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.

 

[TazHawk15]

I think they are a very very very good chance to go back2Back, only the Shinbeggers can save them.

They are almost no chance. seriously go and have a look at their spine in their best 22 and then tell me that is the 18th best team in the competition.

I have had a look at their spine and I still think they will be neck deep in the Spoon race.

BTW it’s just an opinion.

 

[Dewnior]

With the talls, kosi Jeka and Ryan out, Chol McCabe dear in may have influenced the recruiting team team that young talls was less of a priority, but getting match winners such as Watson, Ginnivan was

It didn't and wasnt, the recruiting team tried valiantly to trade our F1 for access to Curtain and then O'Sullivan.

 

[Dewnior]

Shinbeggers to concede a score just about 100% of the time from opposition’s forward entries. The tin rattling will be on from round 5.

When was it off?

 

[hawkinoz]

It didn't and wasnt, the recruiting team tried valiantly to trade our F1 for access to Curtain and then O'Sullivan.

Maybe if we had a F3, it could have been easier sell.

PS : I do think we could have negotiated our trades better and got a F3 but mentioning this seems to upset people. We did well with trades overall but this was one of the small slip ups.

 

[peetoo]

It didn't and wasnt, the recruiting team tried valiantly to trade our F1 for access to Curtain and then O'Sullivan.

They tried to get one of those as well as wiz was my reading? Could have just taken curtin istead?

 

[Dewnior]

They tried to get one of those as well as wiz was my reading? Could have just taken curtin istead?

Why when we could have had both? (Insert Mexican girl meme here)

 

[StackedHunch]

My line of thinking is that both Duursma and Watson are going to be awesome talents but with Watson being the one that will come in from day 1 and contribute right away. This is not saying that he'll end up being better than Duursma but just that he'll take a similar amount of time as say someone like McCabe to fully develop to be able to contribute. IMO this is just another reason why I want us to draft Watson because if he comes in and kicks a goal or 2 a game he's going to make our side look so much more dangerous + exciting and push us into that group of teams just on the cusp of the top 8. The reason I feel this is so important is because it will give us a better shot at getting a commitment from pending free agents to join us and no I'm not talking about B / C grade FA's but good ones.

Anyways we only have 12 days to wait now so not too long to see what we do.

My God this post has aged well.

 

[Alite]

Hi All,
With our boys in their off season for 2024 and enjoying their pasture-time, I thought I'd bring up the past.

This was our forum's choice for pick 5 in 2023. I think it is fair to say that the wisdom-of-the-crowd got this one right.


1: one of Nick Watson's games for Caufield Grammer sold me on him. I know he must have had an opponent, but I never saw that guy. Watson was dominant to the point where the crowd called for a torpedo and he delivered. It was rediculious and awesome.

2: Zane Duusma has the tools to be great, but it may take some time.

3: Happy to admit I underestimated McKercher. Looks a quality 200 gamer but Tassie will target him and the AFL will help his defection. Still happy to not have a Tasmanian on our list.

4: Dan Curtin is an inbetweener. As a tall mid he will be OK, as a half back / third tall he will be OK. We will see how he comes on.

5: Nate Caddy looks Good. But so far not a patch on Watson's likely impact.

6: Connor O'Sullivan has been held back by Geelong. I said at the time that would have happily traded, what most thought would be pick 4 to 8 but became pick 14, for Connor but we instead used that pick for Barrass. Whispers were that the Hawks tried to trade for Connor, but the Cats said No.

7: Riley Sanders is a safe bet for a 200 gamer. Just quality. But not what the Hawks needed and a flight risk to Tassie's new team.

8: I love that 2 people went for Darcy Wilson. Is already a gun. I liked him as well but could not see a way that we could get him.


The bonus person that I touted, but our trades made him impossible to get, was Logan Morris. I am a sucker for fwds with good gripping hands and Logan has them. My thought was that he would have been the perfect understudy for Gunston. But along came Calsher and the Hawks recruiting staff killed it again.

Over to you.

 

[Dipper]

This was our forum's choice for pick 5 in 2023. I think it is fair to say that the wisdom-of-the-crowd got this one right.

That's not quite right.

I voted Watson but right up until we drafted him, Duursma was actually slightly ahead. The poll was left open and a fair few retrospective votes came in to take the Wiz clear.

 

[The Chad and I]

I think they're all going to be top 50 players in the league at some point.
I wanted Duursma and Curtin bc "good small forwards can be found anywhere".
Did not fully appreciate the level he would hit so fast.
He's basically doing the same things from U18 level against grown men.

 

[toomanysquibs]

I think they're all going to be top 50 players in the league at some point.
I wanted Duursma and Curtin bc "good small forwards can be found anywhere".
Did not fully appreciate the level he would hit so fast.
He's basically doing the same things from U18 level against grown men.

I was happy to get Watson because he was who we needed, but I was nervous about how he'd translate to the highest level. I had faith, but you just never know.

Fortunately that fear was quickly erased a few minutes into his AFL career, and it was back to normal programming.

I was very keen on Dursma, but we'd all be cursing ourselves if we took him and he had the first year he had at North. He will likely come more than good, but for this side we needed the Wiz,. I don't think from a scoreboard impact and team lifting POV we're ever going to be worrying about this debate though.

 

[fairdinks]

I was happy to get Watson because he was who we needed, but I was nervous about how he'd translate to the highest level. I had faith, but you just never know.

Fortunately that fear was quickly erased a few minutes into his AFL career, and it was back to normal programming.

I was very keen on Dursma, but we'd all be cursing ourselves if we took him and he had the first year he had at North. He will likely come more than good, but for this side we needed the Wiz,. I don't think from a scoreboard impact and team lifting POV we're ever going to be worrying about this debate though.

I was on the Curtain track and boy how wrong was I. Love what the Wiz is bringing. I was a huge Cyril fan and the Wiz probably had an equal first year. So clever, tough and competitive already.

Lots of years of highlights to come and hopefully 4 premierships to match the great Rioli.

 

[daniel23]

This will be the best top 6 picks of any draft.

Reid, walter, mckercher, duursmaa , Watson, sanders

 

[The Chad and I]

This will be the best top 6 picks of any draft.

Reid, walter, mckercher, duursmaa , Watson, sanders

Probably right.
These years are good comparisons:
2004
2005
2008
2018

 

[tommyk72]

This will be the best top 6 picks of any draft.

Reid, walter, mckercher, duursmaa , Watson, sanders

As long as Sanders comes on. It's that pick #6 curse that normally undoes the top 6. I assume in this case he will!

 

[matey]

2021 crop looks very good ……. getting Croc at 26 was amazing for us!

 

[The Chad and I]

2021 crop looks very good ……. getting Croc at 26 was amazing for us!

great call.

MacDonald has got the potential to become match winner.
He will learn a lot from the Port final.

 

[Dewnior]

Probably right.
These years are good comparisons:
2004
2005
2008
2018

2018 the best of that lot.

 

[tl92]

As long as Sanders comes on. It's that pick #6 curse that normally undoes the top 6. I assume in this case he will!

Duursma seems the bigger risk

 

[smish]

This will be the best top 6 picks of any draft.

Reid, walter, mckercher, duursmaa , Watson, sanders

Still don’t see it with Duursma

 

[HawthornHawk]

Still don’t see it with Duursma

He gets 3 touches a game but they're the classiest 3 touch games you're likely to see

 

[smish]

He gets 3 touches a game but they're the classiest 3 touch games you're likely to see

Fair point. I’m not sure it will translate to consistent output at league level, especially enough to justify picking him over Watson, Sander, Curtin.

Having said that, by all reports we would have still taken him over Watson have we had the chance. Funny how these things work out.

 

[Judd2Sewell]

Fair point. I’m not sure it will translate to consistent output at league level, especially enough to justify picking him over Watson, Sander, Curtin.

Having said that, by all reports we would have still taken him over Watson have we had the chance. Funny how these things work out.

Yes we would have. Of all the top draftees Duursma has the most scope for improvement to come from physical development.

Watson and Sanders in particular have limited improvement left physically, given their respective sizes and physical profiles. It doesn't really matter though, given they were able to have an immediate impact (obviously Watson in particular).

Edit: it won't matter if Sanders or Curtin do become better players than Watson in the long run, as Watson is going to be an elite small forward from now until he retires. So it is not as if we'd have been missing out on someone special. We aren't going to regret the decision to draft him.

 

[TheFourPillars]

Yes we would have. Of all the top draftees Duursma has the most scope for improvement to come from physical development.

Watson and Sanders in particular have limited improvement left physically, given their respective sizes and physical profiles. It doesn't really matter though, given they were able to have an immediate impact (obviously Watson in particular).

Edit: it won't matter if Sanders or Curtin do become better players than Watson in the long run, as Watson is going to be an elite small forward from now until he retires. So it is not as if we'd have been missing out on someone special. We aren't going to regret the decision to draft him.

I am not sure Duursma has the most scope for improvement. He may physically develop but his attributes remain the same.

 

[Judd2Sewell]

I am not sure Duursma has the most scope for improvement. He may physically develop but his attributes remain the same.

I said the most scope for improvement to come from physical development, maybe I worded it poorly, but I mean that he has the most to gain from his physical development given he was so raw, especially in comparison to others like Reid, Sanders, Watson, etc.

Maybe you could argue Windsor, but he plays as an outside wingman.