in isolation, but I don't know how we get all these talls in the vfl forward line at the narrowest f50 in the league for home games. Do we lend Furphy out to a GFL side if there's no injuries? How do you develop them if they're in each other's way?

It could be a direction we will be heading and a new strategy filling the team with talls this year... But really seasons are made/broken at the MCG not at home.

 

[Shadow89]

i wanna know whom got the rookie upgrade.

GO Catters

Be a 95% chance that it's Dempsey, IMO. Mullin, Hardie, Clohesy, Furphy, Murdoch all a fair way behind Dempsey when it comes to development/talent displayed.

Be very surprised if it was anyone else.

 

[Footy Smarts]

Ruck is pretty interesting. Most were convinced we'd get a mature ruck. But it looks like it's Stanley and Conway to get us through.

I think I prefer that to getting a mature ager that we don't really rate.

SDK actually looked very competent in there at times. Not saying we should want that but as a break glass option he's far from the worst. Especially because Blicavs is a very good around the ground ruck.

 

[Footy Smarts]

Be a 95% chance that it's Dempsey, IMO. Mullin, Hardie, Clohesy, Furphy, Murdoch all a fair way behind Dempsey when it comes to development/talent displayed.

Be very surprised if it was anyone else.

Mullin played more games than Dempsey last year. And Dempsey hasn't shown much at AFL level yet despite his VFL form.

I love the look of Dempsey but I think people are wildly underestimating how good Mullin was last year and what he could do this year.

 

[Max Rooke]

Ruck is pretty interesting. Most were convinced we'd get a mature ruck. But it looks like it's Stanley and Conway to get us through.

I think I prefer that to getting a mature ager that we don't really rate.

SDK actually looked very competent in there at times. Not saying we should want that but as a break glass option he's far from the worst. Especially because Blicavs is a very good around the ground ruck.

Yeah Blics is interesting. If Stanley and Conway both get injured we could run with Blics as the #1 ruck for a few games which would allow another young midfielder to get some game time in.

 

[goyoucatters]

All stars in their own right, but who had the better Cats' career of Stewart Crameri, Aaron Black and Sam Blease?

Black, by a fair way. Actually looked to be finding a place in the senior team as a defender before his ACL injury in 2018. And went on to positively contribute at both VFL level and through our women's program after that.

The other two never fired a shot for us. But given they came to the Cats at the cost of a spot on the rookie list (Crameri) and as a DFA (Blease), it's hardly seriously significant.

Black did cost us the princely sum of pick 92, though.

 

[Oisin_the_Goat]

Mullin played more games than Dempsey last year. And Dempsey hasn't shown much at AFL level yet despite his VFL form.

I love the look of Dempsey but I think people are wildly underestimating how good Mullin was last year and what he could do this year.

That's why he's the GOAT!

 

[Oisin_the_Goat]

Ruck is pretty interesting. Most were convinced we'd get a mature ruck. But it looks like it's Stanley and Conway to get us through.

I think I prefer that to getting a mature ager that we don't really rate.

SDK actually looked very competent in there at times. Not saying we should want that but as a break glass option he's far from the worst. Especially because Blicavs is a very good around the ground ruck.

Think we've got enough options now to cover us if injuries take a toll.

 

[year of the cat]

Nice to hear from Wells, but boy he gives very little.

Same spiel every year. Very dull.

 

[Turkey Tom]

Nice to hear from Wells, but boy he gives very little.

He did mention that they rated Caddy and O'Sullivan about equal. Therefore, it can be surmised, they were happy to move back a spot, and get the extra pick, knowing they would get one of those two for sure.