BigFooty Official Big Footy 2016 Phantom Draft

[Bishop]

Pick 29 Richmond: Jordan Ridley

Richmond Pick 29: Jordan Ridley
DOB: 20/10/1998
Height: 191.9cm | Weight: 79.7kg
Oakleigh Chargers / Vic Metro
Position: Tall utility

Why: I'm a big fan of Oakleigh Chargers' Jordan Ridley and have no hesitation taking him at #29 for the Tigers.

Jordan Ridley is a unique utility prospect in this year’s draft. He is one of the few players who has the capability to play anywhere, without actually locking down a position.

In 2016, he played across half-back, up forward and even running through the midfield as a link man. While Ridley is yet to establish his best position, his solid 192cm frame is likely to attract plenty of suitors, probably in the second round.

Ridley is one of the better kicks in the draft, disposing of the football with composure and generally making the right decisions. His high football IQ enables him to pick out a target and more often that not hit it with a long range kick. His kicking efficiency in the U18 Champs was 85.7%, whilst it was 67.8% in the TAC Cup.

His versatility and ability to position himself well either behind or forward of the ball, as well as his ability to spread wide and win the football uncontested on the wing is another attractive aspect of his game.

While he does have the question mark hanging over him of what position he is exactly expected to play, Ridley does have the option to be moulded in the way that his future AFL club sees fit. A shoulder injury in the TAC Cup Finals also saw him miss the last few games of the season.

I see him best fitting in as a rebounding defender as he's very composed with ball in hand under pressure
and uses his good kick to effectiveness when rebounding the ball.



Who else was considered: Josh Begley & Joshua Rotham.

 

[Snoop Dog]

Posters waiting on your write-ups pls;

Wizard17 - Hayward

grundog49 - Ryan

foj1 - Clarke

Offsider - SCheer

Gee Dub - Simpkin

Quigley - Parfitt

 

[Snoop Dog]

Pick 29 Richmond: Jordan Ridley

I'm going to bed- write up to come tomorrow!

Was a tough selection between him and Begley- but he's the highest remaining on my draft board.

Great selection.

 

[AFLprospectss]

Knightmare your up

 

[2006_Eagles]

Knightmare your up

*you're

 

[AFLprospectss]

*you're

Ta

 

[Knightmare]

30 Collingwood - Willem Drew

*Can't wipe the dopey smile off my face getting my guy here.

Drew could be the best midfielders in this draft class with his competitiveness and aggression on another level - think Jack Viney, but there is 188cm of him.

His impact this year in the TAC Cup through the midfield also in my view was without equal, surpassing that of teammate Hugh McCluggage and everyone else.

There was no other consideration at this choice. Drew was my clear best available and someone I rate top 10 power rankings.

From a Collingwood perspective while the club have more inside midfielders than they need, with Swan, Ball, D.Thomas and Beams all gone in as many years and with Pendlebury drawing towards 30, the next generation star midfielders need to come in.

In combination with Pendlebury, Treloar, Sidebottom and De Goey, Drew can add to that midfield group and make it powerful again and turn the clubs clearance and centre clearance differential around and turn it from weakness into strength.

*From my October power rankings not to waste any time:
Willem Drew (VIC)
Best position: Inside midfield
Height, weight: 188cm, 78kg
Recruited from: North Ballarat Rebels
Plays like: Jack Ziebell
Projected draft range: second to third round
Rated last month: 10
Rationale behind ranking/change of ranking: Arguably matched if not exceed the impact of teammate McCluggage through the TAC Cup finals. Has had an outstanding season through the midfield with his contested-ball winning, aggression at the ball and tackling are as good as any in this draft.
Strengths:
- Stoppage specialist
- Wins first possession at stoppages
- Contested-ball winning
- Aggressive tackler
- Clean below knees
- Courage to win 50/50 ball without fear of getting hurt
- Strength
- Capable mark overhead
- Scoreboard impact
- Acceleration
- Versatility to play forward or back as required
- Reads flight well and takes intercept marks
- Late season has started to run to better spots on the outside to become a more frequent and useful link player
- Strength of TAC Cup performances
Weaknesses:
- Limited opportunities through midfield during the under-18 championships and end-of-season Under-18 All Stars match leaves him slightly unproven against best competition in the country
- Limited outside hurt factor as an infrequent linebreaker with an only average kick
- Endurance
- From stoppages he rushes kicks, too often bombing long to a general area near one of his teammates rather than taking time to find an open target by foot

 

[foj1]

Pick 31 the Bombers bid on Kobe Mutch

 

[foj1]

Can't complain with either mate did you manage to get to many of McGraths TAC games? Also interested to see where you go with 20 and 29 have you got any players in mind that you rate at those picks that are different from the norm being talked about in the 2nd round?

Watched McGrath in most tac games and saw him play metro and Brighton grammar. Best player for mine

 

[eDPS]

Watched McGrath in most tac games and saw him play metro and Brighton grammar. Best player for mine

Awesome Very happy with your picks so far mate

 

[Offsider]

Pick 24 - Gold Coast - Brad Scheer

In the real draft Gold Coast are almost certainties to pick up Brad Scheer imo and he will be scheerily on their list next year. They will go into deficit next year if he is bid on the second round. If he receives a first round pick then there is a chance Gold Coast will let him go.

Brad Scheer is one of the better inside players in the draft, a strong bodied contested beast who has really had a strong year. I have also been impressed with his ability to push forward and his ability to take a contested mark and hit the scoreboard. This is what really pushed him up the draft for me. I see him playing senior footy next year and he will really help the Suns with their clearances. He is at his best as a rover where he reads the ruck taps well, is strong over the ball makes good decisions and seems to have a good first couple of steps. The difference when he was in the middle was quite scheer and he had a strong impact on his teams ability to move the ball forward. He is a strong mark and a solid kick.

As far as his strengths go, they have been well documented, he is very good in tight, has clean hands and is strong over the ball. In fact his core strength is his one of his biggest assets as he stands in tackles and gets his arms free and can occasionally break free of tackles with just sheer (pun intended) power and strength. He is prone to just banging it forward but he has been better at distributing it more and he has scheered that part of his game right down. He lacks break away speed, but that hasn't stopped a lot of players in the AFL with similar athletic attributes. His marking overhead is very good and he is like Dustin Martin when he goes forward. I am unsure on his endurance and i believe that may be a reason why he does not win a ton of ball on the outside but this would be something that can be improved. His disposal is reasonably good and he hits most easy targets, I doubt he will ever be an elite kick but it is not an area of issue.

He is able to play almost immediately and I would expect him to have an impact next year. His U16 form was excellent and his U18 form has also been good. He has also shown that he is good enough to play against men and he is performing very well in the NEAFL. He actually fits the needs of the Gold Coast excellently and I imagine that in the real thing they would be ecstatic to get him for a discounted second round pick.

I do believe that is all Gold Coast's picks done now. All in all that is a good draft although upon finding out that Garlett has left perhaps I may have taken another small/medium sized ball runner who can break the lines at 10 instead of English but i cannot really complain.

 

[AFLprospectss]

Pick 24 - Gold Coast - Brad Scheer

In the real draft Gold Coast are almost certainties to pick up Brad Scheer imo and he will be scheerily on their list next year. They will go into deficit next year if he is bid on the second round. If he receives a first round pick then there is a chance Gold Coast will let him go.

Brad Scheer is one of the better inside players in the draft, a strong bodied contested beast who has really had a strong year. I have also been impressed with his ability to push forward and his ability to take a contested mark and hit the scoreboard. This is what really pushed him up the draft for me. I see him playing senior footy next year and he will really help the Suns with their clearances. He is at his best as a rover where he reads the ruck taps well, is strong over the ball makes good decisions and seems to have a good first couple of steps. The difference when he was in the middle was quite scheer and he had a strong impact on his teams ability to move the ball forward. He is a strong mark and a solid kick.

As far as his strengths go, they have been well documented, he is very good in tight, has clean hands and is strong over the ball. In fact his core strength is his one of his biggest assets as he stands in tackles and gets his arms free and can occasionally break free of tackles with just sheer (pun intended) power and strength. He is prone to just banging it forward but he has been better at distributing it more and he has scheered that part of his game right down. He lacks break away speed, but that hasn't stopped a lot of players in the AFL with similar athletic attributes. His marking overhead is very good and he is like Dustin Martin when he goes forward. I am unsure on his endurance and i believe that may be a reason why he does not win a ton of ball on the outside but this would be something that can be improved. His disposal is reasonably good and he hits most easy targets, I doubt he will ever be an elite kick but it is not an area of issue.

He is able to play almost immediately and I would expect him to have an impact next year. His U16 form was excellent and his U18 form has also been good. He has also shown that he is good enough to play against men and he is performing very well in the NEAFL. He actually fits the needs of the Gold Coast excellently and I imagine that in the real thing they would be ecstatic to get him for a discounted second round pick.

I do believe that is all Gold Coast's picks done now. All in all that is a good draft although upon finding out that Garlett has left perhaps I may have taken another small/medium sized ball runner who can break the lines at 10 instead of English but i cannot really complain.

knowing that now, who would you have taken at 10?

 

[Giant Strides]

Pick 31 the Bombers bid on Kobe Mutch

Given the state of play in this mock draft, I'd expect GWS would match this bid. Late bid on Perryman and late next bid on a GWS academy kid (i.e. no-one in the 20s) means that GWS have ample points to match for Mutch, Sproule & Macreadie. Can only hope the real ND goes similarl

 

[Offsider]

knowing that now, who would you have taken at 10?

I would have bid on Perryman, been tempted by Shai Bolton as a bolter but it would have probably been between Simpkin and Venables with the edge to Simpkin.

Still it is hard to overlook a player like Tim English, I would not be surprised if he became the best ruck in the competition.

 

[AFLprospectss]

I would have bid on Perryman, been tempted by Shai Bolton as a bolter but it would have probably been between Simpkin and Venables with the edge to Simpkin.

Still it is hard to overlook a player like Tim English, I would not be surprised if he became the best ruck in the competition.

That is an interesting one! Simpkin is certainly one that could fall anywhere in this draft and wouldn't look out of place in the top 10 imo


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Gee Dub]

Pick 17- Port Adelaide- Jy Simpkin (Murray Bushrangers)- 182cm 75kg

My love affair with my Bushies boys continues and I've taken a bit of a slider who, in my opinion, would have been up there alongside Ainsworth as a top 10 pick if he was fit this year. In fact, I have a clear gap between Ainsworth, Cox and Simpkin as the premier small forwards in the draft, however the difference between them is that I think Simpkin has the most potential to go through the midfield which gives him an edge over them both. The more I think about this pick, the more I think I actually rate Simpkin higher than Ainsworth, although he has a real lack of exposed form which may make me look silly.

I think Simpkin is a really balanced player who has a number of attributes and no real weaknesses. He has a really good head on his shoulders and is a hard worker, and has been super diligent with his rehab from the broken leg. He is reportedly a great kid who has battled through a lot of adversity already which will no doubt help him when it gets tough at the next level. I also look at the history of guys with similar injuries (eg Burton, Stringer) and the doubts over them have been found out to be wrong, as opposed to guys who have history of soft tissue injuries which are more likely to re-occur.

Simpkin's main strengths are his goal sense and his ball use. He certainly knows where the goals are but he isn't your typical selfish small forward. He is a good team man and will pass the ball off if he has a teammate in a better position. He is also very smart around the contest and knows when to go in hard and when to hang back. When he chooses to go, he uses his pace to hit the ball at pace and split open contests, and is difficult to catch.

His field kicking is very good and he weights his kicks really well. He makes good decisions with the ball in hand as well, and his ball use in general is probably his biggest asset. He is very good at delivering the ball inside 50 and hitting targets by lowering his eyes as he bursts away.

His tackling and work rate is also top notch. He has a real intensity at the contest and will put in multiple efforts to harass opponents.

I don't really have any major weaknesses in his game but that may be due to a lack of exposure compared to others in the draft pool. I guess not knowing how he will rebound from the injury after losing a whole year would be the main doubt over him but I'm willing to cop that and back him in.

I think he ends up at a Dayne Zorko sort of level and will be a combo midfielder/forward which will give Port that smooth moving, good kicking option they need that will allow Wingard to go through the middle and also let Gray go forward where he is really dangerous.

 

[LemmingMaster]

30 Collingwood - Willem Drew

Here is the guy I almost selected.

 

[Monocle]

Here is the guy I almost selected.

He is a real gem and outstanding value for where Knightmare got him.
That said plenty of talent still on the board...and this where we all wished our Clubs had traded for another second rounder.

 

[Chris25]

I struggle with Drew, and wouldn't take him in within the first three rounds. I feel like he's good at what he does, but doesn't have the versatility or edge to his game. It's getting harder to be an inside player only now and I've seen nothing to suggest he can play another role.

 

[Gollo]

I struggle with Drew, and wouldn't take him in within the first three rounds. I feel like he's good at what he does, but doesn't have the versatility or edge to his game. It's getting harder to be an inside player only now and I've seen nothing to suggest he can play another role.

He played as a small defender in the Champs and rolled forward occasionally with North Ballarat. I think his versatility is fine, and with his speed he could be taught to play a more outside role, on a wing etc.

 

[Chris25]

He played as a small defender in the Champs and rolled forward occasionally with North Ballarat. I think his versatility is fine, and with his speed he could be taught to play a more outside role, on a wing etc.

From my perspective, he played as a small defender at times because other midfielders were simply better than him and he got squeezed out. He's someone I'd like to have the ball on the outside as an opposition coach.

I think he'd be a fine rotational mid, but a fringe one.

 

[Snoop Dog]

Pick 31 the Bombers bid on Kobe Mutch

Bid is matched for Kobe Mutch and the order has been updated

Kobe Mutch - NSW / 184cm / 79kg

Nice midfielder type who has some really strong threads to his game. In many ways a classic Giant type player whose stock and trade is a ferocious attack on the footy and an ability to generate good CP numbers. He mixes that with being able to be productive on the outside where he has a good sense of where to position himself to get involved. He can be relied on to use the ball productively. His kicking isn't elite but it is effective.

Essendon foj1 have indicated they will be taking Jack Graham at # 32

Port Adelaide Gee Dub have advised they will take Jonty Scharenberg and Matt Guelfi at picks 33 & 34

 

[Snoop Dog]

Pie 4 Life time to prove to those wary North fans that you will do the right thing. Couple of nice types left who seemingly fit the fill so interesting to see which way you go.

 

[Pie 4 Life]

Needing some pace and flair I'll bid on Josh Daicos now.

 

[grundog49]

Needing some pace and flair I'll bid on Josh Daicos now.

Thought you might have gone for the elite kicking Cal Brown