Opinion 2023 AFL Draft Prospects

[Bonti 5416]

Where’s that mentioned?
I think North would do well to take Watson though, they need some exciting players

North have Paul Curtis, Jayden Stephenson, drafted Brayden George last year and Tarryn Thomas. I doubt they think the wizard is a pressing need. Especially if they add Duursma who is expected to go that high.

Unfortunately I think there most pressing need is speed and zip from the contest in midfield, Mekercher would have to be there man.

Would be interested to see who they picked if they end up trading with West Coast and get Reid, the would only have one other selection in top handful in that scenario. I think they would actually prefer Mekercher over Duursma if it came down to it.

 

[TiAn_]

Sanders is the only player in the top group that seems to have question marks on his speed. He looks like he has a similar athletic profile and playing style to current Macrae, so how does he fit for us if Macrae himself struggled for midfield time this year and wasn’t particularly impactful at half forward?

He didn’t test at the combine, so perhaps his underlying athletic ability is better than he’s demonstrated on field this year. That would be my hope if we were looking at him.

 

[Bonti 5416]

I've got Sanders or Watson to the Dogs regardless of a West Coast or North pick swap. I don't think McKercher goes past Hawthorn because they just got Ginnivan in for Brockman as well as D'Ambrosio as a small utility so I don't see them taking Watson. I think the Dogs will snap up McKercher if he drops down, but I doubt it.

If they do trade up to pick one then I imagine the eagles would insist on pick 2. For me, the eagles want Curtain more than Reid (and I can see why, he looks like a freak!) and no way they are risking missing him by allowing north to keep 2.

It could go this way

Norf - Reid
WC - Curtain
Norf - Mekercher
Hawks - choose between Duursma, Watson….cant see them choosing sanders and already having Will Day who is a similar type to Duursma I have no idea which one they would pick.

We could be end up with choice of
Watson/Duursma
Watson/Sanders

Think we pick Watson over Sanders but no idea who we prefer between Duursma and Watson.

Kind of think small forwards are there every year but quality hybrid forwards are harder to get. Haven't looked into Duursma much because i didn't think he would slide. Does he have pace and forward pressure?
He would need to in a forwardline with Jamarra, Naughton and potentially Darcy.

 

[Bonti 5416]

Sanders is the only player in the top group that seems to have question marks on his speed. He looks like he has a similar athletic profile and playing style to current Macrae, so how does he fit for us if Macrae himself struggled for midfield time this year and wasn’t particularly impactful at half forward?

He didn’t test at the combine, so perhaps his underlying athletic ability is better than he’s demonstrated on field this year. That would be my hope if we were looking at him.

Reminds me of Horne Francis when i watch him, heaps thicker and eventually stronger than Macrae, different types if you ask me.

Whether he has the same ceiling as horne francis im unsure. Similar ceiling as midfielders but can he get forward and sit on heads like Horne Francis, doubt it

 

[Golden_6]

Sanders is the only player in the top group that seems to have question marks on his speed. He looks like he has a similar athletic profile and playing style to current Macrae, so how does he fit for us if Macrae himself struggled for midfield time this year and wasn’t particularly impactful at half forward?

He didn’t test at the combine, so perhaps his underlying athletic ability is better than he’s demonstrated on field this year. That would be my hope if we were looking at him.

You’d be drafting Sanders with an eye on the future as part of the JUH, Naughton, Darcy core. He wouldn’t crack the midfield rotation next year.

Watson plays round 1 next year if we select him and is a more natural fit for the current group.

 

[Bonti 5416]

If they do trade up to pick one then I imagine the eagles would insist on pick 2. For me, the eagles want Curtain more than Reid (and I can see why, he looks like a freak!) and no way they are risking missing him by allowing north to keep 2.

It could go this way

Norf - Reid
WC - Curtain
Norf - Mekercher
Hawks - choose between Duursma, Watson….cant see them choosing sanders and already having Will Day who is a similar type to Duursma I have no idea which one they would pick.

We could be end up with choice of
Watson/Duursma
Watson/Sanders

Think we pick Watson over Sanders but no idea who we prefer between Duursma and Watson.

Kind of think small forwards are there every year but quality hybrid forwards are harder to get. Haven't looked into Duursma much because i didn't think he would slide. Does he have pace and forward pressure?
He would need to in a forwardline with Jamarra, Naughton and potentially Darcy.

Although do Norf still target Mekercher if they have already picked Reid?

Bit to play out unfortunately

 

[TiAn_]

Reminds me of Horne Francis when i watch him, heaps thicker and eventually stronger than Macrae, different types if you ask me.

Whether he has the same ceiling as horne francis im unsure. Similar ceiling as midfielders but can he get forward and sit on heads like Horne Francis, doubt it

Other than wearing his socks up I don’t think he plays like JHF at all. JHF was demonstrably faster and more agile, he used it in games to break out of stoppages and create time to kick. Whereas Sanders gets first touch and generally handballs immediately. JHF frequently played on the wing at SANFL level and dominated with his run and carry. Sanders was almost exclusively inside this year and even his highlights have barely any run and carry moments.

 

[Dale4captain]

I think GWS, Geelong and Essendon will all be genuine chances to call out Crofties name at 7,8,9 (all those picks could actually be 9,10,11 after Walter & Read + Rogers is likely at that 12-15 range).

That is our danger imo. Would mean we very quickly run low on points.

 

[Dogs Rule]

Sanders or Watson. Either way we'll get a very very good player.

 

[Euku]

Sanders is not slow and has does break away from stoppages, watch his highlights, we went through this a few pages ago, I think we end up with Watson though, the hardest decision for me would be if Curtin is still there Will play half back before a midfield transition and I think has huge upside in the middle

 

[TiAn_]

Sanders is not slow and has does break away from stoppages, watch his highlights, we went through this a few pages ago

Didn’t say he was slow, but he’s not fast either. I’ve watched every available highlight video and he really doesn’t break away from stoppages to warrant comparisons to mids like JHF, or even his teammate McKercher. Will stand corrected if you want to share the clips of him doing it though.

 

[LondonBulldog]

Sanders is not slow and has does break away from stoppages, watch his highlights, we went through this a few pages ago, I think we end up with Watson though, the hardest decision for me would be if Curtin is still there Will play half back before a midfield transition and I think has huge upside in the middle

Curtin is a huge talent and offers value all across the oval. If available the club would need to pick him over Watson/Sanders in my view.

 

[bresker]

Apologies I haven’t been paying attention - what draft picks do we hold now please ?

 

[weltschmerz]

Apologies I haven’t been paying attention - what draft picks do we hold now please ?

Pick 5, and a bunch of picks in the 40s and 50s that'll be used to match Croft.

 

[dogwatch]

Apologies I haven’t been paying attention - what draft picks do we hold now please ?

It’s always in the following stickied thread (in the OP) with a link to Lore’s draft order. Dynamically updated. So it’s easy to find and no need to ask.

List Mgmt. - 2023 Post Season Fact File

Here we go with the annual trade/draft fact file. I've pretty much copied the OP from last year so it's the same deal ... There's so much chat going on in the Trades and Draft 2023 threads that it's impossible to keep up. Hundreds of posts a day. So this is for the benefit of those like me who...

www.bigfooty.com

 

[doggies ftw]

Sanders is the only player in the top group that seems to have question marks on his speed. He looks like he has a similar athletic profile and playing style to current Macrae, so how does he fit for us if Macrae himself struggled for midfield time this year and wasn’t particularly impactful at half forward?

He didn’t test at the combine, so perhaps his underlying athletic ability is better than he’s demonstrated on field this year. That would be my hope if we were looking at him.

Don’t really see the Macrae comparison to be honest, think they have very different styles in the way they go about it.

My best current AFL comparison is Clayton Oliver. Very similar size and athletic profile, inside bulls with manic attack on the ball & man but never go to ground, always on their feet and on the move at stoppages and just as happy to run & spread too. Both prefer to go by hand probably due to where they get most of their possessions.

I thought Sanders showed plenty of run in his YouTube videos to be honest

 

[TiAn_]

Don’t really see the Macrae comparison to be honest, think they have very different styles in the way they go about it.

My best current AFL comparison is Clayton Oliver. Very similar size and athletic profile, inside bulls with manic attack on the ball & man but never go to ground, always on their feet and on the move at stoppages and just as happy to run & spread too. Both prefer to go by hand probably due to where they get most of their possessions.

I thought Sanders showed plenty of run in his YouTube videos to be honest

I think if he was a mini Clayton Oliver he’d probably be giving Harley Reid a bit more of a run for pick 1. Oliver carried too much weight underage but still came third in the agility test at the national combine. He moves very well for an inside mid. I see some similarities in how they play but to me Oliver was/is more explosive than Sanders.

 

[bresker]

It’s always in the following stickied thread (in the OP) with a link to Lore’s draft order. Dynamically updated. So it’s easy to find and no need to ask.

List Mgmt. - 2023 Post Season Fact File

Here we go with the annual trade/draft fact file. I've pretty much copied the OP from last year so it's the same deal ... There's so much chat going on in the Trades and Draft 2023 threads that it's impossible to keep up. Hundreds of posts a day. So this is for the benefit of those like me who...

www.bigfooty.com

Cheers . I hope we keep Bedendo rather than gamble on some pick in the 40s - 70s. He’s showed a bit and he’s been in the system a couple of years . Better the devil you know.

 

[doggies ftw]

I think if he was a mini Clayton Oliver he’d probably be giving Harley Reid a bit more of a run for pick 1. Oliver carried too much weight underage but still came third in the agility test at the national combine. He moves very well for an inside mid. I see some similarities in how they play but to me Oliver was/is more explosive than Sanders.

Fair, didn’t realise Oliver ran a 8.11 in agility test, that’s bloody impressive.

As far as explosiveness goes he’s probably got Sanders covered but I wouldn’t think it’s by too much to be honest.

Obviously if he was that good he’d go number 1 but yeah he’s just the most similar in play style I can find for him in the AFL. There’s a massive resemblance there for mine.

 

[True Dog]

Curtin is a huge talent and offers value all across the oval. If available the club would need to pick him over Watson/Sanders in my view.

This is the Million dollar question if all 3 are available (Curtin/Watson/Sanders) whose our man? This is the kind of stuff that can make or break a recruiter? If one turns out to be the 2nd comming of the Bont (in stardom not attributes) and we didn't take him....

I feel Watson has the tools to impact early but Curtin could be the one will the highest ceiling? I'm not 100% sold on Sanders but warming.

Would make for a good poll I reckon?

 

[Dav1d]

I’d think Sanders would likely be one of the most consistent players in the step up to AFL from the top end picks

 

[doggies ftw]

Honestly the more I see of Sanders the more I like him - would not surprise me at all if I’m 10 years time he has a better career than McKercher. McKerchers skill set is awesome but he strikes me as someone like Merrett, great player - but does Merrett win you a flag? Probably not.

Inside mids win flags, they’re the cornerstone of all flag teams basically. And top line gun inside mids only really come from top 5 picks to be honest, you get the odd one from nowhere ie Newcombe and it’s possible, but for the most part you look at the best gun inside midfielders in the comp (and by best inside mids I’m talking the guys that do it all, not your Mitchell’s or Wines types) and they’re all very very high draft picks.

This could be the last chance we get to draft at the top end of the draft for this current list build, and we desperately need a big bodied inside mid coming through post Libba, Macrae & Treloar.

It’s tough because Watson & McKercher etc look like match winners who could play from day 1 and make us better, but in reality we’re drafting for our premiership side in 5 years time with Marra, Darcy etc at their peak. And I think Sanders might just be the best fit for that, even though he doesn’t really fit next year.

What I love about all his highlights is his reading of the play, multiple times a game he’ll shark the ball from the ruck contest without it hitting the ground and he’s off with a one-two and breaks the lines. I love an inside midfielder who reads the play inside the contest like that, and also meets the ball on the move and then continues to spread after the first touch.

Guys that do that consistently are the games biggest match winners, ie Bont, Petracca, Neale, Oliver, Butters.

Sanders has that vibe about him when I watch his footage, I don’t care if he doesn’t run a sub 3sec 20m sprint, he moves with intent and power which is much more important than being .08 seconds quicker off the mark. It’s like Bont whose slow as **** but the timing of his runs and his reading of the play is so impeccable that you can neither catch him nor get past him.

 

[CountryDog5]

Honestly the more I see of Sanders the more I like him - would not surprise me at all if I’m 10 years time he has a better career than McKercher. McKerchers skill set is awesome but he strikes me as someone like Merrett, great player - but does Merrett win you a flag? Probably not.

Inside mids win flags, they’re the cornerstone of all flag teams basically. And top line gun inside mids only really come from top 5 picks to be honest, you get the odd one from nowhere ie Newcombe and it’s possible, but for the most part you look at the best gun inside midfielders in the comp (and by best inside mids I’m talking the guys that do it all, not your Mitchell’s or Wines types) and they’re all very very high draft picks.

This could be the last chance we get to draft at the top end of the draft for this current list build, and we desperately need a big bodied inside mid coming through post Libba, Macrae & Treloar.

It’s tough because Watson & McKercher etc look like match winners who could play from day 1 and make us better, but in reality we’re drafting for our premiership side in 5 years time with Marra, Darcy etc at their peak. And I think Sanders might just be the best fit for that, even though he doesn’t really fit next year.

What I love about all his highlights is his reading of the play, multiple times a game he’ll shark the ball from the ruck contest without it hitting the ground and he’s off with a one-two and breaks the lines. I love an inside midfielder who reads the play inside the contest like that, and also meets the ball on the move and then continues to spread after the first touch.

Guys that do that consistently are the games biggest match winners, ie Bont, Petracca, Neale, Oliver, Butters.

Sanders has that vibe about him when I watch his footage, I don’t care if he doesn’t run a sub 3sec 20m sprint, he moves with intent and power which is much more important than being .08 seconds quicker off the mark. It’s like Bont whose slow as * but the timing of his runs and his reading of the play is so impeccable that you can neither catch him nor get past him.

I've enjoyed watching your progression in thought on Sanders for us at 5. If I recall correctly you started quite cold on him, slowly warmed and now see him as a fantastic option.

Just shows what actually delving into some footage / numbers can do rather than just basing an opinion off surface level HUN articles, draft rankings or other posters.

For what it's worth, I fully agree on Sanders. The footage i've seen of him shows real composure, toughness and ability to impact the play. I'm very impressed by his vision and kicking for an inside mid, which I believe is actually a knock of his? Doesn't have a long penetrating kick but puts them to the advantage of the leading forward, into space etc.

In a similar vein i've actually not been that impressed by Curtain from the very limited footage i've seen, which may be my issue there. Maybe I was looking at it wrong from the perspective that he's "bont like", because from the highlights i've seen of his he can be quite fumbly, almost panicky in congested situations and not clean by hand. Bont was always a very smooth mover with sticky hands when in traffick and never looked panicked.

At the end of the day, Power and our scouts will have seen an infinite more of these guys than us and absolutely have the best idea of our rankings at 5. I'd almost be leaning towards Watson, (McKercher / Sanders), and then Curtain in that order, if any mix of those were available at our choice. Will be watching draft night with much interest.

 

[doggies ftw]

I've enjoyed watching your progression in thought on Sanders for us at 5. If I recall correctly you started quite cold on him, slowly warmed and now see him as a fantastic option.

Just shows what actually delving into some footage / numbers can do rather than just basing an opinion off surface level HUN articles, draft rankings or other posters.

For what it's worth, I fully agree on Sanders. The footage i've seen of him shows real composure, toughness and ability to impact the play. I'm very impressed by his vision and kicking for an inside mid, which I believe is actually a knock of his? Doesn't have a long penetrating kick but puts them to the advantage of the leading forward, into space etc.

In a similar vein i've actually not been that impressed by Curtain from the very limited footage i've seen, which may be my issue there. Maybe I was looking at it wrong from the perspective that he's "bont like", because from the highlights i've seen of his he can be quite fumbly, almost panicky in congested situations and not clean by hand. Bont was always a very smooth mover with sticky hands when in traffick and never looked panicked.

At the end of the day, Power and our scouts will have seen an infinite more of these guys than us and absolutely have the best idea of our rankings at 5. I'd almost be leaning towards Watson, (McKercher / Sanders), and then Curtain in that order, if any mix of those were available at our choice. Will be watching draft night with much interest.

Haha look I think it just says more about who I am as a person with the chopping and changing.

But your right, my first opinion was basically on what I’d read ie slow inside mid with a knock on disposal, but after actually taking the time to watch his footage there’s something about him.

I can’t recall ever having this much footage available on the top prospects, ie every champs game, multiple Coates league games and 7-8mins a game. You could probably find 40+ mins on all the top prospects which of course doesn’t tell you everything but does give a good indication for us amateurs who like to throw opinions around on a daily basis

Curtins a tough one - there’s a few little things he does where you think geez the kids got it but agree that on the whole it’s just not there for a lot of parts of his game. I can see why people would be very interested though but would be a risk.

I think when all is said and done we end up with Watson, McKercher or Sanders and I’d be pretty stoked with either.

It’s a great test for our pretty untested recruiting group - the top end really has it all, solid & dependable, match winner but 170cm, huge potential but low output 196cm potential mid, elite utilities that may only ever be utilities. Good luck trying to pick the winner out of a group like that, I’d feel more comfortable with Dal in charge still who didn’t miss on these picks.

 

[Bonti 5416]

I've enjoyed watching your progression in thought on Sanders for us at 5. If I recall correctly you started quite cold on him, slowly warmed and now see him as a fantastic option.

Just shows what actually delving into some footage / numbers can do rather than just basing an opinion off surface level HUN articles, draft rankings or other posters.

For what it's worth, I fully agree on Sanders. The footage i've seen of him shows real composure, toughness and ability to impact the play. I'm very impressed by his vision and kicking for an inside mid, which I believe is actually a knock of his? Doesn't have a long penetrating kick but puts them to the advantage of the leading forward, into space etc.

In a similar vein i've actually not been that impressed by Curtain from the very limited footage i've seen, which may be my issue there. Maybe I was looking at it wrong from the perspective that he's "bont like", because from the highlights i've seen of his he can be quite fumbly, almost panicky in congested situations and not clean by hand. Bont was always a very smooth mover with sticky hands when in traffick and never looked panicked.

At the end of the day, Power and our scouts will have seen an infinite more of these guys than us and absolutely have the best idea of our rankings at 5. I'd almost be leaning towards Watson, (McKercher / Sanders), and then Curtain in that order, if any mix of those were available at our choice. Will be watching draft night with much interest.

I see the opposite of panicky in Curtain. He knows he is a gun and can play anywhere, has poise and moves well for size. Hardest part is working out if he is a gun because he is bigger and more mature or whether he is genuinely a gun. His decent form against men in the WAFL over extended period suggests the latter.

Highlights against his own age



Highlights against men (debut)


Can pretty much watch highlights of every game of him in wafl and he is a genuinely good footballer first, good athlete second.

Cant see west coast not picking him