Recruiting AFL Draft Watch 2023

[Lore]

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Spoiler: LIVE DRAFT ORDER (2023 Draft Order)

 

[ant555]

eDPS Is George Stevens with the first pick realistic at all? Limited athletically but genuinely physical, a leader, and kicking looks more than serviceable. The query seems to be if he can spread and get to enough contests, or is a purely inside mid like Brodie or Constable, which doesn't seem to have a place in the AFL.

I like Stevens leadership and size but you have mentioned the question marks most have in the last sentence. The knock is simply spread and getting from contest to contest or breaking the lines. He is not realistic with pick 1 for mine. He is not even in the second round picture for the recruiting people I have contact with.

 

[eDPS]

eDPS Is George Stevens with the first pick realistic at all? Limited athletically but genuinely physical, a leader, and kicking looks more than serviceable. The query seems to be if he can spread and get to enough contests, or is a purely inside mid like Brodie or Constable, which doesn't seem to have a place in the AFL.

18 or so onwards I wouldn’t take him any higher than that

 

[Keystone agony]

I agree with ant555 about the list needs, but I think 2-3 years is achievable if we keep look at free agency and keeping top end picks.

CHF / marking down the line is really only 1 player plus some better development into the Ruck. To be fair, they tried to address moneybags style with Weid. Didn't work and need a new a new option.

Half Back runner is a great place for high-draft mids to start (if they can dispose).

But we shouldn't be looking to bottom out or expect to be top 8 next year. Build on the game plan. Find out who isn't going to live up to it. Develop leadership and identity.

We should expect mid table, we love to sit there

 

[jdstorm]

18 or so onwards I wouldn’t take him any higher than that

Don’t think I’d take him at all. I feel like leadership is a hugely overrated quality. These kids are just kids. In the right environment and with opportunity most of them could become good leaders.

What I’m far more interested in is professionalism and training habits.

 

[Harlequin Dream]

We should target Jed Hagan as a late pick or rookie.

Averaged 15 touches, 5 tackles and a goal in the SANFL. Finished the year really well, kicking 10 goals in the last 4 games.

 

[citizen-erased]

Did i miss it or was the u18 all star game canned?
Used to enjoy that as a lead up into the GF

 

[ant555]

Don’t think I’d take him at all. I feel like leadership is a hugely overrated quality. These kids are just kids. In the right environment and with opportunity most of them could become good leaders.

What I’m far more interested in is professionalism and training habits.

Leadership is not overrated at all in my view. One of our biggest issues . It drives the professionalism and training habits . The thing with Stevens will be it is no good drafting a leader if he is not up to the level. To say most can become leaders is false.

 

[ant555]

Did i miss it or was the u18 all star game canned?
Used to enjoy that as a lead up into the GF

Futures game. It was on at 9.30am . It was the under age guys eligible in next years draft.

 

[Old Campaigner]

Don’t think I’d take him at all. I feel like leadership is a hugely overrated quality. These kids are just kids. In the right environment and with opportunity most of them could become good leaders.

What I’m far more interested in is professionalism and training habits.

Lore do your mod powers let you check if this account is an AI programmed to generate bad takes?

 

[Lore]

Lore do your mod powers let you check if this account is an AI programmed to generate bad takes?

Actually based on the summary given by Big Fresh I agree with jdstorm;

• Limited athletically = Lumbering around, large turning circle, his man will be able to run off him and create havoc in red time
• Genuinely physical = Big bloke might bury someone occasionally, but only if he can catch them
• Query on spread and getting to enough contests = Goes missing a lot, needs to be led to the contest and/or too slow
• kicking looks more than serviceable = will become less than serviceable in a high pressure environment
• a leader = what does this really mean when you have nothing else?

Essendon isn't known for improving the athleticism, physicality, spread, kicking, or leadership of our players, so drafting someone where 3/5 are poor isn't ideal.

 

[citizen-erased]

Futures game. It was on at 9.30am . It was the under age guys eligible in next years draft.

Normally there's an u18 game yeah?
Bit out of the loop since covid

 

[Keystone agony]

Don’t think I’d take him at all. I feel like leadership is a hugely overrated quality. These kids are just kids. In the right environment and with opportunity most of them could become good leaders.

What I’m far more interested in is professionalism and training habits.

I think generally a good leader as a kid lends itself to professionalism and training habits

Its just whether the game is past the big mids for the sake of being big

Why are Port moving out Wines

The good thing with G.Stevens is he can play half back and has a great kick

In regards to leadership, i do think it would be interesting to see how many 12 yr + career players are involved in the leadership group at some point

Im more concerned about kicking, football smarts, athleticsm and uno competitivness

 

[Nuggs Bunny]

Actually based on the summary given by Big Fresh I agree with jdstorm;

• Limited athletically = Lumbering around, large turning circle, his man will be able to run off him and create havoc in red time
• Genuinely physical = Big bloke might bury someone occasionally, but only if he can catch them
• Query on spread and getting to enough contests = Goes missing a lot, needs to be led to the contest and/or too slow
• kicking looks more than serviceable = will become less than serviceable in a high pressure environment
• a leader = what does this really mean when you have nothing else?

Essendon isn't known for improving the athleticism, physicality, spread, kicking, or leadership of our players, so drafting someone where 3/5 are poor isn't ideal.

Sounds like Jobe Watson.

Anyway, Stephens isn't that bad. He's not a first round pick but he's worth a look later in the draft. Plenty of players fitting that mould have made it at the top level.

 

[Red Black and Blue]

Normally there's an u18 game yeah?
Bit out of the loop since covid

They've stopped doing it. Maybe players and player managers don't want to risk injury. Personally think it's been an invaluable game for judging the talent so late in their draft years at their most developed before draft day.

 

[RedmanWasHere]

citizen-erased.

There was a Future's Game on the AFL website Saturday morning.

Players not eligible this year but eligible next year.

 

[jdstorm]

Leadership is not overrated at all in my view. One of our biggest issues . It drives the professionalism and training habits . The thing with Stevens will be it is no good drafting a leader if he is not up to the level. To say most can become leaders is false.

Some people say leaders are made and not born. I agree with those people. I think leadership is a skill that can be learned and that no 18 yr old kid is close to the leader/mature person they will be at 25+ after their brain fully develops.

There are traits people can have that make that leadership easier to develop, like intelligence, drive, curiosity, thoughtfulness, empathy, perseverance, competence ect

However to me Leadership at a club comes from its senior members above the playing group as much as the playing group and no kid will change the culture of a club.

I think generally a good leader as a kid lends itself to professionalism and training habits

Its just whether the game is past the big mids for the sake of being big

Why are Port moving out Wines

The good thing with G.Stevens is he can play half back and has a great kick

In regards to leadership, i do think it would be interesting to see how many 12 yr + career players are involved in the leadership group at some point

Im more concerned about kicking, football smarts, athleticsm and uno competitivness

Port are moving out wines because JHF took his spot and they have another defensive mid who’s better.

A big HF/mid who is slow sounds like Laverde and Francais. Not sure how they fit as anything more then decent depth.

Personally I prefer to focus on who people are as opposed to what they could be . I would rather just draft people with obvious traits for a set position. Ie this person can play X position because they are fast, have a good hands and a nice kick ect. Then back the development coaches to make them the best version of that

 

[Zach Package]

Personally I prefer to focus on who people are as opposed to what they could be . I would rather just draft people with obvious traits for a set position. Ie this person can play X position because they are fast, have a good hands and a nice kick ect. Then back the development coaches to make them the best version of that

Suspect you've just looped back on yourself because what Stevens already is is someone that's proven he can dominate games at VFL level because he already has an AFL body and he's built and ready to go at 17.

Immediate impact but probably lower ceiling. If you want to draft tools and then back in the development coaches to make them into something you're drafting them for what they could be.

 

[faible]

Some people say leaders are made and not born. I agree with those people. I think leadership is a skill that can be learned and that no 18 yr old kid is close to the leader/mature person they will be at 25+ after their brain fully develops.

There are traits people can have that make that leadership easier to develop, like intelligence, drive, curiosity, thoughtfulness, empathy, perseverance, competence ect

However to me Leadership at a club comes from its senior members above the playing group as much as the playing group and no kid will change the culture of a club.

Disagree.

Leadership is definitely not a trait everyone can learn, and is definitely a trait some people naturally have.

In the right environment you can develop someone without natural leadership in to a leader, but in the wrong environment (e.g. Essendon Football Club) that's highly unlikely to occur.

The more leadership Essendon have - of the hard edge, competitive kind - the more likely it is the rest of the playing group start to exhibit those traits. We have guys like McGrath who are professionals, who train hard, don't get in to trouble off-field and all that. But we lack that real competitive kind of leadership, the guys like Selwood or Hodge who just drag the rest of the team kicking and screaming along with them. Merrett might have a bit of it, but he needs help and we need to draft that help.

 

[jdstorm]

Suspect you've just looped back on yourself because what Stevens already is is someone that's proven he can dominate games at VFL level because he already has an AFL body and he's built and ready to go at 17.

Immediate impact but probably lower ceiling. If you want to draft tools and then back in the development coaches to make them into something you're drafting them for what they could be.

My biggest issue with Stevens based on what people have been saying here is that he seems to be a VFL standard multi position player but seems to lack the tools to be an AFL standard one. To the point where he projects as a tweener player. Someone you could plug in at X position and he’d be fine but slightly off the pace.

Sounds like a tall Will Snelling. Or a Laverde/Francais. I see the appeal in that type of player because if they develop their ceiling is superstar. However I’m risk averse because I think often list managers get blinded by that.

PMBangers has written a few draft profiles and one of his most recent is a kid named Will Lorenz. 186cm balanced mid from Calder. Got dropped but worked his way back in over the course of the year.

I’m pretty keen on him as a later pick because he’s a prototypical balanced mid who’s shown good training habits and perseverance. I’d much rather have him then Stevens.

If Stevens can find a burst of speed via AFL training standards I will look like a goose but that’s just my approach to this stuff. Don’t think either is wrong.

And as far as leadership goes
owen87

Selwood and Hodge developed under Scarlet and Clarko. Voss under Leigh Mathew’s, Pendles under Malthouse ect.

Let’s just agree to disagree

 

[Zach Package]

My biggest issue with Stevens based on what people have been saying here is that he seems to be a VFL standard multi position player but seems to lack the tools to be an AFL standard one. To the point where he projects as a tweener player. Someone you could plug in at X position and he’d be fine but slightly off the pace.

Sounds like a tall Will Snelling. Or a Laverde/Francais. I see the appeal in that type of player because if they develop their ceiling is superstar. However I’m risk averse because I think often list managers get blinded by that.

PMBangers has written a few draft profiles and one of his most recent is a kid named Will Lorenz. 186cm balanced mid from Calder. Got dropped but worked his way back in over the course of the year.

I’m pretty keen on him as a later pick because he’s a prototypical balanced mid who’s shown good training habits and perseverance. I’d much rather have him then Stevens.

If Stevens can find a burst of speed via AFL training standards I will look like a goose but that’s just my approach to this stuff. Don’t think either is wrong.

And as far as leadership goes
owen87

Selwood and Hodge developed under Scarlet and Clarko. Voss under Leigh Mathew’s, Pendles under Malthouse ect.

Let’s just agree to disagree

I would suggest he's more the opposite, a one dimensional player that can only play one position. A bigger, taller Snelling with the kicking penetration that would come with a bigger frame is a dominant, very high level AFL player, so you take that every day of the week and twice on Sundays.

Would suggest Lorenz is the posterboy for the polite, nice, smooth moving private schoolboy archetype we all want to steer clear of.

 

[citizen-erased]

Its a shame Rosa isn't starting now as i'd love to see any indication of his strategy.
I guess we get a nice pure look at Scott's influence first.

Seems like a good draft where the pick may not pick themselves (Tsatas, Hobbs).

 

[eth-dog]

Its a shame Rosa isn't starting now as i'd love to see any indication of his strategy.
I guess we get a nice pure look at Scott's influence first.

Seems like a good draft where the pick may not pick themselves (Tsatas, Hobbs).

Actually it seems like it will be. It looks like we'll have the last or second last pick of the second group of live players

Reid, (Walter), McKercher, Duursma, Watson, Curtin the best
(Read), O'Sullivan, Sanders, (Rogers), Wilson, Caddy, Murphy, (Croft) the second

Assuming that GC trade with the Dogs and then trade that Dogs pick 11 (pre-bids) and that North get pick 3 then all of Reid, McKercher, Duursma, Watson and Curtin will definitely be off the board. After them you can expect three of O'Sullivan, Sanders, Wilson, Caddy and Murphy off the board.

I suspect it goes something like:

WC: Reid
GC: Walter
NM: Curtin
NM: McKercher
Haw: Duursma
WB: Watson
GC: Read
Mel: Caddy
GWS: O'Sullivan
GC: Rogers
Gee: Sanders
WB: Croft
Ess: Wilson

Although I can see the Melbourne to us range changing around.

 

[citizen-erased]

Actually it seems like it will be. It looks like we'll have the last or second last pick of the second group of live players

Reid, (Walter), McKercher, Duursma, Watson, Curtin the best
(Read), O'Sullivan, Sanders, (Rogers), Wilson, Caddy, Murphy, (Croft) the second

Assuming that GC trade with the Dogs and then trade that Dogs pick 11 (pre-bids) and that North get pick 3 then all of Reid, McKercher, Duursma, Watson and Curtin will definitely be off the board. After them you can expect three of O'Sullivan, Sanders, Wilson, Caddy and Murphy off the board.

I suspect it goes something like:

WC: Reid
GC: Walter
NM: Curtin
NM: McKercher
Haw: Duursma
WB: Watson
GC: Read
Mel: Caddy
GWS: O'Sullivan
GC: Rogers
Gee: Sanders
WB: Croft
Ess: Wilson

Although I can see the Melbourne to us range changing around.

i've been reading Sanders and Caddy are in that first group.
have they slipped a bit?

sanders to Dogs is my prediction
Libba getting on, Smith a ? on his future.

 

[eth-dog]

i've been reading Sanders and Caddy are in that first group.
have they slipped a bit?

sanders to Dogs is my prediction
Libba getting on, Smith a ? on his future.

I've never seen them being part of that first group. Caddy especially.

 

[jdstorm]

I would suggest he's more the opposite, a one dimensional player that can only play one position. A bigger, taller Snelling with the kicking penetration that would come with a bigger frame is a dominant, very high level AFL player, so you take that every day of the week and twice on Sundays.

Would suggest Lorenz is the posterboy for the polite, nice, smooth moving private schoolboy archetype we all want to steer clear of.

Depends on how much speed that bigger frame takes off him, and if he’s someone who uses that frame or if he’s just a big bodied flanker.

I don’t mind the idea of bringing in nice polite smooth moving private school kids…. If they can read the game, make quick decisions, hit a target by foot and give good effort.

Especially if it’s a 3rd round pick.