Resource 2024 Draftee Highlights

[Keys]

Courtesy of the great work noobermensch in the Contract/Trade/Draft thread providing video breakdowns of potential 2024 draftees I’ve started this thread to warehouse copies of those videos (and any others that might get posted)

Those videos will remain in the contract thread so they can be discussed but I will copy them into this locked thread so over time they can be found without wading through hundreds of posts

 

[noobermensch]

Finn just can't quite get it going this year and remains a shadow of the player we saw tearing up the Talent League at times last season. We get glimpses of his immense talent, but he flits in and out of games, threatening to take over but never quite managing to do it. Fortunately for him and for us his Chargers team has improved dramatically in the back half of the year got up here in a tight game to progress to the next round of the finals so he'll get another chance to show what he can do.

 

[noobermensch]

Apologies for the absence yesterday, I have another project taking priority but back tomorrow with a full slate of vids and plenty to catch up on from last weekend.

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For any other player this would be worthy of a "Dominant Performance" tag, but for Jagga it was just a good solid outing. One point that I think needs to be emphasised here is that earlier in the year I and other draft watchers had two criticisms of Jagga's play. One, that he didn't apply as much defensive pressure as you would like to see from an inside mid. And two, that he sometimes lacked hurt factor with his possessions and would take the less damaging but safer option instead of going direct. In recent weeks it appears that he's taken this on board (perhaps his coaches were also giving him the same feedback) as the defensive side of his game in particular has improved dramatically. Not to mention he's now using his pace to break clear with attacking forward runs, and biting off much more attacking options by foot. He's even started to hit the scoreboard more frequently. There's very little left in his game to criticise any more.

 

[noobermensch]

In this game Bo Allan was given a chance to play as one of Peel's primary onballers on the big stage of a prelim final. It wasn't a prolific game for Bo, but he acquitted himself well and put together a few exiting passages of play to tease watchers with his immense potential. The defensive side of the game is where Allan is most accomplished and impactful at this stage, and where he's likely to immediately contribute most strongly at AFL level. His athleticism and physicality allow him to close space rapidly and lay powerful tackles, and he's diligent when playing the sweeping role on the defensive side of the contest. The moments when he tucks the ball under his arm and bursts free of congestion before roosting a deep and penetrating left foot ball into the forward 50 are what get's everyone excited for what he might be capable of in the future.

 

[noobermensch]

This was a definite step up for Finn compared to his disappointing outing last week, much more influential and involved with the play, but unfortunately his Chargers went down to the Rebels, ending his season. The Chargers only have themselves to blame for this loss, squandering countless opportunities, both from relatively easy goal scoring opportunities and some awful final balls into F50 with Finn himself responsible for a couple. With the game on the line he took a brilliant mark deep in the forward pocket, but hit the wrong side of the footy on his attempted banana which proved to be the Chargers final chance to retake the lead.

 

[noobermensch]

The 21st and last video for Jagga Smith who's carried this channel for much of the year while other top prospects have been injured or playing school footy. He ends the season as he's played most of it, with elite consistency across four quarters punctuated with moments of brilliance. Whichever team pulls the trigger on Jagga up near the pointy end of the draft order will not regret their choice.

 

[noobermensch]

Bo Allan helped Peel Thunder to a WAFL flag to sign off his season in style. Playing mostly through the middle and rocking the frosted tips, Allan was a big part of a relentless, swarming defensive effort from Peel, ending the game with 6 tackles to his name. He wasn't as prolific at finding the footy, especially outside the contest, which has been the one question mark hovering over his senior WAFL performances for Peel. Recruiters will be grappling with whether they believe he has the natural footy IQ needed to pair with his elite physical attributes in order to develop into a dominant midfielder in time.

 

[noobermensch]

Prior to yesterday's AFL grand final we got a glimpse at next years draft crop strutting their stuff on the hallowed turf of the MCG. While others performed better on the day, Dyson Sharp remains the one to watch and early favourite to be the number 1 pick in 2025 with his physical approach, poise with ball in hand and maturity beyond his years.

 

[noobermensch]

Fred Rodriguez was super impressive as a bottom ager for WA at this years champs, and showed more of the same in the futures game. Super clean at ground level and damaging with his disposals combining dash, elite decision making and solid ball skills to slice through the opposition.

 

[noobermensch]

A fascinating prospect for 2025, likely to fall somewhere towards the pointy end of the draft. The question to be answered is where his best position will end up being, and this game didn't get us any closer to an answer. Starting off playing as a key defender, he moved up the ground in the second half to play as a midfielder and looked more assured in there having a greater influence on the game with his size, movement and penetrating boot.

 

[noobermensch]

Played this season as Josh Smillie's understudy at Eastern, as a similar type of big and skillful midfielder, but appears more than ready to step up and show that he's an elite draft prospect in his own right. Racked up a ton of the footy even in the shortened quarters, and impressed with his balance, composure and fantastic movement for a guy with such a large frame.

 

[noobermensch]

Cody shapes as the number 1 key defender prospect in the pool entering 2025, although he's also played forward to great effect at Colts level this season. He's much stronger overhead than his brother Dan and looks a more intense competitor, similarly solid disposal skills but perhaps little less clean with the ground ball.

 

[noobermensch]

We take a break from the Futures game to take a look at a kid that was bafflingly overlooked for it. Swadling is up there with Rodriguez as my two early favourites from the 2025 WA crop. He shares a lot of similarities with Zane Duursma as a medium sized forward who impacts in the air and on the ground with a ton of class, able to create moments of magic with the footy.

 

[noobermensch]

While working through performances from this years Futures game, it was pointed out to me that I hadn't done any of the 2023 Futures game featuring the 2024 draft crop.

Finn turned in an excellent performance in this game back in 2023, making draft watchers all the more excited about what we might see from him in 2024. He showed his elite evasive skills, athletic traits and sticky hands, as well as his penetrating disposal by foot.

 

[noobermensch]

In last year's Futures game, Xavier Lindsay showed us a glimpse of what he might be capable of as a rebounding defender. Tough in contested situations and elite with his disposal off half back, taking on creative and difficult options and executing with ease. One of the best performed players on the day.

 

[noobermensch]

Jagga showed his versatility in this game, spending a lot of time in the forward line and using his elite IQ and movement to find space. His disposal by foot was mostly on point, setting up his teammates inside 50 on a number of occasions.

 

[noobermensch]

A strong performance from Sam Lalor who like many others was forced to embrace a change in role for the balance of his team. He played the first half in defense and looked comfortable back there, able to use his physicality to out muscle opponents and picking his moments to leave his opponent and attack the game. In the second half he played his more customary midfield role, dominating at stoppage with his tough tackling and winning four clearances for the half.

 

[noobermensch]

Sid found plenty of the footy and showcased his elite bust of pace and agility to dodge and weave around tacklers. He was typically fearless in his attack on the game, using his teammates for one two's and linking run to break through defensive lines.

 

[noobermensch]

Will Hayes

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is an intriguing talent who hasn't always found consistent form this year but has more than enough about him to have clubs interested come the November draft. This was one of his best performances for the season showing his lovely turn of pace, agility to dodge and weave around opponents, strong disposal skills and the moxie to take the game on with attacking and decisive play.

 

[noobermensch]

Another one of the plethora of small forward prospects in the deeper end of this years draft pool, Angove is light on his feet, quick and agile with the ability to produce moments of magic in the forward 50. His footy IQ is very good, allowing him to run patterns up to the wing and back into the forward 50 while staying involved in the play and finding the ball. He's rarely caught flat footed, and has the ability to gather the footy cleanly at pace.