Resource 2024 AFL Draft discussion thread

[Captain Furious]

that list is players who were either not really mids pre-draft (nwm still isn’t) or players who no one was super excited about before the draft

Maybe Serong the exception, but I don’t remember anyone falling over themselves about him pre-draft

I’m not saying we have drafted well, we clearly have not - just that our timing has been wrong (tt draft) or our picks just a little too late (eg Macasey draft) to get the truly hyped mids - Anderson/rowell/jhf/ocallaghan/reid types, all of whom had huge pre-draft hype

They're all mids - NVM is a wingman if you want to split hairs. They were all highly regarded (obviously given where they were drafted) and when a club drafts a player with a top 10 or 1st round pick, you can be assured that they're excited about them. Instead we reached for the Jones/McHenry/Pedlar mids, who all went higher than anyone else expected. Because their mum served nice biscuits at the home visits or some other stupid reason.

If you're excited about getting a bottom of the ladder pick...yeah I'm not.

 

[GreyCrow]

My boy big bodied mid/forward Sam Lalor looked back to full beast mode on the weekend, had a slow start to the season missing a big chunk of the preseason with hip/groin and then a foot issue after he finally resumed at APS level with a 8 goal game playing mostly forward.
Played his first Coates League game for season 2024 for the GWV Rebels and smoked the Bushies mids with a 34 disposal, 22 kicks, 12 Hballs, 8 Marks, 5 tackles, 9 i50's, 4 r50's...Look out when he gets the full run back into his legs.

Just saw his highlights from that game

A lot to like

Competitive , positions himself well , works good in congestion , strong tackler and good footy IQ I reckon

My only minor knock is I didnt see a 2 sided person - always went to the right foot and hand - its not a limiting factor but its an observation

 

[GreyCrow]

Jagga Smith - watched 2 game highlights - V Allies on a cold dewy morning 22 touches and v WA 34 disposals

Certainly a hard worker and good tackler - again I only saw right sided play ( maybe 1 left handball)

The Allies game he was clever at keeping the ball in front of him till he had control the WA game was played in dryer sunnier conditions and he stood out. Again worked hard and again 1 sided

Overall I think he will do fine as an outside player . Body shape and looks draws me to a Rozee comparison

But so far I like Lalor better

 

[Mostyn]

We did at our original pick hey

Think our mate the sadly departed Jeffcrowe was pretty keen too?

He liked Will Graham and I Kane McAuliffe with later picks, both looking great picks at this point

Yeah, admittedly I really liked him if we stayed at 10, but once we had the option to trade up I was very much team Curtin.

 

[Mostyn]

Oh right...you're talking about whether supporters were into these players? I was talking about recruiters, who all knew these guys well, they were all early picks (Duursma, Wilson and O'Halloran went later 1st round).

The point I was replying to was that there were no exciting mids available when we had our picks - there clearly were.

Fair enough - sorry, I thought you were saying there were choices that people were clamouring for in preference to who we drafted.

My memory is that people were a bit surprised about Jones and McHenry, and surprised we took a key tall in a draft that had some great running players.

Jones sort of makes sense, as he had a really good draft year. McAsey is understandable if you want to begin your rebuild with talls, but obviously a SHOCKER in hindsight.

 

[Mostyn]

They're all mids - NVM is a wingman if you want to split hairs. They were all highly regarded (obviously given where they were drafted) and when a club drafts a player with a top 10 or 1st round pick, you can be assured that they're excited about them. Instead we reached for the Jones/McHenry/Pedlar mids, who all went higher than anyone else expected. Because their mum served nice biscuits at the home visits or some other stupid reason.

If you're excited about getting a bottom of the ladder pick...yeah I'm not.

We didn't go that early on Jones. He was in the mix for a mid to late first rounder. McHenry was mostly seen in the second round but the draft REALLY thins out at that point.

Pedlar felt early but only to fans. The word from Twomey was that multiple clubs had him inside the first round. Hopefully he gets it together.

 

[Captain Furious]

We didn't go that early on Jones. He was in the mix for a mid to late first rounder. McHenry was mostly seen in the second round but the draft REALLY thins out at that point.

Pedlar felt early but only to fans. The word from Twomey was that multiple clubs had him inside the first round. Hopefully he gets it together.

It's not just that we reached for all those guys, it's the type of player we reached for. We didn't take a risk on high upside players that could be Dusty/Bont types, we reached for the 'honest hard working mid from a good family, competitive, blah blah blah'. We need those types but not in the 1st round, high picks are for match winners. Jones did have a solid draft year but he was never going to be the kind of player that wins games off his own boot. If you're going to be in the best 10 of the thousands of exceptionally talented young footballers, that's a quality you should have.

 

[Mostyn]

It's not just that we reached for all those guys, it's the type of player we reached for. We didn't take a risk on high upside players that could be Dusty/Bont types, we reached for the 'honest hard working mid from a good family, competitive, blah blah blah'. We need those types but not in the 1st round, high picks are for match winners. Jones did have a solid draft year but he was never going to be the kind of player that wins games off his own boot. If you're going to be in the best 10 of the thousands of exceptionally talented young footballers, that's a quality you should have.

Jones was winning games that year off his own boot against men - pity it was in Tasmania ...

 

[WeeBlake]

They're all mids - NVM is a wingman if you want to split hairs. They were all highly regarded (obviously given where they were drafted) and when a club drafts a player with a top 10 or 1st round pick, you can be assured that they're excited about them. Instead we reached for the Jones/McHenry/Pedlar mids, who all went higher than anyone else expected. Because their mum served nice biscuits at the home visits or some other stupid reason.

If you're excited about getting a bottom of the ladder pick...yeah I'm not.

You’ve missed the point

 

[George Kramer]

I mean I can tell you for a fact that isn’t why he didn’t stick around

Fair enough, can you share why?

 

[Mutineer]

It's not just that we reached for all those guys, it's the type of player we reached for. We didn't take a risk on high upside players that could be Dusty/Bont types, we reached for the 'honest hard working mid from a good family, competitive, blah blah blah'. We need those types but not in the 1st round, high picks are for match winners. Jones did have a solid draft year but he was never going to be the kind of player that wins games off his own boot. If you're going to be in the best 10 of the thousands of exceptionally talented young footballers, that's a quality you should have.

Using your reasoning every player taken in the top 10 should be a guaranteed star...I got news for you, quite a few aren't

 

[Captain Furious]

Using your reasoning every player taken in the top 10 should be a guaranteed star...I got news for you, quite a few aren't

Gee whiz golly gosh, thanks for the update.

Not what I was saying, was talking about types, not how good players end up. However, if you like your 1st rounders as solid, hard working guys who come from swell families, then have I got a club for you!

 

[BRL121]

It's not just that we reached for all those guys, it's the type of player we reached for. We didn't take a risk on high upside players that could be Dusty/Bont types, we reached for the 'honest hard working mid from a good family, competitive, blah blah blah'. We need those types but not in the 1st round, high picks are for match winners. Jones did have a solid draft year but he was never going to be the kind of player that wins games off his own boot. If you're going to be in the best 10 of the thousands of exceptionally talented young footballers, that's a quality you should have.

I don't reckon Pedlar fits that stereotype.

 

[Mutineer]

Gee whiz golly gosh, thanks for the update.

Not what I was saying, was talking about types, not how good players end up. However, if you like your 1st rounders as solid, hard working guys who come from swell families, then have I got a club for you!

Most kids that get drafted come from decent families so I din't really see where that's applicable anyhow, for every Dusty there's probably 50 that do or they wouldn't have the commitment to do the hard yards. That applies to a lot of the Vic Country kids some here at the GWV Rebels have 4 hour round trips by bus just to get to training and parents that organise car pools to get them to games on match day often entailing leaving home at ungodly hours if the players are involved in early games.

 

[Captain Furious]

Most kids that get drafted come from decent families so I din't really see where that's applicable anyhow, for every Dusty there's probably 50 that do or they wouldn't have the commitment to do the hard yards. That applies to a lot of the Vic Country kids some here at the GWV Rebels have 4 hour round trips by bus just to get to training and parents that organise car pools to get them to games on match day often entailing leaving home at ungodly hours if the players are involved in early games.

I don't think it should be a factor. If a kid has had to deal with some adversity, has managed to push through tough times, more than happy for them to be at the club along with the kid who's mum made him lunch every day and dad read him a bed time story.

 

[Thunderstruck]

Jagga Smith is more damaging IMO and he gets totals in the 30s as well. He also kicks goals. Lalor is good, would be nice to get both somehow. Sid Draper reminds me of so many of our mids now the way he does those loopy handpasses. I don't want more of those in the team.

Lalor would be about 25 times more damaging than Smith if I was being conservative

 

[Thunderstruck]

Nothing wrong with Smith mind you, he knows how to find the footy and will be a very solid AFL midfielder for many years. Slight frame but agility and tank/running to find it all day and night. Poor for damage and metres gained. Put him high in your keeper league fantasy drafts though.

 

[Chances Are]

Lalor would be about 25 times more damaging than Smith if I was being conservative

We'll see in time.

 

[Pugsley]

Had some good chats a PMs didn’t have an issue far worse are still here

I apologise.

 

[cleanhands]

I apologise.

Why you are on ignore

 

[Pugsley]

Why you are on ignore

Me and Jeff go a long way back so no.

 

[MrBarry]

It's unfortunate timing that Port are imploding (as much as I love it), as it's just taking the blowtorch off us.

 

[cleanhands]

Me and Jeff go a long way back so no.

Had some good PM chats with Jeff

 

[Pugsley]

Had some good PM chats with Jeff

He is a good fella.

 

[Mutineer]

‘We just want fairness’: Lyon scathes AFL as debates rages over draft ‘inequality’

‘We just want fairness’: Lyon scathes AFL as debates rages over draft ‘inequality’

www.foxsports.com.au

St Kilda coach Ross Lyon has launched a tirade against the AFL, declaring officials had “abdicated their responsibility” when it comes to junior development.
The long-time coach then went on the attack over rival clubs’ access to young talent and that club-based academies be shut down in favour of ones run by the league, as changes to the draft system loom.
Declaring his Saints as one of the teams that had “least benefited” from the growth in club-run academies - with access to talent lost and complicated by a convoluted points system - Lyon said he would be a “loud voice” in the ongoing debate.
, had essentially set up recruitment “zones” again, a system the league abandoned when it first created the draft.
“Clearly, we just want fairness, so if you know it’s unfair, which the AFL knows it is, why perpetuate unfairness and inequity?” Lyon said.
“I’ve been around a long time, and it used to be zones and you harvest your zones. There used to be inequality in zones, less productive zones … it was luck of the draw.
“They got rid of zones and made it one big pond to grab players out of, everyone could fish in the same pond.


“Then the AFL took over talent pathway, which is great. But for whatever reason, they abdicated their responsibility on academies in each state and thought clubs could do it better.

“We’ve actually created zones again. They are almost like state zones.”
Lyon said he sent the same message to AFL boss Andrew Dillon earlier in the year, telling him to abandon club zones as the only way to enable unfettered access for all clubs to players and create the equality they seek.
“I put it on the table with Andrew Dillon at a dinner earlier in the year with coaches,” he said.
“We lost an incredible amount of good coaches through Covid that would be easily picked up, know how to farm talent and develop talent in academies that would be run out of the AFL - then everyone could fish from the same pond,” Lyon said.
“I like the idea of development, but as the club which has least benefited, and therefore experiences the least fairness, we are a loud voice at the table. I still think the academies should be run out of the AFL, the gatekeeper of the game and talent.
“Ultimately, over a fair period of time head office had abdicated its responsibility to drive that talent pathway.”

Lyon also noted that clubs were “mature” enough to handle rivals actively seeking to lure players, amid reports Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell called off-contract Saints utility Josh Battle

26

Josh Battle

Age

25

Ht

193cm

Wt

93kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

12.9

3star

K

9.0

3star

HB

3.9

3star

M

5.0

5star

T

2.4

4star

MG

196.8

3star

D

11.0

3star

K

7.3

3star

HB

3.8

3star

M

4.0

4star

T

1.8

3star

MG

142.8

3star

D

10.8

3star

K

6.2

3star

HB

4.6

4star

M

3.4

4star

T

2.0

4star

MG

175.6

3star

to talk through an offer from the Hawks.