Draft Expert Davo-27's 2022 u18 Draft Thread

[pushintheback]

JHF's form in the SANFL was bloody impressive especially for a 17 year old, but he didn't exactly dominate the way he was expected to at the championships.

Wardlaw has very similar athletic traits to JHF, but unfortunately he doesn't have the exposed form this year due to injury. IMO, There is no reason why Wardlaw's potential ceiling couldn't be just as high as JHF's.

Head to head i would pick Wardlaw over JHF for many reasons. I reckon Wardlaw will have more impact next year that what JHF will have...time will tell

 

[Davo-27]

Instead of going over the list of players again, I was thinking which players do I like the most per position, which I believe Smythe did this year, it might contradict my rankings, but I want to put everything aside and name the top 3-5 per position on field

Midfielder
1. Will Ashcroft, I choose him as my number 1 mid as he has improved the most in his draft year and his rival was injured for most of it, if you remember about 18 months ago I named these 2 as the elites of this draft pool
2. George Wardlaw, a fantastic contested mid with multiple efforts and a real fight within him which I love to see, similar desire at the contest as JHF which is where the comparison comes from
3. Cam Mackenzie, the way he stepped into Ashcrofts number 2 spot with Wardlaw injured was seamless, 1 of the main reasons VM won even without some key mids missing through injury, his run from a contest and clever disposal a standout, many confusing him with Ashcroft or in 1 game Hempel.
4. Mattaes Phillipou, a sore back apparently hurt his champs campaign, but prior to that incident in the VM game he was a class above and his ability to kick a goal from 50 like its nothing is a nice skill to have up your sleeve, also a strong mark and deceivingly quick on a short run
5. Jhye Clark/Elijah Tsatas, hard to make my mind up who I like more? the unathletic inside mid who shows moments of pure class or the speedy accumulator who can break the lines but his disposal can be a little off at times, don't get me wrong both are of a high standard, they just have slight issues with their games imo.

KPP
1. Aaron Cadman, he is the prototype forward for the modern game, tall, athletic, leads all day, even when not kicking goals can be very influential, plays as the target man i50 also and if rumours are true could be pick 1?
2. Jedd Busslinger, he was seen as a quality defender last year and backed that up with 2 games in the champs and still winning an All Australian spot, fantastic intercept defender, didn't play a close down role maybe because his shoulder was just hanging on by a thread, fantastic defender option
3. Lewis Hayes, for me he ended up on par with Busslinger as 1 of the best KPP in the draft, his intercepting and disposal is high quality and he wins a tonne of poss as a tall defender it's quite impressive
4. Matthew Jefferson, a bit raw and very much in the Harrison Jones mold, he has great scope to improve once he fills out, had an outstanding 7 goal straight game at the champs, but is always competitive
5. Isaac Keeler, a player who has all the attributes to make it at the highest level, can go in and out of games, but most KPP do, has the added luxury of ruck ability, reminds me of young paddy Ryder who would play forward, play defence then eventually found his place as a quality ruck once he Filled out

Forward
1. Harry Sheezel, goal kicker, mid option, bullet like passing, great composure, nice Mark, bit of x-factor
2. Brayden George, goal kicker, powerful build, smart leading patterns, unfortunately has gone through some injury concerns this season
3. Anthony Munkara, could be a special player, his goal sense is strong, speed and agility are very high with some x-factor, I suspect essendon are playing funny buggers to get him as an NGA
Mentions. Bailey Humphrey/Jacob Konstanty, one is a powerful forward, injury history, likes to work into space, kicking issues , the other is a pressure forward who is a good tackle, but low goal rate and again kicking issues

Defender
1. Josh Weddle, I went early on him and he is a fantastic medium defender who can play all roles in defence and runs all day
2. Coby Burgiel, even though he is more of a utility, he deserves some high praise, kicking some lovely goals for VC, running out the 4 quarters in nearly every game and winning a heap of disposal for Gippsland as a midfielder
3. Hugh Bond, another that has been used everywhere at GWV and VC, but it was his shut-down games for VC that have me rating him this highly, doing negating jobs on opponents as well as being a contributor to counter attacking plays, I also really liked his midfield games at GWV


Ruck
1. Harry Barnett, the rucks were disappointing this year, most of them didn't improve and some got worse, Barnett at least showed he could take an excellent mark and compete in the ruck, special mention to Nick Madden as well.

 

[TheAthlete]

Davo-27 Correct!

As TheAthlete you have said in another post you haven't seen much NAB league so not sure how you come up with that opinion. Wardlaw is a gun and will prove his value over the course of his career. JHF has proven nothing at AFL level.

Consider this bookmarked sir. I will be the first to come and say I was wrong if Wardlaw is ever as good or better than JHF. It won't happen but if JHF has his career seriously impeded by injury and Wardlaw doesn't and so he does have a better career then I will be more than happy to admit I was wrong. I have watched Wardlaw enough times easily to know what he is and even if he reaches the best he could ever be he won't be near what JHF's peak could be. JFH is bigger as explosive a much better kick and more brutal in the contest. Like scary brutal to the point where he had to be told he needed to learn how to play differently by his SANFL clubs because he was too recklessly tough at the ball.

 

[TheAthlete]

Head to head i would pick Wardlaw over JHF for many reasons. I reckon Wardlaw will have more impact next year that what JHF will have...time will tell

Not as big, not as tough and nowhere near the forward craft, goal sense or ability to play forward and tear a game apart in that part of the ground (in a much higher standard than wardlaw has ever played as well)

 

[Turbocat]

if he(Wardlaw) was fit and played more than like 3-4 games for the year i could answer that with more certainty, but i think they are very close in quality and how they both play.

When assesing them do you take into account their ability to transfer into the demands at the elite level?

So far one would have to say JHF lacks certain elements which might see him join a long list of very talent players that come and go.. not all can adapt to the demands of afl. Maybe its just time but maybe the reluctance to channel his talent within lets say .."Ice bath" parameters makes Wardlaw an even better kid. If Clark is like Selwood ..I could imagine how having someone like that... that make his inclusion easy highly rated compared to a kid that makes it hard work..no matter how high his talent is.

 

[Mutineer]

Interested in your thoughts on Jonti Schuback who you rated erarly on but doesn't appear to be in your top 100 now.

I'd love Adelaide to grab him as a rookie, really like his run and carry and kicking looks pretty good to my eye.

Too outside for your liking?

 

[Davo-27]

Interested in your thoughts on Jonti Schuback who you rated erarly on but doesn't appear to be in your top 100 now.

I'd love Adelaide to grab him as a rookie, really like his run and carry and kicking looks pretty good to my eye.

Too outside for your liking?

He is #40 in my top 100

There was 1 champs game where he annoyed me and I dropped him from my top 50 list, but he is there.

 

[Davo-27]

When assesing them do you take into account their ability to transfer into the demands at the elite level?

So far one would have to say JHF lacks certain elements which might see him join a long list of very talent players that come and go.. not all can adapt to the demands of afl. Maybe its just time but maybe the reluctance to channel his talent within lets say .."Ice bath" parameters makes Wardlaw an even better kid. If Clark is like Selwood ..I could imagine how having someone like that... that make his inclusion easy highly rated compared to a kid that makes it hard work..no matter how high his talent is.

It's hard to tell which players are professional or not to start their careers, but I'm sure even the worst behaving guys usually turn it around, but some don't and you have to delist or trade them on.

I mean Will Ashcroft is as professional as they come and so was Matthew Rowell, Sam Walsh ect, so it definitely helps when you can easily identify it from work rate and behaviour.

 

[JDavey]

Instead of going over the list of players again, I was thinking which players do I like the most per position, which I believe Smythe did this year, it might contradict my rankings, but I want to put everything aside and name the top 3-5 per position on field

Midfielder
1. Will Ashcroft, I choose him as my number 1 mid as he has improved the most in his draft year and his rival was injured for most of it, if you remember about 18 months ago I named these 2 as the elites of this draft pool
2. George Wardlaw, a fantastic contested mid with multiple efforts and a real fight within him which I love to see, similar desire at the contest as JHF which is where the comparison comes from
3. Cam Mackenzie, the way he stepped into Ashcrofts number 2 spot with Wardlaw injured was seamless, 1 of the main reasons VM won even without some key mids missing through injury, his run from a contest and clever disposal a standout, many confusing him with Ashcroft or in 1 game Hempel.
4. Mattaes Phillipou, a sore back apparently hurt his champs campaign, but prior to that incident in the VM game he was a class above and his ability to kick a goal from 50 like its nothing is a nice skill to have up your sleeve, also a strong mark and deceivingly quick on a short run
5. Jhye Clark/Elijah Tsatas, hard to make my mind up who I like more? the unathletic inside mid who shows moments of pure class or the speedy accumulator who can break the lines but his disposal can be a little off at times, don't get me wrong both are of a high standard, they just have slight issues with their games imo.

KPP
1. Aaron Cadman, he is the prototype forward for the modern game, tall, athletic, leads all day, even when not kicking goals can be very influential, plays as the target man i50 also and if rumours are true could be pick 1?
2. Jedd Busslinger, he was seen as a quality defender last year and backed that up with 2 games in the champs and still winning an All Australian spot, fantastic intercept defender, didn't play a close down role maybe because his shoulder was just hanging on by a thread, fantastic defender option
3. Lewis Hayes, for me he ended up on par with Busslinger as 1 of the best KPP in the draft, his intercepting and disposal is high quality and he wins a tonne of poss as a tall defender it's quite impressive
4. Matthew Jefferson, a bit raw and very much in the Harrison Jones mold, he has great scope to improve once he fills out, had an outstanding 7 goal straight game at the champs, but is always competitive
5. Isaac Keeler, a player who has all the attributes to make it at the highest level, can go in and out of games, but most KPP do, has the added luxury of ruck ability, reminds me of young paddy Ryder who would play forward, play defence then eventually found his place as a quality ruck once he Filled out

Forward
1. Harry Sheezel, goal kicker, mid option, bullet like passing, great composure, nice Mark, bit of x-factor
2. Brayden George, goal kicker, powerful build, smart leading patterns, unfortunately has gone through some injury concerns this season
3. Anthony Munkara, could be a special player, his goal sense is strong, speed and agility are very high with some x-factor, I suspect essendon are playing funny buggers to get him as an NGA
Mentions. Bailey Humphrey/Jacob Konstanty, one is a powerful forward, injury history, likes to work into space, kicking issues , the other is a pressure forward who is a good tackle, but low goal rate and again kicking issues

Defender
1. Josh Weddle, I went early on him and he is a fantastic medium defender who can play all roles in defence and runs all day
2. Coby Burgiel, even though he is more of a utility, he deserves some high praise, kicking some lovely goals for VC, running out the 4 quarters in nearly every game and winning a heap of disposal for Gippsland as a midfielder
3. Hugh Bond, another that has been used everywhere at GWV and VC, but it was his shut-down games for VC that have me rating him this highly, doing negating jobs on opponents as well as being a contributor to counter attacking plays, I also really liked his midfield games at GWV


Ruck
1. Harry Barnett, the rucks were disappointing this year, most of them didn't improve and some got worse, Barnett at least showed he could take an excellent mark and compete in the ruck, special mention to Nick Madden as well.

To have Munkara ahead of draft darling Bailey Humphrey is a very bold take. You think he has that much potential that dodoro n co are hiding?

 

[Albertonarmy]

a player i liked in his draft year and has been performing at sanfl level for the last couple of years is Josh Gore, i wonder if he will be given a chance in the AFL system?

played 30 sanfl games and kicked 43 goals for West Adelaide coming down from the Gold Coast to ply his trade in the sanfl, i havnt been following him that closely, but im hearing his name been thrown around and im curious if the 21 yr old gets picked up or not? played 17 games and kicked 28.10 goals.behinds this season.

He towelled our ressies this year, 6 goals in 2 games, has a booming kick for a small forward

 

[Davo-27]

To have Munkara ahead of draft darling Bailey Humphrey is a very bold take. You think he has that much potential that dodoro n co are hiding?

I really like Munkaras skills and movement on the field, if he has off field issues they may be the only reasons he gets to 40 plus, there have been rumours from other people that he was running a good 2k run? and he got called off the track by essendon staff, also him disappearing for a few months after he became most people's 1st round prospect is just odd and very little information about it, people have also heard he is desperate to play for the bombers, all of this information makes me wonder what's going on tbh.

 

[botts]

I really like Munkaras skills and movement on the field, if he has off field issues they may be the only reasons he gets to 40 plus, there have been rumours from other people that he was running a good 2k run? and he got called off the track by essendon staff, also him disappearing for a few months after he became most people's 1st round prospect is just odd and very little information about it, people have also heard he is desperate to play for the bombers, all of this information makes me wonder what's going on tbh.

Trust the bombers to do that shit

 

[Wild Bill]

Trust the bombers to do that s**t

I hope someone takes him at 39.

 

[TylerDurden]

No doubt Munkara has been hidden.

 

[PocketRocket08]

I really like Munkaras skills and movement on the field, if he has off field issues they may be the only reasons he gets to 40 plus, there have been rumours from other people that he was running a good 2k run? and he got called off the track by essendon staff, also him disappearing for a few months after he became most people's 1st round prospect is just odd and very little information about it, people have also heard he is desperate to play for the bombers, all of this information makes me wonder what's going on tbh.

That’s false. He ran 600m and hurt his hamstring. Was struggling in the run. If he can get fit could be a star. That’s his biggest issue.

 

[The Prosecutor]

I really like Munkaras skills and movement on the field, if he has off field issues they may be the only reasons he gets to 40 plus, there have been rumours from other people that he was running a good 2k run? and he got called off the track by essendon staff, also him disappearing for a few months after he became most people's 1st round prospect is just odd and very little information about it, people have also heard he is desperate to play for the bombers, all of this information makes me wonder what's going on tbh.

This seems like a bunch tin-foiled hat bollocks.

 

[BurnaHawks]

This seems like a bunch tin-foiled hat bollocks.

He will get drafted before 40, so doesn't really matter.

 

[Milanista28]

I really like Munkaras skills and movement on the field, if he has off field issues they may be the only reasons he gets to 40 plus, there have been rumours from other people that he was running a good 2k run? and he got called off the track by essendon staff, also him disappearing for a few months after he became most people's 1st round prospect is just odd and very little information about it, people have also heard he is desperate to play for the bombers, all of this information makes me wonder what's going on tbh.

LMAO, you just made all that up

 

[Chris25]

I’m sure Munkara wishes he was ‘hidden’ rather than the actual reasons he missed so much game time.

But that’s not as fun as a conspiracy.

 

[Davo-27]

Hey I love a conspiracy as much as the next guy....

 

[RedmanWasHere]

Speaking of conspiracies and the like, what are the draft tropes that we can do without?

Draftee hiding is the topic of this page so let's start with that.

 

[Bletch]

Speaking of conspiracies and the like, what are the draft tropes that we can do without?

Draftee hiding is the topic of this page so let's start with that.

Draftee who once played hoops in the backyard with mates... "comes from a basketball background, could be the next Pendlebury..."

 

[SumaGodCoach]

Adrian Dodoro was the second shooter on the grassy knoll.

 

[Davo-27]

Kaleb Smith is a player from East Fremantle out west that I have seen very little of but a lot of people are saying he has AFL Traits, has been injured a bit, but the WA Bigfooty watchers are quite impressed with him, so I have to mention him as a chance to get drafted.

Winger who has played well later in the season after missing out on the champs and trials games, quick and good disposal, averages around low 20s in wafl colts, I don't know his range but possibly mid draft/late as he hasn't had those important big games to test himself.

 

[Futbolista]

Kaleb Smith is a player from East Fremantle out west that I have seen very little of but a lot of people are saying he has AFL Traits, has been injured a bit, but the WA Bigfooty watchers are quite impressed with him, so I have to mention him as a chance to get drafted.

Winger who has played well later in the season after missing out on the champs and trials games, quick and good disposal, averages around low 20s in wafl colts, I don't know his range but possibly mid draft/late as he hasn't had those important big games to test himself.

I didn't know much about him either mate. Injury and PSA makes it tough to make a judgement.

But I watched every colts game and one day this guy (K Smith) was taking the kick ins from a point. He wasn't just taking the usual 15 metres....he was taking on traffic and bouncing past opponents. It was exciting. He has pace but he also has the guts as well to use it.

Also I'd reckon he's more like 185cm by now rather than 181 as listed.