Draft Watcher Knightmare's 2013 phantom draft

[Knightmare]

Hey KM.
Any word on who the Hawks would be/are most keen on with their first pick which looks likely to be at about 24 now when we trade our buddy compo pick to the saints for their early 2nd rounder?

Would someone like Luke army olds be a good fit in your eyes?

Best available slider will be the likely selection.

Mitch Harvey is someone who has loosely been linked to Hawthorn and may be worth looking out for from the 20s onward.

Reynolds with Hawthorn's near fetish for left footers may be someone else who receives consideration at that selection. Zac Jones with his hardness and class and James Battersby if available also I wouldn't be surprised to see interest Hawthorn.

 

[Godogs247]

Dogs look like pulling pick 22 off the table-right into charlie cameran

 

[Knightmare]

Dogs look like pulling pick 22 off the table-right into charlie cameran

That's early for a small forward and an overage small forward so new to the game.

I'd be surprised to see Charlie go so early.

What happens with pick 22 will depend on the Stewart Crameri situation and how that works out.

 

[Hayes4PM]

Hypothetically if Aish, Billings and Scharenberg are still all available at pick, which would you choose for St Kilda? And which is the biggest risk?

 

[Knightmare]

Hypothetically if Aish, Billings and Scharenberg are still all available at pick, which would you choose for St Kilda? And which is the biggest risk?

Matt Crouch.

But of the three possibly Billings would at this point would be my choice despite popular opinion. I'm cooling on Aish and Scharenberg with Aish very outside and Scharenberg a flanker rather than a midfielder.
Billings just has that touch more class and is more capable on the ball with his ability up forward incredible. He won't be a popular choice and is probably the higher risk choice of the three given his average season thanks to the injuries he has carried but he's a proven forward and the most capable midfielder of the group and a suitable long term Dal Santo replacement assuming he goes.

 

[Hayes4PM]

Matt Crouch.

But of the three possibly Billings would at this point would be my choice despite popular opinion. I'm cooling on Aish and Scharenberg with Aish very outside and Scharenberg a flanker rather than a midfielder.
Billings just has that touch more class and is more capable on the ball with his ability up forward incredible. He won't be a popular choice and is probably the higher risk choice of the three given his average season thanks to the injuries he has carried but he's a proven forward and the most capable midfielder of the group and a suitable long term Dal Santo replacement assuming he goes.

Thanks, with pelchen in charge of recruitment I suspect Billings or Kelly is a lock for pick 3 (left foot obsession).

Is there a chance Dumont could last til pick 18? Or who would you rate as the best inside mid for Saints at 18? I know Crouch is considered the best inside mid by many, who else?

 

[flipper83]

Hey KM
How does aish compare to wingard?

 

[aussierulesrules]

But of the three possibly Billings would at this point would be my choice despite popular opinion. I'm cooling on Aish and Scharenberg with Aish very outside and Scharenberg a flanker rather than a midfielder.
Billings just has that touch more class and is more capable on the ball with his ability up forward incredible. He won't be a popular choice and is probably the higher risk choice of the three given his average season thanks to the injuries he has carried but he's a proven forward and the most capable midfielder of the group and a suitable long term Dal Santo replacement assuming he goes.

I'm not sure it would be unpopular, at least not with us. Plenty on our board are warming to the idea of Billings now and I know I've been leaning towards him since I saw him, Kelly, Aish, Scharenberg and co. play in the champs.

If he's as capable in close and on the ball as some say he is, he may get the nod due to having just as much class, skill and talent as the others in that range (if not more), but more strings to his bow than say and Kelly and Aish (if he is in fact as good in the midfield as some say he is, especially in the guts, which would clinch it) and possibly more matchwinning ability.

Brett Anderson (who previously worked at St Kilda and apparently still has contacts there) tweeted the other day that we're into him and someone on our board who said they had gotten some mail from Dal's father also said that we were into Jack (and also Aish). Pelchen also said in a presentation to those who have St Kilda Platinum memberships a couple of months ago that we will be taking one of Boyd, Aish, Billings, Kelly and Scharanberg with pick 3, so it won't be any major surprise if it happens.

I think having hopefully those two more picks in the back end of the top 20 now (and maybe even one more somewhere there if we let Dal go) will mean that more than ever we can go purely "best available" with that first pick though, knowing that there will be a fair few options available to us with our picks in the 18-24 range, including possibly the likes of Dunstan, Dumont, Acres, Jones, Hartung and so on.

If we do in fact swap our 2nd rounder for Hawthorn's pick 19 (if they get that for losing Buddy) we may go to the draft with picks 18 and 19, which were of course the picks that you guys had last year and were able to nab at least one major "slider", in Grundy, and arguably another less so one in Kennedy. Do you think this year's top 21 bats as deep as last year's (given all those that were taken in that range last year, not necessarily which order they were taken in?- ie. I don't expect that we'll be getting someone at 18 who at this point is widely considered likely to go top 3, as with Grundy last year, but would a team be able to get a Kennedy at 19, or a Hrovat at 21, or a Wright at 24 (who was already a lock in our 22 this year before his broken jaw and then back injury)?

 

[Knightmare]

Thanks, with pelchen in charge of recruitment I suspect Billings or Kelly is a lock for pick 3 (left foot obsession).

Is there a chance Dumont could last til pick 18? Or who would you rate as the best inside mid for Saints at 18? I know Crouch is considered the best inside mid by many, who else?

Dumont at 18 is a chance to be available. That's roughly his range so it's 50/50 that he's available. If there he's a solid choice as a powerful midfielder.

Hey KM
How does aish compare to wingard?

Wingard is the better talent. Aish doesn't have that same ability to win his own ball. Wingard also has a touch more hurt-factor to him. When you can win your own footy and you can do damage that's when you know you've got a special talent and someone who can really influence the outcome which I wouldn't be prepaired to say of Aish.

I'm not sure it would be unpopular, at least not with us. Plenty on our board are warming to the idea of Billings now and I know I've been leaning towards him since I saw him, Kelly, Aish, Scharenberg and co. play in the champs.

If he's as capable in close and on the ball as some say he is, he may get the nod due to having just as much class, skill and talent as the others in that range (if not more), but more strings to his bow than say and Kelly and Aish (if he is in fact as good in the midfield as some say he is, especially in the guts, which would clinch it) and possibly more matchwinning ability.

Brett Anderson (who previously worked at St Kilda and apparently still has contacts there) tweeted the other day that we're into him and someone on our board who said they had gotten some mail from Dal's father also said that we were into Jack (and also Aish). Pelchen also said in a presentation to those who have St Kilda Platinum memberships a couple of months ago that we will be taking one of Boyd, Aish, Billings, Kelly and Scharanberg with pick 3, so it won't be any major surprise if it happens.

I think having hopefully those two more picks in the back end of the top 20 now (and maybe even one more somewhere there if we let Dal go) will mean that more than ever we can go purely "best available" with that first pick though, knowing that there will be a fair few options available to us with our picks in the 18-24 range, including possibly the likes of Dunstan, Dumont, Acres, Jones, Hartung and so on.

If we do in fact swap our 2nd rounder for Hawthorn's pick 19 (if they get that for losing Buddy) we may go to the draft with picks 18 and 19, which were of course the picks that you guys had last year and were able to nab at least one major "slider", in Grundy, and arguably another less so one in Kennedy. Do you think this year's top 21 bats as deep as last year's (given all those that were taken in that range last year, not necessarily which order they were taken in?- ie. I don't expect that we'll be getting someone at 18 who at this point is widely considered likely to go top 3, as with Grundy last year, but would a team be able to get a Kennedy at 19, or a Hrovat at 21, or a Wright at 24 (who was already a lock in our 22 this year before his broken jaw and then back injury)?

Billings still to an extent is still establishing his midfield game. He won't be able to do it front year one and would likely start off up forward for that first year or two but at say VFL standard couple probably step into a midfield and look a class above already. It just may take a few years before he is a midfielder. The signs long term are very positive though, he's someone who doesn't get knocked off the ball, wins all his 1v1s, has ability at ground level and isn't soft when the ball is there to be won so it's something within his capabilities to learn whereas Aish and Kelly I wouldn't have that same optimism as lighter bodies.

In St Kilda's position as a rebuilding team with so many needs best available with any top 25 selections you end up with I would strongly advise to be best available selections. Any needs remaining can be either looking into later in the draft or next year with next years talent somewhat different with less inside types and more KPPs and more quality electric outside types who can do their damage.

There won't be a Grundy level talent available at 18 again this year but there is still the potential for someone who probably shouldn't be available to still be there. Guys like Crouch, Acres and Dunstan would be high on my list late 1st round/early 2nd round and would represent strong value.

 

[aussierulesrules]

Cheers, yeah, I wasn't expecting that he'd be able to play midfield right off the bat in the seniors for us, but he probably won't need to (if we get him), as we still have Lenny for next year and I dare say either or both of Montagna and Dal Santo, to likely go with Steven, Armitage, Jones, Ross and probably Curren, who finished off this year so well (after being upgraded) and ought to be well ready to play more midfield next year (with the likes of Ray, Savage, Schneider, Newnes, Saunders, Webster and Markworth playing more outside). I'm hoping that Nathan Wright starts to get a look in there from next season as well and if we get someone like Dunstan, or Dumont, then they could go in there while a Billings builds his tank, so there'd be no great urgency.

 

[Masto]

Any chance James Aish could slide to pick 6?

 

[Knightmare]

Any chance James Aish could slide to pick 6?

Aish will go 2-4 on draft day. The only question with Aish is who in that range takes him.

 

[aussierulesrules]

I see that you have Marsh at 33. Did you hear that Shifter said on the radio the other day that he expects him (and Freeman) to go very early?

 

[Masto]

I see that you have Marsh at 33. Did you hear that Shifter said on the radio the other day that he expects him (and Freeman) to go very early?

I expect Fremantle to take either McCarthy or Marsh with their first pick.

 

[aussierulesrules]

I expect Fremantle to take either McCarthy or Marsh with their first pick.

I think he might mean earlier than that. Didn't they have him in their top 10 in their mock draft earlier in the year on TAC Cup Future Stars? Shifter would have a very fair idea where the clubs rate him I would imagine and by the sounds of it he knows that some are super-keen on him.

 

[tigs2010]

I think he might mean earlier than that. Didn't they have him in their top 10 in their mock draft earlier in the year on TAC Cup Future Stars? Shifter would have a very fair idea where the clubs rate him I would imagine and by the sounds of it he knows that some are super-keen on him.

If a non-Vic makes the top 10 then woah look out.

 

[Dannnnnnnnnn]

I think he might mean earlier than that. Didn't they have him in their top 10 in their mock draft earlier in the year on TAC Cup Future Stars? Shifter would have a very fair idea where the clubs rate him I would imagine and by the sounds of it he knows that some are super-keen on him.

Dogs are apparently heavily into Marsh. May have to get my torch and pitchfork out if they take him at 4.

 

[tigs2010]

Any chance James Aish could slide to pick 6?

Yes. 70/30 he's there from what I've heard.

 

[Sydswans0512]

Dogs are apparently heavily into Marsh. May have to get my torch and pitchfork out if they take him at 4.

Scharenberg would be the better option

 

[tigs2010]

Dogs are apparently heavily into Marsh. May have to get my torch and pitchfork out if they take him at 4.

Doubt you take him at 4. I've heard Kolodjashnij at 4.

 

[aussierulesrules]

Yes. 70/30 he's there from what I've heard.

Maybe Aish will in fact be this year's Grundy and we'll nab him at 18, after being talked up as going no.2 all year!

Have you heard any whispers as to we're into the most?

 

[Dannnnnnnnnn]

Doubt you take him at 4. I've heard Kolodjashnij at 4.

You're talking about the team that took Howard in the first round...

But yeah I doubt it too. People on our board who get good info think we'll take Kelly or Scharenberg which I'd be fine with.

 

[tigs2010]

You're talking about the team that took Howard in the first round...

But yeah I doubt it too. People on our board who get good info think we'll take Kelly or Scharenberg which I'd be fine with.

Kelly likely isn't there but Scharenberg will be. I think it's out of him and Kolodjashnij. KK I've heard recently but that may just be the back-up if Scharenberg is gone. Which would leave KK for the Suns who are also keen and Aish for WC, who I'm not sure they take him but they likely do. Of course after all that, Melbourne will trade pick 2 and **** it all up.

 

[tigs2010]

Maybe Aish will in fact be this year's Grundy and we'll nab him at 18, after being talked up as going no.2 all year!

Have you heard any whispers as to we're into the most?

Billings if Kelly goes to Melbourne

 

[U Little Beauty]

Hi Knightmare, what are your thoughts on David Iaccarino from the Western Jets?