Draft Watcher Knightmare's 2012 Mock Draft

[Eastern Rangers]

Can't say I disagree with you on Chalmers. Have seen him in past years and as a 16 year old particularly was fantastic so it's a shame that he is no longer producing to the level he was.

It's a physical thing from what ive seen, he's still the super smooth clearence midfielder but he doesn't have the pace or size to compete at Champs level.

Probably the opposite of Lowrie who 18 months ago was on the skinny side before he broke his leg, looks like he's done a bit of upper body work with his time on the sidelines and is now a unit.

He spent large minutes up forward for Western Australia last weekend and he was servicable in that rule, but he didn't convince.

 

[Knightmare]

Sheedy said on the radio last week that it is the big players who win finals not the small players and mentioned Hawkins from last year.
Would not be surprised if Grundy keeps motoring along ok that he goes No. 1 to GWS (presuming they finish bottom).

It wouldn't shock me to see GWS go for Grundy, and in my draft I have them taking him with pick 2, but if they do finish last (which I'm starting to doubt with the way Gold Coast are struggling without Bock) then Whitfield should be the selection. The thing with GWS is their outside midfield group isn't all that flash. It's the inside midfielders that are the real strength in their team and if you add Whitfield on a wing then they've already completed their midfield which is something I expect would appeal to them.

The ruck stocks for GWS in my view are the key weakness but they can easily add a Trent West to their ruck division and get better. Not a super expensive player but a solid fit to play alongside Giles and a guy who thrives as a no.2 ruckman which suits what they are looking for. He'd be enough to take their ruck division to above average even in the immediate.

I do agree with Sheedy's ideals and agree that quality size wins. If you don't have a strong group of key position players + rucks it makes winning difficult. Just when you finish with a high draft selection it's about taking the best player available. Perhaps GWS believe Grundy is and take him, but at this stage Whitfield is the overwhelming favourite with the way he has performed over the past two seasons and will be hard to kick out of that no.1 draft position.

 

[Knightmare]

What's really interesting in my books is who Melbourne take with the first compo - the one immediately after their first pick. Jack Viney is already going to go surely, it's just a matter of where, but who the other one is will intrigue me. We're hurting for speed big-time through the middle so I wouldn't be surprised if we're eyeing Toumpas...

With the compo pick while I don't yet have it included I would think Toumpas if available would get a serious look.

Neeld seems like a real contested ball guy so Vlastuin and Wines would likely also get seriously consideration but obviously don't have that pace.

Mayes with what your describing is another I expect will get closely looked at. Has mostly up to this stage played as a forward but would be drafted to develop into a midfielder. His pace and footskills in particular would appeal but also has a strong marking game to go with it which makes him intriguing.

1st round in any case I'd be looking best available with an eye towards pace from the 2nd round.

 

[Knightmare]

That is interesting. He has been really good for Launceston over the last season and a half and had did really well in the finals. I would have thought he'd be on the radar before these championships. I was tipping him to do well, but he has so far exceeded my expectations. Had him second to Lonergan in terms of Tasmanian players most likely to be drafted this year, he is starting to overtake Lonergan in my mind. I like his speed, height, ability to read the play, and his skills. He seems to be one of the more complete Tassie players of recent years, which is why I am probably pumping him up a little bit. It was Calen Jeffery who I didn't know really anything about, but I don't claim to be the most knowledgeable person of the TSL. Eli Templeton is the one to watch for next year.

What names did the scout mention?

Made mention that the Tasmanian prospects are weaker this season and other than Lonergan basically draw a line through the rest.

Essentially this is the list I got preseason to look out for from this year (from Ben The Cats Fan - former bigfooty poster):
1. Jesse Lonergan
2. Daylight
3. Daylight
4. Sam Siggins
5. Jackson Thurlow
6. Any one of Beau Webster, Josh Grant or Toby Nankervis

So while Tasmania are as a team having more difficulty this season than in years gone past which is to be expected I've been really surprised that Lonergan and Jeffery have been able to produce because other than Lonergan the impression I got early this year was that there were few others worth persuing but clearly that has changed with the emergence of Thurlow and Jeffery who both clearly have taken the next step and stepped up which is great to see.

For next year Ben outlined Templeton as the top Tasmanian prospect with a top 10 of:
1. Eli Templeton
2. Zac Webster
3. Josh Fox
4. Jake Kolodjashnij
5. Kade Kolodjashnij
6. Jake Smith
7. Ryan Wiggins
8. Nick Cherry
9. Jake Murphy
10. Matthew Hanson

And a much stronger group to select from next year with Templeton a potential 1st rounder.
From my observations Thurlow has far surpassed Lonergan in my personal rankings, but this is only from a limited sample size of games up to this point and with Lonergan missing games with injury I can only go off what he produced last year and I think there is a little more to Thurlow's game.

 

[LeverPuller]

4. Jake Kolodjashnij
5. Kade Kolodjashnij

I look forward to BT wrapping his tongue around those.

 

[manny100]

KM - Sheedy at it again about the bigger players. Talking about the good old days - Merrit, Vander, Lloyd, Scott etc. I think its in Sheeds footy make up - must have big blokes. It will be interesting to see whether Sheeds big bloke compulsion overides the usual 'best available' selection method. Time will tell. This is shaping up to be a great draft in terms of supporter/member interest. The lead up is going to keep us all interested.
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-ne...s-unveil-a-bigger-picture-20120613-20ahx.html

''Whether it's practical or not, we'll find out,'' Sheedy said. ''But we're going to try it and in the end I know that in the finals, the taller players generally in the end win the game, like Tom Hawkins did in the grand final [last year].
''I had that with [Matthew] Lloyd and [Scott] Lucas and [Paul] Vander Haar and Paul Salmon and Roger Merrett over the years.
''I still believe that two or three top-class tall players with a bit of ferocity in their play will stand the test of time in the AFL.''


Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/going-forwards-giants-unveil-a-bigger-picture-20120613-20ahx.html#ixzz1xiDCdfom​

 

[Tazwegian]

Agreed with your summation of next year's Tassie crop looking much better than this year's. Templeton has done well so far, and Kade Kolodjashnij and Zac Webster have shown more in both games than nearly all of the draft age players. Kade in particular has been really good. The guy that has disappointed me is Thor Boscott. Was keeping a bit of an eye on him over the last year or so. He hasn't seemed to have come on at all.

 

[tigs2010]

Hey KM. Great effort again.

Interested to get your thoughts on the following players and what sort of range you see them possibly going:

Tom Temay
Tom Tyquin
Nathan Hrovat (also where you would see him going if he was 180cm and not a midget)
Jackson MacRae
Dom Barry
Marvin Warrell
Oliver Johnson
Billy Rolfe
Tom Clurey
Laurence Grescos
Sam Lowrie
Dom Sheed
Tullio De Matteis

Thanks in advance. Hoping this will spark some interesting discussion among some of the other Phantom Drafters too.

 

[Knightmare]

KM - Sheedy at it again about the bigger players. Talking about the good old days - Merrit, Vander, Lloyd, Scott etc. I think its in Sheeds footy make up - must have big blokes. It will be interesting to see whether Sheeds big bloke compulsion overides the usual 'best available' selection method. Time will tell. This is shaping up to be a great draft in terms of supporter/member interest. The lead up is going to keep us all interested.
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-ne...s-unveil-a-bigger-picture-20120613-20ahx.html

I agree with his thoughts and agree with Sheedy.

I expect Patton and Jeremy Cameron to become those players up forward. Phil Davis is a very high level young defender and could also become one of the best at his position.

They still have more years to find these players so I'm sure more quality size will continue to come in over the next 2-3 seasons.

 

[Knightmare]

Hey KM. Great effort again.

Interested to get your thoughts on the following players and what sort of range you see them possibly going:

Tom Temay
Tom Tyquin
Nathan Hrovat (also where you would see him going if he was 180cm and not a midget)
Jackson MacRae
Dom Barry
Marvin Warrell
Oliver Johnson
Billy Rolfe
Tom Clurey
Laurence Grescos
Sam Lowrie
Dom Sheed
Tullio De Matteis

Thanks in advance. Hoping this will spark some interesting discussion among some of the other Phantom Drafters too.

Temay showed allot v Tasmania and with a few more names could really shoot up the draft order. Could come into consideration from the 2nd round.

Tyquin is another who is will in the mix and sure to get looked at. Should come into consideration from the 3rd round.

MacRae has shown some really nice flexibiltiy this year and has looked good back, on a wing or forward. Increasingly looking like a 2nd rounder and with a few more nice games like the one he played v Tasmania he should get drafted.

Hrovat I really like. Very strong and if only he was 180cm+. Has a really polished game and is someone who can have a really immediate impact. Strong ball winner, very good extractor and clean by hand, strong tackling game, puts his head over the footy, strong overhead and willing to get crunched, has a nice kick on him so there isn't allot I don't like to be honest because he is one of those guys who clearly puts the time into his game and will turn up every week and have a genuine dip. Looks like a later selection but he is one I really hope gets drafted because he is a guy who could have an impact similar to Collingwood's Jarryd Blair, where he could play either up forward or through the midfield and produce right away. If taller would be a genuine 1st rounder with the way he is producing. Been very impressed with the games I've seen of him both for his school and for Vic Metro and has real substance to his game.

Rolfe is probably the other of these in the mix to get drafted though probably more of a late selection if he is to get selected.

Many of the others in fairness I have either seen limited footage of or haven't payed close attention to up to this point so I'll leave them up to those who have seen more of their games.

 

[Eastern Rangers]

Marvin Warrell
Laurence Grescos
Sam Lowrie
Dom Sheed

Sheed and Grescos are the top two midfielders from WA for the 2014 draft, both are tall 187cm an pretty balanced as fat as contested and uncontested work goes. Dom Sheed is eligible for the mini draft.

Ive seen more of Sheed and I'm a big fan, he's a pretty dominant type at Colts level given his athletic ability.

 

[Iason]

I've gone best available for Gold Coast and at no.1 Whitfield while not a need with Gold Coast having a surplus of outside midfielders is still the best player in the draft and pretty hard to overlook. Perhaps Gold Coast work a trade of pick 1 + 2nd round selection for GWS' 1st round selection + one of those mini draft selections as an alternative if they decide they are too outsidish and don't want Whitfield.

On Menzel he doesn't have to play as a midfielder. Has shown some serious talent as a forward also. Just a best available selection and a high level talent.

Gold Coast would love a quality key defender, another high level inside midfielder and probably a few more general defenders and forwards but otherwise I see the most likely outcome being best available with needs looked into later.

Thanks. Are their any key defenders or inside midfielders worth drafting first, or would anybody but Whitfield be seen as a reach?

 

[Sunny_]

I would have thought the Suns would be screaming for an inside mid before all else. I am of the belief that they have some good young KPD's coming through in May, Thompson and Schade, but the severe lack of inside mids has been very much highlighted when Swallow and Prestia have gone down through injury. It's no surprise that we've put up some of our worst performances of the year thus far without those two in the grunt. I guess we can add O'Meara to the list of players able to go inside next year though.

That said, it's hard to go past Whitfield.

 

[tigs2010]

Temay showed allot v Tasmania and with a few more names could really shoot up the draft order. Could come into consideration from the 2nd round.

Tyquin is another who is will in the mix and sure to get looked at. Should come into consideration from the 3rd round.

MacRae has shown some really nice flexibiltiy this year and has looked good back, on a wing or forward. Increasingly looking like a 2nd rounder and with a few more nice games like the one he played v Tasmania he should get drafted.

Hrovat I really like. Very strong and if only he was 180cm+. Has a really polished game and is someone who can have a really immediate impact. Strong ball winner, very good extractor and clean by hand, strong tackling game, puts his head over the footy, strong overhead and willing to get crunched, has a nice kick on him so there isn't allot I don't like to be honest because he is one of those guys who clearly puts the time into his game and will turn up every week and have a genuine dip. Looks like a later selection but he is one I really hope gets drafted because he is a guy who could have an impact similar to Collingwood's Jarryd Blair, where he could play either up forward or through the midfield and produce right away. If taller would be a genuine 1st rounder with the way he is producing. Been very impressed with the games I've seen of him both for his school and for Vic Metro and has real substance to his game.

Rolfe is probably the other of these in the mix to get drafted though probably more of a late selection if he is to get selected.

Many of the others in fairness I have either seen limited footage of or haven't payed close attention to up to this point so I'll leave them up to those who have seen more of their games.

Thanks Knightmare for the response. Didn't expect you to know all of them at this stage but thought i'd get some responses from others as well. Really wish Hrovat would have a mini-growth spurt after someone drafts him late.

Sheed and Grescos are the top two midfielders from WA for the 2014 draft, both are tall 187cm an pretty balanced as fat as contested and uncontested work goes. Dom Sheed is eligible for the mini draft.

Ive seen more of Sheed and I'm a big fan, he's a pretty dominant type at Colts level given his athletic ability.

Thanks EH,

Forgot Sheed was too young for this year (excluding mini-draft) but thought Grescos was available. My mistake. A couple to look forward too next year.

 

[Hellgood]

I would have thought the Suns would be screaming for an inside mid before all else. I am of the belief that they have some good young KPD's coming through in May, Thompson and Schade, but the severe lack of inside mids has been very much highlighted when Swallow and Prestia have gone down through injury. It's no surprise that we've put up some of our worst performances of the year thus far without those two in the grunt. I guess we can add O'Meara to the list of players able to go inside next year though.

That said, it's hard to go past Whitfield.

Depends on how highly they rate Viney and Vlastuin. Not sure if anyone can really split those two guys so it might be a good idea for the Suns to nominate for Viney, no way are Melbourne not taking him, but worth the punt. Then you either get him or you have the pretty enviable choice of Whitfield or Vlastuin.

 

[Sunny_]

Depends on how highly they rate Viney and Vlastuin. Not sure if anyone can really split those two guys so it might be a good idea for the Suns to nominate for Viney, no way are Melbourne not taking him, but worth the punt. Then you either get him or you have the pretty enviable choice of Whitfield or Vlastuin.

Good call. How's Vlastuin going in the U18s?

 

[Knightmare]

Thanks. Are their any key defenders or inside midfielders worth drafting first, or would anybody but Whitfield be seen as a reach?

The alternative would be Jack Viney as an inside midfielder. But Melbourne will match and take him 1st round F/S.

Otherwise Whitfield is probably too hard to overlook.

 

[Knightmare]

I would have thought the Suns would be screaming for an inside mid before all else. I am of the belief that they have some good young KPD's coming through in May, Thompson and Schade, but the severe lack of inside mids has been very much highlighted when Swallow and Prestia have gone down through injury. It's no surprise that we've put up some of our worst performances of the year thus far without those two in the grunt. I guess we can add O'Meara to the list of players able to go inside next year though.

That said, it's hard to go past Whitfield.

I'm not so sure O'Meara is ready to have that type of immediate impact at AFL level just yet through the midfield. Will take time to be a big difference maker but with time should develop into a pretty special player.

More inside midfielders will surely be added this year and into coming years. Still plenty of years to develop that midfield group and add further quality to it.

 

[Gorms33]

Hey Knightmare,
Cracker job on this mock draft.
Just wondering if you had to pick a couple of players to kick goals over there career from this draft who would you pick and why? Out of James Stewart, Joe Daniher, Jake Stringer, Lachlan Plowman, Mason Shaw, Kristian Jaksch & Troy Menzel.

 

[Knightmare]

Hey Knightmare,
Cracker job on this mock draft.
Just wondering if you had to pick a couple of players to kick goals over there career from this draft who would you pick and why? Out of James Stewart, Joe Daniher, Jake Stringer, Lachlan Plowman, Mason Shaw, Kristian Jaksch & Troy Menzel.

Stringer I expect to be more of a utility. Plowman a key defender and Menzel while he can play forward I wouldn't be surprised to see him develop into a midfielder.

Stewart while he plays forward right now I'm not sure I see him as a volume goal scorer and could well be better developed as a key defender.

Daniher if he was to play his career as a key forward would be my pick of the bunch, but I expect him to spend at least parts of his career in the ruck at his height.

So I'd probably go for one of Mason Shaw or Kristian Jaksch to kick the most goals over their careers. Shaw will play closer to goal so he should get the better goals per game numbers, but of the two my preference is Jaksch and I think he might develop into the better of this years forwards.

Paparone, Mayes or even Kennedy could be others on this list but Paparone will probably play too high as a key forward, Mayes probably will develop into a midfielder and Kennedy as more of a rotation mid/fwd probably won't get that same quantity either.

 

[Gorms33]

Stringer I expect to be more of a utility. Plowman a key defender and Menzel while he can play forward I wouldn't be surprised to see him develop into a midfielder.

Stewart while he plays forward right now I'm not sure I see him as a volume goal scorer and could well be better developed as a key defender.

Daniher if he was to play his career as a key forward would be my pick of the bunch, but I expect him to spend at least parts of his career in the ruck at his height.

So I'd probably go for one of Mason Shaw or Kristian Jaksch to kick the most goals over their careers. Shaw will play closer to goal so he should get the better goals per game numbers, but of the two my preference is Jaksch and I think he might develop into the better of this years forwards.

Paparone, Mayes or even Kennedy could be others on this list but Paparone will probably play too high as a key forward, Mayes probably will develop into a midfielder and Kennedy as more of a rotation mid/fwd probably won't get that same quantity either.

So Jaksch will play forward you think and not develop into a key defender? Will Daniher be like a Tippett and play more like in the forward line and like 20 - 40% in the ruck? Will Stinger be like Goodes and swap up forward or he not tall enough

 

[Knightmare]

So Jaksch will play forward you think and not develop into a key defender? Will Daniher be like a Tippett and play more like in the forward line and like 20 - 40% in the ruck? Will Stinger be like Goodes and swap up forward or he not tall enough

Jaksch can play to a high level as a key defender but he is just as good as a key forward and with his strong marking game I'd expect him to develop into a key forward rather than defender.

Daniher I liken to a Paul Salmon. Can play either forward or ruck. I like him as a forward slightly more but unknown at this stage what Essendon see him as. Could be as a forward, no.2 ruckman or full time ruckman.

Stringer I liken more to a Goddard in that he can go anywhere and influence the game. Can certainly play forward and has proven it so far this year but I like him up the ground more involved in the game.

 

[Ruse]

Cheers Knightmare,

If Jesse Hogan was hypothetically eligible for this year's draft, where would he get picked and also, how good is Grundy compared to Billy Longer at the same age?

Cheers.

 

[stefoid]

I would have thought the Suns would be screaming for an inside mid before all else. I am of the belief that they have some good young KPD's coming through in May, Thompson and Schade, but the severe lack of inside mids has been very much highlighted when Swallow and Prestia have gone down through injury. It's no surprise that we've put up some of our worst performances of the year thus far without those two in the grunt. I guess we can add O'Meara to the list of players able to go inside next year though.

That said, it's hard to go past Whitfield.

Clayton prioritises skill and athleticism above grunt and attitude. He is also in the 'best available' camp very firmly.

 

[Knightmare]

Cheers Knightmare,

If Jesse Hogan was hypothetically eligible for this year's draft, where would he get picked and also, how good is Grundy compared to Billy Longer at the same age?

Cheers.

Hogan would feature very early. Likely top 5-6. Would be the best key forward.

Grundy is better than Longer and last year as a 17 year old was a match for him, has developed even further since and looks clearly the better of the two now. Both physically developed and ready to play but Grundy has more tricks. Higher level tap ruckman. Provides more around the ground. Higher level athlete and the more dominant of the two.