Preview 2024 National Draft Preview Thread

[Event Horizon]

Comben HAD played as a defender in his younger years and shown to be a promising one, he had shown plenty of the attributes required for that role.

A lot of his limitations as a key forward were ones that wouldn't be as exposed behind the ball also.

I have seen Dawson enough as a forward to know it will never work to the level we want at AFL level in the future outside of a very average "tall" lump sitting in the forward line like Josh Schache is.


I don't really see the comparisons with Comben, in fact they were the oppposite.

Comben was a B-B+ forward prospect that was a ? Defensive prospect. In fact he may have also been considered a B prospect in the ruck as he played a lot of good football there as a mobile ruck/forward at underage level. Again something that will never be tested

He has proven to be an A+ defensive prospect.


Dawson shows natural ability at CHB. He reads the ball fantastically behind the ball, he's aggressive, he is an excellent intercept mark when behind the ball (this is nothing like the ability to be a good mark as a CHF. Comben is the absolute personification of this point) and he's a great size and can spoil.

He's an A grade defensive prospect and one of the better ones u/21 in the entire league.

He's a D grade forward prospect. He has no leg speed for separation, he likes to body on body defensively, which he can't do as a forward, as he likes to occupy the rear spot and work forward and behind. He liked to push his opponent under the ball as a defender, which he can't do as a forward.

He's not a good mark on the lead and isn't a good mark with a defender all over him.


I know this will never work and we are hamstringing ourselves doing it when we have a 10+ year partner for Charlie just sitting there.

You obviously have more knowledge here than I do, which is why I am not really arguing the point - merely asking questions. If Dawson is indeed a potential A grade CHB and a D grade forward, then you would hope the likes of Barlow and Lynch, as well as Adcock would see that as well, and the experiment will be very short lived.

The other issue obviously is the fact we simply don't have a quality key forward on our list currently, and if we draft one this year, it would take a couple of years to develop him, whereas Dawson already has the body which could be AFL ready next season. And I don't see any realistic way way we can trade someone of quality in

 

[noobermensch]

Harvey Langford took home the Larke medal for the best player across the 2024 Champs series and its not hard to see why. This wasn't his most prolific statistical performance, but he stood up in the big moments and lead his team. Powerful at the contest with his big 190cm frame, excellent overhead and with a booming left foot kick, Langford is putting up a serious case to be considered with a top 10 pick in November.

 

[Sphynx]

You obviously have more knowledge here than I do, which is why I am not really arguing the point - merely asking questions. If Dawson is indeed a potential A grade CHB and a D grade forward, then you would hope the likes of Barlow and Lynch, as well as Adcock would see that as well, and the experiment will be very short lived.

The other issue obviously is the fact we simply don't have a quality key forward on our list currently, and if we draft one this year, it would take a couple of years to develop him, whereas Dawson already has the body which could be AFL ready next season. And I don't see any realistic way way we can trade someone of quality in

It just seems incredibly short sighted imo.

If the club wanted a KPF they should have drafted someone like Logan Morris last year.

This may be a knock on effect regarding Comben and his success catching the list management team off guard.

However, Aiden Corr turns 31 in May.

Logue may not be back this season the way his VFL form has looked and he may never return to his former self (it's a scenario in which we have to prepare for)

Then there's 14 game Kallan Dawson, whilst promising, I wouldn't be banking the future on him.


The club should be developing Dawson as Comben's long term KPD partner, everyone else can fall in around them as far as im concerned.

There's absolutely ready to go KPF options we can trade for or draft. Will Dawson is the youngest player in the comp, he's hardly Brendan Fevola himself.

 

[Passmore]

How much input do the AFL teams have in where these kids play?



Sent from my SM-A908B using Tapatalk

 

[Sphynx]

How much input do the AFL teams have in where these kids play?



Sent from my SM-A908B using Tapatalk

In which team, the VFL side or the Coates Talent League sides?

 

[chubbspeterson]

Are you saying that Will might be playing forward so he can learn the leading patterns for forwards, so that when he does go back he has a better understanding of how the ball comes in and therefore will be in a better position to defend those forward 50 entries? That's crazy talk.

I don't know what they're thinking moving him forward. I just hate the knee jerk reactions.
Didn't work too badly for Darcy Moore or Jeremy Howe starting as forwards and moving down back.
Because Howe learnt some forward craft early on that gives McRae the ability to throw him forward during games.
I don't think it's a bad thing to have some versatility. Where he settles long term I have no idea.

 

[ChairmanZia]

That is correct. The big question that will be asked and debated a thousand times between now and the draft, do we split our pick 1/2/3 or do we take the best talent? Will alluded to probably taking the best talent but wasn't definite in last years draft, he was asked about next years draft {2024} and said when quizzed about drafting for needs or talent that that's what we did this year {2023} a bit of both, and that he didn't want to give all his cards away.

Will also said that there were a couple of midfielders that Brady said were very very good and that he was impressed with them. Add that bit to this years draft, Alastair want's a key forward, it does raise a lot of questions. But before I go onto that Will also spoke about getting more TOP end talent into this team, be it mid or whatever so now since at the moment we have picks 2/22/40/58/72 that this would mean trading in a future 2nd rounder or splitting our first pick but it all comes down to what our final pick is and what way we go and where the key forwards sit on Will's whiteboard.

Question 1/ Do we go best available on Will's whiteboard at our first pick and get the 3rd/4th best key forward at our 2nd round pick?
Question 2/ Do we split our first round pick for say Gold Coast picks 8/9 or even Fremantle's picks 10/13/16{could have changed} and get more first round talent if possible? This way we could get Berry/Kako and say the best key forward in the draft, its a tantalising prospect, if we get Gold Coasts picks.
Question 3/ Do we trade in a future 2nd rounder to give us that much needed early second round pick not long after ours?
Question 4/ How many picks do we take to the draft? This I think will be decided on how many we delist, if we pick up any players in trade week and after both those scenarios we -2 with whatever number we are left with. An example, say we delist seven players, that's 7 picks at the draft, we pick up one in trade/ free agency week, that leaves us with 6 draft picks, -2 players that we picked up in the mid-season draft for injured players, we now have 4 selections come draft time.

Well, it depends on if there are clubs coming to us with huge offers like back in 2021 where richmond offered their pick plus ccj plus future first.

If we approach others then our picks will lose value.

If we get pick 1 and no offer, then we have to pick smilie but if we get pick 2, 3 then we should be thinking outside the box by splitting.

 

[nicko74]

Well, it depends on if there are clubs coming to us with huge offers like back in 2021 where richmond offered their pick plus ccj plus future first.

If we approach others then our picks will lose value.

If we get pick 1 and no offer, then we have to pick smilie but if we get pick 2, 3 then we should be thinking outside the box by splitting.

Why do we have to pick Smillie?

 

[Passmore]

In which team, the VFL side or the Coates Talent League sides?

Coates and the Rep games.

Sent from my SM-A908B using Tapatalk

 

[ChairmanZia]

It just seems incredibly short sighted imo.

If the club wanted a KPF they should have drafted someone like Logan Morris last year.

This may be a knock on effect regarding Comben and his success catching the list management team off guard.

However, Aiden Corr turns 31 in May.

Logue may not be back this season the way his VFL form has looked and he may never return to his former self (it's a scenario in which we have to prepare for)

Then there's 14 game Kallan Dawson, whilst promising, I wouldn't be banking the future on him.


The club should be developing Dawson as Comben's long term KPD partner, everyone else can fall in around them as far as im concerned.

There's absolutely ready to go KPF options we can trade for or draft. Will Dawson is the youngest player in the comp, he's hardly Brendan Fevola himself.

Key position defenders are much easier to draft and recruit, we got 2 pretty decent ones during our bottom years so as we go up, more will come up.

Our main effort will be key forward in that we need a pair of them for life after larkey

 

[New_Roo]

Why do we have to pick Smillie?

Because he saw that he was BOG in the Coates League on Sat but failed to watch the vic champs derby the following day where against the best kids in the country he didn't feature to the same extent...


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[ChairmanZia]

Why do we have to pick Smillie?

He complements the rest of the mids in that he is a big body mid, the anchor to get first hands on ball where the ldu wardlaw burst away from the pack.

There are that many judd dangerfield type who could get ball then also burst away type.

 

[The_General#1]

Why do we have to pick Smillie?

We won’t.

 

[Sphynx]

Coates and the Rep games.

Sent from my SM-A908B using Tapatalk

Yes, coaches will play kids where scouts request them to.

 

[giantroo]

AFL proposes change to NGA access for this year’s draft

The AFL is set to walk back its rule limiting clubs' access to their Next Generation Academy players for this year's draft

www.afl.com.au

 

[Makeshift Park]

The League has taken the move to act now so not to see numbers of Indigenous or diverse talent further decline.

I don't really understand. How does allowing clubs to match a bid on a player who would be otherwise drafted anyway help improve diverse representation in the AFL?

 

[Its a Process]

AFL proposes change to NGA access for this year’s draft

The AFL is set to walk back its rule limiting clubs' access to their Next Generation Academy players for this year's draft

www.afl.com.au

Deadset farce - 1 year after we lose rights to Sanders.

Just a deadset joke of a comp sometimes

 

[Colby Cheer Squad]

AFL proposes change to NGA access for this year’s draft

The AFL is set to walk back its rule limiting clubs' access to their Next Generation Academy players for this year's draft

www.afl.com.au

FFS. So one year after we were denied the opportunity to take Ryley Sanders, they gift Kako to *. ****ing rort.

 

[Lomas]

I don't really understand. How does allowing clubs to match a bid on a player who would be otherwise drafted anyway help improve diverse representation in the AFL?

Has there been a kid come out of the NGAs who wasn’t already established in the development pathways?

 

[Its a Process]

FFS. So one year after we were denied the opportunity to take Ryley Sanders, they gift Kako to *. ****ing rort.

And Sanders goes to the dogs who directly benefited from the initial/(now same) rule in 2020 to secure JUH before changing the rule.

They’ve also picked up Sam Darcy, Rhylee West and Croft with F&S discounted picks.

Its a joke

 

[chubbspeterson]

No access to Kako then as Bombres will surely match.
I think it's the right call as teams won't bother investing in the academies if they can't get the kids they develop.
So long as they pay a fairer price I think it's the right thing to do long term. Just crappy timing.

 

[ohmygewd]

AFL proposes change to NGA access for this year’s draft

The AFL is set to walk back its rule limiting clubs' access to their Next Generation Academy players for this year's draft

www.afl.com.au

This AFL admin is the best knee jerkers l've ever seen...from possibly limiting dvi to 3rd round to possible NGA bids at any point - how the heck does any club meant to plan for unseen draft rule changes!!!
Utterly and beyond useless!!

 

[trooroo4life]

Well there goes any hope of landing Kako, have to watch him play for the scum ffs…

 

[chubbspeterson]

I kinda liked Berry more anyway. Come at me.

 

[Merlin007]

He complements the rest of the mids in that he is a big body mid, the anchor to get first hands on ball where the ldu wardlaw burst away from the pack.

There are that many judd dangerfield type who could get ball then also burst away type.

when was the last time a (say) top 5 pick had a poor national championships?

Smillie under-performed - it doesn't matter how tall he is