Draft Watcher Knightmare's 2014 Phantom Draft

[Wild Bill]

Goodyear does some good things and has shown some signs. Wins his own footy and has pace but really struggles by foot to hit his targets. Will need to see more before he features in my draft.

Ellis is good though and more me having not seen Western Jets yet this year. He'll move up my rankings next update along with a few others. The Jets are unusually draft relevant this year and will be one of the teams I'll be paying more attention to in the second half of the season with some real improvers on that team.

Thanks KM - Matt was interviewed by Melbourne last week but I would think they would interview 100's of kids before November. He had a bad break in his ankle last year and is now getting back to full fitness.

 

[ThePuppetMaster]

Goddard is harder and stronger than Watts. He's more Sam Day. He does have the competitiveness and he won't shirk from the contest but I'm not convinced despite his size and athleticism as I'd say with Day that he becomes a no.1 option. As a no.2 option in a front half though he is a strong get.

That was one of my worries about him. Watching him in the AIS game against Collingwood alleviated a few of those worries for mine.

Watts was highly energetic and competitive in contests as a junior too, I'm still not convinced on Goddard - if he was truly competitive he would have ripped a game apart by now with his athleticism and skill.

Great upside though.

 

[ROYAL EAGLE]

Knightmare where do you see Jackson Nelson ?

I really rate him but dont think he was in Callum Twomey top 20 ?

I was thinking he is a top ten talent ?

 

[Knightmare]

Knightmare where do you see Jackson Nelson ?

I really rate him but dont think he was in Callum Twomey top 20 ?

I was thinking he is a top ten talent ?

I see Nelson as a pick 15-30 type at this stage.

He's a nice height and has some real pace. Can find the footy, uses it well and has some versatility. So he's very draftable and could well feature in the first round on draft day if not then you'd think somewhere second round.

Very possible Nelson rises up the rankings but I like some of the talls and some other types more.

Wright, Durdin, McCartin, Moore and Goddard are all very high quality talls. You've still got Heeney, Brayshaw and Waterman who are the high end midfielders and dominate games. Pickett with his pace and the way he takes on games in combination with his ability to find it is another top end guy. And probably Duggan is that 10th guy on my list at this point with Lamb, Lever, Weller others I'd also pick ahead of Nelson with confidence at this point.

 

[Knightmare]

Watts was highly energetic and competitive in contests as a junior too, I'm still not convinced on Goddard - if he was truly competitive he would have ripped a game apart by now with his athleticism and skill.

Great upside though.

Watts when drafted keep in mind was a much lighter body. He was an elite, elite athlete but he was going off memory was roughly 80kg when drafted. Goddard today is 93kg and he's another 6 months away from getting drafted! Goddard has spent that extra time in the gym and has that extra size on his frame.

Goddard plays with a harder edge than Watts with the only similarity being that he doesn't feel imposing or like a guy who will take a game by the scruff of the neck and take over the contest as some other high end key forwards in recent years have or like Peter Wright in this draft specifically can.

 

[Speccy1234]

Goodyear does some good things and has shown some signs. Wins his own footy and has pace but really struggles by foot to hit his targets. Will need to see more before he features in my draft.

Ellis is good though and more me having not seen Western Jets yet this year. He'll move up my rankings next update along with a few others. The Jets are unusually draft relevant this year and will be one of the teams I'll be paying more attention to in the second half of the season with some real improvers on that team.

Love your work KM!
Spot on with Ellis great player, seen him a couple times this year and certainly can play.

Unfortunately off the mark with Goodyear in my humble opinion. Seen a lot of Cannons games this year and Goodyear is a big reason why they're humming on along so beautifully to the minute. He would lead the cannons midfield in winning contested ball and clearances at this stage and often supplies Miller and Okearney with the ball for them to use on the outside. Thats why so many TAC teams give him a lot of close attention at stoppages! Believe it or not hes averaging about the same possesion rate as Miller, but hasn't gone under 22 or 23 this year. That been said, at this stage Miller is ahead of him. He does not always have a high kicking effiency due to the fact that he is very very inside and collects 90 per cent of his ball under pressure in hard contested situations. When he gets it outside in space he's a very good kick! Believe me when I say he's highly rated amongst the Cannons staff and I assume Vic Metro as he's in the starting line up in a highly fancied onball brigade! My only criticism is that doesn't find enough outside ball, but if he works on that side of his game he'll be better positoned to showcase his ability to kick with time and space. At 185cm and pace to burn dont be surprised if he goes 2nd round (didn't know about Melbourne but clubs are showing interest). With recruiters consistently saying the talent is mainly coming out of Vic ( with Vic Metro having the most potentials at this stage) this year he will be well and truly on their radar!
Watch for him and Ahearn to elevate their positions during the carnival and with it, a jump into your rankings!

 

[dewah07]

I see Nelson as a pick 15-30 type at this stage.

He's a nice height and has some real pace. Can find the footy, uses it well and has some versatility. So he's very draftable and could well feature in the first round on draft day if not then you'd think somewhere second round.

Very possible Nelson rises up the rankings but I like some of the talls and some other types more.

Wright, Durdin, McCartin, Moore and Goddard are all very high quality talls. You've still got Heeney, Brayshaw and Waterman who are the high end midfielders and dominate games. Pickett with his pace and the way he takes on games in combination with his ability to find it is another top end guy. And probably Duggan is that 10th guy on my list at this point with Lamb, Lever, Weller others I'd also pick ahead of Nelson with confidence at this point.

Your missing out on my man Bampton, I like the kid a lot, reckon after the champs he will be talked about more in this thread

 

[Rancid Trogs]

Love your work KM!
Spot on with Ellis great player, seen him a couple times this year and certainly can play.

Unfortunately off the mark with Goodyear in my humble opinion. Seen a lot of Cannons games this year and Goodyear is a big reason why they're humming on along so beautifully to the minute. He would lead the cannons midfield in winning contested ball and clearances at this stage and often supplies Miller and Okearney with the ball for them to use on the outside. Thats why so many TAC teams give him a lot of close attention at stoppages! Believe it or not hes averaging about the same possesion rate as Miller, but hasn't gone under 22 or 23 this year. That been said, at this stage Miller is ahead of him. He does not always have a high kicking effiency due to the fact that he is very very inside and collects 90 per cent of his ball under pressure in hard contested situations. When he gets it outside in space he's a very good kick! Believe me when I say he's highly rated amongst the Cannons staff and I assume Vic Metro as he's in the starting line up in a highly fancied onball brigade! My only criticism is that doesn't find enough outside ball, but if he works on that side of his game he'll be better positoned to showcase his ability to kick with time and space. At 185cm and pace to burn dont be surprised if he goes 2nd round (didn't know about Melbourne but clubs are showing interest). With recruiters consistently saying the talent is mainly coming out of Vic ( with Vic Metro having the most potentials at this stage) this year he will be well and truly on their radar!
Watch for him and Ahearn to elevate their positions during the carnival and with it, a jump into your rankings!

G'day,

was interested to note that you've seen a few Cannons games this year. Is there info you can share on Tom Wallis?

Would be much appreciated.

Cheers

 

[Speccy1234]

G'day,

was interested to note that you've seen a few Cannons games this year. Is there info you can share on Tom Wallis?

Would be much appreciated.

Cheers

Looks a likely type for a bottom ager Trogs and although not setting the world on fire, has been playing his role extremely well over the past few weeks. He has a natural appetite for the contest and a flare of aggression ( surprise, surprise). He links up well and is beginning to spread from the contest which needs to continue for ongoing improvement. Looks to have picked up the pace of TAC quite well and is definitely more a half back (eventually midfielder) at this stage. Doesn't have the height of his dad at the minute but if he continues to grow and puts a little bit of weight on could be something next year! With Okearney's natural game being more outside game and Wunhym ( may not be correct spelling) more inside he could compliment both of them quite well next year! He'll struggle to get into this years crop of midfielders, however that's no disgrace considering the cannons arguably and at this stage statistically have one of if not best midfields in the comp ( again three starting midfielders tomorrow for Vic Metro are cannons boys).

Hope that gives you a bit of an insight!

 

[Knightmare]

Love your work KM!
Spot on with Ellis great player, seen him a couple times this year and certainly can play.

Unfortunately off the mark with Goodyear in my humble opinion. Seen a lot of Cannons games this year and Goodyear is a big reason why they're humming on along so beautifully to the minute. He would lead the cannons midfield in winning contested ball and clearances at this stage and often supplies Miller and Okearney with the ball for them to use on the outside. Thats why so many TAC teams give him a lot of close attention at stoppages! Believe it or not hes averaging about the same possesion rate as Miller, but hasn't gone under 22 or 23 this year. That been said, at this stage Miller is ahead of him. He does not always have a high kicking effiency due to the fact that he is very very inside and collects 90 per cent of his ball under pressure in hard contested situations. When he gets it outside in space he's a very good kick! Believe me when I say he's highly rated amongst the Cannons staff and I assume Vic Metro as he's in the starting line up in a highly fancied onball brigade! My only criticism is that doesn't find enough outside ball, but if he works on that side of his game he'll be better positoned to showcase his ability to kick with time and space. At 185cm and pace to burn dont be surprised if he goes 2nd round (didn't know about Melbourne but clubs are showing interest). With recruiters consistently saying the talent is mainly coming out of Vic ( with Vic Metro having the most potentials at this stage) this year he will be well and truly on their radar!
Watch for him and Ahearn to elevate their positions during the carnival and with it, a jump into your rankings!

I'll be watching on, on Sunday. Will be interesting to see how the Vic boys go. As happens after every game I'll no doubt adjust my rankings a fair bit and I'm sure a few new names will make it in my rankings and jump up having still not yet seen everyone yet this year.

Your missing out on my man Bampton, I like the kid a lot, reckon after the champs he will be talked about more in this thread

Bampton is not a top 3 midfielder in this draft at this stage but he's one of the next best and I have him top 15 at this stage. He's got a strong body and looks among the more ready to go prospects in this draft. I look forward to seeing how he goes over the coming weeks - I imagine he'll be one of the players to star through the u18 champs with his strong body and contested ball winning so I'm not disagreeing there.

 

[Rancid Trogs]

Looks a likely type for a bottom ager Trogs and although not setting the world on fire, has been playing his role extremely well over the past few weeks. He has a natural appetite for the contest and a flare of aggression ( surprise, surprise). He links up well and is beginning to spread from the contest which needs to continue for ongoing improvement. Looks to have picked up the pace of TAC quite well and is definitely more a half back (eventually midfielder) at this stage. Doesn't have the height of his dad at the minute but if he continues to grow and puts a little bit of weight on could be something next year! With Okearney's natural game being more outside game and Wunhym ( may not be correct spelling) more inside he could compliment both of them quite well next year! He'll struggle to get into this years crop of midfielders, however that's no disgrace considering the cannons arguably and at this stage statistically have one of if not best midfields in the comp ( again three starting midfielders tomorrow for Vic Metro are cannons boys).

Hope that gives you a bit of an insight!

Thanks for that, very helpful. Just while we're on the subject, how do you view his:

1) Leg speed (there have been mixed reports on this)
2) Disposal
3) Ability to play both inside / outside the contest

Thanks in advance

 

[Speccy1234]

Thanks for that, very helpful. Just while we're on the subject, how do you view his:

1) Leg speed (there have been mixed reports on this)
2) Disposal
3) Ability to play both inside / outside the contest

Thanks in advance

No real negatives on all three. Leg speed is adequate but again he's reasonably skinny and therefore doesn't have the power in the legs that allows him to burst away from a contest at this stage. That could possibly be related to confidence, as bottom agers are often more inclined to release the ball quick than to run and carry. I Don't think he'll posess the breakaway speed that Ahearn, Goodyear or Allen have, but I'd need to see a bit more in the second half of the season and would love to be proven wrong. His disposal is getting better and I think that he'll improve that area as his confidence grows. There was a game a few weeks ago that he certainly looked more composed than ever before-technique looks sound!
He has an enormous potential to get the balance between inside and outside footy as he loves the contest and as I mentioned in an earlier post is beginning to spread and link up quite well-this could become a real strength in his game.

 

[Knightmare]

Thought I'd get an update in before the u18 champs get under way tomorrow.

Power rankings updated and have completed the first three rounds of the draft and then some.

 

[imabowss]

Km whys their no love for Connor Blakely? He's a 188cm mid and is playing league for Swan districts and averaging around 20 possesions?

 

[Knightmare]

Km whys their no love for Connor Blakely? He's a 188cm mid and is playing league for Swan districts and averaging around 20 possesions?

I'll get a better feel for the talent outside VIC over the coming weeks.

Outside of VIC those I've viewed mostly are the AIS boys at this early stage.

 

[Johnston]

Thoughts on Michael Manteit from Sandringham

 

[Rancid Trogs]

No real negatives on all three. Leg speed is adequate but again he's reasonably skinny and therefore doesn't have the power in the legs that allows him to burst away from a contest at this stage. That could possibly be related to confidence, as bottom agers are often more inclined to release the ball quick than to run and carry. I Don't think he'll posess the breakaway speed that Ahearn, Goodyear or Allen have, but I'd need to see a bit more in the second half of the season and would love to be proven wrong. His disposal is getting better and I think that he'll improve that area as his confidence grows. There was a game a few weeks ago that he certainly looked more composed than ever before-technique looks sound!
He has an enormous potential to get the balance between inside and outside footy as he loves the contest and as I mentioned in an earlier post is beginning to spread and link up quite well-this could become a real strength in his game.

Cheers for that

 

[TradeDraft]

Thought I'd get an update in before the u18 champs get under way tomorrow.

Power rankings updated and have completed the first three rounds of the draft and then some.

Why did Moore go from 4 to 8?

 

[Over the Fence]

KM, I see that Bendigo have 3 players selected for Vic C, Evans, Maher & McGrath, do you see any of them a realistic chance of being picked up? None drafted last year, maybe it will be the same this year?

 

[Masked Magician]

Why did Moore go from 4 to 8?

In my eyes Moore is in the 15-40 range.... He simply isnt all that good, got all the attributes though.. This would be without the surname that is

 

[Procrastinator35]

In my eyes Moore is in the 15-40 range.... He simply isnt all that good, got all the attributes though.. This would be without the surname that is

HMMM....Now let me see....Collingwood F/S being under-rated by a Collingwood poster so as to surreptitiously snare him with a second round draft pick!....Sorry Masked Magician, but it aint gonna happen!....Moore is rated a top 5 pick by every scout in the book.....Nice try but.

 

[Knightmare]

Thoughts on Michael Manteit from Sandringham

Big improver. Really nice user of the footy. Outside type who links up well and has increased his work rate this year. Much improved tackler and running to the right places and linking up well to help increase his numbers.

If he keeps improving he has the opportunity to sneak into my power rankings. Had no idea who he was coming into the season but definitely do now so I'm definitely encouraged by how he's performing in this early portion of the season.

Why did Moore go from 4 to 8?

Down to 10 after that performance.

The simple answer is others are better performed. Goddard showed today he's clearly better (as did Wright and McCartin) and Duggan I felt also looked a class above and should be considered a slightly better prospect.

Moore has real potential. Watching him move around again today his movement at his height is absolutely exceptional. Really nice user of ball by foot. His leadership also is exceptional - his voice on the field, encouraging guys and speaking to others when required. He's just isn't dominating at the level like a "name player" needs to and was soundly beaten today.

He's just a guy you pick on potential and who you hope he is 5 years from now.

KM, I see that Bendigo have 3 players selected for Vic C, Evans, Maher & McGrath, do you see any of them a realistic chance of being picked up? None drafted last year, maybe it will be the same this year?

None of the Bendigo guys are high end guys and I don't see any of them featuring in the first round but all of Evans, Maher and McGrath I see as being in the mix.

In my eyes Moore is in the 15-40 range.... He simply isnt all that good, got all the attributes though.. This would be without the surname that is

I know what you're saying and I'm in the same boat Masked Magician. He has the traits that suggest he'll develop but he's still not putting it all together.

 

[TradeDraft]

Big improver. Really nice user of the footy. Outside type who links up well and has increased his work rate this year. Much improved tackler and running to the right places and linking up well to help increase his numbers.

If he keeps improving he has the opportunity to sneak into my power rankings. Had no idea who he was coming into the season but definitely do now so I'm definitely encouraged by how he's performing in this early portion of the season.



Down to 10 after that performance.

The simple answer is others are better performed. Goddard showed today he's clearly better (as did Wright and McCartin) and Duggan I felt also looked a class above and should be considered a slightly better prospect.

Moore has real potential. Watching him move around again today his movement at his height is absolutely exceptional. Really nice user of ball by foot. His leadership also is exceptional - his voice on the field, encouraging guys and speaking to others when required. He's just isn't dominating at the level like a "name player" needs to and was soundly beaten today.

He's just a guy you pick on potential and who you hope he is 5 years from now.



None of the Bendigo guys are high end guys and I don't see any of them featuring in the first round but all of Evans, Maher and McGrath I see as being in the mix.



I know what you're saying and I'm in the same boat Masked Magician. He has the traits that suggest he'll develop but he's still not putting it all together.

Well with Moore - I remember Day and Franklin did not dominate in the U-18 Champs and they where top 5 Picks

 

[Skippos]

I see you've added an extra 5 potential A-graders. Is that more an indication that you're rating the crop higher than before or just a normal shift as you get a better look at the kids?

Interested to hear what it was about Heeney that made him jump so much though?

Also heard a lot of good things about Marc Pittonet's game today. Was wondering what you thought of it and how it bodes for his draft stock?

And just briefly moving on to 2015, how good was Darcy Parish today? Been hearing real good things for awhile about him but never seen him; does he have a good comparison from what you saw today?

Thanks

 

[Skippos]

Well with Moore - I remember Day and Franklin did not dominate in the U-18 Champs and they where top 5 Picks

Do you think Day has justified being a top 5 pick though? I certainly don't, not so far at least.