2024 Draft Thread.

[jimmytigs]

just when i thought things couldnt get any worse i see richmond are likely to get end of first round compo for graham,the total spud is never on the park,if battle only gets us band 2 that will add even more insult to injury watching the termites get a pick for graham before us,i mean rioli baker bolton lynch i wouldnt mind,but graham=geez

 

[botts]

just when i thought things couldnt get any worse i see richmond are likely to get end of first round compo for graham,the total spud is never on the park,if battle only gets us band 2 that will add even more insult to injury watching the termites get a pick for graham before us,i mean rioli baker bolton lynch i wouldnt mind,but graham=geez

They won’t get that for graham. It will be second round compo. He’s old and his contract won’t be that much

 

[Joffaboy]

Henry will play a lot more through the midfield in future too.

Smilie & Scud doing the heavy lifting, Windy & Hugo for burst, Henry to put on the afterburners... we just need some silk to finish off their work.

Reid seems to be one of the best options who might still be available.

Winning the ball at clearances are our biggest Achilles heel in the mids. Not comparing but Bont and Cripps are not quick, they rely on the outside mids and half back flankers to run the ball.
We have Sinclair, Hill or Byrnes hbf, Wood and Henry wing half forward,Windy Hugo Jones as outside mids, Steele, Clark, Smillie inside, and Reid as the Pendles type.
There you go, I have equated Smillie and Reid to Bont Cripps and Pendles.
Go your hardest haters

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[SteeleSaints]

No one in their right mind is passing on Trainor to reach for a mid they might rate 10 places below him on talent. We need mids and yes we’ve needed them for years but we have other needs as well. With back to back picks it will all depend on who we rate and who’s there. Surely we’re a near certainty to take a mid with pick seven after that I’m not so sure.

We have a trade period to get through first, what if we managed to get Peatling and McRae. If Trainor was still on the board are you going to pass on him ?.

A lot of what we do at the draft will be dictated by the trade period, but that doesnt preclude our need to find A grade midfielders as a priority. As a result I doubt we will be trading in two experienced mids eg Peatling & McRae it will be just one. We can also expect Tomlinson and possibly a ruck Soldo as you suggested we have other list needs. It will be a huge ask to find the draft capital to get all the trades done unless others leave eg Membrey, Clark etc.

I have to ask where did the 'reaching for mids' statement come from? If you have seen enough of the prospective mids play, we wont be reaching thats an over reaction. If we trade in players like the above we could look at splitting pick #8 and taking two quality players eg Taj Hotton & Noah Mraz. Trainor would be a sound pick but so would a number of other key defenders and the same could be said of the midfielders after the top 4 or 5, given the eveness of the draft.

Derek Hine said yesterday the top 30 of the draft is exceptional and very even, meaning its subjective to suggest a top #8 player is that much better than a player taken at #15 or #25. If we are to look at a key position player that early why not take Harry Armstrong or Jobe Shanahan. It will simply come down to how our club rate the draft and lets hope they arent that much different to others.

Perhaps we do take Trainor that would be reasonable after losing Battle, but its ridiuclous to believe we will be reaching if we do chose to take two mids back to back.

 

[Jade Buddha]

I can only see 1 or 2 at most going from our list. 8 out max, 6 already gone. We won’t draft more than 4 or 5. So that would leave 3 or 4 to trade in which seems like a lot.

 

[Half Back Pocket]

I’d still like to use 25 and F1st to get 15 & 16 (or similar)…grab Dodson and Hynes.

7 & 8 and these 2…job done

 

[Yawkey way]

A lot of what we do at the draft will be dictated by the trade period, but that doesnt preclude our need to find A grade midfielders as a priority. As a result I doubt we will be trading in two experienced mids eg Peatling & McRae it will be just one. We can also expect Tomlinson and possibly a ruck Soldo as you suggested we have other list needs. It will be a huge ask to find the draft capital to get all the trades done unless others leave eg Membrey, Clark etc.

I have to ask where did the 'reaching for mids' statement come from? If you have seen enough of the prospective mids play, we wont be reaching thats an over reaction. If we trade in players like the above we could look at splitting pick #8 and taking two quality players eg Taj Hotton & Noah Mraz. Trainor would be a sound pick but so would a number of other key defenders and the same could be said of the midfielders after the top 4 or 5, given the eveness of the draft.

Derek Hine said yesterday the top 30 of the draft is exceptional and very even, meaning its subjective to suggest a top #8 player is that much better than a player taken at #15 or #25. If we are to look at a key position player that early why not take Harry Armstrong or Jobe Shanahan. It will simply come down to how our club rate the draft and lets hope they arent that much different to others.

Perhaps we do take Trainor that would be reasonable after losing Battle, but its ridiuclous to believe we will be reaching if we do chose to take two mids back to back.

Everyone will have their own opinions on who they want and that’s just fine but you don’t pass over a player that you might rate top 4 to draft a player you might rate 14 just because they happen to be a mid. You and I have no idea how st Kilda rate the top 10 let alone the top 20 and so on, it’s a hypothetical.

There are a lot of players you could make a case for in this draft, I watched the championship games as I usually do but have seen little of any of these kids live. Highlights packages are as good as useless, if you can’t find 4 minutes of good work over a season then . I’m a big fan of kids with all the tools, glaring deficiencies like kicking are a massive red flag for me.

Anyway our drafting has been good the last few years if we can do as well with our first two picks this year it’s going to be a very exciting time to follow the saints. If Hastie, Shoenmaker, Keller, Garcia and Collard all make it then look out here we come.

 

[Mighty_sainter]

If one were to slide I think it would be Langford. Especially after he tests. Cals been on record saying some clubs love him and some clubs view him as a dime a dozen midfielder. If the clubs infront of us don’t really rate him and he tests poorly I could see him out of all the above slide to us.

 

[Joffaboy]

Everyone will have their own opinions on who they want and that’s just fine but you don’t pass over a player that you might rate top 4 to draft a player you might rate 14 just because they happen to be a mid. You and I have no idea how st Kilda rate the top 10 let alone the top 20 and so on, it’s a hypothetical.

There are a lot of players you could make a case for in this draft, I watched the championship games as I usually do but have seen little of any of these kids live. Highlights packages are as good as useless, if you can’t find 4 minutes of good work over a season then . I’m a big fan of kids with all the tools, glaring deficiencies like kicking are a massive red flag for me.

Anyway our drafting has been good the last few years if we can do as well with our first two picks this year it’s going to be a very exciting time to follow the saints. If Hastie, Shoenmaker, Keller, Garcia and Collard all make it then look out here we come.

They will have their list in order of need.

They will strike off players as each one is selected.
So if Trainor is in their top 7 and available he would likely be taken, unless there are others not taken higher than him, then they would get selected.


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[gringo2011]

To be fair Al you think everyone lacks speed . He looks like he moves extremely well to me. If we did happen to finish with 3 picks in the top 20 then he would be a good pairing with, say, a Lalor or Langford at 7, and a Hines/Gross pick very late first round. As a winger, he’s probably not a need, so it would depend if he could play a mix in the midfield as well.

It’s an interesting conversation as to what types we actually need. Akifu reckons we need more speed on the ball. Others an inside extractor bull. Others a class first receiver and some want Trainor. Someone needs to do spread sheet with types and how many we can play in one side ranked by quality and potential.

Part of drafting is planning for what the side looks like in 5 years, not right now as well.

 

[Mighty_sainter]

They will have their list in order of need.

They will strike off players as each one is selected.
So if Trainor is in their top 7 and available he would likely be taken, unless there are others not taken higher than him, then they would get selected.


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Ross has come out and said it’s a heavy midfield top end and wel stock up in that area. If we took trainor after those comments when all year he’s banged on about our lack of midfield I’ll be seriously suprised. We’re in a spot with our pick wel get atleast one of the elite midfielders. Some fit better than others but all are very talented in different aspects. If we have two picks I wouldn’t be suprised if Lindsay is the other one. (Unless Armstrong or trainor go above us and one of the big midfielders slide)

 

[Train12]

I would take Smillie and Reid. I am not as concerned with speed in the mids as others. Win the ball and our outside players are quick.
We score better from any team from the back half, our wingers hbf's and forwards are quick, Jones, Garcia are quick mids, Reid is not slow.
I think it is overblown in my opinion.

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This!! If we got Smilie and Reid I’d be stoked!!
Both look like jets and would set us up for next decade!

 

[Yawkey way]

They will have their list in order of need.

They will strike off players as each one is selected.
So if Trainor is in their top 7 and available he would likely be taken, unless there are others not taken higher than him, then they would get selected.


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Need is absolutely a factor when clubs set up their rankings but it’s not a mid or bust situation. I don’t think anyone is locked in at this stage with some luck a few will come with a bullet and give us more choices on our board at 7/8. We’d have to be stiff to watch our top six all go before our pick, one or two are a good chance to be there.

 

[SteeleSaints]

Need is absolutely a factor when clubs set up their rankings but it’s not a mid or bust situation. I don’t think anyone is locked in at this stage with some luck a few will come with a bullet and give us more choices on our board at 7/8. We’d have to be stiff to watch our top six all go before our pick, one or two are a good chance to be there.

You are being melodramatic, no one has suggested its a mid or bust. My arguement is HOW OFTEN do we get two early picks in a really strong draft. Midfielders win games/finals and premierships we simply need to find elite mids. Regardless of whom we trade in they will not be elite mids just foot soldiers. Teams have proven they can have sucessful seasons with patched up defences, they dont acheive that with rubbish midfields. Surely our midfield efforts this year are enough evidence of the above.

Its an opinion based industry even between the List Managers/Recruiters. Time will tell who gets it right - but in my opinion we can get a key defender later in the draft OFarrell, Mraz, Matt Whitlock, Tauru, Barratt there are plenty. We may also later want to take a ruckman like Dodson or a key forward Jack Whitlock/Simms just because Trainor is high on phantom drafts doesnt mean our club rate him or be mad to over look him. It could be all moot if he is rated as high as you suggest he will get taken before our pick.

A case in point is Oakleigh Chargers season they finished last on the ladder, simply because the lost players like Jagga Smith, Finn O'Sullivan, Gross & Cochrane all midfielders for large chunks of the season to state and VFL games. As soon as they returned they have been able to knock off the top teams and look like finalists.

 

[Minga]

Smillie, hmmm

I know SFA about the draft but he seems a high risk high reward type. Wouldn’t be my first choice but if he’s around the mark and we have an extra pick then why not - could be a slider, or could go pick 1.

Out of the clips I’ve seen so far I have the least confidence in him not being a bust.

On the other hand, could be an X Factor star player for us. Between him and Owens we would have a couple of very powerful mid-forwards.

Think we need a foil to Phillipou (who’s tracking to be a Bont-esque type of midfielder), someone explosive. Lalor? I’d be happy with Langford and Reid too even though they seem to have less pace.

In fact honestly, just take best available, I’m just hoping, really hoping, that we get a strong core of very plausible young midfielders to join Pou & Garcia.

Windy/Wilson/Owens/Nas can all play different roles, and run through the middle, but I want a real core engine room going through there.

Going to such an interesting draft, even just to see where the club’s mindset is at

 

[gringo2011]

Everyone will have their own opinions on who they want and that’s just fine but you don’t pass over a player that you might rate top 4 to draft a player you might rate 14 just because they happen to be a mid. You and I have no idea how st Kilda rate the top 10 let alone the top 20 and so on, it’s a hypothetical.

There are a lot of players you could make a case for in this draft, I watched the championship games as I usually do but have seen little of any of these kids live. Highlights packages are as good as useless, if you can’t find 4 minutes of good work over a season then . I’m a big fan of kids with all the tools, glaring deficiencies like kicking are a massive red flag for me.

Anyway our drafting has been good the last few years if we can do as well with our first two picks this year it’s going to be a very exciting time to follow the saints. If Hastie, Shoenmaker, Keller, Garcia and Collard all make it then look out here we come.

Hopefully our internal talent identification is better. Knowing who to pump five years into and who to cut is where clubs like Geelong and Collingwood excel.

If they feel confident that Garcia and Phillipou are going to play 100 plus games as a grade mids it really changes the draft plan. Windhager is still tracking very well too.

Steele, Clark, Dow and Jones could still play better more consistent footy with less injury and Henry can go on ball. We don’t need bulk mids we need injury luck and smart planning around structure. Then try to find an absolute elite on ball player.

 

[gringo2011]

You are being melodramatic, no one has suggested its a mid or bust. My arguement is HOW OFTEN do we get two early picks in a really strong draft. Midfielders win games/finals and premierships we simply need to find elite mids. Regardless of whom we trade in they will not be elite mids just foot soldiers. Teams have proven they can have sucessful seasons with patched up defences, they dont acheive that with rubbish midfields. Surely our midfield efforts this year are enough evidence of the above.

Its an opinion based industry even between the List Managers/Recruiters. Time will tell who gets it right - but in my opinion we can get a key defender later in the draft OFarrell, Mraz, Matt Whitlock, Tauru, Barratt there are plenty. We may also later want to take a ruckman like Dodson or a key forward Jack Whitlock/Simms just because Trainor is high on phantom drafts doesnt mean our club rate him or be mad to over look him. It could be all moot if he is rated as high as you suggest he will get taken before our pick.

For me taking Trainor at #8 is just replacing Battle and wont improve our onfield performances moving forward. He is 194cms tall and plays more like an intercepting flanker than a key defender which is very similiar to Battle, he wont be able to take the bigger talls if required.

A case in point is Oakleigh Chargers season they finished last on the ladder, simply because the lost players like Jagga Smith, Finn O'Sullivan, Gross & Cochrane all midfielders for large chunks of the season to state and VFL games. As soon as they returned they have been able to knock off the top teams and look like finalists.

Ward and Hobbs were high pick inside mids. Neither can break into a spot because others have the spots taken. You can really only play 2 at any one time of the pure one position inside guys. One really needs a POD too. Ross Lyon really doesn’t seem to like to carry any ideally in his set ups. If you can’t run to help defend or spread to receive the ball you are marked down.

Paddy Dow was the same at Carlton. Others held out his spot. We really need a bit of a structural plan for 4 years down the track.

 

[Joffaboy]

Hopefully our internal talent identification is better. Knowing who to pump five years into and who to cut is where clubs like Geelong and Collingwood excel.

If they feel confident that Garcia and Phillipou are going to play 100 plus games as a grade mids it really changes the draft plan. Windhager is still tracking very well too.

Steele, Clark, Dow and Jones could still play better more consistent footy with less injury and Henry can go on ball. We don’t need bulk mids we need injury luck and smart planning around structure. Then try to find an absolute elite on ball player.

We have lost Ross and Crouch and soon lose Steele and Jones. Three out of four are inside mids.
If you want to look 4 years down the track, our inside mids will be bare. We have this and next draft to replenish.

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[SaintsSeptember]

It’s an interesting conversation as to what types we actually need. Akifu reckons we need more speed on the ball. Others an inside extractor bull. Others a class first receiver and some want Trainor. Someone needs to do spread sheet with types and how many we can play in one side ranked by quality and potential.

Part of drafting is planning for what the side looks like in 5 years, not right now as well.

I think we missed crouch more than Henry.

 

[True Believer]

I think we missed crouch more than Henry.

Correct. Couch was our most prolific "first use" ball winner in the previous two seasons. Our midfield can be made to look passable at times, but a lot of hard work is undone when an A grade opposition midfield goes on the tear, and wins six straight centre clearances, exiting through the front of the stoppage and putting it lace out on the chest of one of their leading key forwards. Happened to us a number of times this year, and in 10 minutes a hard-won 4 goal lead goes up in smoke.

The other aspect that would change for us is the scoreboard pressure we can apply. We played really well at times this year, early in games, for very limited scoreboard reward. Why, because after slogging our guts out for a goal, the opposition would effortlessly sweep it away from a centre bounce and kick a goal, and immediately negate our advantage.

Two top quality, long term mids changes the dynamic of our team. We currently work around our midfield shortcomings, would be great to be able to work through our midfield strengths.

 

[SteeleSaints]

Ward and Hobbs were high pick inside mids. Neither can break into a spot because others have the spots taken. You can really only play 2 at any one time of the pure one position inside guys. One really needs a POD too. Ross Lyon really doesn’t seem to like to carry any ideally in his set ups. If you can’t run to help defend or spread to receive the ball you are marked down.

Paddy Dow was the same at Carlton. Others held out his spot. We really need a bit of a structural plan for 4 years down the track.

Dont you think the mids available this year will be better than Ward or Hobbs? Everyone agrees we need to find or develop elite midfielders if we are serious about winning the big dance.

I guess it comes down to how the club assess the current list and whether they believe there is a strong chance Phillipou, Windhager, Garcia, become our go to A grade midfielders. If they do there is a chance they will take a key positional player with pick #8, Trainor would become the obvious option. Another possibility would be to take another key forward eg Harry Armstrong or Jobe Shanahan and take a key defender later in the draft. Natural tall goal kicking forwards are generally harder to find than key defenders.

Shanahan has also played at CHB and done really well, plus I am in the camp who think Caminiti would become an outstanding CHB if given the chance. Again if we dont have other tall options forward then we leave Caminiti there. At this stage Jack Hayes is still on the list and I have always thought he would be another versatile key defender option.

Trainor has the potential to become our No 1 key defender, I would be happy to take him if the club see that as a need. If we pick up Tomlinson or Laverde, perhaps the call of taking Trainor early is less likely. Plus its possible the club believe they have their next CHB already on the list in Shoenmakers and full back in Cole.

Plenty of teams had highly rated tall defenders this year and didnt make a dent on the competition, its the elite midfielders that make a difference. Again if the club have LDU committed as a FA next year our needs alter, but the chances of that are slim given our history with top end free agents. Its all specualtion but Im pretty confident we will be able to fill the Battle role, the bigger question is where do our ELITE midfielders come from?

 

[MOLTEN GANGLANDS]

youtube algorithm



he's a monster, flinging people aside with a swipe of his paw. He will be a clearance beast ala crips, possibly our clearance beast

Did seem to get a bit gassed by the end after bench pressing the lions for 3 quarters

with one or more of smillie, trainor, or langford sliding we're in a great spot

 

[BrutThough]

They won’t get that for graham. It will be second round compo. He’s old and his contract won’t be that much

Ridiculous part of the compo that would be two picks later ours if we dont get band 1.

 

[beside the seaside]

youtube algorithm



he's a monster, flinging people aside with a swipe of his paw. He will be a clearance beast ala crips, possibly our clearance beast

Did seem to get a bit gassed by the end after bench pressing the lions for 3 quarters

with one or more of smillie, trainor, or langford sliding we're in a great spot

WANT

 

[Yawkey way]

You are being melodramatic, no one has suggested its a mid or bust. My arguement is HOW OFTEN do we get two early picks in a really strong draft. Midfielders win games/finals and premierships we simply need to find elite mids. Regardless of whom we trade in they will not be elite mids just foot soldiers. Teams have proven they can have sucessful seasons with patched up defences, they dont acheive that with rubbish midfields. Surely our midfield efforts this year are enough evidence of the above.

Its an opinion based industry even between the List Managers/Recruiters. Time will tell who gets it right - but in my opinion we can get a key defender later in the draft OFarrell, Mraz, Matt Whitlock, Tauru, Barratt there are plenty. We may also later want to take a ruckman like Dodson or a key forward Jack Whitlock/Simms just because Trainor is high on phantom drafts doesnt mean our club rate him or be mad to over look him. It could be all moot if he is rated as high as you suggest he will get taken before our pick.

For me taking Trainor at #8 is just replacing Battle and wont improve our onfield performances moving forward. He is 194cms tall and plays more like an intercepting flanker than a key defender which is very similiar to Battle, he wont be able to take the bigger talls if required.

A case in point is Oakleigh Chargers season they finished last on the ladder, simply because the lost players like Jagga Smith, Finn O'Sullivan, Gross & Cochrane all midfielders for large chunks of the season to state and VFL games. As soon as they returned they have been able to knock off the top teams and look like finalists.

High in the draft is where you’re most likely to find the gun mids that much is obvious. You seem to think I’m advocating drafting Trainor specifically, he’s simply an example of a highly rated guy who’s not a mid. You seem hot under the collar about nothing. You’d like two mids yeah I’ve got that I’m advocating picking the two best players available on our list. A list which obviously will include need, need that will take into consideration current and future needs and will no doubt factor in any trades.

Anyway I’m not calling out names on draft night and neither are you, which is probably a good thing as I wasn’t that high on wang for example.