Preview 2024 National Draft Preview Thread

[The Talent Scout]

Not really a fan of taking Hotton with an ACL in the 1st round. Too big a risk imo.

I can see what you mean chubbs but believe me he a very good young player. I feel the only way we would get him is if we were able to split our pick, other than that because of his ACL he might slide a few spots and I think we will pick one of the gun midfielders with pick 2/3. From what I'm hearing, we are looking at a few small forwards in the overage department so that's why this year is going to be , in a way, like that song, "The final countdown" I know we have some doom & gloom people on here but with what we have gone through its hard to be to critical of them.

Now I mentioned after that Fremantle game where for two to three quarters we played like Northball at a pace where they didn't know what the hell was going on and our youngsters couldn't maintain the effort and tired to let the dockers win a game they had no right to. After that I'm thinking, their confidence was shot and were hesitant in doing it again for risk of failing and that is where the real genius of Alastair Clarkson comes to the fore not only as a coach but a father figure as well.

Now at close to the end of the year and we have now seen several games where we should have won but didn't for many reasons. I did also say at the time remember this game {Fremantle} because when it starts, that was the beginning of it all. I also said you will see glimpses of what we are going to do to other teams and after the bye we got a few more glimpses and the boys to me are now getting the game plan, the confidence is off and on at the moment as you would expect but by next year.....

I like Taj and that is why splitting makes so much sense, we could get him if we wanted, just imagine picking the best key forward and one of Berry, Hotton or Reid as our small forward and all three in time could go into the midfield and be very damaging so to a point that nullifies getting a mid with our first pick, oh and guess what we just happened to get our young gun key forward as well!

 

[The Talent Scout]

Sucks that he has been playing ruck in the WAFL reserves. He’ll only make it as a key forward at AFL level. His stats suggest he has no worries finding the footy around the ground.

Remind you of anyone? Its frustrating to the point where you think there may be other motives at play.

 

[Shinboner1]

Gotta pick up some mature bodies this year.
No more young kids outside of our 1st or 2nd rounders.

 

[roos_fanatic08]

Gotta pick up some mature bodies this year.
No more young kids outside of our 1st or 2nd rounders.

I wouldn’t be against it but considering Clarko’s reluctance to play Greenwood it probably doesn’t align with the direction we are going.

In saying that if a really physical mature body, (say like, Dom Brew from Werribee) is our last rookie pick I’m not going to be unhappy about it.

 

[chubbspeterson]

I can see what you mean chubbs but believe me he a very good young player. I feel the only way we would get him is if we were able to split our pick, other than that because of his ACL he might slide a few spots and I think we will pick one of the gun midfielders with pick 2/3. From what I'm hearing, we are looking at a few small forwards in the overage department so that's why this year is going to be , in a way, like that song, "The final countdown" I know we have some doom & gloom people on here but with what we have gone through its hard to be to critical of them.

Now I mentioned after that Fremantle game where for two to three quarters we played like Northball at a pace where they didn't know what the hell was going on and our youngsters couldn't maintain the effort and tired to let the dockers win a game they had no right to. After that I'm thinking, their confidence was shot and were hesitant in doing it again for risk of failing and that is where the real genius of Alastair Clarkson comes to the fore not only as a coach but a father figure as well.

Now at close to the end of the year and we have now seen several games where we should have won but didn't for many reasons. I did also say at the time remember this game {Fremantle} because when it starts, that was the beginning of it all. I also said you will see glimpses of what we are going to do to other teams and after the bye we got a few more glimpses and the boys to me are now getting the game plan, the confidence is off and on at the moment as you would expect but by next year.....

I like Taj and that is why splitting makes so much sense, we could get him if we wanted, just imagine picking the best key forward and one of Berry, Hotton or Reid as our small forward and all three in time could go into the midfield and be very damaging so to a point that nullifies getting a mid with our first pick, oh and guess what we just happened to get our young gun key forward as well!

Splitting the pick or trading the F1 to get say Armstrong and Hotton/Berry/Reid I could live with if that's the call, but taking Hotton at pick 2/3 would be a massive risk given what happened with Brayden.

I don't think it's "go time" on trading high picks for mature players yet everybody else seems to want to do that.
I just still see a lot of work to do on the list balance and there's easily 5 players in that team on Saturday who may not be in the team in a few years time.

I think we still need two draft and trade periods to correct the balance and move on those who aren't quite up to it. There's also game time needed for players like Hardemann and Will Dawson and the growing pains of that development.
I wouldn't be targeting mature players with high picks until end of 2025 or 2026 as I don't see list as being quite ready to challenge for finals for 2 years but maybe we'll rise quicker largely on the back of the midfield group.
I guess the one thing on our side is that a lot of teams are carrying some average rated role players and deficiencies in their sides as well as we are, so perhaps I'm wrong and we're closer than what I believe.

It's certainly interesting we're talking to some overage small forwards. Does that mean we will draft other areas than small forward or do we only plan on taking River and a mature VFL player in the rookie?
I'd be wanting to take 4 ND picks in such a deep draft but the club might only want to take 3 of them.

 

[bengrina]

What are peoples thoughts on trading out next years first to get another top 5 pick this year? We need to leverage the risk of another poor year with a higher pick in for the future 1st. Say we win 8 games next year and look to trade a future 1st we wouldn't even get a top 10 pick. Risk vs reward ect

 

[FootySmartSimpson]

What are peoples thoughts on trading out next years first to get another top 5 pick this year? We need to leverage the risk of another poor year with a higher pick in for the future 1st. Say we win 8 games next year and look to trade a future 1st we wouldn't even get a top 10 pick. Risk vs reward ect

We have been fortunate to have so many highly rated kids come through at the same time. We are only now just on the bounce-back coming up the ladder. The improvement is small but it is there. We need 2024 and 2025 drafts to still pick up highly rated draftees while trading in solid role-players.

In saying this, we saw how trading out of the first round worked out in 2019 and what a boon it was for Melbourne (who were 3+ years ahead of where we are now). I say, go for it. If it helps bring in a small or tall forward, or a Travaglia who can release McKercher to the wing, go for it.

 

[Shermanator]

What are peoples thoughts on trading out next years first to get another top 5 pick this year? We need to leverage the risk of another poor year with a higher pick in for the future 1st. Say we win 8 games next year and look to trade a future 1st we wouldn't even get a top 10 pick. Risk vs reward ect

It will depend if Bull goes (and what level of compo we get), but if he stays I'm all for it for a couple of reasons;

1. The timing is perfect to add another group of elite talent so they grow with the current crop and hit their primes together.

2. Sounds like the Corruption Machine (AFL) are going to bring in trading/banking picks years in advance as soon as next year. So even though we'll lose a 2025 first rounder next year, we could potentially trade in someone else's 2026/27 first rounder if we identified a specific player in the future.

 

[noobermensch]

Much was expected of Day-Wicks entering 2024, but his season has been a mixed bag to this stage. He has bags of talent and x-factor, a powerful athlete and a great size for the medium forward or midfield roles, but he's mercurial and prone to patches in games where he disappears. A solid close to the season could see him fly up draft boards given his attributes.

This game was a bit of a mess given the rain bucketing down which turned the field into a mud heap, but Day-Wicks cut the game open at times. Unfortunately the classic Talent League "Technical Difficulties" lost us a chunk of the fourth quarter including one of his goals.

 

[lockheed]

Splitting the pick or trading the F1 to get say Armstrong and Hotton/Berry/Reid I could live with if that's the call, but taking Hotton at pick 2/3 would be a massive risk given what happened with Brayden.

I don't think it's "go time" on trading high picks for mature players yet everybody else seems to want to do that.
I just still see a lot of work to do on the list balance and there's easily 5 players in that team on Saturday who may not be in the team in a few years time.

I think we still need two draft and trade periods to correct the balance and move on those who aren't quite up to it. There's also game time needed for players like Hardemann and Will Dawson and the growing pains of that development.
I wouldn't be targeting mature players with high picks until end of 2025 or 2026 as I don't see list as being quite ready to challenge for finals for 2 years but maybe we'll rise quicker largely on the back of the midfield group.
I guess the one thing on our side is that a lot of teams are carrying some average rated role players and deficiencies in their sides as well as we are, so perhaps I'm wrong and we're closer than what I believe.

It's certainly interesting we're talking to some overage small forwards. Does that mean we will draft other areas than small forward or do we only plan on taking River and a mature VFL player in the rookie?
I'd be wanting to take 4 ND picks in such a deep draft but the club might only want to take 3 of them.

Everything you've said is reasonable, but, after the Geelong game, I'd be reluctant to trade our future first. My guess is that we'll win 6 to 8 games next year, which would probably get us something like pick 5, which hopefully would lead tto us getting a high quality player.

 

[My Left Foote]

Everything you've said is reasonable, but, after the Geelong game, I'd be reluctant to trade our future first. My guess is that we'll win 6 to 8 games next year, which would probably get us something like pick 5, which hopefully would lead tto us getting a high quality player.

I was slowly coming around to entertaining the trade F1 thinking, particularly after the Carlton game, but the Geelong game has really spooked me I'm not sure we're as advanced as we think we are.

 

[Lomas]

I was slowly coming around to entertaining the trade F1 thinking, particularly after the Carlton game, but the Geelong game has really spooked me I'm not sure we're as advanced as we think we are.

It comes down to what the AFL is going to do about future pick trading and academy/FS picks. If they bring in multiple years future picks everyone gets a free hit to some extent, so our pick becomes less valuable but we will have more flexibility to reposition ourselves if things go worse than expected.
That being said, the more reluctant we are to trade it makes it more valuable as others would likely have the same doubts about what progress we will make next year.
Then not knowing if first round picks are more valuable next year due to changes to bid matching, such as making it a pick in the same round, makes it almost impossible to calculate.

 

[The Dingrel]

I can see what you mean chubbs but believe me he a very good young player. I feel the only way we would get him is if we were able to split our pick, other than that because of his ACL he might slide a few spots and I think we will pick one of the gun midfielders with pick 2/3. From what I'm hearing, we are looking at a few small forwards in the overage department so that's why this year is going to be , in a way, like that song, "The final countdown" I know we have some doom & gloom people on here but with what we have gone through its hard to be to critical of them.

Now I mentioned after that Fremantle game where for two to three quarters we played like Northball at a pace where they didn't know what the hell was going on and our youngsters couldn't maintain the effort and tired to let the dockers win a game they had no right to. After that I'm thinking, their confidence was shot and were hesitant in doing it again for risk of failing and that is where the real genius of Alastair Clarkson comes to the fore not only as a coach but a father figure as well.

Now at close to the end of the year and we have now seen several games where we should have won but didn't for many reasons. I did also say at the time remember this game {Fremantle} because when it starts, that was the beginning of it all. I also said you will see glimpses of what we are going to do to other teams and after the bye we got a few more glimpses and the boys to me are now getting the game plan, the confidence is off and on at the moment as you would expect but by next year.....

I like Taj and that is why splitting makes so much sense, we could get him if we wanted, just imagine picking the best key forward and one of Berry, Hotton or Reid as our small forward and all three in time could go into the midfield and be very damaging so to a point that nullifies getting a mid with our first pick, oh and guess what we just happened to get our young gun key forward as well!

Many reasons? nah!!! It was the f#@kin' umpires!

 

[giantroo]

 

[noobermensch]

Lindsay was as impressive as always in difficult conditions, winning plenty of the ball and battling to hit targets through the tricky wind. Swimming the channel, climbing mount Everest, and kicking goals into the wind at Williamstown oval... these are some of the toughest challenges known to mankind, but Xavier and his Gippsland teammates made it look easy in the fourth quarter as they pulled away to record an impressive win.

 

[Sillygit]

I was slowly coming around to entertaining the trade F1 thinking, particularly after the Carlton game, but the Geelong game has really spooked me I'm not sure we're as advanced as we think we are.

Dont trade the future first until you're out of the bottom four. Need to be a kings ransom to change my perspective of that, and i dont see any this year.

 

[chubbspeterson]

Everything you've said is reasonable, but, after the Geelong game, I'd be reluctant to trade our future first. My guess is that we'll win 6 to 8 games next year, which would probably get us something like pick 5, which hopefully would lead tto us getting a high quality player.

That's more than a fair position, that was my position last year with trading the F1 for Curtin.
I do see us being bottom six with 6-10 wins so it's a risk but it depends what picks you get in return for the F1 and we're banking on a team wanting to trade out like GC or Freo, so it may not even happen.

I'd only consider it this year because of the quality and variety of the top 16. We can always try get back into the first round next year. It might mean giving up a Ludowyke, Sharp or Duursma next year though. Only the recruiters will know how the talent in this draft compares to next year's and there can always be some bolters that rise up the boards.

 

[ohmygewd]

Can l get a few things confirmed or not:
End of 3rd round pick will be the last pick with value?
The new NGA bidding rules coming in the draft correct?
Are discounts being phased out?
Is the DVI changing in this draft or next year?

 

[roos_fanatic08]

Lindsay was as impressive as always in difficult conditions, winning plenty of the ball and battling to hit targets through the tricky wind. Swimming the channel, climbing mount Everest, and kicking goals into the wind at Williamstown oval... these are some of the toughest challenges known to mankind, but Xavier and his Gippsland teammates made it look easy in the fourth quarter as they pulled away to record an impressive win.

He’d have to be if not the best kick then top 3 in this draft.

Speaking of which who do you think are the best and or most reliable kicks in this draft class?

On a side not whoever decided to build that oval at Williamstown must’ve been a real nut job. Terrible place to watch footy, even worse place to play the game.

 

[noobermensch]

He’d have to be if not the best kick then top 3 in this draft.

Speaking of which who do you think are the best and or most reliable kicks in this draft class?

On a side not whoever decided to build that oval at Williamstown must’ve been a real nut job. Terrible place to watch footy, even worse place to play the game.

Yep, on the one hand playing there is a real test of a kids fortitude and ability to handle tough conditions. On the other hand, its almost the only thing you can get out of those games because the conditions make it nearly impossible to play actual football.

I think three of the potentially "best" kicks in the draft are super unreliable right now. Smillie, Langford and Gerreyn all pass the eye test in spades. They have lovely fluid kicking strokes, they punch through the ball and get penetration. All three can get distance without looking like they're forcing it and losing technique.

But the problem is that they all get lazy, and miss kicks they have no business missing. All three end up with a lower disposal efficiency than you would expect.

I agree with you that Lindsay is one of the most reliable field kicks in the pool. Armstrong and Berry look to be the best set shot kicks.

Overall I think FOS is just class, has vision and technique, lovely timing off the boot and can make a footy talk. He's probably my number 1 for best kick.

 

[andana]

Small forward anyone?

Robert Warrell | WAFL

wafl.com.au

 

[My Left Foote]

Small forward anyone?

Robert Warrell | WAFL

wafl.com.au

Crazy stats, averages 6 disposals, 6 marks and 6 goals a game, 666 The Number of the Small Forward.

 

[Fish Sticks]

I expect we will see more live trading in the first 2 rounds than we ever have before.
With how even the draft is at the top, I would imagine every clubs draft boards will look different.
It will certainly make for an interesting trade night. Hopefully we can fleece someone desperate to get our pick/s

 

[Duck_18_]

Where does Jobe Shanahan sit on your mock drafts??

Quite a resilient lad as he was our next door neighbour and my son used to smash him in drive way basketball!

 

[Hojuman]

Crazy stats, averages 6 disposals, 6 marks and 6 goals a game, 666 The Number of the Small Forward.
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