Preview 2024 National Draft Preview Thread

[chubbspeterson]

We don't have to show our hand. But if Tauru is our target, we already have. If he isn't, we have allowed a rumour to circulate that weakens our trading position. Neither is good.

Other teams spread rumours to their advantage, Melbourne managed to get pick 9 off Essendon by pretending to be interested in Kako. Now they are pretending to be interested in Tauru in the hope we will take him at 2 and they will get an extra mid to pick from at 5. We should be showing heaps of interest in FOS and Draper, even if we have none at all.

Media reports don't weaken any teams trading position. Either a deal is offered a team wants or there's no trade.
Bombres would have likely had indications from more than just the Demons inside 9 that they would bid.
Keep our cards close to our chest and keep rival teams guessing as to what we'll do come draft night.

 

[King Hansen]

I don't understand how they can both consider FOS one of the "more complete prospects in this year's draft pool" and visualise his attributes like this:

View attachment 2159647

Maybe the top end isn't that great?

 

[Arden Street]

Neither, but North reaching at pick 2 and therefore Richmond getting a gun mid at pick 6 gets clicks.

Twomey on Gettable said today something along the lines of "North has been meeting with a lot of the expected 10-20 range group." And thinks something is in play.

the players i like in that 10-20 range are: Xavier Lindsay, Alix Tauru, Tobie Travaglia, Taj Hotton, Ollie Hannaford, Jobe Shanahan


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[The Talent Scout]

I agree that it could all be a beat up. But it isn't one that helps us, whether we want Tauru or not. We would be better off denying it or talking about how much we valued disposal or outside run or any of the things that Tauru isn't about.

Yeah, look I'm totally perplexed at the whole caper!

 

[Roos1991]

I think that's a very fair point, but I personally still think his potential upside is being vastly overrated when compared to Armstong/J.Whitlock/Shanahan or even Gerreyn, all of whom have equally as much upside and are genuine KP height.

Agree with your analysis here for sure on Tauru being overrated when compared to other talls around the mark (I like Gerreyn as much as any other tall). If we keep Pick 2, is there any scenario where we don't go with Lalor, Draper or Smith (my preference is Lalor)?

 

[Roos1991]

Was going to say something similar.

A shortcoming is a shortcoming. An honest trier without AFL talent isn't going to benefit the team anymore than a sublime talent with no competitiveness.

You can't get around it. There's been 16 Morrish Medalists across the last 10 Draft years.

These are the kids with the drive to stand out amongst their junior peers.

10 never made it to the AFL.

Clubs can't afford to blindly prioritise one skillset, as handy as that would be.

This is particularly true in a team like North who are still struggling for role clarity and structure. At Geelong or Sydney, maybe a different proposition.

 

[The Talent Scout]

Disposal is 100% elite.

Endurance and aerial has to be considered as well imo.

They’ve missed the mark on a few things.

They have Lombard as above average speed and he ran a 2.851 and topped the combine.

Correct, in my books, that's elite.

 

[chubbspeterson]

I can understand us liking Tauru's aerial ablity given we struggled to compete or mark the ball in the air, just not sure I believe we'll take him at pick 2. Think it's the Dees trying to get us to bite so they get one of the top 4 mids.

 

[shiraz]

I agree that it could all be a beat up. But it isn't one that helps us, whether we want Tauru or not. We would be better off denying it or talking about how much we valued disposal or outside run or any of the things that Tauru isn't about.

Last year, there was a lot of ink spilt on us taking Curtin. It became a trendy view in the media. I'm not sure it really made much sense, and I'm not sure if other teams believed it, but my sense is that they didn't believe it. I think a few on forums took it as gospel and it was a popular choice in a mock draft when the producer wanted other talent to slip through to other teams. From NMFC perspective, the benefit is that it helps obscure what we'll do, as the Curtin thing becomes the hot topic in every interview etc. Maybe Tauru is performing the same function this year.

I may well be wrong - I have no special information - but when I see people who are supposed to be serious having us take Tauru with 2 or 3, I strikes me as silly as us taking Curtin in the top 5. It's not real but has the benefit of concealing what we'll do.

 

[The Talent Scout]

Media reports don't weaken any teams trading position. Either a deal is offered a team wants or there's no trade.
Bombres would have likely had indications from more than just the Demons inside 9 that they would bid.
Keep our cards close to our chest and keep rival teams guessing as to what we'll do come draft night.

I've got a feeling everyone talking about who we pick or shouldn't pick might get a surprise come draft night, our picks are going to look so different but still the intrigue lingers, who really is our number one target and who is our key forward that has pretty much all our supporters talking about?

Is the answer to this question in a statement that Brady said not to long ago when he said "we are willing to drop down the order to get a couple of picks IF WE ARE HAPPY WITH THE DEAL, BUT NOT TO FAR DOWN, I'm going against my own judgement here on two of the players and one of which makes sense, the two players in question are the Tarryn Thomas replacement in Harvey Langford and Josh Smillie, the only other player is a key forward and not any key forward, the best in this draft class, Harry Armstrong.

We have not been linked to Harry or to either midfielder and while you could make a case for anyone in that top 10, I'm of the opinion the three likely players available at around pick 6, are those three right there. Sid/Finn/Jagga and Sam should be the first four players called out in the open draft, guess who that leaves?

 

[chubbspeterson]

I've got a feeling everyone talking about who we pick or shouldn't pick might get a surprise come draft night, our picks are going to look so different but still the intrigue lingers, who really is our number one target and who is our key forward that has pretty much all our supporters talking about?

Is the answer to this question in a statement that Brady said not to long ago when he said "we are willing to drop down the order to get a couple of picks IF WE ARE HAPPY WITH THE DEAL, BUT NOT TO FAR DOWN, I'm going against my own judgement here on two of the players and one of which makes sense, the two players in question are the Tarryn Thomas replacement in Harvey Langford and Josh Smillie, the only other player is a key forward and not any key forward, the best in this draft class, Harry Armstrong.

We have not been linked to Harry or to either midfielder and while you could make a case for anyone in that top 10, I'm of the opinion the three likely players available at around pick 6, are those three right there. Sid/Finn/Jagga and Sam should be the first four players called out in the open draft, guess who that leaves?

I think those three and Tauru would definitely be a consideration at pick 6 or 7.
And Cal backed up what RF08 suggested that we were interviewing some players in the teens.
Either we're covering our bases in the event a trade happens or something more is going on.