Preview 2023 National Draft Preview Thread [currently: #2, #14 (PA), #19 (PP) #40, #52, #60]

[Sphynx]

Collingwoods mids:
Adams
Allan
Bianco
Crisp
Daicos
Daicos
Degoey
Lipinski
Macrae
Mitchell
Pendlebury
Richards
Sidebottom

and thats not including rookies. Obviously some play forward, some play back and some are learning their craft in the VFL. We still need more mids.

Daicos and Pendlebury have been playing off half back.

Sidebottom has been a borderline elite wingman for a decade. Josh Daicos has now joined him.

Adams has played more forward this year.

De Goey is a dynamic mid/fwd and versatile.

Bianco and Richards are irrelvant, as we could easily compare them to Scott, Lazarro, Ford or RHJ who I didn't even list.

Allan and Macrae can't get a game and Macrae is likely leaving (kind of my point in regards to Powell). Allan is versatile in the Goater mould.

That list proves my point - Powell, Simpkin, Phillips (potentially) may need to get alot more versatile than what they currently are.

That North list needs to be revised to:

LDU = De Goey
Simpkin = Adams
Wardlaw = Crisp
Phillips = Mitchell
Sanders = ?
McKercher = Sidebottom
Thomas = Pendlebury?
Powell = Lipinski
Scott = Josh Daicos
Tucker = Bianco?
Sheezel = Nick Daicos
Lazarro = Macrae?
C.Taylor = Richards?
Goater = Allen
Ford = ?

If you really would like to compare it apples and apples with the Collingwood list you provided.

You can see we already have an extra one or two and I'm plugging in guys like Thomas in a half back role to make it even. Guys like Goater etc would be in the VFL in the Collingwood system, Powell would remain a fringe player and there's no place for a hypothetical Sanders.

Over half of that Collingwood list either aren't playing, or don't play in the midfield, so which names of the North list does that apply to? There's a lot less versatility there.

The problem is, most of the Collingwood versions aren't still developing, they were senior players they plugged into those roles, not young players trying to develop in foreign roles.


In my opinion 2 of Simpkin, Thomas, Powell and Phillips either have to move to a different role or be traded. Powell and Phillips have the least versatility of the 4. I think Simpkin may have the lowest ceiling of the 4, which may be a stretch to some, but thats how I feel.

The easy solution to this is Thomas to half back/forward and Powell traded imo.

The hard decision would be moving Thomas to half/back and trading Simpkin.

 

[Harris 10]

I can't see GC trading their first pick into anything but pick 1 if they were trading up. Their academy pick is a top 2 player in the draft. They will more likely trade out and potentially we could offer our 2024 first rounder into that deal and get three in the top 5 this year.

I think they have to trade their first away to add points, they could't afford to get in front of the Walter bid

 

[The_General#1]

2 firsts (1 in the top 5) which is what we got and what I’m proposing to give up

I understand the theory but we have too many holes to fill to give up 2 picks for Reid.
Looks like WCE may get Sydney's first rnd for Barrass. So as it stands picks #1 and #7.

 

[Mav]

Daicos and Pendlebury have been playing off half back.

Sidebottom has been a borderline elite wingman for a decade. Josh Daicos has now joined him.

Adams has played more forward this year.

De Goey is a dynamic mid/fwd and versatile.

Bianco and Richards are irrelvant, as we could easily compare them to Scott, Lazarro, Ford or RHJ who I didn't even list.

Allan and Macrae can't get a game and Macrae is likely leaving (kind of my point in regards to Powell). Allan is versatile in the Goater mould.

That list proves my point - Powell, Simpkin, Phillips (potentially) may need to get alot more versatile than what they currently are.

That North list needs to be revised to:

LDU
Simpkin
Wardlaw
Phillips
Sanders
McKercher
Thomas
Powell
Scott
Tucker
Sheezel
Lazarro
C.Taylor
Goater

If you really would like to compare it apples and apples with the Collingwood list you provided.

Over half of that Collingwood list either aren't playing, or don't play in the midfield, so which names of the North list does that apply to? There's a lot less versatility there.

Obviously this wasn't so obvious.
Obviously some play forward, some play back and some are learning their craft in the VFL.

To start with Sanders and McKercher aren't even on our list. Simpkin can play forward, Thomas can play anywhere, Powell can play HBF, Scott can play HBF, Tucker can play anywhere. Sheezel can play anywhere.

The only ones I can see that are restrictive as to where they can play are LDU, Wardlaw and Phillips, and they should be our starting mids anyway.

 

[Sphynx]

Obviously this wasn't so obvious.
Obviously some play forward, some play back and some are learning their craft in the VFL.

To start with Sanders and McKercher aren't even on our list. Simpkin can play forward, Thomas can play anywhere, Powell can play HBF, Scott can play HBF, Tucker can play anywhere. Sheezel can play anywhere.

The only ones I can see that are restrictive as to where they can play are LDU, Wardlaw and Phillips, and they should be our starting mids anyway.

We are in the draft thread talking about list balance, you know, with the high liklihood we take the two players were a rumoured to be getting and how that might affect the list balance?.........


- Simpkin can't play forward, or at least doesn't want to and has shown no real ability to when resting there.

- Powell can't play HBF

- Scott may be an option as a HBF or BP again.

- Tucker can't play anywhere.

- Sheezel is already out of the midfield, so irrelevant to my point.

- Thomas I already said was the most versatile of the group and I had at HBF, so is irrelevant to my point.


In the event that we do take Sanders and McKercher, the above points are a problem.

 

[Mav]

Daicos and Pendlebury have been playing off half back.

Sidebottom has been a borderline elite wingman for a decade. Josh Daicos has now joined him.

Adams has played more forward this year.

De Goey is a dynamic mid/fwd and versatile.

Bianco and Richards are irrelvant, as we could easily compare them to Scott, Lazarro, Ford or RHJ who I didn't even list.

Allan and Macrae can't get a game and Macrae is likely leaving (kind of my point in regards to Powell). Allan is versatile in the Goater mould.

That list proves my point - Powell, Simpkin, Phillips (potentially) may need to get alot more versatile than what they currently are.

That North list needs to be revised to:

LDU = De Goey
Simpkin = Adams
Wardlaw = Crisp
Phillips = Mitchell
Sanders = ?
McKercher = Sidebottom
Thomas = Pendlebury?
Powell = Lipinski
Scott = Josh Daicos
Tucker = Bianco?
Sheezel = Nick Daicos
Lazarro = Macrae?
C.Taylor = Richards?
Goater = Allen
Ford = ?

If you really would like to compare it apples and apples with the Collingwood list you provided.

You can see we already have an extra one or two and I'm plugging in guys like Thomas in a half back role to make it even. Guys like Goater etc would be in the VFL in the Collingwood system, Powell would remain a fringe player and there's no place for a hypothetical Sanders.

Over half of that Collingwood list either aren't playing, or don't play in the midfield, so which names of the North list does that apply to? There's a lot less versatility there.

The problem is, most of the Collingwood versions aren't still developing, they were senior players they plugged into those roles, not young players trying to develop in foreign roles.


In my opinion 2 of Simpkin, Thomas, Powell and Phillips either have to move to a different role or be traded. Powell and Phillips have the least versatility of the 4. I think Simpkin may have the lowest ceiling of the 4, which may be a stretch to some, but thats how I feel.

The easy solution to this is Thomas to half back/forward and Powell traded imo.

The hard decision would be moving Thomas to half/back and trading Simpkin.

You've added a bit there since I responded. Agree on Simpkin, but he's on of our maturing mids so if we did trade him we need to add another mature mid. My point is, midfield depth is good. It doesn't matter if they're fringe, you can still learn and develop playing in the 2's. We want that clique team, where if one goes out one comes in and does his role.

 

[Sphynx]

You've added a bit there since I responded. Agree on Simpkin, but he's on of our maturing mids so if we did trade him we need to add another mature mid. My point is, midfield depth is good. It doesn't matter if they're fringe, you can still learn and develop playing in the 2's. We want that clique team, where if one goes out one comes in and does his role.

Midfield depth is fantastic if the rest of the side isn't a steaming pile of shit that has a historically large amount of losses over the previous 5 years.

I'm fully supportive of taking the best available at the draft. Fully supportive of it.

I'm fully supportive of taking McKercher. I'm fully supportive of being gifted Sanders obviously.

However, in the event that best available means you select players in the same position for 9 consecutive first round draft picks, at some point you have to concede some of those 9 have to move on for the betterment of list balance.

Powell simply isn't going to get to where he wants to be as an AFL footballer here long term, he's not going to get the gifted games that young players need, he's not going to get the CBA time he likes as a mid, he will know that when the concessions are confirmed in September before trade week, his manager isn't stupid either. It's also not a bad thing, it happens, it happened to us in the 90's with guys like Welsh and Mooney.

 

[Souup]

It's interesting to note 90% of junior football watchers have Nick Watson as a top 3 talent in this draft outside of NGA/Academy players.

Every strong criticism/hesitancy I see around Watson is from someone who doesn't follow junior footy, and the criticism is the same every time: 'He's 170cm', 'he's a midget' 'ENTER ANY OTHER INSULT DIRECTED AT HIS HEIGHT'

It should tell you something when 90% of junior footy watchers are big on this bloke regardless of the fact he's 170cm. It should tell you how bloody talented he is that it isn't an issue for him and he's so highly rated.

 

[Mav]

We are in the draft thread talking about list balance, you know, with the high liklihood we take the two players were a rumoured to be getting and how that might affect the list balance?.........


- Simpkin can't play forward, or at least doesn't want to and has shown no real ability to when resting there.

- Powell can't play HBF

- Scott may be an option as a HBF or BP again.

- Tucker can't play anywhere.

- Sheezel is already out of the midfield, so irrelevant to my point.

- Thomas I already said was the most versatile of the group and I had at HBF, so is irrelevant to my point.


In the event that we do take Sanders and McKercher, the above points are a problem.

I don't care where Simpkin wants to play, and he's the sort of guy that will play where ever is best for the team. He has shown plenty of ability playing forward, and if you haven't seen some of his goals this year then there's no real point discussing football with you.

Powell can play HBF and he can also play forward and wing.

Tucker, from our own web site: The big-bodied, versatile midfielder can play through all lines efficiently which is a key trait that Alastair Clarkson is looking for among his group.

Yes we're in a draft thread, and I'm saying we dont have enough midfield depth. You disagree. I show you the depth in the top team and you make excuses. You add in our likely draftees while ignoring the fact that Collingwood will also draft some kids in. I also left Draper out of Collingwoods list, he's another kid that plays midfield.

 

[Sphynx]

I don't care where Simpkin wants to play, and he's the sort of guy that will play where ever is best for the team. He has shown plenty of ability playing forward, and if you haven't seen some of his goals this year then there's no real point discussing football with you.

Powell can play HBF and he can also play forward and wing.

Tucker, from our own web site: The big-bodied, versatile midfielder can play through all lines efficiently which is a key trait that Alastair Clarkson is looking for among his group.

Yes we're in a draft thread, and I'm saying we dont have enough midfield depth. You disagree. I show you the depth in the top team and you make excuses. You add in our likely draftees while ignoring the fact that Collingwood will also draft some kids in. I also left Draper out of Collingwoods list, he's another kid that plays midfield.

Powell averages 10 touches a game on a flank mate in the worst side of the last 4 years, he's not AFL standard atm.

I've seen Simpkin kick goals. That doesn't make him a small forward. He's also on a 6 year contract on likely $700k+ per year.

Tucker is a journeyman 23rd man type who's essentially irrelvant to what I'm talking about anyway, a coach would be insane to give him midfield time over a Wardlaw or McKercher anyway.

Draper doesn't play midfield in their VFL side.

I also didn't list Shiels, Howe, Hugh Greenwood, Cunnington, Robert Hansen Junior or Blake Drury.

Brayden George who isn't strictly a one dimensional stay at home forward either.

We have about 5-6 too many through there, hence why we will be paying out Cunners, probably delisting Shiels, Howe, Greenwood etc.

 

[blackshadow]

I think Souup said he'd go for McKercher and O'Sullivan with the Colonel being prelisted.

I'm in the soup van!

 

[The Nostradamus]

It's interesting to note 90% of junior football watchers have Nick Watson as a top 3 talent in this draft outside of NGA/Academy players.

Every strong criticism/hesitancy I see around Watson is from someone who doesn't follow junior footy, and the criticism is the same every time: 'He's 170cm', 'he's a midget' 'ENTER ANY OTHER INSULT DIRECTED AT HIS HEIGHT'

It should tell you something when 90% of junior footy watchers are big on this bloke regardless of the fact he's 170cm. It should tell you how bloody talented he is that it isn't an issue for him and he's so highly rated.

yeah people need to get over the height

he isnt a centre square mid that needs height

hes a quick, class small forward and at 170cm thats fine. He is going to be a joy to watch

he is a gun and a lock at pick 2

 

[HBFlanker]

Collingwoods mids:
Adams
Allan
Bianco
Crisp
Daicos
Daicos
Degoey
Lipinski
Macrae
Mitchell
Pendlebury
Richards
Sidebottom

and thats not including rookies. Obviously some play forward, some play back and some are learning their craft in the VFL. We still need more mids.

Bold arent best 22 and Pendles is a half back now, as is N.Daicos. its like me naming Drury in there as you have named Bianco.

I didnt have Sheezel in my list of mids either.

 

[HBFlanker]

I think all of Simpkin, Thomas, Powell and Phillips long term fits/futures are still to be decided.

Simpkin has absolutely no place keeping some of these prospects out long term, he's never going to be anything other than a B+ midfielder with his disposal by foot and size/speed. He's going to need to get a lot more versatile imo. The 6 year contract has s**t contract written all over it with the amount of talent we have in his position.

Thomas is the most valuable long term proposition, but there's other factors at play obviously.

Powell is last in line for mid positions with potentially the top 2 midfield prospects in this draft coming in the door.

Phillips I'm bigger on and is just a slower burn like Cunners was imo. He has more physical AFL attributes than Powell and a much higher ceiling than Jy imo.

Good points again and i pose this to you.

Why not play Simpkin as a permanent small forward moving forward? Hes played there before at the top level.

For his deficiencies he reads the play beautifully and he has a red hot crack every week.

 

[Mav]

Powell averages 10 touches a game on a flank mate in the worst side of the last 4 years, he's not AFL standard atm.

I've seen Simpkin kick goals. That doesn't make him a small forward. He's also on a 6 year contract on likely $700k+ per year.

Tucker is a journeyman 23rd man type who's essentially irrelvant to what I'm talking about anyway, a coach would be insane to give him midfield time over a Wardlaw or McKercher anyway.

Draper doesn't play midfield in their VFL side.

I also didn't list Shiels, Howe, Hugh Greenwood, Cunnington, Robert Hansen Junior or Blake Drury.

Brayden George who isn't strictly a one dimensional stay at home forward either.

We have about 5-6 too many through there, hence why we will be paying out Cunners, probably delisting Shiels, Howe, Greenwood etc.

Mate, this isn't some tit for tat. I didn't (and stated it) include Collingwoods rookies. You had Shiels and Greenwood in there.

Draper is an out and out mid. I watched several of his junior games live. BUT he's learning the craft of AFL in the VFL. We can do the same with our mids.

We take the best available, if they're a mid we grab em. and if we end up with too many good ones then we just trade currency for the future years. But at the moment saying we've got enough mids in one line, while saying the mids we have aren't up to AFL in the next.

 

[Harris 10]

The most interesting comment out of the member Q&A is that Ratts thinks Braydon George could be the most talented kid to come out of the 2022 draft for us. That's exciting when you think what we've seen Sheezel and Wardlaw.

 

[Hearts to hearts]

Spoiler

West Coast Eagles would demand huge trade deal to pass on drafting Harley Reid should they hold first pick​

The Eagles are confident Harley Reid would move to Perth despite reports to the contrary, writes MARK DUFFIELD

If West Coast still has the number one pick come round 24 it is theoretically tradeable, but it would take a trade offer bordering on ludicrous to get their attention.

The Eagles, who have flirted with the idea of trading the pick if it could get them multiple first round picks this season, are believed to be comfortable they could take and retain Victoria Country’s Harley Reid if they finish at the bottom of the ladder.

What sort of deal would it take to sway them?

Probably two picks inside of the top five of the draft.

The Eagles have not been swayed by the recent scuttlebutt that Reid might prefer that they did not draft him. He toured their facility at Mineral Resources Park when Victoria Country played WA in Perth three weeks ago and is understood to have told club officials he would happily come to WA if drafted by the club.

Eagles recruiters are set to visit Reid and his family in the next two weeks purely as a courtesy, to wish him the best for the remainder of the season, with a plan to make contact again in the lead up to the draft if they still hold the pick that would get him.

AFL talent ambassador Kevin Sheehan recently made it clear how valuable a talent he thought Reid was. He stated that if the Eagles could snare three first round draft picks, or two and a player from another club to hand over the pick which might get them Reid, he would consider it.

Reid appears to be locked into being the draft’s first pick later this year. (Photo by Morgan Hancock/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Otherwise, he said, he would take the player he views as “one out of the box”.

“I think you try and stretch it to three,” he told SEN earlier this month. “If you can get three players you might give up the first pick but you wouldn’t take two for a Harley. He might be that special player that really can do the Chris Judd type stuff if you like.

“He is pretty good but if you can get a third one in the deal – and that might be someone who has played a couple of years and is thrown in – a West Australian who is returning home as well as a couple of picks. A deal like that can really set your club up for the next three to five years. That might get the deal done. He looks to be one out of the box. I think you have got some bargaining power there if you are West Coast.”

​

Speculation that the Eagles might be prepared to split the number one pick if it netted them multiple players was fuelled by where West Australian talent is thought to sit in this draft.

Claremont defender/midfielder Daniel Curtin is rated a top five prospect, while Peel ruckman Mitch Edwards, Subiaco forward/mid Koltyn Tholstrup and Swan Districts defender Riley Hardeman are all rated inside the top 20.

Peel midfielder Clay Hall and East Fremantle mid/forward Koen Sanchez are believed to be inside the top 30 which would give the Eagles a lot of good options if they were, as Sheehan said, able to stretch a deal to three picks.

This is silly. So far none of the “generational talents“ have proved worth more than one high draft pick - multiple first round picks should only be for moves like Dangerfield and Cameron (or if Daicos moved) where the player’s value has been demonstrated at the top level. The draft is a gamble and it’s ridiculous to put too many chips on a single player, whatever they have shown in juniors (or even lower level seniors, as in JHF’s case).

 

[wazza03]

There aren’t many quality key backs in this years draft and the best two will be taken in the top 5.
So given that this is huge deficiency for us on field we should grab both O’Sullivan and Curtin if we have picks 2 & 3. I can see the argument for taking McKercher at either 2 or 3 but look at what the Hawks did in Clarko’s early days.
They took Franklin and Roughy early in the draft and set themselves up. Having a great spine is equally as important as having a strong midfield.
If we get Sanders as well, this would be a great draft haul plus fill a need (HB/wing) with Ports pick.

 

[Better Loosen Up]

We are in the draft thread talking about list balance, you know, with the high liklihood we take the two players were a rumoured to be getting and how that might affect the list balance?.........


- Simpkin can't play forward, or at least doesn't want to and has shown no real ability to when resting there.

- Powell can't play HBF

- Scott may be an option as a HBF or BP again.

- Tucker can't play anywhere.

- Sheezel is already out of the midfield, so irrelevant to my point.

- Thomas I already said was the most versatile of the group and I had at HBF, so is irrelevant to my point.


In the event that we do take Sanders and McKercher, the above points are a problem.

Maybe Wardlaw could become a Luke Hodge type defender

 

[Rampaging roos]

Powell could well be the best of our mids.hes first season was brilliant...All class ..Been injured on and off ever since ..needs to be in the centre clearences.were he belongs ....he's a keeper.... O'Sullivan/Curtin...mcherchers Sanders. for the draft

 

[chubbspeterson]

If we're about a F50 pressure game to me it would make sense to go Watson and O'Sullivan. Helps fix up both ends of the ground somewhat.
I'd be happy with any combination of O'Sullivan/Watson/Curtin/McKercher/Duursma at the early picks.
I'd love to get another pick 5-8 and take Duursma. He's an athlete who has got that same class and composure I saw in Sheezel.

 

[BoomerRoo]

Maybe, or maybe not, but I wouldn’t get too fixated on Powelly being at the club next season…

 

[4cunningTonneTruck]

Put a line through Shiels and Greenwood. Both have a year left at best and ideally it's at VFL level. Tucker can plug in where needed week to week.

Scott, McKercher wings
LDU, Wardlaw, Phillips CBA.
Sheezel, Thomas, Simpkin HF, pushing into midfield
Powell, Sanders bench rotation.

That's in a scenario where nothing goes wrong.

Sent from my SM-A908B using Tapatalk

That's still 1 or 2 mids too many.

LDU, Wardlaw, Phillips, Powell, Sanders and Simpkin are all inside mids. You're not going to fit all 6 of them into the side.

 

[Sphynx]

That's still 1 or 2 mids too many.

LDU, Wardlaw, Phillips, Powell, Sanders and Simpkin are all inside mids. You're not going to fit all 6 of them into the side.

As is McKercher really.

We are all just plonking him on the wing.

But he's the 2nd best kid in the draft because of his ability to win the ball at stoppage and break from congestion.

 

[My Left Foote]

I think Souup said he'd go for McKercher and O'Sullivan with the Colonel being prelisted.

I'm in the soup van!

Souup called it yesterday, I think, McKercher & Watson.