2024 Draft Thread.

[Ads734]

How long are you willing to stick with O'Connell I wonder? Just when he looks like he could break into the side in his 4th year?

Have you watched him play at all ?

 

[Ads734]

Let me start this by saying I’m a huge Jagga smith fan and I want him at my clubs first pick.

Do you know how many players in the last 24 years have been taken #1 that have been no bigger than Jagga?

• Marc Murphy
• Tom Scully
• Andrew McGrath

Murphy was an elite mid.

Scully had some absolute elite traits and dominated u18 level. Was an elite wing before the ankle injury.

Your boy McGrath is a fairly average footballer in the scheme of things. He did have a decent u18 campaign.

In this draft class there are a few midfield monsters.

• Smillie 194cm
• Langford 190cm
• Lalor 187 cm

Smillie has long been touted as pick 1. Had a great Coates league campaign. Poor champs. You can however clearly see why he is the majority anointed pick 1

Langford and Lalor have come from nowhere of late and both could keep rising. Prototype current day mids at their sizes. Could go 1 could go 10.

Could Smith go #1 because he has been most consistent? Sure he could.

Could he be the best player when it’s all said and done 15 years from now? Yep.

But realistically it would appear to be a reach if the draft HAPPENED TODAY.

There are concerns with his ability to hurt the opposition with ball in hand. Other candidates have shown a tendency for scoreboard impact - which always rates highly.

I think Jagga is the best pure accumulator.

If we are going to start considering Jagga then Trainor should also be in that conversation - best tall and showing as much consistency as Jagga.

Check the size on Rozee
Bont , Yeo, FYFE etc. size is over rated.

 

[gringo2011]

I rate Byrnes above Bonner.

Bonner has done plenty right for us this year but his clangers can be spectacularly bad at both ends of the ground.

His clangers hurt for sure but he's playing different role. He's certainly not a star but the way this forum carries on you'd think he was the reason we lose every week. Byrnes is up and down. His best is good and last couple of games have been above average but can also disappear after a while.

Bonner's kicks inside 50 have been ordinary at times but I'd say every time any player at St Kilda kicks inside 50 it's mostly awful. His kicks off HB are usually the ones that open he ground up but expose you back the other way. We want players to be brave and try those kicks because that's the type of kick that cuts open the field and lets you attack over zones. If it ****s up going 45 degrees into the corridor it's spectacularly bad because it cuts you open the other way.

Nas misses them too sometimes but we have more good will towards him. Bonner had one absolutely horrendous game and a couple of poor ones but over all he's been a solid contributor who adds something to the list. Having three attacking HBFs is a unique triple threat and is impossible to cover off. He's the worst of them, so they tend to end up going through him a lot and he's the most easily corralled into mistakes.

 

[gringo2011]

Was it a strong draft? Lochie O'Brian, Coffield, Bonar, Brander, Ling ?

Maybe the Hawks knew it and thought nothing of tossing us the pick. If we avoided the deal we could have got Jy Simpkin.

It was meant to be a good draft with depth and quality. In hindsight it wasn't a good front end outside that first group. The worst thing is I reckon this draft is really similar. Lots of players could go top 6 but really even and then a really solid bunch in the middle of it. Nearly every player between 21 and 31 ended up being good players with some absolute stars among them and good players right through into the 70s.

I reckon this one could have some first round busts but cream in the middle and a deep talent spread.

2017 AFL draft - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[gringo2011]

Our obession with not drafting pure mids was truly that, a blunt force obession. We just had to draft HBF'ers (who had potential to play midfield!!) for the longest of times there. Plus trade in older top ups who were either were yesterday's news or bush league smokies. Getting PTSD just reading this thread!

It was a whole lot of things. Losing picks to chase injury busts and not being able to identify and develop players all contributed. We didn't excel at any part of talent accumulation.

 

[akaifu]

Bonner is only on the list because he frees up Sinclair to play midfield. When Sinc plays half back, he moves to a wing

When Hastie develops into an AFL-level def/wing, Bonner will be done. He's purely a 'stepping stone' to buy time for our youngsters to develop. Won't be in our next GF team

 

[gringo2011]

If I recall, Geelong’s recruiter had him at 1 in that draft. Can’t remember where that came from. Alas. We butchered about three drafts in a row, albeit 1 or 2 of those were not great drafts.

In his draft year he looked really good. He was slippery in traffic and able to shimmy out of trouble like he slowed time around him. Unfortunately his pace and fitness has let him down. If reports are to be believed he has coasted and not really put football first as a priority. He prefers going out with mates than training and fitness.

That's the other side of recruiting that hopefully is getting better and better. The psychometric stuff and interview process hopefully find a few that bluff themselves an AFL career.

 

[noobermensch]

Josh Smillie's champs run didn't quite reach the same heights as his fantastic Talent League and Academy performances, but he still left us with a highlights package worthy of a top five pick.

 

[CursingFijian]

We want players to be brave and try those kicks because that's the type of kick that cuts open the field and lets you attack over zones. If it ****s up going 45 degrees into the corridor it's spectacularly bad because it cuts you open the other way.

I don't want to die on the Bonner vs Byrnes hill.

But, I often feel like Bonner's clangers don't even fall in this category of being brave. They're just straight up brain fades.

 

[gringo2011]

Bonner is only on the list because he frees up Sinclair to play midfield. When Sinc plays half back, he moves to a wing

When Hastie develops into an AFL-level def/wing, Bonner will be done. He's purely a 'stepping stone' to buy time for our youngsters to develop. Won't be in our next GF team

He might stay on as depth I reckon regardless. He's earned another go over some of the fringe guys.

 

[gringo2011]

I don't want to die on the Bonner vs Byrnes hill.

But, I often feel like Bonner's clangers don't even fall in this category of being brave. They're just straight up brain fades.

I think they are just skill errors.

 

[SteeleSaints]

I don't want to die on the Bonner vs Byrnes hill.

But, I often feel like Bonner's clangers don't even fall in this category of being brave. They're just straight up brain fades.

I cringe just seeing Bonner running around in our jumper ... everything he does screams soft !

 

[stavro#4]

Check the size on Rozee
Bont , Yeo, FYFE etc. size is over rated.

You have completely missed the point.

Rozee didn’t go pick 1

 

[littlecreatures]

Bonner is only on the list because he frees up Sinclair to play midfield. When Sinc plays half back, he moves to a wing

When Hastie develops into an AFL-level def/wing, Bonner will be done. He's purely a 'stepping stone' to buy time for our youngsters to develop. Won't be in our next GF team

Think you’ve hit the nail on the head, I often wonder how long until Hastie transitions into the half back flank to wing role, recognising Bonner does provide flexibility with our elite users rotating off half back.

What does it for most with Bonner, in addition to the unforced errors, is the lack of follow up or intensity too. For example, Adelaide game around the 1st quarter from memory, gets done on a debatable insufficient attempt call, but then proceeds to put zero pressure on the kick at goal by the boundary with the Adelaide player just waltzing around the corner.

It’s the sort of stuff which wins or loses games, really deflating stuff and there’s clearly a pattern and theme. Every player makes mistakes, but it’s the next moment stuff which Ross talks about, and clearly doesn’t translate to Bonner.

 

[akaifu]

Think you’ve hit the nail on the head, I often wonder how long until Hastie transitions into the half back flank to wing role, recognising Bonner does provide flexibility with our elite users rotating off half back.

What does it for most with Bonner, in addition to the unforced errors, is the lack of follow up or intensity too. For example, Adelaide game around the 1st quarter from memory, gets done on a debatable insufficient attempt call, but then proceeds to put zero pressure on the kick at goal by the boundary with the Adelaide player just waltzing around the corner.

It’s the sort of stuff which wins or loses games, really deflating stuff and there’s clearly a pattern and theme. Every player makes mistakes, but it’s the next moment stuff which Ross talks about, and clearly doesn’t translate to Bonner.

Yep, and I can guarantee you after watching all of Sandy's matches this year, Hastie will be the opposite. Despite his slim frame, boy does he go hard at the ball both in the air and at ground level. Just last weekend in the last quarter with the game on the line, he made a huge spoil down the line and dove into a 50/50 ground ball with body on the line. Also took a crucial intercept mark in defensive half. Sandy wouldn't have won without him in that last term. Also, he's not scared to take the game on and run around opponents, which takes mental courage which we don't see in Bonner. In fact, we don't see any of the above in Bonner

 

[Ads734]

This guy never plays bad games.

Has a bit of Finn Callahgan about him

 

[littlecreatures]

Yep, and I can guarantee you after watching all of Sandy's matches this year, Hastie will be the opposite. Despite his slim frame, boy does he go hard at the ball both in the air and at ground level. Just last weekend in the last quarter with the game on the line, he made a huge spoil down the line and dove into a 50/50 ground ball with body on the line. Also took a crucial intercept mark in defensive half. Sandy wouldn't have won without him in that last term. Also, he's not scared to take the game on and run around opponents, which takes mental courage which we don't see in Bonner. In fact, we don't see any of the above in Bonner

Agree, and to see others comparing Bonner to someone like Byrnes I think is missing a lot of context.

Byrnes plays an unforgiving role of the wing in terms of varying output, rather than of the half back filled with uncontested hand ball receives or marks.

What you know you’re going to get with Ronny is two way gut running and giving it everything to make a defensive contest even if the match might be dead, which I can’t say I see the same level of commitment or effort or work rate from Bonner.

 

[gringo2011]

Yep, and I can guarantee you after watching all of Sandy's matches this year, Hastie will be the opposite. Despite his slim frame, boy does he go hard at the ball both in the air and at ground level. Just last weekend in the last quarter with the game on the line, he made a huge spoil down the line and dove into a 50/50 ground ball with body on the line. Also took a crucial intercept mark in defensive half. Sandy wouldn't have won without him in that last term. Also, he's not scared to take the game on and run around opponents, which takes mental courage which we don't see in Bonner. In fact, we don't see any of the above in Bonner

Hastie is more Sam Gilbert that a kicking distributor though. Bonner probably gets moved out for Schoenmaker as far as the way they distribute the ball. Unless Bonner gets a lot more consistent he's a place holder.Nothing wrong with that. He's done better than plenty of other fill ins that we have had.

 

[gringo2011]

Agree, and to see others comparing Bonner to someone like Byrnes I think is missing a lot of context.

Byrnes plays an unforgiving role of the wing in terms of varying output, rather than of the half back filled with uncontested hand ball receives or marks.

What you know you’re going to get with Ronny is two way gut running and giving it everything to make a defensive contest even if the match might be dead, which I can’t say I see the same level of commitment or effort or work rate from Bonner.

No-one is comparing them in position though. Byrnes would do the role Bonner plays much worse. I just don't get the hysteria on here. He's been owning a spot in the side where there is depth available. I think he's outperformed what we thought we'd get from him by far. He would have been taken as injury cover.

 

[Rogue Warrior]

Has a bit of Finn Callahgan about him

Agreed, he seems very poised. I also see a bit of Jordan Dawson in him

 

[akaifu]

Hastie is more Sam Gilbert that a kicking distributor though. Bonner probably gets moved out for Schoenmaker as far as the way they distribute the ball. Unless Bonner gets a lot more consistent he's a place holder.Nothing wrong with that. He's done better than plenty of other fill ins that we have had.

Hastie is taking kick-ins for Sandy, that is as 'kicking distributor' as it gets. Either way, it doesn't matter who he's like, the fact of the matter is that the coaches are developing him as a def/wing which is the exact position Bonner is playing with our squad at full fitness

 

[littlecreatures]

No-one is comparing them in position though. Byrnes would do the role Bonner plays much worse. I just don't get the hysteria on here. He's been owning a spot in the side where there is depth available. I think he's outperformed what we thought we'd get from him by far. He would have been taken as injury cover.

Neither am I, I’m just considering things like effort, intensity and competitiveness. These are things we can expect all players to bring, regardless of position, which I think are things needing to be highlighted if we’re to start comparing the two.

That said, I probably do agree in terms of Bonner offering more than we expected or at least gave up to get him (nothing), but it’s still frustrating to see what gets dished up at times.

 

[seasonedsainter]

Its been in mind the whole time but its been tricky. We should have been looking at later picks like Worpel.

1: OK so we went Paddy ahead of a mid.
2: Then we had the Carlisle trade in a draft that didn't have any mids around our original pick ( Gresham ).
3: We could have got Simpkin, but the Hawks trade seemed too good at the time.
4: Clark drafted as a mid.
5: Passed up Rozee, Smith, Caldwell, Butters, because King was going to be the best thing ever on the planet and he dropped in our lap.
6: Went massive trade for an outside winger. ( potentially Serong ).
7: Silly season but Poulter and Lazzarro would have at least provide midfield depth.
8: Naz absolutely the best choice.
9: Pou. Pretty confident he'll be a very good mid for us.
10:Wilson.

We haven't really had a shot at an absolutely elite inside mid since Paddy/Petracca, not without giving up King or Hill/Howard/Ryder.

Just hasn't worked out well for us. Other teams used 2nd rounders to build their mid group.

Good analysis! And the last sentence is very true.

 

[SaintsSeptember]

Compare Bonner to Hind ( who is still getting games for the Bombers ) and i'm happy with Bonner.

 

[SG34]

Getting rid of players doesn't make you better, you do it under duress to "make space".
We got rid of Ed Phillips and Shane Savage so we could get James Frawley and Shaun McKernan.

Ed Phillips ?
Was he as good as DMac, prior to the latter’s surprising little sparkle at the end? Didn’t watch much then, but I didnt think Ed excited the fans much.
Frawley was a romantic choice I guess…and a bust.