Opinion 2023 AFL Draft Prospects

[Mutt]

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.

Awesome analysis dftw - thanks. I can see what you see going back on some of the film. He may be exactly what we need in the longer-term and worth trading up for.

 

[TiAn_]

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.

You’d expect him to get his fair share of clearances as a well developed big body that’s constantly on ball at that level.

I just don’t see Bont, Petracca or Butters. I see Jack Macrae, Tom Mitchell and Brad Crouch. All good players, as I’m sure Sanders will be, but ones the modern game has been unkind to at times in recent years. I feel similarly about Sanders to how I felt about Busslinger last year.

 

[_Cerberus_]

Not sure who started the myth on here that Sanders is slow. Just about every draft watcher at some point has mentioned Sanders ability to burst out of the packs.

Macrae, Mitchell were smart players, but they were never gonna hurt you with their first couple of steps. Bont doesn't have a huge top speed, but his first few steps and long legs gets him well ahead of his opponents before they can blink. Sanders has that first step ability. Also rack up tackles, something most of our team is allergic to, and can use the ball rather well, another trait most on our team suck at. Not as sexy a pick as others around him, but will easily fill a team need. You also need to start a transition ahead of time, so it flows through, not wait after someone like Libba retires.

He does over handball, but it could be purely because of his role, and he is instructed to be that guy in the packs to feed others, be first to the ball. Might kick it more at AFL level who knows?

He isn't gonna burn you on the wings. But he sure isn't slow. Heaps of tape showing him burst out of packs and run off with it.

Would be happy with any of the top 5-6 rated players to be honest. Not spooked by any of them. Only Duursma is my concern, purely because of a team list fit. Not sure we can fit a guy who will likely be over 190cm tall at some point. With the three tall forwards set up we use, as it is. He'd be good as a third medium tall, who moves up the field, if Lobb wasn't on the team.

I still think Watson is number one on our wish list. And we will be hoping McKercher slides. Be shocked if we consider Curtin given the height of our backline at the moment, and we have three young tall end players in Coffield, Busslinger and O'Donnell.

Will come down to one of the two mids, and one of the two half forward/mids. Whoever reaches us.

 

[doggies ftw]

You’d expect him to get his fair share of clearances as a well developed big body that’s constantly on ball at that level.

I just don’t see Bont, Petracca or Butters. I see Jack Macrae, Tom Mitchell and Brad Crouch. All good players, as I’m sure Sanders will be, but ones the modern game has been unkind to at times in recent years. I feel similarly about Sanders to how I felt about Busslinger last year.

I don’t disagree and it’s hard to rate his upside because of that, but a lot of the clearances from his footage I don’t think come down to size, it’s more that innate ability to always be in the right place for first touch of the footy that I liken to the best inside mids in the comp.

In regards to Bont, Trac & Butters I don’t think he resembles them in style at all, I mean they’re all very different as is but just the way that all these guys have one thing in common - they’re inside midfielders first & foremost but they read the play superbly inside, they’re always on the move at a stoppage & meet the ball at speed and their jobs not over once they’ve dished it off, they spread and run forward. Anyone who can consistently do that all game long is one of the best players in the comp every year

Maybe I’m off the mark on Sanders because no one else seems to think these are his traits, but that’s the vibe I get from him watching all his footage IMO. Haven’t watched him live so definitely could be way off the mark

 

[TiAn_]

I don’t disagree and it’s hard to rate his upside because of that, but a lot of the clearances from his footage I don’t think come down to size, it’s more that innate ability to always be in the right place for first touch of the footy that I liken to the best inside mids in the comp.

In regards to Bont, Trac & Butters I don’t think he resembles them in style at all, I mean they’re all very different as is but just the way that all these guys have one thing in common - they’re inside midfielders first & foremost but they read the play superbly inside, they’re always on the move at a stoppage & meet the ball at speed and their jobs not over once they’ve dished it off, they spread and run forward. Anyone who can consistently do that all game long is one of the best players in the comp every year

Maybe I’m off the mark on Sanders because no one else seems to think these are his traits, but that’s the vibe I get from him watching all his footage IMO. Haven’t watched him live so definitely could be way off the mark

As they say, impact at stoppages is in the eye of the beholder!

 

[Pocket Terrace]

McKercher reminds me of a left-footed Ryan Griffen with Josh Kelly’s kicking action.

 

[flipper83]

You’d expect him to get his fair share of clearances as a well developed big body that’s constantly on ball at that level.

I just don’t see Bont, Petracca or Butters. I see Jack Macrae, Tom Mitchell and Brad Crouch. All good players, as I’m sure Sanders will be, but ones the modern game has been unkind to at times in recent years. I feel similarly about Sanders to how I felt about Busslinger last year.

I think your comparisons for Sanders are pretty unfair. Watch how quick his feet are around packs. It allows him to accelerate and change direction really quickly. He may not win a 30m sprint on the wing but even in those situations he's pretty good and using his body or changing directions to win and use the ball in space.
I know the dream is to find a player who can win a contested ball then blast through the opposition but even the few players who can do it do it so infrequently it can't be counted on as a regular weapon.
When players do break out of the pack it's usually because a teammate has put them into space because opposition players are out of position due to a turnover or committing too many players to a tackle.

 

[TiAn_]

I think your comparisons for Sanders are pretty unfair. Watch how quick his feet are around packs. It allows him to accelerate and change direction really quickly. He may not win a 30m sprint on the wing but even in those situations he's pretty good and using his body or changing directions to win and use the ball in space.
I know the dream is to find a player who can win a contested ball then blast through the opposition but even the few players who can do it do it so infrequently it can't be counted on as a regular weapon.
When players do break out of the pack it's usually because a teammate has put them into space because opposition players are out of position due to a turnover or committing too many players to a tackle.

It’s not just about the odd impressive burst out of a stoppage, my thinking is more to do with having multiple strings to his bow to impact games. Offensively and defensively. He does some great work inside the telephone box, and is an elite accumulator, but I think you want a bit more than that from a top 5 mid these days. McKercher offers a similar effectiveness at stoppages (McKercher had more clearances at Champs), but with a 50:50 kick to handball ratio compared to sanders 34:66, while (perhaps in because of) having the drive in his legs to exit at speed, plus the versatility to be slotted on to a wing or forward flank and excel.

 

[yebach]

For the Draft watchers - Who's the better midfielder, Sanders or Curtin ?

I ask this question because I wouldn't be surprised if we view Curtin as a Pavlich type and may be the reason we traded up.

 

[weltschmerz]

For the Draft watchers - Who's the better midfielder, Sanders or Curtin ?

I ask this question because I wouldn't be surprised if we view Curtin as a Pavlich type and may be the reason we traded up.

Sanders. Has reliable 200-game midfielder written all over him. Curtin has less exposed form as a mid and it may not be his best position.

 

[TiAn_]

Not sure who started the myth on here that Sanders is slow. Just about every draft watcher at some point has mentioned Sanders ability to burst out of the packs.

Get that nuance isn’t huge on here, but literally said this a page ago:

Didn’t say he was slow, but he’s not fast either.

 

[Woofing]

it would be nice to have another sock man in sanders.

Who was the last non ruck great sockman ? Crofty/Chris grant ?

 

[doggiesin08]

it would be nice to have another sock man in sanders.

Who was the last non ruck great sockman ? Crofty/Chris grant ?

Cal Ward (one leg)

 

[fred cook]

Just a quick question . If North gets the first draft in. 2023 could that effect who the Bulldogs pick up ?

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[flipper83]

It’s not just about the odd impressive burst out of a stoppage, my thinking is more to do with having multiple strings to his bow to impact games. Offensively and defensively. He does some great work inside the telephone box, and is an elite accumulator, but I think you want a bit more than that from a top 5 mid these days. McKercher offers a similar effectiveness at stoppages (McKercher had more clearances at Champs), but with a 50:50 kick to handball ratio compared to sanders 34:66, while (perhaps in because of) having the drive in his legs to exit at speed, plus the versatility to be slotted on to a wing or forward flank and excel.

I think your under selling his ability on the spread. I know he doesn't get the same metres gained as McKercher but he finds space and uses it well by hand and foot. He's particularly good at drawing opposition and then releasing a team mate into space with a handball.
In fact McKercher got released by Sanders into space quite frequently.
I think he'll be a great player and would suit our team well.
I'd love McKercher too but Sanders is a pretty good consolation prize.

 

[goodcop badcop]

I don’t disagree and it’s hard to rate his upside because of that, but a lot of the clearances from his footage I don’t think come down to size, it’s more that innate ability to always be in the right place for first touch of the footy that I liken to the best inside mids in the comp.

In regards to Bont, Trac & Butters I don’t think he resembles them in style at all, I mean they’re all very different as is but just the way that all these guys have one thing in common - they’re inside midfielders first & foremost but they read the play superbly inside, they’re always on the move at a stoppage & meet the ball at speed and their jobs not over once they’ve dished it off, they spread and run forward. Anyone who can consistently do that all game long is one of the best players in the comp every year

Maybe I’m off the mark on Sanders because no one else seems to think these are his traits, but that’s the vibe I get from him watching all his footage IMO. Haven’t watched him live so definitely could be way off the mark

I've watched Sanders live 5 times this year and have never come away "wowed". I've always walked away very impressed and I can see the improvements that he's made throughout the year.

I think what it boils down to is that he's a bit too inside and doesn't get himself into enough attacking positions in games to really hurt sides like the above players do. Clayton Oliver is a fair comparison in the style he plays, but as others have mentioned he doesn't have the athleticism to power through stoppages the way in which Oliver or even a Horne-Francis can. He's not really big enough to bull his way out of congestion like slower mids in Bont, Cripps etc either. This is the reason he will generally look to handball his way out.

I can see him having a similar career to Macrae. Very consistent week in, week out and I wouldn't be surprised if he came away with a couple All Australians which we'd all be happy with at the end of the day. I'm kinda greedy though and I want a player that can impact games in the way Bont can.

 

[doggies ftw]

I've watched Sanders live 5 times this year and have never come away "wowed". I've always walked away very impressed and I can see the improvements that he's made throughout the year.

I think what it boils down to is that he's a bit too inside and doesn't get himself into enough attacking positions in games to really hurt sides like the above players do. Clayton Oliver is a fair comparison in the style he plays, but as others have mentioned he doesn't have the athleticism to power through stoppages the way in which Oliver or even a Horne-Francis can. He's not really big enough to bull his way out of congestion like slower mids in Bont, Cripps etc either. This is the reason he will generally look to handball his way out.

I can see him having a similar career to Macrae. Very consistent week in, week out and I wouldn't be surprised if he came away with a couple All Australians which we'd all be happy with at the end of the day. I'm kinda greedy though and I want a player that can impact games in the way Bont can.

That’s all very fair - I tend to agree on your last point too & especially since we traded up at a hefty price! Not sure I want to be settling for solid.

Whose your favourite for 5?

 

[BulldogMuscle]

Those who know more than me, what is Mannagh’s expected range? If we were to take a mid with our first pick would we be any chance of taking him late?

I'm 100% in on Mannagh, looks the goods for a mature age.

 

[Ash1337]

Sanders. Has reliable 200-game midfielder written all over him. Curtin has less exposed form as a mid and it may not be his best position.

Curtin screams more like a Hurn to me.

 

[TiAn_]

I've watched Sanders live 5 times this year and have never come away "wowed". I've always walked away very impressed and I can see the improvements that he's made throughout the year.

I think what it boils down to is that he's a bit too inside and doesn't get himself into enough attacking positions in games to really hurt sides like the above players do. Clayton Oliver is a fair comparison in the style he plays, but as others have mentioned he doesn't have the athleticism to power through stoppages the way in which Oliver or even a Horne-Francis can. He's not really big enough to bull his way out of congestion like slower mids in Bont, Cripps etc either. This is the reason he will generally look to handball his way out.

I can see him having a similar career to Macrae. Very consistent week in, week out and I wouldn't be surprised if he came away with a couple All Australians which we'd all be happy with at the end of the day. I'm kinda greedy though and I want a player that can impact games in the way Bont can.

Took me more posts, this is a good way of expressing how I feel about him.

 

[LondonBulldog]

For the Draft watchers - Who's the better midfielder, Sanders or Curtin ?

I ask this question because I wouldn't be surprised if we view Curtin as a Pavlich type and may be the reason we traded up.

Curtin could grow into a dominate Bont style onballer or back or forward. I really rate him.
Sanders will be a solid onabller who also has growth in him.
Both will be good players yet Curtin for mind has the growth to be something special.

Out of interest this would be my ranking from potential available at our pick (after Reid and Walter). I think Curtin and McKercher will be gone so likely who is left out of Sanders and Watson. I wonder if the list managers all talk and we potentially will know before the night.

1. Curtin
2. McKercher
3. Sanders
4. Watson

I also think Caddy is a gun who will become an onballer at AFL level.

 

[Mofra]

I’m still on the Watson / Collard / Lual train - somehow make all three happen. Speed.


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Where would we play both Watson and Collard with Flea and Clarke on the list, while resting mids at high forward?

I'd take a small forward if we miss on Watson - more likely Callinan late

 

[mattwa]

Watson for me. Roll him up to the centre bounces to add some explosion which is a huge gap of ours. Then have him roll forward post that. He's dynamite and addresses that need for pace and explosion from the middle

 

[Libbaaaa]

Read Twomey's latest mock draft, Curtin is 197cm? Has he actually played defence or just rolled through a bit?

 

[Mojorisin]

Read Twomey's latest mock draft, Curtin is 197cm? Has he actually played defence or just rolled through a bit?

He has split his time between Def and Mid this year with the occasional Stint forward. He views himself as a midfielder though.