Draft Watcher Knightmare's 2013 phantom draft

[BracedMantis05]

is there any chance melbourne would take freeman at pick 2 or would that be too much of a reach?
also where abouts would shiel go if he was in this years draft?

 

[aussierulesrules]

is there any chance melbourne would take freeman at pick 2 or would that be too much of a reach?
also where abouts would shiel go if he was in this years draft?

Didn't Roosy get a huge hard-on with Freeman's results at the combine, when combined with his very strong body and say something about him being an option with pick 2?

As for Sheil, apparently pick 2 pretty easily, according to my mail.

 

[Frankie23]

KM, sorry if you've already answered this question, are there any players coming through the VAFA that are a chance to get drafted..?

 

[Jezzarayman]

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)?

aussierulesrules Sorry mate that part of the post was a joke, thought I'd throw it in with all the draft predictions flying around. Should have mentioned that! Thats my preference, Class is Class, amongst many other things 15 possession games from aish/billings is far better than similar output from Josh Kelly, Be happy with any of them though. Keep up the good posts mate.

 

[Knightmare]

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 didn't hear Shifter on the radio talk about Marsh or Freeman.

I'm relatively confident with the ranges I have Marsh and Freeman going until some stronger rumours come out closer to the draft.

Marsh I'd be surprised to go top 15 but anywhere from there would be acceptable to take a chance on. Freeman will probably go somewhere around pick 10. If Melbourne downgrade their pick to something mid first round they are a team who have been heavily rumoured to like Freeman.

 

[Snake Charmer]

If Essendon do get pick 22, do u think Dunstan would be available. Would the bombers take him? I rate him very highly.. Will be a very solid player in the afl

 

[Knightmare]

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

Overage midfielder. Had a strong season and did well in his VFL debut. Some questions about his footskills which did get better as the season went after probably trying to do too much early season with his touches.

I'm not excepting him to get drafted with the sheer quantity of quality overagers (though you never quite know for sure) but he'll make a VFL list if he wants to.

is there any chance melbourne would take freeman at pick 2 or would that be too much of a reach?
also where abouts would shiel go if he was in this years draft?

Pick 2 I feel is too early for Freeman who only really showed glimpses this season, with plenty of spectacular but other games where he struggled to find it. The risk is too high for my liking even with some of those star quality attributes he has.
He can have elite endurance all he wants but he doesn't find much outside ball then the inside ball while he can win some of it, he's as tall as a Dangerfield or someone who looks like they'll become an elite inside ball winner. Just someone who when he does win it will then do his damage.

Shiel would probably be pick 2 if he was in this years draft. He's one of the few young, hard, two way mids. Paul Roos would love to have him!

KM, sorry if you've already answered this question, are there any players coming through the VAFA that are a chance to get drafted..?

I'm not a close follower of the VAFA so there will be others who may be able to provide you with a better answer.

I haven't heard any VAFA players linked to clubs at this point as there has in the past with say Dan Nicholson who some years back was heavily rumoured as a strong draft chance.

 

[Knightmare]

If Essendon do get pick 22, do u think Dunstan would be available. Would the bombers take him? I rate him very highly.. Will be a very solid player in the afl

I think Dunstan will be gone by pick 22 but not by many selections if he is.

I agree with your evaluation of Dunstan though. With a pick around pick 10 he'd start to come into my calculations as a consideration as a genuine strong bodied midfielder who will win it inside and is so good distributing by hand. He's a hard trainer and will get the best out of himself so he's the type of guy I'd want at my club.

 

[Richo83]

Thoughts on Billy Hogan? I'm not completely adverse to Richmond taking him in the rookie draft. Fast and knows how to kick a goal, seems like a good rookie prospect.

 

[Knightmare]

Thoughts on Billy Hogan? I'm not completely adverse to Richmond taking him in the rookie draft. Fast and knows how to kick a goal, seems like a good rookie prospect.

Billy started the year with a bang and then faded away in the second half of the season. You're right he has pace and can do his damage around goal but as with so many of those small forwards he has his inconsistencies and doesn't impact games as much or as often as I'd like. There are a few other speedsters who I feel have just a touch more something - Charlie Cameron is my pick of the speedy small forwards this year with the way he just goes for those tackles as a speedster. Haiden Schloithe who recently was delisted by Fremantle is another I'd probably explore first also. Possibly Jarrod Stokes not that the ball got forward to see much of him through the u18 champs. Malcolm Karpany and Orazio Fantasia are others I favour. So there are a number of others who could be had in a similar range.

As a rookie though Hogan is not terrible and one of the better options in the TAC, just perhaps not my choice as someone I'm not sold on but he's someone who with some work could make the adjustment and is the type you'd pick as a rookie if you did take the chance on him.

 

[Richo83]

Yeah, I feel like Richmond needs to nail the three or so picks it will have in the draft, especially given they've traded away one of the few picks they have, which means drafting someone like Hogan is a big risk. But at a rookie draft level, he might make a nice prospect for a side lacking in smaller forwards. I think I caught Hogan on one of his good days.

 

[CoreyBurnett1]

KM, What are your thoughts on J.Sicily?

 

[strauchnyy]

KM, what are your thoughts re Geelong's first pick #16. Have the cats been linked to anybody?

My realistic hopes would be Gardiner, freeman then acres.

Is Gardiner good and big enough to make it as the no.1 key defender at AFL level?

 

[JAMES_B_101]

Read on the most recent afl website top 20 power rankings that bontempelli is now 194cm. If this is true will it affect his rankings and where he gets drafted? If he really is 194 oh boy! That is huge for a mid.

 

[Ethicz]

Read on the most recent afl website top 20 power rankings that bontempelli is now 194cm. If this is true will it affect his rankings and where he gets drafted? If he really is 194 oh boy! That is huge for a mid.

Apparently all those highs were 2cm above what they should have been, I think his official high was 192.8,
which is still huge for a midfielder.

 

[Dannnnnnnnnn]

Apparently all those highs were 2cm above what they should have been, I think his official high was 192.8, which is still huge for a midfielder.

Mark Blicavs laughs in Bontempelli's general direction.

 

[Heaps of fun]

Mark Blicavs laughs in Bontempelli's general direction.

Midfielder is a flattering description of Blicavs.

 

[BrockBlitz]

Mark Blicavs laughs in Bontempelli's general direction.

More than likely when Geelongs Rucks actually get on the park, Blitz will play the roaming tall ala westhoff

 

[Knightmare]

KM, What are your thoughts on J.Sicily?

Sicily has some ability. He's an effective medium marking target up forward. Can hit the scoreboard and at times push up the field.

I'm not 100% sold on him. As a medium size forward you really need to be able to push through the midfield or on a wing and play that well also. That aspect I do question to an extent with Sicily. He's not going inside and winning his own footy but then on the outside isn't explosive or a particularly great kick. But he's someone perhaps mid draft I expect a team to take a chance on.

KM, what are your thoughts re Geelong's first pick #16. Have the cats been linked to anybody?

My realistic hopes would be Gardiner, freeman then acres.

Is Gardiner good and big enough to make it as the no.1 key defender at AFL level?

Blake Acres I hear Geelong like. Kade Kolodjashnij, Lewis Taylor, Marcus Bontempelli and Darcy Gardiner I also understand would be of interest if there for Geelong. It's all speculative until you hear the result for certain on draft day but these are the names I'm hearing strongly linked to Geelong.

Read on the most recent afl website top 20 power rankings that bontempelli is now 194cm. If this is true will it affect his rankings and where he gets drafted? If he really is 194 oh boy! That is huge for a mid.

Bontempelli is 192cm/193cm depending on who you ask. The AFL.com heights are all 1-2cm off but all things said and done he may well grow to 194cm.

Extra height doesn't concern me. The taller the better.

It won't change his draft range. He's not going top 5 but pick 6 onwards will come into calculations but more likely go somewhere closer to pick 10 which is mostly where he's projected to go anyway.

 

[strauchnyy]

Thanks KM.

Does anyone know where I could find those 2-3 min draftee highlight vids?

In previous years they would be on YouTube, however I can't seem to locate any this year.

 

[clipboardbinocs]

How the hell can you compare Acres to Embley?

Embley was an outside seagull who lived off a Norm Smith for 7 years, Acres wins his own ball.

Did you just look at his height, look at Embleys see that they both played through the middle and joined the dots?

 

[Danair]

KM, is there a chance Freeman lasts to pick 15? And do you know if the Swans are interested in him if he is there?

 

[Masto]

How the hell can you compare Acres to Embley?

Embley was an outside seagull who lived off a Norm Smith for 7 years, Acres wins his own ball.

Did you just look at his height, look at Embleys see that they both played through the middle and joined the dots?

Funny. I suppose you think Peter Matera was also a seagull because he played on a wing?

 

[clipboardbinocs]

Funny. I suppose you think Peter Matera was also a seagull because he played on a wing?

Not at all, Matera had line breaking pace and elite footskills, Embley rode on the back of two champions for near on a decade.

 

[Snake Charmer]

Not at all, Matera had line breaking pace and elite footskills, Embley rode on the back of two champions for near on a decade.

Hahaha! U sound a bit jealous mate hahahaha every team in every decade has guys that are made to look better then they are because if stars.. Good players in a better side look better!!! Embley has always been in a good side most his career. Guy was a really really good player tho! And it's not like Acres is a top 2 pick. So the comparison is not to bad I think.