Opinion 2023 AFL Draft Prospects

[Ticky009]

On behalf of the Draft Board Mods we invite you the following:

2023 AFL DRAFT - National Draft completed, PSD & Rookie Draft Wednesday @ 3pm

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[Whoyagot]

I'm very confused where Sanders would fit next year.
Bont, Libba, Treloar, Smith, Macrae, Harmes, Sanders is a lot to rotate through the midfield. We've got Daniel who will probably play high half forward too.

I'm guessing we move Macrae to a wing, have Sanders and Smith as high half forwards, and Bont/Treloar/Libba/Harmes as onballers?

Hard to expect Sanders to regularly contribute to the AFL team in his first year but I think he’ll get games here and there.

Personally I like Bont full time wing. Macrae, Treloar, Libba, Smith and one of Harmes, Sanders and even Garcia or West as the on ball crew. Treloar and Lib in particular are getting old and I don’t expect them to play every game this year.

 

[_Cerberus_]

I'm very confused where Sanders would fit next year.
Bont, Libba, Treloar, Smith, Macrae, Harmes, Sanders is a lot to rotate through the midfield. We've got Daniel who will probably play high half forward too.

I'm guessing we move Macrae to a wing, have Sanders and Smith as high half forwards, and Bont/Treloar/Libba/Harmes as onballers?

You have to look at it from a long term perspective as well, not just next year. Drafting is about the long term side of things list wise.

Libba is 32 middle of next season.
Macrae is 29 and moves like he is 40.
Treloar is 31 at the start of the season.

Even if Sanders does not play week one. Someone will be injured a long the way. Sanders has also shown he can play in the forward part of the ground at times. Will do better than Macrae in that area of the ground. He will have two years to get ready, because there is a good chance we will have 2-3 of those you mentioned gone within two years. I'd rather Sanders at high forward and in the centre then Daniel as well. More importantly, he will push a depth player out. Our bottom six becomes stronger.

Wing, Three In the Middle, One or Two at high forward, Couple on the bench. Might seem like a lot from the outside. But I reckon we can squeeze them all in. It will just be heavy in roatations.

 

[TiAn_]

Completely agree. Sanders would be a good get and shore up our midfield for the future but in the immediate future we have a massive logjam. The club needs to bite the bullet and probably make Treloar a full time wing next season and move on from him as a midfielder and allow Smith & Sanders to get some minutes next to our other guns.

At the moment we have Bont & Libba as our mainstays. Treloar, Macrae, Daniel, Smith & possibly Sanders (even Harmes) as the support. It's way too many and simply not feasible. Two of those guys need to find more permanent roles elsewhere.

I'm very confused where Sanders would fit next year.
Bont, Libba, Treloar, Smith, Macrae, Harmes, Sanders is a lot to rotate through the midfield. We've got Daniel who will probably play high half forward too.

I'm guessing we move Macrae to a wing, have Sanders and Smith as high half forwards, and Bont/Treloar/Libba/Harmes as onballers?

Yeah, we have too many inside mids that don’t excel a second position (Libba - not that you’d want to move him, Macrae, Smith, Treloar). It’s one reason we have such a short CBA list compared to other sides. Sanders is going to add to that issue in the short term, until Libba & Treloar retire and Smith leaves.

We tried to address it this year by moving Macrae out of midfield and keeping Smith at half forward and it didn’t work. Maybe it will next year? Bont could play anywhere, but he’s the last mid I’d want to shift out.

At least the Sanders choice gives us some coverage if Libba retires after next year at the same time Smith goes.

 

[goodcop badcop]

You have to look at it from a long term perspective as well, not just next year. Drafting is about the long term side of things list wise.

Libba is 32 middle of next season.
Macrae is 29 and moves like he is 40.
Treloar is 31 at the start of the season.

Even if Sanders does not play week one. Someone will be injured a long the way. Sanders has also shown he can play in the forward part of the ground at times. Will do better than Macrae in that area of the ground. He will have two years to get ready, because there is a good chance we will have 2-3 of those you mentioned gone within two years. I'd rather Sanders at high forward and in the centre then Daniel as well. More importantly, he will push a depth player out. Our bottom six becomes stronger.

Wing, Three In the Middle, One or Two at high forward, Couple on the bench. Might seem like a lot from the outside. But I reckon we can squeeze them all in. It will just be heavy in roatations.

There's no evidence Sanders can play forward better then Macrae or Daniel. I think you are getting a bit carried away here. Yes Sanders has shown he can spend time up forward and made a solid contribution particularly through the finals series. But Macrae and Daniel showed more up forward at U18 level then what Sanders ever has.

I think Sanders will be spending a bit of time in the VFL or as the sub next year unless there's injuries which I'm ok with. He's a long term Libba replacement and Libba's knees are not going to last much longer.

 

[dogwatch]

There's no evidence Sanders can play forward better then Macrae or Daniel. I think you are getting a bit carried away here. Yes Sanders has shown he can spend time up forward and made a solid contribution particularly through the finals series. But Macrae and Daniel showed more up forward at U18 level then what Sanders ever has.

I think Sanders will be spending a bit of time in the VFL or as the sub next year unless there's injuries which I'm ok with. He's a long term Libba replacement and Libba's knees are not going to last much longer.

Good to get a healthy dose of realism. They all look world beaters when you watch their U18 clips.

 

[Testekill]

Libba probably has two years left in him, Sanders is a long term replacement. Macrae is also looking like he's struggling physically so who knows how many years in him as well.

 

[dogwatch]

Libba probably has two years left in him, Sanders is a long term replacement. Macrae is also looking like he's struggling physically so who knows how many years in him as well.

We'll still need to plan for the possibility of Sanders leaving in four years. So I can see us chasing a similar prospect in next year's draft if we can get back into the first round.

 

[noobermensch]

My last player profile is up. Big thanks to everyone for watching this season and making content creation so enjoyable.

 

[doggies ftw]

It’s an interesting question as to how to structure the rotations next year - we need to rotate more heavily for a start, I’m also cutting CDs minutes completely and I’d be looking to shift Treloar to more of an outside role at wing/HFF.

I really like the idea of West, Harmes, Sanders taking inside minutes rotating off the HFF for a new look midfield. Whereas I’d have Baz Wing/inside. Much more run and grunt in that mix to compliment Bont & Libba.

Where that leaves Macrae I have no idea, I just dunno what to do with him I really can barely find a role honestly probably sub at this point. Hoping last year was just a down year & an outlier but just not sure where he fits with this mix going forward.

 

[Dav1d]

They’ll stall this out forever huh

 

[_Cerberus_]

They’ll stall this out forever huh

Probably still got like an hour long speech by Dillion at the start as usual, before they finally start the real thing. No one cares about ego speeches, just start the draft.

 

[_Cerberus_]

Well, he kept that short compared to some past ones.

Here we go!

Also, are Kayo streams always blurry? Think the picture would be sharp and clear as if you're paying for it.

 

[Zgope1]

A win for Smiley Boy!

 

[Northernsoul74]

Trade up with GC. McKercher or Sanders will do.

I loved Sanders speed.

I’m all in on The Colonel.

The Colonel is the one around our likely pick.

 

[Dogman 1]

You do realise Tasmania is a shitehole for anyone under 40 right?

You have probably never been to tas. Don't knock the place until you have lived here. It's a much cleaner place than that shithole Melbourne.

 

[Planet Dogs]

You have probably never been to tas. Don't knock the place until you have lived here. It's a much cleaner place than that shithole Melbourne.

Sanders is a Launi boy. If he is Melbourne based, a flight to catch up with family/friends is as doable as a drive to/from a Hobart-based club.

 

[flipper83]

I'm very confused where Sanders would fit next year.
Bont, Libba, Treloar, Smith, Macrae, Harmes, Sanders is a lot to rotate through the midfield. We've got Daniel who will probably play high half forward too.

I'm guessing we move Macrae to a wing, have Sanders and Smith as high half forwards, and Bont/Treloar/Libba/Harmes as onballers?

Honestly I think, if he's physically ready he needs to get put in there ahead of a lot of our 'gun' mids.
Go back and look at how well our midfield did against Hawthorn when Libba got injured. I think he'd stand up physically more than a lot of the others you've mentioned.

I think the way the game has changed has blunted the tools of a lot of our midfielders. The 6,6,6 and stand rule mean that the game suits powerfull mids who can exit the front of the stoppages and fast outside mids who can make the use of space in transition.

A lot of our midfielders are high endurance accumulating mids who are composed in traffic and retain the ball well but don't move it quickly. Part of the problem appears to be coaching becuase Treloar and Smith should be able to break away more than they do but I also think Sanders will help with this. Sanders is good at winning the ball in close, is powerful over short distances and is good at placing handballs that release players forward where too often we handball backwards.

I'd have him rotating with Libba so we've got one of them in there at every bounce. I'd also consider having them both if the opposition get a couple of goals and we get a sense that they might get a run on. Against powerful midfields like Melbourne for instance.

There's no evidence Sanders can play forward better then Macrae or Daniel. I think you are getting a bit carried away here. Yes Sanders has shown he can spend time up forward and made a solid contribution particularly through the finals series. But Macrae and Daniel showed more up forward at U18 level then what Sanders ever has.

I think Sanders will be spending a bit of time in the VFL or as the sub next year unless there's injuries which I'm ok with. He's a long term Libba replacement and Libba's knees are not going to last much longer.

It's not really fair to compare him to those players because he's been such a dominant inside mid for so long he just hasn't played forward. Daniel and Macrae both spent more time forward in their junior campaigns because they didn't have the credentials to be full time mids. Macrae due to late development and Daniel due to size.

He has shown qualities that should translate to being a handy forward but I understand there is a bit of speculation involved there.

 

[doggies ftw]

Honestly I think, if he's physically ready he needs to get put in there ahead of a lot of our 'gun' mids.
Go back and look at how well our midfield did against Hawthorn when Libba got injured. I think he'd stand up physically more than a lot of the others you've mentioned.

I think the way the game has changed has blunted the tools of a lot of our midfielders. The 6,6,6 and stand rule mean that the game suits powerfull mids who can exit the front of the stoppages and fast outside mids who can make the use of space in transition.

A lot of our midfielders are high endurance accumulating mids who are composed in traffic and retain the ball well but don't move it quickly. Part of the problem appears to be coaching becuase Treloar and Smith should be able to break away more than they do but I also think Sanders will help with this. Sanders is good at winning the ball in close, is powerful over short distances and is good at placing handballs that release players forward where too often we handball backwards.

I'd have him rotating with Libba so we've got one of them in there at every bounce. I'd also consider having them both if the opposition get a couple of goals and we get a sense that they might get a run on. Against powerful midfields like Melbourne for instance.


It's not really fair to compare him to those players because he's been such a dominant inside mid for so long he just hasn't played forward. Daniel and Macrae both spent more time forward in their junior campaigns because they didn't have the credentials to be full time mids. Macrae due to late development and Daniel due to size.

He has shown qualities that should translate to being a handy forward but I understand there is a bit of speculation involved there.

Very good post, can’t disagree with any of that.

I also think it will be important for him to take some load off Bont on the inside, even just a little bit I don’t think would be too much to expect from him early days. He’s as ready to go as you’ll get and we’ve seen the impact guys like Ashcroft etc can have in their first season.

There’s no doubt Bont plays his best individual footy when he’s very heavily inside, but I think, even if it means we might not see Brownlow Bont, it’s still in our best interests to free him up to be even just a little bit more outside. We want Bont delivering inside 50 in space ideally. Macrae, Baz, Treloar etc cannot take any inside load off Bont. Sanders & even potentially West have the bodies & attributes that they may be able to.

 

[Bonti 5416]

Looking ahead to night two. We have 11 picks to get through before we can match bids for Lual. Praying it happens.

Pretty happy Carlton only have one pick as they have been linked. Likewise with GWS for the same reason, in fact the only team that has two would be West Coast (who would have to be unlikely bidders due to the WA boys still on the board).

Ofcourse this could all change with one trade. Id be shocked if dogs are not looking to trade up somehow to secure him.

It is a real possibility that he makes it through with the names still on board. Which teams are the biggest threats to a bid on him?

 

[doggies ftw]

Looking ahead to night two. We have 11 picks to get through before we can match bids for Lual. Praying it happens.

Pretty happy Carlton only have one pick as they have been linked. Likewise with GWS for the same reason, in fact the only team that has two would be West Coast (who would have to be unlikely bidders due to the WA boys still on the board).

Ofcourse this could all change with one trade. Id be shocked if dogs are not looking to trade up somehow to secure him.

It is a real possibility that he makes it through with the names still on board. Which teams are the biggest threats to a bid on him?

Pies, Blues, Ess & Tigs seem the biggest risks, I believe they’ve all shown interest but all only have 1 pick so depends where they rank him on their board.

I have a feeling he’s going to make it through very late but just fall short unfortunately.

 

[DiamondDogs8]

If Lual gets snapped up before pick 40, I’d love to see us take another midfielder to develop in the 2s and a half forward/wing. Really like the look of Cooper Simpson. Shaun Mannagh would be an unbelievable get, but can’t see him getting past Freo. Koen Sanchez and Jack Delean are two more that I would be looking to target with our late picks.

 

[House_of_Dahl]

You have probably never been to tas. Don't knock the place until you have lived here. It's a much cleaner place than that shithole Melbourne.

Tassie is beautiful...except for Lonnie...that place is a hole

 

[House_of_Dahl]

Looking ahead to night two. We have 11 picks to get through before we can match bids for Lual. Praying it happens.

Pretty happy Carlton only have one pick as they have been linked. Likewise with GWS for the same reason, in fact the only team that has two would be West Coast (who would have to be unlikely bidders due to the WA boys still on the board).

Ofcourse this could all change with one trade. Id be shocked if dogs are not looking to trade up somehow to secure him.

It is a real possibility that he makes it through with the names still on board. Which teams are the biggest threats to a bid on him?

Think it's a chance. Already quite a few that were expected to go after him already picked that helps. Need a few more tonight.

But most likely scenarios:

• one of the first picked tonight, or
• picked at 39 to break our hearts

 

[Northernsoul74]

If Lual gets snapped up before pick 40, I’d love to see us take another midfielder to develop in the 2s and a half forward/wing. Really like the look of Cooper Simpson. Shaun Mannagh would be an unbelievable get, but can’t see him getting past Freo. Koen Sanchez and Jack Delean are two more that I would be looking to target with our late picks.

Simpson was pretty highly rated wasn’t he? I assume he’s been injured a lot.