I’ve compiled my first 3 rounds of the draft, after round 22.
This was mainly to get a list of 50 or so players and to see where I think they will go, I’m pretty sure I’ve listed every top prospect, but if I haven’t feel free to let me know if I’ve missed someone.
Also this is pretty hard to do once you get into the early 30’s so please don’t take a swipe at me if I’ve let a player you rate drop a bit, or if you think a player’s gone to high.
Where I’ve rated players as even I have taken into consideration what I think the teams needs may be and selected accordingly.
In the post below this one is a sentence or two on what each team has taken, with the players names, heights and weights.
Round One
# 1 – Melbourne – Jack Watts
Reasons – Melbourne need a KPF more than anything else, being evenly ranked with Rich and Naitanui, Watts is best suited to fill Melbourne’s needs.
# 2 – West Coast – Daniel Rich
Reasons – West coast are looking to build back up to the premier midfield they had a few years back, Rich is a big step to getting there again.
# 3 – Fremantle – Nicholas Naitanui
Reasons – Probably the best available, poses a conundrum in that he could be the best player ever or the biggest flop, and through trade Fremantle is no stranger to flops, eventually one of these ventures will net freo gold.
# 4 – Port Adelaide – Tyrone Vickery
Reasons – He fills what they need, he’s a ruckman and can probably hold down a key forward spot given time.
# 5 – Essendon – Michael Hurley
Reasons – Will be a good full back for them for the next 10 years, a good replacement for fletcher and Michael when they retire.
# 6 – Carlton – Jack Ziebell
Reasons – A choice between Ziebell and Hartlett, his brother may be on the way out at Carlton and if that happens the go-home factor with the younger hartlett may be high, there’s not much separating Ziebell and Hartlett anyway, therefore hartlett gets the nod.
# 7 – Brisbane – Hamish Hartlett
Reasons – They need help in the midfield, and Hartlett is an out and out gun.
# 8 – Richmond – Lewis Johnston
Reasons – Richmond need forwards, a mid would be nice, but a strong key forward is the go, and with what’s on offer Johnston seems the most likely.
# 9 – Collingwood – Steele Sidebottom
Reasons – Collingwood need tough in and under midfielders, clearance players, Sidebottom will be able to replace what Burns brings to them in 2-3 years.
# 10 – North Melbourne – Nick Suban
Reasons – They’re set for forwards/rucks at the moment so they pass on mckernan, Suban is probably the best available here.
# 11 – Sydney – Shaun Mckernan
***I think Sydney will make a bid for Cordy here***
Reasons – Sydney need forwards as well as a ruck replacement. I see him as being a Drew Petrie type player in the future, something Sydney could use.
# 12 – Adelaide – Jackson Trengove
Reasons – Adelaide have very few options in the back half for tall defenders, Bock, Rutten, Stevens and Aaron Kite, by the time Trengove is ready to step into a key position spot, all of those players, bar kite, will be close to/ if not 30.
# 13 – St. Kilda – Christopher Yarran
***If Sydney or Adelaide haven’t made a bid by now I’d say st. kilda would take a punt on Cordy here***
Reasons – The saints need tough in and under midfielders, but it’s hard to pass up yarran at this point, he could potentially be a long term replacement for milne.
# 14 – Western Bulldogs – Ayce Cordy
Reasons – I think Sydney might put in a sneaky bid for him, if not I think another team will, the bulldogs won’t be unhappy and are probably expecting to get him here.
# 15 – Hawthorn – Jordan Lisle
Reasons – Hawthorn need a back man, Lisle is probably the best defender left around, he can also be handy up forward, not that hawthorn will need him there.
# 16 – Geelong – Thomas Swift
Reasons – Geelong do not really need anything, hence I’ve gone with what I think to be the next best player here in Swift, they’ll be looking for another Joel Selwood type of bargain in swift, although he could also turn out to be another Beau Muston.
Priority
# 17 – Melbourne – Sam Blease
Reasons – Melbourne need outside midfielders with pace who can run, carry and break the lines, Sam Blease is exactly that.
# 18 – West Coast – Stephen Hill
Reasons – West coast will look to shore up there midfield even more, Hill is a classy outside midfielder and will add plenty of pace.
Round two
# 19 – Melbourne – Aaron Cornelius
Reasons – Too good to pass up at this point, another KPF won’t go astray at Melbourne either.
# 20 – West Coast – Michael Walters
Reasons – very good small forward/ midfielder and is hard to pass up at this point.
# 21 – Fremantle – Matthew DeBoer
Reasons – After taking Nait with there first pick I think they will aim to improve upon their midfield and Deboer is probably the best available.
# 22 – Port Adelaide – Ryan Schoenmakers
Reasons – I see him being able to play as a 3rd tall with the ability to kick many goals, I think port aren’t as desperate for tall forwards as many think, and schoenmakers could be seen as a replacement for motlop in a few years.
# 23 – Essendon – Mitch Robinson
Reasons – Essendon will need help in their midfield and robinson will be a very good pickup at this point, able to play next year.
# 24 – Carlton – Paul Cahill
Reasons – A very good key position prospect, had the most shots on goal in the championships, however his kicking is a major let down
# 25 – Brisbane – Tom Lynch
Reasons – an option as a 3rd tall who can push up onto a wing so as not to get in the way of brown/bradshaw
# 26 – Richmond – Nic Heyne
Reasons – has lots of x factor and will be a big part of the midfield in 2-3 years.
# 27 – Collingwood – Andrew Browne
Reasons – a very very big boy who in a few years should make an impact as a good tap ruckman
# 28 – North Melbourne – Clancee Pearce
Reasons – a solid running half back flanker with decent pace, able to go into an ageing roos midfield in a few years
# 29 – Sydney – Jordan Roughead
Reasons – a nice ruck prospect who is able to go forward, probably looked at as a long term replacement for jolly.
# 30 – Adelaide – Matthew Broadbent
Reasons – a running back flanker with very good skills, will probably be able to rotate through the midfield next year
# 31 – St. Kilda – David Zaharakis
Reasons – a tough in and under pacey midfielder, exactly what the saints would want, and they’d be very very happy to claim him here
# 32 – Western Bulldogs – Rhys O’keeffe
Reasons – a running half back flanker who is able to break the lines, also has a fairly decent defensive game
# 33 – Hawthorn – Jamie Sheahan
Reasons – small, but able to be a very good player, would start as a tough back pocket but would look to replace someone like Mitchell in a few years
# 34 – Geelong – Taylor Gilchrist
Reasons – A very handy utility, doesn’t have a set place on the field but will probably be able to develop either forward or back while playing in the vfl
Round three
# 35 – Melbourne – Tom Hill
Reasons – with possibly their last pick of the draft Melbourne will take a punt on the bottom ager who could turn into a ruckman or a kpp at either end.
# 36 – West Coast – Neville Jetta
Reasons – A small forward who can develop into a midfielder, would have been hoping for yarran at 18, but just as happy to take jetta here.
# 37 – Fremantle – Mitch Brown
Reasons – Possibly the best player left in the draft, will be able to develop as a chf for freo, allowing pavlich to possibly spend more time in the midfield
# 38 – Port Adelaide – Jarrad Redden
Reasons – a solid homegrown lad, a very good project to take on, excellent rockwork but does not do a whole lot around the ground
# 39 – Essendon – Kade Klemke
Reasons – a tough defensive player, will look to step into essendons midfield in a few years.
# 40 – Carlton – Tom Rockliff
Reasons – a classy forward pocket/ forward flank who knows how to find the goals, I have him slipping a bit, not due to skill but more so I couldn’t find a place to put him where someone else wasn’t equal on talent but in a more preffered position
# 41 – Brisbane – Luke Shuey
Reasons – an inside and outside midfielder, his skills will need work, but uses it pretty well in space and can find a lot of the ball
# 42 – Richmond – Luke Stanton
Reasons – a tall winger, is able to find the ball well but his disposal is poor, a good project to take on
# 43 – Collingwood – Riley Milne
Reasons – possibly a full back for the future, will allow to brown to play half back and obrien to take the third tall
# 44 – North Melbourne – Mitch Banner
Reasons – a small midfielder who finds a lot of the ball, however his disposal will need to be worked on
# 45 – Sydney – Steven Gaertner
Reasons – a tall rangy prospect, does not really have a set position but they will be hoping to develop him into some type of forward.
# 46 – Adelaide – Rory Sloane
Reasons – a nice defensive backman who will be able to step into the midfield and provide a tagging job if nescessary
# 47 – St. Kilda – Alex Silvagni
Reasons – mature age recruit, a very good full back at casey, will probably be able to step into hudghtons shoes when he retires.
# 48 – Western Bulldogs – Jay Shannon
Reasons – a pacy midfielder, will probably take a few years to develop, but he is a hard worker and will add to the bulldogs.
# 49 – Hawthorn – Jordan Jones
Reasons – another tall back, probably looked at to play on the third tall at afl level
# 50 – Geelong – James Strauss
Reasons – the best available at this pick, a good small defender with the ability to go through the midfield.
This was mainly to get a list of 50 or so players and to see where I think they will go, I’m pretty sure I’ve listed every top prospect, but if I haven’t feel free to let me know if I’ve missed someone.
Also this is pretty hard to do once you get into the early 30’s so please don’t take a swipe at me if I’ve let a player you rate drop a bit, or if you think a player’s gone to high.
Where I’ve rated players as even I have taken into consideration what I think the teams needs may be and selected accordingly.
In the post below this one is a sentence or two on what each team has taken, with the players names, heights and weights.
Round One
# 1 – Melbourne – Jack Watts
Reasons – Melbourne need a KPF more than anything else, being evenly ranked with Rich and Naitanui, Watts is best suited to fill Melbourne’s needs.
# 2 – West Coast – Daniel Rich
Reasons – West coast are looking to build back up to the premier midfield they had a few years back, Rich is a big step to getting there again.
# 3 – Fremantle – Nicholas Naitanui
Reasons – Probably the best available, poses a conundrum in that he could be the best player ever or the biggest flop, and through trade Fremantle is no stranger to flops, eventually one of these ventures will net freo gold.
# 4 – Port Adelaide – Tyrone Vickery
Reasons – He fills what they need, he’s a ruckman and can probably hold down a key forward spot given time.
# 5 – Essendon – Michael Hurley
Reasons – Will be a good full back for them for the next 10 years, a good replacement for fletcher and Michael when they retire.
# 6 – Carlton – Jack Ziebell
Reasons – A choice between Ziebell and Hartlett, his brother may be on the way out at Carlton and if that happens the go-home factor with the younger hartlett may be high, there’s not much separating Ziebell and Hartlett anyway, therefore hartlett gets the nod.
# 7 – Brisbane – Hamish Hartlett
Reasons – They need help in the midfield, and Hartlett is an out and out gun.
# 8 – Richmond – Lewis Johnston
Reasons – Richmond need forwards, a mid would be nice, but a strong key forward is the go, and with what’s on offer Johnston seems the most likely.
# 9 – Collingwood – Steele Sidebottom
Reasons – Collingwood need tough in and under midfielders, clearance players, Sidebottom will be able to replace what Burns brings to them in 2-3 years.
# 10 – North Melbourne – Nick Suban
Reasons – They’re set for forwards/rucks at the moment so they pass on mckernan, Suban is probably the best available here.
# 11 – Sydney – Shaun Mckernan
***I think Sydney will make a bid for Cordy here***
Reasons – Sydney need forwards as well as a ruck replacement. I see him as being a Drew Petrie type player in the future, something Sydney could use.
# 12 – Adelaide – Jackson Trengove
Reasons – Adelaide have very few options in the back half for tall defenders, Bock, Rutten, Stevens and Aaron Kite, by the time Trengove is ready to step into a key position spot, all of those players, bar kite, will be close to/ if not 30.
# 13 – St. Kilda – Christopher Yarran
***If Sydney or Adelaide haven’t made a bid by now I’d say st. kilda would take a punt on Cordy here***
Reasons – The saints need tough in and under midfielders, but it’s hard to pass up yarran at this point, he could potentially be a long term replacement for milne.
# 14 – Western Bulldogs – Ayce Cordy
Reasons – I think Sydney might put in a sneaky bid for him, if not I think another team will, the bulldogs won’t be unhappy and are probably expecting to get him here.
# 15 – Hawthorn – Jordan Lisle
Reasons – Hawthorn need a back man, Lisle is probably the best defender left around, he can also be handy up forward, not that hawthorn will need him there.
# 16 – Geelong – Thomas Swift
Reasons – Geelong do not really need anything, hence I’ve gone with what I think to be the next best player here in Swift, they’ll be looking for another Joel Selwood type of bargain in swift, although he could also turn out to be another Beau Muston.
Priority
# 17 – Melbourne – Sam Blease
Reasons – Melbourne need outside midfielders with pace who can run, carry and break the lines, Sam Blease is exactly that.
# 18 – West Coast – Stephen Hill
Reasons – West coast will look to shore up there midfield even more, Hill is a classy outside midfielder and will add plenty of pace.
Round two
# 19 – Melbourne – Aaron Cornelius
Reasons – Too good to pass up at this point, another KPF won’t go astray at Melbourne either.
# 20 – West Coast – Michael Walters
Reasons – very good small forward/ midfielder and is hard to pass up at this point.
# 21 – Fremantle – Matthew DeBoer
Reasons – After taking Nait with there first pick I think they will aim to improve upon their midfield and Deboer is probably the best available.
# 22 – Port Adelaide – Ryan Schoenmakers
Reasons – I see him being able to play as a 3rd tall with the ability to kick many goals, I think port aren’t as desperate for tall forwards as many think, and schoenmakers could be seen as a replacement for motlop in a few years.
# 23 – Essendon – Mitch Robinson
Reasons – Essendon will need help in their midfield and robinson will be a very good pickup at this point, able to play next year.
# 24 – Carlton – Paul Cahill
Reasons – A very good key position prospect, had the most shots on goal in the championships, however his kicking is a major let down
# 25 – Brisbane – Tom Lynch
Reasons – an option as a 3rd tall who can push up onto a wing so as not to get in the way of brown/bradshaw
# 26 – Richmond – Nic Heyne
Reasons – has lots of x factor and will be a big part of the midfield in 2-3 years.
# 27 – Collingwood – Andrew Browne
Reasons – a very very big boy who in a few years should make an impact as a good tap ruckman
# 28 – North Melbourne – Clancee Pearce
Reasons – a solid running half back flanker with decent pace, able to go into an ageing roos midfield in a few years
# 29 – Sydney – Jordan Roughead
Reasons – a nice ruck prospect who is able to go forward, probably looked at as a long term replacement for jolly.
# 30 – Adelaide – Matthew Broadbent
Reasons – a running back flanker with very good skills, will probably be able to rotate through the midfield next year
# 31 – St. Kilda – David Zaharakis
Reasons – a tough in and under pacey midfielder, exactly what the saints would want, and they’d be very very happy to claim him here
# 32 – Western Bulldogs – Rhys O’keeffe
Reasons – a running half back flanker who is able to break the lines, also has a fairly decent defensive game
# 33 – Hawthorn – Jamie Sheahan
Reasons – small, but able to be a very good player, would start as a tough back pocket but would look to replace someone like Mitchell in a few years
# 34 – Geelong – Taylor Gilchrist
Reasons – A very handy utility, doesn’t have a set place on the field but will probably be able to develop either forward or back while playing in the vfl
Round three
# 35 – Melbourne – Tom Hill
Reasons – with possibly their last pick of the draft Melbourne will take a punt on the bottom ager who could turn into a ruckman or a kpp at either end.
# 36 – West Coast – Neville Jetta
Reasons – A small forward who can develop into a midfielder, would have been hoping for yarran at 18, but just as happy to take jetta here.
# 37 – Fremantle – Mitch Brown
Reasons – Possibly the best player left in the draft, will be able to develop as a chf for freo, allowing pavlich to possibly spend more time in the midfield
# 38 – Port Adelaide – Jarrad Redden
Reasons – a solid homegrown lad, a very good project to take on, excellent rockwork but does not do a whole lot around the ground
# 39 – Essendon – Kade Klemke
Reasons – a tough defensive player, will look to step into essendons midfield in a few years.
# 40 – Carlton – Tom Rockliff
Reasons – a classy forward pocket/ forward flank who knows how to find the goals, I have him slipping a bit, not due to skill but more so I couldn’t find a place to put him where someone else wasn’t equal on talent but in a more preffered position
# 41 – Brisbane – Luke Shuey
Reasons – an inside and outside midfielder, his skills will need work, but uses it pretty well in space and can find a lot of the ball
# 42 – Richmond – Luke Stanton
Reasons – a tall winger, is able to find the ball well but his disposal is poor, a good project to take on
# 43 – Collingwood – Riley Milne
Reasons – possibly a full back for the future, will allow to brown to play half back and obrien to take the third tall
# 44 – North Melbourne – Mitch Banner
Reasons – a small midfielder who finds a lot of the ball, however his disposal will need to be worked on
# 45 – Sydney – Steven Gaertner
Reasons – a tall rangy prospect, does not really have a set position but they will be hoping to develop him into some type of forward.
# 46 – Adelaide – Rory Sloane
Reasons – a nice defensive backman who will be able to step into the midfield and provide a tagging job if nescessary
# 47 – St. Kilda – Alex Silvagni
Reasons – mature age recruit, a very good full back at casey, will probably be able to step into hudghtons shoes when he retires.
# 48 – Western Bulldogs – Jay Shannon
Reasons – a pacy midfielder, will probably take a few years to develop, but he is a hard worker and will add to the bulldogs.
# 49 – Hawthorn – Jordan Jones
Reasons – another tall back, probably looked at to play on the third tall at afl level
# 50 – Geelong – James Strauss
Reasons – the best available at this pick, a good small defender with the ability to go through the midfield.
