Draft Watcher Knightmare's 2014 Phantom Draft

[Knightmare]

Who are the big winners in your opinion this off season?
I think the tigers have drafted quite smartly with covering needs (class and speed)
As well as some huge risk vs reward (Mckenzie)

I read that Taylor Walker was drafted in the 70's. Did he slide for simular reasons to Mckenzie?

Walker was through the NSW scholarship program of the day where they could take guys with their final draft selections or alternatively their final rookie selections.


As for winners.

Brisbane won trade week. Beams and Christensen is ridiculous.

Hawthorn adding Frawley and O'Rourke to a premiership team also is a big step forward and a further win filling needs and scarily improving their team.

Gold Coast will be better with Malceski, Hallahan who through the mids has a chance to make it and is ready to go then Wright, Garlett and Miller is a pretty good draft haul also.

Melbourne are a big winner also. Lumumba for an essentially retired player and Jeff Garlett. Those guys can play and make Melbourne better. Sam Frost is an exceptional athlete at CHB and could long term be a chance to develop. Then through the national draft I can't fault them with Petracca, Brayshaw, Stretch, Neal-Bullen and McDonald.

Essendon did well even loosing Ryder. Cooney so cheaply is excellent. Giles cheaply also is a strong get. Then Laverde and Langford both excellent and worthy of top 10 selections in my mind. They're another with a real chance to be better next year also.

Sydney pretty much thanks to the Academy getting Heeney is an instant win also, even losing Malceski.

 

[Knightmare]

McLaren, Newman, Melican and Foote our picks. Your thoughts on them?

McLaren was a logical pick as someone who can play some ruck (though probably not at AFL level) and has the height to potentially develop into a key defender.

Newman is a nice rebounding back flanker who really improved through the VFL this year. Good replacement for Malceski given you only had a rookie pick to do it.

Melican down back is a tall athletic stopper and more a role player as a non rebounder. From reports is a good kid and puts in the work so it will be interesting to see how he goes.

Then Foote is a reasonable NSW midfield prospect. I haven't seen anything that has really made me note his performances but being a NSW boy there is probably some reasonable scope to develop still and Sydney would have the best idea of his career prospects having him in their program.

 

[Rancid Trogs]

Hey Knightmare,

Do you have any information about Jake Long? Even now drafted it seems impossible to find measurements and playing style / attributes.

Thanks

 

[EyeloveRichmond]

Rumour: Burbury to the tigers.
Would be a handy pick up IMO.
I like our stratergy of using the rookie list of drafting guys ready to go in case we get injurys

Thank God we didn't get him, hard at it, overrated battler.

 

[Knightmare]

Hey Knightmare,

Do you have any information about Jake Long? Even now drafted it seems impossible to find measurements and playing style / attributes.

Thanks

I've seen a total of one of Jake's game and didn't note him once in my play by play so I don't really have anything to comment regarding Long. I don't even have so much as his testing or measurements.

His form just hasn't been all that exposed and his numbers in the limited number of games there are stats available from is exceptionally lean.

Long just to me seems even as a rookie like a strange recruiting decision given his lean performances from what I can gather but Essendon must know something I don't regarding his game.

 

[Slick]

Hey KM, can you share your opinion on the Hawks rookies? I like the look of bothe Hardisty and Miller-Lewis, JML especially (style kind of reminds me of Jurrah). What do you know about Lachie Langford?

Looks like the Hawks were happy with their depth and chose to go the high risk, high reward with JML and young Langers. Theory being get them on the list and let them develop at Box Hill!

 

[Knightmare]

Hey KM, can you share your opinion on the Hawks rookies? I like the look of bothe Hardisty and Miller-Lewis, JML especially (style kind of reminds me of Jurrah). What do you know about Lachie Langford?

Looks like the Hawks were happy with their depth and chose to go the high risk, high reward with JML and young Langers. Theory being get them on the list and let them develop at Box Hill!

Langford I don't know anything about given he hasn't played any TAC Cup so I can't comment on him being drafted.

Miller-Lewis is a good rookie pick. Missed this year but terrific athlete, nice height and has a hunger for the contest.

Hardisty I found a strange pick. He is highly productive but he is sub 180cm and in watching him during the u18 champs he looked like the slowest guy out there and a real plodder. But Hawthorn obviously see something in him I don't.

 

[Bicks]

I read that Taylor Walker was drafted in the 70's. Did he slide for simular reasons to Mckenzie?

No he was tied to the Crows as a 16 year old in 2006 through the NSW Scholarship Program, basically a talent identification scheme at the time. Allowed us to take him with a late pick.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor_Walker_(footballer)

Walker accepted a NSW Scholarship contract in 2006 with Adelaide, when 16 years of age. However, Walker continued to play for his senior local amateur league team, North Broken Hill, in the Broken Hill Football League, leading them to the 2007 Premiership with a seven goal, best on ground performance, playing at centre half forward. Walker attended Willyama High School in Broken Hill.

 

[SSSSSS]

Langford I don't know anything about given he hasn't played any TAC Cup so I can't comment on him being drafted.

Miller-Lewis is a good rookie pick. Missed this year but terrific athlete, nice height and has a hunger for the contest.

Hardisty I found a strange pick. He is highly productive but he is sub 180cm and in watching him during the u18 champs he looked like the slowest guy out there and a real plodder. But Hawthorn obviously see something in him I don't.

Wright reckons he (Hardisty) ran a 2.95 but he doesn't look overly quick to me from the footage.

 

[Bailey01]

Good work on all your write ups KM!!!

 

[Tex200]

KM - an incredibly barren ND and RD for SA juniors.

Given they were U/18 champs again this year, do you have any thoughts on why this dominance does not translate into draft picks?

 

[Knightmare]

KM - an incredibly barren ND and RD for SA juniors.

Given they were U/18 champs again this year, do you have any thoughts on why this dominance does not translate into draft picks?

An even spread of talent with a relative lack of star power are among those reasons. For me the big part is the number of extreme smalls SA had starring in that team in Caleb Daniel (167cm), Jake Johansen (171cm), John Hone (172cm) and Cory Gregson (175cm) as probably four of SA's six better players. SA's other better performers in Gore and Neal-Bullen I feel were both underrated but the feeling seems to be with both that they're just middle of the road mids without that something special those top end guys have to them which is why they both slid into the middle portion of the draft.

It all relates to projecting ahead at the end of the day. Sub 180cm guys generally are seen to be closer to who they'll be as pros so they get rated less highly with a perception of less scope to improve then similarly with productive mids who are seen to be middle of the road without an element of special are seen similarly as often not having the upside to develop into above average mids at the next level.

--
I personally really like the games of Gore, Neal-Bullen and Daniel among that group and Gregson I see as another guy who has a chance also but clubs like their upside picks.

 

[LemmingMaster]

I have a feeling Hamilton may be one of the best of the SA bunch.

 

[etsal1]

"Laziness" I was told before the draft (when told we wouldn't go near him).

It's a lot more than that.

 

[Baird]

I have a feeling Hamilton may be one of the best of the SA bunch.

I've been thinking the same for a while.

 

[captain cotch 9]

Whens ur 2015 draft coming?

 

[TheJaegerBomb]

What do you know about GCs rookie picks Knightmare? Did you like them?

 

[Knightmare]

I have a feeling Hamilton may be one of the best of the SA bunch.

I have been far from excited by the games I've seen of Hamilton but then again I've seen mostly his poor games so time will tell.

Whens ur 2015 draft coming?

From memory last year pretty well right after the rookie draft I posted the next years draft.

At the moment I'm toying around with some ideas first. Maybe I start a website and post my draft on there instead. Perhaps I'll be back here and just posting on here as normal. Still working out how much time I have next year and what I'll be doing and when I have more information in front of me I'll make a more definite decision.

What do you know about GCs rookie picks Knightmare? Did you like them?

It's a real mature age flavour for Gold Coast and for a young list that's in my view a good thing.

Josh Glenn adds some class wherever you play him and has the opportunity to be a long term player. I like his game and I would have picked in him the national draft so thumbs up there.

Adam Saad is exceptionally quick and can really break the lines. A rookie selection for him is about right. I see him more as depth than a best 22 option but as a rookie if not optimistic about a guys long term prospects that's not a terrible decision.

Brooksby is a mature ruckman from the SANFL. Late starter as a basketball convert and has continued to improve with each season. He'll add further depth.

Tyrone Downie is a handy forward and had a good season with Bendigo in the VFL. Again I see him more as a depth guy but as with the others capable depth.

Broughton being demoted to the rookie list was a surprise to me. But whether best 22 or not getting him back as a rookie at least it frees up a senior list position which is something. He can still be of value I'd imagine.

Then Raines is a useful tagger and an immediate player as someone who has been around long enough.

I'd say a successful rookie draft and smart recruiting for a team looking to take the next step to build some further pressure on the clubs best 22 and really make the kids earn their positions and learn some tricks off some more experienced players.

 

[Harvey Manfrenjensenden]

Hi KM, what can you tell me about Brayden Pruess

 

[Knightmare]

Hi KM, what can you tell me about Brayden Pruess

A big boy (205.8cm, 111.2kg). Overager from QLD. A still raw project ruckman. He isn't an athlete (not a leaper and not super quick or an endurance runner). He comes from a rugby background so he can tackle. He also seems to read the flight well and can at times go back and take an intercept mark or go forward and take a grab. He'll take time to develop but someone who long term will be interesting to watch the progress of as such a big guy.

 

[captainrich]

At the moment I'm toying around with some ideas first. Maybe I start a website and post my draft on there instead. Perhaps I'll be back here and just posting on here as normal. Still working out how much time I have next year and what I'll be doing and when I have more information in front of me I'll make a more definite decision.

not to try and pump your gears up too much mate, but i definetly think thats something you should look into, with the amount of time and effort you put in, and some of the clowns that do have their own website I think youre a class above

 

[Rockford]

Any information on Tom Read Knightmare?

 

[fronkalicious]

Hi km

Thoughts on roarke smith?

Thanks again for all the work this year

 

[Knightmare]

Any information on Tom Read Knightmare?

I feel like I've answered a few questions on Read a few times lately.

Read is a project ruck. He is strong overhead. Reads it well. Nice long kick. He is capable forward of centre as well as through the ruck. Athletically only average and only an average size for this stage but as promising as really any ruck prospect this year in a year with no real standouts.

Hi km

Thoughts on roarke smith?

Thanks again for all the work this year

Smith's numbers don't stick out off the page but none the less he can play. He plays a really good brand of footy. He tackles exceptionally hard. Has courage in the air and will willingly take the hit when it is his turn. In addition to having that hard side to his game his evasiveness is excellent as a guy who will skillful navigates around would-be-tacklers and avoids guys getting a hand on him. He also has some pretty good acceleration. The other aspect I like is on the few occasions he does get the ball or is around the ball, you really feel his impact/influence. His skillset I also like. By hand he is very good and I really like how he will get the handball off to a target last second when he gets tackled, drawing guys to him to release the other outside runner. Footskills also good and he lowers his eyes and can find good targets up the field. So I feel there is a bit to work with, he'll just need to find more of the footy and get involved with greater frequency in games.

not to try and pump your gears up too much mate, but i definetly think thats something you should look into, with the amount of time and effort you put in, and some of the clowns that do have their own website I think youre a class above

I've had in the tens of people offer to go into partnership and start a website so if others and in that quantity are seeing $$ then that's a sign I may have an opportunity.

I've had it recommended by a senior AFL recruiter that I start my own website so I'm certainly over the coming week going to put the research into the viability of it and whether it's an avenue I'll go down before I get my early 2015 power rankings and later profiles up.

 

[Rockford]

I feel like I've answered a few questions on Read a few times lately.

Read is a project ruck. He is strong overhead. Reads it well. Nice long kick. He is capable forward of centre as well as through the ruck. Athletically only average and only an average size for this stage but as promising as really any ruck prospect this year in a year with no real standouts

Thanks KM. Apologies on the duplicate questioning. I'm out on site and my connection is slower than dialup :/