2024 Draft Thread.

[Rogue Warrior]

While we complained about the inequality of the northern academies I don’t think this is the answer. This will again be open to the same rorting that landed the bulldogs Ugle Hagan and again further compromises the draft. No doubt well resourced clubs will do well out of this. The academies were designed to bring people into the game that otherwise wouldn’t have been playing. A player like Kako, who was always going to play football being taken out of the open draft ruins the system and helps no one (except the club who can rort the system the best).

The idea the afl can just change the rules overnight, without clarifying or tightening who can be eligible for the academies, without clarifying and fixing the fair price clubs should have to pay for academy picks and without committing to a time frame as to when it will be put in place and how long they can confirm these rules will be in place before again reviewed is a joke. It’s bush league stuff. They’ve done half the job and I could easily see them turning the academies off again next year (after a couple of clubs benefit).

I cannot remotely fathom a professional sporting league anywhere in the world operating like this.

As for what my solution would have been. In the short-term fix the price clubs pay for taking academy talent. So you can only use an equivalent number of picks and selections you have (and can’t double dip). Make the qualification criteria stricter to ensure we are growing the talent pool, not ring fencing existing talent.
In the longer-term have the afl run and fund the academies so that the talent goes into the total draft pool and not just to advantage certain teams.

 

[pebblesofsand]

While we complained about the inequality of the northerns academies I don’t think this is the answer. This will again to open to the same rorting that landed the bulldogs Ugle Hagan and again further compromised the draft. No doubt well resourced clubs will do well out of this. The academies were designed to bring people into the game that otherwise wouldn’t have been playing. A player like Kako, who was always going to play football being taken out of the open draft ruins the system and helps no one (except the club who can rort the system the best).

The idea the afl can just change the rules overnight, without clarifying or tightening who can be eligible for the academies, without clarifying and fixing the fair price clubs should have to pay for academy picks and without committing to a time frame as to when it will be put in place and how long they can confirm these rules will be in place before they will be reviewed is a joke. It’s bush league stuff. They’ve done half the job and I could easily see them turning the academies off again next year (after a couple of clubs benefit).

I cannot remotely fathom a professional sporting league anywhere in the world operating like this.

As for what my solution would have been. In the short-term fix the price clubs pay for taking academy talent. So you can only use an equivalent number of picks and selections you have (and can’t double dip). Make the qualification criteria stricter to ensure we are growing the talent pool, not ring fencing existing talent.
In the longer-term have the afl run and fund the academies so that the talent goes into the total draft pool and not just to advantage certain teams.

I think you'll find the F/S matching rules will be tightened significantly.

The discount and the ability to use multiple lower picks to match a F/S selection will be a thing of the past.

I reckon they might still allow some sort of discount for clubs when matching academy bids (20%) to encourage the use of Academies but again I doubt clubs will be able to use multiple lower picks to get access to a high ranking Academy player.

 

[botts]

I was just looking at our nga program. I think Cam Mackenzie has a brother and is in next years draft for us. Same as Hofmann.

 

[gringo2011]

No way Lalor is available at 25. Take him at 5 and run assuming we don't move our picks - Langford is more likely to be available at 25. Paton is not worth a 2nd rounder. Allan won't make it to #39 either, he'll be gone in the top 25. Mraz will probably be gone in the 2nd round too - definitely can't see him getting past Melbourne @ 38. I like the Gerryn pick tho

Langford won't drift out to 25. I reckon Langford ends up 100% a good solid 150+ game player at a minimum. He's probably the lowest risk in the draft outside of Ashcroft and Lombard. Langford won the MVP for VC at the champs for his consistency and quality. He's not drifting that far out now.

Lalor has more gamble involved. He has an intangible element. He's probably Jake Stringer but could be a bust, but if he meets his potential he's got game breaker star vibes.

 

[Holy Hunter Clark]

Langford @4 in Cal Twomeys Draft Rankings this morning.
Jagga @6, Lalor @8 and Draper @9.

Looks to be a very deep draft without having the very top end of the last couple of seasons.

Looks like Landford is every chance to go around our pick. Jagga + one of Reid, Lalor or Langford would be a great result.

On Pixel 7 using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[RWB4life]

Means we're getting two of Reid Langford jagga draper and Lalor at a minimum.

Trust dalrymple to pick the vest available

 

[botts]

Langford really high. But his ability is undeniable

 

[gringo2011]

Overall, the picks we gave up pick 6, pick 59, pick 76, our future 2nd and our future 3rd. We also gave up a cooked Steven, Acres and Bruce.

In return, we got 3 players are best 22 players, Ryder who was a big difference maker before he retired and Jones plus the pick we took Brynes with.

But we are no closer to a flag and in fact the sugar hit slowed the build.

 

[Username Unknown]

If we couldn’t have picked Phillipou because we got Cam Mackenzie. I don’t care about missing him. Phillipou is going to be one of the best players in the competition. I will die on that hill!

If we do end up with two picks in the top 10. I think this is a great draft to have them. There is a lot up in the air about the order of the draft. I think it is a great opportunity to snagged some great players outside of the top 3. We have one of the best recruiters, let’s see what he can do.

I am excited to see what talent the club can produce through our nga program. We want players from the bayside area to play in our club. Well here is our golden ticket.

We have access to both Sandringham Dragons and Dandenong Stingrays, along with the Smjfl and feel. That is two elite TAC football programs and a lot of very good junior clubs that play in those leagues.

I am a bit confused though. Mac Andrews played for the Stingrays. Why was he in the Melbourne NGA?

 

[Joffaboy]

But we are no closer to a flag and in fact the sugar hit slowed the build.

So we didn't need a key back, mid ( still had hope Hanners would come good), an experienced ruck, a class wingman and a premiership small forward?

Four are still playing and our list was completely unbalanced in age.

A first an a bunch of valueless picks would have got us no closer.
Didn't play finals for 9 years, have played twice in 4 since and Hill, Howard and Butler will be about for our next tilt starting next season.

On SM-S908E using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[BrutThough]

But we are no closer to a flag and in fact the sugar hit slowed the build.

How has not having 1 decent draft pick slowed our 'rebuild'? You could maybe claim 2 with the future second but given how weak the 2020 draft was and how that selection ended up pick 40 after all the FS/Academy selections that year, we didn't really lose with that one.

We still have 3 best 22 players from that trade period which you could also argue has put us in a better spot moving forward.

 

[gringo2011]

its such horseshit.

So we miss out on a top 10 draft pick because of the AFL's incompetence.

If Phillipou ends up the next Bont or something we might have been saved from making an obvious decision.

If the rules still allow for topping up on trash we missed having McKenzie and Pou though. Then again Van Es, Keeler and Hotton probably don't come either then.

If one or two of those guys make it to McKenzie level we are probably no better or worse off. It will be one of those ones that we only know how much we won or lost from in 4 or 5 yers.

 

[gringo2011]

So we didn't need a key back, mid ( still had hope Hanners would come good), an experienced ruck, a class wingman and a premiership small forward?

Four are still playing and our list was completely unbalanced in age.

A first an a bunch of valueless picks would have got us no closer.
Didn't play finals for 9 years, have played twice in 4 since and Hill, Howard and Butler will be about for our next tilt starting next season.

On SM-S908E using BigFooty.com mobile app

We should have drafted when we were coming to an end for a big chunk of the list. No-one goes out and tops up at that point.

We should have gone back to the draft and stayed down adding a layer of players. We probably won't have any of those guys playing in our next chance at a flag and possibly even in our next finals series.

We now have very few mid career guys because we didn't draft then and the age group is still imbalanced.

 

[pebblesofsand]

But we are no closer to a flag and in fact the sugar hit slowed the build.

Yep - missing out on Fischer Macasey was a disaster. Probably cost us multiple flags.

 

[botts]

If we couldn’t have picked Phillipou because we got Cam Mackenzie. I don’t care about missing him. Phillipou is going to be one of the best players in the competition. I will die on that hill!

If we do end up with two picks in the top 10. I think this is a great draft to have them. There is a lot up in the air about the order of the draft. I think it is a great opportunity to snagged some great players outside of the top 3. We have one of the best recruiters, let’s see what he can do.

I am excited to see what talent the club can produce through our nga program. We want players from the bayside area to play in our club. Well here is our golden ticket.

We have access to both Sandringham Dragons and Dandenong Stingrays, along with the Smjfl and feel. That is two elite TAC football programs and a lot of very good junior clubs that play in those leagues.

I am a bit confused though. Mac Andrews played for the Stingrays. Why was he in the Melbourne NGA?

We have parts of Frankston and Melbourne have parts of the Casey area. Both parts make up the stingrays area but the nga is based on where you live

 

[stavro#4]

Kinda gone off the Lalor bandwagon - just on the basis that he didn’t accumulate at the carnival.

Langford and Jagga back to back is the dream now

Twomey -

What a prospect Langford has become across the course of the season. The left-footed midfielder has a point of difference in his height and strength and he uses it to be able to mark above his head as well as bust through stoppages then slice teams apart with his kicking. He was a deserving joint winner of the Larke Medal as the best player (alongside Leo Lombard) in the national carnival, where he averaged 25.5 disposals, six clearances and six inside 50s for Vic Country. Langford has done what he has liked for Dandenong at stages this season and rocketed right into top-five contention. As a midfielder, he's among the most complete options

 

[Hayes4PM]

If we can win a couple more games at the end of the year and show something going into the 2025 season while hanging onto pick 4 and losing Battle for band 1 compensation, I will be happy.

 

[Winmar2Lockett]

We should have drafted when we were coming to an end for a big chunk of the list. No-one goes out and tops up at that point.

We should have gone back to the draft and stayed down adding a layer of players. We probably won't have any of those guys playing in our next chance at a flag and possibly even in our next finals series.

We now have very few mid career guys because we didn't draft then and the age group is still imbalanced.

Trading out of one draft 5 years ago has had very little influence on our list issues.

We have a lack of guys in their mid to late 20's because of how bad our drafting (& our typical shitty luck) was when we actually were focusing mainly on the draft.

 

[gringo2011]

Yep - missing out on Fischer Macasey was a disaster. Probably cost us multiple flags.

Yeah because we know that’s who we would have taken. We would probably have finished bottom 4 for a few years and been able to build the core. Now we are still patching and no further advanced. If you are still justifying the sacked staff years after the evidence suggests they failed you are cult members.

 

[botts]

 

[marcus1232]

If Phillipou ends up the next Bont or something we might have been saved from making an obvious decision.

If the rules still allow for topping up on trash we missed having McKenzie and Pou though. Then again Van Es, Keeler and Hotton probably don't come either then.

If one or two of those guys make it to McKenzie level we are probably no better or worse off. It will be one of those ones that we only know how much we won or lost from in 4 or 5 yers.

Its not necessarily the player its the principle of the thing

They got rid of it we missed out
and they bring it back as a big 4 club is about to benefit.

 

[Username Unknown]

If Phillipou ends up the next Bont or something we might have been saved from making an obvious decision.

If the rules still allow for topping up on trash we missed having McKenzie and Pou though. Then again Van Es, Keeler and Hotton probably don't come either then.

If one or two of those guys make it to McKenzie level we are probably no better or worse off. It will be one of those ones that we only know how much we won or lost from in 4 or 5 yers.

When Phillipou becomes the next Bont*

 

[bergholt]

Trading out of one draft 5 years ago has had very little influence on our list issues.

Nah untrue. You miss 100% of shots you don’t take. You just need to keep drafting consistently to keep a bedrock of potential players coming through. And taking mostly mids until you can prove you don’t need to because you have an elite midfield.

 

[SteeleSaints]

Here is another draft article from the HS -

https://archive.md/k7COu

I remarkable how different the media pundits have their power rankings, it just highlights there are no clear No 1 pick and the top 10 could be a up to 15-20 players depending on club ratings.

 

[MightySaint]

Somebody posted Langford's involvements from a game and he looked fantastic. Great size, clearances, good kick. When I asked what the knock was, apparently he tested very poorly athletically. The footage doesn't seem to suggest that at all...